| Author | Message | ||
     P_squared |
If you've never used a red dot, and you think irons are faster/better for CQB, I’d ask you to try one of the <$100 options from Primary Arms for a little while & see for yourself which is faster. e.g.: http://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arms-classic-30 mm-red-dot-gen-ii/p/kt-pa30mmrdgenii/ http://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arms-red-dot-re flex-sight/p/kt-parrs01/ http://www.primaryarms.com/new-primary-arms-micro- dot-with-removable-base-md-rbgii/p/kt-md-rbgii/ Worst case, you don’t like it, but you’re not out a lot of money & you can easily resell it. Best case, you like it & you can start to use it while you save up for a more expensive optic to fit your specific needs. The reason I recommend PA in this instance is because they have a good selection, their products are actually very good for what you pay & their customer service is outstanding. (Protip: I've shot both irons w/ flashlight (think early ‘90’s USMC) and red dots (think current era) in CQB situations. Red dot wins hands down every single time.) It’s HARD to be both FAST & ACCURATE with irons at CQB distances. It requires a LOT of training to become good at it & a LOT of “maintenance” to remain good at it. A simple dot makes things so much easier. As for the idea of getting off a shot as quick as possible, I’d suggest giving that thought some deep contemplation after reading/re-reading Aesquire’s post above. Finally, going back to my original post in this thread, Rifle>Shotgun>Pistol. A red dot & a flashlight belong on a HD Rifle. The Shotgun is a tossup on the red dot for me, but needs a flashlight. The Pistol, I’d keep night sights & a flashlight. (Red dots on pistols are the 1 firearm that throws the “Red dots are faster” mantra upside down for most shooters, mainly due to the recoil impulse & time it takes to reacquire the dot). As always, just my $0.02 & YMMV | ||
| Thumper74 |
I have one of their red dots. So far so good. I broke the bolt on rail clamp over tightening. I e-mailed them asking for the price on a replacement since I broke it, it wasn't a defect. They send me one of the new QR mounts for free! Honestly, it may not be combat grade, but I've done classes in bad weather and it's held zero so far. I also put it on an airsoft gun for a FoF gunfighting class, where it was dropped onto hardpack ground and it's been fine. | ||
| Henshao |
"(Protip: I've shot both irons w/ flashlight (think early ‘90’s USMC) and red dots (think current era) in CQB situations. Red dot wins hands down every single time.)" I assume you had a flashlight with your reflex sight as well. Otherwise give me the target ID with the slower sights anytime. "Although I took out sleepwalking Grandpa, I sure got on target fast!" | ||
| P_squared |
Heshao, yes, light's on both, then & now. In the early '90's, it was a D-cell maglite taped to the bottom or side of the forened. (Goggle "mp5 maglite" for a trip down memory lane lol) Now they make mounts, lights, tape switches, etc. that are not only amazing (size, lumens, life, etc.), but reasonably priced too. Technology has come a long way, hasn't it? | ||
| Henshao |
Yeah, although a D-cell maglite has the added capability of being able to put someone else's lights out. Heh heh heh... It's funny how auxiliary capabilities can be lost through time. Here's a sidebar: after WW2, tanks lose the hull gunner. After the Vietnam War, (Western) tanks lose their multipurpose gun. As compared to a Sherman, the Abrams is a tank destroyer. | ||
| 86129squids |
I managed to get that wireless solar alarm unit installed yesterday, was a cinch (once I got the trigger magnets aligned right)... I've got one more query: The unit is conspicuously mounted on the high face of my shed, with a red LED blinking every 5 secs or so indicating it's armed... I'm on the fence as to whether this is good, or presenting a beacon to show where some valuables are stored. I may tape over that section to mute the light... Otherwise it's pretty neat, with a remote fob to arm/disarm, even a panic button. If someone decides to try to knock it off the mounting bracket, it immediately goes off. I'd recommend it for any detached buildings like mine. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Open it up and wire the LED to a remote location away from the unit. Don't advertise the location of your security equipment. Z | ||
| Ourdee |
What's the recommended course of action during a home intruder situation at night? Assuming the guy isn't standing over you as you sleep...do you make yourself known and grab your home defense weapon of choice? Or do you quietly try to sneak up on the intruder figuring you know the layout of your house and he doesn't (assuming it's dark.) I have run thru these scenarios in my head many times as I don't want the first time thinking about it to be when I am actually in the real-life situation. Does anyone have any tactical advice on home defense techniques? Pistol or shotgun? I know this info is out there on the 'Net, but I thought it may be an interesting discussion here.... I have switches mounted on the headboard of my bed. I like being able to turn on the lights when I hear a noise. I don't want to sneak up on them. (never know where their partner is) Surprised people feel forced to act stupid. Turn the lights on so they don't trip over something on the way out and sue you. If you are going the firearm route, train, train and train. Youtube videos can be like opinions. The guy I like to watch for good info is Massad Ayoob. Here is a link to Bed Defense; http://www.gunsandammo.com/video/shooting-tips-fro m-bed/ This article is very good; http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2014/10/5-gunf ighting-myths-debunked-massad-ayoob/#armed-and-rea dy There is a lot of Youtube videos of him. | ||
| Bob_thompson |
I'm completely with Ray (Ourdee), as I mentioned earlier in this discussion, on: This article is very good; http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2014/10/5-gunf ighting-myths-debunked-massad-ayoob/#armed-and-rea dy He is one of the latest and very best there is on home & other self defense techniques. If you should choose to not read his stuff you'll be missing an awful lot on whats actually true and whats macho BS. Do not wait for a court to decide it for you, it just might cost you a lot of heartache. Bob | ||
| Ourdee |
Credit where credit is due. Bob, You beat me to it. +1 and amen. And Massad doesn't BS. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Got to shoot the MP-15 on Friday. Just using the irons and breaking in the barrel. Not sure if that is necessary. I figure breaking in a rifle barrel is similar to breaking in a motorcycle motor. Some schools of thought are shoot 2 then clean and then shoot groups of 5, cleaning after each group. Then I am sure there are people out there that break in a barrel by shooting a few hundred rounds in quick order. Anyhow, I liked the gun alot. It had about the amount of recoil I expected. Enough to let you feel the power, but not enough to make you flinch in anticipation. I squeezed off some good shots using the irons, although this was not my main objective on Friday. Looking forward to accessorizing the heck out of the gun, which of course will easily exceed the cost of the rifle itself. Ammo cost is very reasonable as well, which was a pleasant surprise. Ammosupplywarehouse.com has good prices and ships from Nevada for all you West Coast guys....Nice Fiocchi target rounds for just under 35 cents a round, shipped. Not that Wolf or Tule steel crap...Highly recommended vendor. (Message edited by fresnobuell on January 11, 2016) | ||
| Ourdee |
I've heard the Long Colt .45 guys talk about lapping the barrels by shooting lead bullets for the first couple of hundred rounds and not over cleaning the bores. Not done it myself. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I found this interesting....things like the recoil energy doubling from a .223 Rem (55gr, 3200 FPS) compared to the .223 WSSM (55 at 3850). Appears the extra 650 FPS, comes with a rough 2x price tag on the recoil energy. Must take alot more charge to get the extra speed at 3,000+ FPS. Just like pushing a motorcycle from 185 to 200 MPH. http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm (Message edited by fresnobuell on January 11, 2016) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
If I understand the theory behind, cleaning the rifle after the first few shots and repeating, it's similar to changing your oil after a couple hundred miles (or less) on a new motor. There is bound to be some crud from the manufacturing process left in the gun and it's best to get it out with cleaning patches then force the stuff down the barrel. Probably overkill, but I looked at it as an opportunity to get familiar with the weapon as much as anything else. Safe to say, I know how to pull the gun apart very well now.  | ||
| Ourdee |
I do know that I never fire a new gun without a thorough cleaning first. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
+1. I actually didn't know that before this rifle. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Off-topic, but I just thought this was a cool pic. It was on wiki under Muzzle Brake. Title "marines in Fallujah"  | ||
| Torquehd |
A picture is worth a thousand words, but I can abridge: "AMERICA!" (Message edited by torquehd on January 12, 2016) | ||
| Henshao |
I'm just going to hope the other 6 guys had earplugs in. Hearing loss is permanent. I went through the trouble of getting a suppressor for my rifle and it is my go-to for home defense as a result. | ||
| Rick_a |
Barrel "break-in" is like engine break in. Barrel manufacturers tend to recommend it, but in practice using the gun as it's going to be used works just fine. Barrels will "shoot-in" after many rounds, will often get peak accuracy and velocity at some point, then slowly decline until the throat is burned out. Some replace a barrel after accuracy noticeably suffers, some wait until bullets tumble. To my understanding even with hearing protection those guys will suffer some permanent hearing loss due to the nature of the vibration involved. This happens to big bore rifle shooters as well. | ||
| Rick_a |
Henshao, is you rifle shooting subsonic ammo? If not, it's still not hearing safe. | ||
| Reepicheep |
How the heck did they get that picture? Frame grab from a super slow motion camera? Whats the muzzle velocity of an artillery round? | ||
| Fresnobuell |
This is a M198 Howitzer. Shooting a 155mm projectile with muzzle velocity of 2,240 FPS. As you might guess, it shoots a slew of different munitions, the most interesting is a W48 nuclear shell. "W48 nuclear shell (retired 1992) W48 nuclear artillery shell had a 155mm caliber and an explosive yield of only 72ton, making it one of the smallest nuclear weapons. All units were retired from service in 1992." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M198_howitzer (Message edited by fresnobuell on January 12, 2016) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I am putting a compensator on the MP-15. I knew there was a great aftermarket for the AR platform, but thetruthaboutguns.com really opened my eyes. They did a 2 great shootouts with muzzle brakes/compensators for the AR. I believe they tested no less than 63 muzzle devices for the AR and that's not even all of 'em. I choose the MKII Effin-A Compensator 5.56, which is a rather unique compensator in that it has screw plugs that allow the shooter to fine tune the device for a given rifle and ammo. It seems gimmicky but apparently works well. I was put off by the true muzzle brakes that re-direct concussion and noise to the sides and also in some cases back at the shooter. I still have a little consideration for my fellow man and since the majority of the time I will be at the range....I didn't want to be "that guy." Besides, the .223 Rem doesn't really even "need" a muzzle brake, but keeping on target (hence compensator) is definitely a real good thing. http://aresarmor.com/store/Item/effin-acomp556 (Message edited by fresnobuell on January 12, 2016) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
All you gun nuts will find this interesting, if you haven't seen this chart yet: http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm Unfortunately, the HOwitzer pictured about is not listed. LOL | ||
| Reepicheep |
1500 miles per hour huh? So that picture was something like 1/10000 of a second exposure time. | ||
| Rick_a |
Cool chart. Needs more shotgun. The muzzle device should suit the gun. On a 7" there's a blast diverter/flash hider.  20140330_180545 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr Going to a 10.5" there's a combo FH/brake.  It eliminates flash while keeping the muzzle relatively flat. The noise is tolerable with normal hearing protection, and there's little to no blast to the shooter. Folks to the sides may not be appreciative. The rifle has an old school set screw brake which keeps the muzzle down without being excessively loud.  I've thought about upgrading that to a threaded brake, but the combination shoots so well I'll probably wait for the barrel to get shot out. | ||
| Henshao |
My rifle with a suppressor may or may not be hearing safe, a debate which requires more data, but it doesn't cause instant "white-out," ringing of the ears and so on with supersonic ammo. Immensely quieter is already a good start. Unless I'm shooting at someone behind some serious steel it's not going to take too many rounds to convince them to stop being a threat. | ||
| Rick_a |
Certainly. That said I've fired a belt of 7.62x51 with no hearing protection and fired a .454 Casull with inadequate hearing protection without any permanent damage. As long as I don't get into a prolonged firefight I'll take my chances. | ||
| Henshao |
Unfortunately, home defense is likely to take place indoors, magnifying the kabooms.  The next best thing to a suppressor might be electronic earmuffs. I have an el cheapo walmart pair and even those rock; I can only imagine how good the high end units are. They not only protect you from sounds which are too loud but they amplify sounds which would normally be too quiet; it's almost like having super hearing while simultaneously not having the frailty of human ears. I seriously recommend everybody try electronic ear muffs. |
