Basic components for building survival kits: These could save your life—IF they are with you when bad things happen

A survival instructor I know, a good man who served in the US Army Special Forces, brought this lesson home during a recent training session. A few years ago, he went on a Search and Rescue mission to look for a missing person. The mission started in the afternoon and proceeded through the night in very difficult terrain. Just before first light, the searchers found the missing person and everyone made their way back to the trailhead.

The sun was rising as this survival instructor drove home. Elated at the success of the mission, he didn’t realized how severely tired his body was. What happened next is unclear. When he woke up, he realized that he was stuck in the cab of his truck, which lay on its side. He looked through the cracked windshield of his pickup, sensing severe pain in his legs, and to his horror he smelled smoke. He tried to unbuckle the seat belt but the crash jammed it and he was stuck. He instinctively reached of his knife, only to realize he took it off at the end of the search and placed it in the back of the truck. The spare knife, which he always kept in the glove compartment, was inaccessible since that side of the truck was hit the hardest. He said that in a moment of surreal calmness, he realized that he was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.  Fortunately for him, a vehicle drove past despite the early hour, and two people stopped and rescued him. It happened quite a long time ago, but to him it still feels as if it happened yesterday.

Wilderness is anywhere where nature's beauty can turn deadly in a blink of an eye.

To build a good survival kit, we need to understand what will help us survive in the wild. To some degree, it’s true that survival gear depends on our geographical location and time of year. However, the base of our survival kit will be generic and work year-round. For example, we will always need water, shelter and a way to signal for help. A knife and fire starter or matches will always be worth their weight in gold and so on. FEMA put together a nice site that talks about these basics, and it’s a good site to visit and share with family members who may not be as attune to survival as you are.

Let’s start with the basics and then expand from there. A good place to start is the rule of threes—three hours (shelter), three days (water) and three weeks (food). In harsh conditions, you’ll die in three hours without a shelter, and you’ll die after three days without water. As to food, well that’s the least critical element as it will take you three weeks to die of starvation. If we go by the rule of three, then our first priority is to build a shelter in as safe as possible place. Next we need water and a way to carry it to our shelter, as well as a way to purify it. Finally we need food and the ability to attract the attention of rescuers. In my mind signaling for help is more critical, but we’ll cover both.

As we look at what it takes for us to survive, we can see the beginning of a survival kit list: a knife, survival blanket, fire starting kit, a signal mirror, whistle and collapsible plastic water jug and purification tablets. As we start to build the kit, keep in mind that it needs to comfortably fit into a pocket. If it’s too big or bulky, you will not want take it with you, so make hard calls at each and every step. For example, if you can carry a high quality knife at all times—great—that’s ideal, but chances are that between work and forgetfulness, you superb knife will stay at home; so focus on small, bare minimum and always-present gear.

Building a scenario driven kit

Our first priority is a shelter. A shelter is simply a barrier between our body and the environment. It gives us protection and helps us maintain our body temperature within acceptable (not necessarily comfortable) limits. You need to be able to build a basic shelter, keep warm or cool as the case may be, and build a fire. Therefore, items needed for this scenario are: knife, emergency blanket, a small flashlight and fire starting kit.

1. A small knife: This can be a sturdy pocket knife or a small fixed blade. You don’t need to get ceramic or high carbon blades. It’s not a knife for life—just enough knife to keep you alive. A cheap $2.99 small knife or small multi blade tool is a good start. I suggest you get something nice, like a Gerber Mini Paraframe, for about $4.99. Invest time searching for a cheap but functional knife. Item price range for this item is $2.99 to $4.99
2. Emergency blanket: This can be critical because you may lack the skills or the ability to build a sufficiently usable shelter. There are a slew of options here, and I suggest you focus on small and functional. The one I recommend is Adventure Medical’s SOL Emergency Blanket. It’s bulkier and more expensive than most cheap blankets ($3.99 vs. $0.99) but it’s sturdy and efficient. Item price range is $0.99 to $3.99
3. A small flashlight: You don’t know when disaster will strike. If it strikes at night or in a dark place, or if you are running out of daylight and still need to build your shelter—you need a light. Today, LED lights are cheap and plentiful and you can pick a 3-pack at Home Depot for less than $2.99. At that price and size, you can take two lights with you. Item price range is $1.88 to $2.99.

Small flashlight and pocket knife for survival kit

1. Fire starting tool. A good fire is critical since it provides heat, protection and a boost to morale. Lots of people like fire starters but if you don’t know how to use one, it won’t help you much. A box of stormproof matches and a disposable lighter may work better. You can always get all three and practice the art of starting a fire. Item price range is $2.99 to $3.99.
2. Fire starting fuel: To build a fire you need fuel. You can collect tinder in nature, but in rainy areas it may be difficult. Buying ready-made fuel isn’t cheap, but fortunately you can make your own. Buy a bag of cotton balls and a small jar of petroleum jelly. Take a cotton ball and a dime size of petroleum jelly and work it in. You now have fuel for about 90 to 120 seconds! Take about 5 to 7 cotton balls and put them in an old medicine bottle and you get cheap, effective fuel in a waterproof container. Item price for this kit is less than $0.25.

The easy way to start a fire--waterproof and windproof matches

Our next priority is communication. We need to be able to attract rescuers to our location. This can include Search and Rescue helicopters or planes and ground searchers. It’s crucial that we be prepared for both: a signal mirror for alerting search aircrafts, a whistle for ground searchers. There are other things you can do, such as adding green leaves to a fire to generate thick smoke, but that’s something you use the environment and your knife for.

1. A signal mirror: You can buy a dedicated mirror, for example, Coghlan Survival Signal Mirror or Survival Technologies StarFlash Signal Mirror. But you can also just use a regular audio CD. A DVD you don’t need will do the trick too and cost nothing. Item price range is from $0 to $10.00.
2. Whistle: A strong whistle can be heard from a long distance. Certainly longer than your voice could reach, and, while it depends on terrain and geographic location, a whistle can be heard from over half a mile. A good whistle is your friend since it can attract rescuers and scare off wildlife such as black bears. Take a look at some basic Red Cross kits that have a whistle and other useful items for very little money. Item price for this will be $0.99 to $2.00.

Emergency blanket: difference between life or death from hypothermia

Next you need water and that entails getting it to your camp and making sure you can drink it without getting sick. We won’t get into ways of finding or collecting water in this article, since it’s a dedicated topic. Instead, we’ll focus on storage and purification:

1. Collapsible water jug: This foldable container can carry a gallon of water. It’s easy to store and  simple to reuse. Item price range is $5.99 to $8.99.
2. Water purification tablets: There are many options to select from here. What most have in common is some aftertaste, but in an emergency it will work just fine. The key is to find something that addresses the most amount of risk and works relatively quickly. All of these will take some time to work. Be sure to understand the timeline and limitations of what you get. A good starting point is Coghlan’s Drinking Water Germicidal Tablets (50 Tablets). Item price range is about $4.50.

Next we have your well-being in mind with items that will help with orientation and first-aid.

1. Compass: Most people don’t know how to navigate or use a compass properly. Even so, when lost without a map, a compass can help you determine your direction, which can be crucial. For example, if you know a key highway runs east to west, you can walk toward its general direction. Here’s a small selection of different compasses and you should pick something within your skill set. Having said that, in most cases, it will be easier to find you if you stay put. You are already lost and there’s no point getting even further from the point where you were last seen. Item price range is $2.99 to expensive, for a professional compass.
2. First-aid: You need a basic first-aid kit, and, while on the topic, a Red Cross class on first-aid is probably something you ought to take before you need to administer first-aid. Use items that are within your skill set and make sure you double bag them in a Ziploc bag. You can get different first-aid kits directly from the Red Cross, with basic pocket kits running as low as $2.95. Item price starts at $2.95.

You can make several kits from one Red Cross package

Finally, a few items that can help with food, gear and clothing maintenance and a bit of comfort:

1. Duct tape: This single item can perform many tasks. From stopping severe bleeding from cuts, gunshot wounds or injuries that break skin and blood vessels, to fixing torn cloths, coats or a backpack, to shelter building and shoe repair. I prefer metallic, reflective tape, which you can get at most hardware stores. Fold the tape around two fingers and keep going, until you have a small roll of duct tape. If you prefer to buy readymade kits, this basic one will do the trick for $2.30. Item price range $0.20 to $2.30.
2. Folded Aluminum foil: This can be used to actively signal a rescue helicopter, or to passively cover the top of your shelter, in a way that it could reflect light toward the sky at all times. It can be used to cook food or provide an additional layer for protecting a wound. The cost here is less than $0.25. Item price range is a few cents.
3. Sewing kit with safety pins: This is self-explanatory. In a survival situation, you only have the gear that’s on you and keeping it intact is important. Look for mini travel sewing kits. They have everything you need for minimal cost. Item price is $0.99 to $6.99.
4. Fishing kit (fishing line, fishing hook, led weight). I’m not much of a fisherman and I don’t like fish. Regardless, my kit has a basic fishing line and hooks. If you live in areas where fishing is possible, then this is good to have. Even if there isn’t, some of this kit can be used for other things, for example strong fishing line can help with shelter building, clothing repair and even hunting (by making a snare). Look for emergency fishing kits or look at sties catering to fisherman for better deals. Item price is $3.99 to $7.99.

Basic survival kit components

You probably already have some of the items you’ll need. If you don’t, or if you want better items, you may find that it’s more cost effective to buy a kit that has most of what you want, and then to supplement it. I recommend the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak or the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series Basic Kit. If you spend a lot of times outdoors, consider investing in making these kits more robust and comprehensive. There are more expensive options, such as the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak Plus, but look at the cost to benefit factor and see if you can make some of the more expensive items yourself (e.g. cotton ball fuel). You can also research the Coghlan’s Survival Kit-In-A-Can and the Coleman Survival Kit, and supplement each of these with what you want. Think of it as creating your own personalized Frankenstein survival kit.

Ready made kits from Gerber with good gear in them

Place all your survival gear in a small Ziploc bag, and it will easily fit in your pocket. I have several kits that I built or bought for testing. The only ones that matter are the ones in my car, office, SAR gear and yes, in my pocket—whenever– I leave home. Between the kit, my ever present pocket knife and experience, I know I’m prepared and that’s a comforting feeling.

Save money and make your own kit. Note cotton ball fuel in waterproof med bottle. You already have some gear at home.

This leads us to skill and experience. You can now make or buy a good basic survival kit. That’s a great start; however, it’s insufficient by itself because gear without skill isn’t worth much. You need to know what to do and how to do it. Owning a piano doesn’t turn you into a concert pianist, just as owning a high power rifle and scope doesn’t turn you into a proficient sniper. You should practice building a fire, take a first-aid course, and learn how to build a decent shelter. You should never find yourself in a situation where you are using your emergency survival kit for the first time during an emergency! That’s a bad time to start learning, and your chance of survival won’t be as good as it ought to be.

You need to know *how* to use a fire starter--rain or shine

Let’s not hope that life will always be great, and let’s not count on luck to survive. Hope doesn’t buy much and luck is inferior in every way to being prepared. Back in my Army days, my CO used to tell us to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It was sound advice back then, and it’s sound advice now.

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert!

Dan S. Defense

The 5.25 XD(m) next to a custom Robar XD(m)

Why did it look different? To some degree it was the long slide with the enhanced sights and new lightening cut, which gave the 5.25 its distinct look. In part it was the extra goodies that came with the fully equipped XD(m) package. The overall combination seemed to suggest that Springfield Armory upped the value of this package. I think of it as (M)ore package. Now, I know this sounds like marketing-speak, but take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself.

The most accurate XD(m) ever built

Looking back we can see that the Springfield Armory XD(m) line appeared on our shores about three years ago with the goal of raising the bar in the heavily populated polymer pistol market. The previous version, the XD, was well received, but Glock continued to dominate the market. A strong marketing campaign was lunched; the first XD(m) hit the market and sales picked up. It didn’t take long for the XD(m) to get noticed by customers and reviewers. In 2009, the improved XD won the coveted NRA Golden Bullseye Award, earning recognition as a handgun that exemplifies the best in the firearm business. It was off to a strong start. Since then, Springfield Armory released the XD(m) in the three most popular semiautomatic calibers: the .9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP, and the three most popular form factors: Full size, compact and sub-compact. The new XD(m) 5.25 Competition Series introduces a new form factor and extends what the XD(m) can do in interesting ways.

High capacity magazine w/ 19 rounds of 9mm & ruby like front sight

Next, let’s explain the (m) thing. When the XD(m) first appeared, Springfield Armory marketing assigned different meanings to the (M) factor, which essentially meant more value in different areas. For example, (M)atch grade barrel and (M)ega lock texture in the frame. It resonated well with customers, mostly because it was true. There was much more value in every gun sold. As an owner of the original XD, I can attest to the amount of work invested in upgrading to a match grade barrel, reducing the circumference of the grip, and adding proper grip texture. With the XD(m) you get all of these out of the box.  When was the last time you saw a marketing campaign selling facts? This time, with the XD(m) 5.25, the (m) covers all the previous features and then adds more.

100 rounds down range --300 more to go

What’s in a name? This 9mm XD(m) is called a 5.25 because of the length of the 5.25” match grade select fit steel barrel. It’s the longest barrel of any XD(m), or XD for that matter, and it’s even longer than a full sized Government 1911. The 5.25 was designed specifically for competition by the Springfield Armory Custom shop, with input from 5 Time World Champion Rob Leatham. Few shooters can match his experience when it comes to competitive shooting. In fact, you can map each and every feature to some competitive advantage. This means that the 5.25 Competition Series is custom built for a single purpose, and we’ll later see how that design decision affects the use of the 5.25 for self-defense. As in other specialized products, be it a Ferrari or running shoe, you attain perfection in one area at the price of all-around performance. When we get to the range section, we’ll spell out the pros and cons as we see them. Finally, as previous models, the XD(m) 5.25 comes in two color options: all-back or two-tone. We were sent the two tone 5.25 handgun.

Dan testing the trigger with Layman trigger weight gauge

Some people prefer pocket guns because they are small and light. It’s generally true that the bigger the gun, the greater the weight. Out-of-box exceptions to this rule are typically expensive. The 5.25 is certainly longer and therefore bigger than a standard XD(m). However, despite having a long slide, the 5.25 weighs a few ounces less than the regular 4.5” barrel 9mm XD(m). The 5.25 comes in at 29oz vs. 32.oz for the original model. There’s no magic here. The reduction in weight was accomplished by removing material from the slide. Springfield Armory calls this weight reduction a “Lightening Cut”, which is a cut in the slide (think Berretta-like look) that reduces the slide’s mass. Less mass means less weight and that means less resistance during shooting. That means that a lighter slide can be pushed back with less effort. With normal loads it means faster cycling, and with light, competition loads it means cycling without worries of jams. Keep in mind that competitors don’t need stopping power. They shot paper and steel. What they want is greater accuracy and less recoil. They want to use light hand loads–reliably. The lightening cut enables the use of light loads. But nothing in life is free. We’ll see that this design decision comes with trade-offs, but first let’s fully understand what Springfield Armory did to reduce weight. In this picture, you can see both the obvious (external) and less obvious (internal) points of weight-reduction. There’s quite a bit less material in the slide. Keep that fact in mind when you get to the range report.

Note all the areas where slide mass was removed

We know the 5.25 design is focused on Competition shooting. That means meeting specific requirements that are driven by the competition scenario.  Let’s think about that for a moment. When we compete with a handgun, we run it fast and hard. After safety, our primary concern is accuracy. We must hit the right zone to get the highest possible score. We also need to do so as quickly as possible and maintain control of the gun at all times, despite all the side effects of an adrenaline rush. The heart races. The hands sweat. Peripheral vision shrinks. And we breathe quickly, as we try to process sensory input as best we can under stress. That’s the scenario and, therefore, a long slide that works with light loads offers a new form factor, though, perhaps, not sufficient value for a new release. To make this a winning competition gun, Springfield Armory invested in several additional features.

15 yards warm-up with the 5.25 and Federal HST

The 5.25 has a barrel that’s superior to the previous (good) match grade barrel. Springfield Armory engineers developed a tighter tolerance barrel fit. In addition, and this is significant, each barrel is being hand selected to fit each individual pistol that comes off the line. That’s custom gun territory right there. It enhances accuracy and is said to maintain it longer too. After shooting 400 rounds through the 5.25, I can say that’s absolutely accurate. Then they fitted the 5.25 with fully adjustable rear sights and a blood red front fiber optic sight. This allows you to use different loads, most likely light ones, and still have sights that work properly. The plain, rear sight works amazingly well with the front fiber optic sight. It was most apparent when I started shooting the 5.25; even with the weak overhead light in my range booth, I was able to see the nearly glowing, bright front sight. The long slide and smart sight placement provides the shooter with an impressive 7.25” sight radius. In my mind, this is one of the strongest features in the 5.25. When you combine the long sight radius with a tighter tolerance barrel fit, you get a very accurate handgun that’s easy to shoot well—right out of the box.

Sights on target and both indicators showing the 5.25 is loaded and ready to go

To address the need for slide manipulation undress stress, Springfield Armory designed very functional slide serrations. They are easy to grip, have no sharp edges and they offer rock solid hold on the slide. Even with sweaty or wet hands. Springfield Armory says that the slide serrations are deeper and longer, offering a better hold during slide manipulation. After running tests in different dry fire drills with wet hands and later at the range, I can say that it’s an accurate statement.

Safety is addressed with several features that aren’t new or unique to the 5.25. As in the rest of the XD(m) line, the 5.25 has a loaded chamber indicator and a striker status indicator. When a round is chambered, both indicators offer visual and tactile evidence of a loaded handgun. I found the striker indicator helpful in the dark, and it’s a good feature to have; though, like any mechanical device, it can fail. Therefore, to make sure your handgun is unloaded, always check it yourself—the best safety indicator is your mind—mechanical indicators can be wrong.

The 5.25 has great, functional sights. Good view of the lightening cut

The traditional contoured frame offers superb ‘point and shoot’ ergonomics. It fits well in the hand, it points naturally. The width is adjustable with the included backstraps offers good fit in different hands. For me, the out of box width is just right. If you own an XD and never fired an XD(m), you should know that the XD(m) frame addresses a key deficiency in the XD line (which removes the need to customize the grip) by shaving some material off and then adding texture for better grip. The angle and depth of each contour in the grip is designed to enhance the shooting experience. The trigger, which is locked until intentional pressure is applied, breaks at 6.1 lbs.  It’s easy to manipulate with no creep and minimal over travel. It’s a good trigger out of the box, and I suspect that it will lighten a bit over time. The fact that every shot is sent with consistent pressure (unlike DA to SA) offers predictability and assists in shooting the XD(m). The grip safety is unchanged from the XD line, offering an additional mechanical safety feature.

Shooting the 5.25 was interesting and offered a unique experience. Because it’s a competition handgun, I bought light factory loads from different vendors. Since some folks prefer to carry the handgun they practice most with, I also bought self-defense ammunition to provide a complete picture of this guns capabilities. The 5.25 was built for competition, but we’ll see if it works with ammunition designed for duty, self-defense and home defense.

The rear sight works very well with the bright fiber optic front sight

This is the ammo I used for testing the XD(m) 5.25:

• 100 rds. of 9mm Remington 115gr. FMJ
• 100 rds. of 9mm Sellier & Bellot 115gr.FMJ
• 100 rds. of 9mm Fiocchi Ammunition 115gr FMJ
• 50 rds. of 9mm Federal LE Tactical HST 124gr. HP
• 20 rds. of 9mm Corbon DPX 115gr Deep Penetrating X Bullet (DPX)

Some of the ammo we used. The 3 mags worked hard and were 100% reliable

I started by loading the Remington into the large, 19 round high capacity magazine and setting the target at 10 yards. I wanted to get a sense for the gun and to see how it shoots. I simulated a basic scenario and started with the handgun on the shooting booth’s table. I then reached for the handgun, gripped it well, lifted the handgun until the front sight was aligned with the target and stopped. I found the plain, adjustable rear sight worked well with the fiber optic front sight. Even with the minimal light in my booth, the front sight was clear and bright. The handgun felt balanced, despite the long slide. It didn’t feel any different than the other XD(m) I brought with me. I repeated the drill a few times to examine the balance and how it felt to align the sights with the target. I swapped back and forth between the two guns and didn’t feel much of a difference. The 5.25 was well balanced. It was time to do some shooting.

I got a good hold on the slide, pulled it back toward me and I loaded the first of the 19 9mm rounds into the chamber. There was no visible resistance and the Remington FMJ round loaded with ease. Squeezing the trigger, with consistent pressure to the back, I released the first shot. The initial feeling was interesting. I sent a few more rounds down range, carefully focusing on the felt recoil. The 5.25 was solid and felt recoil was minimal. I’ll later note that this was the softest shooting round of the lot and the one that the XD(m) liked most. The long yet light slide and the long sight radius made hitting the target at 10 yards too easy. I had strings that went into a dime sized group and even with rapid fire, keeping the rounds in a tight area wasn’t much of a challenge. This gun made shooting light loads easy. And fun.

Shooting from the improvised bench rest

Before getting to the bulk of the range test, I wanted to run a quick test. Knowing the 5.25 was built to shoot light loads; I decided to try more powerful self-defense ammunition. I loaded the LE Gold Dot first because some handguns, especially ones that aren’t broken in, have a hard time loading the wide cavity of the GDHP. The 5.25 didn’t blink. It loaded the Gold Dot with the same ease as it did the previous Remington FMJ. I fired a few rounds to get used to the handgun with this load. This time it felt very different. There was a noticeable snap and recoil felt stronger. It wasn’t hard to get the sights back on target, nor was it hard to control but it wasn’t smooth. The lighter and longer slide was built to work with light hand loads. The 5.25 was built to address a different scenario and this is where we felt the trade-offs. In addition, the light recoil spring didn’t like the self-defense ammunition at all. After the last God Dot was fired, the slide didn’t stay locked back. Instead, it ejected the last round and went forward on an empty chamber without stopping at the magazine. The striker indicators showed as loaded but the loaded chamber indicator showed the gun to be unloaded.  It was an interesting experiment. I loaded the same ammunition into the Robar XD(m) and felt recoil was much reduced. At the last round, the slide locked back. The pros and cons of this test were self-evident, but was it just a coincidence? Something with the GDHP? It left an open question to revisit later and I gave it a bit more thought as I switched back to range ammo.

The Springfield Armory 5.25 is highly accurate and makes shooting easier

I pushed the target out to 15 yards. Taking careful aim and taking my time, I slowly squeezed the trigger of the 5.25. I’m spoiled by the fine trigger that Robbie Barkman honed on my Robar XD(m) but I could tell this trigger was good out of the box. Still, if I could refine one thing, it would be the trigger. By doing my job right, I was able to let the 5.25 do its job well and we were able to land very tight groups with all the target loads. Felt recoil was lowest with the Remington. The other two loads, the Sellier & Bellot and Fiocchi, we a notch or two higher and about the same. All were much softer shooting than the Gold Dot. We have the accuracy tests taken at 25 yards below for your review, and to me it seemed that my SA loaner 5.25 was most comfortable with Remington 115gr FMJ. If I needed to select affordable and accurate ammunition for a competition, I’d go with the Remington value pack, but I digress.

I should have used the included magazine loader, but I left it behind after playing around with it in my workshop. Loading the tight, new nineteen round high capacity magazine was harder than getting tight groups. In fact, it kept getting harder as the range session progressed. I barely managed to load the last of the 400 rounds and my thumb looked like a swollen tomato. In that respect, I guess the 5.25 also has pain relieving properties, because I only noticed the pain after I packed up. With magazines loaded, I proceeded with my tests.  I liked the fact that each trigger pull felt about the same. By that I mean that you don’t have to deal with a long and heavy double action pull and then a light single action, as you’d see in a SIG SAUER or other fine DA/SA handguns. With the XD(m) every trigger pull for every shot is the same.  That’s an edge in competition and in real life scenarios too. At this point I was attuned enough to the gun to notice light snap when I increased the pace of shooting. It wasn’t sharp or anything like that, it was just there. But regardless, accuracy remained excellent and the XD(m) felt great in the hand.

The smoking gun

Next, I pushed the target out to 25 yards to perform the final accuracy tests. This is where this handgun shines. It’s very strong at 15 yards but at 25 yards it shines to the point where I’d gladly bet on it beating far more expensive custom guns. I used my improvised bench rest to remove any freehand weakness and focus on the XD(m) 5.25 and its accuracy. I started with the Remington loads and moved down the list of ammunition, shooting a few groups with each load and then moving to the next load. The bright, fiber optic sight covered the entire circle of my test target. I squeezed off three shots and, since I couldn’t see where they landed, I paused and readjusted my grip and aimed a bit away from my previous location. I didn’t know how well I shot but I knew the fiber optic sight was a great feature. Focusing on it was easy. It’s just there—and it draws attention. I brought the target back and saw that I had two groups of three shots each in less than an inch, as you can see below. The XD(m) can’t make you a better shooter, but it can surely help you shot better.

Picture is worth a 1000 words and one big grin --the Springfield Armory XD 5.25 can shoot!

I was able to create more tight groups but after I ran out of Remington ammunition, I wasn’t able to reproduce such groups again. I could only imagine how well this handgun could do with good high end match ammunition from Black Hills.

It was time to test my favorite overall load, the Federal HST. Since it’s unlikely to engage targets at 25 yards in self-defense situations, I brought the target back to 15 yards. I loaded 19 rounds of Federal HST and got to work. Accuracy was very good. Not as good as with the different range loads, but very well for self-defense. The snap I felt with the Gold Dot was just as pronounced. It’s possible this is due to my getting used to the soft shooting range loads. Still, it took a bit more effort to land the rounds and, while the XD(m) loaded, fired and ejected every HST round, the 5.25 didn’t lock the slide to the back after the last HST round was shot. It’s not really that much of a surprise that it happened.  The 5.25 was built specifically for light loads, and we knew we’ll see some trade-offs with self-defense loads. On the positive side, accuracy and reliability was 100%. The XD(m) 5.25 did an excellent job and handled these rounds well. If I thought the HST was snappy, imagine the feeling of shooting the Corbon DPX. It’s hot ammunition and fairly snappy in a SIG SAUER P226R or even a steel 9mm 1911. In this light, polymer handgun it was sharp. But on the positive, the longer barrel should help the DPX bullet accelerate and become even harder hitting. I think that sums the pros and cons of using the 5.25 with self-defense ammunition. I wouldn’t feel unsafe with the 5.25 in a fight, but I’d rather have my Robar (to compare same family guns). I didn’t bring any heavy loads with me and, given my experience with the DPX, I didn’t miss much.

For self defense these two groups from the Springfield Armory XD 5.25 are more than good enough

Switching back to range and competition loads brought the XD(m) back to perfect performance. In fact, after shooting the HST and DPX rounds, the Remington and, later, Fiocchi and Sellier & Bellot all felt very soft.

Thinking of the overall shooting experience, I’d say that acquiring targets was easy. The 5.25 will most likely speed the process of getting the target in your sights. With light ammunition the XD(m) loaded, fired smoothly and then ejected the spent cartridges away from my face. It also locked the slide back and it performed flawlessly. As I continued with my testing I was able to create more tight groups, but after I ran out of Remington ammunition, I wasn’t able to reproduce such groups again. As mentioned earlier, I could only imagine how well this handgun could do with good high end match ammunition from Black Hills.

I proceeded to test one hand shooting, as you’d see in some competitions. Shooting strong and weak hand, I tested the XD(m) at different distances, with different loads. In all cases, the 5.25 worked well with very good accuracy. The reduced weight was appreciated especially with the weak hand shooting out to 20 yards. It took some time to take aim, and it was nice to be able to do that without a hunk of 1911 steel. Felt recoil was about the same, where light loads worked well and the self-defense loads were snappy.

The gentleman who shot next to me, Mike, stopped by for a chat. It always reminds me of how different gun people are—always friendly and polite—the way people ought to be everywhere. I only wish the rest of the population were more like gun folks.  After Mike and I chatted for a bit, I offered the 5.25 for a test drive. Mike took a few shots with the 5.25 and the HST. He then repeated the same drill with the Robar XD(m). When I asked him how the 5.25 felt, his answer was a combination of fun and snappy. He shot well and had great hits, but the combination of HST and 5.25 wasn’t ideal. I was sorry I used up all the range ammo. Back on point, I’d say that this handgun, as its name implies, is built for competition and light loads. With those it exceeds expectations and works like a charm. I know for a fact that I shot better at 25 yards with the 5.25 than with the Robar. I wouldn’t take a Ferrari off road. If you want a carry gun, the original XD(m) is in my mind, better suited for the job. However, if you can only afford one handgun and you compete more than you carry, then the 5.25 is a good choice for that.  I’m fairly confident that a stronger recoil spring would help in addressing the slide lock (as I have seen this type of problem before in a custom 9mm 1911, and this tip from Wilson Combat helped resolve the issue). As for being snappy with hotter loads—practice—you’ll have fun and you’ll get used to it.

Some empty shells from the Springfield Armory XD 5.25 and 100% accuracy all around

In summary, the new XD(m) 5.25 Competition Series is highly accurate, well built, reliable and a fun to shoot handgun. It will help most folks shoot better. It will help most folks get on target faster. The long sight radius, quality sights and overall balance, will help you get the most out of your shooting skill. This handgun’s ergonomics are outstanding. The 5.25 didn’t have a single problem with several types of ammunition when it came to loading, shooting and ejecting. It functioned 100% of the time–right out of the box—no break-in required. That’s impressive. For a limited time, the 5.25 will ship with three rather than two magazines. The package will also contain red and green fiber optic material that can be cut and fitted into the front sight. This will give you a choice of color for the front sight, as well as replacement material, should you need it in future.  All in all, I would highly recommend this handgun for its stated purpose. The design input from one of the brightest stars in the shooting sports, together with the excellent custom shop work, combine to deliver more than you pay for. The Springfield Armory Custom Shop produced a winner—the XD(m) 5.25— and it will be available for purchase soon.

Buy a XD(m) 5.25 Competition Series soon and get 3 mags and a great competition handgun

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert,

Dan S. Defense

As other men who achieved fame, Bear has his fans and detractors. Bear’s fans admire his indefatigable spirit, accomplishments and strive for adventure. His detractors, some of which are part of the survival community, criticize his ever increasing risk-taking. Whether you are a fan of Bear or not is irrelevant to this review. I’ll focus on the clothing line Bear created with longtime outdoor clothing specialists Craghoppers. I’ll look at the features and functionality of the clothes and determine whether they are a work of marketing brilliance or a clothing line that offers great value to lovers of the outdoors.

Craghoppers started making outdoor clothing back in 1965 in West Yorkshire, England. They offer winter and summer gear that focuses on various outdoor activities, from safari to mountain climbing. For the Bear Grylls line, they selected a limited number of technical clothes, offered in a limited range of options and colors. We focused on the main Bear Grylls line which consists of three types of long sleeved shirts and an equally small number of fleece and pants (or trousers if you can pull off the accent. For colors, you can choose from the staggering range of two dark variations or one light grey. So is the Craghoppers Bear Grylls line over-confident to the point of offering hardly any choice at all?

I decided to find out for myself, despite the Craghoppers macho marketing descriptions of the “man’s man” clothing and other such nonsense, because I very much liked the proof of concept pictures showing Bear testing the clothing under harsh conditions in different areas of the globe. I needed something comfortable and durable that will survive my Man Tracking work and Search and Rescue missions in the Northwest. This area is cold, wet and full of nasty vegetation (e.g. Devils Club and Stinging Nettles), as well as blood-sucking ground and airborne insects. As a Tracker I spend time close to the ground, often getting on my hands and knees or even flat on my belly to examine Sign; while Search and Rescue work often takes place in harsh terrain and bad weather.

Working so close to the ground, my first concern was keeping insects such as mosquitoes, black flies and ticks from getting under my clothes. The NosiLife technology of the Craghoppers Bear Grylls line offered permanent insect repellent woven into the fabric. The technology was even said to kill the insects.

Next, I noticed that Craghoppers described the clothes as “powerfully sun-protective, quick-drying and moisture-managing”. I would have bought them just based on that, but a few clicks later I found a killer list of features which included: Fast drying wash & wear performances, front venting chest pockets, stretch panels, roll up sleeves with button tab, webbing attached secure buttons, NosiLife insect-repellent and anti-bacterial treatment, sleeve pocket, permanent moisture control, full protection SolarDry UPF40+ fabric, and, last but not least, a confidence-boosting lifetime guarantee.

It was my dream gear wish list—bug repellent clothing that wicked moisture away from the body, dried quickly, offered sun protection and was made with super light fabric. With a 50% off deal, I saw lots of potential benefit and very little risk. I placed an order.

I took the pants, shirt and fleece to a hike in bad weather. The first thing I noticed was their weight, or lack of it. The clothes felt so light they became part of my body, presenting no restriction or chafing anywhere. The stretch panels were situated properly to offer maximum freedom of movement. The pockets were plentiful, and the pants had a surprise waterproof pouch in one of the pockets.  The fleece managed to keep my body warm in 40 degrees Fahrenheit with only the aid of Smartwool underpants and undershirt. After I got going and warmed up, the clothing let excess heat out, without letting me get cold. So far, everything worked as advertised and even a bit better.

To test the clothing’s fast-drying properties, I washed them and left them to air-dry in my bedroom. The shirt and pants dried within one hour and the fleece within two. I then washed the pants and shirt again and wore them wet as I went for a walk with my wife. I could feel the fabric drying in the sun. After about 15 minutes, the only part to remain moist was the shirt’s collar. Once more, the Craghoppers Bear Grylls clothes worked as promised. I was ready to take them to the woods for some real work.

An evidence search came up from 0800 to 1600. At the beginning of the day, I was hit with many light-hearted jokes about my clearly labeled Bear Grylls gear. The jokes stopped after a few hours of work. Crawling on hands and knees through rough vegetation, mud, coyote poop and other similarly delightful obstacles, I forgot about my clothing because it did everything I needed it to do—keeping insects away from me, protecting my body from thorns and sharp branches, keeping me warm and never restricting my motions. To really test the pants, I wore internal knee pads and let the pants take the brunt of the contact with the ground and everything else that I crawled on. At the end of the day, everything I wore was full of sweat and filth, as if someone had dragged me through a swamp, but the clothes didn’t tear anywhere. When my team and I signed-out, I found it amusing that the same guys who cracked jokes at the start of the day asked where they could get my hard core gear.

When I got home, my wife understandably made me strip in the garage. Everything went to the wash. The grime had become so engrained in the clothes that it took two lukewarm washes to get them clean. But, amazingly, everything looked as good as new.

Next came an all day Tracker Training, on a cold rainy day with lots of on the ground examination of Sign. Again, the Craghoppers Bear Grylls clothing dried quickly between showers and kept me warm. Best of all, the nasty elephant-size mosquitoes stayed at bay, attacking only my face and neck (I forgot to put on the DET). At the end of the day, everything was so wet and dirty I changed before getting in my car. But, once again, a wash was all it took to return the clothes back to new. At this point, I was really impressed.

In short, from my experience the Craghoppers Bear Grylls clothing is as good as the site claims. Unfortunately, the over-the-top marketing repels the folks that would benefit most from this durable, highly functional outdoor gear. I hope this review helps you see past the hype.

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert

Dan S. Defense

Selling firearms on-line isn’t hard, but it requires careful attention. You can’t just post a gun on eBay and then send it to the winning bidder. As you know, firearms are highly regulated items. In the case of on-line sales, the ability to sell your firearm to people in other states is restricted by ‘The Gun Control Act of 1968’. In essence the law says that, as a private, unlicensed individual, you can’t sell or transfer firearms across state lines to other unlicensed individuals. The law established the creation of special, licensed dealers known as Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) and dictated that only they can legally transfer firearms across state lines. This is defined in section 478.29, “Out-of-State acquisition of firearms by nonlicensees: No person, other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, shall transport into or receive in the State where the person resides (or if a corporation or other business entity, where it maintains a place of business) any firearm purchased or otherwise obtained by such person outside that State…”

That means that you can’t ship the firearm out of state. There’s an additional restriction that says that you can’t even sell the firearm to a visiting out of state buyer (i.e. they can’t come to you and buy the firearm). To make sure the law is enforced and to regulate the dealers, the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) got additional power and people to enforce the law. If you want to read more about these laws and regulations, you can read the ‘Federal firearms regulations’ reference guide and the ‘Commerce in Firearms and Ammunition’ guide that lists individual rules, which we must obey.  At the end of the day, it’s your responsibility to make sure you follow all the laws—both Federal and local when selling your gun on-line. In some places such as the entire state of California, or more specifically, municipalities such as Chicago, Illinois, these local restrictions can be quite bothersome, but still the law must be followed.

Steps to sell your firearm on-line:

1. Value your firearm: To sell you firearm for a fair price, you need to know the current market value. First run an Internet search to find the current selling price. That’s the upper limit of the price you can ask. Then run a search for used firearms and write down the difference in value. Be sure to search for the exact same model, since options and sometimes even color affect the price. In addition to price, take note of the amount of similar firearms. The price you ask will be affected by the number of available firearms.
2. Understand related costs: When selling a firearm on-line, expect to have additional costs. You may need to pay for listing your firearm on an auction site. Once you have a buyer, you’ll need to find a local FFL dealer who will act for you, since a firearm can only be shipped from a dealer to a dealer. You’ll need to pay your local FFL dealer for shipping your firearm to the out-of-state FFL dealer who will act for the buyer. These costs add up, and you need to account for them to ensure that you get a good price at the end of the transaction.
3. Prepare the firearm for sale: The firearm must look its best for the sale. Make sure you clean the firearm well until it looks as close to new as possible. Look for the original box, the paperwork that came with it, and make sure it has everything you got when you bought it (e.g. gun lock).  You’ll get more money if the firearm mirrors what the buyer can get in the store.
4. Pictures for the sale: Take several pictures of the firearm, making sure you take pictures of both sides. Take a picture with the firearm in its original box. If you are offering additional items to make the sale more appealing (e.g. extra magazines, holster), be sure to photograph those too. If the firearm has any imperfections or normal wear, take pictures of those areas as well. You want to present an objective view of the firearm to avoid any problems with the buyer. If you hide a problem or misrepresent it, remember that the buyer will inspect the firearm before accepting it. Any “surprise” can lead the buyer to refuse delivery. The firearm will then be shipped back, and you’ll be stuck with several bills to pay before you get your firearm back. Remember: honesty pays!
5. Truth in selling: State the age of the firearm, whether you are the first owner or not, provide a rough well-round count and note any potential problem that the buyer may encounter. In other words, the obvious fact here is that the better the shape of the firearm, the better the price you’ll get, so be truthful and try to remedy any potential problem before it arises and document the rest.
6. Sell or trade your firearm:
   1. Post the firearm for sale: Find an on-line way to advertise your firearm for sale. You can use an onsite auction site, such as Gun Broker , a forum listing, or even Facebook. I would highly recommend that your first sale be done with an established site such as Gun Broker. They will then walk you through the process safely and legally. Whichever tool you use, be sure to read their rules and regulations to ensure a smooth transaction. And only because I used them as an example, I’ll state that eBay isn’t an option because the site is run by anti-gun people.
   2. Trade your firearm: Several on-line gun stores will buy your gun or use it for a trade-in deal. An example for that is Bud’s Gun Shop that offers 24/7 buying service, where they show you the preferred firearms and the price you can get for them. This transaction has pros and cons. The biggest pro is simplicity. You can ship your firearm, via a dealer, to their FFL, which will inspect the gun, confirm the offer and you’ll be done. You’ll get a check or you can proceed with an on-line purchase. The con has to do with the price. On-line dealers will want to buy and then sell your firearm for a profit. They will, therefore, offer you a lower price than an individual buyer. I think there’s no harm in getting an Internet quote from an on-line dealer. You can send them good pictures and get an offer without leaving your home, and you can always say ‘No’. This valuation will also help you understand the lower end of possible offers. This way you have a full range of prices, where the dealer is the lowest and a new firearm is the highest.
   3. Locating a dealer: Gun Broker offers a great list that tracks current active dealers which you can located by zip code. To ensure that you don’t unknowingly commit a crime by breaking a local law (by shipping a restricted item), remember that there are numerous and very different local rules and regulations about firearms, and that some states (e.g. Texas) are far freer than others (e.g. California). I’d locate a dealer in the buyer’s zip code, give them a call and describe the item you want to sell to make sure it’s legal on the other side. This is an extra credit step, but one I’d take for peace of mind.
   4. Shipping your firearm: You can’t ship your gun to anyone who doesn’t hold an FFL. You must therefore get a name of an FFL dealer from the buyer. That’s where the firearm will be shipped to. You go to your local dealer and start the process of getting your firearm to the buyer’s dealer. Your dealer can ship the firearm with USPS Priority Mail, which helps reduce costs a bit since USPS is cheaper than UPS or Fedex, which require overnight shipping. However, the process may be different if you decide to sell a firearm to an on-line dealer such as Bud’s. In that case, work with them on the shipping process and call them up, or exchange emails, to verify the exact process of shipping the firearm to them. Make sure the weapon is clear of all ammunition. Make of point of checking at least twice.
   5. Buyer’s side process: On the other side, the buyer inspects the firearm and then the experience is just like buying a new gun at the store. The buyer’s local FFL dealer will fill paperwork, a background check will be run, and then the buyer will pay the dealer a transfer fee and possible sales tax (depending on state), after which he’ll leave happily with his new (used) firearm.
   6. Getting paid: This will depend on the method of sale. Make sure you make the terms clear and that you get paid before the firearm is shipped. This is where sites such as Gun Broker come in to simplify and streamline the on-line firearm selling process.
   7. Feedback: If you used an auction site such as Gun Broker, be sure to leave feedback for the buyer and ask if he’ll reciprocate and leave feedback for you; this helps build a network of trust that you can leverage in future. If you used a different method, send a courtesy e-mail to the buyer to make sure all is well and that they are content with the transaction.

Selling a firearm on-line isn’t rocket science but it requires care and attention to details. Be sure to follow all Federal, state and local laws and, if you aren’t sure about something, check with your local FFL or local law enforcement agency. And finally, good luck in selling your firearm for a great price.

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert!

Dan S. Defense

We buy and sell guns for different reasons. Some of us have guns in our personal safe that haven’t seen the light of day for far too long. Some folks are looking for a different firearm, because of curiosity or strong recommendation.  Some started a project, miscalculated the budget and now need additional funds to finish it. Some of us read gun reviews only to discover that we must own that special firearm. Finally, and more importantly, some of us sell guns to compensate for hard economic times and a higher cost of living. Whatever the reason for selling or buying the end result is the same—we have a need to sell or buy one or more firearms.

So how do we go about doing that? We know that, more often than not, our local store will put our health at risk. Local bulletin boards are already saturated with firearms that don’t sell or, worse, were sold at a big loss. That sounds pretty grim but, fortunately, there’s a third option, which will be the focus of this article.

Before we get going I would offer one note of caution. As with any online transaction the possibility of fraud exists, and it is your responsibility to make sure you are doing business with an honest party. As a general rule, I usually say that whatever seems too good to be true probably isn’t as good as it seems. Use common sense as a shield against regret. On the other hand, the great majority of sellers you’ll meet are honest and, like you, they want to close a good deal. Just treat others with respect and try to get the most out of the experience.  So, with that said, let’s look at 5 great gun classified sites that can help you buy or sell a firearm for a good price.

1.     Gun Broker

Gun Broker is probably the largest and best known classifieds site I’ll discuss here. From firearms to ammo to accessories, you can buy and sell them on Gun Broker. People from all over the country come to buy and sell their goods in a safe and organized manner. Using a similar system to eBay, you can offer your gun for sale on an auction, or you can browse through the countless guns put up for sale by people like you or by dealers both large and small. It’s a vibrant environment that offers a rating system with feedback.

Gun Broker is great for both experienced and novice users, offering help with finding an FFL (needed for buying and selling guns interstate), as well as great step-by-step instructions on how to sell or buy a gun without running into common problems or scams. As with all things in life, a deal that’s too good to be true is typically just that. I highly recommend you give Gun Broker a strong look and research it further to see if it meets your needs. Note that Gun Broker charges sellers a fee; more precisely, they charge a ‘Final Value Fee’ if you succeed in selling your gun. Be sure to check the ‘Fees and Services’ section to consider the cost vs. benefits. Regardless of whether you decide to use their services or not, I highly recommend you check their excellent ‘For Sellers’ section, as well as the ‘FFL Dealer Finder. Visit Gun Broker.

2.     Auction Arms

Auction Arms has been around since 1998 and are the official auction site of the NRA. At any given point you’ll find thousands of online classifieds for rifles, shotguns and handguns. If you want to put your gun up for sale, you can do that in a few simple steps, after which your gun classified will be available to a huge audience of likeminded people. Auction Arms will help you locate an FFL dealer by state, zip code or distance (e.g. show all FFL dealers within 10 miles of my zip code). The ability to compare the costs charged by a few dealers for buying firearms (e.g. transfer fees) or selling (e.g. fees for paperwork or shipping) will allow you to get the best deal. For using their site and reaching their site visitors, sellers have to pay a fee collected in the form of a percentage deducted from the final sale price. I highly recommend you check their ‘Help & Info’ section before doing anything, to see if this is the right place for you to sell or buy your gun. Visit Auction Arms.

3.     Guns America

Guns America is a well-known site that offers guns for sell and lets you create classifieds for selling your own guns. The site has many thousands of items for sell, both guns and accessories, from dealers or individuals. If you want to sell you firearm on Guns America, you have several choices as to how you will do it, but a basic account is free and if you sell your gun to one of the many visitors, Guns America will charge you a standard post-sale fee of 2% (with a minimum of $20 for guns). The site is easy to browse and quite user friendly. I noticed many guns had fairly high prices and I, therefore, think that a reasonably priced gun (in good condition) ought to sell fairly quickly. To make sure that Guns America is indeed the classifieds site for you, browse the many sections, see how other folks advertise their guns and then read the ‘Buying and Selling’ portion carefully prior to taking any action. Visit Guns America.

4.     Bud’s Gun Shop

This site may seem out of place, but I assure you that it’s not. Bud’s Gun Shop has a huge online store and they also run auctions on Gun Broker—and they also offer a great free service. They have a classifieds section where you can post a gun for sale or find a gun to buy. It’s a curtsey service, and you’ll be surprised at what you can find there. The folks at Bud’s have said it nicely, so I’ll simply quote them: “Let Bud’s help sell your new or used gun. We appreciate our customers and want to return the favor by allowing you to advertise your gun(s) in front of thousands of prospective gun buyers for FREE. You can remove your ad at any time, after the gun is sold, or the ad will expire 30 days after you post it. Thank you and happy selling!” So check them out and see if this gun classified site could work for you since, at zero cost, you really have nothing to lose! Visit Bud’s Gun Shop.

5.     Outdoors Trader

Outdoors Trader offers free gun classifieds for buying and selling guns, as well as parts, ammo and accessories. Here you find folks like you who want to sell their items, and it’s pretty much up to you to get the deal closed. You can look at ads that have a state listed or not, and you can also sort and focus on a single state, thus finding sellers or buyers within you own area, something that makes the transaction easier and cheaper. The selection here greatly varies by week to week, but the site is easy to browse and search.  It may be a case of the chicken and the egg, but it would be fair to assume that more people selling on the site would lead to more buyers and in turn more sellers. The site is there for you to utilize for free, so give it a look and see if it’s right for you. Visit Outdoors Trader.

Palmetto State Armory was founded by three men with a passion for business, their country and chosen home state of South Carolina.  The cannons in the logo and the name palmetto are both rooted in the history of South Carolina, the home of Palmetto State Armory. The Palmetto tree is the official tree of the state and embodies what has become a legendary story.

During the Revolutionary War, on June 28, 1776, British General Clinton ordered his fleet to destroy an incomplete fort on Sullivan’s Island—a fort that defended the city of Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately for Clinton, the Sullivan Island fort was built from palmetto wood logs. These logs are soft, and the countless cannonballs the British fleet fired at the fort did not shatter the fortifications. The palmetto tree and the bravery of Colonel William Moultrie and his troops, who defended the fort that day, saved Charleston. The fort is now known as Fort Moultrie, and the rest is history. So that explains the name, cannons and cannonballs of the Palmetto State Armory logo.

Next we have the cryptic “Awake the Iron!” (Desperta Ferro!) insignia, which is taken from the Middle Ages. Back then, before steel, men fought with iron swords that were quick to rust. The battle cry “Desperta Ferro!” was used by Catalonian soldiers as they charged their enemies, yelling and waving their swords to build excitement and fear. The cry was also used at sunrise before battles as the soldiers struck their rusting swords against rocks to clean and sharpen them, which had the added bonus of seeding fear in the enemy. Keep this story in mind and add to it the fact that the founders of Palmetto State Armory see the Second Amendment as critical to our nations continued freedom. Then ask yourself what’s the connection between a battle cry from the Middle Ages and our Second Amendment?

I think it’s the words, “Awake the Iron!”, which in those days meant awakening metal to the function of fighting for one’s cause. Today, for Palmetto State Armory and people who believe in the second amendment, “Awake the Iron” has evolved into forging exquisitely crafted rifles and firearms to be used by individuals for the defense of their values.

Back to the present… we see that Palmetto State Armory is a thriving business. Customers can shop in their huge 40,000 square foot brick front building, where shelves run along the pristine walls, holding tons of ammunition and countless types of merchandise. Walking around, you’re bound to hit the large EOTAC display with all sorts of tactical clothing and accessories, gun cases with lots of handguns and Black Rifles—lots of them—with any type of accessory you can possibly want. But was this always the case? Not quite.

Palmetto State Armory started as a small on-line business selling ammunition. They decided to focus on tactical and affordable 5.56 mm and .223 Remington small arms ammunition. They offered good prices and excellent customer service, and pretty soon they added magazines, which go great with ammo. Their customer base grew with lots of repeat business. And as those customers wanted more and more types merchandise, the on-line business expanded the range of its stock, leading to higher and higher sales with continued high-quality customer service. From there, the move to a physical location that also served local customers seemed pretty natural. Again, to think that all this happened in just a few short years is quite impressive.

5.56 Ammo by Federal

With the thriving online and physical store front, the guys at Palmetto State Armory also turned to Facebook to expand their business reach and tighten their interaction with online customers. As of today, the Facebook page has an impressive 14,443 fans. Palmetto State Armory uses the page to advertise different items, discuss topics that their customers find interesting and offer engaging anecdotes with some merchandise. Through them, I was able to find a very interesting online document from NAVSEA Warfare Centers about US Navy Small Arms Ammunition Advancements, which I consider a nice added bonus for customers and Facebook fans.

The business model of Palmetto State Armory appears to focus on volume—offer great prices, sell lots of ammunition and attract more customers. The ability of the company to move lots of products, allows Palmetto State Armory to get great prices as well as hard to find ammunition. By passing the savings on to their customers, they are able to continue and expand this sound business model. It seems that that philosophy also leads to the initial focus on the 5.56mm and .223 Remington.

Palmetto State Armory bet that the 5.56mm will out sell most other calibers because of cost and the fact that the 5.56mm is more fun to shoot at bulk than high-powered calibers. If we compare costs we see that you can get 1000 rounds of U.S. made range ammo for around $300 at Palmetto State Armory. On the other hand, high-powered calibers carried by other stores cost much more, for example $120 will buy you only 20 rounds of 338 Lapua Magnum rounds, $250 will fetch 200 rounds of 300 Winchester Magnum, and $190 will buy 200 rounds of 30-06.

For my part, I enjoy shooting 500 rounds of 5.56mm in my Bushmaster ACR, but there’s no way I’d shoot more than a tiny fraction of that amount in my specialized 300 WSM Remington rifle or more than 30-40 rounds of 30-06 in my hunting gun. It’s just not fun to get the beating from those big boy calibers. The 5.56mm makes sense because it’s fun to shoot in large quantities and is also affordable—an ideal combination. Palmetto State Armory took the right path in betting on the 5.56mm and it paid out.

I mentioned that Palmetto State Armory is focused on Black Rifles and accessories for it. From uppers to lowers and anything in between, these folks decided to sell it all. I found it interesting to see that they offered high end optics from Swarovski to low end NC Star. They truly have something for everyone and at any price range. The passion for tactical gear that started this company as an online business worked out well not only for the guys that took a bet that customers will come to shop with them, but also for the many customers who appreciated being treated fairly and being able to get lots of tactical gear from a single, good vendor.

Here’s to many more successful years of strong business sales and excellent customer service at Palmetto State Armory!

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert,

Dan S. Defense.

The year is 1972. A gallon of fuel costs $0.55 and Gold hits a record of $70 an ounce (hard to believe, isn’t it?).  The average price of a new home is $27,500, and on average folks earns $11,700 yearly. President Nixon directs NASA to start the Space Shuttle Program, as the last of our ground troop leave Vietnam and the FBI hires its first female agent. Terrorist attacks are rampant, from Israel’s international Airport where terrorist kill 26 people and injure dozens, to the Munich Olympic Games, where the Black September group murders 11 Israeli athletes. That tragic and highly visible event triggered the formation of GSG9—the German elite Special Operations and Counter Terrorism unit. On a lighter note, the Godfather and Dirty Harry dominate cinemas, the Dow passes 1000, and… Bill Wilson graduates from high school. He starts, or rather continues, his tinkering and tweaking of semi-automatic handguns and revolvers’ actions.  And that’s where our story begins, with a young man, his exceptional potential, and the backdrop of beautiful Arkansas.

Bill Wilson, the man behind Wilson Combat, began his professional career not as a gunsmith but, following in his father’s footsteps, as a jewelry and watch repairer. The fine motor skills and precision he was taught, especially while working on small parts, were soon to stand him in good stead but not in the way they were intended. It was Wilson’s passion for guns and shooting that led him to take up competition shooting and gunsmithing, and that’s where the Wilson Combat story starts.

At the time, the 1911 were rough by today’s standards, their sharp edges snagging in all the wrong places, and accuracy and reliability leaving a lot to be desired. As part of his competitive experience, Bill Wilson began to systematically improve and refine the 1911’s he was shooting. The results were obvious. His fellow competitors saw his guns and requested that Bill Wilson work on their guns too. Eventually Wilson started spending more and more time tweaking, rebuilding, polishing and refining 1911’s for a growing circle of customers. In hindsight, these were the early customers of Wilson Combat.

In the fall of 1977 what started as a sideline became a full-time profession and the beginning of a legendary business, when Bill Wilson opened the Wilson’s Gun Shop, now known as Wilson Combat. While growing his new business, Bill Wilson continued competing and collecting many titles, both local and national. As a shooter he stood out for his ability to combine speed and accuracy. I was a young pup when Bill dominated the Arkansas competition scene, but I did get a chance to see him shoot. When I bought my Wilson handgun I also ordered a few of their DVDs, because I wanted to see Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn in action. The videos were filmed years after these two legendary shooters stopped competing, and yet Bill Wilson was still so fast that it was impossible to see the details of his presentation when engaging multiple targets (unless you ran the video at slow motion). And his speed was only rivaled by his accuracy. As an interesting side note, in one of the scenarios (a fairly complicated one), Hackathorn managed to shoot faster and more accurately than Bill Wilson, something that a younger and fitter, Lenny McCgill, couldn’t out perform in the entire video. You can sum it up with a WOW!

While competing, Bill Wilson and his fellow competitors learned (the hard way), that no matter how good your 1911, a poorly built magazine will always find a way to prevent your gun from firing. At the time, bad magazines with cracking lips were the standard, and malfunction drills were as common as pulling the trigger. Losing a major championship because of a magazine malfunction must have been highly frustrating, not to mention annoying. But imagine the utter disaster that such a failure could lead to in handguns used by Special Forces, Counter Terrorism Teams, Hostage Rescue Units and, a bit closer to home– in self-defense scenarios.

Seeking to address this issue, Bill Wilson reached out to Bill Rogers (of Rogers Shooting School), a former FBI agent, a master shooter and a brilliant inventor. The combined knowledge and experience of these two brilliant men led to the first rock solid and durable 1911 magazine. Bill Wilson, with the help of Ken Hackathorn, put the Wilson-Rogers magazine through rigorous real-world testing. Hackathorn, a champion shooter and former small arms trainer for the U.S. Army’s most elite unit, commonly referred to as Delta Force, summarized the experience as follows:

”Back in 1980, Bill Wilson asked me to test some of his new Wilson-Rogers .45 magazines. He explained that he felt they had solved the problem of cracked feed lips and that their new magazines fed much more reliably than any others on the market. Well, its 30 years later now and I’m still using some of those original 6 prototype magazines that Bill sent me… Through the years they have proven without a doubt to be the most reliable and durable 1911 magazines on the market. I have personally used specimens from various production runs through the years and have yet to see any quality variation or have one let me down in any way. They are my first and only choice as well as the choice of the elite Special Forces units I train. I trust my life to a Wilson Combat® pistol and 8-round Wilson magazines; so can you

Wilson Combat continued on the road of innovation and quality. To assure that his guns were built with the best possible parts, Bill Wilson bought high end and very expensive CNC machines, with the result that his handguns reached a new pinnacle of excellence. Wilson Combat produced not just firearms but took on the challenge of introducing unique parts such as Accu-Comp compensators, Bulletproof unbreakable ejector for the 1911, and the SHOK-BUFF frame saver/recoil buffers.

A few years ago Wilson Combat decided to modernize the frame of the 1911, which traditionally was made out of steel or some such alloy. In a bold move, they produced the KZ-45 polymer frame 1911, with 11rounds of .45 ACP in a standard 1911 form factor. Some traditionalist suffered minor heart-attacks, but most people saw the KZ-45 as a step forward—keeping the well-tested and even loved form factor, while increasing magazine capacity and reducing the weight of the platform. Love it or hate it—it’s innovative and bold.

Another big milestone for Wilson Combat and its creator, Bill Wilson, came in 2002. For his innovation, excellence and outstanding firearms, Bill Wilson was recognized by the American Pistolsmiths Guild, an exclusive club of the very finest gunsmiths in the world, and he was awarded the honor of PISTOLSMITH OF THE YEAR. That rare honor recognized what each of Bill Wilsons’s customer already new—Wilson Combat stood for unmatched excellence and quality.  I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to see these great masters of their trade honoring this industrious man. His well-deserved pride was well-earned.

Building superb firearms isn’t the only area where Wilson Combat shines. From the very start Bill Wilson insisted that his customer service will be second to none. Since humans can make mistakes, the company instituted a policy to address any potential failure. Despite its fame and accolades, Wilson Combat doesn’t assume that the customer is always wrong; in short, its high level of customer service has remained high to this day.

In summary, lots of companies today say they strive for excellence, where in reality they just strive for a quick sale with the best possible marketing spin. So how do we know Wilson Combat is really as good as they say? Well, I’m a Wilson Combat customer. I had a minor problem with my handgun. I called up, spoke to a very polite and very knowledgeable guy. In a few short moments he decided that they needed my gun. Wilson Combat paid for me to ship the gun to them, and within a few days it was shipped back to me. How much did the repair cost me? Exactly $0.  Furthermore, while competing with my Wilson, I had scratched it pretty badly and had scratched the magwell too. Imagine my surprise when I opened the package to find my gun with the problem fixed—and the scratches gone because the gun was fully coated again. How’s that for customer service and excellence?

Today Wilson Combat is a very successful business, employing more than 50 highly skilled employees, who combine several life-times of gunsmithing experience between them. These good folks continue the tradition of excellence and innovation Wilson Combat is famed for, putting their name on every gun they ship—no anonymous “Inspector 9”. With all his accomplishments, Bill Wilson teaches one all-important lesson: Following in your father’s footsteps is not always the right thing. Follow your heart, pursue your passions, and live out your dreams.

Stay safe, by staying alert,

Dan S. Defense

1. Ammunition To Go

Ammunition-To-Go is an online outfit that specializes in on-line ammunition sales. They have what I’d describe as a huge selection of any type of ammunition imaginable. Despite the large number of options, the website is very user friendly and enables customers to find whatever they are looking for with ease. The key to easy browsing is rooted in their ammunition taxonomy. You start by selecting the category you want, for example rifle ammunition, handgun ammunition, several types of specialty ammunition and even accessories such as ammo cans, magazines and gun cases. Each month offers a new highlighted selection and special ammunition deals. Whether you need bulk range ammo or specific hard to find self-defense ammunition, such as Federal HST or Winchester Ranger, chances are you’ll find it. Shipping prices are reasonable and depend on your zip code and the amount of ammunition you buy. For their large variety, easy to use website and reasonable shipping rates, we rank Ammunition-To-Go as our number one top site for on-line ammo buying.

2. The Sportsman’s Guide

The Sportsman’s Guide is known for having very diverse merchandise from military surplus to strange and sometimes interesting deals. In this context, we’ll focus on the sportsman’s ammunition section. You can shop for ammunition in different ways. There’s a listing for the different calibers from .17 to .50, and it’s easy to drill down from there to see the various available options. You can also shop by vendor, for example Winchester, Hornady and Prvi Partizan. They also list the most popular calibers and, whichever entry point you chose, leads you to a list of available ammunition with its price and availability. We like the fact that the Sportsman’s Guide offers ETA for out-of-stock ammunition, and that some ammunition is priced in a very competitive manner. Shipping charges are reasonable and there are no hidden fees. For selection, ease of use and variety of other shooting items, we rank the Sportsman’s Guide as our second top site for on-line ammo buying.

3. Rob The Ammo Man

Rob the Ammo Man can’t compete with the variety of the first two vendors listed here, but he can beat them price wise. AmmoMan has a distribution list you can join to get mails with the most up-to-date deals that he has to offer. You can also shop directly from his site, but the email list is more efficient. An additional advantage to working with the AmmoMan is the simplicity of the overall price. He lists the bottom-line price for you, so there’s no shipping charge to add later. Keep that in mind when you compare AmmoMan to other sites and take their shipping price into account. You’ll find both handgun and rifle deals here, both U.S. made and imports. For his deals and bottom-line price, we rank Rob-The-Ammo-Man as our third top site for on-line ammo buying.

4. Natchez Shooters Supplies

Natchez Shooters Supplies offers ammunition, as well as anything else you could want for your firearms. Ammunition is sorted by type of weapon and caliber, for example rifle and then 30-30, 7.62 and so on, or by top sellers, which varies based on ammo sold in a given time period. You can find handgun, rifle or shotgun ammunition for good prices, but availability isn’t guaranteed. Bulk ammunition price can be good, depending on time of year and availability. Interestingly, in some cases you’ll be able to find some ammo at Natchez and nowhere else. Shipping prices are reasonable and ammo is well packed, as you’d expect from such a large vendor. The types of ammo you’ll find here are good for self-defense and training. As a side note, I haven’t come across specialty ammunition such as LEO only Winchester Ranger, Federal HST and Speer Gold Dot that I use for self-defense. It’s not much of a surprise since these brands are hard to find. Why? Because vendors, such as Winchester and Speer, don’t sell them to civilians or outlets serving folks like us. However, Natchez Shooters Supplies does carry the civilian version of most of these brands, as well as strong self-defense ammo from Corbon, such as their excellent DPX line. So you can get great self-defense ammo at Natchez and that’s the important point to take away. For variety, price and other shooting accessories, we rank Natchez Shooters Supplies as our third top site for on-line ammo buying.

5. USA AMMO

USA AMMO offers U.S. made ammunition at very good prices. For training purposes, and even self-defense if you can test the ammo sufficiently, USA AMMO offers good bargains. Ammo selection is limited to the most popular handgun and rifle calibers, but some caliber’s that I’d expect to find, such as the .357 Magnum and one of my favorite rifle calibers, the 6.8 SPC, are unavailable.  Still, you’ll most likely find what you are seeking. Please note that some ammo is new, but the ammo listed with the best price is remanufactured. USA Ammo buys brass from indoor ranges and then cleans and reloads that ammo. For range use, that’s perfectly fine, but for self-defense I’d want the very best ammo I could get. All in all, this lowers the price of ammo and that’s goodness. One pleasant surprise had to do with the extra gear that USA AMMO sells, such as weapon gear and knives. While not directly related to ammunition, I suspect that like me, you sometimes work on a project and need to get several items at the same time. It’s easy to get frustrated with the need to place two and sometimes three different orders on three different websites (each with shipping charges), just to get everything you need. USA AMMO with its additional firearm related catalog can solve that problem. For great prices and firearm accessories, we rank USA AMMO as our fifth top site for on-line ammo buying.

You should look at this list as a good start. Look at each of these vendors, compare the overall price of what you need and rank them in any way you see fit. Since the internet is vast, other places exist as well and it would be great if you shared your choices too. Whichever vendor you select, keep shooting and don’t forget that our shooting skills are perishable and “shrink” over time, while our challenges and problems seem to expand and grow each and every day.

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert,

Dan S. Defense

No matter where you live, finding the specific ammunition you are seeking is hard. The more mission specific the ammunition, the harder it is to find. When we do find what we are looking for, the price is typically high and availability too low to match our needs. This raises the question of “Well, do we have a choice? Is there a more efficient way of buying ammunition?” And the simple answer is—“Yes”.

You no longer have to go to the book store and hope, against all odds, that Borders will have the Jeff Cooper book you want or any one of Clint Smith’s Thunder Ranch training DVDs. You can just buy those on-line. The same applies to ammunition. You are no longer restricted to the vanilla variety your local Wal-Mart has to offer, and you don’t have to pay outrageous rates to the only gun store in town. You can search the entire country for the specific ammunition you want, and you can have vendors all over the country fighting over your business. Thank goodness for supply and demand. Given the scope of the Internet, you are sure to get a good deal on the ammunition you want.

So how do you buy ammunition on-line? It’s easy, and we’ll show you how—but first an important warning! You must be aware of any local laws and restrictions relating to ammunition ownership and usage in your state, county and city. Remember that you can buy ammunition from a free state such as Texas, where you can buy pretty much anything you want. However, legally buying ammunition in Texas  doesn’t mean you can legally own it in California, New Jersey, or any number of other states. Furthermore, in some cases, restrictions will apply to select areas of a city but not to others, as in the case of Washington D.C. or Chicago. The first rule of Internet ammunition buying says that you must know what you are allowed to own in your area of residence. While some on-line ammunition vendors are aware of such restrictions and won’t ship certain items to you, some of the smaller on-line ammunition stores may not know of any restrictions and may send you ammo that could get you in serious trouble. Since local laws are driven by caprice and ignorance, any on-line vendor can make a mistake and ship you an item that is illegal locally. In such a case the seller will not break the law, but you will if you receive the package. It’s, therefore, your responsibility to obey all state and local laws.

Now for the easy and fun part, which means getting the ammunition you want at a good price. At a high level, you need to find the ammo you want, make sure the combined price of the ammo and shipping are good (one of the biggest pitfalls for online buyers), and confirm that the vendor is legitimate—something you want to do before you supply your credit card number.

Now, let’s look at the step-by-step instructions that will allow you to buy ammunition on-line:

1. Run the search: Open your Internet browser and search engine of your choice (Bing, Yahoo or Google).  At the browser address tab, type http://www.bing.com or http://www.yahoo.com and click, ‘Go’
2. Narrow by caliber: Enter the caliber and category of the ammo you need. For example, “bulk 45 ACP range ammo”, or “Winchester 150gr 300 WSM” or “Winchester Ranger .40 S&W” or “self defense 00 Buck ammo”….
3. Review results: The search engine is going to return several options. You’ll see names that you recognize such as Midway USA and Cabela’s, and some that you never heard of before. Generally, vendors who sell ammo mostly on-line will offer better prices than the bigger vendors.
4. Collect ammo data: Go into the different vendor sites. Search for the ammunition you want, just as you did in step #1. You want to take note of three facts: the price of the ammo, the availability of the ammo, and the price of shipping. You may need to enter the ammo you want into the online basket and then press “checkout” (just to calculate shipping –do not enter your credit card!). Write down the information and do the same with each of the different vendors you find in the search query.
5. Research vendors: Eliminate vendors that didn’t have the ammo you need. Then start looking at the reliability of the different vendors. Remember that the internet is full of scammers. Some sites, such as Cabela’s, Midway USA and AmmunitionToGo are great, but since you don’t know who on your list is good, we’ll need to run a search to see what feedback people like you had about them. As you did earlier, open your search engine and enter the query “customer feedback [vendor name]”. Go over the returns and see which site gets good scores. If you start with the site that had the best price, or that you liked most, this process shouldn’t take long.
6. Buy and Pay: When you check out of an on-line ammo store, you’ll typically see all the ammo that you bought, as well as shipping prices and any other notes of interest. For example, some sites will require “adult signature” when the package is received, others won’t. Be sure to understand the site policy, and pay with a credit card that has good customer service in case you’ll need help with a potential dispute.
7. Initial Receipt and tracking: Most sites will send you an email with a list of the ammo you bought, the itemized price and the transaction ID for you records. It may take a few days before anything else happens.
8. Tracking number: After the order gets processed and ships, a tracking number will be sent to you. This tracking number will tell you when the ammo will arrive, and it will note if signature is required. With that you are almost done.
9. Receiving the ammo: Remember that your ammo travelled a long distance. Inspect the external box for damage, as well as the boxes of ammo inside, and make sure you got everything you ordered.
10. You are done: That’s all it takes. Finding ammo on-line is a lot easier than it initially looks. You’ll likely find that you saved money and/or got that special ammo you wanted. Well done!

Congratulations on passing our course for buying ammunition on-line 101. If you found this information helpful, tell your mates and help then buy ammo on-line too!

Stay safe, by staying alert!

Dan S. Defense

Surefire News

Surefire is getting ready to release new high capacity magazines that will hold 60 and 100 rounds of 5.56mm / .223 Remington. The magazines utilize a new design that assures reliable operations, without the use of dry graphite lubrication. They are also not as large and bulky as one would expect. The Surefire high capacity magazines are reliable even in rapid, fully automatic fire, and I think that could translate to an advantage for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ability to unleash significant suppressing fire, while negating the need to change magazines after 30 rounds is significant. It will save our troops time—and in combat even a few seconds can make a significant difference. I can also see the new Surefire high capacity magazines being especially helpful in scenarios where a force is hit by an enemy ambush or an IED. An immediate response with powerful and continues fire toward the enemy can save lives and limb.

The new, high capacity magazines from Surefire can turn a carbine into a 5.56mm MINIMI type weapon. That firepower can buy the force a bit of time to orientate itself, as the enemy is hit with fire and the soldiers get ready to charge and overrun the enemy in a classic fire and maneuver drill. Surefire released a video showing a Reserve US Marine testing the magazine in his select fire M-4. The end result is impressive since both types of high capacity magazines (the 60 and 100) worked flawlessly. The new Surefire magazines ought to be available to customers in April, and these high capacity magazines would be especially appreciated by anyone using magazine couplers.

Bushmaster News

Bushmaster released three new variations of the Bushmaster ACR (formally known as the Magpul Masada). The Bushmaster ACR ORC configuration is available in black or coyote and comes with a fixed stock and no sights. The ACR ORC is the entry level and least expensive version for this innovate rifle.

The second variation is called the Basic Folder configuration and it comes with a folding and six-position telescoping stock and a set of Magpul MBUS flip sights. For the same price tag, you can get this model in black or coyote.

The final variation of the new Bushmaster ACR is the A-TACS Basic Configuration. This version comes with a fixed stock and a set of Magpul MBUS flip sights. It has a very interesting A-TACS (Advanced Tactical Concealment System) which was developed by Digital Concealment Systems (DCS). To quote the folks who made it: “[A-TACS was made] to answer the call for better and more effective camouflage system integration for duty personnel in any service branch from military to law enforcement. A-TACS is designed as a universal pattern for a wide range of operational environments with additional supporting color and design variants to follow.”

The new versions lower the entry mark into the Bushmaster ACR market. Unlike traditional firearms, the ACR is modular in design and a customer can upgrade it over time (as funds become available) and turn the entry level ACR into the top of the line model.

More choices in ACR configuration and colors translate to more goodness for consumers. Now we just need to wait for Bushmaster to release the 6.8 SPC module for the ACR—the driving force behind many purchasing decisions.

Kimber America News

Kimber America entered the fast growing pocket gun business. The Solo micro-compact handgun is chambered in 9mm Luger and takes several features from the Kimber 1911 line. The Solo has a manual ambidextrous thumb safety, checkered slide release and ambidextrous magazine release. It offers a feature which most people appreciate in the Springfield Armory XD and XD(m), and that’s the shot-to-shot consistency of a single action striker-fired trigger pull.

The 9mm Solo comes with 3 dot sights, a barrel that’s just 2.7 inches long, and the Solo is finished with Kimber’s self-lubricating finish–the Kimpro II. The Solo’s magazine holds six 9mm rounds, and when unloaded this pocket gun weights a mere 17 ounces. Given the ever growing passion for smaller handguns and Kimber’s solid firearms, I think it’s fair to expect big things of this small gun.

Kahr Arms News

Kahr Arms is introducing a new series called the CM. The series will be comprised of a sub-compact form factor with a short 3” barrel and a 3 dot sight system. Current plans call for a 9mm model to ship first (at the end of March, 2011), with .40 S&W and 45 ACP to be released at a later date.

The first 9mm Luger model, called CM9093, will have a black polymer frame with steel inserts molded into the frame. The Kahr CM9093 is hammerless and has a DAO trigger (Double Action Only), which is said to be smooth and consistent. Safety wise, the CM series is built with a firing pin block which offers passive safety and protection from accidental discharge if the gun is dropped.

The gun doesn’t have a magazine disconnect (which I consider a plus) and comes with a single, 6 round magazine which has a Wolff spring. All in all, the new CM series will appeal to customers seeking a low cost pocket gun that has features that are not often found on this class of firearms. I’ll add that anyone who likes the Kahr form factor but wants a more refined gun can get any of the CM series firearms and ship them to Robar for custom feature work.

Wilson Combat News

Wilson Combat entered the flash and sound suppressor market with the creation of the Whisper line. The Whisper is a high end suppressor made from titanium (most suppressor aren’t), which adds only 4.5” to the weapon. Thorough testing of the Whisper by Wilson shows no significant negative zero-shift or impact on barrel harmonics (i.e. the gun remains accurate and stable and, as far as zero goes, it shoots the same with or without the Whisper).

In addition, the Whisper has a feature that can only be appreciated by folks who use or have used suppressors in the past—it has minimal back pressure for cleaner semi-auto function. Read that last sentence to mean that less gas and filth are sent back into the rifle and, consequently, the shooters face. Great feature!

As for calibers, Wilson Combat chose to start with 9mm, 5.56mm, 6.8mm and 7.62mm. As you’d expect from the folks at Wilson, the suppressors are functional and handsome. You can have your suppressor finished with one of the many different Armor-Tuff finishes, or leave it with a standard bead blast finish. There are many suppressors on the market today, but I think the Whisper will do well. Why? Because when you combine the Whisper’s features with Wilson’s reputation for superb quality and outstanding customer service, you get a winner.

Federal and American Eagle News

Federal and American Eagle released a product safety warning for some of their 45 ACP ammo. Federal tagged the warning with ‘Immediate Action Required’. Certain lots of recently manufactured 45 Auto ammunition may contain an incorrect propellant charge. Use of product from these lots may result in firearm damage and possible serious injury.

Affected lots can be found in American Eagle, Champion, GoldMedal, Hi-Shok, Federal Personal Defense, Federal HST and Federal Premium. Please read the entire notice for lot numbers and instructions. I highly recommend you stop using any of these recently acquired ammo brands until you verify that they are safe to use.

Until next time, stay safe by staying alert!