Educational
Review: The Ruger American
Whether or not to buy the Ruger American Rifle came down to a coin flip for me. A few months ago I was overcome with two distinct itches. One was to buy a new gun and the other was to CoinStar the change in my change jar, which was beginning to weigh more than my children. The two itches seemed to complement one another, and the two candidates for my splurge came down to a Chilean military Madsen rifle in .30-06 (I have an affinity for old military rifles) and the Ruger American Rifle in .270. In the end, the Ruger won by virtue of its price. I had exactly enough money to pay the $375 price tag with what was in the coin jar while the Madsen would have required a little extra.
One could say that this story makes Ruger’s entire sales pitch when it comes to the American Rifle. It’s inexpensive yet comes with the kind of bells and whistles one would expect from higher priced rifles. The fact that I was literally able to buy a modern hunting rifle with loose change is the kind of garbage I would expect to see in a Ruger commercial, but there you go. I guess you win this round, Ruger!
But “inexpensive” doesn’t mean “quality,” and although I was willing to give the American a shake based on its price point, it would still have to prove itself both on the range and in the field. I was finally able to to take it to the first today, and the results were rather striking. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Best Gun for Home Defense?
Most people looking to buy their first gun tend to have the same question: What’s the best gun for home defense? I know I have a tendency for long winded introductions, so I’m going to skip right to the point: Let’s answer that question, shall we?
Note: The original opening I had in mind was 6 paragraphs. You’re welcome.
So what does “home defense” entail? Close quarters combat in relatively tight spaces. There are obstacles and hallways. Defensive situations are fast, and violent. As such, maneuverability is of utmost importance.
So what are the options? You have the choice of a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Learning a Trade: How to Estimate The Trade-In Value of a Gun
You know, it wasn’t until relatively recently that I came to fully understand how to find quality guns. Throughout my life, I’ve purchased some real pigs. I remember thinking “hey, here’s a pocket pistol for under $100! That’s perfect for carrying!”
Yeah, it wasn’t.
The bright side of the gun world is that only a bit of your money was flushed down the toilet. Just about every gun dealer will take trades so that festering pile of crap that you bought can get you at least a small discount on a better one. Continue reading
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Gabby Franco Teaches You How to Think Like a Winner
Photo courtesy of Gabby Franco.
While at the Concealed Carry Fashion Show in New York a few weeks back, I had the privilege to meet and talk with some really amazing folks in the gun community. One of those people was The History Channel’s Top Shot alumna Gabby Franco.
In addition to be a world-class shooter, Gabby is an incredibly friendly, passionate, and generous person who is willing to share her love of guns and shooting with anyone who wants to learn more. I was fortunate enough to get to speak with her for quite a while that evening. In the course of our conversation, another woman approached Gabby and described some trouble she’d been having during the IDPA matches she participates in. After gleaning some more information about the nature of the problem, Gabby began to talk about the value of mind-set in the shooter’s toolbox. As she spoke, I realized that this is one of the most, if not THE most important skill, in any kind of firearms-related activity. Technique is certainly important too, but doesn’t count for much if you can’t keep your focus under pressure.
I found Gabby’s incites about the mental component of shooting so compelling that when I got home I immediately emailed her about doing an interview. She graciously agreed to share her knowledge with the Gun Noob community, and what follows is our discussion about the value of keeping your thoughts in line with your goals. Our conversation has informed my shooting in a number of ways. For a long time, I’ve felt like shooting is a lot like yoga (only way more badass) or perhaps a martial art, and after hearing what Gabby has to say, I think you might agree.
RebeccaGuns: In what way do you feel that a shooter’s mind-set and attitude affect his or her performance?
Gabby Franco: I believe that your mind-set is as important as having good technique and knowledge in everything you do. Your technique is embedded in your muscle (muscle memory) and in your brain (knowledge) however, your mind-set will determine how efficiently you will use that knowledge and your muscle memory.
For example, you can walk on top of a balanced beam just a couple inches off of the ground several times until you can do it comfortably. When you raise the height of this balanced beam a couple of feet, you need to have a strong mind-set so your mind understands that even though there is a different factor in play, you should use the same knowledge and muscle memory to walk through the balanced beam. A shooter must trust his/her knowledge and program his/her brain for success.
RG: What type of mind-set do you cultivate when you are shooting competitively?
GF: Mind-set is something I cultivate not only competitively or at the range or while I am shooting. It is a “Way of Thinking”. If you are a negative person in every aspect of your life, it would be likely for you to be a negative person at the range. I am, and I teach my students that you are the Owner/Boss of your brain, therefore you need to give commands that will help you instead of hurt you.
For instance, if I have to shoot a target that is far away, I will only think on the technique I need to use in order to hit my target, not on the”negative known factors” (Target is far, it is difficult shot, I haven’t practice a lot of long shots, etc.)
RG: Do you think your mind-set comes into play in self-defense situations?
GF: Definitely! Confidence comes not only from practice but when you trust on your abilities. So a strong mind-set will help to keep the mind focused on finding a solution and will maintain a person’s alertness of his/her surroundings.
RG: That’s a really good point. How did you train yourself to think this way?
GF: By being not necessarily positive, but efficient in the way I think. For example, if there is something that concerns me at work or at home, I do not concentrate my attention on the actual situation; my mind will automatically find a solution to the problem. Same thing in shooting, I always try in my shooting practice to shoot beyond my comfort zone, forcing my brain to think on how do I need to prepare for the stage and concentrating on what I need to do, pushing myself more and more and keeping away any thought of failure. Basically I prepare to succeed not to fail.
RG: What tips would you give other shooters to improve their mental attitude?
GF: Do not concentrate on your fears, concentrate on how to overcome those fears. Learn how to effectively talk to yourself. For example:
DON’T: Today I will not have “Mikes” (A term used in USPSA/IDPA to mean missed shots)
DO: Today I will concentrate on my sights and trigger control.
Be aware of your own thoughts during the day and analyze if those thoughts are positive and effective or negative and useless. Do not waste time thinking on how difficult a particular shot might be, think on the technique you need to apply to make that shot.
For more on Gabby Franco, the Shoot PERFECT classes she teaches and her thoughts and advice on shooting, check out her site: http://www.gabbyfranco.com/. You can also follow her adventures on Facebook and Twitter.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
From Tacticool to Practicool: The Pistol Bayonet
Every so often you come across something someone’s done to a gun purely as a joke, like the guy who puts an Ace bottle opener on their AR15 to stay hydrated. He shows it off in a YouTube video and everyone has a good laugh. That’s pretty much what I figured when I first saw a pistol bayonet. The only conclusion I could come to was that someone modified their pistol for a bayonet as a gag and in a horrible turn of events that spun out of their control, someone took it seriously and ran with it, leaving the original gun owner absolutely mortified with the Pandora’s Box they had opened. It doesn’t help that some of the more influential voices in the world of young people getting into guns makes attempts to show it as somehow useful.
Thanks for nothing, Call of Duty 3!
Believe it or not, the pistol bayonet has a historical precedent. Sailors would carry them on raiding parties because when you’re in the bowels of a cramped ship with no room to draw a sword and your pistol only carries one shot, it helps to have a Plan B. But that Plan B became less and less necessary when pistols started carrying more rounds and didn’t take five minutes to reload. The same thing occurred with rifle bayonets over the years as rifles became easier to reload and shorter in length. It used to be a bayonet on the end of a rifle made perfect sense because the rifle itself was already as long as a spear, troops were already massed in large, tight formations in order to concentrate firepower, and in the middle of a close-in fight, you couldn’t call a time-out to reload for five minutes. While some modern rifles still have bayonet lugs, they’re almost never used in combat.
The last U.S. Army bayonet charge was in 1951 (though the British were bayoneting people as late as 2009). But even though they’re not used as much, bayonets for rifles still make some sense, whereas a bayonet on a pistol makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with people. Explain to me the scenario where this thing will be used as it’s intended. I’ve only seen them advertised on automatics, so let’s assume the shooter using it has at least 10rounds in the magazine. (FOAD, California!). What possible situation are you going to be in where you run through 10rounds in a magazine, possibly 10 rounds in another, and instead of escaping you’re closing with someone to bayonet them with your Glock? For Chrissakes, this is the Orange Park Mall not Rorke’s Drift!
There’s also a safety aspect to think about, if patent absurdity isn’t enough to dissuade you. By putting this thing on the front of your pistol you now have all the safety concerns of a pistol added to the safety concerns of an unsheathed razor to contend with. I’ve been looking on the internet to see what other people have been saying about this thing, and some of the stuff I’ve seen makes me fearful for the people who interact with them on a regular basis. One guy lamented that he wasn’t sure which Airsoft gun he was going to put his on.
Read that again. He put a razor sharp bayonet on the end of a TOY that he runs through the forest with and uses to engage in simulated combat with his FRIENDS. You know how your mom always told you not to run with scissors? I’m pretty sure the basic principle underpinning that lesson transfers readily to sharp %&^*ing knives.
What to get instead: A light or a laser
Believe it or not, the rail below the barrel of your new pistol has a purpose beyond comic relief, and the options for it are quite practical, particularly for new shooters. While a flashlight or a laser isn’t quite as dangerous as a knife, you could make “vroooo vroooo KSHHHHH!” noises and pretend it’s alight saber, though I and all of your neighbors would beg you to make sure it’s unloaded first.
Lights
Weapon lights and I have an uncomfortable relationship. I have a family situation wherein having an adrenaline-pumped me pointing my light in the same direction as my weapon isn’t ideal in the most likely situation I would use it for its intended purpose. However, I do believe it’s a good resource for those who don’t share that situation. A single person living alone who hears something strange downstairs in the middle of the night would benefit from having a light on their weapon, allowing them to have one hand free for opening doors or operating light switches. Lights have become so prevalent in the firearms community that they can be found just about everywhere.
Lasers
Despite what The Terminator and Cobra have taught us, a laser isn’t a one-to-one trade-off for sights, but it does have its uses,particularly when dealing with low-light conditions where the shooter may be amped up.
Have you ever tried to aim with iron sights in the dark? It’s a bitch, ain’t it? A laser ameliorates this somewhat by putting the dot in the approximate area your bullet is going to go and the best part is you can see it in the dark, a distinct possibility for anyone who’s purchased a gun with the fear they may have to use it at home in the middle of the night. While some have said a laser is a two-way street, the idea that someone can find you by following the laser has been pretty much debunked. It’s not ideal for every circumstance, but for this situation it’s a good fit.
I dislike the entire pistol bayonet concept for a variety of reasons. One is practicality. Are you going to carry this thing around with the blade attached or wait until you’re getting mugged, yell “fix bayonets!” and hook it onto your gun while your would-be mugger stares at you in slack-jawed fascination?
The second is simple safety. For the most part I believe all care should be made to make guns safer for the user and more dangerous for the assailant. Sticking a knife on the end of a gun isn’t going to make the user safer and probably more of the opposite. I’ve carried knives on me since I was 13. You know how many times I’ve stabbed an attacker? Zero. You know how many times I’ve stabbed myself? Holy crap!Break out the abacus ‘cause we’re going to be here awhile.
Look, if you want to learn to use a gun, learn to use a gun.If you want to learn to use a knife, learn to use a knife. Not everything goes together like toast and jam. Sometimes it’s just toast and chapstick. Sure, I could make the stretch in logic that eating toast while protecting my lips from the elements is a good idea, but why would you even want to try?
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s a bit warm outside. I know it’s hard to believe we’re having hot weather in the summer but temperatures keep climbing and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any breaks for a while.
I should note that this article pertains to those of you who shoot at outdoor ranges or outside in general. If you shoot in one of those air conditioned indoor ranges, you probably don’t have to worry as much. However, I didn’t open up my browser to type up a discussion about weather alone. I’m typing this as a warning: this heat is dangerous.
I don’t mean in terms of heat exhaustion and such, but that is something else to keep in mind if, like me, you shoot at an outdoor range. I’m talking more about your ammo and the guns that shoot it. Here’s an experiment: go look at your gun collection. Chances are most, if not all of them are black.
Now, as Mr. Wizard (or Bill Nye for those of you under 30) told us long ago, darker colors absorb more light and therefore get hotter than lighter colors. This means that your dark colored guns and magazines, if left in the sun, will get hot fast.
This heating will cook the bullets inside the magazines. According to the Mythbusters, you’d have to cook the bullets to between 400-500 degrees before they’d go off on their own so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. What you WILL have to worry about is that when bullets get hot, the explosion of the powder is more energetic and that can lead to a damaged gun. Depending on what kind of rounds and their loads, the results could be a catastrophic failure of your weapon.
At the same time, many guns have tight tolerances. I’m going to talk in depth about just what that means in a future article. The short of it for now, however, is that there is a bit of give in the moving parts of a gun to allow for movement and expansion from shooting and other things. If something goes outside of those tolerances, the gun usually stops working. If it’s too far out of tolerances…that’s right: catastrophic failure.
So when your dark colored gun is sitting in the light energy generated by a ball of fire with an outer surface temperature of 9,940 degrees fahrenheit, it’s going to warm up. Again referring to Mr. Wizard: when things get hot they expand. So as your gun heats up those tolerances are going to get thrown off. If the gun heats up too much and you try to fire it, you get a broken gun.
So what can you do to minimize the heating of your gun? First off, keep them out of the sun. If there isn’t much shade, get a couple of light colored towels (white, preferably) and use them to cover your gun and magazines between use. The thick towels will insulate from the outer air and the light color will reflect the sunlight instead of absorbing it.
If you really want to go all out, get one of those soft side coolers and a cold pack and store your ammo or loaded magazines in there. Don’t go crazy with the cold packs and I wouldn’t store my gun in there, however, because you don’t want condensation forming on your stuff as that can lead to rusting. Cooling the cold pack in the refrigerator before going out instead of the freezer is a great way to cut down on potential moisture.
Other than that, drink a lot of water and put on some sunscreen. It’s an oven out there. Be safe!
Images used under Creative Commons License from SashaW and kcdsTM respectively.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Noob Guide: Cleaning Your Gun
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
The Basic Rifle Cartridge Guide
Ellen Ripley: “Lieutenant, what do those pulse rifles fire?”
Lt. Gorman: “Ten millimeter explosive tip caseless. Standard light armor piercing round. Why?”
What the #&%$ does that even mean? When I first saw Aliens I didn’t know, but I knew it sounded good. For the record, that round doesn’t exist, and if it did I doubt you could fit 95 of them in a magazine. You see, the “ten millimeter” part of that explanation deals with the bullet’s diameter*. That’s pretty big for a rifle. The M4 the U.S. military issues to its soldiers fires a 5.56mm round, only about half the size of what Space Marines apparently fight with. But if 10mm explosive tip caseless rounds don’t exist yet, what should I use to shoot aliens with?
A rifle is a precision instrument. No, really, it is. Think about it. You’re taking elements of physics, metallurgy, chemistry, optics, aerodynamics and human ergonomics and mixing them together with the goal of using a controlled explosion to send a small piece of metal to the very range of eyesight with the goal of hitting a target that is often smaller than the area of a paper plate. Whether that target is a bullseye in a competition or the heart beating inside an animal, the goal is to get that bullet there with enough force to pierce the target. Rifles and rifle cartridges can do that at ranges that pistols cannot and were never designed to. The rifle, itself, is only half the equation. The cartridge is the other half, and when it comes to that other half, you have a number of options. Shooting squirrels? You might want something small and accurate. Shooting xenomorphs? Probably something bigger.
So what we have here is a really basic, introductory list of rifle calibers and some pros and cons to each. This is far from a complete list, but it does include cartridges that you’re probably most likely to come across, especially as a new shooter.
.22LR
As was covered in the pistol guide, the .22 long rifle is probably the most popular rifle round out there. Its small size and high velocity make it ideal for hitting small game like squirrels at range, and it’s low recoil make it a great round for beginners and children who want to shoot but don’t want the shoulder bruises that come with a larger round. It also has a low price, and it’s common to see them come in packs of 500 for $15-$20. As a defense round it’s not great, but it’s ability to kill small animals without disintegrating the tasty parts make a .22lr rifle a must-have for any country battery.
Pros: Small, light, fast and inexpensive. Perfect for taking small game. Recoil in a rifle is non-existent.
Cons: Too small for large game and sketchy for defensive applications. I wouldn’t want to use them in a pistol against an attacker, but in a rifle they have more velocity and power, so it’s a little better.
.223 (5.56X45mm)
The .223 and its very close relative, the 5.56X45mm, are most commonly found used in the AR15 rifle. Although often thought of as the same, the 5.56 is the military variant of the .223 and has more power behind it, and it’s therefore important to only fire 5.56 in a 5.56-chambered rifle. Larger than a .22lr, but not by much, many states don’t allow hunters to use .223 on large game like deer because it’s considered inhumane. It’s used, therefore, more as a varmint round, used to kill prairie dogs at long range or predators such as coyotes.
Pros: Easy to find and reasonably cheap, you never have a hard time finding .223. More than adequate to kill a four-legged predator (coyote) and designed specifically to kill the two-legged kind (as the U.S. military proves daily in Afghanistan).
Cons: Limited hunting applications due to its small size.
.30-30
The .30-30 has killed more deer than any other bullet and has been doing it since 1895. Primarily used in lever-action rifles, most .30-30 rounds have a blunt-nosed bullet, limiting their effective range to about 200 yards. With a light recoil and the ability to take deer or small bear, the .30-30 continues to be one of the most popular hunting cartridges in North America even more than a century after its introduction. Hornady’s line of LeveRevolution rounds are pointed with a soft polymer tip, giving you the performance of a pointed round in a lever action. I sold my .30-30 to my father after he used it to kill the biggest deer he or I had ever seen, and while I’m glad he has it, I’m sorry I don’t.
Pros: Light recoil, moderate power, easy to find in sporting goods stores.
Cons: The blunt nose in most .30-30 rounds make them inaccurate compared to sharp-nosed spitzer bullets.
7.62X39mm
The 7.62X39mm cartridge is a Russian round designed for use in the venerable AK-47 and SKS rifles. With the importation of these 
rifles to the U.S., the 7.62X39mm has become a popular round, and some bolt-action rifles, notably from CZ, and semi-autos like the Ruger Mini-30 use it. The round is large enough for medium sized game such as deer and more than adequate for self defense.
Pros: Big enough for hunting and self defense, very light recoil, comes cheap from Russian and East European suppliers.
Cons: Both Russian and American manufacturers make 7.62 rifles and both countries make the rounds for them. However, the primers in Russian-made 7.62 tend to be hard, designed for Communist Bloc weapons like the AK and SKS. The U.S.-made 7.62 is made with softer primers. So using soft U.S. primers in Comm Bloc rifles can sometimes result in a slam fire while using hard Russian primers in U.S. weapons can result in a failure to fire. Best rule of thumb: Comm Bloc ammo in Comm Bloc weapons.
.270
The .270 Winchester is another popular hunting round that first came out in 1925. Fast and flat-shooting, the .270 made a name for itself as an elk-hunting round. It’s still one of the most popular hunting cartridges today and can be found in multiple weights, letting a shooter choose a weight that works best for what they intend to hunt.
Pros: Flat-shooting, fast, devastating terminal performance.
Cons: Price (but worth it)
.30-06
Everyone has heard of the “thirty-aught-six” even if you weren’t sure what it meant. The .30-06 began life as the .30 government and was made the primary U.S. military round in 1906 (hence the “06” in the name), replacing the .30-03 round. Though it was eventually replaced by the 7.62X51mm round in the military, the 06 remains a popular bolt-action hunting round capable of killing any animal in North America. Just about every company that’s every produced a bullet in the United States makes .30-06.
Pros: Power, accuracy, easy to find.
Cons: Kicks like a sumvabitch.
.308 Winchester (7.62X51mm)
Another popular round that started as a military round, the .308 Winchester is the commercial version of the 7.62X51mm round that replaced the .30-06. It has since been replaced by the 5.56X45mm round, but is still used by military and police forces as a sniper round and is a popular and common hunting round. Although it’s similar to the 7.62X51mm military round, the two are not the same. Only shoot .308 in .308-chambered rifles. Putting them side-by-side, one might think the .308 is less powerful than the .30-06, and they would be right, BUT not as much as their difference in size would make you believe. One of the reasons the .308 replaced the .30-06 was that advancements in powder chemistry made it possible to get near-.30-06 performance in a much shorter case. The result was the .308.
Pros: Power, accuracy, easy to find.
Cons: Recoil
.357, .44, .45LC
An honorable mention needs to go out to the .357 magnum, .44 magnum and .45 Long Colt. Although they are primarily pistol rounds, there are many rifles, most notably cowboy-action lever rifles, that use these cartridges. Ruger even makes a bolt action .357 and used to make a .44 magnum version of the famous Ruger 10/22. They’re not as powerful as center fire rifle rounds, but are strong enough to take deer at short ranges. You have to be careful, however, choosing the right kind of bullet as some types of bullet shapes can get hung up in lever-action rifles.
Pros: Manageable recoil, 50-to-a-box rather than 20.
Cons: Have to be careful of bullet shape in lever guns, not as powerful as regular rifle rounds.
In his book, The Art of the Rifle, Jeff Cooper says, “Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys.” But the rifle is only half the weapon. Without the cartridge, the rifle is just a club. Choosing the right cartridge is every bit as important as choosing the right rifle. This is a very short list of the options that are out there, and if you’re just setting out looking for a rifle, it’s important to also research what you intend to shoot with it.
Happy shooting.
TJ
*”Explosive tip” obviously means they explode on impact, and believe it or not there are bullets that do that. U.S. Air Force fighters use explosive tip rounds in their 20mm cannon. “Caseless” refers to the bullets being encased in hardened propellant that doesn’t need a brass case to hold it. This keeps weight down. It’s also disproven an hour later when Vazquez is blasting xenomorphs in the air vent and throwing brass cases everywhere.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
Why-dex?
So, presumably you are here because you have a gun or are thinking about buying a gun. This is good. You are taking steps in the right direction. Welcome to The Magical World of Firearms Ownership, where the sun is always shining and butterflies and unicorns romp in the meadows. (That’s right, I said “romp”. WHAT?).
Now we should to talk about how you are going to carry your gun. First, you need to make sure that you are following all of the proper procedures for your state including obtaining a Concealed Carry Weapons License, if necessary. Once you have that license, you’ll need a holster to carry your gun in. There are many holster options available. Not all holsters are ideal for all guns. Some are better than others. I’m assuming you are reading this because you are smart and you’re doing your research, which is exactly what you should do when you are looking to buy a holster.
If you’ve done any shopping at all for a holster so far, you’ve probably run into the word “Kydex”. In case you are unfamiliar, Kydex is a thermoplastic sheet product. It has a number of industrial applications in fields like aviation, health care and mass transit. It is also remarkably well suited for making holsters and knife sheaths due to its strength, durability and chemical and flame resistance. Holster-makers also like the crisp detail achievable in the molding process both for the aesthetics and superior retention of the firearm.
Kydex also offers distinct advantages over a leather or nylon holster since it doesn’t deform or compress over time. This means that the shape of the holster won’t change, so you can be assured that your gun will always be where you it need it to be. The rigidity of the material makes Kydex holsters good training tools also. You’ll get the same draw and re-holster every time, which can help you improve the consistency of your movements. Considering the retention properties and ease of use, if you’re going to be training aggressively or just moving around a lot with your gun, a well-made Kydex holster could be a good choice for you. Additionally, Kydex quite is durable, making it a perfect choice for hard wear-and-tear activities. And since it’s plastic, you can basically just hose it down with soap and water when you’re done. This is a distinct advantage over other types of holsters, which may be difficult or impossible to clean.
The downside of Kydex is that it can become uncomfortable in certain positions or after a long period of time, since it is so inflexible. This can be especially unpleasant during an extended car ride, when your holster and the car seat can engage each other in an epic fight to the death, in which your back and side will be the main casualties.
There is also the issue of body type to be considered. A leather holster is going to conform to your individual shape as you wear it, but a Kydex holster will pretty much be the same shape forever. There is a certain amount of flex in the plastic, especially if it’s made from a thinner sheet of Kydex like .08 or .06 thickness. If you are wearing your holster on a heavy duty gun belt (which you should), when you tighten it up, your holster will flex slightly and snug down to your body. However, it’s never really going to “break in” the way a leather holster would. Mostly, this is a matter of personal preference and just getting the right tool for the job.
If you decide that you want to take the plunge and get yourself a Kydex holster, some of the big names you might want to check out are Raven Concealment Systems, Blade-Tech and Comp-Tac. These companies all make perfectly functional holsters, though personally, I don’t think they are the prettiest ladies at the ball. Luckily, there’s been a flood of smaller companies that have recently cropped up to accommodate the demand for custom-made Kydex holsters with more of an eye towards design and comfort. Some of my favorites are GunFightersInc., Sentry Gun Leather, MultiHolsters and PHLster. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I actually work for PHLster. This means I am biased, but it also means I spend a lot of time around Kydex, talking about, testing and helping to design holsters. I know the benefits and the disadvantages of carrying a Kydex holster.
Here are some things I think you should consider when shopping for a holster:
What are you planning on using the holster for? Is it an every day carry holster or will you be using it just at the range or in your home? If it’s going to be your EDC holster, can you wear it in a way that is comfortable, concealable and secure?
Is a Kydex holster the best bet for your particular firearm? Since it is a relatively hard plastic, a Kydex holster can wear the finish on your gun over time. Are you ok with that? Personally, I run my M&Ps in Kydex all the time, but my Kimber Raptor has never seen the inside of a Kydex holster and never will. In other words, if you’re looking for something to carry your amazingly gorgeous Ed Brown Custom 1911 in, I would pass on the Kydex.
And finally, if you are going to be ordering a custom holster, are you confident that you are getting what you want? Oftentimes, when buying a custom holster you are ordering based solely on photos you’ve seen on a website. If you have the opportunity to examine and try on some holsters in real life, do that first. It will give you a better idea of what you want and make the ordering process much smoother.
Ask a lot of questions, even if they seem obvious. I spend a lot of time at PHLster answering emails and I would much rather have 20+ email exchanges with you than send you a holster that you won’t be happy with. Knowledge is paramount in the firearms community, whether it be about safety, training, gear or guns themselves.
If you have questions or want to talk to me more about holsters or Kydex or guns or unicorns, you can email me at rebeccaguns@gunnoob.com. Also, check out PHLster.com for awesome stuff. Happy holstering!
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources:
What’s a scout rifle and do I need one?
In the 1970s, Col. Jeff Cooper, a rifleman’s rifleman if there ever was one, pioneered the idea of a general purpose rifle that would work in a variety of roles from hunting to defense. The concept was dubbed “the scout rifle,” and Cooper refined it over the years until his death in 2006. Cooper believed in the “scout,” a man who “acted alone, not as a member of a team. By choice he did not fight, but he had to be an expert at the hit-and-run art of single combat. By choice he did not shoot, but if forced to shoot, he shot quickly, carefully, and as little a possible. ‘One round, one hit and then vanish!’ – that was his motto. He did not need an assault rifle. He needed a scout rifle.”
So Cooper set out to create the perfect rifle for this man. Now, this isn’t ‘Nam, this is scout rifles… there are rules, rules so stringent that not even Ruger’s Gunsite Scout, designed with help from people at Gunsite who knew and worked with Jeff Cooper, lives up to Cooper’s vision. I’m not talking about the political “if it has a magazine, it’s an assault rifle,” kind of rule, either, where they’re deliberately vague. Cooper’s vision was specific for very specific reasons.
- It’s a bolt-action rifle.
- It’s ideal weight is 6.6 pounds, but can be as heavy as 7.7 pounds, and that’s with the scope and sling.
- It’s a meter long or less.
- It’s barrel should be about 19 inches.
- It should have a low-powered, low-mounted, long eye relief scope placed forward of the action.
- Ghost ring iron sights are not required, but are preferred.
- It should have a fast loop up sling.
- The preferred caliber is .308 Winchester, though other calibers can be used if more power is required. A .243 can be used if the shooter is frail, but .308 is considered the minimum for power.
- It has to shoot a four-inch group at 200 meters.
Not so easy to find now, is it? Cooper’s requirements come for good reasons. A bolt-action rifle is typically lighter than a semi-auto and less prone to failures. It has to be light-weight because whoever’s using it is running through the wilderness with it for long periods of time. It needs to be short enough to not snag on brush as you’re walking, but the barrel has to be long enough to retain range and power. It should have iron sights as well as a scope because scopes break. It needs enough power to take out an unarmored target, human or animal, weighing in at 500 pounds. The sling should be able to support your arm during a shot, not just be a way to haul the weapon around. Bipods are okay, but Cooper felt they were almost useless in rough terrain and could become a dangerous crutch for a shooter to get addicted to.
A long-eye relief scope allows a shooter to hit a target at range while retaining their peripheral vision. (Okay, I know this is kind of a faux pas, but it’s the best way I can come up with to describe it. You know how when you’re playing Call of Duty on the X-Box, and you’re using a sniper rifle, and while you’re looking through the scope, some random asshole named HelloKitty@$$Face comes around the corner and tags you in the side of the head from like eight feet away because you couldn’t see him come up on you? That’s the reasoning behind the long eye relief scope. You can see the world around you and maintain situational awareness.)
Cooper was big on shooting with both eyes open, and with a low power scope mounted forward of the receiver, you can do that pretty well. It also makes it easier to load the weapon with a stripper clip, and you can hold the weapon around the receiver, the rifle’s center of gravity, when you’re hauling ass away from a bear big enough to laugh at .308. The downside is that it doesn’t do well in low-light conditions, and during sunrise and sunset you can get a glare off the glass that makes the scope useless.
So this is hardly just a rifle with a weird-looking scope. Cooper didn’t give a dump about making the rifle look nice. Function came before form, and yet the end results are pretty nice looking rifles. The Mannlicher Scout, a rifle Cooper approved of, has sleek lines and looks almost futuristic for a bolt-action rifle.
But should you get one of these general, all-purpose, do-anything, ass-kicking rifles designed by one of the most brilliant men in the firearms field since John Moses Browning descended from Heaven to present man with the 1911?
In a word, no.
In several words, allow me to explain. I’ve heard the scout rifle described as “a solution looking for a problem,” and unfortunately, in the modern world, that’s true. This is a frontiersman’s rifle. It’s a rifle you use when you don’t know what you’re going to shoot tomorrow, but it’s a pretty good bet you’re shooting something. On paper, that sounds great, but in the modern world, how many people live that life? What it excels at is doing everything “okay.” You can use it for hunting, but it’s not going to be as good as a regular hunting rifle. You can use it for defense, but it’s not going to be as good as an AR15.
Look, in the modern world, guns are like women’s shoes. There’s a right kind for every occasion, and even if a person doesn’t know 
what kind of gun they want, they have a good idea in the back of their mind why they want a gun just like a woman may not know specifically what brand of shoes she needs, she knows she wants shoes for dancing at a wedding. So when a person says, “I want a gun,” they may not know what kind of gun they want, but they know they want a gun for a primary reason. If I live in a bad neighborhood, I want a gun for self defense. Do I get a scout rifle? If I want a gun to go hunting elk, do I want a scout rifle? A scout rifle could do those things, but not as well as a gun that’s designed to do those things, and in this day and age, 99 percent of shooters don’t need a gun that does everything.
“But, TJ, you bombastic simpleton, what’s the harm in getting a scout rifle if that’s what I want?” you ask.
Hey, I’m all for getting what you want. And you’re right, the above reason, in itself, is not enough to determine that a scout rifle is the wrong way to go. However, there’s another factor that, when combined with the above, makes me say no to a scout rifle.
The price.
The MSRP for a Ruger Gunsite Scout is about $1,000. A Mannlicher Scout, the over-the-counter rifle that comes closest to Cooper’s vision is $2,000. Custom-made scout rifles that accurately reflect Cooper’s concept can run past $4,000. For the price of a Mannlicher Scout, I could buy my AR15 ($1,000), my Ruger American ($380) and my FNP-9 ($500). That’s an awful lot of money for a bolt-action rifle that doesn’t hunt well during the morning hours when the deer are actually out and about.
I’m not trashing Cooper’s vision. I just think it came too late. The guys who explored the heart of Africa in the turn of the century probably would have been jazzed to have scout rifles with them. It’s the kind of rifle Teddy Roosevelt would have wanted to carry while wandering around the American west. But those frontiers aren’t frontiers anymore, and the scout rifle is a rifle that excels in a frontier.
This guy should probably have a scout rifle. But that’s because he’s living that life in one of the few places and few ways you still can.
Like what you read? GunNoob is now part of Pew Pew Tactical. Check out the rest of our awesome resources: