Tom is a former Navy Corpsman that spent some time bumbling around the deserts of Iraq with a Marine Recon unit, kicking in tent flaps and harassing sheep. Prior to that he was a paramedic somewhere in DFW, also doing some Executive Protection work between shifts. Now that those exciting days are behind him, he teaches wilderness medicine and runs an on-demand medical staffing business. He hopes that his posts will help you find solid gear that will survive whatever you can throw at it–he is known (in certain circles) for his curse…ahem, ability…to find the breaking point of anything.
Welcome to the sixth installment of our ballistic gel testing series. The current series is sponsored by Clark Armory who provided the testing medium and rounds: HPR 9mm Black Ops OTF About a month ago Nicholas C posted an article showing a comparison video of organic [Read More…]
Yet another “Why didn’t I think of that?” item, the Distance Reduction Indicator (DRi) by David Tubb is a simple yet effective device for helping you make adjustments to distance for high-angle precision shooting. I recently took a Precision Long Range [Read More…]
This is a guest article from our reader Mike R. covering Brass Butter, a reloading lube. Thanks, Mike! I was pretty excited when Tom brought back a product for reloading from SHOT Show 2016: “Brass Butter”. Since he is not a reloader he offered the sample to me (and [Read More…]
One of the great things about being a writer for a blog like The Firearm Blog is getting the opportunity to play with a number of products. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing other target systems (live fire systems like Auto Targets, and dry fire ones like the [Read More…]
I enjoy minimalist in most things in my life. I didn’t know I needed a minimalist trigger holster until a buddy of mine got one. I’d heard of the Raven Vanguard (specifically the Lanyard Kit), and I know people swear by them, but have never played with [Read More…]
As I mentioned in my article about the Whittington University Precision Long Range Course, I did not have any history (or any notable experience) with precision shooting at distance. When Legacy Sports offered the Christensen Arms Ridgeline to us for review, I was [Read More…]
Yes, this post is skirting that fine line of “Firearms Not Politics”, but it is certainly newsworthy, if not actually a surprise to anyone. So, lets try and keep this to the informational side of the topic, whatever your feeling on the topic–it is [Read More…]
Creedmoor Ammunition is has really been doing a ton of visibility marketing lately (as evidenced by some of our coverage) and their latest bit is to become a sponsor of “Gunny Time with R. Lee Ermey”. “We’re very excited to be a sponsor of Gunny [Read More…]
A couple of months back I did an install of a Tactical Walls RFID shelf (along with a write up). I have been pretty pleased with it and have not had any problems with it–I operate it at least twice a day (staging in the morning, and withdrawing at night). Well, [Read More…]
Following on our earlier post of Who Bought Who, it is also interesting to note companies that are working together to bring new builds and components to market, and to make items more accessible to consumers. KE arms is now the retail distributor for all roller lock [Read More…]
Ballistic Testing of Hornady XTP vs Black Hills Xtreme Defense Ammunition in .380 Auto Welcome to the fifth installment of our ballistic gel testing series. The current series is sponsored by Clark Armory who provided the testing medium and rounds: Hornady XTP Black [Read More…]
Background Apparently I am not the only creature in my house with the capability of failure testing gear. I had just purchased a new tripod for mounting my super “elite” Konus Spotting Scope. Okay, so maybe not elite, but we did successfully use it to spot [Read More…]
Background I do not have a history with bolt action precision rifles. My only real experience was with a beat up Mosin Nagant, and I was lucky to fire five to six rounds in a range trip before having to have my shoulder dislocation reduced. Fast forward to a couple of [Read More…]
Welcome to the fourth installment of our ballistic gel testing series. The current series is sponsored by Clark Armory who provided the testing medium (Clark Armory sent us a couple of new gels this month–it is like Christmas in June!) and rounds. Technical [Read More…]
RFID Tactical Walls So, you know how one of my special talents is causing things to fail (or to find a fail point in a system)? Now is a prime opportunity to allow my experience to save you some grief… My editor reached out to a few of us writers and wanted to [Read More…]
KE Arms has announced their new line of slides for Glock pistols. I had the pleasure of shooting with some of KE Arms creations at Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun this past April, and while I am personally on the fence about using an optic on a pistol, I can [Read More…]
In Part 1 of this article I discussed the premise and plan for seeing just how effective dry fire training would be using a number of products to augment the training. In this second part I will give my observations and conclusions. I encourage you to read the first [Read More…]
Premise I am a huge supporter of the concept of dry fire training, and have been for quite a while. Putting it into daily practice is another thing. And I have always wondered if there is actually measurable training value in it. The biggest mental hangups I have with [Read More…]
Transport of our hardware and toys always involves a compromise. We end up spending hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on a rifle, or optics, or electronics, only to put it into a cheap nylon case. Or perhaps we buy a budget plastic box from Amazon (which it what I [Read More…]
Okay, Tom, what the h!#$ is it? Well, honestly it threw me for a loop too when I first saw it at SHOT Show (this year). A number of entertaining comments, and even some pointers to similar products, were posted by you readers. That said, I still received one to actually [Read More…]
Okay, so what is Survival Trial, and why is it relevant to this blog? Well, dear readers, it is because it is a competition that involves shooting at the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, New Mexico. Possibly a stretch, but certainly an event that will test your [Read More…]
In another instance of the firearms industry feeding on it’s own, it appears that Mossberg is exercising it’s control on the original Chip McCormick patent (US 7,293,385 B2), that it acquired a while ago, and bringing lawsuits against a number of [Read More…]
LUCID’s L5 Rifle Scopes were first introduced a few years ago (though, here, we have only really covered their “red dot” optics). Now that I have piqued my interested in precision rifle shooting, I am focusing some of my attention on scopes. While I [Read More…]
Okay, I’ll admit, I’ve never really spent much time with a pellet gun. But after watching the below video, my interest is piqued. The existing line (which was available in .177 and .22) is now available in .25 caliber. For hunting medium sized birds and [Read More…]
I know, I know, yet another review of an AR-15 rifle. A few of you, I’m sure, will provide the obligatory “Yawn.” in the comments. However, running this rifle did not bore me, nor make my eyes glaze. It was actually very satisfying to shoot, and in a [Read More…]
Earlier this month I was invited to attend (and participated) in a national 3-Gun competition, Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun, in the new Stealth Division. Up to then I had only done my local club matches. Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun is in it’s 20th [Read More…]
I was fortunate enough to get an invite to the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun, in its 20th year, from Russell Phagen at KE Arms. I got to run the match with staff and other media the two days preceding the full competition. It was a little more relaxed of an [Read More…]
Do we really need a new division in 3-Gun? As you can imagine, there are arguments on both sides of the position. I have not been doing 3-Gun that long relatively (and honestly am not that good at the competition aspect). I have a shotgun with a front fiber post, a [Read More…]
Judge Barbara Bellis of the Superior Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut rejected a bid by Remington, Camfour Inc., and the East Windsor Gun Shop to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the families of the victims killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. The original argument from [Read More…]
I was invited to attend the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun match in Mesa, Arizona at the request of KE Arms. KE Arms is a manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of all things firearms. This year at Superstition Mountain was a nexus of “new things” that [Read More…]