Rogue Elite

There seems to be a new craze in competition shooting in recent years.   I’ve seen more high school boys coming home from class with Zombie survival guides, the recent 28 Days later type movies and the doomsday virus outbreaks.    I guess IDPA has lost some traction to the present generation, but I’ve attended a few Zombie survival competitions and they were very good training events.   The best thing about it was the amount of tactical gear that I watched fail, and the number of really novice mistakes people made.   Out of the 5 stages I attended, there was 1 stage that we saw about 18 firearms go down.   About half of those were AK variants and they were mostly magazine related.  Some guys never knew how hard it was to do a tactical reload on an AK if there was a round in the chamber and a fully loaded 30rd magazine.  People found out what happens after firing off the 1st round and the magazine falls out.

Do search for gun clubs and shooting ranges in your State to find out if anyone is holding a Zombie shoot.   They usually occur in the September to October months.   Having some good tactical clothing that will securely hold your gear.   The Eotac Style 201 pants are my favorite because they hold 6- 30rd PMAGS and they are easy to run in.   Tactical vests like the Style 101 are not heavy and don’t make you feel like you are wearing a flak jacket.   There is a time and a place for different types of tactical vests, but mobility is important.  You may want to try getting your magazines loaded up with all of your gear and then try running 100yds with it and see what it feels like and if stuff starts to fly out of your pockets.   Mobility is extremely important.

Once we out grow the arguments about which gun is better than the other and which caliber has more stopping power, the next bit of squabbling is usually about accesories and gizmos.   There are absolutely higher quality tactical scopes and combat reliable flashlights like Surefire and Streamlight, but there are still credible debates about how much of a white light you should have on a firearm.    If it’s too powerful, you’re more than likely going to be draining batteries for more than what you need and a light can easily get in the way and begin to snag on things especially if it’s too big.

Tactical gear like rifle stocks like VLTOR and Magpul have a very good reputation from users and those that sell them.   We have very few complaints about durability and even though the average weekend warrior can put one of these on their Bushmaster or DPMS AR15, these tactical rifle stocks will last the life of the firearm.  When you are trying to decide on what to put on your AR15, think about everything you expect to use the firearm for and leave yourself some room for future modifications without having to overhaul the stock. If you think  you’re going to be putting a laser or flashlight on the gun, get the appropriate rail configuration.  If you are looking for long range shooting, a red dot or Eotech may not be something to put on your gun, just leave it setup for iron sights until you find the right tactical rifle scope that your money can buy.

When I shot my first Sig 229 in .357 Sig the thing that impressed me the most was the flat shooting trajectory.   One of the biggest issues I’ve had shooting 45acp was the adjustments I had to make in bullet trajectory when shooting with my fixed 1911 sights.   Bullet impact may not be something to worry about in close home situations for some people, but for my shooting styles, I want to know exactly where my bullets are going to go from 10-50yds.   I know that bullet weights can make a difference, but I’ve always thought that 230gr FMJ was the proper thing to send downrange from a 1911.   Although I love my 45acp guns, I don’t use them as defensive weapons.    The .357 Sig always seemed to be a step up from the 45acp in certain aspects, like penetration and trajectory.   For Law Enforcement, running into bad guns with body armor is become more and more common and the only thing around that these days is a more powerful firearm.

The .357 Sig is a good step in the right direction without being too much.
What about over-penetration?   From the data I have read, the .357 Sig has better bullet expansion that 9mm and 45acp and that’s exactly what helps slow the bullet down in the first place.   We’re not going to bother talking about stopping power, because if you don’t know this already, it’s not something more experienced shooters attach to handgun calibers because shot placement is more important.   I am not that impressed with the 40 S&W.   It seems to be more bang and ammo weight, but not a flatter shooting round and doesn’t have much more penetration than the best 9mm rounds.   The real reason to have a gun in these calibers is that you can get both in the same gun, if you pick up gun barrels for the other.   The Sig 229 in my opinion is the best balanced. There are certain calibers that are meant for concealment and because that’s what they do best, you should use them in that manor, for combat guns, I think the .357 Sig is a step up from other handguns and the next big leap would be for a Carbine.

There are firearms that are going to need a lot of attention when it comes to changing parts or doing upgrades on  them.   I think it’s a good idea to drop off the gun and the parts with a gun smith unless you know for sure that the part you have is a “drop in”.    From my experience, most gun parts and accessories will need some fitting.   This is where people tend to break rifle stocks or rails because they start forcing things when they really should be filing something.   I know several gun shops that get tired of people calling them up and claiming that a firegrip or rifle stock was broken, when the gunsmith knows how it really happened.    I did several AK stock changes and every one of them was different.   I even found areas that need to be filed down where on similiar guns, it just snapped right in.

Gun barrels on Glocks are almost as easy to swap in and out as a Glock magazine.   I have seen plenty of worn out guns before, but if you realize that each part wears out different over time, be prepared to do maintenance and know that at a certain point, it’s time to replace it, before it break on you.   Sig Sauer and Glock barrels are drop ins.   If you think  you’re seeing a decline in accuracy and can’t see the grooves in the barrel.  It’s defanitely time to swap the parts out.    The Remington 870 is one of the most versatile shotguns in existance.   Just by unscrewing the barrel and replacing it with another,  you can turn a duck hunting shotgun into a home defense weapon in seconds.

I think more than half the guns I have picked up for my collection were police trade ins.    CDNN investments is always one of the best places to find used handguns.   If you are a Glock, Sig or Beretta gun lover.  Check out their yearly catalog for used but hardly shot guns.    I picked up a Glock 17 a few month ago and like many of the guns that are trade ins, this gun had mostly holster wear on the outside.    One of my friends got one that was much more worn especially around the barrel.   While something like barrel wear has to be analyzed closely, it rarely is much of a concern to me.   Many of the used firearms you find in gun shops probable have less than 500rds  through them and the reason they look beat up is because of the holsters that they were used with and the fact the owner didn’t clean them very well.

I have a few rifles that were not maintained as well as others and you can see the difference in firearm wear after a few thousand rounds.   My friends Glock 17 did show signs of not being as accurate as mine so I did suggest he look into getting a new barrel.    For another $150 or so, you will get your accuracy back and from my experience, most glock barrels can just be dropped in.    Even though there is much to back that Glocks do not need as much lubrication, it’s still a good idea to maintain your firearms, mostly to reduce the amount of wear and tear.    I’ve seen huge variations in Beretta 92FS barrel wear just because I could tell the operator was not lubing their pistol correctly.   I’m also a big fan of using small amounts of grease in specific areas of handguns just because it grease doesn’t dry up or slide off as easily.

There is another issue that I see come up when taking new students to the range.   I usually bring various military style rifles with me to get people to adjust to recoil and realize the common military style weapons that exist in the world.   Many of these individuals, after a day on the range tend to select the gun that fit them the best.   When I first got into shooting rifles, I started out with all of the military surplus firearms that came into the Country in the early and mid 1990s.   There may never be another time where Soviet style weapons are imported into this Country.   The military warehouses got cleaned out after the fall of the Soviet Empire and American gun owners were the beneficieries.

When I started shooting these rifles, I was lucky if I could hit a pie plate since my shooting expertises was at the novice level.    I’ve shot within 2 inch groups with all of these weapons in the last few years with handloaded ammo so I know that my shooting skills had achieved there peak with these types of firearms.   Another thing I had to do before being able to shoot these rifles comfortable is to upgrade all of the rifle stocks to longer lengths.  I put on various rifle stocks on my SKS rifles, MAK90s and Romanian and Bulgarian AK styles weapons.    I told some of my students that when choosing a Primary rifle or Carbine for Defensive training, don’t hesitate to customize the weapon to your personal comfort.  Put the rifle buttstock on your rifle that you feel comfortable with and make sure you measure your length of pull.   Many of those AK style weapons are too short for us taller types but it is possible to get longer rifle stocks that can get you closer to your comfort zone.

We all know that Glocks are tough, I won’t say they are the toughest because there are other guns out there that may be as tough, but they are in the top tier of firearms.    We know that everyone likes to talk and argue about all of the flaws in firearms and which guns are more reliable than others.  Some handguns are meant for concealment and are not combat worthy and aren’t expect to put 500rds through them without cleaning to function flawlessly.

The reality for all firearms, though, is they all will jam or break at some point.   All barrels wear out, all springs weaken,  all extractors will eventually wear and break and so will firing pins.   If you are a Glock owner, storing a few extra Glock Parts may be a good idea.   You have a combat worth firearm that is meant for brutal use, but having recoil springs, magazine springs, firing pins and extractors in your range bag or in your home is a good idea.    Learn to assemble and disassemble your handgun and you’ll know how to do your own gunsmithing and repairs yourself.  Glocks may be one of the easiest guns to maintain and that also means replacing the parts.

There is much debate about which scope mounts are the most durable.   Some scope mounts are stronger than other just based on the quality of the metal, but the reality is that all scew on mounts can come loose over time.   One of the secrets that experienced shooters need to pass on is the use of loctite.   If you are going to be using a scope for serious shooting or putting an accessory in a firearm, you should seriously consider using loctite.

Adding the extra security may mean that your scope won’t come loose after a few thousand rounds.  I’ve seen guys with battle rifles with $1000 optics on them and after a few thousand rounds, the mounts came loose.  None of these individuals were using loctite.   Over torquing screws is something to be concerned about because screwing a mount in as tight as you possible can does not mean more security, it actually means more stress.   Loctite doesn’t add stress to your gun mount it just helps keep the grip on your screws so they don’t rotate after long firing periods.

There are a lot of Police trade ins and used firearms out there that can be purchased and 30%-40% below what NEW prices are.   There are a few online FFL dealers that pick up the police issued Glocks and Sigs and resell them for under $400.     I picked up a few that had a lot of holster wear but once I opened the action, they were hardly fired and they ran flawlessy.   Most of the time this is the type of condition most Police trade ins are found.
Some firearms may have actually been shot a lot, but if you think the accuracy in your Glock is starting to deteriorate, if you got it at a good price in the first place, replacing the barrel is easy and not a headache.  Most of the type a barrel will just drop right in.    Glock Barrels can be found for under $200 and will last longer than most shooters will ever know.

Everyone know that Glocks are tough.   I shoot just about all of the popular semi-autos out there and I still have to admit that Glocks are one of the least likely to break.   I’ve seen slide stops break, barrels blow out and slides crack, but none of them were Glocks.   Sometimes it’s a good idea to have a few extra Glock Parts in your safe just incase you ever need them, but since Glocks don’t use very many parts, it’s not much to store.

Things like recoil springs and firing pins are pretty much a MUST for serious shooters because sometimes it’s not always the guns fault that something wears out or breaks.  Sometimes bad ammo can wear out a firing pin faster than normal and recoil springs are going to wear out at some point.   The 2nd recommendation I would have would be to store magazine springs and followers.   Those will wear out, not as often, but as often as recoil springs.   If you’re a plinker and occassion shooter, these won’t be necessary, but if you put a couple thousand rounds through your Glock every year, something is going to wear down at some point so it’s best to have the spare parts around when it happens.