FRI | JUNE 3, 2022

Applied Ballistics Lab Tech Francis Colon finished 1st at the Kahles North American PRS Challenge over the Memorial Day weekend held at K&M Precision Rifle Training Center.
Team Remington continues to compete on the highest level as team members put on spectacular performances in the U.S. Open Sporting Clays Tournament that took place May 16-22, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Congratulations to Team Vihtavuori’s Francis Colon, who won the 2022 Kahles K&M Precision Rifle Competition last weekend. Colon came out on top this year competing with the 6mm Dasher cartridge loaded with Vihtavuori N150 powder behind Berger’s 6mm 109 Grain Long Range Hybrid Target bullets.

Federal Ammunition is proud to congratulate legendary shooter, hunter, author, mother, and U.S. Army veteran Julie Golob on an excellent performance at the 2022 Bianchi Cup.
Over 1,400 Sporting Clays shooters competed in the 2022 NSCA U.S. Open, and three Krieghoff shooters grabbed the spotlight with a Main Event Lady podium sweep.
The 2022 Youth & Masters Pan American Championships opened with qualification for archers representing 10 countries across the Americas. A strong U.S. team is poised for success this week after an impressive showing in the ranking round.

Bear & Son Cutlery, manufacturer of made-in-Alabama knives, will display new products at the 2022 Blade show in Atlanta, GA. The event will take place on June 3rd -5th, 2022.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program will again host the annual CMP 5K Range Run & 1K Fun Run – set for Sept. 24, 2022, at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama.
GATCO Sharpeners invites Blade Show guests to Booth #5 June 3-5, 2022, in Atlanta to discover multiple types of sharpening tools that keep the knife world sharp.

Bear OPS, the tactical brand of Bear & Son Cutlery specializing in military and law enforcement knives, will display their lineup of automatic knives and premium butterfly knives to this year’s Blade Show in Atlanta, GA.
With a wide selection of high-quality holsters, 1791 Gunleather offers options for carrying any handgun, including the micro-compact Smith & Wesson CSX.
FALCO Holsters announces that their holster line fits more than 3,000 models of handguns and 40-plus lights and lasers.
The application period for special deer hunting permits on many wildlife management areas in Arkansas is open until 11:59 p.m. July 1, and hunters will notice many new opportunities, thanks to regulations passed during the May Commission meeting.
Winchester Ammunition has been awarded a $51.8 million modification to an existing contract for manufacturing 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm and .50 caliber ammunition for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Three-time Speed Shooting World Champion Simon “JJ” Racaza has joined Primary Arms as their newest pro shooting ambassador.

Bass Pro Shops along with their affiliated brand, Cabela’s, have once again received a premier spot on Newsweek’s list of “America’s Best Retailers 2022” and is honored to be recognized as the leader of the Camping & Outdoor Gear Industry.
Bettinsoli USA, importer of high-end Italian shotguns has renewed as a supporter of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, a youth development program.
Iron Valley Supply announced the promotion of Jacob Curtis to serve as Distribution Center Technology Manager in addition to his current responsibility as Inventory Control Manager.

Nomad Outdoor and Mossy Oak are proud to announce the release of “Following the Hart”, the final installment in the Chasing 49 Film series in Spring 2022.
ZeroTech Optics is pleased to announce the THRIVE Binoculars. Thrive Optics were designed in Australia.
Competitive shooter and Federal ambassador Krystal Dunn joins the “It’s Federal Season” podcast to talk about the shooting sports, the 2A movement, and her ownership of a beauty salon.
U.S. LawShield, industry leader and America’s foremost provider of educational resources on self-defense law and safe firearm ownership, announces President Kirk Evans as a guest on the popular National Police Association podcast, the NPA Report.
Volquartsen Firearms is auctioning off their newest pistol design on Gunbroker.com to help fund the fight for Firearms Policy Coalition.
The Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society are excited to announce a new corporate partnership with Benelli USA.
SCCY Firearms’ consumer Spring Rebate has been extended through June 30, 2022. Every qualifying SCCY pistol purchase made by retail customers between April 25, 2022 and June 30, 2022 is eligible to receive a Visa Gift Card.
Stoeger Industries announces the launch of the “Carry Tough” campaign. This new program offers consumers focused on personal and family protection a special offer on all Stoeger STR-9 family handguns.
It’s been a contentious topic for over two years, but there are signs of more widespread availability in the ammunition segment. Manufacturers and dealers share encouraging insights in June Shooting Industry’s two-part feature, “State Of The 2022 Ammo Market.”
This week, Tom’s topics include the importance of modern sporting rifles, the creation of lightweight bolt rifles, and more on Gun Talk Radio.

 

Apex Tactical Specialties is now shipping their budget friendly polymer trigger kit for the Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glock model pistols. With an MSRP of just $90.00, the new Polymer Action Enhancement Kit is ideal for your next custom build.
When the top 64 teams from the senior division of the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program meet at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Jacksonville Shooting Sports Complex on June 4, those bearing the names Beebe, Fouke, Jacksonville and God’s Great Outdoors of Farmington will be carrying the top seeds going into their respective competition brackets.
Outdoor Channel delivers real experiences, expeditions and entertainment no matter what game is pursued. Tune in for these recommended series: Driven with Pat and Nicole, Bone Collector, HeadHunters TV and Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild.
 

Today’s feature is from correspondent Dave Spaulding.

Mini Red Dot Sights are here to stay and as hard as I resisted, I have “gone over to the dot side.” Let’s be clear, any sight system will work if you can see it. At this stage of my life, I see the glowing red dot quicker and easier than anything else currently available. If I want to use irons, I have to wear corrective lenses, which I do not on a regular basis. They have also allowed me to continue to shoot at a level I would not be able to do otherwise (as I’m approaching age 70) and this is important to me.

This is the pistol used during the year-long study published in LAW OFFICER Magazine.

I am not new to red dot usage. I used red dots in the early 90’s while competing, but let’s be honest, the frame mounted “tube sights” used for competition are not the same as what we are talking about today. In 2007, I was at the Caspian Arms plant in Vermont and asked them to cut one of their Glock 19 slides to fit a J Point red dot sight. When asked why I wanted it cut, I told them I wanted to sink the optic into the slide in an attempt to use the rear notch in the unit as a rear sight. The good folks at Caspian did not know if it was possible, but they were sure willing to try and it worked out famously.

To the best of my knowledge, this was done before gunsmiths started cutting slides on a regular basis for the installation of dot sights. Prior to this, platforms were used which attached to the rear sight dovetail. We now realize cutting slides to the exact footprint of the sight is the way to go. While mounting plates are a viable option and allow for the mounting of a variety of sights, exact slide cuts actually help protect the sight from recoil impulse and is considered the “way to go” by many knowledgeable shooters and instructors. I used this Caspian slide and J Point optic for a one-year study of red dots on combative pistols that I then reported on for the now out-of-print LAW OFFICER MAGAZINE. Here is part of that article, published in 2009:

Kelly McCann explains his switch to the MRDS in his video series INSIDE THE CRUCIBLE.

“The first time I saw a compact red dot sight on a combative pistol was on the Glock 19 of trainer Kelly McCann … McCann wanted to have the same visual sight on his pistol that was on his carbine, so he placed a Docter optic (an early version of the J Point) on his Glock and began to run the gun. McCann presents his reasons for changing to a red dot sight in his video training series Inside the Crucible, from Paladin Press. His use of the sight led a number of others to place compact red dots on their combat handguns—including me … During the year that I used the red dot, I used an iron sight slide as a control. I carried the red dot (I selected the J Point from J.P. Enterprises) in all weather conditions, as well as a few competitions and training courses, all in an attempt to see how well the sight would hold up. Although it takes time to get used to the red dot and not look for the front sight, after an officer grasps the concept, the red dot sight is fast and accurate even at a distance and allows the shooter to look at the target through the sight. I passed this gun around during SWAT training for a local team, and all who shot it liked the idea that the pistol sight looked the same as their rifle sight. Such continuity would be a real plus during training and operations.

“Do I believe these are the next generation of pistol sights? It will depend on how the sights develop and what their cost will be … (keep in mind, this article was written over a decade ago and sights are now less expensive. I am a fan of the Bushnell RXS 250 and the Ameriglo Haven which are both tough and reasonably priced) …

“Will iron sights go away? No more than they have for carbines. A contingency plan is always a good thing and having sights to fall back on in the event the optic fails is just good practice.”

Dave’s findings will appear in the next installment –

Dave Spaulding is a professional firearms instructor with 36 years' experience in law enforcement and federal security. The recipient of the 2010 Law Enforcement Trainer of the Year Award from the International Law Enforcement Training and Educators Association, Dave has worked in all facets of law enforcement including communications, corrections, court security, patrol, evidence collection, training and investigations. He was a founding member of his agency’s SWAT Team and acted as its training officer for 8 years. He spent a year in an undercover capacity and was the commander of a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, has been an adjunct instructor at the former Heckler & Koch International Training Division and the Tactical Defense Institute. In addition to his many published articles (over 1,400), Dave is the author of two acclaimed books, Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. He operated his own training company with focus on “the combative application of the handgun” www.handguncombatives.com.

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