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Classic Carry Guns – Give Used Guns a Shot by TRAVIS PIKE

Used guns are a great way to shop for a bargain-priced self-defense pistol. As we accept more modern guns with modern features, like rails, optics, and ambidextrous controls, we can find guns that lack those features for a relatively fair price. That’s why we’ve come to the classic carry gun corner to find you an option for a great handgun at a great price.

Table of contents

The Problem With Classic Carry Guns

Before I gush over some quasi-retro firearms, let’s be real here. There are some downsides to these classic carry guns. Most of them are heavier and bigger than modern guns. There is a reason that the P365 was so revolutionary. These older guns are not as efficient.

The biggest downside will come from trying to find a holster. Old guns aren’t typically addressed by modern holster manufacturers. This can limit you significantly in your holster selection. That can make carrying some of these classics a chore or require a custom holster to be made.

All that being said…

The Best Classic Carry Guns

Beretta 80 Series

Beretta recently revived the 80 series with the 80X, but the classic 80 series are still some classic carry guns. The 80 series is made up of a mix of .22LR, .380 ACP, and .32 ACP handguns. The most popular is the .380 Model, which consists of the 83, 84, 85, and 86 models. These are small, compact firearms but are not pocket pistols. They are incredibly well-made and very easy to shoot.

Their ergonomics are on point and are some of the best examples of what a metal-framed gun can be. They have that Beretta M9 style shape, with much thinner grips that make the gun easier to conceal and more accessible to those with small hands. They are hand-filling guns, and that makes them quite easy to control. Capacity varies between thirteen and seven rounds depending on caliber and design. Beretta made various models in both single and double-stack capacities.

The Beretta 80 Series seem out of date until you start shooting. They are all fairly light recoiling and very easy to control. They don’t beat your hand up like a .380 Pocket pistol and are much easier to control than even a P365 in 9mm. Guns like the Beretta 81 offer a .32 ACP option with very little recoil for those who might be recoil-sensitive. The .22LR options are silly soft to shoot. These are all top-of-the-line classic carry guns.

Beretta makes legendary firearms, and you’d have a hard time finding one that didn’t work well. These guns might be past their prime and seem old school, but they are very easy to handle and fun to shoot. They are more akin to the Shield EZ series, especially the 86 with its tip-up barrel.

The Ruger P Series

The P series might have been the series of firearms that established Ruger as a company that makes tanks for guns. They might be ugly, but they are 100% functional, incredibly reliable, and last forever. The Ruger P series guns are still kicking around and are still quite affordable. I run across these guns for less than 300 dollars all day long, and they still represent self-defense-worthy handguns.

The P series is fairly broad. You can pick from numerous models in various calibers, including 9mm, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The P Series lasted from 1985 all the way up to 2013. Over that time, there were tons of variants. The P85 through P944 used investment cast metal frames, and the P95 and beyond used a polymer frame. The modern polymer frame models also feature a rail system.

These are pure ’80s guns. They feature the hammer fire design that was popular for the era. The gun has a combined de-cocker and safety that was ambidextrous. They are fairly simple guns but were quite easy to shoot and handle. The guns feature modern capacities and, outside of the .45 ACP, used double-stack magazines.

They aren’t fancy, they aren’t pretty, but they do function well. If you can get past their blocky design and ugly frames, you can have a very capable firearm for very little money. I’d choose a Ruger P series over most modern budget options. If you are looking for a more carry-friendly option, the P94 and P95 offer compact options for a tank-like classic carry gun.

Smith and Wesson 3rd Gen Guns

Smith and Wesson produced a number of semi-auto handguns from 1913 onward, and in the late 1980s, they arrived at what is collectively known as the third-generation pistols. These represent the last line of S&W automatics to use all metal frames, DA/SA hammer-fired actions, and a mix of double and single-stack magazines. They were quite popular with police forces and remain a great option these days.

Some are more expensive than others. The S&W 1006 and 1026 in 10mm, for example, are not cheap options. However, the 5906, the various 900 series guns, and even the 4506 tend to be fairly affordable and easy to find. These third-gen guns come in all the big calibers, including 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W, and, of course, the aforementioned 10mm. What’s a gun from the late 80s and early 90s without a 10mm chambering?

These heavy steel guns might weigh you down a fair bit, but they can still be fantastic classic carry guns and home defense options. S&W produced some small subcompact models, including the various 9mm subcompacts like the 908 and 3914, and basically every model that starts with 39. These are still quite compact, and while unusual in today’s era, they still last for basically ever.

If you find a lack of Picatinny rails disturbing, then the TSW models might be for you. These guns feature a nice metal rail for all the accessories you could ever need, but the TSW models tend to call for a higher price on the used market.

Smith and Wesson SW99 – Classic Carry Option

Let’s stick with S&W because they’ve been around a long time, and they have a wide variety of pistols in their lineup. In the late 1990s, it was apparent that polymer-frame, striker-fired guns were going to be the dominant force in firearms. S&W had already tried to produce one in the budget-friendly Sigma series but got sued by Glock. Plus, the Sigma series weren’t duty-ready guns. S&W teamed up with Walther to produce an S&W pistol.

Kind of an S&W pistol, anyway. It’s a Walther P99 with a standard rail. The SW99 and P99 are nearly identical, and the SW99 came in both 9mm and 40 S&W, like the P99, but the SW99 also got the 45 ACP. These polymer frame pistols were a joint effort. Walther made the frames, and S&W made the slides and barrels. Like the P99, these are one of the very few DA/SA guns that are striker-fired. A decocking button sits on the top to instantly toss it back to double action only.

The SW99 trigger is absolutely fantastic. The DAO is super smooth, and while heavy, it glides rearward. The single action is crazy light and absolutely fantastic. It’s a great setup that I wish was a bit more common. I really like the striker-fired DA/SA design. Sadly, the SW99 is one of the very few options out there.

What’s great is that the SW99 remains affordable. Walther fans want P99s, and guns like the P99 compact are fairly tough to find. However, the SW99 compact is easy to find and fairly cheap. These guns use Walther mags, and they tend to be fairly common. This is one of my favorite classic carry guns.

Glock Trade-Ins

Finally, another great option is the great many Glock police trade-ins out there. Glock pistols dominate the law enforcement market, and with a new generation of Glock getting out there and with competition from SIG, used Glocks are hitting the market hard. Glocks are great guns that last forever and are well-reputed for their durability, reliability, and general effectiveness.

A lot of these Glock pistols are the .40 S&W models that have been traded in for the great 9mm influx. Plenty of Glock 22s are floating around at a great price. Additionally, the Glock 23 and 27 are popular trade-ins. In 40 S&W, these guns can be found for less than 400 dollars. That’s a great price for a very reliable weapon, even if you have to deal with 40 S&W.

With that said, we do see some 9mms coming in and out, and these are great grabs. The desirability of 9mm does create an increased cost, but they are still fairly affordable firearms all around. Glock trade-ins are a great way to get a great handgun for a low price. If you see one, act quickly because they tend to sell fast.

Giving Used Guns a Chance

The used gun market is nothing like other used markets. Used cars can be a gamble. Used furniture is for the insane, but used guns are a great choice. When something is wrong, it’s easy to see. Cracks in frames, bad bores, and the like don’t hide easily. Typically, used guns are rarely shot, but they often have a chunk of their price squirreled away.

A used gun allows you to get a great gun at a budget gun’s price. Sure, they might not always have rails, night sights, or be optics ready, but they go bang and do so reliably.

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Massad Ayoob “Cute” Lawyer Tricks

https://youtu.be/cTs-ZKxS9SA

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Target engagement and the MILRAD Reticle ByJohn Boyette

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This article is the part of the basic portion of the Trace Armory Group’s. Mil-Dot Usage Class I have been teaching for the past two years with great success. The ability of my students to range, engage and drop targets need it before hunting, competitive shooting or LE/Military Sniping is just great to watch. I understand not all of us have the ability to go to a training class so I wanted to share some of the information I train people with. So you can become a better marksman in your endeavors.

The Miliradian reticle can be of great use to a shooter in engaging the target. The key is to understand how a Milrad can aid you in target engagement. The four basic options the Milradian reticle gives you is:

  1. Range finding
  2. Bullet drop compensating
  3. Windage compensating
  4. Mechanical offset aim points

We will talk about all four basic options the Milrad reticle gives you the shooter the ability to engage a target no matter what situation faces you. First we will start by range finding.

Range finding with a Milrad reticle

The two basic steps to range finding of a target are:

  1. To know the target size or the size of something near the target.
  2. The two basic formulae to find the targets range in their unit of measure.

Trace Armory Group MilRad image

The formulae are:

If you use meters as your unit of measure:

Width or height of target (meters) X 1,000 divided by the mil size of the target in the reticle = range in meters.

Width or height of target (in inches) x 25.4 divided by the mil size of the target in the reticle = range in meters.

If you use yards as your unit of measure:

Width or height of target (yards) X 1,000 divided by the mil size of the target in the reticle = range in yards.

Width or height of target (inches) x 27.778 divided by the mil size of the target in the reticle = range in yards.

Now this is good and all if you know the targets size, if so this process works. You can go long hand, use a calculator, or a Mil-Dot Master. All systems work just fine, it’s just a matter of speed and what you need.

The main issue that comes up is with targets that are not standing in on location all day long, not moving around or just popping in and popping out of your line of sight. How do we deal with this issue? Well we can set range cards off of the landscape in front of us. The distance to that blue car in front of you in the hide is 430yds, or the distance to that door is 231yds and so on. Make a range card and as target’s move back and forth around known distance landmarks we have there approximate range at least close enough for a human sized target to get engaged.

Well this process works just fine if you plan on staying in one location for an amount of time and have the security, time, and cover/ concealment to fill out your range card and sector sketch. What do you do in a liquid battle field where you move from point to point? With your inability due to time and motion of your unit to setup a range card and hunt a target of opportunity? What’s the next skill set to use?

Trace Armory Group MilRad size chartThe best way is to run a flash Milrad card. I use flash Milrad card sizes of 19 by 9 inch Milrad reference sheet just like the one to the left.

The measurements of 19 by 9 inch are based on the average human’s width from shoulder to shoulder. Some use 20 inches as the old standby. But as the military has learned not all people are build the same. Some theaters of operations an 18 inch wide shoulder to shoulder measurement is more accurate than a 20 inch width. So a good average of 19 inches works for an 18 inch or 20 inch measured target under 500yds. The 9 inch measurement is the average side depth of a human. This is for a left or right side engagement of the target.

Using a 19 by 9 inch Mil reference sheet, you now have the ability to take a more precise flash mil reading of the reticle as you see the target in the area of engagement. To engage a target using the flash mil technique all you need to do is judge the targets width and see where the targets reading falls in the flash mil reference card. Once this is done, you have a good idea of the targets distance to you and you can adjust aimed fire to the right hold or ZERO distance. Keep in mind when using a .223/5.56mm or a .308/7.62mm caliber rifle the flash mil works best under 500yds.

Bullet drop and Windage compensating

To find what your bullet drop is at each range there is only one real way to do this. You must go shoot and record all data in a log book, a lot of people are running a ballistics program to get an idea of where the bullet will impact at. But the true data is in shooting at known distance. Always keep in mind your data that is logged in your logbook has nothing to do with your true bullet drop. Your data is 100% based on how well your riflescope tracks in its unit of measure. This is why you could have different data than other shooters on the same day engaging the same target shooting basically the same rifles and ammunition. What you are dealing with is two totally different riflescopes adjusting in there own way.

As you gain your data in what ever unit of measure your riflescope adjusts in. It would be a great idea to covert that dialed data to reticle hold data. IF you have an IPHY or MOA adjusted scope all you need to do is take your value and divide it by 3.438. By doing this you will convert the IPHY or MOA dialed data to a MILRAD value. Keep in mind that the value of 3.438 is how many true minutes of angle there are per-mil. So if you have an IPHY adjusted optic this will be off by about a 0.1 MILRAD per 0.9 MILRAD of data gained. Now you can use the MILRAD value for holds. This is also true for windage also.

Here is an example:

Trace Armory Group MilRad to MOA chart

As always these examples are just that, examples. You always need to go and shoot your dope, convert it and confirm it using dialed and hold data. Some people are starting to own .1 MILRAD, 1 cm, adjusted optics. These riflescopes adjust in a .1 MILRAD value, with a MILRAD reticle there is no conversion for you to do. Your dialed DOPE is the same as your HOLD DOPE, much easier and honestly a better system than using a two different unit’s of measure in one riflescope.

What if you the shooter decided to combine the ranging ability and the bullet drop characteristics of the MILRAD based reticle for target engagement all at the same time? What an idea. Everywhere I have been to be it a school, or reading always separates these two abilities of the MILRAD reticle. If you blend them you can engage targets much faster under 600yds. This is how it’s done.

As we have read we can use flash mil as a faster way to gain the targets range, and now we know what our mil hold is to known ranges using a dialed ZERO in the riflescope. The next step is to know what target size we will use. For the Military and LE Sniper we can go back to the 19 inch / 9 inch target size. For the competitor or hunter we need to find the right target size for our usage and we will cover these sizes later. But for now let’s work on the 19 inch / 9 inch flash mil.

Trace Armory Group MilRad chart

With this information I can now adjust my 19”x9” MILRAD cheat sheet from 100 to 495yds. I can now say that if the target reads the width of 5.2 MILRAD to 1.05 MILRAD I can hold center mass with a 400yd ZERO and send the round down range. Now let’s see how this works. The bullets flight path is well within a 36 inch target from 0 to 495yds using a 400yd ZERO Point of impact. This is called danger space. Not so much danger space for you, it’s the targets danger space due to the ease of engagement. The bullets summit never reaches a maximum Ordinate of 18 inches “half of the targets height” above the line of site. The summit of my ballistic curve is between 200yds to 225yds and noted in the elevation in inches colored orange with a height above the line of site of 12.5 inches.

 

To put this in simple terms if I was shooting a human target running a 400yd ZERO and I aimed center mass and the target was at 215yds my bullet would hit below the chin. Not ideal but you take what you can get in a gunfight.

At this point my Milrad range card will read as follows:

Trace Armory Group MilRad 36x19

This Milrad range card will help me engage targets at a faster pace than before with having hard data per distance and using the long math for mil range.

Trace Armory Group MilRad chart point blank range

One key here is this, just because you can get a center mass shot, does not mean you will have a kill with bullet impact or even take the target out of the fight. This technique for target engagement on a liquid battlefield as targets moves around pop-in, pop-out of the battle space. You will also see I have the Point of Impact “POI” listed. If I need to do a precision shot on a downed target. I have seen an Iraqi Fidayeen member take a burst from a M240B at 450m and go down and get back up again. IF your bullet does not strike a kill zone area there is no guarantee that the target will stay down. As in this target engagement a well placed burst fire made short order on a non-mobile target. When engaging targets with your SWS you may run in to the same situation. So having accurate hold point in your reticle wile using danger space is a critical task.

The next question is, well this is all good and all, but how about us target shooters out there that shoot in competitions? We can use the same framework of danger space but on a smaller target. I was just at the Practical Marksman Challenge II rifle match in Society Hill Alabama as a RSO. In this match I would say of the steel targets size, most where 2-3 MOA in size at unknown distance. The common sizes of steel targets where:

  • 6” diamond shaped
  • 18”x10” rectangle
  • 12” diamond

I would say most tactical competitive shooters run a 100yd ZERO, why I do not know but they do. So we will base a simple process of target engagement around a 100yd ZERO for the listed target sizes. I know that my 200yd Mil hold is .5 Milrad from 100yd ZERO, my 300yd Mil hold 1.3 Milrad from 100yd also. I can use this to my advantage to engage targets under time. The below picture explains how this works.

Trace Armory Group MilRad chart point blank range steel target

Lets say on a firing stage I have 45 seconds to engage a pistol target that is under 12 feet away, then go to a 6” diamond and a 12” square at un-known distance with two rifle shots each target.

Sounds hard? Come on down to the Practical Marksman Challenge rifle match and let me know. This was lane 16 I ran as a RSO. If I was a shooter the first step I would take is guess the near and far distance. I would say the 6” target is between 150yds and 250yds. If I know the size of a full Milrad in 100yd increments I have a fighting chance to get a hit on these targets within my timeline.

When the time starts I engage the pistol target hostler a hot safe pistol and load my rifle, then take a look at the target size. The first picture above is a 6” plate that reads more than 1 Milrad. I know a Milrad @ 100yds is 3.6” due to the target size I can hold a little off the 12 o’clock and see my 100yd ZERO to my 300yd hold point is covered by the target size in the reticle. This tells me that from 100yds to 300yds my DOPE for these distances are covered by the reticle. So I send the round down range and get a hit. In the first picture I have from 100yds to 300yds covered by target size. I assumed the target was between 150yds and 250yds the target covers both hold points. I will get a hit on this target.

Due to target size, the holds the target covers, I feel I can get a hit on this piece of steel. So I send it, with this target size of .8 Milrad I am at 200yds, I get a hit and make time and score.

What if the target is smaller? If you look at the second picture the target is smaller than 1 Milrad, since I know a Milrad at 200yds is 7.2” this makes since. By holding again off the 12 o’clock my 100yd, 200yd hold point of .5 Mil is covered by target size again. Keep in mind I have no real idea how far the target is. I am using the targets size and my hold points as a BDC. If I have holds that are covered up with steel and the target is within the distance that my holds are showing I get a hit.

This type of danger space works and this is also how you can “see” your hits on a target. If you look at the below chart you will see the bullet placement matches the MILRAD hold location. At all ranges.

Trace Armory Group MilRad chart danger space

Mechanical offset aim points

Mechanical offset is the difference between line of sight and line of bore. Most people call this sight height and this is correct if you are measuring for height of your rings to let your riflescope clear the barrel. But this same measurement will have your Point of Aim “POA” and Point of Impact “POI” have a shift between your near ZERO range and the rifles crown. If you need to take a precision shot short of your ZERO range you can do a hold off using your MILRAD reticle to make a precise bullet print on the target.

The process is simple. Take your known ZERO range 100yds, 200yds, 300yds or what ever you want to use and we will find where the bullet prints for ranges less than 100yds. The first step is to mark off 100yds in 10yd increments and place ten ½” and a 1” dot on the target board. Once done we will shoot a 3 rnd group at 100yds to confirm the 100yd ZERO is set at the 1” dot. Now we move to the 90yd line and take a shot holding center mass on the first ½” dot. If the bullet prints low or high you use your reticle to see the offset from aiming point to bullet hole and on the second shot use this hold to have the bullet print on the target. Once done move to the 80yd line and repeat the same process.

As you move down range you will see the bullet impact move away from the aiming point of the ½” dot. This distance between the target and the bullet print can be measured by your MILRAD reticle. So lets say your 40yd offset is 2.3 MILRAD low. As you see it on the target, all you need to do is hold over 2.3 MILRAD and send the next round to confirm that hold it’s that simple.

Now you have a shot at 40yds you know from 100yds you need to hold 2.3 Mil. Well if you have a 200yd ZERO dialed in and you need to take that 40yd shot what do you do now? These are the questions you need to have an answer for before you need to take the shot. These types of drills can keep a person very busy on a 100yd or 200yd range for a long time. There is a real need for a LEO Sniper to know his short range holds even under 10yds of distance. This simple drill is critical for the AR-15 family style of rifles due to there higher line of sight to line or bore measurements compared to a manually operated rifle.

These are just some of the many abilities a unit of measure in a riflescopes reticle can aid you in. Yes it is true; you can use a Minute of Angle reticle also. I hope this aids you in your shooting needs.

John Boyette
Owner and Instructor
Trace Armory Group
919-428-5265

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.22 hornet(RUGER) V.S Impala head and lung shot. Is this even possible

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That horse is REALLY not amused by her actions!

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WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE UNDERSTANDING HANDGUN RECOIL WRITTEN BY CLAYTON WALKER

Big, heavy, full-sized guns are a great ticket to taming recoil. More mass helps!

 

There’s a reason why most people shoot a .22 better than a .44 Magnum. Recoil has long been the enemy of realizing the full measure of a gun’s mechanical accuracy. At my range, I’ve seen many very strong and hardy young men talk up hard-kicking handguns like the Desert Eagle and the S&W 500. I’ve also watched many of those strong, hardy young men flinch magnum rounds into the dirt.

To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, youth is wasted on the young. Now that I’ve shot long enough to shut off my inner reptile brain, my hands are admittedly achier than they once were. (Note: being a writer has not helped this condition.) As such, I certainly find myself in the ranks of those who see the worth of a “soft shooting” handgun.

You might find yourself with a similar value system for reasons of your own. If so, you’ll likely ponder the following: What makes one handgun shoot more stoutly or softly than another? This is an answerable question and one that transcends discussions of caliber alone.

 

Hogue grips have been a recoil reduction mainstay for decades.

Size And Weight

 

It’s been a while since many of us took high school physics, but we might dimly remember that force is equal to mass times acceleration. Many of us tend to focus on “force.” We can think of this as the power of the cartridge for which any particular firearm is chambered. However, we should be equally concerned with acceleration, and by that, I mean how rapidly any given gun accelerates into your hand under recoil. Newton’s second law tells us that acceleration and mass are inversely related for any given force.

Put more simply, big guns kick less than small guns of the same caliber. This seems counter-intuitive at first: Witness the number of well-meaning husbands who buy snub-nosed revolvers for their wives. Small guns seem cute, genteel, and easy to handle. That said, show me a lady who shot a scandium J-Frame .38 as her first gun, and I’ll show you a lady who had a horrible first trip to the range — and likely never returned.

If you want to keep recoil to a minimum, extra mass is the ticket. It’s another reason why I tend to prefer barrels of 6″ on revolvers and 5″ on autoloaders: More sight radius is nice, sure, but the extra weight out at the front of the gun adds just a little “special sauce” when it comes to taming recoil.

 

Ergonomics matter! Sig’s P-series guns are designed to ensure
a near-perfect meld with the human hand.

Ergonomics

 

A deceptive category, to be sure! Many people buy a revolver or semi-auto because it feels “good in the hand.” That’s better than nothing, but one also wants to make sure it feels good under recoil. The platonic ideal is a gun that fits one’s hand just so, with no gaps or recesses. This will allow the firearm and hand to behave as one unit under recoil, distributing all forces evenly. When this isn’t the case, it can feel like the gun is slamming back into one’s palm.

Sometimes our own biology is at fault when it comes to amplifying the negative effects of recoil. Many big-handed dudes have been cut by the slides of Walther PPKs and bit by the beak-like hammer of a Browning Hi-Power. Even a gun with a modest “kick” can be quite painful under recoil if your hand doesn’t interface with it well.

Personally, I don’t play well with medium- and large-framed guns from a certain manufacturer. Thanks largely due to their rectangular grip frame, they tend to vector recoil right into the knuckle at the base of my thumb — no thanks, I say. Not every pistol will work for every user, as we may perceive the effects of recoil differently from one another.

 

Gloves are an excellent way to ensure a more consistent human/gun
interface, reducing the perception of felt recoil.

Grip And Grip Material

 

Wooden grips on a revolver can be a thing of beauty. However, there’s a reason why Ruger ships its Super Redhawks with big, cushy rubber stocks: Metal and wooden grips have absolutely no “give.” On a heavy kicking gun, hard grips won’t make things worse, but they certainly won’t make things better. Instead, rubber grips once again help to distribute recoil over a larger part of the hand and over a longer duration of time. Those gray-pebbled rubber Hogue grips might not be someone’s first choice of shoes for a vintage S&W, but aesthetics be damned — they work.

Another interesting variable comes in the form of polymer construction. Almost as a rule, polymer frames will be lighter than those made from aluminum or steel. Based on our previous discussion of weight, one would think this would indicate they’d be harder kickers. And yet, I’ve shot some polymer guns that shoot as softly as their metal-framed brethren.

I think the phenomenon comes down once again to “flex” or “give.” Some polymer compounds can act as shock absorbers, as they can be compressed or deformed more easily than metal but will rebound to their original, molded shape. The effect is slight but not negligible!

Additionally, how one grips the gun is important. A strong grip locks the firearm into place and again aids the goal of allowing the gun, wrist, hand and arm to move as one unit. (And, as a combined mass, will therefore accelerate less under the same recoil force.) But supposing one has a weak and/or improper grip, the gun will squirm in hand and distribute recoil forces unequally. Good technique will absolutely reduce the perception of recoil.

 

Two .380s, two action types. The locked-breech GLOCK 42 is a
softer kicker than the Colt 1908 despite less mass.

Action And Slide Velocity

 

Remember our previous discussion of a force being exerted over time? Well, it also applies here, and not all guns are created equal. While exceptions exist to the rule, most autoloaders can be classified into “blowback” and “locked breech” designs.

Blowback actions are the simpler of the two. When a round is fired in a gun of this design, only the stiffness of the recoil spring and mass of the slide inhibit its rearward movement until the chamber reaches safe pressures. As the gun cycles, the slide (and only the slide) moves backward, usually at a high velocity, contributing to a “snappy” feel when it rams into the rear of the frame. Usually, this action is reserved for guns chambered in smaller calibers.

Conversely, just about any gun chambered in 9mm or larger is going to have some kind of locking mechanism. If you watch a video of a 1911 or Walther P38 in extreme slow motion, you’ll see the barrel and slide travel together for a bit before the barrel unlocks and the slide continues its rearward movement. Recoil forces act on more things, in more directions and over a longer period of time. Recoil is generally felt more like a shove than a snap.

Guns chambered for .380 ACP — of which there are a lot — can be one of the two action types. My GLOCK 42, a locked breech design, is very comfortable to shoot. My Colt 1908 is far less pleasant, thanks to its blowback action. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t note there are blowback guns in larger calibers.

Additionally, springs are a factor. For example, H&K’s USP series of handguns utilize a dual spring system, where the last bit of slide travel under recoil is further dampened by a second, stiffer recoil spring. As I understand it, H&K moved away from this design in the name of simplification — why use two parts when one will do? I see the logic, but I (and other devotees) simply love how the USP setup feels.

Also, when guns have no springs or slides, there’s little to attenuate the recoil. A single-shot handgun or revolver typically has greater recoil than an autoloader of identical size, weight and caliber.

 

It’s a physical law: Recoil increases as heavier bullets are driven progressively faster.
The .22 short (28 grains @ 800 fps) will do less pushing than the .30-06 (165 grains @ 2,800 fps).

A bad grip. The gun is not set into the web of the hand nor aligned
with the bones of the dominant forearm. Felt recoil: Increased!

And Egads … More?

 

We haven’t even begun to touch on the effect of muzzle brakes, bullet weights and velocities, slow-burning vs. fast-burning powders, torque, weight changes as magazines deplete, aftermarket parts and add-ons and the much-ballyhooed subject of bore-over-frame height. And I’m sure there are even some factors I’m forgetting.

The main takeaway is there are so many different variables and so many guns we’re rarely able to make apples-to-apples comparisons when it comes to recoil. Sure, I can tell you a 4″ gun will kick more than a 6″ gun if it’s the same make, model and caliber. Or an M&P .40 will kick more than an M&P in 9mm. However, if you were to ask me off the top of my head whether a Ruger LCR in .327 Federal kicks more than a .45 ACP-chambered 1911 stoked with +P+ ammo … who knows?

Don’t get me wrong: Keeping track of all of the above variables is certainly helpful when it comes to identifying soft shooters or hard kickers. However, the real world almost always complicates our well-crafted theories. Sometimes you just have to shoot a gun to find out how much you can tolerate the kick, push, shove, or slap it transmits when you pull the trigger.

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Rifle Optics | Precision Rifle Shooting with Todd Hodnett

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Mildot Range Estimation by John McQuay

Range estimation is a key skill in the sniper’s toolbox. If you don’t know how far away your target is, you have little chance of hitting it on the first shot. One shot, one kill…right? There are many methods of locating the target’s range. For the purpose of this period of instruction we will be covering range estimation with the mildot reticle and it’s variants.

In years past the basic mildot reticle came in two flavors. You could either get round dots or “footballs”. In recent times the footballs have faded from existence. They have been replaced by a myriad of lines and circles and dots. The basic premise that we are going to demonstrate here will work for any milradian based reticle.

 
Mil Relation Formula
The core of rifle scope range estimation is a math problem referred to as the “Mil Relation Formula”. This takes the height of the target in inches, multiplies it by a constant and then divides by the number of mils read in the scope.

The basic formula looks like this:

Mil Formula

The 27.77 is a “constant”. This is sometimes expressed at 27.78, which is the mathematically correct rounded number. Most Marines will use 27.77 because that is what we were taught. Either will get you close enough to make a first round hit. Other formulas are available to convert range to meters or to start with the target height in a different unit of measure. I prefer this formula because it is easy to remember and uses units that most of us in the United States are familiar with.

 
Measuring with Mils
The hardest part of range estimation by the Mil Relation Formula is actually measuring the target. To be accurate you need to train your eye to measure to the nearest tenth or a mil or 0.1 mil. Most experienced snipers can measure down to five hundredths of a mil or 0.05. All it takes is practice.

First Focal Plane vs. Second Focal Plane:

Rifle scopes generally come in two varieties. The most common is the Second Focal Plane reticle. In this type the reticle covers more or less of the target depending on the magnification setting of the scope. If you are looking at a target through the rifle scope and you turn the power selector ring the reticle will appear to stay the same size as the target zooms larger. This causes a couple of problems. The first being that the reticle will only be accurate for ranging at one power setting. The second is that the reticle will only be correct for holds at one power setting.

First Focal Plane scopes have been gaining popularity in the US. They have the benefit of the reticle reading correctly at any power setting. When you look through the scope at a target and turn the power selector ring the reticle will appear to grow or shrink at the same rate as the target. The drawback to this is that the reticle thickness becomes a compromise. Too thick of a reticle will obscure too much of the target at high magnification. Too thin and it will become invisible at low power. The reticle also becomes easy to loose in the background on low power in low light unless it is illuminated.

Verifying the Reticle Scale:

Your first priority before using your Mil reticle is to verify that the scale reads correctly and at what power. This is a fairly simple exercise. First find a large piece of cardboard. Draw a vertical line on it with a heavy black marker. Using a very accurate ruler make horizontal hash marks across the vertical line every 3.6″. Be careful with your measuring. Set your cardboard at 100 yards and line the center of your reticle up with the bottom most hash mark on the cardboard. Each mil mark in your scope should line up with each hash mark on your cardboard. If you are using a mildot type scope then the hash marks should bisect the dots. If you are using a line type reticle like the GAP reticle then the hash marks should line up with the full mil hashes in the reticle.

What if it doesn’t line up? If your scope is a Second Focal Plane scope, then experiment with different power settings until you find the one that matches up. When you do, take a silver sharpie and make a mark across the ring and the scope body so that you can quickly locate the correct setting in the field. If your scope is a First Focal Plane and you are sure that you measured correctly when laying our your board, then you need to contact the manufacturer for warranty service.

Milling the Target.

Hopefully your scope came with literature showing the scale of the different portions of your reticle. In any Mil based reticle the center to center distance of the most prominent marks should be one mil. All other measurements are up for grabs.

Here are a couple of common reticles:
We will use the “Army” type Mildots for most of our examples. These are the most common and found in Leupold as well as many other makes of rifle scope. I am not aware of any new scopes using the USMC Mildot. I include them here on the odd chance someone comes across an old USMC scope.

To range a target to a tenth of a mil we need to build a stable position just like if we were going to send a shot downrange. Any tremor is going to cause problems.

Place the reticle over the target and count how many full mil increments there are.
In the image above we see that the Taliban fighter is 4 mils tall. Since our S2 briefed us that this selected target is 5’8″ (68″) we can plug these figures into our formula.
68 inches tall times 27.77 (our constant) divided by the number of mils the target measured in the scope (4). Crank that through your calculator and you see that our target is 472 yards away.

Now let’s make this a little more difficult.

 
In this image we can see that our innocent little friends are taking a stroll. Our loader is more than two and a half mils tall, but that’s not going to cut it.

 
If we look closely at where his foot falls above the third mill dot we can begin to break it down. With your minds eye, split that mildot in half. That half mildot measure 0.1 mil. Now you can’t quite fit that half mildot between his foot and the top of the whole mildot, so we break it down again. This gives us 0.05 mil. Now add that to the “half” mildot and we get 0.15 mil between the center of the dot and the bottom of our jihadist’s foot. If we subtract 0.15 mils from 1, we get 0.85 mils. Add back in the two mils above that and we get a measured height of 2.85 mils. Lets assume that our militant here is 64″ tall (from our intel reports). Let’s plug that into our formula.

 
If we didn’t go to the trouble of breaking it down and just rounded it to 3 mils we would have come up with 592.42 yards to target. In this case that would have resulted in an elevation error of about 12″ with M118LR. Breaking the dot down to .05 will give you improved accuracy but is not required for closer range targets.

When the target won’t stand still, or you do not know the height of your target you can use objects nearby. In the city this is pretty easy. Out in the woods it’s a bit more difficult. If you have several objects in your field of view, range the largest first. Larger targets will generally give you more accuracy. Ranging several targets and taking the average will also cut down your error. After time you may notice patterns to your errors. It’s good to note these so that in the future you can take them into account. A laser rangefinder is an excellent tool to have to confirm your calculations when you are learning to read mils.

If you are working with a spotter, both of you should do the calculations independently and then take the average.

Mildot ranging is an excellent skill, but is only as accurate as you are. It is also slow and difficult to use on moving tagets. In this a laser rangefinder excells. However, batteries die and electronics fail. Backup skills are nice to have.

 
Additional Formulas

 
Common Items
 

Item Size
Standard Doorway 36″ wide x 84″ tall
Basketball 9.75″
License Plate 12″ wide x 6″ tall
Speed Limit Sign 24″ x 30″
Yield Sign 36″
Wood Pallet 4′ x 4′
Paper (Letter Size) 8.5″ x 11″
Payphone 8.5″ x 21.5″

All dimensions are approximate and should be verified by the user. When possible it is a good idea for you to actually go out to the areas you work and measure common items. If you find yourself frequently in the same housing projects, then measure some windows and doors. They may come in handy some night if your LRF dies.

 
Other Reticles
 

GAP Reticle

This is my current personal favorite. It can be had in most of US Optics scopes. The reticle can be a bit confusing at first, but becomes second nature after use. The hash marks are .1 mil in thickness and are .5 mil across. The small hash marks are .25 mil across.

I use one in a USO SN-3 3.2-17x. It has allowed me to range targets to 1%.
Skeletal Mildot Reticle

This is more of a standard mildot reticle with skeletonized stadia lines. This reticle is found in the first generation Falcon Menace FFP scopes. The reticle works well at it’s highest power setting. When power is reduced the reticle becomes hard to see in dim light or w
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Tactical Training Scenario- Random Gunfire

For the last couple years, there has been an epidemic of mass shootings targeting people in bars, malls, and outdoor parties.  These have generally been gang members targeting other gang members.

 

It’s spring.  We see this stuff every year as the temperatures warm.  This year seems even worse, with lots of “Spring Break” parties targeted.  That, combined with “de-policing” means criminals are going to do what criminals do with no one to stop them.

 

 

Understand that if you get caught up in a mess like this, the cops won’t be speeding to your rescue.  The community doesn’t want the cops arresting bad people anymore.  The cops will respond, getting there after all the shots have been fired to coordinate medical care and write a nice report.

 

I’ve received several emails similar to this one lately.

 

“Let’s say I’m at a place of business or some other public place and a scuffle breaks out resulting in shots fired such as at Polaris this week or another mall last week or in front of a bar last night. Last night, 15 shots were fired. Being armed competently what should I do? What would you do?”

 

I’m going to answer this one simply and directly.  You off-duty cops and legally armed citizens have exactly one role in this situation:  Make sure you and your family/friends don’t get shot.  That’s it.  End of lesson.

 

 

When I hear shots nearby, I immediately get down on the ground or behind cover.  I assess where the shots are coming from and I plan a path of retreat in the opposite direction, ideally moving between large pieces of cover as I make my escape.  That’s it.  There is absolutely nothing else you should do.

 

These are young thugs fighting other young thugs.  These are gang bangers fighting other gang bangers.  These are drunken idiots who decide to whip out a pistol when they are insulted.  None of those situations involves you in any way, even if you are in danger of catching a stray round.

 

They don’t want to shoot you.  The only way you will get hit is by accident.  Don’t go looking for trouble.  Don’t try to intervene.  There is no “innocent third party” to protect.  Let the dumbshits shoot each other.  You don’t have to play their game.

 

And you don’t have to “be a good witness” either.  If these jackasses get arrested, do you want them getting you and your family’s names, addresses, places of employment, and phone numbers?  As soon as their court appointed attorney files for discovery, all of that information goes directly to them.  Now you’ve become an active player in their game.  And in that game, they don’t care about the same rules you do.

 

A friend of mine’s 18-year old son was at a mall where there was a gang shooting.  A ricocheting bullet hit him in the arm, but didn’t penetrate his jacket.  He was listed on the police report as a victim and the boy (he was still in high school) was issued a subpoena to testify against the accused who had fired the shots.  My friend’s son didn’t see anything and provided no useful information for the prosecution, he was still ordered to appear in court.  Does that sound like a good plan to you?  Would you instruct your teenage child to “be a good witness?”  Not me.

 

 

Don’t involve yourself in this stupidity.  It will only harm you in the long term.  If you intervene, you will either get shot by the thugs, shot by the cops, sued by the person you shoot, or criminally arrested.  If that doesn’t happen and you make a statement to the cops  you take the chance of being  hunted down by the arrested party’s crew at a future date before trial.

 

Say it again with me:  “Not your people, not your problem.”

 

Get out.  Not playing is the only route to victory.

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Gun?, What gun? NSFW