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CHIEF- EXECUTIVES
John W. Matthews, Phil President and Chief Executive Officer Gustav Bonse Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

George Atchley Vice President Derek McDonald Marketing Director Cameron Hopkins Communications Dave Pasienski Sales Manager Mark Thompson Sales Manager Gabe Steinmann E-Commerce Coordinator Dick Williams Press Relations Coordinator Brian Puckett Special Projects Kadra Pattison Public Relations Assistant Mike Malsz International Sales Mike Mayfield Operations Director

ENGINEERING & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Paul Kim Vice President Peter Hauk, Ph.D. Research Et Development Willie Hunt Special Projects Carl Buczek, Ph.D. Scientist John McCrickerd, Ph.D. Scientist Tim LaFrance Weapon Systems

!MANUFACTURING & ADVANCED ASSEMBLY

Daniel Fischer Production Director Bernie Bjornsen Production Manager Jim Russell Prototype Shop Manager Jamie Wiedcman Special Projects RED Travis Mitchell Special Projects REID

TACTICAL SUPPORT DIVISION

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Barry Ducek Director

INSTITUTE

SUPPRESSOR DIVISION ADVERTISING SALES

Chris Agnes Publisher Hutch Looney & Associates, Western Region 818-990-9000 (Lel) 818-501-9787 (fax) hutch@hlooney.com .,
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CUSTOM PUBLISHING DIVISION

lchiro Nagata Photography Director WestPub Inc. Design Direction

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pening introductions from magazine editors usually fall into two classes, irrelevant or boring. Don't worry I'm not going to regurgitate a lot of useless tripe about what a great issue this is, how great these writers are, what a great mix of stories, this great, that great. Instead, I have a confession. Forgive me, for all is not as it seems. You see, this is not a normal newsstand magazine published by a media company This is a magazine edited by a SureFixe employee and featuring a fair number of SureFire products. Our agenda is straightforward present you with an interesting, informative and provocative magazine about the latest guns, gear, weapons and tactics. And yes, _ that includes some gear from SureFire. fluff e h w w u , bu i p ed 'n rNeopto rtsoiknu od yoe deveton ewsweorntehwy

Helmet Light. , Arnagazine really only has one asset at the end of the day, its editorial integrity Now in its fifth year, Combat Tactics would not be in your hands if we hadn't established a degree of credibility. We wouldn't be published in cooperation with the largest circulation gun magazine, Guns & Amino, if we 'weren't the real deal. Sure, it's a purpose-driven magazine, but which one isn't? , me a newsstand magazine that isn't influenced to e extent by its advertisers and I'll show you a publishwaiting to go bankrupt. At least we're upfront about it. SureFire knows a thing or two about how to make first-class equipment, like our sound suppressors and our Weaponlights, and with our staff of former and current operators, we're actually better qualified to discuss tactical products and combative techniques than most magazine writers. Many SureFire staffers have served in combat, walked a beat or otherwise "seen the elephant" as Jeff Cooper likes to say. The bylines in these pages are among the most authoritative in the field, and the reputations of those writers are worth far more than any one paycheck. A Gary Paul Johnston or a Massad Ayoob would ever compromise his journalistic ethics just to shill a blight in a semi-annual magazine. Hell, I wouldn't frit ay a masters degree in journalism to edit Combat as just some PR fluff piece. I didn't put 17 years in as erican Handgunner just to throw it all away. So there's the confession out of the way. Now for an admission of guilt. In the last issue, we erroneously noted in a story called "The Real World" that well-known tactical trainer and firearms expert Ken Hackathorn was a Vietnam veteran. This was not accurate. We had assumed, given Ken's age and his service in the Special Forces, that he had done a tour or two in Warn, but we were mistaken in that unverified assumption, and we apologize to all concerned. The copy for that story was not shown to Ken prior to publication but as soon as he saw a copy, he called to bring the mistake to our attention and to request a correction, which is now given. So there you go a bit of laundry airing and some crow eating, all in one boring and irrelevant editor's statement. Enjoy the issue. PVC, rTh
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illilla Jovovich makes her way through th underbelly of Racoon City in search of the d, ' ' Nemesis Virus in RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
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eal-world tac ti c al teams go into action suited up like modern t- -.. : i nights, cov' ered in ballistic nylon .c-ii-,- l, cvlar armor, R but when, they have to pierce the daik, ness to face the bad guys, it's with handheld and weapon-mounted flashlights built by SureFire.lp In the "reel" world, the heroes and even super- .r heroes on television aad movies turn to the same place for their equipment. SureFire flashlights ETIDN ... LIGHTS! have been seen in ,,k,..0.' Hollywood big screen fantasy adventures like Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible 3, Sigourney Weaver's Alien Resurrection, and the triad of Keanu Reeves' " Matrix films. Cinematic soldiers and cops rely on Suraf . weapon lights in such fare as the reality-base W ,. rescue film Blackhawk Down and the politic. ' thriller Clear And Present Danger. When , weapons laden SWAT teams . '. take down terrorists in films like Sean Connery's The Rock, ', in George Clooney's nuclear Oil terror thriller The Peacemaker, , or even in the computer genet-( ated world of Tom Clancy's X- . . BOX Video game GlIOSt Recoil, .

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Colin Farrell (above) takes aim with LAPD issue kimber .45 and Surefire tact light in the hit action film SWAT. (inset) William Peterson and Marg Helgenbergerwould be lost in the dark without their Surefires on Ns CSI: (RIME SCENE INVESTIGATIONS.
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The defensive sidearm of the future available today from FNH USA. Designed around the innovative high performanc:. 5.7x28 mm cartridge, the polymer framed FN Five-seveN USG offers military, special operations and law enforcement a light, compact, accurate and reliable single-action pistol combining low recoil with blazing 2,130 f.p.s. muzzle velocity for exceptional ballistic performance.* Adjustable sights, reversible magazine I .. III I . M1913 accessory rail and three magazines come standard with every FN Five-seveN USG.

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their HK MP5s bear computer generated WeaponLights taken straight from a SureFire catalog.

Who Makes it Happen

The hit action film S. WA. T starring Colin Ferrell and Samuel Jackson was like a commercial for the fine SureFire product line, with a white light attached to every Kimber .45 pistol and M4 rifle. But how did all those SureFires get on all those blank-firing assault rifles? The process begins with a person known as the property master. "Props" are any item handled by a character in a film or TV show, and "prop masters" are the people who decide what that object will be. When a film or television project begins preparation, the prop master reads the script and "breaks down" the

(above) Fill Agents Robert Davi, Ally Walker and Julian McMahon hit the floor with weapons and flashlights drawn in NBC's series THE PROFILER. (left) A Computer generated Keifer Sutherland leads a Surefire toting tactical squad into action from the Videogame version of the hit show 24. (below) George (looney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg are three Desert Storm treasure hunters in the 1999 film THREE KINGS.

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SWAT is called in when Jason Lee's Earl gets out of control in TVs MY NAME IS EARL. fright) Tom Cruise escapes an explosive moment of his MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3. (below) Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfus and the survivors of POSEIDON illuminate a watery hazard,

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prop needs for each scene. Once the list of props has been generated and approved by the director, the Property Department can either make them, buy them, or contract with a prop rental houses to supply them. Because tactical lights are highly specialized equipment, the prop masters will often defer to the expertise of prop rental companies like I.S.S., Independent Studio Services. The California-based ISS is considered the "one stop prop shop" and has been one of Hollywood's top weapon and prop suppliers for over 25 years, providing everything from football helmets to rnachineguns to baby carriages. ISS partner Karl Weschta along with Roland Blietz from the company's weapons department were kind enough to take time away from arming the likes of Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp to take us on a tour of the ISS facility and give you a look behind the scenes. 1SS has literally hundreds of SureFire flashlights in their inventory, as well as real and replica firearms and military equipment from every time period. What they don't have, they can fabricate in their on-site metal, plastics and electronics workshops, from the custom, futuristic pistols in last year's sci-fi film Serenity to Spiderrnan's enemies' weapons in the upcoming
Spiderman 3.

Once the prop masters have contracted with ISS, Karl and his men have to be prepared to select the cor-

rect light, from a Defender for a solitary cop to a squad's worth of M900 vertical forend lights to outfit an entire SWAT team. When the required equipment is determined, the ISS staff heads to their enormous warehouse where rows of shelves holding props stretch to the ceiling. SureFire police and military weapon lights and accessories are stored in dozens of separately marked bins. Every product in the SureFire line has been pressed into cinematic duty Ron Periman's title character from Heil Boy went searching the sewers for the un-killable demons named the Hounds of Resurrection with his SureFire Defender firmly in hand. In his Gulf War action film Three Kings, George Clooney used a SureFire with an infrared filter to see a map drawn in invisible ink, to which he refers in his great line, "That's why we're Special Forces. We get the cool flashlights." Fans of water filled terror and excitement were also treated to a trip through the SureFire catalog when they bought a ticket to the $200 mil/ion dollar Poseidon, last year's big budget remake of the 1970s disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure. Replacing Gene Hackman in the starring role, Kurt Russell led the survivors through the upside down cruise ship with the help of a dozen SureFire M4 Devastator flashlights, some painted orange.

COMBAT TACTiCS FALL 2006

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Was I the only one in the audience who cringed when that orange M4 was dropped to gauge the depth of the water? As its strong xenon bulb sank into the murkiness, I couldn't help hoping that when they called "cut" someone went down and recovered it! Says ISS's Weschta, "I couldn't tell you exactly which SureFire WeaponLights were carried by which actor you'd have to freeze frame the DVD to pin that down but! can tell you that our SureFire lights have gone out on every major action film made in the last 10 years from Terminator 3 to Ocean's Twelve."

Small Screen Fame

And don't forget the small screen, which isn't so small anymore considering how many people are investing in big screen TVs. ISS supplies the SureFire flashlights that can be seen on the weekly action shows Bones and The Unit. In the hands of Without A Trace's SWAT backup, F/X's North Hollywood shootout telefilm 44 Minutes, and mounted on the weapons displayed by U.S. troops portrayed in network TV movies like NBC's Iraqi do cu-drama Saving Jessica Lynch. Along with tactical military and police personnel, where would TV detectives be without their SureFires? David Caruso, Bill Peterson, and Gary SilliSe and the other stars of "procedural" police shows like CSI and it's two spin offs CSI Miami and CSI New York would be lost in the dark without their SureFire Centurions and Combat Lights. Studio special effects men like Lee Stone of CSI New York often fill the sound stage with an artificial mist so the powerful streams of lights can be clearly visible. Their M4 Devastator's are as much a part of the cast as the actors, and the CSI prop departments buy enough SureFire flashlights to qualify as SureFire dealers! But while you expect to find SureFire's flashlights on display in action shows like CBS' Navy NCIS, when the outrageous characters that populate comedy television series like
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Ice Cube, George (looney and Mark Wahlberg try to get Kuwait in one piece in David O. Russell's THREE KINGS.

MP-5 toting ex-con Sean Cannery and Federal Agent Hick Cage try to defuse a terrorist bomb in THE ROCK.

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Fox's Malcolm In The Middle get out of line, accurately outfitted SWAT or military characters make the scene. In a recent episode of NBC's hit comedy My Name Is Earl, a tactical call out brought a Strike Team carrying M -16s with M500AB forendWeaponLights.

and thrown again in every "take" or repeated version of

Tough Enough For Movies

"SureFire WeaponLights are tough," Weschta explained. "On a motion picture we need the most reliable guns and equipment. Lost time on the set costs thousands of dollars and can ruin a scene." In many cases, the demands of film production on these flashlights can even exceed actual police and combat use. When a stunt man or actor handles his flashlight, it's going to be abused, taken on and off, thrown, kicked, and dropped. And then dropped, kicked

the shot. Substandard lights will fail, as the 10 weeks of a feature film schedule will put costumes and props through a year of normal use. "That's why we use SureFire. never fails. We buy more every day," -Wes chta added. For the "reel" world of television and film production, just like the real world that faces our police and military operators, SureFire is the best equipment out there, hands down. So rest assured, if Hollywood gave an Oscar for "Best Lighting" it would go """n SW' to SureFire.
The author is a screenwriter; producer and director whose credits include Another 48 Hours, Darkness Falls, Stone Cold, Saving Jessica Lynch and Tombstone.

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loves guns, but guns ?1 wfl , tt---`hate rust. The obnoxious orange oxide is formed quite easily when iron is exposed to oxygen, and there's a good arnount of iron in steel. The whole rusting process in which iron becomes iron oxide has a scientific term. It's called corrosion. Rust needs a partner in crime, though, a third

ingredient to add its nefarious influence to its running

buddies, oxygen andiron. That bad boy is water. When water meets iron in the presence of oxygen, its like putting three teenagers, a hot rod and the boulevard together on Friday night trouble is brewing. When water comes in contact with iron be it in the form of humidity, rain or a dunk in the ocean two things begin to happen almost immediately. The water, a good electrolyte, or conductor, sees a potential partner and hooks up with carbon dioxide to form a weak carbonic acid. The acid just so happens to be an even better conductor than plain water. As the acid is formed, some iron molecules dissolve and some of the water breaks down into its components, hydrogen and oxygen. The free oxygen and dissolved iron bond into iron oxide, that dreaded orange brown mess we call rust. Rust is the first and most obvious reason that you need a protective finish on your gun. The second reason is that we humans evolved an eyeball that is quick to detect shiny things. Shine is a bad thing in

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combat. Better to be cammied up and concealed than sticking out, as I once heard a Marine sniper instructor say to a boneheaded trainee, like a diamond in a pig's ass. It is this need to be brown in brown places or green in green places or gray in gray places that gives you the second reason for a finish on your gun camouflage. If you've seen pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan, you've seen spray painted weapons. The best selling gun finish in today's war zone is Krylon, with flat earth tones and dull tans being favorite colors. Spray painting a gun with Krylon may not be suitable for a primo pre64 Model 70, but it makes good sense on an M4. I've cammied an AR myself with spray paint and found that the most important thing is making sure the little hole is pointed at the gun and not your face. The results aren't exactly going to give Crye Precision a run for their camo money, but at least my gun doesn't shine. However, my spray paint job is mickey mouse compared to what a professional can do. A professional, you ask, you mean there's such a thing as a professional spray painter? Yes there is. Meet Jesse Gorham, a cop H y ing in northern California who has developed a skill to render any camo pattern you can name with special spray paints. The new Army digital? No problem. British desert?
The multicam pattern on the FAL (right) blends into a lot of different surroundings. The digital Too (below) works best in drab, gray backgrounds.

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paints to be Mil Spec and very easy to use with a good choice of colors. I normally use Krylon Clear Matte Finish to seal the paint once it's been applied," Jesse added. "If applied properly and sealed with a clear coat, it makes a good semi-permanent camouflage finish. The finishes will last for years with
good care and an occasional touch up. If you want to change the paint

scheme or remove it all together, it's a simple process to do so." The permanence issue is important. The purpose of camouflage is Done that. German arctic? Send a picture, Jesse can duplicate it. He's even done Japanese camo. "I was first introduced to using spray paint as a means of camouflaging rifles back in 1995 when, as a San Diego police officer, I had the opportunity to take a Combat Rifle Tactics course with the Marines at Camp Pendleton. We used OD tape to cover the areas that we were going to paint, which was most of the rifle, and then we were provided with various colors of Mil Spec flat spray paint," Jesse said. " We were taught to apply a base coat and then use vegetation as a shadow stencil while applying the other contrasting colors. It was crude, but I was very impressed with the effect the paint had on the concealablity of the rifles during the exercises we ran throughout the week. I found that the paint held up pretty well." Jesse was so intrigued with the practicality of the spray painted rifles that he began experimenting with duplicating established camo patterns. He finally made the ultimate commitment painting public property when in 1999 he sprayed a department-owned precision rifle. "I looked at different paint brands and I found Aervoe spray
26

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Remington made the zooP with detachable magazines for a time. The plus is you can change ammo types quickly, from say Hornady TAP to FM). The minus is that if you lose the magazine, you've got a single shot rifle.

basically to hide in the open, to disguise yourself into the natural terrain. Assuming you're not always going to be in the same place, you need to be able to reapply a different camo to your gun as your environment changes. This is one of the best features of a "low tech" finish like spray paint. "Products like Dura-Coat and KG Gun Coat are epoxy based permanent finishes," Jesse said. "I've never used them personally. I have an off-duty 1911 Officers ACP that has a flat black KG Gun Coat finish. It's a great finish, but like bluing or Parkerizing it does wear off with holster use." "The reasons I don't currently use these products are because they are expensive and they require special tools to apply. The upside is that these epoxy paints are permanent if that's irnportant to you and they're unaffected by

www.hsprecision_corn

1301 Turbine OR, Rapid City, S0, 57703

605.341.3000

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Shown here with a plain-jane l424 IISMC sniper rifle (second from left) while Gorham's talent for duplicating different camo patterns is evident on this array of (left to right) Army digital, multicam and Japanese flecktorn.

solvents and normal handling." "The downsides are the cost $300 to $600 for a camo finish is out of the reach of most operators and once the finish is applied, you better not change your mind because you're stuck with what you have. Additionally quick, field expedient applications are out of the question." What about how well the paint adheres to different surfaces, like aluminum, steel and plastic? Jesse explained, "Flat spray enamel adheres well to a wide variety of clean surfaces. It sticks to steel, aluminum, hard plastics, polymers and other synthetic materials that you would find in stocks and forearms. I have found that some soft plastic or rubber materials won't take paint well. For example, Butler Creek scope caps won't hold paint. To remedy this, I texturize the scope cap and then paint it."

As we all know, a finish lasts only as long as the gun stays warm and cozy in a rack; once you're out in the field, dings and scratches are inevitable. This is one of the benefits of spray paint because touch-ups are easy. "Fixing nicks and scratches is as easy as making a female paper stencil that matches your pattern, placing the stencil over the scratch and applying the appropriate color spray paint and then matte clear

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coat to seal it," Jesse said. "A female stencil is where the shape has been cut out of your stencil material and the painted pattern appears by spraying through the stencil. A male stencil is when you take the piece you cut out of the stencil material and use it to mask the spray paint to create the desired shape. It's really easy to do." Jesse charges a very reasonable $95 to $185 to paint a rifle with scope and a couple of magazines. The price depends on the pattern difficulty. As far as discounts go, Jesse's pricing is, as he chuckles, "So low in terms of man-hours of work that my wife says that I run a non-profit organization," that he does not offer an LE break. "However, I do bump cops' guns to the front of the line. Operational weapons get first priority." "I will also provide a touch up stencil and paint sources to those who ask," Jesse added, although I can assure you that duplicating his results without some practice is a lot harder than it appears. Trust me, I tried it and let's just say I invented a new pattern, "fishnet brown." Jesse is not entirely opposed to the more expensive epoxy paint finishes. "At some point, if there is a demand, I would be open to adding Dura-Coat as an option, but so far my niche has been affordable, high quality paint jobs for operational weapons." Turn-around time is not bad at all, three weeks on average. "That could change," Jesse noted prudently, "If I get inundated with work." You never know, Jesse, Combat Tactics readers might do just that.
There's actually a good deal of skill involved in spray painting an exact camo pattern. Jesse Gorham's website is www.threewolues.com . Examples of his camo patterns are found there along with an interesting bit of family histou and some of his thoughts on the modern day knight. His e-mail is alphamail@threewolves.com

32 www.surefire.com


Extremely dangerous, do not attempt, emergency procedure only

OUR CUSTOMERS CARRY GRENADES. WE BUILD OUR EDGED WEAPONS ACCORDINGLY.

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cost afforded by polymer, Smith got drastic and went for plastic. In 1993, a design team led by Kevin Foley created the Sigma pistol for Smith & Wesson. Unabashedly derivative of the Glock the takedown was identical, and a Sigma .40 barrel and one from a Glock 22 would actually interchange the Sigma dif fered in that its DA- only trigger was more "front loaded as to weight of pull, and offered a shorter trigger reach. Litigation followed between Glock and S&W, which ended with an undisclosed settlement. The Sigma design was subtly changed, resulting in a distinctly heavier trigger pull. Early reliability glitches in the Sigma design were worked out in the normal course of product evolution, but by then, the Sigma had earned a less than enviable reputation in law enforcement circles. S&W reinvented the Sigma as a low-price-point "entry level" pistol for the civilian market, and it sells very well there today, but the gun was now pretty much dead in the water as far as the police market was concerned. When Smith & Wesson subsequently formed a strategic partnership with Germany's Walther which, among other things, led to an improved PPK that was and is the best of its long-lived breed they entered into a collaboration in which the Walther P99 service pistol was "Smith 7111, &Wesson-ized," resulting in the SW99 pistol. This Walther series had pioneered interchangeable grip backstraps to better fit varying hand sizes, and it had excellent pointing characteristics and inherent accuracy. Still, there were flies in the ointment. This 1*' " second polymer S&W had a decocking lever . better suited to the hand of an orangutan than a human, and it was easy to forget to decock it without noticing. New Jersey State Police announced the intention of exchanging their trademark HK P7 pistols for 9mm SW99s, but would later state that mechanical problems caused them to renege on the deal. NISP wound up going with the SIG P228. While some individual officers have purchased SW99s and are very happy with them, with the same being true of a few departments, this second plastic Smith service pistol was not a sales success. It was time to start over, on that new sheet of paper that engineers like to talk about. The result is the Military & Police pistol.
The PUP sports an articulated trigger, itself a safety device, like the Gluck and XD. Jeff Cooper has said that putting a safety on a trigger is like printing the combination on the door of a safe, but there's no question it's the ultimate "drop safety"

Clean Sheet Design

The design team that created this latest S&W police pistolwas led by Joe Bergeron, the talented young wunderkind who originally earned his chops down the Gun Valley road at Colt's. The think-tank at Smith & Wesson had deeply ana-

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Looking at details of the M&P clockwise from top left, the magazine protrudes amid a fixed ejector and the trigger linkage. Note the small steel "slide rail" tabs pressed into the polymer housing. There's a full length recoil spring guide rod, peeking from under the muzzle. A tactile and visual loaded chamber indicator is the small tab at the rear of the chamber. Lastly, the M&P has Picatinny slots on an integral frame rail.

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lyzed how the market they had once owned had become the province of Glock. They set about attacking every perceived weakness of the Austrian design in hopes of creating a pistol that would appeal to Glock fans and detractors alike. For instance, some careless gun handlers had accidentally discharged Glocks during takedown because they had negligently left live cartridges in the chambers, and the Glock's takedown (and the Sigma's, for that matter) begins with a pull of the trigger. In a world where some say, "Perception is reality," there are those who would prefer a gun whose trigger does not need to be pulled to begin the disassembly process. Thus, the M&P was designed to take down without the trigger having to be touched. The designers were aware that Robbie Barrkman had created a small cottage industry "Robarizing" Glocks by filling the frame hollow with epoxy and then grinding it
The frame is a modular design allowing for the replacement of the backstrap to fit different hand sizes. The exact contours and shapes were arrived at after a lengthy ergonomics study into the human hand. At the end of it all, the engineers found that "medium" fits most hands, but you can change the backstraps for "small" or "large."

down to fit smaller hands and shorter fingers. S&W was already in possession of the results of the company's $100,000 ergonomics study of the human hand done for the Sigma project in the early 1990s, and had access to the exhaustive research clone on the matter of hand size and trigger reach by Valerie Atkins at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. As a result, the Military & Police emerged with a pleasingly short trigger reach. A short index finger could get to the "bang switch" easily, and us old revolvershooting dinosaurs who had learned to prefer placing the distal joint of that linger, instead of the pad, on the trigger could do so with the M&P auto. Walther's earlier introduction of the interchangeable backstrap had been widely copied in the industry, by SIG with the SigPro and the later Beretta Px4, The M&P would have that too, in spades. No one in the industry had access to more ergonomics studies than Bergeron and his staff, and the results showed in the way the removable backstraps were engineered for the Military & Police. In sizes small, medium, and large, they
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Long Rifle, .32 Long, .32-20, .38 Colt, .38 S&W, and .38 Special, among its many calibers. Most will have fixed sights. An adjustable sight version will be offered, called the Military & Police Target, which after World War II will be refined and renamed "K-38 Masterpiece." 1940: Victory Model production begins, initially in caliber .38 Smith & Wesson for the British, who call l that caliber ".38/200," and subsequent y in .38 Special for U.S. forces. 1950: The first aluminum alloy models- frame and cylinder- are produced in prototype for the U.S. Air Force. Determined to be too fragile with aluminum cylinders, most of these Aircrewman revolvers are destroyed, making surviving examples prime collector pieces.

mith & Wesson's K-frame Military & Police revolver is far and away the best seller in the more than 150 year history of the firm. Archrival Colt . S had beaten S&W to the market with a solid-frame, swing-out cylinder revolver by about a decade, and had sold their guns in copious quantity to Army, Navy, and law enforcement Smith came back with a vengeance when their first M&P debuted in the year 1899. First introduced in a .38 Long chambering to compete with the Colt, the new solid frame S&W was soon offered in a cartridge of the company's own design, the .38 S&W Special. This round's popularity helped assure the new revolver's success, though the M&P would be offered in many chamberings over the years. The new gun actually had two names: "Hand , Ejector" and "Military & Police." The Hand Ejector ! appellation was for many years applied to all of the : swing-out cylinder S&Ws, and many Smith & Wesson collectors continue that practice today. However, "Hand Ejector" wasn't the catchiest catch-phrase in the his1 tory of advertising. What they were trying to say was just as on the Colt before it, a push of an ejector 1= l y empty every single chamber. '. rod would simultaneous ' "Hand ejector" was a mushy way of saying that. If you think about it, the old Colt Peacemaker, from which each spent shell was punched one at a time with a side mounted push rod, was a "hand ejector." Thus, the term fell by the wayside among the rank and file of Smith & Wesson users. Curiously enough, the company retained it for just one gun, the little I-frame .32 Long i revolver. "Military & Police," on the other hand, was a name with legs. The turn of the century was a time when the military as well as the police used revolvers. The M&P, roughly Parkerized as the Victory Model, was a mainstay of American sailors and flyers in World War II, and many found their way to Vietnam. The Air Force was using a refined version of that .38 Special revolver, the Model 15 Combat Masterpiece, well into the latter 20th Century. The timeline for S&W M&P revolvers goes like this: 1999: The Military & Police .38 Hand Ejector is introduced. As time goes by, it will be manufactured in .22

1952: The Airweight version is introduced, in .38 Special only, with aluminum frame and steel cylinder. 1957: The decision is made at corporate headquarters in Springfield to add model numbers to model names. The all steel traditional M&P becomes the Model 10, with the aluminum version becoming the
Model 12. 1964: In answer to police complaints that .38 Special ammunition was inadequately powerful and .357 Magnum was overpenetrative, S&W introduces the .41 Magnum cartridge along with Remington. The police model, a big fixed-sight N-frame with 4" heavy barrel, is named the Military a Police Model 58. lt will be the only N-frame revolver to carry the M&P name. 1974: A chrome molybdenum steel M&P, functionally identical to the heavy barrel Model 10, is introduced in .357 Magnum. It will be designated the Model 13. In the same year, a stainless Military & Police .357 Magnum is introduced, and dubbed the Model 65. 2098: Smith & Wesson introduces two new Military & Police products. The M&P pistol debuts in caliber .40, while the M&P rifle is an AR1 5 clone in .223 Remington. Oddly enough, the Military & Police is the ic first semiautomat Smith & Wesson pistol in modern memory that is not designated in the catalog or in advertising by a model number. .S.F/

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also have varying sizes and shapes of palm swells. The result literally sets a new standard of range of hand fit adaptation for a semiautomatic pistol. A few out of every 100 people who Robarize their Glocks do so not because their hands are too small, but because they're too large and the bottom rear edge of the slide painfully contacts the web of their hand. Robar's fix is to build up a beavertail. Smith & Wesson built the Military & Police that way to start with. A Rob ar job also imparts a rougher texture to better enhance grip traction; that, too, was incorporated into M&P design.

Best Features
The Glock has far more good points to emulate than questionable points to compete against, or it would not be the dominant gun in its field right now. S&W obviously recognized that, and incorporated many of the Glock's best features in what they hoped would be their rnost successful design. Glock's Tender finish is almost impervious to hostile environments of weather and moisture. The officers from around the country who flocked to the New Orleans area in the wake 1 1 of Hurricane Katrina reported that the Glocks handled cing the humidity and other corrosion-produ elements of that environment better than ir--"----anything else. S&W chose an analogous finish, Melonite, already proven on earlier 1. Sigma pistols. if. ' , Some guns are only surface hardened _ ' on critical steel parts. On the M&P, those ' components are "through-hardened," :;1 , giving more peace of mind. < , i 1 Glock's multi-piece trigger-with- a-safetyon-it has been hugely successful for its man- --- _ ,.... ufacturer, and for subsequent guns from -other sources, such as Springfield Armory's XD. It is incorporated in the M&P design. ff. Hammerless, striker fired design? Check. Low bore a.xis to better control muzzle jump? Check. Coned barrel that doesn't require a separate bushing? Check. The Heckler & Koch 2000 series, the first auto to be factory produced with true ambidextrous slide lock levers, had become a hit among left-handed shooters in part for that reason. Bergeron included ambi levers on the new S&W auto. ; Some police commanders and civil liability specialists feel lr that a 5 lb. trigger pull may not be heavy enough for a defense pistol that does not have a manual safety. The M&P comes 1 with a pull that will measure 6.5 to 7.0 lbs. j The trigger pull was designed to deliver a firm degree of 1 resistance from the beginning of the movement, rather like a 4 NewYork trigger system on a Glock. The result is a consistent, revolver-like pull in which the exact moment of sear re-set is i less distinct than on, say, a 1911 or a Glock. .i ,l For decades, S&W's standard service autos have featured a ,,,

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magazine disconnector safety, which renders the round in the chamber unshootable if the mag has been removed. Some experts hate this, theorizing that an officer might have to fire the single chambered round if attacked while reloading or if the magazine is lost in the wilderness. Others feel that it is desirable, both for making the gun safe in certain environments and to create a "disable button" if an attacker is gaining control of the good guy's gun. Smith & Wesson took the exquisitely logical step of offering the new pistol with or without the magazine disconnector feature. A person who bought the gun that way as it came from the factory does not bear the onus in court of being someone so reckless that he removed a safety device from a lethal weapon. More than a decade before, on their polymer framed US? pistol, H&K had pioneered an accessory rail molded into the dust cover area of the frame to accept a white light or laser sight unit. Perhaps the most widely copied such innovation in the auto pistol industry, this soon morphed into a Picatinny rail. The Picatinny rail would be part and parcel of the new S&W auto, too. After a late 2005 seminar for gun writers at the Springfield, Mass. factory, Smith &Wesson officially debuted the Military gz Police pistol in early 2006. Heavy orders followed immediately. The first guns were chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge, followed by 9mm Parabellum. .357 SIG and .45 ACP models are in development at this writing.

The Experts' Response

Initial response from the experts was mostly, but not entirely, favorable to the M&P In alphabetical order: John Farnam insisted on ordering his M&P .40 without the disconnector safety or the internal gun lock, also an option. Both are features that Farnam absolutely hates. He would have liked a sear re-set more palpable to the trigger finger, because John emphasizes "riding the link" in his shooting courses. Other than that, however, he loved the M&P, and pronounced it a definite player in the market, a gun that could bring S&W back to its former dominance in this particular corner of the firearms field. Ken Hackathorn liked the M&P overall, but hated what he felt was a mushy trigger pull with too much backlash. He gave the gun an approval, but as much as said that he preferred the Glock 22. (Hack is not an S&W basher. His favorite wheelguns are Smiths, and he has been known to shoot
Field stripping the M&P is not exactly routine. In fact, it's so complicated we wouldn't even try to explain it other than to say you need a tool (provided in the grip) and have to push a lever in the frame and then... forget it, read the owner's manual.
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IDPA matches with the excellent Model 5906 PC from the S&W Performance Center, which has a crisp and exquisite trigger re-set of only about a tenth of an inch, the sort of pull that Ken favors.) Charles Petty simply fell in love with the M&P. He wrote about it glowingly in the first published article He has given extremely on the new gun, which appeared in an equally new magazine, American Cop. high marks to both the .40 and the 9rtim version, both of which he has worked with extensively. Paul Scarlata was most impressed with the Smith & Wesson M&P .40, so much so that he was using one as his concealed carry pistol by the time he finished his article. Paul's was pressed into double duty, becoming his bedside home protection gun at the end of each day, with a detachable white light unit affixed to its frame rail.

1V1&P In The Field

The M&P gathered a great deal of interest, but that was only the first step. Police departments don't buy new guns because they're interesting, they buy them because their own testing has told them that they'll work reliably and stand up over the long term. The new Smith &Wesson quickly went from the first stage of "interesting" into the second stage of "we're adopting these guns." In August of 2006, Bergeron told me, "Over 20 law enforcement agencies have placed orders and begun to convert to the M&P pistol. Over 35 departments have chosen the M&P and will be converting soon; these departments are waiting for funding." One of those agencies is the Iowa State Patrol. ISP has a tong history with Smith &Wesson. In 1935, when the State Patrol was founded, the first issue service revolver was the Colt Official Police .38 Special. They switched to S&W after Worl dWar II and have remained loyal S&W purchasers ever since.When they went from .357 Magnum revolvers to .40 caliber auto pistols, they chose the DA-only, all stainless steel Smith &Wesson Model 4046. They are now in the process of converting from those to the M&P .40, which will be carried in Safariland ALS security holsters and loaded with 180 grain Speer Gold Dot ammunition. Sgt. Ken Paradise of ISP told me, "We have our first 70 M&Ps in the field, and we are progressing with the transition for the entire agency. They are working out very well so far. We've found that the medium size grip insert seems to be the favorite among the troopers." Max Mathews is firearms training director for the North Carolina Department of Corrections, which has just ordered some 5,700 M&Ps in caliber .40 S&W. This quantity will suffice for some 13,000 correctional officers. The reason is that while handguns are permanently issued to some personnel such as dog ham dlers, escort personnel, and approximately 1,400 probation officers, most other personnel authorized to carry firearms do so situationally and draw them from the armory as needed. Accordingly, those with their own permanent issue guns are authorized to fit them with whichever of the three grip inserts furnished with every gun suits them best. The "pool" guns kept in the armory are all fitted with the size medium insert, in hopes of fitting a

CorBon's Pow'RBall defense ammo features a polymer "ball" inserted into the nose of a large hollow cavity. The "ball" serves two functions. First, it gives the round the same feeding reliability as an FM) profile, also known as ball ammunition. Secondly, the polymer ball is shoved into the hollow cavity upon impact and facilitates rapid expansion. Like all CorBon ammo, it's a hot little number too.
COMBAT TACTICS FALL 2006

The "snake skin" cocking cuts look cool and work quite well. Just for the record, since serpentine serrations are all the rage now, please note that the originator was pistolsmith Marc Krebs. Today, Marc builds the slickest AKs out there, if you're interested (wwvv.krebscustom.com ).

majority of hand sizes. Director Mathews told me, "Everything is going very well with the .40 M&P transition. We are just beginning our transition, and the first four pilot schools have gone fine. This will be our standard pistol across the board. We're already seeing an improvement in qualification scores." The Columbus (Ohio) Police Department has bought 2,000 M&P .40s, which, loaded with 180 grain Federal HST, will replace the S&W Model 4506 pistol that has been standard there for more than a decade. The big Smith .45 autos gave fine service, said Officer Ron Barker of the CPD firearms training unit, but the company no longer manufactures that model. "The simple design of the M&P, with no decocker or manual safety was a plus in its selection," Barker added. "The ambidextrous slide lever is friendly to our many left-handed officers, and the interchangeable grip units are extremely user friendly for our wide range of hand sizes, particularly our smaller female officers." The agency is just at this writing transitioning the trainers to the new guns, as well as a class of 30 new rookies who will be issued .40 M&Ps before they hit the street. While most interest has been in the hugely popular .40 caliber, at least one department of substantial size has opted for the 9mm. The Cincinnati Police Department has announced that it will order roughly 1,500 M&Ps in that caliber.

Back On The Range

Smith & Wesson employs two of the hest shooters on the practical pistol competition circuit, and both are now shooting the M&P in 9rnm. Many-time national IDPA Champion Ernest Langdon won the Carolina Cup with his, not only winning the Stock Service Pistol class but posting the high overall score with his M&P. And Julie Goloslci, says Joe proudly, used hers to capture the Ladies' Championship at the prestigious American Handgunner World Shoot-Off. It's not just S&W employees who are taking M&Ps to matches. Bergeron tells me that Todd Kennedy of FLETC won First Expert at the Carolina Cup with a Military & Police. Though not engineered as a match target pistol, the M&P turns in impressive accuracy. Hackathorn is right when he says that the pistol has more backlash in its trigger than most shooters like, but so long as the trigger is being pulled straight back and the gun is held firmly, that doesn't seem to matter a great deal. In benchrest testing for On Target magazine, this writer was able to get 25 yard groups as tight as 1.50" for five shots with Federal Classic 155 grain .40 S&W JFIP. No handgun has ever emerged absolutely perfect from the womb of a gun company's R&D division. The M&P was not without its growing pains. What is i mportant is that S&W has listened to feedback and immediateiy implemented necessary corrections. In its first iteration, the ambi slide stop levers were very small pieces, dwelling in plastic niches to shield them from being unintentionally activated by the shooter. Unfortunately, this also shielded them from being intentionally activated by the shooter. In practice, the slide had to be tugged to the rear to release
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it from lock-back. White this is the way many shooters and instructors prefer to do it anyway, it really irritated those who use the slide release to actually release the ing speed thereby. slide, gaining greater loading/reload In any case, enough of us complained about it that a redesigned pair of levers was quickly implemented (and can be retrofitted to first generation models). It does not seem to activate accidentally, and works much more efficiently. Observed Sgt. Paradise of the Iowa State Patrol, "Of our first three test guns, we had one that would occasionally fail to fire, with light striker hits on our CCI primers. Smith &Wesson redesigned the striker after we reported this to them, and the problem disappeared." My own early test sample had a tendency toward feed stoppages when fired with a deliberately relaxed wrist, with virtually any .40 S&W ammo I put into it. By the time colleague Pat Sweeney got his, the problem had been corrected: Pat deliberately tried to cause a limp wrist malfunction in his later M&P, and couldn't. A company that listens to its customers and corrects products based on their feedback is a company that's going to succeed.

Bottom Line
Smith & Wesson chose wisely in putting its most me-honored product name, "Military & Police," ti on this new semiautomatic pistol. Early reports from the field, with thousands of these guns getting into law enforcement hands, has been enthusiastically positive. The M&P was scheduled at this writing to be available in .357 SIG by the end of the year. Says Bergeron, "The initial test M&Ps with .357 SIG barrels have been working great." With a new military contract coming up for .45 ACP pistols, that caliber is scheduled to be in production early in 2007. The prototypes are virtually the same size as the 9mm and .40 in some dimensions, and barely larger in others. Meanwhile, sales are briskly rolling along. Bergeron says that 70 percent of the guns are being sold without the magazine disconnector safety, and 30 percent with it. John Farnam may well be proved correct. The Military & Police Pistol could be Smith & Wesson's ticket back to prominence in law enforcement handgun circles.

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In the air, on the ground, in the water, the patented Pistol Leash is peace of mind. Pistol Leash is the most secure lanyard system to keep your sidearm safely with you. Designed by a firearm instructor, Pistol Leash easily attaches a handgun, knife, GPS or other gear to your belt or tactical vest. The retractable rubber-covered steel cable stretches to e accommodat different firing positions. The patented "slide bar" allows for the deployment of the weapon with absolutely no interference. Pistol Leash is the only lanyard with this patented system.

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ver since American military commanders began to rely on visual signals to convey orders, problems have remained. Written instructions can be misinterpreted and verbal direction can be misheard, but sign language is ripe for mistakes. The first attempt at military signals was the so-called "wigwag system" developed by Maj. Albert Myer, founder of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Relying on a single waved flag to spell out messages during the day and signal fires at night, the wigwag system was first employed in 1860 during an expedition against the Navajo. Ironically, it was the Navajo who taught the U.S. Army one of its most effective codes when the so-called "wind talkers" spoke in Navajo to confound Japanese code-breakers during the war in the Pacific. Visual signals, be they hand signals, burning fires and ,nrau-ina fla g s_ have the plus of being silent and instantaneous, but they give up confidentiality and i mmediacy to the oldest method of military communication, the mounted messenger. Whether it's the charge of the Light Brigade or Pickett's Charge, many military mishaps came about from poorly communicated orders. While the technology of military messaging has changed over the centuries, the essential purpose to accurately convey the commander's orders has remained the same. From high-bandwidth burst transmissions to a simple Morse code, there are four essential components to a communications cycle. Communications is about accurately conveying information. Any discussion of tactical comms, whether its tactical hand signals or encrypted , radio transmissions, must concentrate on the principles of effective communications in which four things must happen; transmit, receive, decode or interpret, and confirm the message to the sender. Failure to , complete the cycle guarantees, as Cool Hand Luke knew all too well, a failure to communicate. Transmission seems obvious, but as a sender, you have an obligation to convey a clear, concise and explicit order. If you're the point man and you signal back to your team, "Booby trap ahead," that's not nearly as effective as signaling, "Trip wire, eight yards, knee high." Receiving a communication also seems elementary, but you as the recipient must be alert to an incoming message. If you're in a team, you need to scan your teammates constantly to check for messages.

TACTIEAL HANDSIGNALS

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he use of tactical signals predates the historical record, a relatively newborn development in man's time of earth, only some 5,000 years T old. Even before the written language was developed by the Sumerians in the 33rd century B.C., communication with hand signals were in use to convey commands on the battlefield. Hand signals probably originated when man was a hunter-gatherer. Our ancestors quickly learned that hunting in a group was more effective than hunting alone, just as lions and wolves hunt in prides and packs today. As soon as one hunter was out of voice range of another, but remained within sight, the need to find a way to communicate manifested itself. The first signals were likely waving and pointing, but probably soon developed into a vocabulary of their own to communicate more specific directions. It wasn't long before early bands of hunter-gatherers learned that certain foods could be planted and harvested and certain animals could be domesticated. The clans coalesced into villages, planting crops and forming a sedentary community. Pretty soon, man being man, one village looked over the way and saw that the other village had more crops, and decided to take them. Organized warfare began. When man first formed military units of more than a few men, a commander could no longer be heard over the sting of battle by his men. This was the driving factor that led to such visual signals such as smoke, flags, banners and guidons, as well as more easily audible signals like bugles, trumpets and drums. Even when line-of-sight is available, visual signals such as flags only work when the recipients see and comprehend the message. As we note in another sidebar about the Charge Of The Light Brigade, misinterpreted hand signals can be fatal. Also, if you can see the signal, so can the enemy.

Under certain conditions, the enemy may have a better view of the various signals than the intended recipients. For that reason, encrypted signals and codes were developed. You have seen coded signals in a common setting, the ballpark. Managers flash signals to hitters and catchers sign to pitchers in an elaborate charade designed to keep the opposing team from "stealing" the sign for a hit-and-run. When cavalry came onto the battlefield heralded by one of the most significant tactical products of all ti me, the stirrup mounted units had a more complicated communication problem. The speed of battle increased dramatically, and with it the need to communicate orders as the tide of battle shifted. Flags and horns were the main means of communication. The Greek and Roman cavalry troops developed this into a fine art, permitting them to cohesively maneuver large forces. Along the way, one of the most i mportant tools of tactical communication emerged the mounted messenger. The horseborne messenger remained the fastest, most secure and most detailed means of communication for over 2,000 years. Communication at sea presented an even greater problem, as fleets needed to fight as a unit and mounted messengers were clearly not an option. Naval communications relied on flag signals. These began to

be secure in the 1800s when Admiral Lord Nelson sent his battle plan to his 70 ships at Trafalgar in encrypted code. Flags and lights remained the primary means of naval communication until the advent of the radio. Since the radio, tactical communications improvements have largely been incremental changes to technology. Computers, lasers, and satellites have improved speed and reliability, but the basic mechanism of conveying commands electrically goes back to the Civil War. E-mail may be the latest iteration, but the fundamental principle is the same as when our ancestors herded a wooly mammoth into a pit person A conveys a message, person B must then register it and correctly understand it. So why do we still use tactical hand signals? Because as long as we depend on electronic devices, there will be failures. There will be people trying to intercept our communications. And there will be situations where we either cannot hear, or cannot speak, and we still need to communicate. This is where the primitive, yet effective, hand and arm signals come into their own. Like the most universal signal of them all the upraised middle finger tactical hand signs remain eloquently effective at conveying a point, just as they have since the dawn of man.

inconvenient times. (Back to the comment abou [rate on minimalist requirements. Figure out the most playing charades at the breach point!) i mportant orders or information that wilt have to be MI tactical units should develop some type of communicated in close proximity to the enemy. Devise signals. When operating in close proximity to tit simple, intuitive signals to cover those requirements. adversary, even whispering into a throat mike is Codify the signals into a communications standard enough to compromise an operation. Whispers cam operating procedure, then teach the SOPs to everyforever, especially when you're trying to be quiet. body on your team and anybody who might have to H&A signals make no noise, are not subject to radio support your team operationally, like snipers or EMTs. intercept, require no batteries, and (when planned and Tactical communications must be clear, concise, practiced) contribute to brevity, clarity, and speed of and easily understood. Operators do not need a "secret communications. language" that only the chosen initiates can underWhich is less likely to fail a radio call or a discrete stancW(How could you quickly integrate somebody H&A signal to the sniper element in over-watch? attached to your team at the last minute?) Besides, if Because of the improved technologies and the wider your opponents can see you passing signals, you probavailability of tactical radios, the use of H&A signals by ably have more to worry about than compromised Modern Military and police forces has declined. Guard communications. and reserve units and hobbyists, primarily paintWhat follows are a number of different hand signals bailers; do not have the resources of money and equip- demonstrated by members of a California-based SWAT ment nf the front line units, so they still rely on H&A team. Not all of these signals will be suitable for signals. This has caused a proliferation of elaborate everyone and some necessary signs might be missing, and extravagant H&A signals. Some groups have even but the idea is to show you a representative sampling pine so far as to encourage their members to learn and of what can be conveyed with hand signals. use American signlanguage. This is gross overkill and Lastly, no communication is complete until the defeats the purpose of H&A signals. eecipient has echoed back his understanding When developing H&A signals, you should colleenf the message to the conveyor. Got that? . 0,

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istory's most notorious "communication breakdown" occurred at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War when a hurried hand signal left a hapH less English earl ordering his Light Brigade to charge into an enemy's artillery position. Of the 637 men in the brigade, 247 were killed or wounded. The disaster happened like this: The British forces faced their Russian enemy in hilly terrain. Awaiting orders in the valley below where Lord Raglan's command post was set on a hill, the Earl of Cardigan did not have a vantage point to see the enemy's position. Lord Raglan sent a mounted messenger to deliver his order to Cardigan's waiting Light Brigade. Lord Cardigan's brigade was considered "light cavalry," lancers and light dragoons, and their specialty was quickly maneuvering OD the battlefield. The war horses fidgeted as the men anxiously awaited their orders. The messenger, Capt. Lewis Nolan, galloped downhill with Lord Raglan's orders and handed them

to Lord Lucan, one of Lord Cardigan's squadron leaders. A punctilious man, Lucan carefully read the orders. Nolan, an impatient sort, became frustrated at what he perceived was Lucan's infuriating slowness as he meticulously digested the orders. Irritated beyond control, Capt. Nolan couldn't contain himself any longer and he blurted out, "Lord Raglan's orders are that the cavalry should attack immediately!" "Attack, sir! Attack what? The guns? What guns, sir? Where and what?" Lord Lucan replied. "There, my Lord!" the impatient captain answered, sweeping his arm in the general direction of the Russians. "There is your enemy! There are your guns!" And with that, the captain dug his spurs into his mount and thundered back to Lord Raglan's command post, leaving Lord Lucan as muddled as before. The trouble was that from his position in the valley, Lord Lucan could not see the enemy. Neither could the captain when he gestured broadly and said, "There, my Lord." Lord Lucan trotted over to his commander, the Earl of Cardigan, to convey the orders. The only guns in sight were at the far end of the north valley where a mass of Russian cavalry was stationed. The captain's flamboyant gesture seemed to have indicated them. Lord Cardigan brusquely returned his squadron commander's salute and listened as the orders were conveyed. "But the Russians have a battery in the valley in our front and batteries on each flank," Cardigan replied. "I know it," Lord Lucan said. "But Lord Raglan will have it." The Earl of Cardigan saluted and turned his horse, galloping to the front of the brigade. He drew the troop up into two lines, the 13th Light Dragoons on the right, the 17th Lancers in the center and the 1 1 th Hussars on the left. The 4th Light Dragoons and the 8th Hussars formed the second line. Stoically, Lord Cardigan stood up in his stirrups. He was in the lead, easily seen by the front line as well as his staff. He paused for a moment, taking in the shine of his men's glimmering breast plates and the rattle of cavalry sabers and lances as the horses impatiently stamped their feet. The moment of battle. "The brigade will advance," the commander said in a strangely quiet voice. From Lord Raglan's position on the hill, the advancing cavalry seemed to be executing his orders, perhaps a little too far left, but nothing alarming. For the first 50 yards, the Light Brigade advanced at a trot, Lord Cardigan prominently visible in his splendid blue and cherry colored uniform, its pelisse gold trimmed and swinging gently on his stiff shoulders. The two lines of the brigade advanced in perfect alignment, precision and symmetry in practiced motion. Suddenly the order of the formation was broken as a mad man galloped to the front. It was the impatient Capt. Lucan, wildly waving his saber and shouting hysterically. It appeared from the heights that he was trying to warn Lord Cardigan that something was wrong, that perhaps he was going in the wrong direction. But no one heard his words for now the brigade had moved into range of the Russian guns and suddenly they opened fire, the boom of the cannons drowning out the captain's frantic pleas. Capt. Lucan's sword clattered to the ground as he died in his saddle, cut down in the first wave of cannon fire. From three sides, cannon raked into the brigade, grape shot blowing horse and man into bloody pieces. Gaping holes opened in the front line, quickly filled by

sharpened sabers. After they cut down the artillerymen, the second line. Musket fire crackled with the boom of they turned to charge the waiting Russian cavalry, but as the cannons as the Light Brigade rode on. they rode into the smoke, they were met by the "Steady the 17th Lancers!" came Lord Cardigan's retreating 11th Hussars, who were vastly outnumbered order over the din of battle. "Steady the line!" Behind him, his lieutenants yelled orders like, "Do by the waiting Russians. Confusion ensued. There were only 40 troopers left. look to your dressing on the left!" The troop was canSuddenly one of the men saw that their retreat had been tering now, but still the cannon salvos cut great swaths cut off and a different brigade of Russian cavalry was through the line. charging them from behind. An officer looked around Terrified riderless horses charged out of the smoke, frantically for Lord Cardigan, but he had galloped off running blindly. With every 50 yards the Light Brigade after his confrontation with Cossacks and was no where advanced, the line grew more ragged as the holes opened wider and wider. Wounded men staggered to be seen. " We must go about," the officer decided. "And do the behind the advancing troop, crawling across the blood soaked ground. Dying horses writhed in their best you can." With that, the bedraggled remnants of the Light death throes. Brigade formed a line and charged the Russian cavalry Still, Lord Cardigan pressed ahead with the remto their front. The spectacle of this blood-splattered, nants of his brigade. Wounded in the leg, he seemed to soot-caked line coming at them, their uniforms torn, show complete indifference to the withering cannon their horses wet with sweat, must have unnerved the fire and maintained his position in the lead, witnesses said. By now what was left of the Light Brigade was Russians. Perhaps the Russian commander was indecisive, almost on the guns. The officers had lost control of the perhaps he was taken aback by the bravery of the Light well-disciplined troop who were galloping wildly ahead Brigade, but for whatever reason, the Russians pivoted in full charge. as if to encircle the English cavalry but then allowed Lord Cardigan saw the gaping mouths of the cannon ahead, perhaps 100 yards off through the acrid smoke. them to gallop past, untouched. And then came the stragglers on foot. Wounded, He saw the belch of flame as the cannon fired their last dragging themselves along, their horses limping, the salvo and he aimed at a gap between two orange flashes. survivors from the cannon slaughter shuffled past the Cardigan was almost blown off his horse as the last salvo watching Russian cavalry. No one raised a sword hit the decimated troop, but on the remnants rode, into against them. the Russian artillery. By the time the last of troop returned to their lines, Only 50 men remained in the front line and suddenly the Light Brigade had lost over a third of its men. The they were amongst the Russian gunners, slashing with remnants were scattered across the battlefield. The their cavalry sabers. In fury of the fighting, Lord Earl of Cardigan reported to Lord Raglan who was Cardigan saw a Russian officer, Prince Radzivill, and recognized him from a party in London. The Russian infuriated. " What did you mean, sir? Attacking a battery from the too recognized the earl and sent a squad of Cossacks to front? Why it is contrary to all the usages of warfare and capture him alive. the customs of the service," Lord Raglan raged. The Cossacks came forward, prodding Lord Cardigan "My Lord," Cardigan replied evenly. "I hope you will with their lances. He glared scornfully at the wretched not blame me for I received an order to attack from my horses the Cossacks rode and, keeping his sword intentionally downward, turned his horse disdainfully and superior officer in front of my troop." receive an order in It was an unassailable defense. To rode away. front of one's men... The Cossacks stared in amazement as the sootWhen his temper cooled, Lord Raglan agreed that the stained Earl just disappeared into the smoke. Later, brigade commander was not to blame for carrying out Lord Cardigan said it was, "No part of a general's duty to an ill-conveyed order. And so it remains in history that fight the enemy among private soldiers." He clearly saw the messenger's sweeping arm gesture in the general the Cossacks as riffraff, beneath his station to engage in direction of the enemy "There, my Lord." made for actual combat. at once one of the bravest display of British The 4th Light Dragoons fell on the Russian gunners with a savage excitement, slashing and hacking with fortitude ever.., and also the stupidest.

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The 63 or gr works with a roller delayed blowback system, which is both simple and reliable. There is no gas system, like on most assault rifles like the AK and M16. The recoil spring is housed in the bolt carrier, inside the upper receiver, so a folding or collapsible stock is easily affixed. You could argue forever over what's the all-time best system for a battle rifle, but the 63's roller delayed blowback is certainly one of the finalists.

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You have to shoot fast and accurately to stay alive. The very least you should reasonably expect is a reliable weapon firing a dependable cartridge that, if you do your part by aligning the sights and squeezing the trigger, can be counted on to knock the enemy out of the fight. The 7.62x51mm, otherwise known as the .308 Win., carries just such a punch. The .308's penetration through hard cover is orders of magnitude greater than that of the .223. The .308's lethality is exponentially greater too, and the accuracy of the ballistically superior .30 caliber is night and day better than that of a mousegun.

Better Rifles
What's more, there are several outstanding battle rifles available that would be far better suited for combat in the dust-choked towns and sand-blown countryside of Mesopotamia than the lubrication-sensitive M16/M4. One of the best .308 battle rifles of all time, based on reliability, accuracy, stopping power and ease of accessorizing, is the Getvehr 3 or G3. With its German designation, the G3 (or HK91 in its civilian guise) is closely associated with Oberndorf, but Heckler & Koch in actual fact had nothing to do with the origin and development of the gun that launched the company into the forefront of military small arms design. It was a Spanish government arms consortium, CETME, that invented the G3 in the early 1950s and then licensed the manufacture to HK in 1956 after the German government elected notto adopt the Belgian FAL and to instead make a rifle in-country.

75 COMBAT TACTICS FALL 2006

'

Mauser Militar y Rifles of the World, Springfield Armoty Shoulder Weapons, 1795-1968 and Remington Firearms: The Golden Age of Collecting, Ball has also penned seven other collectibles books,
including two on military medals. As a youngster, Ball started his collection of Mauser rifles with the purchase of an M71. With the end of World War II in Europe, he added to his collection from the stock of captured enemy materials. Following service in Korea and participation in the H-bomb experiment at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands known as Operation Castle, Ball returned to civilian life and continued his lifelong passion for the collecting of military weapons and the quest for information and historical significance of many weapons systems. His hobby finally became a business when ILD Enterprises acquired the rights to make the 1-1K 91 in 1998. With the sunsetting of the Clintonian assault rifle bill, the timing couldn't have been better to resurrect this great battle rifle.
The JLD 91

Perhaps the adoption of a "Spanish" rifle was politically palatable because the inventor was actually a German who had worked at Mauser during World War II and then been hired by CETME to perfect a battle rifle based on a Nazi assault rifle design. HK no longer manufactures the G3 or the HK 91. This is good news in a sense because it opened the door for a small company in America to begin making a U.S. version of the HK9I in 1998 that's better than anything to ever come out of Bavaria. ILD Enterprises bought the original tooling, drawings and specifications from HK and is today producing what many experts, including the Technical Staff of the National Rifle Association, consider the best version of the 91 ever made. ILD Enterprises is the culmination of a lifetime of shooting and gun collecting by Robert W D. Ball. An accomplished author and firearms expert whose works include

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As an all-around battle rifle, it's hard to beat the 91 on several counts. First, it's unique operating mechanism, using a roller-delayed blowback system, is inherently reliable in all environments. Only the Belgian FAL and Kalasbnikov are in the same functional league as the G3. Second, the 91 was designed from the

Dare we say that the 63's front sight is "Marine-proof"? You would really have to work at it to break it. 110 upgraded the original design with a laser cut front sight post, precisely fitted into the protective steel ring.

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The roller block on the underside of the bolt delays unlocking until pressure drops, and then simple blowback works the action. Note the beefy extractor, taking a big bite on the .308 case rim. Note also the cut-out in the bolt for a fixed ejector to punch the empty case out.

ground-up to be easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Made primarily of metal stampings, the 91 is a model of efficiency to make. Third, the G3 is a versatile platform, easily transformed into alternate versions such as a short-barreled, collapsible-stocked paratrooper version or a belt-fed light rnachinegun version. Additionally, the G3 can be fitted with an optical sight, bipod and, in the new ILD model, a Picatirmy forend for weapon-mounted lights or vertical foregrip. The ability to accept an optical sight in a rugged mount that doesn't require a modified stock to obtain a proper cheek weld the biggest curse of the MIA is a huge plus for the 91 as a weapon for urban combat. The PAL has the same ergonomic shortcoming as the MIA, with the additional drawback of a rather dubious mounting platform on the receiver's top cover. Fourth, spare parts are available by the barrel for the 91. Zillions of German-made military surplus magazines can be had $5 a pop, 20-rounders in the grease.

Connecticut Connection
JLD Enterprises may well be the best gun company you've never heard of. Starting with those original HK drawings and tooling, JLD modernized the manufacturing process with CNC equipment. The Connecticut-based company added precision laser measuring devices and upgraded finishing. The finish is a dual-process consisting of parkerizing, then specially coated with a matte process to reduce glare and provide excellent scratch and scuff resistance. The manufacturing of the US-made JLD 91 is actually better than the original German guns. The diopter rear sight, for instance, has a new four-position mode for every 100 yards out to 400, without an optic, all CNC machined from bar stock. The front sight is laser cut and threaded for an exact fit. The receiver is manufactured from .059" stamped steel, to correct specifications. The recesses for the engaging of the original scope claw mount have been CNC machined with

COMBAT TACTICS FALL 2005

17

the proper angles to accommodate a JLD version of HK's renowned claw mount system, the best military scope mount of its kind. The cocking handle is one-piece forged and precision CNC turned, then heat treated. The result is a more ergonomic handle than the German original, with greater ease-ofuse. The cocking tube is also newly manufactured, not a surplus part. The 18" barrels are US-made with matchgrade rifling and the 91's distinctive fluted chamber for reliable extraction. Brass thrown from a 91 is easily recognized on the range with the black flutes in the case from the fluted chamber, which eliminates a "stuck case" malfunction.

Function And Design

The G3 is famous for its reliability making it second only to the PAL as the weapon-ofchoice for the zero-maintenance standard found in Third World armies. The 91 has been made in large quantities in Spain, Germany, Greece and South America. The G3 operating system uses a delayed roller locking system to retard a basic blowback gas operation. A two-piece bolt is fitted with dual rollers that delay the initial unlocking of the bolt when gas pressure in the chamber is at its highest. Once the gas pressure drops, the rollers cam on an inclined plane allowing the bolt to move rearward. The bolt is attached to a cocking handle on the left side of the barrel assembly. The cocking handle fits into a notch at the rear of the barrel, allowing the operator to manually manipulate the bolt. There is no cocking handle whatsoever on the M16/M4, making it impossible to manually cycle the bolt. The MI6's forward-bolt-assist was an afterthought to solve this problem. Not that you really need to manually cycle the highly reliable action. The G3 is largely a self-cleaning system, thanks in large measure to the chamber flutes. Ergonomically, the G3 sports excellent controls. The safety/selector switch is operated by the firing hand's thumb. The magazine release is positive, but there is no bolt hold-open button like on an M16/M4. To lock

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With the recent release of the new XT switch module for the Surefire X200, the ultra-compact LED Weapontight now can accommodate a proper rifle forend pressure pad. The one shown here is also new, the SRo7, which clips onto a Picatinny rail and houses both a momentary pressure switch and a click button for constant-on. The 90 degree angled tapeswitch shown on the dismounted XT switch module is a prototype.

the bolt open, simply retract the cocking handle and engage it into the hold-open cut. To close the bolt, slap the cocking handle downward. The stock of the G3 allows a proper cheek weld with either the excellent diopter iron sights or the optical sight claw mount. JLD also offers a collapsible version in the traditional 91 slide-forward design. ILD's forend is the best ever made with the 91. Of polymer construction with pre-positioned threaded holes to accommodate the user's choice of Picatinny rail sections, the forend is slim and lightweight. We found the Picatinny rail sections illt ,
BIABAT TACTICS

to be ideal for tailoring the weapon to whatever configuration desired, using SureFire WeaponLights or other accessories like an IR illuminator or laser targeter. While it may be going a bit far to suggest that we would abandon our beloved FN-FAL as Our all-time favorite battle rifle, the 91 has a lot to recommend it. For its quality, price and performance, JLD's version of the classic HK G3 may be a better choice than a FAL... but I didn't say that.
JLD Enterprises may be found at www.jidentercom or by calling (860) 676-1776.

-I,. FALL 2006

P rAn N MY
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Tactical employment of night vision is an arcane subject, but one you best actice before the lights go out. r By Jeff Gonzales
Studio Photos by lchiro Nagata
Combat Photos by Dept Of Defense
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COMBAT ACT1CS FALL 2006

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operating devices (NODs) have been in service for well over a half century in various forms. They allow the operator to shoot, move and communicate in total darkness giving him a decided advantage against "night blind" adversaries. NODs usage is limited only by ARKNESS IS MY FRIEND the operator's imagina:,,, , tion, skill level and situastiuoiv buari ex,an ap lie s m in h n b e r eocves et s a p o trio a n,eill t c e m v g at i 0 g a t d p c i r h o p n tear agfeetws., geh toesnatom The use of NODs has increased safety, operational effectiveness and situational awareness during night time operations for those who properly employ them. ' Night vision technology consists of two major areas: light * -' amplification (intensification) and thermal enhancement (infrared). Most night vision devices are of the light amplification type so we will focus on this type. Light amplification technology takes the existing , * , , light and converts the light energy (photons) into electrical energy (electrons). The electrons pass . , through a thin disk that contains millions of channels. As it passes through this disk, it bounces off the channel's walls releasing thousands of more electrons. The multiplied electrons are then bounced off a phospho rous screen which converts the electrons 0 back into photons. The result is an impressive night time view even when it's pitch black to the naked eye. ,_ , The level of performance is related to . what's called "technology generation" with the higher generations being better. , The difference in performance is largely -4 . dependent on the amount of available , light necessary to produce a clear image. . Gen 0 and Gen 1 were prevalent in the .. , _ . 1960s. They relied heavily on an IR light source to add to the ambient light to produce an image. Large and cumbersome, , these Gen 1 optics were mounted on rifles t Pf'. and known as "starlight scopes." This genera,. tion is of poor quality with distorted images . and short-lived image intensifier tubes. All that inexpensive Russian night vision is Gen 1. Gen 2 came around in the 1970's and relied . -,... somewhat less on ambient light. It was marked by a , micro channel plate, which multiplied the number of electrons better than Gen l's intensifier. The image pro' ' it 4tikt

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duced was much clearer without as much distortion. Gen 3 came into the market in the 1980's and is the most advanced technological units available to the general public today. A special coating allows for more efficient conversion of light to electrical energy in extremely low light levels. Outside of the categorization by generation, NODs can be evaluated by their performance attributes, which are divided into three main areas sensitivity, signal and resolution. There will always be trade offs, but in general you want to select units with the best ratings across the board in a price range you can afford. Sensitivity is the image tube's ability to detect available light and is usually measured in microamperes per lumen (uA/1m). Signal is the unit's ability to transfer a strong signal from input to output and it is usually referenced as a ratio, 19:1 for example. Resolution is the unit's ability to resolve detail in the image. Resolution is measured in line pairs per millimeter (lp/mnt) and the higher they are, the clearer the image. IR illuminators increase the unit's sensitivity performance in low light, so make sure that any unit you're considering doesn't rely solely on IR illumination for a high sensitivity mark. Magnification can create the i mpression of high resolution, so don't confuse a magnified rating for high resolution performance.

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Operational Limitations
NODs have limitations as a result of design characteristics, perceptual limitations and environmental conditions. A small field of view is a common design limitation. Most units have a 40 field of view compared with the approximate 190 view of your naked eyeballs. This can severely hamper your overall situational awareness and requires sound scanning techniques to continuously monitor your surroundings. Largely because of the cone like narrowing of the field of view with binocular NODs, monocular units are more popular because of the reduced perception of a tunnel-like view. Freeing the non-monocular eye to maintain as much unaided night vision capabilities greatly increases the sense of depth perception and overall situational awareness. Another limitation in design characteristic is image resolution. For accurate target discrimination, the perator must be able to discern potential threats, to identify friend from foe. The solution here is to take advantage of the highest technology available which generally produces the best image resolution. Perceptual limitations include a degradation of depth perception. This degradation affects the oper

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ator's ability to navigate in cluttered terrain. It also makes it difficult to perform simple tasks that require hand/eye coordination. The ability to accurately estimate distance is another perceptual limitation and again it affects navigation. High speed driving using NODs requires the ability to accurately estimate distances to objects or avenues. Low illumination levels are an example of environmental conditions that affect the performance of NODs. A low illumination level taxes the lower generations of NODs and lessens the operational effectiveness. Inclement weather conditions also adversely affect overall performance. The low ambient light coupled with poor visi-

friendly and reasonably priced. First, there must be some instruction that covers familiarization, donning, fitting, adjusting and focusing the unit. The mechanical functions of the PVS-14 include the power switch, diopter adjustment, objective lens focus, gain control and, when used with the head/helmet mount, the eye relief adjustment. The operator must be intimately familiar with the function controls location and purpose so he can quickly make any adjustments in adverse conditions. Take time to properly don and fit the complete package because halfway through an operation is not the time to try and make adjustments. Once the unit is donned and fitted, it must be

bility due to rain, snow or fog make using NODs very difficilt. These limitations may lead to mishaps and injuries due to overdependence on the enhanced visual imagery, lack of appreciation for the image degradation due to the conditions and lack of experience employing NODs.

Basic Training
A basic NODs training program can help avoid certain mishaps and should consist of how to operate the unit, target identification, effective firing with NODs, anti-fratricide procedures and maintenance. To help explain and keep everyone on the same sheet of music, we'll use the PVS-14 monocular as our model. This unit is extremely versatile, user-

adjusted so the operator can see through it with the best field of view. The first time is by far the most challenging, especially when the operator must perform these actions in low light settings, but with practice comes proficiency. Within the scope of training and use, the most important aspect is focusing the unit for the individual operator. Lack of proper focus compromises every aspect of your night vision capability. While there are very sophisticated devices for focusing the unit to the operator, they are cost prohibitive. A simple alternative requires a darken room, a photographic target and 7 yards. Place the target across the room and have the operator dial the focus knob on the viewing tube until the target is as clear as possible.

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The Green Mile

One of the negative factors for night vision devices is they don't produce a color image so target discrimination can be problematic in high-stress, fast-paced situations. The world becomes a monochromatic green color and things like uniform colors are indistinguishable. Operators unfamiliar with the use of night vision devices should take extra precautions. Absolute certainty of what the operator is actually seeing is critical. In order to help develop greater confidence and decrease processing time, use a progressive system that gradually exposes the environment. This process begins with detection, discovering the presence of a potential target indicator. Next comes recognition, recognizing the object as a perceived target indicator. Lastly comes identification, establishing the positive identification of a target indicator, whether friend or foe. To help protect friendly forces, anti-fratricide procedures need to be addressed. Because we can easily detect and recognize a human, the assumption is

that you can also quickly identify that human as a target. I am a big proponent for team uniformity when it comes to dress and equipment selection. This is an extra recognition factor that can really help with quick identification. In addition, identification markers are very useful at preventing misidentification and fratricide. These markers are either passive (no power source required) or active (power source required). Probably the best identification marker is the Warrior GloTape IR markers. These passive markers appear to the naked eye as black duct tape in both texture and finish without a visible reflective glow. When illuminated with an infrared source a bright reflective glow can be seen at extremely long distances with a night vision device. The GloTape markers can be affixed to personnel, vehicles or structures making it very flexible. A new product that's just on the market is SureFire's helmet light, featuring an IR strobe to Identify Friend from Foe (IFF). The helmet light attaches to a standard MICH helmet and also comes with two sets of visible LEDs, three white and two blue. The bottom line is at close distances you may be able

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to identify the object of your focus, but at medium and wear the unit either directly in their line of sight or longer ranges doing so without the aid of identification tilted up and out of the way. This configuration lends itself to most of the tactical scenarios. Head and makers can be questionable. helmet mounts will require the additional mounting Employment hardware and familiarity with mounting, disTactical mounting and adjusting the unit. The operator can Part of your basic training will be in tactical employmerit, which can be surveillance, searches and weapon use the unit to conduct surveillance, search for susdeployment to name a few. The versatile PVS-14 pects or place accurate fire on a target. monocular can be used in one of three configurations: Basic Maintenance handheld, weapon-mounted or head/helmet mounted. While most of the night vision Units are designed to Handheld usage is self-explanatory and requires no handle rough usage, there are some simple mainteadditional components. This configuration is primarily fiance and care issues you should consider. To maxifor general purpose surveillance or searches. Weapon-mounted usage has the unit attached mize the reliable service life of your unit and ensure directly to the weapon, preferably a low recoiling operational readiness, consider storing the unit in weapon system, so the operator can not only see in low some sort of hard case. Day to day abuse will eventulight conditions, but employ his iron sights or night ally take its toll, but a good case can save the unit from vision compatible electronic optics. This configuration, accidental drops or heavy loads. Avoid pointing the device at bright lights for obviously, is limited to seeing only when your weapon is extended period. While most units have high auto shouldered. It is the best way to shoot, but the most matic cut-offs to minimize potential damage, awkward way to observe. extended exposure can still damage the unit. Use a Head or helmet mounted usage allow the operator to

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-. soft cloth or bristle brush to clean the exterior and invest in professional lens , . cleaning supplies to routinely clean the lens. Probably the best thing you can do is implement an inspection and ..,, function check before and after any tactical situation. This will ensure the unit is functioning correctly before and that the unit was not damaged during the operation. When performing these inspections, there are two types of 4 ' defects you can encounter, operational defects and cosmetics blemishes. An operational defect should render the unit nonoperational. Cosmetic blemishes are not a cause for non-operational status unless they become severe enough to interfere with i _ . --, the operational effectiveness of the unit.
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Aided Vision
Training for night operations should include unaided and aided low-light training, night navigation, night marksmanship and night tactical operations. Unaided night training gets the operator corn-

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fortable with working in low to no light settings with 1 just the naked eye. For unaided operations, a crucial concept to understand is how the human eye becomes dark adapted. Dark adaptation is the process where each eye adjusts from normal daylight to a low light setting. While this varies from each individual, generally dark adaptation is 80 percent complete within 30 minutes. It takes at least 20 minutes to be operationally dark adapted. Also, bear in mind that it takes less than a second to lose dark adaptation. A bright light instantly ruins night adapted eyesight! Aided night training consists of utilizing tactical flashlights, ambient light and night vision devices. It centers on getting the operator proficient with inch/ vidual tactical skills. Focusing on the night vision devices, the operator trains to use the NODs to their fullest potential. The more the operator is wearing the gear, the more a part of him it becomes. There should also be redundant or back-up systems that consist of white light and emergency transition drills to white light. Because artificial light is only a light switch away, practice on transitioning to white light is necessary. If the lighting condition saturates your NODs, then go right to your white light. While most NODs have sonic sort of IR source, accessing the source quickly to help navigate through different degrees of darkness can be cumbersome and the output is often inadequate. Having an IR filter on a SureFire dedicated WeaponLight or a separate IR light source are better alternatives. SureFire weapon-mounted lights can be fitted with flip-up IR filters that allow the operator to simply flip open and expose the white light. However, with the IR filter in place, the IR light will aid the NODs to reach further in very dark settings. Another idea is to have certain operators running white lights only and others running IR as their primary. If a threat is immediately encountered or the element of surprise has been compromised, the white light operators may immediately illuminate and start to deal with the problem, while their teammates take the time to transition to white light. Moving in a cluttered environment is the norm, and operators need to train for real-world night navigation. Because of the degradation in depth perception, it is important the operator gets use to climbing stairs, moving around furniture and avoiding obstacles. Slow methodical movements will help maintain your balance and the element of surprise. At first the goal is just to not fall over, but eventually you want to be as stealthy as possible. Useful drills

Wearing a PVS7 binocular makes shooting impossible without an IR laser on the rifle. Well, maybe not "impossible" but certainly not with any accuracy.

include a partner drill where a NOD equipped operator has to guide a non-equipped operator. This drill dovetails with the emergency transition drills mentioned earlier. Looking for objects and targets tasks the individual to not just move, but search as well. This all culminates with force-on-force training using role players as threats. If the operator is using his newly learned skills and NODs, the advantage is decidedly on his side. Night marksmanship training gets the operator one step closer to the final goal. It takes quite a bit of quality time and some good instruction to become proficient with NOD supported marksmanship skills. The initial range session should be sufficient to get the operator to a minimum level and then should be sustained routinely along with all the other perishable skills. The training program should start with static marksmanship training emphasizing marksmanship over speed, then progress to weapons manipulations such as clearing malfunctions and reloading. Gradually speed should increase. When speed and

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marksmanship can be maintained, add movement, nor movement drills. Have the teams converge onto an Start the movement drills as individuals and then as object or location, then put role players out there to partners. By this point the operator should have a keep them honest. Once they feel comfortable moving good feeling for wearing and using NODs while in an exterior setting, take them inside and go back to conducting live fire shooting drills, shooter pairs. Night tactical training now puts all the pieces of Now that they don't have the luxury of ambient light, the puzzle together. Just like everything else, it they will have to rely on their IR source to help them should be progressive. Starting small, in two man search and move. Here the use of over-watch illuminashooting pairs, conduct IR only exterior movement tion is introduced. As one operator moves in a "lights drills. Get the shooters used to moving and corn- out" mode, his partner illuminates the area with is IR municating in stealth mode. They learn quickly that light. A useful technique, and one that emphasizes team without the use of verbal commands and the brill- work more than anything. tations of the NODs, their movement will be slow Once the training staff feels comfortable with the and short in order to maintain control. team's performance they can then conduct emergency Next, move to a four man crew conducting exte- transition drills, much like gas drills, creating the simu-

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U\OBTANIUM
The guns of pistolsmith Richard Heinie are pure classics, and the great master is backlogged past his 7Dth birthday. Soon, there will be no more Heinle Colts. Enjoy it while you can.
By Cameron Hopkins 1111 Photos by lchiro Nagata

hen a pistolsmith like Richard Heinie works on a gun, the clock should stop. When a thing of such eternal brilliance as a fully customized Colt Government Model is being created, there ought to be a heavenly tirneout. Heinie should W not be docked for these hours, he should be given a celestial warning ticket, a bye on time, a pardon of the hourglass. While he's working, Richard Heinie should be exempt from the inexorable winding down of his mortal coil. He deserves a Get-Out-Of-Time free card. Why? Because there are only so many masterpieces that he can make in his life, and his life is in its final quarter. In fact, the time is already over to order a
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THE LI NOBTAINIUM HILT I 1

commercial Colt shown here. Too bad. Surely the laws of Newtonian physics could relent and show mercy, just long enough to let the master build one more, by hand, individually, the way he always has. Just one more... But no. E equals MC squared and the time-space continuum is what it is. The universe just doesn't give a black hole whether or not Richard Heinie has enough years left to lovingly craft just one more of his masterpiece 1911s. If you own a Heinle, keep it and pass it down. If you don't, at least enjoy and appreciate what you see here, the work of one of the best 1911 pistolsmiths to ever lay hands on a Government Model. Look and admire and know that you are seeing a gun that's as good as it gets. Right now, Heinie is 63-years-old and his waiting list for delivery of one of the precious few handbuilt combat pistols that he makes annually is almost eight years. In eight years he will be 71. There are not too many people who commit to work into their eighth decade. That is when the last 1911 will ever be stamped "R. Heinie" in sharp capitals, just below the serial number. "I'm in the first stage of my retirement," the grandfather of four acknowledged. "I've already got arthritis in my fingers and hands from eight to rsea day of working on guns. I've got to stop - slo0mhoettlim Even with a reduced workload of custom pistols, the Illinois-based pistoismith is hardly
The muzzle of a BarSto stainless barrel (left) is handfitted to a match bushing. Note the subtle radiusing of the edges of the bushing. This is attention to detail; this is Heinie at his meticulous best. The same degree of detailing is evident on the slide stop pin (opposite page) where the edges are again rounded by hand with a file and emery stick. The signature feature of Heinle pistol, though, is the squared trigger guard, welded and then filed to shape, handcheckered at 40 !pi. Note the smoothly polished steel frame with the Colt factory tooling marks burnished away. www.surefiremm

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spending his afternoons lazily on a river bank with a fly rod and a grandkid. Heinie's eponymous sights are selling faster than bottled water in Baghdad. "Clock sights are number one by a big margin. I can't make them fast enough. It's amazing. I don't know where they all go," said the former Pistolsmith Of The Year and sight designer. Heinie's sights are machined from solid bar stock, cut by a CNC mill into their distinctive shape. There's the original Heinie, a straight blade curving up sharply from a solid dovetail base, serrated fully across the black face, fast and sure to pick up from a speed draw. Popular demand brought about an angled version, low and sloped and smooth, the SlantPro. Heinie then
COMBAT TACTICS FALL 2006

added an interesting twist on night sights and called it the Straight 8 with a single tritium capsule beneath the rear notch and another in the serrated ramp front sight, making for a figure-eight sight picture in low light. "A lot of the other [brands of] sights are cast or Heinie said, referring to the lost-wax investment casting and metal injection molded methods of manufacturing. "But the two top brands Novak's and mine are machined from bar stock." The manufacture and sale of his sights consume some 80 percent of Heinie's time. While his output of custom pistols has never been what you would call prodigious even in his prime in the '80s and '90s, Heinie never made more than one or two a month-91

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that output is curtailed now. "If its an old customer, I might be talked into doing a trigger job or fitting a set of sights. But no more complete guns. I just can't take any more new work," Heinie explained.

The Long Wait

It must have been three years ago, perhaps four,

maybe five; you lose track of time when the conclusion is so far away. The gun was special, secreted away in a dark, corner of a Cannon safe, awaiting a special calling. I rummaged in the back of the safe for the slightly faded brown box with a faux wood pattern on the cardboard. The unassuming box bore the rearing stallion logo of what was and always will be the greatest maker of handguns, Colt. It was not a collectible Colt, but certainly it was comparatively rare, a pre-Series 70. Colts may not be the best of 1911s in terms of intrinsic quality, as Heinle grumpily admits, but they are certainly the greatest in terms of historic desirability This box contained just such a Colt. Inside was a pristine C-series Colt Government Model. Dubbed "commercial" to distinguish them from military production guns, the C-series guns were actually rejects from Colt's government contracts to build, yes, Government Model .45s. Unbelievable as it may sound, "good enough for government work" back then actually meant the pick of the litter. The castoffs went to commercial sales. Commercial Colts weren't all bad, although their quality varied considerably. Usually it was a fumble-fingered polisher who had blemished the gun or buffed it unevenly. Perhaps a chattering cutter had left crude marks on the frame. It might have been a slightly offcenter pin hole or misaligned slide rails. They were guns Heinie's mag funnel is a hallmark of welding and blending that simply didn't pass the contract's specifications to perfection. Most of the work is done by hand with files. Note be marked "U.S. Property" and instead drew a C-stamp, the smooth transition into the lanyard mainspring housing consigned to the commercial trade. (from Alex Zimmerman) and the custom fitted Hogue coco I had horded this old Colt for eventual customizing, bolo grips running to the bottom of the mag funnel. but only if the right opportunity came along. One day I was chatting to Heinie, an old friend, about the remarkable resurgence of interest in everyday carry pistols and how prescient he had been when he had formulated the Single Stack Society some 10 years previously and with it a match so popular that it filled early and turned away latecomers, the Single Stack Classic. Today Heinie's match is a USPSA national championship event and his rules have been accepted as definitive, an unthinkable accomplishment. It was then that the conversation turned interesting as Heinie unassumingly offered an idle afterthought. "You ought to send me a gun," he remarked nonchalantly. "I'm still building classic single stacks the way I used to." The C-series Colt immediately popped to mind and the wheels were set in motion. Nothing could be more befitting for the venerable gun from Hartford than a trip
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www.surefire.com

to Quincy. Indeed, its royal blue pedigree would be enhanced.

The Master's Bench

Heinle is, as his name implies, of German extraction and perhaps it's a Teutonic penchant for perfectionism that made him work so hard. Or maybe it's his background as a tool and die maker that gave him such skills. Of course it all started with his fascination with the Government Model and love of shooting a basic five-inch gun in combat matches. and foremost, more reliable Everything Heinle does to the 1911, he does to make it better. HIST with improved extractors, ejectors, feed ramps and safeties. Second, more shootable with better sights, barrels, grips, and triggers. Lastly, he makes it cosmetically and aesthetically perfect with serrations, borders, polishing and bluing. The C-series Colt that I sent was typical. The front strap had been buffed unevenly with a heavy hand, making it marginally too thin. Checkering it would be a challenge, but nothing Heinle hadn't handled before. The slide to frame fit was poor and of course too loose. All the component parts needed replacing, everything from the springs to the mainspring housing. Heinie knows what works and there is very little choice in what parts he will agree to use. For the fire control system, he insists on a hammer, sear and disconnector from the Cylinder & Slide Shop. The trigger itself is usually an aluminum one made for him specially by Bob Greider, lightened the way he used to make them himself from a Videki trigger.

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Heinie's fixed rear sight is fully serrated for an unobtrusive sigh picture. The rear notch on this on was opened to .125" to give mor daylight on either side of the .11 front sight. Heinle also makes tritium version of the sight in h unique Straight Eight configurati

CARAT TACTICS FALL 2006

HEINIE Tactical Carry Package

Having it your way may be fine for hamburgers and Starbucks, but 1911 fighting pistols really should have certain basic features. If you don't know what they are, Richard Heinie does. His Tactical Carry Package has everything you need. If you want to add the bells and whistles, he has those too, "l put this package together because it's what I know Hand-lapped slide-to-frame relationship Heinie SlantPro Straight Eight sights Flatten and serrate top of slide 40 Ipi Serrate rear of slide 40 lpi Install beavertail grip safety (Brown or SEA, depending on brand of pistol) Custom bevel mag well Checker front strap, high-cut and trued (20, 25, or 30 Ipi) Flat mainspring housing checkered to match front strap Lower, flare and open ejection port STI carbonfiber or Heinie aluminum trigger cas hammer, sear and disconnector Crisp trigger job at 3.75 to 4 lbs. Hand-fitted ambi thumb safety (Brown Tactical, all edges rounded) Install oversize match barrel and bushing (Bar-Sto r Nowlin, or Brown) Throat barrel and polish feed ramp works and it has what most people want," Heinie said. "By adding the options you can get a full-house pistol loaded up with about everything that I offer." Heinie's Tactical Carry Package is based on a Series 70 Colt or Springfield Mil-Spec pistol supplied by the customer. From there, the following work is performed: Adjust extractor Furnish and adjust an extra extractor Brown Tactical rnag release Install LOW firing pin stop Round and bevel all sharp corners and edges Straighten lines and remove factory tool marks Install Wolff recoil spring and hammer spring Supply two extra 8-round stainless magazines Checkered coco-bolo grips Hex head grip screws Deep hot blue finish Heinle DOJ Holster (black) SureFire E2L tactical light Heinle embroidered nylon pistol case Blue steel Stainless steel Aluminum alloy Titanium frame '3,000 '3,150 '3,250 '3,050

1VAILANI OPTIONS
Scallop front strap and mainspring housing ....... $65 (deduct) Single side combat safety ................................. $60 (deduct) Install Heinie premium mag well ................................. $265 Machine French border on slide ................................... $100 Install flush lanyard loop in flat mainspring housing ........ $90 Shorten slide stop pin and dimple frame ......................... $90 Black "T" Finish ................................... price at time of order Hardchrome ........................................ price at time of order Parkerize ........................................... price at time of order Aluma-Grips ............................................................... $55

IINOOTAINIIIM OPTIONS
(Reserved for special customers)

Custom lanyard attachment

Custom cut notch width in Heinie sights (.140")

Hand polished and welded mag well Royal bluing with very fine glass bead-blasted flats Hand fitted ivory grips

Barrels are vitally important and on this Colt Heinie used a stainless steel match y Stone III, son of barrel from the BarSto Precision. Now under the direction of Ir y Stone Jr., BarSto continues to make one of the best barrels in the BarSto founder Ir business, according to Heinle. Other brands he likes are Nowlin and, somewhat surprisingly, Storm Lake. _ sight, fixed For sights, this Colt and most of the guns Heinie builds use his own with either a black blade or the unique Straight 8 night sights. He can and will install Bo-Mars for those wanting adjustable sights but, Heinle reports, hardly anyone orders adjustable sights anymore. "Don't know why not," he muses. "Maybe because IDPA is all such close range shooting and carry guns are so popular now." Wolff springs are used throughout and deeply figured Hogue grips are custom cut to blend evenly with Heinie's own mag funnel that's welded in . d place and then hand-blende to the frame and , mainspring housing with a file. Heinie's rnag funnel is second only to his -squared and checkered trigger guard as a signature feature. I don't know who first squared an 0-frame trigger guard was it Bob Chow? Frank Pachmayr? Armand Swenson? but Heinie has certainly made the steel right-angle his distinctive silhouette and trademark. Custom built with a welding torch and file, the classic tools to square a trigger guard, it remains a hallmark of a Heinie Custom.

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Beauty On The inside

Dave Williams, another very good pistolsmith, in fact another Pistolsmith Of The Year, once remarked to me that the real beauty of a Heinie-built gun is on the inside. You can feel it as well as see it, how the slide glides so effortlessly on the frame rails, the disconnector notch subtly radiused, the trigger bow rails polished from the inside. That and all the other little things, like the barrel bushing's fit to the slide, tight but not too tight. The slide stop hole radiused and the nose of the slide stop cut square. The positive snick of the thumb safety. The full contact of the sear with the hammer hooks, yet with a crisp 4 lb. trigger that feels like two. The tuned extractors, plural, because every Heinle Custom comes with a spare, checkered to match the rear of the slide. And then there are the more obvious external embellishments. The hand polishing on fine buffing wheels, then painstakingly brought to a mirror sheen with jeweler's grade sand paper. The total absence of factory tool marks, again polished out by hand, evenly and uniformly. The checkering is flawless, to use an over-used adjective. The front strap is done by machine and then hand finished, while the rear of the slide and front of the trigger guard are cut by hand. The top of the slide is serrated and then a dovetail is cut for a front sight, set perfectly centered. On some guns the edges of the slideig trimmed with a French are deal either, as a lot of guns border, purely for show. That's not a throw-it-in-the-j l like these C-series Colts had asymmetrica slides. Add it all up, and you have one of the finest custom Government Models obtainable. Or unobtainable.
There is no

guide rod in a Heinle Colt for a good reason: if MB did not design a guide rod into his pistol, then it does not need one.

103 COMBAT TACTICS FALL

2006

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TACTICAL HATCHETS
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i njoying a resurgence of sorts _. : since its heyday as a battlefield skull crusher during the Middle Ages, the combat axe has found new life as a breaching tool. The Laili axe is by no means innovative the tomahawk in one form or another has been around for millennia but the genre has been revitalized with some interesting -3 breakthroughs in metallurgy and materials. -------4, . The lightweight-yet rugged axe is here. Designed not as a fighting implement, but ''''' q, as a forcible entry tool, the tactical axe is the latest development from custom knifemakers who specialize in hard use designs. The tactical environment has changed too, with an increasing importance on getting in and out of tight places. From id smashing through a barricaded portal to I breaking out of the mangled remains of an IED-hit vehicle, today's operator needs a personal breaching device. The tactical axe is the answer. We found three innovative companies that developed dedicated tools -t:',_to breach doors, smash walls and just generally break stuff. We'll take a look at these three makers and highlight what their tactical axes offer in terms of features, performance, materials and workmanship. 1 1 Our trio of tactical axes each has some11 thing different to offer. Like most tactical gear, one design might be better at certain i tasks than another, part of the mission-specific work that individual requirements often demand. 4 I

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Th e LM AX
The LMAX features a milled aluminum handle with the same MilSpec Type III hard anodized finish used on another rugged tactical tool, a SureFire CombatLiglit. The grooves in the milled handle are useful with gloves. The striking head is constructed from S7 tool steel, which is coincidently used on the Strider axe as well. S7 is a great material for a breaching tool in that it is the same tool steel used for jack hammer bits. It's heat treated to a slightly lower Rockwell (56) to allow it not to chip, but still transfer an incredible amount of energy to the object it is hitting. With a hatchet-like front blade, the point on the back spine is designed to break hard objects such as bricks or cinder blocks. An interesting feature is that by undoing the two bolts holding the head to the handle, you can

actually rotate the head 90 to use the LMAX as a sharpened pry bar. The sharp edge is nice because it allows it to be wedged into a tight crack to work the maximum amount of leverage on the target. Much like a Boy Scout hatchet, the sharp edge works just as well at splitting firewood as tearing through a metal drum. The Lightweight Modular Axe (LMAX) is unique in that it actually isn't a knife maker who primarily designed this particular axe, although Joel Pirella has many years of working with some of the top knifemakers in the custom knife business and is well qualified. Co-designer Jeff Hall had a substantial amount of input into the final design, The LMAX represents a hybrid of sorts, a combination hatchet and breaching tool. For more information, check out www.nemesis-knives.com .

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out of 4440 steel which is differentially heat treated to 58 Rockwell at the edge and 35 Rockwell at the shaft. R1V1J Kestral The thing that's immediately noticeable when The smallest axe of the trio may seem somewhat hefting the axe for the first time is that it feels very solid petite, but it's actually a very usable size. The name and comfortable. It's hard to describe, but the Kestral Kestral is taken from the smallest of the falcon family. usable. Like its raptor namesake, the Kestral may be of diminu- just feels of a hatchet than a breaching tool, the Kestral More tive stature, but it's a formidable foe. works great as a simple camp axe as well as an excellent This axe was the brainchild of an employee of the light breaching tool. Currently the axe is being used U.S. embassy in Cairo who wanted something more overseas by a lot of pilots and drivers. The small size and effective than a knife when he was outside of the relatively lightweight allows you to swing it with great embassy compound because he was unable to carry a force inside a confined area. Although it's small, it can sidearm. tear through light sheet metal as well as doors. Also, feedback from soldiers in Iraq came back that In short, for those of you wanting a compact axe that the first WI design was a little to big to use to exit from doesn't take up too much space but can do a variety of TIED-hit vehicles. Thus the Kestral came into being as a different jobs, the Kestrel is your axe. The website of the more compact axe. maker is www.rmjforge.com . The Kestral is only 12" overall and the blade is forged

sipate it on cutting. They wanted to impart maximum blunt trauma to the object. Now the explanation for the loose heads is a little former military operators who run the California- bit more involved. It's something called a "cantilever based business of making "high speed tools for system" which simply allows the head to rotate a bit hard core individuals." when an object is struck, thus delaying the transfer The Strider CR is built like a tank, clearly made to of energy. Theoretically, the energy then carries take abuse. Like the LMAX, it also uses S7 tool steel for through the blade to the back where the bit again the head, but that's about where the similarities end. moves to absorb more energy The head is attached via bolts to a titanium shaft What this means practically is that you can hit which is wrapped in a Delrin handle filled with epoxy. bricks or concrete and your hand doesn't sting like When hefting the Strider axe, you immediately hitting a fastball on the wrong part of the bat. The notice two things. First, it isn't sharp at all. The head "loose" heads act like a cushion to create a "sweet is more of a prying wedge than a sharpened axehead. spot" on the axe handle, thus minimizing shock Second, the head and spike wobble back and forth. traveling back to your hand. Needless to say this is a The reason is that the Strider axe truly was great feature. designed as a breaching tool. The Strider boys didn't Where the Strider axe really shines is hammering want an edge that could roll or slip. They wanted a on hard obstacles. Breaking apart concrete or striking head that had enough of a point to transfer smashing cinder blocks is just a riot. Strider can sle, the impact energy to a specific point, but not to dis- be found online at www.striderknives.corn.
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\\LS had called the MI Garand the greatest battle rifle ever made and at the time, during World War II, he was probabl y light. - However, during that same conflict, Americans had taken note of the German Sturmgewehr, and seen the handwriting on the wall. So did the Russians, who faced far more Sturmgewehrs than the Yanks. The German concept of an assault weapon with high round count and rate of fire with a cartridge slightly less powTHE MAGNIFICENT M14 erful than that of a true battle rifle made sense to the Russians, and it was not too long after the war that they began fielding the now-ubiquitous Avtomat Kalashnikov, the AK47, chambered for the 7.62x39mm Russian round. In true American fashion, however, our side wanted it all: more bullets, the full-auto option, and

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the raw power of a long-range battle rifle. It was this irrationally high list of demands that led to eventually perceived dissatisfaction with the Garand and the eventual adoption of the superb MI4 battle rifle. It is not too much of an oversimplification to describe the MI4 as an advanced, improved M1 Garand. The similarity is obvious to anyone who has compared the two by sight, by feel, or by fire. The Mrs en bloc clip of eight rounds of .30-06, was replaced by a 20-round box magazine of 7.62mm, NATO. This moved weight to the rear. So, to a degree, did the redesign of the gas system. Some weight less than a pound, was saved in the transition from M1 to MI4, and it helped to compensate for the ammo weight gain that came with the inure than doubled cartridge capacity The Garand averaged about 9.5 lbs. unloaded, varying with stock density, and the M14, about 8.75 lbs. Some felt that the M14 was also inherently more accurate than the Ml, although that's a matter of debate among seasoned riflemen to this day. In the classic Small Arms of the World, the authoritative F. C. Ezell wrote, "The M14 is an evolution of the MI rifle; in the design of the MI4 many of the shortcomings of the M1 have been eradicated. The basic action of the MI remains, but the troublesome en bloc clip has gone. "The hanging of the gas cylinder on the end of the MI rifle's barrel gave some accuracy difficulties; these have been overcome in the MI4 by moving the gas port and gas cylinder back about eight inches from the muzzle. The gas cutoff and expansion system used on the MI4 lends itself to better accuracy because its action is not as abrupt as that of the Mi . Various other changes were made to give the Army a basically better weapon than the Mr V d History's Verdict There were, of course, those who glowered at this new infantry showsthere havealways been such people: those who idle. History sh ow IV th felt the rifle was a step back from the musket, those who felt e ,, .. repeater was wasteful and shouldn't replace the single shot, and I ....., . . - ... ,,...7.L.:0woroppiresiook,4) (later) those who believed going from a .30 caliber to a high velocity .22 . . _ caliber was asinine. In the case of the M14, it was not as bad as some other transitions of American small arms. Typical was the response of Henry M. Stebbins, a noted firearms authority of the in 1958. Sniffed Fifties, who wrote his excellent book Rifles: A Modern Encyclopedia Stebbins, "Most civilian riflemen would choose the M-1 sooner than the M-14 of 1957, if only for its appearance. It looks like a rifle." For the most part, the M14 was praised by faint damns. The troops liked it. For the man about to head into battle, 20 cartridges at the tip of the trigger finger instead of eight was something of a deal-closer. Though the metal butt-plate of the Garand was retained, the gun still seemed to "kick" a little less than its predecessor. Few fans of the M1 could cite much except a sense of history for their argument that older was better. Perhaps they did not realize that John Garand himself had done some design work on the "improved Ml" that would become the M14. There is, after all, more "Garand" than anything else in the M14's design. Different historical accounts date the MI4 variously to both 1957 and 1958. The reason probably is, the M14 was adopted in 1957, based on testing of prototype and pre-produc, . . , '
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tion guns, but mass production did not really get under way until 1958. The adoption was the result of two years of intensive testing in which the FN FAL and the gun that would be the M14 were the finalists. The FN, designated T48 by government testers, performed well, and so did the T44, the homegrown rifle. There was definitely a home court advantage for the made in USA gun. Forever after, fans of the Belgian FN would cry, "NIB!" They were correct to a degree: there probably was some "Not Invented Here" syndrome in play. That said, the M14 proved itself to be an outstanding semiautomatic battle rifle. But it was unrealistically expected to be something else. As a result, once in service it drew more criticism than it ever had received in its planning and announcement stages.

A Big Fan
One of the M14's great fans was William B. Huger, Sr., perhaps the premier American firearms designer of the latter half of the 20th century. Huger paid it the ultimate homage by designing not one but two of his own rifles after the M14. One is the Mini 14 and the other was the XG1, which was little more than an updated version of the M14 itself, in the same caliber. I knew the late Huger, and he told inc that his failure to get the XG1 accurate enough to satisfy him that it was ready for production, was always one of the most bitter disappointments of his professional career. The other homage, of course, was the scaled down .223 version of the M14 that he called, appropriately, the Mini-14. Unlike its larger caliber brother that was stillborn, this little Huger was one of the company's bestsellers, and remains so to this day. Bill Huger had this to say to his biographer, Larry Wilson. "I have often said and I know I am correct here if we had brought the Mini-14 out five years earlier it would have become the standard Army

rifle. I used to hand it to some old Marines I knew and they'd pick it up, bang, bang, just like it was the M14 and slap it open, slap it shut. You could shoot it alt day long." Ruger continued, "Of course, that was the fatal flaw of the M14: The Army was looking for a full-power fully automatic weapon. They really wanted it to do everything, which it just couldn't do. They didn't see that. I saw them demonstrating that M14 when it first came out, at an Army Ordnance meeting in Springfield. We went out to Quabhin Reservoir for a major demonstration. "Here's the poor bastard trying to shoot an M14, with all kinds of strange stocks they were trying, in order to reduce that heavy recoil. On full automatic, one burst at 700 rounds a minute ploying a 20-shot magazine knocked him all over, and the barrel ended up pointing straight em up! If you have a light rifle and a heavy recoil impulse, you're not going to be able to control the gun. That was so simple." Ruger had pretty much nailed the problem. The US military had asked for the impossible: a battle rifle that could function also as a squad automatic weapon if it was just put on a bipod. The Browning Automatic Rifle had deservedly become one of the most beloved infantry weapons of World War 11 and Korea, and the M14 had been conceived by Ordnance as a halfweight "BAR for Everyman." Unfortunately, that wistful hope ignored the laws of physics. The M14 was half the weight of a BAR, firing a cartridge of comparable power, and at too fast a rate. Talk to any old BAR man, and he'll tell yOu that he usually kept his rate of fire selector at the slow setting, where the gun went chug, chug, chug like a Bren gun, instead of ratatatat. Too light a weight and too fast a firing cycle caused the M14 to go out of control in the hands of any but a master machineguriner, as Bill Ruger so eloquently recounted from personal observation. This was the fault of inflated expectation, and not the fault of the M14 rifle. The U.S. military

COMBAT TACTICS FALL

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learned to first instruct troops to fire semi-auto only, and then went so far as to remove the selector switches from most, rendering the rifles strictly semiautomatic. Elsewhere in the world, other armed forces were doing the same thing with selective fire 7.62mm NATO battle rifles. From Great Britain to the Republic of South Africa, troops were ordered to fire one shot at a time, or were issued semi-auto version of the FAL, known as SLR. The Fusil Automatique Leger, or Light Automatic Rifle had become the Self Loading Rifle, Other countries learned the exact same lesson as we had. They just didn't blame their rifles. Almost a million and a half M14 rifles were produced. Manufacturers included the government's own Springfield arsenal, Winchester, Harrington & Richardson, and TRW. Variations included a National Match grade, which earned fame at Camp Perry, and the X11421 sniper rifle, its name later shortened to simply M21. Manufacture of the military MI4 rifle ceased in 1965. ft would be replaced by the MI6.

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During the early days of the war, when American losses were mounting and battle victories scarce, posters reminded the public why their work at home was so important to the fight on the battlefield. The messages were shockingly frank "God help me if this is a dud," says a soldier throwing a grenade. The basic message was to urge Americans to work hard and work well. Do not produce shoddy goods because a soldier's life could depend on your workmanship. Meet your deadlines, get the job done, hustle, hustle, hustle. Motivational posters tugged on the emotions, intentionally. "Miles of hell to Tokyo" Showed a wounded soldier crawling forward, barely gripping his rifle, head bowed. Americans felt a strong sense of duty to work hard to produce the very best guns, ammunition and explosives to give "our fighting boys" the tools they needed to win the war.

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When America entered the war, some American manufacturing companies were already on a wartime footing, having converted to build various equipment for the Allies. However, when we declared war, men quit their jobs to join the fight by quite literally the millions. America's women were ready to step into the breach and take over. However, there was some cultural reluctance for women to work in what was considered a man's world. Remember, the country had just come out of the Depression and many people were against women working because they thought women would be taking jobs from unemployed men. Also, women had only recently gained the right to vote and were still considered somewhat less capable than men. The war changed all that. The Office of War Information created a fictional worker, Rosie The Riveter, as the ideal woman worker: loyal, efficient, patriotic, and pretty. Norman Rockwell's image on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in May, 1943 was the first widely publicized pictorial representation of the new "perfect woman." This led to many other Rosie images. The most famous Rosie appeared in a poster with the headline, "We Can Do It." Do it they did. By 1943, over a half-million women had entered the workforce to labor in factories beside men, all working to win the war. /2

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Your Fair Share

Conserving and rationing became a way of life for Americans as factories diverted the production of consumer goods to war materiel. Factories making everything from chrome bumpers for automobiles to sewing machines switched to wartime production. In fact, a 1911 pistol with a Singer Sewing Machine stamp is highly collectible today. By February, 1942 production of automobiles ceased entirely as car makers geared up to produce vehicles, tanks and other armaments for the war. The list of consumer goods that vanished by 1942 included cars, trucks, metal office furniture, radios, phonographs, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, sewing machines, irons, water heaters, lawn mowers, waffle irons, toasters, percolators and food mixers. Posters urged Americans to make do with less as a patriotic sacrifice for the war effort. Gasoline and tire shortages led to rationing, followed by ration cards for many other goods such as sugar, butter, cheese, canned goods, and meat. Tires, tin, kitchen fat, grease, silk and other scarce materials were saved and recycled for the war effort. Books and pamphlets were printed on lighter-weight paper with smaller type and narrower margins to conserve paper. "Victory gardens" became popular in the cities as another way Americans could contribute to the war effort.

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America entered the war after Pearl Ha the spring of 1942 a mobilized United spending about $100 million a day to sup effort. At home, Americans were asked to war not only by paying their taxes, but als war bonds. "To build factories, and buy the materi the labor, and provide the transportation and feed and house the soldiers, sailors, a and to do all the thousands of things nec war all cost money, more money than ha spent by any nation at any time in the hi world," declared President Franklin D. Ro Posters urged Americans to invest 10 their earnings in bonds. The Treasury D War Finance Division was the most prolif of war bond posters, and sales of bonds matically during the war. Between May 1942 the monthly goal increased from $40 $1 billion a month. Americans contribu ously out of a sense of patriotism and du

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Long before America entered the war formally after Pearl Harbor, we contributed money and materiel to our friends and allies, most notably England. An isolationist foreign policy kept America from openly supporting the allied war effort, however, the Lend-Lease Act and other privately funded "charities" sent much-needed supplies and funds to England. Posters were used to sharpen the public's awareness of the need for contributing to the allied war effort.

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. rial, buy victory bonds and con, t1 , o serve products that might be '-fr.i t needed to wage war. Citizens also were reminded of their role LoosE TALK OM COST LIVES in the defense of the homeland. A Gallup poll in December, 1941 found that half of the American population had a fear of bombing attacks. Civilian volunteers watched the skies for enemy planes and rounded up neighborhood safety patrols. By the summer of 1942 more than 10 million people volunteered to help with defending the home front. All citizens, particularly those who worked in war-related industries, were constantly warned not to talk about their WANTED' or news they had read in - -. work letters from their relatives on the 4. ., .1k4r . :. front for fear that enemy syrnpa' ',; thizers or spies would relay that vital information to the enemy. Posters everywhere reminded citizens that "loose lips sink FOR MURDER ships" and that "careless words i4'et cross tali CM'S fiva, create needless losses."

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Stoking the fires of patriotism, the Office of War Information published a number of posters with jingoistic messages designed to inflame the public's pride in America. These messages struck a resonate note, especially when it's remembered that America had just climbed out of the Depression and our sense of national unity was strong. America in the early '40s was still a nation of God and the idea of banning a Christmas nativity scene or prohibiting the Lord's prayer in schools would have been not just repugnant, but treasonous. Vice President Henry Wallace said in a speech, "Strong in the strength of the Lord, we who fight in the people's cause will never stop until that cause is won." His inspirational words were captured on a poster that was eventually enlarged and hung from the ceiling of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

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Corporate America responded to the war effort by transforming factories to a wartime footing, building tanks instead of tractors, naachinegun belts instead of garden hoses. At the same time, companies adapted the power of advertising to convey a patriotic sales message. A vintage Norge ad for household appliances showed a machinegun turret built into a dishwasher. Western Electric and the Liberty Motor Co. used their military products as a way to build their brands in the consumer market. Today, we rarely see this sort of approach, although a recent Boeing ad featuring fighter jets comes to mind as a not dissimilar marketing approach. But in a time when the country was still reeling from the Depression, companies advertised their goods as part of an overall effort to reinforce positive images of business, workers and management, and American capitalism.

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Voltaire captured it best, the right to voice unpopular ideas: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Anti-war protests have accompanied literally every war America has ever fought, perhaps none more so than our first war, the War of Independence, when Loyalists welcomed British troops and openly worked to undermine the "rebels" led by General Washington. Vietnam was the watershed of anti-war protesting in modern times, fueled in no small part by a captivating new invention, television. Today the war in Iraq is popularly supported by Americans for much the same reason that Americans supported World War II we had been shamelessly attacked. Even so, there are war protests today, and the use of posters and images is every bit as useful to those opposed to the war as to those who support it.

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has changed the face of combat arms in the last decade like th spread acceptance of optical sights. Along with highly efficien lights, the "red dot" sight has become de rigueur on any well-equipped AR or M16 w Foremost among them is Trijicon's Advanced Combat Optical Gun (ACOG) sight, sel nating sight that has proven itself rugged and reliable in combat. VVe've been using ACOGs in a variety of configurations since they were first introduc the fiber optically lit, tritium reserved sight is still one of our favorite sights. There's n tion that an ACOG increases a rifleman's efficiency in the field with much better hit pro at distance than with iron sights. Most of our experience has been with the 3.5x and 4x models. Recently, with the inc usage of accurized .223 rifles like the SPR, the 5.5x ACOG has come into its own as optic for these more accurate weapons systems. Like the lower power versions, the 1A55 ACOG utilizes a tritium and fiber optic comb to light a chevron style reticle that allows the shooter to make precision shots with th the chevron, or utilizing the entire chevron, fast shooting in close quarters. The shooter c use various drop points on the reticle to compensate for both elevation and range findi Thanks to a whole system of optical science that Trijicon summarizes rather succinc the term "Bindon aiming principle," ACOGs can easily be shot with both eyes open enhances your ability to rapidly pick up and track moving targets. Somehow and th optical science at work the magnification of the ACOG is not distracting and allows focus on the target without losing perspective on the non -magnified peripheral are Bindon system is both fast and efficient. We found some great uses for the increased magnification of the 5.5x ACOG. By u this scope on an SPR, you now have enough magnification to wring the accuracy poten of these match-barreled, tuned weapons. We also found that when used in conjunctio high-powered 9 and 12 volt SureFire WeaponsLights, you can identify and engage tar well over 100 yards in total darkness. One of our staffers was working patrol with an M4 Devastator "Leopard Light" moun his AR along with ACOG when thing south. A barricaded s decided not to coop but the M4 lit him ri with the glowing chevron clearly sup posed on his melon. man said in his unde way, "That ACOG and is a real force-multipli (The incident e without gunfire, b way, with the bad gu rendering, oblivious fact that he had be ACOG's breath awa being DRTI

NOTHIN6

, .

BDS Tactical Stacker Plate Carrier

ww.bdstacticalgear.com
r body armor has improved dramatically since the desert dustup began, RSONA , and so have the tactical plate carriers that hold the modern knight's
armor. Early plate carriers were more or less floppy nylon sacks, but today's better versions are ergonomically tailored to cinch snugly to the soldier's torso. BDS Tactical, formerly Special Operations Equipment, now under new ownership and management, is at the forefront of plate carrier design with their Stacker plate carrier. Utilizing a cummerbund waist belt, the plate carrier can be adjusted for tightness and comfort. This is the key you want a snug fit so your gear isn't flopping around. With seven rows of PALS webbing front and back, the Tactical Stacker can be individually configured with a variety of mag pouches, blow-out kits, knife and flashlight pouches, CarnelBaks or any assortment of "kit" you choose. There's a heavy-duty drag handle sewn securel y onto the carrier as well. The cummerbund is removable, although it's the key to the comfort of the Stacker, so we don't know why you'd want to take it off. There are three more rows of PALS webbing on the cummerbund for additional mag pouches. The plate compartments are Velcro closed and come with an extra layer of padding in between the Cordura o 1000 denier nylon sheaths. Any standard or large size plate fits the BDS Stacker. The shoulder straps are adjustable, so you can position the plates correctly. There's a Velcro patch on the upper front for a name patch, flag or IR reflective panel. We put a "Fun Meter" patch on ours. The Stacker is extremely well made. The PALS webbing is bar tacked, box-X stitches are used where needed and the materials are all first-rate. We actually stopped by the new BDS factory outside of Camp Pendelton and can attest firsthand that their gear is Made In The USA. it comes with a lifetime guarantee. The Stacker with the cummerbund system retails for $265 which, in our opinion, is a damn good price for a piece of gear this good. Check out the assortment of MOLLE pouches that BDS makes.

154

www.suretire.com

Southwest Motorsports MaxGrip NT Gloves

www.southwestmotorsports-co

r once met an interesting character in a hunting camp in the central African forest named Sinnossa. She was a two-year-old chimp, playful, affectionate four handfuls of fun. We tried wrestling with her and quickly discovered that was n good idea. Her feet have opposing digits making her literally all thumbs. She grabs you all four "hands" and is stronger than most men, even though she only weighs abou pounds. Come to think of it, with all those thumbs she could shoot a gun with her fee We would have trouble with that trick. Effectively returning fire without the use of y hands is something only Simossa should try. That's why our hands are so important. Serious shooters understand the need to protect their hands at all times. Those have used any sort of glove with regularity understand the never ending battle to fin glove with the perfect balance between protection, dexterity, and longevity. Gloves with heavy protection typically lack the dexterity required for trigger manipula while lightweight gloves lack the durability and protective qualities necessary for the job Enter the Southwest Motorsports MaxGrip NT Glove. These offer increased frict abrasion and cut protection over the erable Nomex flight glove while m taining excellent dexterity at the fing tips. The MaxGrip NT Glove is constru with high quality leather, fire resis Nomex, and stitched with Kevlar thr for increased strength and durability. The Nomex-covered extend sleeve has an elastic cuff which he keep out foreign objects and debris. cuff is adjustable via a velcro pull tab. sleeve is snug without being excessi tight, and can be tucked into a shirtsle if desired. All exposed leather is treated wi proprietary digital texturing wh improves grip, dexterity and durab without adding thickness to the mate This digitally textured leather protects knuckles, palm and fingertips. Overall construction of the glove excellent, and brings a word to mi overbuilt. High density stitching cov the glove and all high stress areas double stitched for durability. Col available are black, olive drab, and t Military and law enforcement sho inquire for special pricing; retail is $79. After wearing our gloves on the ra and in the field, we have permane retired the trusty old Nomex flight glov We don't leave home without a pai these in our kit bag, and neither sho you. Unless of course you're a chi named Simossa.

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MOAT TACTICS FALL 2006

**"4"'1

Glock Reference Book

tur

www.lonewolfdist.com

tend to be 1911-centric but we're realistic enough to know that Glocks are here to

ilif L stay. Love 'em or hate 'em, tactical Tupperware is an important part of the handgun

world today. Some of our crew are police officers who carry Clocks on-duty. Several of our trainers at The SureFire Institute carry Clocks as their weapons-of-choice both on- and off-duty. There's just no accounting for some people's taste... Given that Glocks are, as Ken Hackathorn says, the lawnmowers of handguns capable of working reliably with absolutely no maintenance we can't help but be enamored with one particular reference manual for working on the Austrian pistols. The Complete Clock Reference Guide by Ptocima Publications is a great thing to have on your armorer's bench. This reference not only provides a good history of the gun, but also detailed descriptions and photos on complete servicing and stripping. Several of our buds are multiple graduates of the Glock Arrrorers School, and even they all learned a new trick or two from this book. While the reference materials in the book are great, the torture testing section is worth the price alone. The authors fired a Clock out of a homemade mortar, ran it through a cement mixer and even allowed a Navy SEAL to shoot it really an interesting chapter. There's a chapter on shooting techniques that's pretty basic. There's also a chapter on how Kydex holsters are made that's actually quite interesting as well. Other than those digressive chapters, the rest of the book is very useful and devoted to how Clocks run, parts and modei references, modifications, and other outstanding technical information. If you own a Clock or are just plain interested in how handguns work, then the The Complete Glock

Reference Guide is worth the $29.95

retail price.

15B

www.surefire.com

Magpul Precision Rifle Stock www.magpuLco

it was the 1911, now t's the AR15. Thanks to our marvelous cottage indus FIRST innovators and entrepreneurs, these two weapons have been extensively impr by a growing plethora of accessories. VVhile most of the 1911 add-ons came to the fore i '80s and '90s, it's only been recently that the AR15 has taken its turn in the limelight. Most of the improvements and upgrades have come in the area of barrels, free-float ha guards, grips, mounts, triggers, optics and lights. But rear stock selections have not exactly b wide. Our friends at Vltor make a slick replacement for a CAR collapsible stock, but the nothing out there for the fixed stock aficionado... until now. Magpul recently released their Precision Rifle Stock (PRS) rear stock and, we're here to you, it's an excellent piece of gear. The PRS is adjustable for both length-of-pull and cheek p elevation. It's rugged and easily adjustable in the field. Often the length-of-pull needed for perfect positioning and eye relief changes with shooting position and your load out. Body armor adds at least an inch to your chest, but you can adjust your rifle for a perfect fit with no tools or complex operations. You merely turn an adjustment wheel while in position, the buttplate moving as you the dial. The same happens with the easy to move cheek piece. This elevation adjustm allows you to perfectly align your eye with the center of your chosen optic, all while kee a good cheek weld. In the past, tactical marksmen have suffered from headaches, eye strain, neck cramps other annoying distractions from lying scrunched over a scoped AR for several hours with a tory rear stock. No more chiropractors after a Magpul PRS is fitted. The entire stock is ambidextrous and has several options for sling mounting. Our only plaint is that the toe of the stock is a little short for getting a hand under it for support in prone position when shooting off a rucksack or a bipod. This is not critical if you carry a s bag to place under the rear stock. We would love to see Magpul build a small, simple mon as an accessory for this stock. We have recently changed optics, and a couple turns on the adjustment wheels on the and all is well. Magpul has several other great products to their line of accessories, so have credit card handy when you hit their site. The PRS, incidentally, retails for $255.

COMBAT TACTICS

FALL 2006

.; 1/Ifilson Tactical Lanyard

ww.combatelite.cam
six bucks, the price of a Guinness draught in an Irish pub, you can buy something handFemade with a tactical application that will last longer than a pint of the emerald isle's ' best export, although it certainly won't taste as good. We've used this cool piece of gear to good effect on knives, cell phones, key chains and ruck sacks. Its a Wilson Tactical lanyard, and it's function is to give a short grab handle to things like zippers. We tied one on our BlackBerry and now we can instantly retrieve the little ringing rascal out of a pocket. We threaded one onto our Chris Reeve Sabenza, still a favorite everyday carry knife, and now the titanium liner lock folder also has a handy pull cord. If the name of the maker is familiar, it should be. Wilson Tactical is the namesake of Ryan Wilson, the skilled knifemaker and son of master pistolsmith Bill Wilson. Add a third Wilson into the mix, Ryan's lovely wife Christine, and you have the lanyard connection. Christine braids the tactical lanyards by hand. Each one is sort of square, braided into a brick-like pattern that's harder to describe than it is to ask you to just look at the accompanying photo. The material is the outer sheath from 550 cord, or parachute cord, with those thin little inner white nylon strings pulled out. Wilson's lanyards come in a variety of color combinationS like coyote and OD or tan and black. They come with cool little plastic skulls in the loop end, adding a Johnny Depp dash of yo-ho-ho. They're priced at $5.99. We told Ryan that he should sell them by the dozen. They're that handy. We tied them onto the zippers of a backpack and used one for a key chain. They work great on the zippers of an Eagle soft gun case as well. We went through six of them in no time. Now you know what to buy your co-worker for Christmas. It's perfect. Where else can you buy a handmade item, with a major name brand, that's "tactical," is handy as hell and only costs six friggin' bucks? Well, okay, a pint of Guinness.

158

www.surefire.com

fre*NO******000500004'.

Schmidt & Bender Short Dot

Fr

www.schmidtbender.co

Germany with love comes the latest tactical upgrade from Schmidt Et Bender optics company that just r- Short Dot is widely considered thekeeping making scopes better and better. Their ori COB best low powered variable tactical scope availabl
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how could they improve on perfection? Simple. By responding to the requests of the tac community. The new Short Dot II, also known as the 1.1-4x24 Zenith LE3, incorporates specific fea requested by law enforcement and military users. The first thing you'll notice is the la 24mm objective, which was not available when the original Short Dot was designed w 20mm objective. The larger objective increases light transmission and provides a notice larger field of view. The reticle has been moved to the second focal plane, which allows the reticle to be e seen at any power without being too coarse for precision use at full magnification. Some u had complained that the reticle of the original Short Dot was too fine to see at 1.1 po which was problematic if the red dot was turned off. The difference between first and second focal plane reticles is that when the aiming r ence is on the first plane, like most European scopes, the crosshairs "grow" as the magni tion increases. On the second plane, like most American scopes, the crosshairs appear to the same size, in effect "shrinking" as the magnification is dialed up. And speaking of the red dot, it is now approx 1.5 MOA at full magnification, instead o 5.5 MOA of the original scope. The smaller dot obscures less of the target for those longer tance shots. The locking windage turret has been replaced with a standard protective cap, as win adjustments on the fly are rarely needed in a scope such as this. Inside the protective cap spare battery compartment which houses a extra CR2032 lithium cell, doubling the 110 projected battery life. The elevation turret is still the locking variety, which protects your zero from being sh when involved in, shall we say, vigorous activities. Ballistic Drop Compensators are availab M855 and M118LR ammunition. Like the original Short Dot, the Short Dot II is best used with the purpose-built La Tactical SPR mount, utilizing LaRue's ingenious Adjustable Speed Levers and made specif for the SEIB scope. Now for the bad news. The Schmidt and Bender tactical glass retails for $2,149.

COMBAT TACTICS FALL 2006

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For service members away from home, receiving a favorite magazine is like getting a little piece of home every month!
For only $10 each you can send gift subscriploss of a loved one. Log onto tions to men and women serving on active duty winnu.subsforsoldiers.cam or mail a check 4.- *- - at home and around the world. Plus, $2 of every payable to "Subscriptions for Soldiers" to: 1 Gift Subscription goes to the Tragedy Assistance Subscriptions for Soldiers, 200 Madison Avenue, -4 Program For Survivors, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016. T. a non-profit organization offering comfort and . care to armed forces families coping with the M illtarYCOM , ..

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rIf you don't get a Para PXT 1911, you will hate yourself tomorrow
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j am to have is a double feed. The e xtractor pulls off the case rim leaving an empty case in the c hamber and the slide Cycles and tries to feed a new round behind the Tec stuck case. Only Para's Power E xtractor hnology, or PXT, p revents double feeds. During r esearch and dev m PXT, we took a barrel andelopment of the Para ch achined rings in the amber so that when a round was fired the case could not come out. When the pistol was the Para PXT r " fired, did not pull off the lodged case, instead it ripped right through the rim. If the case had been a normal stuck case, it would have come out of the chamber, pre venting a double feed. Don't risk a double feed. Get a Para PXT 1911 today.

mmiwilminimmaiin the rim nf lodged case. , semi $2 to: Poro-Onloance, De. t. 86 trig . 1ofvei-4-s-..40.,4-40tvig.&.,....,
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The claw of the PXT is 50% larger than a standard extractor, and ripped through

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