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 they are not. The AR-15 platform features a standard magazine well, which is why many shooters believe that all AR magazines will fit all AR [...]
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 [...]
Loading Mags — Angry Stag’s Electric AR-15 Magazine Loader
Emptying your loaded magazines by shooting them is fun; loading a bunch of magazines isn’t fun but is a necessity in classes, equipment testing, and organizational qualifications when the shooters aren’t rolling up with their loaded magazines. How do we get those loaded magazines? In the military, it was easy [...]
Defensive & Duty Ammunition Or Training?
We are about to hit another ammo shortage. This time, instead of the shortage being caused by domestic demand, it could be due to a lot of ammunition being needed elsewhere. Cause? First, there is demand coming out of the Ukraine caused by the last eighteen-plus months of fighting [...]
Duty Ammunition — Performance And Selection
If there is one thing gun guys (and gals) will argue about, it is ammunition. In what ways, you ask? Caliber, bullet weight, design, manufacturer, velocity, you name it. They (ok, we) will argue about it. How do you go about choosing the best-performing ammunition for your needs? Ideally, [...]