Empty Cases

It has been a long time since I was this excited over a new gun. 30 years to be exact. Way back then I purchased my first Ruger Single Six in .32 H&R Magnum and it started a 30 year love affair with that cartridge and handgun. I’ve had numerous .32s since then but none stirred that special something in us that only guns can stir like that first Single Six in .32. Earlier this year my son and I were staying at a bed and breakfast in Dundee, Natal South Africa after spending all day on the Rorke’s Drift battlefield. I was gawking at Facebook before turning in and noticed Jeff Quinn’s mention of the new Ruger Single Seven in .327 Federal Magnum. “Yes.” I thought. “Finally the gun the original Single Six and the cartridge the .32 H&R Magnum should have been all along and, all in one package. I e-mailed my dealer and asked him to order one immediately. I was so excited I ran down to Bat’s room and told him about it. He yawned. As it turned out, when I got home I found out that none of these guns had shipped yet; Quinn always gets a first look at any new Ruger. So, I cancelled the order with Dove’s Guns and contacted Ruger direct. Contacted an editor too and lined out a story. (Look for a feature article on this revolver in the 2015 Handgunner Special Edition.) Well, its here and I have to say for the first time in 30...

Here is a little something you p[probably don’t know. Early on when Lou Danielson was developing handgun lasers at Crimson Trace he took a motorcycle trip out West. He was interested in shooting a pistol from his Harley. (Lou likes shooting almost as much as he likes motorcycles.) As fun as the endeavor might sound, it was also to be a practical experiment. If I remember the story correctly – when Lou told me we were at a pub with loud music and free drinks – he stopped and explained to the local Sheriff what he had in mind. The Sheriff said something like, “Yeah, just head out the road in that direction and have at it. But, if one of them Troopers shows up, you never talked to me.” Lou told me he took the Sheriff’s advice and that he never saw a Trooper or hardly anyone else fro that matter. He also told me that after just a little while he got pretty good shooting his pistol from his Harley. Interestingly, in the later years at Gunsite COL Cooper found his way around the facility on an ATV. There was a path leading down from the office to just above the Hanneken Range (The Hanneken Range at Gunsite is named after Medal of Honor recipient Herman H. Hanneken.) and as Cooper would race down the path he’d pull his 1911 and whack a steel target as he blazed by. Recently during a shooter’s holiday at my hunting camp in the...

Little bobby was out in the back yard playing with his Tonka truck. Actually, the toy truck was his father’s from when he was a little boy. There was a beautiful blue bird sky and little Bobby didn’t have a care in the world as he made them rumbling sounds kids make when they play with Tonka trucks. No care that is until he heard a weird sound. Little Bobby stood up and took a few steps towards the woods, squinting his eyes, looking for the source of the guttural sound he had heard. 15 seconds later he shrugged his shoulders and went back to his Tonka. (Kids have short attention spans.) Then things got serious. The next sound Little Bobby heard could best be described as a growl. He looked up again and standing at the edge of the yard, right next to a lawn chair and his sister’s pile of undressed Barbie dolls, was a huge creature about the size of a refrigerator. If its hair had been blue, Little Bobby would have thought it was Sully from Monster’s INC. Its fur was not blue, it was black, as black as the dirt under a coal miner’s fingernails. Little Bobby screamed and ran into the house yelling. Dad was on the couch watching Sunday football and drinking a Miller Lite. When he saw the fear in Little Bobby’s eyes he came out of the chair like it was an ejection seat in an F15. When he landed his legs were already pumping...

DPMS Gen II / Trijicon SRS

Some folks who read the commentary about a shooting test for hunters mistakenly assumed I was insinuating a test should exist as a prescribed legal requirement. That is not the case. I simply offered the suggestion as a means of providing some confidence to you or anyone else you may be helping to prepare for big game hunting. (Surprisingly, about 20% felt some sort of shooting test should be mandatory.) The fact is that in all human endeavors we test ourselves before the big event and I am reminded of a Jerry Clower tale. Condensed for the sake of brevity, it goes like this: “One man bet another he couldn’t eat a whole watermelon. The second man thought for a while and said he had to go home before he could take the bet. He returned, took the bet, and consumed the watermelon. Before paying him, the first man said, “I didn’t think you could do it but why did you go home first?” The winner replied, “Well, I had a watermelon bout that same size at home and I knew if I could eat that one, I could eat this one.” Let’s assume you have helped your wife practice with her rifle in preparation for her first deer hunt. The day is approaching and you want to “test” her abilities and at the same time give her some confidence she is ready. What “test” do you subject her to? There could be many and I’ve thought a good deal about this...

A new law has passed and you have been made the hunting czar for the United States. You must test the proficiency of every rifle hunter before they can obtain a license. You must create a drill within these parameters: 1. One drill. 2. No more than three shots? 3. At a singel distance? 4. At a single target. 5. Within a certain time limit. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “The govment got no right!” and I agree. However, since I am the dictator running this show, don’t think you can cheat by saying three shots at 10 feet from a rest within 60 minutes. If your drill is not deemed sufficient for evaluating hunter performance you will beheaded under this regeime. So, seriously, one drill. Imagine you are helping prepare your retired uncle, your wife or maybe your son for his first whitetail hunt and you want to see if he is ready. And, you want them to feel ready if they complete the drill to standard. No, don’t give me the crap about it depending on where and how you hunt, or the size or age of the hunter, this is one drill for every State. What’s the drill? And, just because I’m curious…

The sun was setting over cowboy country; Paulden Arizona. Sheriff Jim Wilson and I were on the porch of the Little Thumb Butte talking about guns and bullets and liars and cheats. Between us was a box of Nighthawk pistols the FedEx driver had just delivered. The boys from Nighthawk had not arrived yet and seeing as how we were supposed to shoot these pistols over the next several days, and seeing as how we didn’t have a dime’s worth of nothing else pressing to do, we decided to peak inside. I’d left my knife in my room. I was, admittedly, in condition white. Jim handed me his pocketknife and said to open up the box. “That’s a MooreMaker knife made it Matador, Texas. It’s a fine blade.” It was indeed a fine blade. Fist sized and Trapper style, with jigged bone handles, a 3.5-inch, locking, carbon steel blade and a lanyard hole. More importantly it was sharp. Sharp enough to skin a chicken or split the truth. I began opening the box and the Sheriff said, “You’re a knife guy, just put that in your pocket when you’re done. That’s your knife now.” I’ve been given a few knives during my life. A few years after my Grandpa passed my father gave me Grandpa’s Case Stockman. About 20 years ago my wife gave me a Randall Trout & Bird (I gave it to my son when he got to Africa this year.) Last year, friend Len Waldron gave me a...

There is some chatter on the Internet about a letter a Guns & Ammo reader sent to Editor Eric Poole about my Gunsite story. On the gunmartblog.com website they mention this letter and proceed to wonder what is going on at Guns & Ammo. What Guns & Ammo didn’t print and what gunmartblog.com did not see is my response to the reader. Editor Eric Poole forwarded me his e-mail when it arrived. The reader’s letter is printed below. Under it you will see my response. What’s going on at Guns & Ammo? It looks to me like Editor Eric Poole is letting readers speak their mind. To: G&A Editor Subject: Richard Mann’s story on Jeff Cooper Guns&Ammo 8/14 issue  I don’t have the great opinion of Mr. Cooper that Mr. Mann has. I met Mr. Cooper at an ISPC match held at a range located off Skyline Blvd in Saratoga Ca.  The Club hosting the match was from Mt. View, CA. This was in the late 70′s or early 80′s. I had never shot an ISPC match before or since. A friend asked me to go with him to a pistol match in Saratoga. The match was a two-gun event. I took a Browning HighPower and a 6″ S&W M-19. Prior to the event beginning, Jeff Cooper was walking around looking at the weapons of the competitors and making comments. He was followed by several other people who exhibited great...

“If you need more killing power, you do not need more feet per second, you need more bullet weight and more impact area. I thought everybody knew that but a great many people are not paying attention.” Those words were written by COL Jeff Cooper and while I’ve been accused of being a Cooper disciple, I think he was simply wrong on this account and I tend to agree more with Finn Aagaard who had a somewhat different opinion, “Given sufficient penetration, what does any additional bullet weight add to killing power? Nothing, absolutely nothing.” But Cooper and Aagaard were different people with different skills and experiences. Yes, they both liked guns and hunting and both had military backgrounds. But, as much as Cooper wrote about hunting and ballistics, it was Aagaard who had more experience in those arenas. Cooper on the other hand, was more of a shooter; his expertise was in all things related to pulling the trigger. If you want to learn how to hit your animal properly, read Cooper. If you want to learn how to kill it, Aagaard is your man.  I’m not trying to pit these two men against each other. After all they were friends and without question two of the greatest gun writers of all time. I was and still am in awe of their accomplishments and the words they have written. But along with the color of our hair and our...

I’ve been working with the guys at Lehigh Defense for sometime. Lehigh is not a full service ammunition company but they do offer unique and interesting loads for a variety of cartridges and applications. If you want wickedly expanding subsonic .30 caliber loads, high performance .380 ACP loads or interesting and lethal lead free hunting bullets you should check out what they have to offer. While we were in Africa this past June hunting with Fort Richmond Safaris, Bat used the CUR rifle in .25-45, loaded with the 85 grain Lehigh Chaos bullet to take a fine steenbok and several warthogs. His shooting on the steenbok and one of the warthogs was perfect. The other warthog was gut shot on a dead run. It went a few yards and needed a finishing shot but we could not complain about bullet performance. Out of that little carbine those 85 grain Chaos bullets were going about 2840 fps and printing groups very close to one MOA. (The bullet is just a tad long for optimum stabilization at that velocity and twist rate.) Recently – and this is good news for those who live on the left side of America – many of Lehigh’s bullets were approved for lead free use in California. This means that now you can hunt in California with lethal ammunition and not worry about dealing death to any condors…Like that was a real...

The question of what makes a perfect 1911 is often asked. I’ve said before that there is no such thing as the perfect 1911 because everyone has his or her own opinion on the matter. I’m no different and I know of no one that completely agrees with me. That however does not mean I’m wrong. When Nighthawk asked me to design the perfect 1911 it took me all of about 30 seconds. Here are the specifications I gave them: Commander size – best balance of shootability and concealability. .45 ACP – works best in the 1911 platform. No guide rod – makes the gun harder to take apart. Long trigger at about four pounds – I have long fingers. Smooth mainspring housing – comfortable. No sharp edges on the pistol – for more comfort. Beavertail with bump – helps with positive disengagement. XS Sights – easiest of any to see. Crimson Trace laser grips – Red is good green is better. Matte stainless slide with Confederate grey frame – looks to die for. Beveled mag well – assists with reloading. Stippled front strap – helps with grip and checkering sucks.                         You could build any 1911 to these specs and you would have a perfectly configured 1911 for defensive purposes. However, it would not be a Nighthawk. When you buy a Nighthawk you are paying for more than just...

Last week I spent a lot of time on the range with the new SCR from ARES Defense. This is really a noteworthy rifle in that it makes the AR 15 platform legal in all 50 states. No, it does not really look like an AR but it will work with AR 15 uppers and take AR 15 magazines. Its also incredibly light at 5 pounds 11 ounces and its just as compact. The SCR also looks and feels more like a traditional rifle so for those who think the AR is ugly or who think that it just does not feel right, the SCR is the answer. I was surprised to discover that inside 100 yards I could hit quicker with the SCR than I could with an AR. This I attributed to my familiarity with the feel of a traditional rifle. If you are interested in this less than $ 800 dollar carbine, you’ll soon see a full feature review in NRA’s Shooting Illustrated magazine. The SCR test was also a great opportunity to further evaluate Nightforce’s smallest riflescope; the NXS Compact 1-4X. This 30mm scope is only nine inches long and wrapped in a set of Leupold QRW rings it weighs 21 ounces. The .25 MOA adjustments can be turned with your fingers and a ZeroStop is optional. You also have the option of two reticles, the FC 3G designed for competition or the IHR designed for hunting. Illumination is standard. Nightforce Optics built the 1-4X NSX Compact riflescope I have on...

I have reasonably thick skin. For a gun writer to maintain any sanity that is a must. The good and bad letters sort of balance out and that helps. And, realizing that no matter what you write there is someone, somewhere that knows more about the topic than you do. Or, they at least think they do. For the most part the reviews of my book, Handgun Training for Personal Protection have been positive. Currently it has a 4.5 star rating at Amazon. One of the most negative reviews made me think I did not do a very good job on the chapter on lasers. Of course, I guess its possible the reviewer did not read the chapter. It goes as follows: “I bought this book based on the recommendation of II Ling, a Gunsite instructor I never met, but rather enjoy via her writings and video persona. This book has merit, cites much of the best-practices doctrine, offers a well balanced participation by males and females, give kudos to the Master of the Art; Jeff Cooper, but loses itself in minutia.  For example, a reader might be led to believe that Laser attachments are important due to the volume of pages devoted to the subject. They simply are not-regardless of what salesmen say. There is SOME value to laser projectors in the dry-firing practice mode, but unless you are tasked with operating a ballistic shield, shooting out of an armored vehicle,...

After two weeks of being bombarded with the Ferguson Story, there is one thing I am absolutely sure of and that’s that most of us have tunnel vision. This is not surprising; tunnel vision is a common side affect of intense, emotional, life threatening situations. However, those involved in the situation usually experience tunnel vision, not those on the end of the news feed. It seems the entire nation is experiencing it in this instance. Like any other use of deadly force this issue will play out in the court of law and while everyone on Facebook seems to have instantly acquired his or her law degree, the adjudication of the incident is at best a 50-50 proposition. More importantly, at least for those of us not directly tied to the problem, is that we do not get tunnel vision. What you should be considering is that what happened in Ferguson could just as easily happen where you live and it could happen tomorrow! Multiple times while I was a police officer there were incidents that could have played out very similarly. And, the aftermath could have mirrored the one we are seeing in Missouri. Fortunately, cooler heads on all sides prevailed but to ignore the fact that we were on the precipice of chaos – and that similar situations occur every day – would be negligent or deliberate indifference at best. Are you ready for...

Here is a cool accessory to dress up your AR 15 magazines, especially if you are a Timney trigger fan. Its really nothing more than a big sticker that is pre-cut to fit / wrap around the magazine. It allows you to show off your patriotism and its also a way to intimidate those you are shooting with because they will think you have a Timney trigger in your AR. If you can’t shoot very well I’d suggest you practice before you go showing off your mag wraps or better yet, actually put a Timney trigger in your rifle. They come three to a pack and sale for $ 19.99. They are also easy to put on and hold up to use very well.

22 Years ago a young man just off active duty walked into a convenience store to buy a Reese Cup and a Coke. He noticed the attractive young lady behind the counter and probably, truth be told, flirted with her a bit. He was headed to take the entrance examination for the local police department. A few months later, 22 years ago tomorrow, he walked back into the store in the blues he had earned on that test day. On that day he for sure flirted with the young lady and, though she may not admit it, she flirted back. A romance ensued and two years later the two were married in a boat on the New River. (She still claims that since the preacher was drunk, called her by the wrong name and since they were not on land, they are not actually married.) For the next 20 years that man treid to get his new bride interested in shooting. After all, as a cop’s wife she needed to be able to protect herself and their children. And, there were several children. A young man from the man’s previous marriage named Luke. A handful of a boy named Bat and two girls, Montana and RayneAnne. The bride never warmed to the gun, at least for another 18 years when the now former cop convinced her to head to Gunsite for a defensive handgun class. There, her life was changed and with her newfound skill and a concealed carry permit, she was now protected and...

Gun owners continue to be persecuted in the main stream media and by legislators and government officials. Considering firearm ownership is a right and constitutionally protected, the anti-gun movement is similar to discrimination. Knives maybe next. If you are interested in knife laws or anything remotely blade related I suggest you check out the AKTI (American Knife & Tool Institute) website. The site is full of information to include State, local and Federal laws. I also suggest you read the page – What Every Knife Owner Should Know. Imagine life without a knife!

If you were in a restaurant with your wife and kids and a man walks in with an AR on his chest via a single point sling, what would you do? What would you think? I know, not enough information; the totality of the circumstances would dictate. Thign is, you would damn sure notice this guy, I hope! What if the guy was wearing a Glock in a cheap nylon holster? Or maybe a nice Galco rig or one of them tactard like Kydex contraptions? Would that change your response? Would you think the guy a cop? Or maybe, the guy is wearing a simple single action revolver in a standard belt rig? No, I don’t mean a cowboy like gunslinger belt and tie down holster. Would this alter your perception of the situation? Is open carry a bad thing? Does it make you act different when you see someone open carrying a handgun? A rifle? Do you just assume that everyone is unarmed unless you see a gun? What if you were back in that restaurant and the man with his family at the table beside you leans over to pick up the food his munchkin threw in the floor and you see the butt of a 1911 pop out from under his shirt? Would you jump up and draw down on this fiendish goblin, yelling “Gun! Call 911!”? Or would you just relax and think, if a guy walks in with a rifle or shotgun I have back-up? Maybe the problem with open carry is that it has come to...

Here is a little patriotism for the weekend. A few weeks ago while shooting at the Industry masters with Team Timney – we were not competing, we were having fun – I entered a side match in an effort to win an American Flag that flew over Afghanistan. The money, and I spent a lot of it, went to a good cause and I thought I had the high score and would win the flag. But, alas, a better archer than me stepped up. Last week at Gunsite I was telling Mike Barham at Galco about it and he said, “I’ve got one and I’ll send it to you.” I thought that was cool but even cooler than winning one because Mike flew the flag when he was deployed there. So, this is not just a flag, it’s a flag a friend flew when he was serving our country. Yes, I was in the military too but did my time stateside. Here is the best part; the flag showed up today. Now, its not that I didn’t trust Mike, I just figured he would forget about it and that’s not the kind of thing you remind someone about. I’m incredibly honored to have this flag and while I was wondering about how I might display it I had an idea. At my hunting camp last weekend Adam Heggenstaller, the managing editor at the NRA’s American Hunter magazine decided that each year we would have a Shooter’s Holiday at my hunting camp...

When I was young I thought a funhouse was something you went through at a carnival where you got the living daylights scared out of you. The first time I went to Gunsite I learned differently. At Gunsite the Funhouse is a 360 degree shoot house that challenges your knowledge of tactics and your defensive handgun, shotgun or carbine skills. It is an ever evolving and changing structure that is filled with good and bad guy targets as well as problems you must solve. Solving those problems is part of your evaluation during Gunsite’s famous 250 pistol course. Preparing to enter this building has been known to cause intense anxiety, rapid heart beat, sweating and hyperventilation but only to an extent incomparable to those symptoms once you are inside. The first time my wife went into the Funhouse she had to stop, take a moment and collect herself. The Funhouse is a great training environment but only when you are accompanied by an experienced instructor who knows not only the tactical aspects of dealing with the issues that arise, but one that can teach you what you need to know in a way that you can retain the lessons. There is however a trick to dealing with the Funhouse at Gunsite and it applies to most all other of life’s endeavors…You take it one problem at a time.   By the way, I found the Sheriff....