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In a recent contribution to The Mag Life, our own Jason Mosher explained the pitfalls of using full metal jacket ammunition for personal protection. Full metal jacket ammunition chiefly consists of a lead core completely enclosed by a copper jacket. These projectiles do not have an exposed front and will not expand. A lack of expansion is perfectly fine for range ammunition, but for self-defense, a good hollow-point projectile is preferred. Jason points out that full metal jacket does have some legitimate uses, such as their use in defeating barriers, but otherwise believes full metal jacket loads over-penetrate the intended target and should not be used.

But when you get away from the usual calibers, particularly as you get lower in velocity, the case can be made for full metal jacket as a defensive load. In calibers from 22 Long Rifle to 380 ACP, hollow-point ammunition often fails to expand—or they overexpand and do not penetrate enough. The answer is to carry a nonexpanding full metal jacket load. The 25 ACP cartridge is just one of several handgun cartridges that fall into this category. Buffalo Bore recently took the nonexpanding 25 ACP load to the extreme with their heavy-for-caliber 60-grain flat nose offering; but the very first 25 ACP load out there is probably the best option—the old-school 50-grain full metal jacket.

25 ACP — Some More Equal than Others

The FN 1905 pistol was the first handgun to chamber the 25 ACP cartridge. The original load was a 50-grain full metal jacket projectile at a velocity of about 750 feet per second. These are sedate ballistics by today’s standards, though more powerful than some of the most popular concealed carry calibers of the time. Still, improving on the power of the 25 ACP has mostly been a fool’s errand and the old-school load gives you the best chance.

Although all 50-grain loads use the same boring projectile, they are not all loaded the same and it is subject to some rumor. For years, some experts recommended loading your 25 with European-produced ammunition. The Europeans always took the 25 more seriously as a defensive round and their version of the round is loaded hotter than what is most widely available in the United States. I am here to say it is not completely true.

American-made Remington UMC once topped my chronograph results at a true 750 feet per second. The most popular European load I have found on the American market is Fiocchi 6.35x18mm (25 ACP) load. My five-shot average chronograph reading with this ammunition was only 618 feet per second and it was a result mimicked on other occasions. It could be that some makers are loading down their ammunition for liability reasons, given how old some 25 ACP pistols are. But one ammunition that surprised me was the Aguila 50 grain load—made in Mexico!

The Round

The Aguila 50-grain FMJ load comes in boxes of 50 rounds and uses reloadable brass cases and the same ho-hum copper jacketed round-nosed projectile as all the others. I fired a five-round string over my Caldwell Chronograph using my Beretta 21A Bobcat. From 10 feet, the 2.4-inch barreled Bobcat clocked the rounds with an average velocity of 772 feet per second. Compared to the Remington load, the Aguila is 22 feet per second faster. At velocities this low, that is not insignificant.

I tested the Aguila load against the new Buffalo Bore offering. The latter has more mass and velocity, but the former has none of the feeding issues. I shot both through 2x4s to see how they would fair against hard damage. The Buffalo Bore penetrated 1.12 inches from entrance to base of the projectiles. The Aguila load penetrated .90 inch. Surprisingly, a pair of 22 LR 40-grain Mini Mags fired from a 3¾-inch barrel fared worse.

The Test

I tested the Aguila load through two Clear Ballistics 10% gelatin blocks fronted by four layers of denim to gain an idea of what it could do in a worst-case scenario. The denim simulates the layers of heavy clothing that might be encountered if you have to make a shot through a limb to reach vital organs. From 10 feet, I fired four rounds into the blocks. One projectile zipped through all 17½ inches of gelatin and was lost downrange. Three projectiles were captured.

All three projectiles made ice-pick holes through the denim and into gelatin. There was some upset between the 7–9-inch mark where each projectile tumbled end-over-end. All three projectiles were recovered backward. There was no expansion, not that you would expect any from most full metal jacket loads. The penetration was substantial and on par with a good 9mm Luger defensive hollow point, albeit without the additional damage. One projectile stopped at the 14½-inch mark. The second landed at 15½ inches. The third and final projectile captured stopped at 16¼ inches.

25 ACP FMJ —The Bottom Line

Although all pistol calibers are underpowered, some are more powerful than others. Time and time again, I have said that the differences aren’t always academic. There are legitimate advantages of one caliber over another. But one universal trait that comes close to truth is that we should not use FMJ for self-defense whenever possible.

With that said, no rule is absolute, and this is true for pocket pistol rounds like the 25 ACP. With low mass and lower velocity rounds like these, fear of overpenetration becomes moot but getting enough penetration to hit vital organs in the first place is paramount. If full metal jacket is the option, some are certainly better than others. In the world of 25 ACP cartridges, the Aguila 50-grain FMJ is hard to beat.

Buckhorn sights are not all that widespread these days. We usually find them on lever guns like the Henry Golden Boy .22 I recently purchased, or maybe on some muzzleloaders. I had never used buckhorns before the Henry, so I did a little research on how to shoot properly with them. This is not an all-encompassing article about the nuances of buckhorns. But it will get you started, and, as I’ve found, learning for yourself is half the fun.

Buckhorn sights are so named because they stand up, and sometimes curve, like deer antlers. They may also have interior nubs that resemble the tines on those antlers. So, the name works, but the sights don’t all look the same.

Buckhorns and Semi Buckhorns

One thing I quickly learned is that there are buckhorn sights (full buckhorns if you will) and semi-buckhorns. It seems that these two terms are often grouped under the name “buckhorns,” even though there is a difference.

Here’s the easy way to distinguish the two: If your sight tines curve upward and inward to where they are pointing back toward one another, you have the full buckhorns. If they go straight up and the tips do not curve inward, you have the semi-buckhorns. Semi buckhorns also have a subset in which the tines are flattened on top instead of coming to a tip. These are called…wait for it…flat tops. Semi buckhorns, of one variety or another, seem to be the most common.

All will have a notch at the bottom in which to index your front bead. My Henry came with semi-buckhorn flat tops. You use the sights the same way, though some folks prefer one over the other for reasons we’ll touch on below.

Built-In Range Finder

The big advantage that both varieties of buckhorn sights have over more basic iron sight systems is that they are designed to aid the shooter judge distance. But this isn’t like a laser rangefinder or bullet drop compensator (BDC) reticle. The buckhorns require estimation and trial and error to dial in adjustments for your particular rifle.

Here’s basically how that works. For close-range targets, place the front bead in the bottom notch. That’s the easy and obvious part. For intermediate range, and what that is depends on your rifle and caliber, index the front bead part way up the rear sight’s tines. This is where the estimation and trial and error come in. But a little diligence and practice will quickly yield positive results as you learn how the sights relate to various distances. For long-range shots, index the bead higher up the tines and follow the same process.

It doesn’t sound very scientific and may not appeal to folks accustomed to precision optics. But open sights have been around a lot longer than scopes, and shooters have made astounding shots with them. They made those shots by learning to correlate their sights with their rifle’s performance. Buckhorns are designed to allow that process for those who want to shoot that way.

Adjustable

But buckhorns aren’t always about estimation and Kentucky Windage. Many, including the sights that came on my Henry, have a sliding “ladder” to help with elevation. They’re really quite simple to use. Just lift up on the rear buckhorns. The ladder slides out or in, depending on what you’re trying to do.

On the Henry, the further you pull out the slide, the higher your sights are elevated. This forces the shooter to raise the barrel to see the front bead. This method allows the bead to stay in the rear notch for longer shots if so desired. But, again, the ladder’s steps are not marked for particular ranges, unlike the ladder sights on old military surplus rifles. You will have to experiment to see where your rifle hits on each step. But once you learn it, adjusting your elevation is not difficult at all.

Buckhorns are also windage adjustable, but you need a mallet and punch to do it. Usually, the buckhorns are at the rear of a metal strip about three inches long. There’s a small set screw near the front. Loosen the screw just a bit. Too much will cause you to overcompensate. Once you loosen the screw, place the punch against the strip where the screw is and gently tap it with the mallet. It doesn’t take much. When your sights are aligned where you want them, tighten the screw back down.

This method is obviously not intended for the field. It’s really only necessary if your sights are not dialed in at the factory or they are somehow knocked off kilter. Windage adjustments in the field should be estimated based on the situation. Attaining that skill requires practice.

Some Like Buckhorns and Some Don’t

While researching buckhorns I found that some people like them and some don’t. It’s like anything, I suppose. That’s why different options exist. It looked to me like those who liked them had taken the time to learn their proper use and vice versa.

It also seems that most who like them prefer the semi-buckhorns. I saw several folks say the full buckhorns obstruct the sight picture with the inward curving tips. Some say the same about the semi-buckhorns, as noted in the image above, though the semi-buckhorns offer a better picture than the full buckhorns.

For my part, I like the buckhorns. I shot pretty well with them, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be, and I sometimes had trouble picking up the bead against certain backgrounds. Recently, I replaced them with a Hi-Viz LiteWave system that I can pick up more easily. I kind of wish they were semi-buckhorns, but they’re definitely what I needed. Plus, it’s not like I’ll be taking many long shots with .22 Long Rifle. If I get a larger caliber rifle with semi-buckhorns, I’ll probably try to keep them.

So, if you buy yourself a rifle with buckhorns, maybe give them a shot before deciding you want something else. They really are a pretty cool system once you understand how they work.

If you own a gun, you probably have the case or box it came in, right? In the closet, out in the garage, or somewhere else out of sight. If you own 10 guns, you probably have 10 cases or boxes somewhere. I’m sure some people keep their handguns in the nice case they came in. But the rest of us make comments about how nice it is before we put it on a shelf and never look at it again. The accessories that come in the case or box are also exciting to find, but some of us also leave that stuff in the box and never touch it.

One of my kids asked me why I had so many gun boxes, cases, and bags in the basement. I had trouble giving them a good answer except for resale purposes. But kids are persistent, and she asked what guns I was planning to sell. I gave the correct answer: guns aren’t for selling. None of that makes any sense to anyone, anywhere, unless you have guns too. You like the nice solid gun case, but you don’t use it either. It’s too big and bulky to store the gun in. Even if the gun came in a cheap cardboard box, we save that too.

The truth is though, gun cases help the gun sell at a higher price if we do need some quick cash. The person you sell it to will not use the case either, but they will pay more for the gun if you have the original box. So, if you want to know what guns come with the best cases and accessories, here are some of the ones that have impressed me over the years.

Bull Armory AXE (Glock Clone)

The Bull Armory AXE case is by far the nicest gun case I have seen that comes standard with the gun. It’s a soft zip-up case that can double as a carry bag.  I’ve never used it, but it was a nice surprise to find when I opened the box. This case appears to be durable with a zipper closure.

But wait, that’s not all. When I opened the case, I was even more delighted to see it came with three magazines and has room to hold three more. Some gun cases contain a cleaning rod or, if you’re lucky, a mag loader. There was a cleaning rod in the case along with some stickers and the user manual. The inside of the case is felt-lined so Velcro straps and holsters can be used on it. Most cases are meant to protect the gun during shipment and provide a place to store it. If I need a case to carry a gun, I will definitely use this one.

Walther PDP

Next on the list is the Walther PDP. If you don’t use a case, it shouldn’t matter what size it is, but it does. The Walther PDP comes in a large heavy-duty plastic case with a molded lining to fit the gun. This one didn’t come with three mags, but it did come with two. It also came with a mag loader, two sizes of grips, and a wrench to remove the optic plate. The case itself is a thicker plastic than average gun cases. But it’s the overall size and the molded foam that makes this case stand out. The user manual and warranty registration card lie underneath the foam on the lid.

Kimber Micro-9 Rapide 1911

Kimber markets their compact 1911 pistols as high-end guns. The soft case their pistols come in is not as high-end as their guns, but they are practical. The box contains the soft carry case, Kimber branded gun lock, user manual, and some info cards on accessories that will work for the new gun. The soft case is small but that’s not a bad thing. The size makes it easy to stow the gun away without taking up much room. The material of the case and zipper appears to be built well, and of course, the Kimber name is printed on the front.

CZ-75 B

CZ-USA puts out some great guns and the 75 model has been around for ages. A reliable and comfortable gun to shoot, the CZ-75 comes with a plastic case that is just large enough to hold the gun and one extra magazine. The foam liner is molded to fit the gun and extra mag. It has a place to hold the two cleaning rods it comes with, and the top has a cutout for the paperwork to slide into. This case is durable enough you could keep the gun stored in here and access it daily. Some cases feel like they would start to break if you used them all the time, but not this one.

Sig Sauer M17

The case you get when purchasing the Sig M17 pistol is pretty simple, but it is a little thicker than some other gun cases out there. The plastic is thick and feels like it would hold up over time if someone wants to use it. Sig uses a generic case that can work with just about any handgun so there is no molded liner for a specific gun. It has the standard foam inserts that sit in the case. Behind one of the foam inserts is the instructions book, Sig sticker, lock, and ammo recommendation card for the gun. The case is large enough to hold the gun and plenty of extra magazines (and you always need more magazines).

Summary

Like I said in the beginning, most gun owners will not use the case. The quality of the case makes it more exciting when you open the box, but then we stick the box on a shelf. While it doesn’t make any sense, I admit that I will pay a little more for a gun if it comes with the original gun case and instructions manual. Even though I don’t use the case, I want it for resale purposes. After all, it does sound like a better deal when you hear “original case and papers included.” If you are about to purchase your first handgun, I would recommend saving the original box and case the gun came with.

If you travel a lot or just want to keep the gun put away when you’re not carrying it, any of these cases would be a great option. The quality of a gun case shouldn’t be your deciding factor on what gun to purchase. But the case the gun arrives in does make the first impression with your new purchase. Nobody likes to spend a small fortune on a gun only to be handed a flimsy $5 gun case. But we love to be handed a super nice gun case so we can tuck it away in the closet.

I love the Shadow Warrior games and world. The mix of ninja, Chinese folklore, cyberpunk, magic with guns, and first-person shooting just gets me. We’ve made it to the third chapter of Shadow Warrior, and the game takes a 180 in terms of direction from Shadow Warrior 2. Gone is the semi-opened world, and instead, we are put in a first-person shooter and slasher that moves at breakneck speeds through linear levels. We do return to the attitude and visuals of Shadow Warrior 3.

We return as Lo Wang. Lo Wang is a ninja, but don’t expect stealth gameplay. Ninja is used fairly loosely here. Wang, as he’s known, is a sarcastic, somewhat idiotic, arrogant mercenary who has accidentally kind of plunged the world into an apocalypse. The story picks up right after the second one ends, with Lo Wang lamenting his failures and how a dragon escaped and has nearly killed most of the world.

The story itself isn’t much. It’s streamlined. To be fair, that’s the best way to describe Shadow Warrior 3, for better or worse. Shadow Warrior 2 was a fairly complicated game with tons of side quests, bonus missions, and a pile of weapons, upgrades, and play styles. Not to mention Shadow Warrior 2 had this long, somewhat complicated story.

That’s mostly gone now, though. I was a huge fan of Shadow Warrior 2, so moving into Shadow Warrior 3 was a big change. I wasn’t sure how much I’d appreciate it. Even so, I owe it to Wang to finish the journey he and I started in 2013. (Sorry, I’m not a real OG who played the 1997 version.)

Blasting Into Shadow Warrior 3

First and foremost, the game maintains the humor of the original games, which is very important to the Shadow Warrior series. Lo Wang is a lovable idiot and kind of a scum bag, bordering on a douchebag. Yet, he has his charm and always provides an entertaining commentary on the events occurring, as well as plenty of innuendo and one-liners as combat roars on.

What makes Wang a good hero is that he does have good traits. For example, when his former enemy Orochi Zilla says they have to sacrifice the remainder of his demon friend Hoji to fight the dragon, Wang goes off script and risks it all to save Hoji. This works because Hoji has a plan of his own. The story is pretty straightforward, and most of the story is told at the beginning of the game.

We gotta slay a magical, earth-killing dragon, and that means we have a quest. The quest takes us through magical environments facing monsters, demons, zombies, and more, all inspired by Chinese folklore. Well, somewhat inspired. These enemies vary widely, and each has its own weaknesses and strengths. They all also have their unique executions. You can rip their heads off, disembowel them, disarm them, turn their weapons against them, etc.

They are all quite varied. When Wang pulls off an execution, he also gets a temporary weapon or effect. This includes double health, freezing enemies, or getting a big, giant sword to swing around. Each enemy gives you a unique effect or power.

Moving Fast

The game and combat move at a breakneck speed. It never slows down. If you stop moving, you’ll be dead before you know it. You’ll be running through environments and bashing your way through countless demons. The world engages you in a wide variety of movements. You’ll jump (and double jump), dash, climb, wall run, and grapple hook. The grappling hook is something that seems to be in nearly every new game, and Wang points it out in a bit of meta-humor.

The game encourages speed, and even just moving between different parts of the world can be a thrill. It’s not necessarily a platformer, but those elements are there, and you’ll need precisely timed jumps and grapple hooks to make your way through the world.

Combat is continuous, and most of your big fights will be in their arenas implemented into each level. What starts as a wide open area in the beginning stages evolves into ever more complicated environments to fight in. You’ll have grappling hook points, wall running, and verticality to deal with. Eventually, all manner of traps and environmental hazards will be present that can help or hurt you.

Combat is all about moving, killing, and alternating between your guns and katana. When you use your katana to kill enemies, you’ll get ammo. When you kill enemies with guns, you’ll get health pickups. This has you constantly swapping between guns and your sword to deal death and maintain high ammo and health. You simply can’t favor one over the other, and built-in series of challenges encourage you to try everything.

Upgrade It

The Upgrade system in Shadow Warrior 3 is also very simple and easy to use. You can apply three upgrades to each weapon and several upgrades to your character. You get upgrade points by finding them in the world and completing challenges. Their additions to your guns, katana, and Wang, are effective but repetitive. Every gun has a double ammo upgrade, for example.

With such a straightforward game, I understand simplifying it, but I felt pretty disappointed and didn’t care much about earning upgrades. In Shadow Warrior 2, I scraped through every side mission to earn upgrades and max out my Wang.

The Guns

The guns are all entirely fictional. Some are rational, like the big magnum revolver you start with. It’s a sweet, modern double-action design, but it’s a top break for two reloads. You have a pair of submachine guns that you dual-wield and a four-barreled shotgun with Winchester Liberator vibes to it.

Then you have a grenade launcher, a rail gun, and a shuriken launcher. Some guns get crazy, but they are all admittedly unique. They are all useful til the very end of the game. Even the Outlaw, aka the starting gun, remains useful. I appreciate the creativity and how the different guns offer different effects on the enemies. Each offers you a distinctive style and allows you to take down different enemies rapidly.

The katana allows for both light and heavy attacks as well as elemental damage. You can also use your grappling hook to yank your Wang to enemies and rapidly close the distance to defeat them.

Hold Onto Your Wang

Shadow Warrior 3 is a ton of fun to play. I enjoyed my time. However, it does have some problems. It’s graphically just okay with a lot of flat textures. The sound has some kind of big where it just mutes itself sometimes or makes a noise annoying enough to cause me to reset the game. Shadow Warrior 3 was fun, but I’m not a fan of how the game stripped itself down.

If you get it cheap, it’s worth the thrill. Hopefully, Shadow Warrior 4 can strike a balance between fast-moving combat and story, on top of a more thorough upgrade system. Here’s hoping we get more Wang in the near future.

Most gun owners own at least one gun safe, whether it’s a heavy upright model or a small single handgun design. And when it comes to the assorted gear that goes with the gun, like holsters, optics, and ammo, it typically gets relegated to a shelf or a catch-all bin or tote. It’s also common practice to store some ammo with the guns, even though not much ammunition will fit in a safe full of firearms. Even so, it’s normal to squeeze in a box or two.

What if you had a separate storage option that could keep larger amounts of ammunition under lock and key? That’s exactly what the Hornady Ammo Cabinet offers gun owners: a storage space dedicated to and designed for ammunition.

What’s the Hornady Ammo Cabinet?

The Hornady Ammo Cabinet has a rather self-descriptive name, and it’s precisely what it is. Of course, the word “cabinet” might make it sounds as though it’s made of wood, but it isn’t. It seems likely Hornady chose that label because a cabinet is, by definition, a case with shelves that is used to store things. A gun safe, while similar, is different in that it’s made to securely store firearms and prevent unauthorized access while often also providing some protection from water, fire, and other damage. This cabinet does lock, but it doesn’t have quite the same heavy-duty protections of a standard gun safe, and for good reason.

This cabinet was designed with Square-Lok walls and has orderly rows of square-shaped holes on every side, which might just be one of the main reasons it’s a cabinet, not a safe. These holes are necessary for ammo storage, though. This cabinet has excellent airflow which is great for something meant for storing ammunition. This design also means the cabinet is modular, and there are additional aftermarket accessories you can get to expand storage possibilities. Multiple cabinets can also be mounted to one another. This is a versatile cabinet, and it’s roomy, too.

What are the Hornady Ammo Cabinet specifications?

The dimensions of the cabinet are 18 inches by 12 inches by 40 inches, so it’s a bit under four feet tall. It’s large enough to get the job done and likely wise that it’s shorter due to the overall weight of a big pile of ammo. Panels are made from sturdy metal. Overall empty weight is listed as 47.8 pounds and the shipping weight is just a few more. This is not a cabinet or safe that’s too heavy to move on your own or that requires a pallet and assistance to get into the house. It’s hefty, but you can move it on your own.

Two adjustable and one fixed shelf come with the cabinet. A trio of shelf mats designed to add a layer of protection to the items stored are also included. Hornady lists the shelves as having a bearing weight of 100 pounds each. Although the exact weight of different calibers of ammunition depends on a variety of factors including packaging, this gives you a general idea of what 100 pounds of ammunition looks like (remember, these are only approximations):

• 3500 rounds of 9mm
• 4500 rounds of 380 ACP
• 2000 rounds of 308 Win
• 13,300 rounds of 22 LR
• 2100 rounds of 45 ACP
• 3700 rounds of 223 Rem
• 2000 rounds of 30-30 Win
• 1000 shotshells of 12 gauge 2 3/4 inch slugs

What this tells you is that you can fit a lot more ammunition into this cabinet than it first appears. If you’re storing your ammo in the factory 50-round packaging, you’re unlikely to need to worry overly much about being precise with how much ammo you load each shelf with. However, if you store a lot of loose ammo, whether in cans or boxes, it’ll take up less space and you’ll need to be mindful of how much you put on a single shelf. It might be tempting to put whatever you can squeeze on a shelf on it, but that isn’t recommended.

Possible Square-Lok accessories:

• Wire shelf
• Gun rack
• Parts bin
• Drawer
• Metal shelf
• Storage bin

The possibilities are endless with the Hornady Ammo Cabinet. Aside from what’s mentioned above, each cabinet ships with a magnetic motion light, 10 magnetic and rewritable shelf labels, three plastic ammo cans, and a solid metal Hornady magnet.

How well does it work?

Basic assembly is quick and easy. Perhaps the greatest thing about it is the fact that the door can be mounted to open from the right or left, solving all kinds of issues of where it fits and how well it suits a left- or right-handed person. It does have a key lock and comes with a pair of barrel keys that work as expected. The two adjustable shelves can be put wherever you want them with no struggle at all.

It’s worth noting the hook-like extensions that mount the shelves to the Square-Lok panels do extend slightly beyond the cabinet and could be messed with from the outside. They’re pretty securely fit, it’s just not outside the realm of possibility to imagine someone trying to push them up to knock a shelf loose (this would be a challenge with weighed-down shelves).

The included motion-sensing light is surprisingly bright. Although you might expect a dim, cheaply made bar light, Hornady’s light is blindingly bright if you choose to look right at it and large enough to be quite useful. If you want light added to your cabinet, don’t worry, the parts it arrives with get the job done, and then some. Visibility of products inside the cabinet isn’t an issue in a dark room when the light is in place.

Thanks to the available space inside the cabinet, using all three shelves along with the base space means a significant amount of ammunition fits. In fact, it’s plenty of room for the average gun owner. If you have a truly large amount of ammo, of course, it’s not going to fit, but that leaves you with two options: buy more ammo cabinets, or designate the cabinet for specific use.

In my case, that means the ammo cabinet is perfect for regular-use ammo such as our most commonly used defensive ammo and a selection of hunting ammo we’re most likely to use on feral hogs at any given moment. This is fantastic for regular-use storage that makes regularly used ammo easy to grab without wandering through a larger space and pawing through piles. Yes, it’s quite useful even if it doesn’t hold all your ammo.

Loading all three shelves and the base, plus the weight of the unit itself, adds up to about 450 pounds. That means it weighs a decent amount when it’s full, so take some care as to where you put it. And if you aren’t going to fill it, be sure you don’t make it top-heavy. It might be nice to have your ammo higher up for easier reach but it won’t be so nice if it tips over because you left the lower parts empty.

It’s occurred to me the Hornady Ammo Cabinet is also perfect for storing gunsmithing tools or an array of gun parts. All you’d need to do to get truly organized is to order the additional drawers and boxes for tiny parts and set it up however you prefer. My organizer’s heart loves the idea of a cabinet for each purpose. Even better, if you get three or more bolted together, they could serve as a gun bench you could stand at to work on guns.

Overall, this is one piece of gear that gets a 10/10. I was a little skeptical when I first saw it, but once I put it to work, I was entirely won over. This is a great addition to any home or gun room and well worth the investment.

MSRP for the Hornady Ammo Cabinet is set at $629.00.

The Safariland QLS (Quick Locking System) is a must-have for anyone that owns a duty-sized handgun. I have always used a Safariland holster at work because of the durability and multiple options for retention. They have everything from Level 1 to Level 3 Retention for your Glock, Sig, Walther, or any other handgun you want to carry. But I also found myself using multiple holsters for different setups. For tactical operations, I use a drop-led holster. For regular uniform, I use a belt-attached duty holster. But if I wanted to take my holster off the duty belt to put on a different belt, it was a lot of work.

Because I have always used Safariland at work, I gravitated to them for my personal holsters. I have one for my Glock pistols, my Sig M17, and others. But what I don’t want to do is buy an expensive holster for my belt and then turn around and buy another one for a drop-leg too. It’s easy to overlook holsters and focus on the cool guns. But holsters can be a big problem if you can’t find the setup you want. They are expensive and if you own multiple handguns, well, be ready to fork out some cash on holsters. The Safariland QLS system fixes this problem though. It’s been around for a while, but I am still amazed at how easy it makes switching holsters around.

What is the QLS system?

Basically, the QLS system is two mounting plates: the receiver plate, and the locking fork. The receiver plate attaches to your belt and the locking fork to your holster. The locking fork slides into the receiving plate from the top and lock in place.

Let’s say you want your gun on a duty belt, but you also want the ability to carry it on a pancake belt clip. With this system, you can attach a receiving plate to both the belt attachment and belt clip. The locking fork is attached to the back of the holster. Now you can slide the holster over the receiving plate on either attachment. To remove it, you simply squeeze the forks at the bottom and lift.

This works great if you have different systems for carrying a holster. I like to use a drop-leg holster when I have an entry vest on. With the QLS, I can attach a receiving plate to my drop-leg rig so my holster can lock onto it. This eliminates the need for multiple holsters. It also allows you to have a holster for different guns and use the same belt, drop-leg, or paddle system for those holsters. If you have one belt, one drop-leg rig, and one paddle, you can use any Safariland holster for any gun on those systems.

Installing the QLS system

The QLS kit comes with one receiving plate, one locking fork, and the screws needed to attach them. The first step is to attach the locking forks to the holster. When you buy a Safariland holster, they come in a bag with a belt attachment and a paddle. Normally, you pick one of these two attachments and screw them to the holster. Instead, use the provided screws and attach the locking fork to the back of the holster (see photo below). If you already have a holster with a paddle or belt attachment on it, remove it to install the locking forks instead. Mine had the paddle so I took it off. Three screws will need to be removed for this process.

Next is the receiving plate. This will attach to whatever system you want use to carry the holster. In this case, I am attaching it to the back of the paddle I had on my holster. I already have a receiving plate on my duty belt and leg holster. This will allow me to use this holster on those and the paddle.

To attach the receiving plate, use two T-nuts (see photo below), and two screws that came with the QLS system. The T-nuts will go into the top and the screws from the bottom. There are special grooves that allow the T-nuts to fall into place on the receiving plate. Once the two screws are in, you’re done. The holster can now be attached to the paddle by sliding it on from the top until it clicks into place.

Is it practical?

In a simple world, we would have one gun, one holster, and one way to carry that holster. But we are people and we’re not simple. We like to have options and if you’re like me, you want more than one gun. And with each gun comes multiple holsters and different ways to carry those holsters. This system will eliminate the need to buy so many holsters. Besides saving money, however, it makes it fast for switching to a different system. I keep my leg holster in a bag in the back of my patrol car. Because I don’t work the road with the deputies, I often just carry a Glock 19 with dress clothes. But if something goes bad and I need to help the road guys or tactical team, I need to switch gear.

This system allows me to throw on my entry vest and drop-leg rig. I can then remove my holster from the paddle and click it onto the drop-leg rig without carrying two different holsters. If someone decides they want to carry a different gun, they can use the same rig to carry the holster. This means you can switch your holster from one setup to another within seconds. If you carry a Glock but decide you want to switch over to a Sig M17, just remove the holster and snap the M17 holster on your belt. No need to remove everything on the belt, just slide the belt attachment off.

Final thoughts on the Safariland QLS system

Some may not see the need to have so many holsters and ways to carry them, but some of us do. This may be for our job, or this is the system we use at home with our personal equipment. I use the Safariland QLS system both at work and at home. I can have one belt system that has all my stuff on it and change out holsters without messing with my belt system. This is great for training with different weapons or changing up how you carry your gun based on the task at hand. If you want one holster (or multiple holsters) that can attach to multiple platforms this is the best system out there.

9mm is one of the most popular calibers on the market, and it’s also my favorite caliber. Every year I shoot anywhere from 40,000-60,000 rounds of 9mm. It comes in many weights and projectile types, but today we’re focusing on the full metal jacket or FMJ from CCI Blazer Ammunition.

A full metal jacket projectile is typically made up of two pieces. It has an inner core and outer shell. The outer shell is the “jacket” because it encases the whole inner core like how we would wear a jacket when it’s raining. The inner core is a softer material, usually, lead. The jacket improves the firearm’s reliability by protecting the barrel from collecting lead deposits. The jacket is also less prone to deformation compared to all lead bullets. This means the round can be pushed to a higher velocity. 

FMJs are typically used as training ammunition since their ballistics capabilities are far less than specialty carry ammo. This makes it perfect for the practice I do to sharpen my skills for the competition field. 

Buying in Bulk Saves Money

When I buy factory ammunition, I ask myself three questions: 

1. Is it reliable? 
2. Is it accurate? 
3. Is it affordable? 

CCI checks all those boxes for me. It has been my choice for pistol and rifle calibers. They are a trusted brand with extreme consistency between their batches. 

Buying in bulk saves money. When I started taking my shooting seriously, I stopped buying single boxes of ammunition because I knew I would be shooting more ammo in the future. As long as you have disposable income, it’s worth putting the money upfront to buy an entire case of 1,000. On GunMag Warehouse, a 1000-round case of CCI Blazer Brass 9mm 124-gr FMJ is $239.99, which is $0.24 per round. A quick Google search shows that is around 10% cheaper than other online ammunition distributors. 

Blazer Brass by the Case — Specs

• Brand: CCI Blazer
• Caliber: 9MM Lugar 
• Bullet Weight: 124 Grain 
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,090
• Application: Target & Training 
• Material: Brass
• Count: 1,000 rounds

Grouping

The first test I perform when getting a new batch of ammo is checking my zero and grouping the shots. I like to shoot anywhere from a 10-20 round group freehand to get a good baseline grouping. Taking a larger round grouping gives you more validity to the group size and helps with identifying the consistency of the ammo. 

My first group was with my Nighthawk Customs Sandhawk 9mm 2011. This is a top-of-the-line gun with Nighthawk’s match barrel. I fired ten rounds free hand at a 1-shot-per-second pace at 15 yards. This is much slower than I would typically be shooting the gun, but I wanted to see how tight we could keep the group. As you can see in the picture below, the grouping was fantastic. It would be even tighter if I shot off of a bench rest. I could feel some of my shots being pulled with my trigger press. 

The second group I shot was with my Smith & Wesson M&P9 M2.0, which I use for USPSA and PCSL. This group consists of 20 rounds from 15 yards at a “sporty” pace, around .25 seconds per shot. The group opened up some compared to the Nighthawk, but it was at 4 times the speed. I am very happy with this group with the reactive speed of confirming my red dot on my intended target and then ripping the trigger. 

These groups are similarly sized to my hand-loaded match ammo, perfectly tuned and calculated for my guns. I couldn’t ask for something at that price point to perform better. The fact that you can get CCI Blazer ammunition in bulk for cheap makes this one of my top choices for off-the-shelf ammunition. 

Drills

I ran some EDC-style drills after grouping the guns to see how they would fair at speed and when I was under the pressure of my shot timer. I shot them with a fellow Rogue Methods Instructor, Dillon Ventzke, and I can say I was impressed with the results. 

Drill 1: Hunter Constantine 10 Draw Drill

Procedure: Fire one round at the Alpha zone headbox of an IPSC target. Gun loaded and holstered—wrist below the waist. Target is at 10 yards, and the par time is 1.5 seconds. Here is where it gets tricky. You have to do it ten times in a row to pass. If you fail on the 7th draw, you must finish the last three from that set, then restart from zero. 

I ran this drill six times total on that range day, and the best I got was 9/10. I got 9/10 four times in a row. The ammo did every bit of its job; the shooter was causing flyers on the target or not meeting the par time. Try this drill and test how well your accuracy is at speed. 

Drill 2: Long Distance Draws

Our next drill was a concealment draw at 30 yards on the center A zone of an ISPC target. This was really pushing our speed and accuracy. I was averaging around 1.3 seconds per draw with solid hits. Stretching the distance back gives you a great understanding of your shot placement under stress. The slightest misalignment or flinch can drastically change your shot placement. 

We ended on more compounding drills with higher round counts, and the CCI Blazer 124 didn’t stop performing. This is why it is my go-to when buying factory ammunition. The 124 grain is a softer recoiling round than the 115s, and 147s manufacturers offer. I am looking for every advantage I can get when I compete, so having a softer recoiling gun means a better overall match performance. 

CCI Ammunition

CCI Ammunition is one of the largest American ammunition brands. They produce a wide array of products, from reloading components to some of the best precision rifle rounds on the market. One of the most popular rounds from CCI is the .22LR Mini Mag. They are one of my most dependable rounds for my Ruger 10/22. I am sure you know if you have a .22LR, dependability is the name of the game to keep your guns running.  

Final Thoughts

Your firearm skills are perishable, so you must stay up on your training to remain proficient. Figure out what makes sense for your budget. If that means 100 rounds a month or 1,000 rounds a month, either way, you should be getting live fire repetitions on your gun. I have taught hundreds of people across the US, and I’v found that most people “think” they are ready when put in a stressful situation. It turns out they aren’t. Even with simple tasks like shooting all A-Zone hits on an IPSC target at 10-15 yards, they fail. There is no replacement for live fire time on your gun consistently. That means you have to keep feeding your gun, and that’s why I like buying my ammunition in bulk. I know it’s going to be shot, so I might as well save some money.

CCI Blazer ammunition checks all my boxes by being reliable, accurate, and affordable.

Speer is a familiar name among shooting enthusiasts. The company has been around for a long time because it puts out quality products, dating all the way back to 1943. Today we’ll be looking at one of their products in particular: the  Speer Gold Dot 124-grain 9mm +P hollow point round.

Who uses this ammo?

The better question is, who doesn’t? Agencies that use it include:

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation,
• Department of Homeland Security,
• United States Customs and Border Protection,
• New York Police Department,
• California Highway Patrol,
• New Jersey State Police,
• Las Vegas Metro Police,
• Pennsylvania State Police,
• Palm Beach County Sheriff,
• and over 3,000 other US departments.

Over 3,000 other US departments use it, as well as police in Norway and Sweden, among others. Without sounding like an infomercial, Gold Dot ammunition is what most other hollow points are judged by.

Recently, Speer was awarded a contract to supply ammunition for the French National Police, the National Gendarmerie, Customs Police, and the Penitentiary Administration. These agencies have adopted the 124-grain Gold Dot Hollow Point as their new duty ammunition. The terms of the contract are for four years and up to a whopping 20 million rounds!

Ballistics

Velocity at the muzzle for this 124-grain +P ammunition is listed at 1220 feet per second. At 25 yards it’s going 1,146 fps, and at 50 yards it’s moving at 1,085 fps.

Speer tests the ammo in several mediums. In their bare gelatin tests, it penetrated an average of 11.78 inches and expanded to .720 caliber.

For the heavy clothing test, it penetrated an average of 14.13 inches and expanded to .60 caliber. Note that in both bare and heavy clothing gelatin tests, the bullets retained all their weight, so nothing was shed during penetration.

They also tested it by firing it through steel, although they don’t specify how thick the steel was (I’m guessing auto-body type steel). The round then penetrated 27.63 inches of gelatin and expanded to .45 caliber.

Wallboard tests showed it penetrating that medium and then penetrating 12.52 inches of ballistic gelatin with expansion to .660 caliber.

During the safety glass test, the Gold Dot penetrated 14.95 inches of ballistic gelatin and expanded to .543 caliber after defeating the glass.

Plywood testing saw the rounds penetrating 14 inches of gelatin while expanding to .594 caliber.

What does all of this tell us? It proves that the Gold Dot round will penetrate various mediums that law enforcement comes in contact with, and still manages to penetrate fairly consistently in ballistics gelatin. And they don’t shed bullet weight, which means the bullet holds together.

Why is it good that a bullet holds together? Because it continues to penetrate. And penetration is what gets the bullet to vital organs, which shuts an attacker down faster. At least when we’re talking about pistol bullets. Rifle bullets are another story because of their higher velocities, which cause more damage.

No, ballistic gelatin is not a perfect simulation of human or animal flesh. However, it’s close enough for government work. And since they get upset when ammunition is tested against live people, gelatin is the next best medium to use. It gives us an idea as to how consistently ammunition will perform on the street.

And Gold Dot ammo has definitely been street tested and approved across the nation and beyond.

FBI Protocol

Many of us are familiar with the FBI 1986 Shootout in Miami, which changed the trends of how handgun ammunition performance is rated. The FBI blamed the death of two of its agents on one 9mm round that they say did not penetrate deeply enough into the chest of one of the bad guys (there were two bad guys in this incident who were heavily armed).

Never mind the fact that the felon who was hit suffered a non-survivable wound. That’s the thing about bad guys—despite being fatally wounded, they don’t always cease their criminal activities in an orderly and prompt fashion. Sometimes they don’t get the memo that they’re dying, and so they continue trying to kill the good guys.

Gelatin tests really took off after the 1986 FBI shootout in Florida. From that, they determined that to be effective, bullets need to penetrate between 12 and 18 inches. They reason that, with those penetration parameters in place, the bullets will reach those vital areas regardless of which angle the bad actors are shot from.

Another claim that the FBI made was that the vehicles that the felons were using as cover stopped bullets from reaching them. So the FBI mandated that bullets have to successfully penetrate heavy clothing, 20 gauge steel (simulating auto steel), wallboard (two pieces of 1/2″ standard gypsum board set 3.5″ apart), plywood (3/4″ fir, one piece), and automobile glass. The projectiles have to expand to at least 1.5 times their original diameter and penetrate those magical 12-18 inches.

All in all, it seems that the FBI Protocol has driven ammunition manufacturers to push the envelope on handgun ammo performance. We’re seeing bullets performing at levels that we’d never imagined back in the ’80s and ’90s. Regardless of whether or not we feel the FBI’s protocol is realistic, it has pushed the manufacturers to excel.

How does Speer get the bullet to hold together through various mediums?

The secret is their structural-plated, pressure-formed core as well as their uni-cor bonding. I’m not sure of exactly what type of process they use to accomplish the bonding, but I suspect that sorcery and elves are involved. But it works really well because the Gold Dot rounds typically do not shed any weight during their performance.

The nickel-plated cases are also a plus because they tend to corrode less and help with feeding and ejection.

Ingredients

Speer initially began their business back in 1943 by producing loading components such as primers. These days, of course, they use their own components for all of their ammunition. All the components, from cases, primers, powders, and projectiles are of top-notch quality.

I’ve personally used Speer ammunition over the course of a few decades, and have never experienced a failure of the ammo to fire or perform.

Although it’s rated as +P ammunition, the Gold Dot 124 grain didn’t have noticeably more recoil than most other rounds that I regularly shoot through my Glocks. This is a good thing, because the last thing we need is more muzzle flip.

The higher pressure of the +P ammo does raise the velocity of the bullets, which makes the round more effective.

At the Range

It would be impossible for me to recall all the various pistols and revolvers that I’ve run Speer Gold Dot ammo through. Suffice it to say, it’s a couple dozen of them over the years.

During my most recent range trip, it was in the Glock 43 and 43X. Other trips included the S&W CSX, Sig P228 and P226, Springfield Armory Hellcat, and a host of others.

The Glock 43, being small for a semi-auto handgun, does experience some muzzle flip with any ammunition that’s being used. And the Gold Dot 124 grain +P is no exception. However, as I mentioned, it didn’t seem like much more muzzle flip with the +P ammo than if I were using FMJ range ammo.

In a dire situation, we want the least amount of muzzle flip possible because more muzzle flip means slower follow-up shots on hostile targets.

To date, the Speer Gold Dot ammo that I’ve used in my handguns has batted 1,000. No failures of any kind have been noted.

Conclusion

These days, this is the ammo that I most often seek out to carry in my handguns for self-defense. I’m most comfortable trusting my life to this ammunition, which is the highest endorsement that I can give.

It’s made from top-notch components and the projectiles have been tested to the highest performance standards. They pass with flying colors. And some very prestigious agencies agree with those statements.