Gun Nuts

Human beings are very complex creatures. Our function in day to day life is a blend of learning, life experience, social convention, deductive thinking, inductive thinking, emotion, and chemical interactions that can combine to create sometimes unpleasant outcomes. I say “sometimes” because most human beings abide by social expectations in their visible interactions with other human beings most of the time. Social expectations are powerful things that we tend to observe reflexively and we expect others to do the same. Think about it…what is your expectation when you ask someone “How are you?” You expect them to answer with some variation of “Fine.” You do not expect them to launch into a long tale of personal tragedy or personal triumph, and if they do you’ll probably be rather put out with them. True, you asked the question, but you asked the question because it’s an expected social custom and in turn you expected them to observe the custom of giving a brief response that all was well.

Our expectations of others based on soci

Guns like this seem to be half gun, half work of art.

I had the chance to meet the guys from Lionheart at NASGW last year. In the company of Stephen Pineau from M3 Strategies and a few other cool guys, we headed out to the range to try out their LH9 pistol. I liked, and immediately requested a T&E sample.

For a little background on the LH9, it is in fact descended from the Daewoo. It’s made in South Korea, and imported to the US by the Lionheart guys in Redmond, WA. There are a few different models available, mine is the fairly vanilla LH9 with Novak sights and no rail. The rear sights are black and the front sight is a simple white dot.

The LH9 is pleasant to shoot, the stocks are nice and grippy, and the trigger is good. In fact, it’s the trigger I really want to talk about. The LH9 uses a fairly interesting decocking system for the first shot. If you want a “true” DA first round you have to pinch and lower the hammer CZ-style. However, a much easier option is to simply place your finger outside the trigger guard and push the hammer forward. In this mode, the gun is half-way between single and double action. Y

For more info, check out our full review of the GP100 Match Champion.

There seems to be a simmering debate that folks are not directly addressing. This is the question of pistol grips on shotguns. I was doing a little research on 3-Gun shotgun preferences and I found that in most cases competitors prefer a traditional stock. However, anyone who is a fan of pistol grips on their scattergun has told me that it gives them a tactical advantage. Is there no overlap between the tactical community and 3-Gun on this?

I tend to believe that 3-Gun is one of the most tactical of the shooting sports, so I began to wonder why there was such a difference of opinion when it came to pistol grips on shotguns? Some will tell you that having this protruding part coming from your gun will actually slow you down. I could see how this might be the case depending on your reloading method. Others, who would not give up their pistol grip, feel that this part gives them comfort and stability. I can also see their point. There is a certain extra level of stability and ease of grasping that a pistol grip will offer.

When I look at CZ-USA’s new 712 Practical, I begin to wonder why they went wi

Tomorrow I’m heading out to Nevada for a coyote hunt. This should be a pretty neat adventure, as I’ve never done a properly organized coyote hunt before. I’ve shot them over bait, but never actually spent time calling them in and trying to outsmart what is one of the smartest animals in the world.

Fun fact: coyotes are the only indigenous North American predator whose numbers have increased since white people came to the continent. The ‘yote is also an important figure in various Native American mythologies, and of course the name of various sports teams, including the USD Coyotes.

I’ll be attending this hunt as part of a media trip, sponsored by Crimson Trace and supported by Ruger and Leupold. I don’t know what guns and glass we’ll be using, but I’ll have a full report on the great coyote shoot-out when I return to civilization on Monday. Anyone who’d like to share tips and info on coyote hunting in the comments is more than welcome.

My secret hope is that Ruger will be setting us up with some of their sweet M77 rifles in .204 Ruger, because I’ve alway

Two of my favorite guns are pump shotguns and revolvers. This isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows me really well, because I like things that are completely obsolete. I also like muscle cars with big, inefficient V8s, and bolt action rifles with fixed magazines. I like all of these things more than the things that make more sense, like semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, modern turbocharged engines, and magazine fed pistols. Even though all of those things are generally better, I like the less efficient stuff more.

The one thing I don’t do though is recommend my personal preferences to another person. I carry a wheelgun because I like them, and I’m more likely to actually get to the range and train with my wheelguns than with another ho-hum semi-auto pistol. But I’m not going to sit here and pretend that my 6 shot, 2.2 pound revolver is better than a 17 shot 2 pound semi-automatic pistol that has a lighter trigger pull and is easier to conceal. Because it’s not. Similarly, the Winchester 1300 next to my bed really isn’t better than an AR15, and if you want a long gun for home defense y

Sure, August is pretty far away. And yes, I have several important matches (NRA AP World Shoot, Bianchi Cup, IRC) in between me and the M3GI, but I can’t help it. Crimson Trace’s Midnight 3-Gun is one of the coolest matches every year, because lasers and machineguns in the dark. Come on!

Last year was my first time at M3GI, and my first serious three gun match ever. My gear wasn’t really sorted out, except for my rifle. I ran it with a pump shotgun, didn’t really do a lot of reload training, and had a gun with just night-sights and no light. Not this year. This year I’m doing it right. While Shelley Rae will be running a sweet Beretta 3-Gun set-up, my primary focus is elsewhere this year. That means I can game this as hardcore as possible. The rifle should be easily sorted out, but where I was really hurt last year was shotgun and handgun stuff.

This year, I’ll be ditching the otherwise excellent Sig P229 for something a little bit more vanilla…and lasery. This year, I’ll make sure my gun has a set of sweet beamz on it before the match, and I’m going to upgrade my personal lighting solutions as well.

The Ruger GP100 Match Champion is Ruger’s serious entry into the IDPA/ICORE Competition revolver market. Now that our primary testing sample is over 500 rounds, it’s time for a proper review of the gun. So far, we’ve put 503 rounds through the GP100 Match Champion. It’s been accurate, pleasant to shoot, and represents a serious choice for an IDPA or ICORE classic competitor.

The GP100 Match Champion is clearly designed to compete heads up with S&W’s similar 686SSR offering. It is a 4 inch (4.2, technically) revolver, chambered in .357 Magnum with fixed Novak rear sights and a green fiber optic front post. The barrel has a slab-sided appearance and uses a half underlug, lending a racy appearance to the normally chunky GP100. The cylinder is also beveled at the front, further slimming down the revolver. In fact, the GP100 Match Champion weighs in at 2.2 pounds, compared to 2.4 pounds from the standard 4 inch GP100.

What we like
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Gun: Ruger GP100 Match Champion

If there has been one constant on the gun control front in the past decade, it’s that we’re winning. Ever since the Assault Weapons Ban sunset in 2004, we have seen continued victories on the political front for the pro-gun movement. Sandy Hook was in many ways the Battle of the Bulge for the anti-gun side on the political front, and like the German Army they lost. In fact, the failure to pass any meaningful gun control legislation in the wake of Sandy Hook has caused the smarter anti-gun groups to pivot their actions into something they’re better at: pressuring corporations to ban guns.

In the current gun control fight, we’re facing a much savvier enemy than the old incompetent Brady Campaign. Mayors against Guns and Moms Demand Action may not be an effective lobbying group, but they are well funded and pretty smart on how to engage with media. Make no mistake, Starbucks was a loss for us and a win for them; and it was one that we handed to them on a silver platter.

Following up on their Starbucks win,

GunUp the Magazine’s editor Shelley Rae is going to raise $10,000 for the NRA Woemn’s Programs. When she hits her goal, she’ll shoot Bianchi Cup in a Mini-Kilt provided by our friends at Sport Kilt. Click here to donate.

Every year in February, the top IDPA shooters gather for one of the premiere IDPA matches in country, the Smith & Wesson Indoor Nationals. This is one of two annual national level matches put on by IDPA, and is very popular, very difficult to get in to, and one of the most fun IDPA matches to shoot. This year was no different. The match is held each year at the S&W Shooting Center in Springfield, and is one of the only IDPA matches to incorporate low and no-light stages. To win, you must be able to handle shooting, moving, and reloading with a flashlight in your hand.

I remember the 2012 match very well, it was a fun match, but I wouldn’t call the shooting tough or technical. 2014 changed that dynamic up considerably, with some very tough shots and challenging stages. There were technical accuracy based stages, fast burn-’em-down stages, and of course the low light/no-light stages. Let’s start our look at the 2014 Indoor Nationals with a look at the stages.

The Stages
The Indoor Nationals consisted of 13 stages, three of which were low-light. On all low-light stages, us

At this year’s SHOTShow the Second Annual Women’s Outdoor & Shooting Industry Dinner was held. Put on by Britney Starr of Starr & Brodhill African Safaris and Jacquelyn Kelly of Armed in Heels, the event took place at V bar in the Venitian hotel. The theme was Old Hollywood Glamor and, as you can see, almost everyone ran with it! This year the gathering saw some new sponsors as well as a few familiar faces, including Laser Max and GunUp Magazine.

The venue change from 2013, made a significant difference since it allowed the event to become far larger and more formal. The change also seemed to positively embody the strength and class of the women invited. The guest list read like a who’s who of shooters, writers, manufacturer’s representatives and business owners, and over 200 were expected to attend. As each arrived she walked the red carpet, and was made to feel like a star. Women then mingled over gourmet cupcakes and cocktails. Just like last year, a raffle was held tow

In its recent report to members, the US Practical Shooting Association announced that the Steel Challenge World Championships would be moving from its current location in Frostproof, FL to St. George, Utah for the 2014 match. Additionally, the Steel Challenge LLC will be absorbed by USPSA into one unified organization. Whether or not this will be enough to save the floundering match that was once the richest handgun tournament in the nation will remain to be seen.

Steel Challenge was created over 30 years ago in the vibrant (at the time) shooting culture of Southern California. Up until 2007, it was an independent match, not associated with any of the other major shooting sports. In the winter of 2007, it was sold for a considerable sum to USPSA, who took over the administration of the match. For the next four years it was largely unchanged, until in 2012 the match was moved from Piru, CA where it had been held for 30 years to Frostproof, Florida.

The first Frostproof match was a bit of a rough start. Participation dropped precipitously from the last match held in Piru, the traditional impact activated stop plates were abandoned, but for the most part the shooters and sponsors were happy with the match being held in Florida in November. After the match concluded, it was announced that the 2013 match would be mov

One of the big reasons I’m such a huge fan of the S&W Indoor Nationals is that it’s one of the few times of the year where I can test out low-light shooting techniques under real match conditions. Blah blah blah matches aren’t combat blah blah blah; however the truth is that unless I want to go night hunting, shooting an IDPA match in a dark range is the best chance I’ll get to use guns and gear in a low-light environment.

Yes, there are special classes that I can take that would simulate this as well; and there are few good Force on Force instructors that teach excellent low-light stuff. For me however, the match stress induced by a National Championship is plenty of simulated stress to cause me to brain fart, or forget how to reload.

Pictured above is one of the three flashlights I have with me for the match, and it’s a light that I actually do carry every day. The LED Lenser is a 65 lumen pocket light that is basically the perfect little EDC flashlight. I like it so much I actually pay cash money for them. Truth be told, they’re so light and co

I’m heading to Massachusetts today for my 2nd run at the IDPA Indoor Nationals. In 2012 I finished 4th Master in CDP, despite making some pretty comical errors. This year I’m shooting my favorite division, SSR with a really well set-up Ruger GP100 Match Champion.

I’m shooting all day Saturday. Standing between me and my National Championship goal are three of the best SSR shooters in the game: Josh Lentz, Kirk Crego, and Joe Linsky. If it was just one, I might be hopeful. 3 is a real murderer’s row of speed loading round gunners.

Should be a great match!

In my time writing for Gun Nuts I’ve tried to use video footage to illustrate points about self defense not for the sake of sensationalism, but to illustrate the principles I’m trying to convey with something that actually happened to another human being. In the last few days video footage has surfaced of violent criminal attacks successfully repelled by armed good guys, and I think there are some important lessons all of us can take away from these bits of footage.

Chicago Gas Station Shooting:

If you’ve paid any attention to the news in the last few years, you’ve learned that Chicago is a very violent

If I had to pick a polymer .45 for every day carry and competition, this would be my first choice.

One of my goals for 2014 is to get more involved in hunting. I went on my first pheasant hunt last year and had a properly awesome time. I realized that there are lot of cross-training opportunities in tactical shooting and hunting; and I started talking to Jordan from Run 2 Gun about the fitness opportunities in hunting as well. That’s when I realized that hunting really is the original extreme sport. While we’ve mitigated some of the danger that hunting used to involve, it’s the only sport that you can legally participate in that allows you to test your marksmanship skills with blood on the line.

That’s why one of the big goals I have for 2014 is to expand the blog’s coverage of hunting – but not “sit in a tree stand and whisper” hunting but more of the aforementioned Run2Gun “let’s get after it” hunting. While Shelley will be covering 3-Gun, I’ll be doing a lot more hunting coverage. In fact, I have my first hunt of 2