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[bop-pipeguy]

Brownell’s Retro 4x Carry Handle Optic

Carry handle AR-15s are all the rage these days. Commanding silly prices on auction sites, flexed hard on Instagram and hotly debated between A1 and A2 style sights, you’re not cool if you don't have a fixed carry handle upper. But what if you still want some decent glass? There are plenty of options out there, and one in particular brings up thoughts of the jungle and liberty in Saigon, the Retro 4x Carry handle optic from Brownell’s.

This scope is not just inspired by the Colt 3 and 4 power scopes of the 70s, it IS the old Colt scope. Manufactured by the original company, using original designs, this is a 1:1 reproduction, with the only difference besides markings being the modern lens coatings and nitrogen purged, this is a vintage optic with modern internals. Think mass produced restomod. 

I missed out on the first few batches of these optics a few years ago, but eventually managed to get ahold of one for my BRN-16A1 (we can talk about this rifle another day) and it just looks right sitting on top of the carry handle. The height is very convenient for a fast shot while maintaining situational awareness. as a side note, too many companies these days are putting out ultra high optics mounts. Guys, a carry handle gives you the same height mount, has a built in backup iron sight and even comes with a receiver! But again, that's another discussion for another day. The optic does not use a rail or ring, but rather mounts directly to a hole in the center of the carry handle, placing the eye box in pretty much the same place the shooter would need to be to use the iron sights. it also allows the use of the irons by way of a machined hole. it feels more “crowded” than without the optic, but it is still perfectly useable. the sight picture itself is clear with a simple duplex reticle, which is a pleasant change from the over crowded and poorly explained reticles available on most optics today.

As if all this wasn't enough, the Retro 4x also features a Bullet Drop Compensator knob. with settings from 100 to 500 yards, this optic has some reach. However it is not a precision optic. The user will not be dialing in DOPE or be making precision shots. That is not the purpose of this scope. The purpose was originally and still is to increase hit probability at distance with speed. Calibrated with 55gr M193 ammunition in mind (to go along with Brownell’s Retro line of rifles and their 1:12 twist) these optics simply let you see a little farther a little better. That was enough for the US military. While I do not believe they were ever officially adopted, they were not replaced until Trijicon’s ACOG was adopted. If you look around, you can actually find images of the Colt 3x and 4x on rifles as late as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 

Aesthetically pleasing and highly functional, the Brownell’s Reto 4x optic deserves consideration on your next carry handle build. As of this writing, they are in stock at brownells.com and you can save 10% on it by using code pipeguy10 at checkout.

[bop-pipeguy]

Cornfield Brutality Part 5- Stage 1 Long Range Assault

This stage hurt my pride. I am what some people would call “out of practice” with iron sights at distance. My Windham A4 was zeroed for a good old fashioned USMC 36/300 meter zero, but in my excitement i forgot some things.

The stage began with a angled roof shooting position and the shooter was to engage a 400 yard target with five well aimed shots minimum, but could continue until they got a hit if they so chose. moving on after the five shots was a 60 second penalty. Enter my first mistake- not adjusting my rear sight elevation and holding low when i should have held high. 300 meters is about 328 yards. 400 yards is about 365 meters. Neither is too far off, close enough to land a hit with Kentucky windage if I had remembered what I was doing. By shot number 3 I had figured out my problem (with help from the spotters) but still did not manage to land a hit. I decided eating the 60 seconds and moving on was the right call.

Moving to the first hay obstacle, my plan is basically to get the best sight picture I can and wing it based on feedback from the spotters. Further complicating the situation is my sights are still set for 300 meters, my targets are closer, and I am advancing on them between the obstacles. Windage was not much of an issue, the zero was good and while pretty windy at the range it maintained almost no value. The biggest factor with windage was my front sight being wider than the targets, so as you would see on the YouTube video of this stage, I continue to dance around the targets. I did ultimately land the four hits needed to move on to the second obstacle and repeated this process. 

I also learned that I should probably practice reloading from an ALICE pouch in the prone before next year. that sapped some time from me and I managed to get my third hit at this obstacle just before the buzzer informed us that my time was up. 

Stage one, in simplest terms, kicked my ass. I know i can hit targets that far, ive done it before. (nevermind 9holereviews pointing out that target was the size of a jeep vs the IPSC targets I was shooting at for this match) the principals remain the same. More practice will definitely be needed before next years run of Cornfield Brutality. 

I want to thank InRange TV for putting on this and all of the brutality matches, and a very sincere thanks to Brownell’s for hosting the match at their range. It was overall a great time and I cannot wait for Cornfield Brutality 2023. 

In the meantime, if you want to set yourself up for a Brutality match, USPSA or really any style of shooting, make sure to hit up Brownell’s. you can save 10% off your order by using promo code pipeguy10 on any order of $150 or more at brownells.com

[bop-pipeguy]

Cornfield Brutality Part 4- Stage 4 Farmers Firefight

Stage four was my first significant wait of the day. Which was fine with me as it gave me more time to rest, socialize and observe how the stage was to be run. This one had from left to right, five pepper poppers, a lone steel plate, and a plate rack. There were also a pair of upright farmers carry bars and a large tire. Sounds fun to me.

On buzzer, I engaged the plate rack, dropped my magazine, and used the chambered round to engage the lone steel plate. “If you miss, you miss” we were told. We only got the one shot to avoid the penalty of not hitting that plate. Turns out this stage was very 1911 friendly as reloads were built in. I then holster my pistol, and farmer carry the bars to the left side of the range, draw my pistol, load and engage the pepper poppers. Missed a couple shots, but after dropping the now empty magazine, scored my second hit on the steel plate. Now for the tire. I’m not sure if it was adrenaline, if the tire was not as heavy as I expected, or both, but the required three flips did not seem that bad at all. Once this is complete the plate rack needs to be reset by the shooter. I watched several people do this and one or two plates fall back, so I decided to deliberately go a little slower and ensure the plates stayed in place. At this point I do my best shooting of the whole day. There are six plates on the rack, each one goes down with one shot, and there is a round left in the magazine as I eject it to engage and get my third hit on the single steel plate.

Now it’s time to return the equipment. I flip the tire back the requisite three times, grab the farmers carry bars and bring them back to where I found them. Again, deliberately slowing down to reset the plate rack, I draw my pistol for the final engagement. Missing one shot at the rack my magazine is empty when I neutralize it and drop the mag. The stage is ended with my fourth hit on the lone steel plate.

This stage was probably the most fun for me. Enough going on to keep me busy but simple enough to not worry about messing it up. The farmers carry and tire flips wouldn’t be called a workout, but definitely got the heart rate up enough to make me have to think about what I was doing with my pistol. After the failure to lock open on the previous stage, I was trying to keep count of rounds in my head so I’d know if I would fire at the lone steel plate of if the dreaded click would happen. I’m honestly not sure if that would have counted as a miss or if I’d of been allowed to reload, drop the mag and attempt the shot again. My efforts seem to have paid off for one of my best stages and easily the most fun stage of the day

The video of this stage can be viewed here

[bop-pipeguy]

Cornfield Brutality Part 3- Stage 3 Pistol Punishment

After finishing the Kasarda Drill, my squad moved on to stage three. This stage had a fair bit going on in terms of targets, so it was a game of speed shooting and remembering everything in the right order. There was a dualing tree, some large steel plates near the back, a plate rack, and the dreaded spinner. Lucky me, these targets were all relatively close range on a pistol only stage. Excellent! Living where I do, most of my shooting is done at indoor ranges so I spend a lot of time with pistols. Off to the side there was a piece of equipment I’d never seen before. Turns out it was a strongman log bar. To be honest it looked a lot heavier than it was.

As with every stage that day, I was glad not to be going first. Regardless of how many times someone explains the stage, to me it’s easiest just to see it done a couple times and break it down as simply as possible. First, engage the dueling tree, neutralizing each plate. From there I flip the safety of my 1911 on and set it on the table, grab the log bar, run (or shuffle) it around a cone on the far side of the bay and return it where I found it. Then move back to the table, pick up my pistol and get one hit per on the large plates near the back of the bay. The plates at the very back took two shots each, but in the grand scheme I don’t think that’s too bad. Safe the pistol, run with the log bar again, reengage the dueling tree. Final run with the log bar, grab my pistol and moving to the left side of the bay, there is a barrier between me and the plate rack. Keeping my feet inside the 2x4s of the barrier, I engage the plate rack, alternating the side of the barrier I’m shooting from with each shot. I caught myself using the barrier as a rest for a little more stability and no one told me to stop so I just rolled with it.

At this point of the stage I had my only real malfunction of the day. My 1911 did not go to slide lock when the magazine was empty, so I got a click and thought I had a failure to feed, which I suppose is technically accurate since the gun cannot feed what isn’t there. A quick reload and we’re back in the game. Now run back to the right side of the range with the spinner. Six hits are required to finish, but the shooter has the option to attempt spinning it for a 60 second bonus. After seeing the spinner not move much as I hit it I decided to play it safe and not attempt to get that bonus.

One thing worth noting is this being a pistol only stage, I had no reason to carry rifle mags on me. Given the low capacity of a 1911 I played it safe, and filled my rifle mag pouch with loaded pistol mags, allowing me to quadruple the amount of relevant ammo I had on me and reserve the mags in pistol mag pouches for faster reloads, should I need one really fast. Overall the plan worked out well and I’m pretty pleased with how I did.

Video for this stage can be viewed here

[bop-pipeguy]

Cornfield Brutality Part 2 - Stage 2 Kornfield Kasarda

Arriving at the range around 630am, I was nearly vibrating with excitement and nervousness. I read and reread the rules and was determined not to get Disqualified for anything, much less something stupid. My goals for the match were actually pretty simple. 1- Not get DQ’d and 1- Have fun. It was at this point, while checking in and getting my swag bag, that I realized while I had been so worried about remembering everything, that I’d completely forgotten a chamber flag for my rifle. Luckily, Paul Leavy of Brownell’s had a spare that he let me borrow for the day. From there I paced around awkwardly, as one does at a new event around people they don’t know.

Being in squad 2, my day started at stage 2. I observed the bay and saw three steel silhouette targets 50 yards away, and nothing else. My knowledge of Brutality matches told me that this stage was going to hurt. Then I saw them. Off to the left, out of sight from the gravel road, just off the cement we’re two kettle bells. My first stage of the day was the Kasarda Drill. The concept is simple, engage the targets from prone, chuck the kettle bell, move to it and that is your new shooting position. Do this until you reach the end or run out of time. However this was different. This particular stage was setup to run the drill laterally, not downrange as is often seen in past matches on YouTube. There are also two kettle bells, one significantly larger than the other.

The drill was modified to fit the 50 yard bay, shooter executing the drill from one end to the other and back. If he heavy kettle bell was chosen, the shooter would have to get two hits on the center steel target before moving on. If the lighter was chosen, shooter would have to get two hits on each of the three targets before moving on. It took me precisely no time at all to choose the lighter kettle bell, as I’d be able to throw it farther with less risk of injuring my back, and the time of engaging the extra targets would be significantly less than the extra time of getting in and out of prone over the shorter distances of throwing the heavy kettle bell.

After figuring out my holds in the first engagement (I used a 36/300 zero on my rifle) the biggest obstacle for me was controlling my breathing, which did cause my to miss a few shots, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t recover from. To put this into context, a couple days before leaving I watched Ian of Forgotten Weapons run Lynx Brutality in Slovenia, where the kettle bell for the Kasarda Drill was something to the tune of 70 pounds. It was a classic situation of my overhyping something in my head and it ultimately being not that bad. My knees did find several perfectly placed rocks as I was doing the drill, and for that I’m still paying. In the end I timed out, but got 60 seconds of bonuses and had a pretty decent time to start the day.

The video of me running this stage can be watched here-

[bop-pipeguy]

Cornfield Brutality Part 1- The Wait

I’ve been watching Brutality matches on YouTube as long as they’ve been doing them. Every year waiting to see InRange post their Desert Brutality runs and later watching in awe as Varusteleka jumped in with Finnish Brutality. I promised myself years ago if a match was ever held closer to my I’d jump on it. Then it happened….. InRange TV presents Cornfield Brutality, sponsored by Brownell’s. I immediately got on Practiscore for details, and registered.

Classic and Retro Divisions had been done away with, I believe due to so many questions about what was allowed and what was not, and replaced with Battle Rifle Irons and Assault Rifle Irons. I registered for the latter and began my wait. During this time I began going through my kit and figuring out what to use, based on what I’d seen in past videos on YouTube. My Windham Weaponry 20” Government (M16A4 clone) and my BRN-16A1 were the choices for a rifle. I ultimately settled on the Windham for my first run, as I personally prefer A2 sights (I imposed a “no modifications” rule on myself, so swapping sight apertures was not an option this time.) for a pistol I went back and forth between my Beretta 92FS and my Springfield MilSpec. Ultimately the MilSpec was chosen for the following reasons- First, it had no modifications so it was within my self imposed rule. Second, spinner targets were a concern for me and I felt the heavier 45 ACP would help me with them (ultimately this concern did not materialize). And third, I shoot the 1911 better than the 92FS.

My stripped down ALICE kit, with Springfield Armory Mil Spec

Windham Weaponry A4, with Hub City Outdoors ALICE mod sling.

At the beginning of my preparation, I had a full loadout of ALICE kit. Four rifle mag pouches, 2 pistol mag pouches, UM84 (M12) holster, 2 canteens, butt pack and suspenders. Then I received an email showing the round count. I promptly stripped that kit down to belt, holster, pistol mag pouches and one rifle mag pouch. From there I had to determine my outfit, as I’d registered for LARP, and needed to wear a costume of some kind. At first I was going to wear a BDU jacket that was RAID modded by Hub City Outdoors in God’s Plaid (M81 woodland) but ultimately switched to my Tiger Stripe jacket that is also an HCO RAID mod. This combined with blue jeans and a cravat bandage as a headband gave me what I called a modernized Vietnam era look. Tying the whole outfit together was my Seiko SNK381K “Raider Rolex,” a soft reissue of the famed watch worn and loved by MACV-SOG in Vietnam. Extra ammunition, cleaning kit, food, water, and medical kit was carried in my SOTech Tactical tiger stripe ARVN rucksack.

State flag of Nebraska on my Hub City Outdoors RAID mod. Couldn’t attend Cornfield Brutality without representing the Cornhusker state.

The suspense built as I awaited the day to head up I-80 to Grinnell Iowa and participate in what was not just my first Brutality match, but my first shooting competition ever. Aside from minimum ammunition requirements, stage par times (“180 seconds to miss as much as you want” according to the email) and the fact it’s not Brutality without a Kasarda Drill, I had no idea what was waiting for me at Brownell’s Big Springs Shooting Complex the morning of August 12th……

[bop-pipeguy]

Langdon Tactical LTT Elite- The Chicken Parm of the pasta guns

It’s only fitting that todays final installment of the pasta gun series is being written on spaghetti night, however the LTT Elite is so much more than just spaghetti. While I am originally from western New York and take pizza very seriously, chicken parm is the meal saved for the special occasions. This is because it’s more work than spaghetti or pizza, but shines as the pick of the three options while still being relatively inexpensive for what you’re getting. I feel it’s the perfect comparison dish for the LTT Elite. Much more work goes into these pistols than other Berettas you may find, yet for all the performance that’s packed into them, they are still a fraction of what, let’s say a custom tuned 1911 would be.

The LTT Elite 92 feels like a completely different gun in the hand. It’s ultra thin grips make for an incredibly comfortable pistol where the original 92FS, while comfortable for those with bigger hands like myself, still feels pretty chunky. The trigger is absolutely amazing. Im not sure what magic they’re adding to it out there in Arizona (I think it’s garlic and basil) but the trigger feels noticeably better than a user installed trigger job in a bag. The slide has front cocking serrations which add a certain aesthetic to it. I’d never really considered them because I use the scallop in the slide for things like press checks, but they are nice. I love that Langdon has retained the flat front trigger guard of the M9A1 which lends itself to a flush fit should you decide to mount a light to the gun.

Original grips on the left, LTT Ultra Thin grips on the right

The Gun has a two tone look thanks to its stainless steel barrel and trigger. This look can extend to more of the small parts if the buyer elects for the full NP3 treatment. Personally I favor the “Murdered out” look of the M9 and M9A1, but that’s not a dealbreaker by any means. There is also an option to flush cut and crown the barrel, giving the front end a flat clean look. It’s probably nostalgia talking but I still like that little bit of barrel sticking out past the slide.

There are some things I do wish were different however. After experiencing it on my Wilson Combat Centurion Tactical, I’d of liked if the LTT came with a magazine guide. Not necessarily for guiding a magazine, but it adds about half an inch of length to the grip and makes the gun fit a little more comfortably in my hand. The one thing I simply do not like about the LTT Elite is the fiber optic front sight. My experience with fiber optics is they don’t illuminate well indoors, and they not only can, but are expected to eventually come out of their housing. To me that’s the same as when people talk about how great a guns warranty is…..it doesn’t help you in a gunfight. It much rather see orange ring tritium or a simple serrated front sight.

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic pistol and easily my favorite of the three I’ve discussed.it doesn’t scratch the nostalgia itch like a commercial M9 or M9A1 would, but as a working gun it’s pretty hard to beat for an older DA/SA design.

[bop-pipeguy]

Advanced Pizza Gun- The Wilson Combat Centurion Tactical

Since their introduction in 2014 I had lusted for a Wilson Combat Brigadier Tactical. I still want one but that’s besides the point. At the time in my mind there was no one better to work on a pistol than the folks at Wilson. Then one day working a closing shift at The Firing Pin in my hometown of Bergen, NY we saw it. On the website, in all its glory, was the Wilson Combat Brigadier Tactical. Discussion and debate ensued for days about the 92FS in general vs striker fire pistols. Eventually we moved on and I put it out of my mind. I wouldn’t get a Beretta of any variety until the 92FS I discussed in my previous blog.

Fast forward to April of 2020- Stimulus payments are going out and I decided mine was going to go to something cool. The time had come. I went to Wilson Combat’s website and pulled up the Brigadier Tactical. Alas, it was out of stock, but the Centurion Tactical was in stock. My first thought is “what’s a centurion?” After some quick reading I realize Beretta took the concept of a Commander 1911 and applied it to the 92. A slightly shorter barrel and slide with full size frame. Sounded good to me, and not that I needed more justification, but it was just that much more different from my 92FS.

I’ve got to say, Wilson Combat has some of the best customer service I’ve ever dealt with. They answered my questions (via email) extremely quickly and thoroughly, while still keeping it short. Being as impatient as I was to own a Wilson, I opted for the pistol as is, with some extra goodies as well. In retrospect I should have opted for some of the work they offered. I’m in no way displeased with the pistol. It’s built at Beretta to Wilson’s specs, and is significantly better fit than an off the shelf 92, which is truly saying something as the 92 is already one of the highest if not the highest quality fit production pistol in its price range. Using a 92A1 frame and with a “G” style decocker from the factory this was already a winner. The Hackathorn style sights, featuring a WC U notch battlesight rear and orange ring tritium front quickly became my favorite setup. However it still had a standard factory trigger. Has I opted for the action tune which as I understand it, Ernest Langdon had a hand in designing, would of been a much wiser decision.

Shown with a Wilson Combat branded holster made by Milt Sparks.

I do eventually want to install an LTT “trigger job in a bag” and bring this pistol to its full potential, but until then it’s still a wonderful gun and I’m glad I was able to get one. It seems Wilson has been having trouble getting Berettas the past couple years so I’m not sure if it when I’ll be able to add a Brigadier Tactical to my collection.

[bop-pipeguy]

Pasta Pistol- The Beretta 92FS

My interest in the Beretta M9 started when Robert Loggia asked Adam Baldwin “Is that glass bullet proof?” In “Independence Day.” The first pistol I ever really handled and got to know was my issued M9. It wasn’t new by any means, but it wasn’t as worn out as some of the others floating around my platoon. In the 11 months I had a weapons card for it, I put all of ten rounds through it, off the fantail of USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) after doing drills with my M4 while deployed as part of Battalion Landing Team 1/9 with 24 Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in 2010. Where most people learned to hate the M9 based on their sample size of one that they handled during their enlistment, I fell in love with it.

Fast forward to 2019, a homie and I are at a big box sporting goods store and happen across a couple of interesting Berettas. Both are the 92FS with two tone finish. One using a bronze frame and barrel the other using grey, both having black slides. Neither of us bought that day but within a couple of weeks we both ended up getting those pistols, him getting the bronze, and me getting the grey. He has since sold that bronze and black Beretta while I still have mine.

The factory trigger on a Beretta 92FS is manageable, if you’ve never used a better one. The heavy Double Action trigger pull is a safety feature in and of itself, and the Single Action is light and crisp even without modification. The 92FS has a Safety/decocking lever on the slide which I promptly swapped for a “G” model decocker that I got from Brownell’s. What this does is converts this lever to a decocker only, which I personally believe is better than the factory setup. What’s nice about the design is there is a transfer bar between the hammer and firing pin, and the bar is rolled out of alignment when decocking or switching to safe.

I also installed a Langdon Tactical Technology “trigger job in a bag” and it’s a night and day difference. Factory DA pull is probably in the neighborhood of 9-10 pounds, while the LTT is an extremely smooth 5.5-6ish pounds. Even better than that is the trigger reset. Factory there’s maybe a half inch of movement and slop when the trigger resets on a 92FS. With the trigger job in a bag that is reduced to a millimeter or two of travel with almost no slop. I can’t imagine shooting a Beretta 92 without it…..actually, I can, but that’s next weeks blog. Additionally the 92FS has a passive firing pin block that is engaged right up to the point the sear trips the hammer, which when combined with the transfer bar of the decocker and the double action trigger pul makes this pistol extremely safe to carry condition one.

The Beretta 92FS gets a bad wrap for being unreliable, mostly from veterans that only ever handled one that was as old as they were with countless rounds and was poorly maintained. There’s a lot more to the story and for that I suggest watching Small Arms Solutions on YouTube. His videos on the 92FS/M9 are very informative and debunk a lot of the myths surrounding this excellent handgun.

[bop-pipeguy]

GunCon 2022 After Action Report

Day 3

First I want to apologize for not getting this up sooner, was kind of a wild week.

The final day of GunCon 2022 was pretty informative. The vendors from range day all set up tables in a section of Brownell’s warehouse and without the distraction of being able to shoot I was able to talk with a number of the vendors about their offerings. Getting hands on these products and listening to representatives without having to filter out gunfire allowed me to get a much better understanding on how these worked or what was special about them. Suffice to say it was a very interesting time. I won’t go into loads of detail because I already hit the big points with the last post.

I also took some time to wander the retail floor again and while I wanted to snatch up several guns, including the discontinued BRN-10B and BRN-1911, my budget simply did not allow it. So I decided to get branded items that aren’t found on the website. Added a shot glass to my collection as well as a coffee mug. My wife would have you think I have a problem with compulsively buying coffee mugs, but I assure you I have it all figured out.

@kurt_the_gunsmith @gunsmithbeard and myself at The Last Round

After dropping my purchases in the car I made my way around to the front of the building for some lunch, catered by Moe Cason Barbeque. Unfortunately I missed out on the brisket, but boy howdy the pulled pork and smoked chicken was some of the best I’ve ever had. If you’re ever in Des Moines be sure to hit up Moe’s.

Moe’s award winning Barbeque

Now, for the main event. The panel discussion. Admittedly, I’d never heard of about half of the panelists, or had heard the name but not seen their content. None the less the discussion was very interesting. The videos can be found on four different YouTube channels, TheGunCollective, We Like Shooting, Guns & Gadgets and Firearms Radio Network. The audience was invited to ask questions of the panel and some good questions concerning the state of the second amendment were asked. Alas, I couldn’t think of anything to ask.

After the discussion the party moved to The Last Round tent outside and I found my way back to that wonderful Cherry Bomb hard cider. There were a great many laughs and stories told, as well as some networking. I got to see several new Bureau of Propaganda field agents “patched in” and scored myself an invitation to another event, but we’ll keep that as a surprise for later.

Overall GunCon 2022 was an absolute blast. I can’t thank the gang at Brownell’s enough for inviting me, and The Gun Collective for putting it on. Someday I think it’d be pretty cool to be on the panel, but for now I’d be more than happy just attending again. 2023 should be even better and I highly encourage anyone interested to keep an eye out for the post on Brownell’s and The Gun Collective’s Instagram pages next May to see when tickets will be availible, they sold out in a half hour or something like that this year so you’d need to act fast, hence the obnoxiously long heads up I’m giving you.

[bop-pipeguy]

GunCon 2022 After Action Report Day2

Sorry for the delay, it’s been quite a week.

Day two at GunCon started at Big Springs Shooting Complex, just outside Searsboro Iowa and maybe a ten or twelve minute drive from Brownell’s HQ. While not the largest range I’ve ever seen, it certainly is one of the nicest. Four bays with 50, 100 and 500 yard targets, and sheltered by large tent looking structures. MUCH nicer than the lean-to style range shelters I’m familiar with.

After walking the line, getting my bearings and taking everything in I decided it was time to do some shooting. And was immediately distracted by a coffee tent. Don’t mind if I do! I forget the name of the roast that Doc of Blackout Coffee had that day but I gotta say it was fantastic. Generally speaking I use a fair amount of French vanilla creamer and no sugar. Out there I use one of the single serving things of creamer you’d find in a diner and two sugars. Closest to black I’ve ever had and actually enjoyed. Suffice to say I’m going to be getting some of Blackout’s coffee for home.

Caleb aka @baron_von_savant also seemed to enjoy @doc_blackout_coffee ‘s offerings

Now, properly caffeinated, off to the first bay. The two tables that caught my eye were New Frontier Armory and HK. NFA’s offering that had my attention was an AR style PCC that took MP5 mags called the C5-P. Having never messed with a 9mm AR of any sort I decided to put a few rounds through this one and was pleasantly surprised. I likely won’t get one of these guns simply because I prefer a 5.56 but the C5 was definetly a neat gun and I now better understand why people like them. Moving on to HK, there it was, in all its FDE glory….the MP7. That unicorn of a PDW that is hyped to no end and is always a letdown in video games. Due to limited ammo I was only given 5 rounds, two sing shots and a three round burst. BUT I can say with complete honesty that the first HK I ever fired was an MP7, so that’s pretty cool. Overall it’s a super neat gun, but after shooting it I believe the stories about it taking half a mag to put someone down with it.

Around this time lunch showed up, a local joint called Smokin’ J’s Barbeque. Rather than jumping in the line as everyone in attendance descended upon the trailer, I moved up the line to get some time talking to vendors without a crowd. I ended up speaking with a rep from Elevated Silence about a prototype 9mm suppressor they had attached to an MP5. So naturally that was the second HK I ever fired, as well as my first time shooting suppressed. I GET IT NOW! I’ve seen the light and am putting away for a suppressor as we speak.

The most interesting (to me) product I saw at the range, was from Law Tactical. We all know their folding mechanism, and how it will let you fire a round that’s already chambered while folded. Well let me introduce you to the AR Integral Carrier or ARIC. This drop in bolt carrier has two guide rods and recoil springs, allowing the bolt to cycle while the stock is folded. In essence, turning any AR into a poor man’s MCX. I’m eagerly awaiting their release and fully plan to install the folders and ARIC in several of my rifles.

After the range went cold for the day we returned to Brownell’s for dinner and social hour, meeting new people, drinking more Cherry Bomb hard cider and much like this blog entry, wrapping up way too quickly. Thanks for reading, Day 3 will be up soon!

[bop-pipeguy]

GunCon 2022 After Action Report Day 1

Holy cow. What a weekend. I’m still trying to process the awesome event that was GunCon 2022 at Brownell’s. The effort put into it by the whole team as well as the panelists is staggering, and let me tell you it was one hell of a show.

We’ll start with Thursday. Having four kids is stressful enough, trying to get them ready for a three hour (four after you account for restroom stops) while simultaneously making sure you have everything you need for yourself is no small task. So the first big shoutout is to my wife. Without her patience with both the kids and myself this trip would not have been possible. After a (thankfully) uneventful four hour drive from our home in Nebraska to the adorable town of Grinnell, Iowa, we settled into our hotel room, from which we could actually see Brownells HQ just about one mile away. Side note- should you ever find yourself in need of lodging in Grinnell, do NOT stay at the Best Western. I had relatively little to complain about, biggest thing being it seemed whomever hung the fixtures in my room only had one foot. Everything was crooked. I also heard reports of black mold, but thankfully did not encounter any in my room.

Anyway from there I made my way to Brownells to register for the event. There were several people already waiting who I did not immediately recognize. Later I would learn two of them were kurt_the_gunsmith and Logan of High Caliber History LLC, two fellow Bureau of Propaganda Field Agents. After registration we made our way out to “The Last Round” bar and cigar tent presented by Volquartsen firearms.

I should state that this was my first time attending an industry event, and while there were people I recognized from social media there were many more that I did not. After a short while of me awkwardly puffing away at my pipe, I was surprised when I was approached and ultimately told others there wanted to meet *me*. I’m not an internet celebrity with a massive following so this was without doubt a surreal moment for me. The apprehension vanished quickly as I was greeted as an old friend and welcomed to the event. Shortly after meeting friends in person for the first time and making a few new ones, the whole group was given a tour of the facility, where we were allegedly the largest single tour group to ever pass through. The Brownells offices and warehouse are seemingly endless, but for more detail, you’ll have to visit and take the tour yourself. There’s simply too much to try and describe here.

This is also true of the entire event. So much happened and I met so many people that I simply cannot put it all into one blog entry as a set out to do from the start. So this will be a multipart story describing each day in its own entry. Day two is range day and will be posted soon!

[bop-pipeguy]

Milt Sparks P35 Holsters, Part 1

Known to the more seasoned gun enthusiasts but relatively unknown among the millennial and Gen z shooters, are the craftsmen in Idaho in the employ of Milt Sparks. Coming out of this shop are, in my opinion, some of the best leather holsters available today.

In October when I was about to get a pre order in at Brownell’s for the newly released SA-35 from Springfield Armory, I knew I wanted a leather holster for such a classically styled piece. The following day, I called Milt Sparks to put in an order. I’ll be honest, I knew at the start I wanted Holsters from Sparks, but shopped around a bit anyway, in the off chance I found something better. There is a strong contender in Sam Andrews, but that will be for another post.

When I made the call, a very polite and professional young man answered. He was courteous but very too the point. As I understand it, when the phone rings a holster maker leaves his bench to answer. We discussed my order, a Summer Special 2 IWB holster, a 55BN OWB holster, and an S4-C magazine carrier. All in natural tan and all for a Browning Hi Power style pistol. I was informed of the lead time, and quoted a price. I thanked the holster maker for his help and the wait began.

I’m not sure what crystal ball they use up there, but the actual delivery of my order was within just a few days of the quoted lead time. I had ordered in stock items before and knew what to expect when I opened the white box that had been left at my doorstep, but this was different. These were made specifically for me. Suffice to say I was not disappointed. The quality was everything I’ve come to expect from Milt Sparks. The holsters both fit pretty snug on my SA-35 as well as my 1985 Mk II Hi Power. Nothing leaving the gun holstered overnight won’t fix, but definitely a little too snug to immediately begin doing dry fire drills. The holsters use non adjustable tension to secure the pistol. Meaning they’re just snug, even when broken in. The holsters will retain the gun even when inverted and shaken. I don’t foresee a situation where it or myself would be subjected to that, but it didn’t hurt to check either.

I’ve been carrying my SA-35 for weeks now in the Summer Special 2 and have to say it is among the most comfortable holsters I’ve ever used. I also frequently carry a Springfield Mil-Spec 1911 in a Summer Special 2 and have considered getting one for my Smith & Wesson Model 36.

The Summer Special 2 is also kept in stock at Brownell’s for several sizes of 1911 and Glock and is backed by their unconditional lifetime guarantee. Milt Sparks maintains an in-stock inventory of the Summer Special 2 for a wider variety of pistols, including Hi Power style pistols. Those were introduced about a month into my wait for my order and while it is very cool of them, I’ll admit I was mildly annoyed at the time. If you are looking for an extremely high quality leather holster, and don’t mind waiting, Milt Sparks would be a very solid choice. I’ll do a part two of this once the weather here gets colder and I have more opportunities to use the 55BN.

[bop-pipeguy]

I guess I’m blogging now 😅

Hello and welcome! I’m Alex, or Pipe Guy as most of you’ll know me from IG or YouTube. The majority of my content here will cover my adventures (or misadventures) with firearms. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it, just whatever I feel like posting at the moment. I will occasionally discuss my other hobbies of pipe smoking, watches and collecting old junk.

Some background on me- I’ve got 28 years of experience shooting (Dad taught me when I was 6 but it sounds better the other way) and spent four years in the Marine Corps where I spent my time as an 0331 (Infantry Machine gunner) but also did some other really cool courses such as Basic Urban Survival Training (BUST) and Combat Hunter. That said, I’m not the type that thinks military training is relevant to the civilian world. Some things are, most is not. I’ve got an associates from Sonoran Desert Institute (que laughter, but it helps me win arguments on the internet “dO yOu HaVe A dEgReE iN tHaT fIeLd?” And I am certified through the International Firearm Specialists Academy. Most importantly I’m passionate about these tools and am always trying to learn more.

I was brought into Brownells Bureau of Propaganda 4 years ago and am proud to say they are a driving force behind this blog. A good portion of what I discuss will available through their website. I want to emphasize now that I’m not just shilling. Brownells is a fantastic company that does wonderful things for the firearms community and I fully believe in the mission of the Bureau of Propaganda, which ultimately is to show firearm culture in a positive light. The Second Amendment is constantly under attack, more so now with a big push to get some pretty terrible bills passed. I’m going to try to refrain from politics as much as possible here, but sometimes it’s unavoidable.

This is not going to be just another AR15 blog. I tend to prefer old school style and while some ARs certainly qualify for that, there’s a whole lot more that can be talked about as well. If you want more of my nonsense, be sure to check out my Instagram @pipe.guy as well as my YouTube channel Pipe Guy. From old school snub nose revolvers and Browning Hi Powers, to holsters, “modern” pistols such as the Sig Sauer P226 and Beretta 92FS, tools, gear, and other accoutrements were gonna go over it all. Yes even the occasional AR15. Book reviews will also go up now and again, albeit far less often. I need to read a book a couple times to really feel comfortable reviewing it so you’ll have to bear with me on that. The topics those will cover will mostly be history, self defense and shop manuals.

If you’re still reading, I appreciate you and hopefully you’ll stick around for more! Here’s a teaser photo of the next blog! The video on these will be going on my YouTube later this evening, and the blog will likely be going up tomorrow.

I’m very excited to start blogging with Brownells and want to thank everyone that reads this for doing so!