For those in the LE side of sniping, the first round is for the most part, the most important.  In a hostage situation, the first round HAS to hit exactly the spot it was meant for or some one is very likely going to die. Maybe more than one.  A precision rifle has to be able to hit the exact same spot every time on demand, no questions asked.   There is no room for debate on this.  In my opinion, if a LE sniper can not, on demand, lie prone and hit a 1 inch dot at 100 yards with his weapon, assuming there is nothing wrong with the gun, scope, ammo etc) he needs to go home. Or, at least be taken off active sniper duty until his skill is sharpened to this point.

But to get to this point, a rifle capable of delivering this critical hit is a must.  There are all kinds of thoughts on how to make a gun this accurate but I will save that for another time.  For now, I am going to talk about a drill to test a LE sniper rifle over long periods of time to make sure it can deliver if and when the time comes.

Since the weather and temp does change in most parts of the US. It is very important that the gun is tested over the widest range. If your job is a LEO sniper, you need to test this over months and a variety of temp and weather conditions.  Not only will this prove the gun but build your confidence in it and yourself.  Keeping a record of the testing could also be something that you use to CYA at a later date.

The group above was fired over 5 months from summer to winter, from a FN  Sniper rifle. in active use.  The 1 inch black square shows five shots into the black.  With two shots outside that looks like fliers, but were actually hits on thumb tacks for fun by the sniper.

All shots are “cold bore” as they should be. Shots from a LE sniper are going to be cold bore, and since this is the most important shot and most likely to have a  different POI  from lesser rifles, the test needs ( has) to be done under cold bore shot conditions. Some of the temps ranged from 39 one day to -9 two weeks later.  The rifle still hit in the same spot.  Everything was recorded for later possible use. Temp, time of day, cloud cover, date and wind direction are just a few notes.  If you can not do this on demand, I damn sure do not want you having to shoot past my head or a loved ones head if any of us are a hostage.   I doubt many entry team officers would want you shooting past their ears either if you can not place one past them with this precision.   LEO sniping is not military sniping where center mass is usually good enough,.

Rifle is the excellent FN sniper which uses the Model 70 action and match grade FN  barrel with chrome lining, Not usually something precision shooters want in a target rifle or sniper rifle, but FN has some how pulled it off.  Leupold optic and Federal Gold medal 175 grain  HPBT.   This rifle can be counted on to do this on demand, any time of year no matter the weather if user is skilled enough to be a Sniper in a LE environment.

I think anyone  who likes the AR15 pattern rifle, or guns period , has seen the movie HEAT from the mid 90s with the bank robbery shoot out. As a fun time killing project, a friend looked around online and found out how the film’s armorer rigged up the guns so the bank robbers could hide them under their business suits.

Its nothing more complex than bungees taped together with a hook.  Its simple and cheap, but it is a neat little trick.  Since the felons in the movie didn’t care or need anything fancy, it works well for the intended purpose.

Once you get them taped together and add a snap hook or something similar, you slide it on just like a shoulder holster, or bra.

They are snug but not un-comfy, and since it stretches it will fit anyone pretty easy.

The gun easily fits up snug under the arm and is ready to deploy in a heart beat if  you see Al Pacino trying to shoot you.

Cool factor of having this set up is wasted if you do not have proper Colt Commando though. Sorry. Do not use this to rob a bank in LA or anywhere.  Its for entertainment only.

A few weeks ago Shawn posted some pics of a couple of flat dark earth Magpul Pmags that had developed cracks along the spine of the mag.  I just wanted to post a follow up and some thoughts.

Here you can see the cracks in both mags, in identical locations.

I sent an email to Magpul on Sun 04-13-14 about the issue.  I received a response the following morning (Mon 04-14-14) stating they would be shipping out two new replacement mags and a return address label with which to send back the damaged mags.  I received the replacement mags Mon 04-21-14, so just at a week turnaround from when I informed them of the problem to when replacement mags were in hand.

Just to be clear, the purpose of this post isn’t to bash Magpul.  Quite the contrary in fact since I think their mags are some of the best currently on the market and even the two damaged ones still functioned.  Their response to the issue was also top notch and hassle free.

The mail goal in this follow up is to reiterate YOU’VE GOT TO INSPECT YOUR GEAR.

Things wear out, even good companies send out lemons, etc.  If it’s something you think you could be betting your life on it needs to be checked routinely and consistently.  It puts the odds into your favor that things will function as they’re supposed to when you most need them to.

Getting my hands on the smaller Eotech over the weekend, we thought we would take some pictures to compare them in size.  A lot of people ask us about this and we had no chance to do this before now.   For those trying to decide which they want, this may help.  The Eotech is compact, but still no where near as small trim and light as the T-1.  We have often given our opinion on the eotech and how we feel it can not be trusted based on the  many, many instances of its failures in front of us or models we owned in the past. But there are always gonna be those who want them because they see SEAL or some such using them.   Keep in mind even a lot of guys in SOCOM DO not care and will use what is handed to them.  But, the point is, here is a comparison for those who want to see a good side by side. You can do you own research on which one you think will work best for you otherwise.   You can find out thoughts and feelings on the trustworthiness of the Eotech in other posts.

Signed into law this week

Senate Bill 100, sponsored by state Senator Sara Beth Gregory (R-16), streamlines the Concealed Deadly Weapons License (CDWL) process by allowing applicants to submit their forms electronically. This applies to both new and renewing applicants. Allowing applicants to submit license information electronically provides them with greater access to the CDWL process.

Senate Bill 125, sponsored by state Senator Dennis Parrett (D-10), allows honorably discharged service members to waive the training requirement for a concealed deadly weapon license with the proper documentation.

Senate Bill 232, sponsored by state Senator Brandon Smith (R-30), requires that a chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) sign an application for the transfer of any item regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) within fifteen days if the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving it. By removing any possibility of personal bias and creating a statewide standard, SB 232 protects the rights of law-abiding gun owners across the Bluegrass State.

House Bill 213, sponsored by state Representative Joni Jenkins (D-44), allows corrections officers, current or retired, of urban-county governments or consolidated local governments to use their professional training to satisfy the training requirement in applying for a concealed-carry permit. HB 213, as amended by state Representative Stan Lee (R-45), also allows new residents in Kentucky who have valid concealed carry licenses from other states that have a reciprocal agreement with the Kentucky Department of State Police, to waive the training requirements for Kentucky licenses and to use the out-of-state license in Kentucky for their first 120 days of residence, providing that within sixty days of the resident moving to Kentucky, he or she delivers a form and accompanying documents by registered or certified mail to the Department of Kentucky State Police, evidencing proof of a valid out-of-state license to carry a concealed deadly weapon. This amendment also stipulates that an out-of-state concealed carry license will become invalid in Kentucky upon either the passage of 120 days or issuance to the person a valid Kentucky concealed deadly weapons license.

House Bill 351, sponsored by state Representative Gerald Watkins (D-3), allows an individual who has legally sought a court-issued Emergency Protection Order (EPO) the ability to better defend themselves by expediting the permitting process for a CDWL, after a background check. Senate Bill 106, sponsored by state Senator Jared Carpenter (R-34), was the Senate counterpart to HB 351 and its language and identical intent were included as well

I was helping out on the range when one of the Range Officers asked me to help clear a jammed Tavor.  The owner was attempting to use a Surefire 60 round mag and had a brass over bolt malfunction and could not clear it.

What surprised me is when I easily cleared the visible jammed round the action wouldn’t cycle.  Turns out there was a second live round jammed up in there.  The follow bound in the Surefire 60 round mag allowing multiple rounds up into the action.  How they got up and back in the action I don’t know.   For any one who reads this who has used a Tavor and Surefire mags, how well has it worked for you?

A friend of mine showed me this broken spring from his Perazzi shotgun.

This spring for the lower barrel of a Perazzi shotgun reached the end of its service life and was replaced.  Fortunately this particular shotgun came with two spares of this spring so the owner can keep it ready for competition.  It is good to have spare parts for firearms you depend on. Often it is even better to have a complete working spare firearm.