Alternative Calibers For Police Rifle Training
For most users, the AR-15 pattern rifle in 5.56mm is the “go-to” answer for those needing a patrol rifle. However, there are times, particularly for training, when AR pattern rifles in alternate calibers warrant consideration. While the use of ARs in 9x19mm (aka Pistol Caliber Carbines or PCC) has been a practice for decades at some training institutions (such as Thunder Ranch or the Rogers Shooting School), we have reached a point where they are [...]
Selecting Your Patrol Rifle
The patrol rifle or patrol carbine has exploded in popularity in the last ten years. While some agencies had them long before that, I didn’t see them become as popular or prevalent in New England until the early 2000s. When I was first assigned to the Firearms Training Unit at [...]
Mk 3 For Thee
Courtesy of Merriam-Webster.com, a magazine is defined as: noun - mag·a·zine ma-ge-zenˌ 5: a supply chamber: such as a : a holder in or on a gun for cartridges (see cartridge sense 1) to be fed into the gun chamber Finally, with the fifth definition, we get to the [...]
Trust A Process
Trust the process. We hear that phrase a lot. Do we have processes when it comes to our firearms? We previously addressed this issue and how it related to one's handgun. For police officers and lawfully armed citizens, that route is frequently traveled. What about a less frequently employed weapon, [...]
Colt’s Open Enrollment M-16/AR-15 Armorer’s Course
While some companies schedule and make factory armorer training available to a significant number of people, that is not always the case. Even as a retired sheriff’s sergeant who writes and teaches, there are some armorer courses I have not been able to take. It is extremely encouraging that Colt [...]
On Target: Reading Wind and Trajectory
Understanding the impact of wind on a projectile's trajectory is crucial for precision shooting. Trajectory refers to the path that a projectile or object follows through space because of external forces acting upon it. For bullets or other projectiles, this path is typically a curved line due to the influence [...]
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 [...]
Staging Your Long Gun
A fair amount of defensive firearms training comes from the experience of domestic law enforcement. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as it can be experience-driven. Likely, it is vetted within local and federal statutes and case law. Unfortunately, it means development and evolution can be hampered by decades [...]
We Were Slingin’
A long time ago, in what was another country, I heard it said that a sling is to a rifle or shotgun what a holster is to a handgun. The sling fulfills several purposes. It is a way to secure (or store) your long gun when you want it handy [...]
Bolt Carrier Solves AR Magazine Loading Issue
American COP's Brent Wheat takes a look at Speed Tac's new Bolt Carrier for the AR platform. It allows the shooter to insert a fully loaded magazine with the bolt closed and a round in the chamber. For more information, visit www.speed-tac.com. Read more here.
MARLIN 1895 .45-70 LEVER-ACTION | Still Viable for Defense or Hunting
The Springfield Trapdoor Cartridge Rifle and Carbine was produced for the military in 1873. It came chambered in an equally new, powerful cartridge. Commonly called .45-70 Government or simply .45-70, the actual nomenclature for the cartridge was .45-70-405. In order, the numbers stand for the caliber, how many grains of [...]