Everything Updated Except The Ammunition?
Look at the equipment we carried decades ago and compare it with today. Body armor? Better. Optics? Hugely better. Communications? Not even close. Duty pistols? Better materials, better sights, better ergonomics. Patrol vehicles? Rolling computers. What about ammunition? Rethinking What Makes a Duty Round Work Liberty Ammunition has been developing ammunition for the government for over 20 years. They have a new line called Pro Series for law enforcement only. Pro Series was engineered around four key elements: [...]
Run It Like A Violin – Shotgun Reloads
“A violinist who stops improving has already started declining,” said Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), a very well-regarded concert violinist. Historically Shotgun reloads have been taught in one of three ways. They were based on the user's role. Bird hunters seemed to roll the gun upside down, with the loading port upward, [...]
Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux
My initial look at Beretta’s practical 20-gauge offering – the A300UP – is here. Having two quality 20-gauge shotgun designs available for both end users and serious shotgun students is intriguing. Those are Beretta's A300 and Mossberg's 590. As a traveling trainer, the ability to loan out a 20-gauge, whether [...]
Are AR15 Magazines Universal?
What You Need To Know
If you've been around AR-15 owners for a while, you've likely heard the debate: one person says that their PMAG always drops free, and another complains that the same PMAG sticks in their rifle and doesn't fit properly. Both refer to "AR-15 magazines" as if it's a single product. But [...]
Patrol Rifle Selection Standards & Stag Arms
Are there measurable standards for law enforcement equipment? Yes. Unfortunately, beyond body armor, their existence is not well known. Some exist only in draft form and are released for comment. One of those is the National Institute of Justice's Patrol Rifles for Law Enforcement. It was published in December 2018 [...]
First Look – Beretta’s Defensive 20-gauge
Ok, this shotgun is probably going to see much greater use by lawfully armed citizens than by uniformed law enforcement. Those lawfully armed citizens read AmericanCop, too. I say "probably" because I once wrote a proposal to buy a 20-gauge Remington 870 for a very petite trainee, before AR-15s with [...]
Good Gun, Good Ammo – S&W’s 632 UC Ti
We are about a year and a half into the S&W UC revolvers that Lipsey’s brought to market after significant collaboration with competent end users. My original article on the gun can be found HERE. So, how is the line progressing? Choices Looking at the 632 Ultra Carry, I initially [...]
Testing Duty Pistols?
The subject of testing handguns for adoption by agencies came up recently. Testing. The vast majority of the 18,000 agencies in this country lack both the capability and the resources to conduct actual testing. Are we testing? Identifying our preferences? Or validating the testing of others? This also applies to [...]
The Bad One — Training To Clear Double Feeds
Anything made by Man can break or fail. Far too often, while they rarely come at a good time, those breakages or failures happen at very inopportune moments, like in the middle of trying to save your life or the life of another during a deadly force event. Types In [...]
Not Your Dad’s J Frame — Lipsey’s Ultimate Carry
Smith & Wesson's J frame revolver – if there's a ubiquitous back-up gun for uniformed officers, the J Frame is it. History The first J Frame revolvers - Chief's Specials - were produced in 1950 and have included a number of models since then. When the 442 debuted in 1993, [...]
Federal’s #1 Buck Is Back
Along with chasing the best firearm, the collective “we” chase the best in calibers and bullets. Like pretty much anything else in life, the better can be subjective. It all depends on who is being asked or offering their opinion. One of those areas is shotgun ammunition. Shooters want a [...]