Gun Reviews

Anyone who has owned a 10/22 and changed parts on it has likely had to deal with the V-Block. This was an easy method to attach barrels to the Ruger 10/22 receiver but is finicky and doesn’t lead to the ultimate accuracy you can achieve. Grey Birch Manufacturing said hell no with that garbage and decided to do what the big bore rifles do and have a threaded barrel and barrel nut.

We had previously talked about the LaChassis as it is called now and it had the V-Block version of their barrel and receiver in it. They have since discontinued these items despite the great accuracy we had on our sample. Now they only offer what they call the Fusion LDR in both a 16.1″ carbon fiber wrapped barrel or fatty steel barrel. We picked up the carbon fiber version and got to check out their new bolt at the same time.

Precision Bolt

We will start off by talking about the new bolt since this removed my main frustration with assembling a 10/22—getting the bolt and cocking handle assembly into the receiver. I find this process overly complicated for what it needs to be. Some people have mastered the cheat code for installing these, but not this guy.

The Grey Birch Manufacturing Precision Bolt simplifies this by attaching the cocking handle to the bolt itself. On a normal Ruger bolt, you have to slot the cocking handle into the top of the bolt with a delicate balancing act. To install this bolt you just unscrew the cocking handle and put the spring guide rod and recoil spring into the corresponding hole in the bolt. Then all you have to do is push back and tilt in. I did this with two rifles as you can see in the picture and the Precision Bolt was infinitely easier to install. The extractor and firing pin are also much cleaner parts than what you get with Ruger.

I did have one issue with this bolt compared to a stock Ruger one and that was a Timney 10/22 trigger that caused a load of light strikes. After doing some research, a lot of people have talked about how the trigger has light strikes, so the Timney trigger seems to have a weak hammer spring. So instead, I did what I had planned to do for a long time—get a bunch of Tandemkross parts into a Ruger BX trigger pack. I tested with both a stock BX trigger and the upgraded one and both had proper strikes every time. I like this bolt so much that I will be buying one for my wife’s 10/22 due to how easy it is to remove and install.

Fusion System

Now that we have talked about the new bolt it is time to get into the hotness that is the Fusion System. The Fusion Systems barrel nut means that your barrel can be consistently torqued on giving consistent results. The only thing is you would need to make sure is the extractor slot is timed right. The Fusion System does come with the barrel factory installed into the LDR receiver and with 22lr it will take a long time to shoot out the barrel.

There is a small but easily remedied issue with the barrel nut. Most stocks are not designed with the added girth in this area of the barrel so minimal work with a file or sandpaper is needed to relieve this area. If you buy a current model of the LaChassis it comes with this area set up for the barrel nut.

Rail

The rail on the top of the rifle is a 20 moa rail giving you some extra elevation in your scope. This is much needed when shooting 22lr at range due to the heavy drop of the slow-moving chunk of lead. The receiver itself is made from 6061 T6 aluminum and anyone who has worked with 7000 series aluminum can understand why (ask me how I know). The receiver has a clear hard anodized finish which has held up well so far and gives the rifle a unique look showing off the tumbled aluminum below.

Barrel

The barrel comes with an anodized blue thread protector and is made from well-machined carbon fiber and 416 stainless steel. The chamber of the barrel is a Bentz chamber made for match ammo and we can certainly say this rifle makes some nice small holes.

I recently took the rifle to the range and forgot to bring a bipod. So I said screw it, I will shoot off the Game Changer bag. I had several types of ammo with me and at 50 yards the Remington Target Rifle made by Eley shot a single-hole group. The next two best consistent five-shot groups came from the RWS Rifle Match along with the SK Standard Plus. Both of these were easily making .300″ groups when the wind picked up a bit so likely on a bipod in calmer conditions this could be dropped further.

Of the five different types of ammo I shot, each was used for a five-shot group five separate times to rule out trigger mistakes. The rifle performed pretty well with CCI Standard Velocity but it was obvious the Bentz chamber preferred match rounds. Currently, we have shot just under 600 rounds of 22lr through this rifle and will update this article later if anything changes or we find a better round for the rifle.

Now on to the fun part. I keep seeing American friends and other people ask where to get these rifles and parts in the states. Up until now, the rifles had to have loads of paperwork done on them, the sun and moon had to properly align, and then it finally got into the states.

Well, Grey Birch Manufacturing will be doing the big move south of the border to one of the freest (that word looks odd to write) states—Florida—so expect these things to be readily available over the next year. We are excited to see where Grey Birch Manufacturing goes as they continue to release new products in the rimfire world like a stock for the 10/22 Takedown, Tikka T1 or the CZ 457, or even their rumored 10/22 trigger group they are working on.

Federal Premium offers a number of 380 ACP self-defense loads ranging from light-for-caliber options from the new 85 grain Punch to the long-established 99 grain Hydrashock. The Federal Micro HST resides in the same territory as the Hydrashock on the heavier end of the spectrum. These heavier loads have the extra vital mass needed for deep penetration but often at the expense of expansion. To see how the HST stacks up, I decided to put it to the test.

The Load

The Micro HST is a line of ammo engineered around shorter-barreled handguns that ordinary folks like you and me use for concealed carry. The 380 Micro HST is a 99 grain jacketed hollow-point with an advertised muzzle velocity of 935 feet per second.

Aesthetically, some thought was put into this load. Given how finicky some 380 pistols are with some ammunition, the use of corrosion-resistant nickel cases and a rounded bullet profile seems to be a smart idea to ensure smooth feeding where a wider-mouthed conical design might not. On the other hand, a flat-nosed conical design might upset readily on target. To compensate, the HST’s jacket is shivved almost to the case mouth. I ran two boxes of this ammunition through my Ruger LCP without issues and saved a third to test velocity and terminal performance.

The Test

I started by running a quick five-shot string over my Caldwell chronograph from a distance of ten feet. Out of my 2.75-inch barreled LCP, the HST Micro clocked with an average velocity of 959 feet per second—marginally higher than what Federal advertises and faster than quite a few loads I have seen in the 100-grain bullet range. Needless to say, I was optimistic when I shot three rounds into my denim-backed 10% Clear Ballistics gelatin blocks.

That extra velocity and mass translated into good penetration but the four layers of denim (to simulate heavy clothing) clogged the hollow-point cavities, preventing them from expanding. 

However, all three rounds tumbled the 6-14 inch marks, shedding fabric as they went. Two rounds landed base-first at the 16-16 1/2 inch marks respectively. The third round settled at the 18 1/4 inch mark, between two blocks. On retrieving that round, it was packed with denim. Reviewing the wound tracts, it appeared that the first two rounds tumbled twice, while the last round only once.

On a hunch, I removed my denim barrier, stepped back to ten feet, and took another shot into bare gelatin. With no resistance, the HST expanded just as advertised along the shives in the jacket, reaching a depth of eleven inches—just below the FBI’s arbitrary 12-18 inch guideline for duty-handgun performance in gelatin. The expanded projectile miked at .588 inches.

Parting Shots

The 380 Micro HST is characteristic of other heavier 380 loads that have plenty of penetrating and tumbling ability, although often at the expense of penetration through anything of substance. Yet even though heavy cloth, this load does quite well. On the other hand, the HST might be the load of choice in warm weather when cotton t-shirts are appropriate attire.

As rail handguards became standard after the turn of the century, many shooters began to notice an issue with them.  Being made of aluminum and often bristling with Picatinny rails, these handguards didn’t guard the hand exceptionally well.  Sure, it was better than grabbing a hot barrel, but they could be uncomfortable to use between the heat and the rails. That’s where Manta Rail covers from Manta Defense come into play.

Hot hands?  Beat the heat with Manta Defense!

Numerous solutions have been proposed over the years.  The first and most apparent were Picatinny rail covers, which are still available from multiple vendors today, in both the thicker snap- or slide-on styles or the thin ladder style.  Vertical foregrips were extensively tested, too, and back in the day, some shooters were quite dogmatic about their ergonomic superiority.

Handguards, Picatinny to M-LOK

If you’re interested in seeing what types of setups shooters used in years past, this archived thread at AR15.com is full of pictures from a Pat Rogers Carbine Class in 2010.

However, as full-on quad rails gave way to free float tubes with attachable rail sections, the viability of rail covers diminished.  Then came KeyMod and Magpul’s M-LOK, and now fully-railed handguards are a rarity.

Most free float handguards mounted to AR-pattern rifles today are M-LOK.  Many, but not all, have a full top rail.  Some have a full bottom rail.  All have M-LOK slots for attaching accessories, such as grips, light mounts, or even modular rail sections.  While this does eliminate the cheese-grater effect of grasping a bare Picatinny rail, it does nothing to mitigate heat buildup.  In fact, given how slim some of these handguards are and how close they are to the barrel and gas block, they can get even hotter than their quad rail ancestors.

The heat from firing the weapon isn’t the only thing that can make a slim, aluminum handguard uncomfortable.  If you’ve lived in the South or spent time in the Middle East, you know how hot metal can get when left out in the sun.  A hot, sunny day at the range can make your rifle’s forearm too hot to hold with your bare hand.

A smooth metal handguard doesn’t make for a very tactile gripping surface, either, and might be slick in wet conditions.  In cold weather, at or below freezing, an aluminum forend might be unpleasantly cold to the touch.

Manta Rail Covers vs. Gloves

You can, of course, wear gloves.  However, there’s an argument to be made that you shouldn’t have an additional piece of personal protective equipment, along with your eye and ear protection, to shoot your guns.  Several types of plastic M-LOK covers available can give you some heat protection and a better gripping surface, but what if you want something more substantial?

What if you forget your gloves?

Manta Defense has a solution: the TAC-Wrap.

Manta Rail Covers: The TAC-Wrap

The TAC-Wrap is a straightforward design made of a soft, tactile, rubbery material that’s very heat resistant.  It is designed to clip to the top Picatinny rail of a handguard and wrap around the sides and bottom.  The wrap itself weighs just over 5 ounces and is 5.75” long.  Thick and ribbed (please compose your own jokes), it provides you with a comfortable gripping surface on your weapon’s forend.  It will work on most slick, KeyMod, or M-LOK handguards between 1.25” and 2” in diameter.  It will probably not work on a Picatinny quad rail type forend.  Measure your handguard’s diameter before you buy.

The Tac-Wrap Instructions

Mounting the TAC-Wrap is straightforward.  It comes with two metal rods threaded on each end.  Using the included lubricant (a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer), you slide the rods through the tunnels on either side of the TAC-Wrap.  A plastic cross-bar clip goes at the front, and the rear of the wrap, and the whole thing is held together by four acorn nuts.  You can attach it without tools, and you’ll need a few drops of blue thread locker.  (If you skip the thread locker, the nuts may work themselves loose under recoil.  If you lose one, you can order a replacement set from Manta for only $5.00.)

The Tac Wrap Kit

The TAC-Wrap kit comes with four sets of cross-bar clips that accommodate handguards of different thicknesses.  You can mount the wrap wherever you like on the forend, provided you have top Picatinny rail sections where the cross-bar clips need to attach.  From my experience, I would suggest making sure you know where you want to mount the wrap before you secure it in place because once affixed, it’s not quick-detach.

The complete kit costs $49.95 from the Manta Defense website and is available in four popular tactical colors: olive drab, flat dark earth, wolf gray, and basic black.  When installed, it leaves the section of rail between the front and rear cross-bar clips exposed.  If you prefer wrapping your thumb over the handguard, Manta also sells an optional top piece for $10.95.  Alternatively, that top section might be an excellent place to mount a tape switch for a weapon light.

This top cap is made of the same heat-resistant, rubbery material as the wrap itself but is reinforced with metal inserts.  The one I received was a bit too long to fit in the space between the two cross-bar clips, but it can be trimmed to the desired length.  Keep in mind that you’ll need to cut around the metal inserts.

An Overview of the Manta Rail Covers

Evaluation of the Manta Rail Covers

I installed the TAC-Wrap on my Sig Sauer 716i “Tread” rifle, caliber 7.62mm NATO, and put it through its paces.  The wrap did exactly what it was supposed to and gave me a comfortable spot on which to place my support hand. However, even after shooting several magazines’ worth of ammunition, the TAC-Wrap was barely warmer than ambient temperature.

The wrap could have other uses as well.  If you shoot from an improvised rest, even on a rough surface like concrete, the TAC-Wrap will protect the finish on your handguard from scratches.  It’s useful for giving yourself an index reference if you’re concerned about maintaining a consistent shooting stance.  You could use it to route a wire to a tape switch.  If you have large hands, you might find the thicker gripping area provided by the TAC-Wrap more to your liking than the handguard itself.

Conclusions

I purchased the TAC-Wrap with my own money and have no relationship with the company. However, I became aware of them by their being mentioned in a Small Arms Solutions video on YouTube.  I’m pretty pleased with the quality of the product and would definitely buy it again.

Suppose the TAC-Wrap isn’t to your taste. In that case, Manta Defense makes a variety of other heat-mitigation products that you may find helpful, including Picatinny rail and M-LOK covers, tape switch fasteners,  rail covers with wire routing built into them, suppressor covers, grip wraps, and a barrel cover for the Browning M2 machine gun.  Manta Defense is an American small business, and its products are made domestically in the State of Ohio.  I would recommend them without reservation.

I’m not much into stealth games, I mean, besides Syphon Filter. So I’ve not played the first four entries into the Sniper Elite series. After watching a friend play Sniper Elite 5, I gave it a chance. Plus, it’s free on Xbox Game Pass, so it’s not like I was out any cash to give it a try. I’m glad I did because I had an absolute blast playing the game.

Sniper Elite 5 has you playing as uber commando and sniper Karl Fairburne. (Possibly named in reference to W.E. Fairbairn?) The setting is France, 1944, and you’ve been dropped to help the resistance stop something called Operation Kraken. To be honest with you, the story isn’t a big deal here. I couldn’t remember much of it if my life depended on it.

You’re an allied sniper, and your goal is to kill Nazis, so the story is just an excuse to drop you into different environments to do just that.

Sniper Elite 5 — Sandbox Done Well

Sniper Elite 5 isn’t a free-roaming game in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto or Far Cry. Each level is self-contained but a sandbox unto itself. Players get dropped into a map and can approach the objectives and mission any way they want. Every objective seemingly has multiple angles of approach and various solutions.

Inside the levels, you’ll have main objectives that have to be completed for exfil purposes. Then you’ll have optional objectives gathered from found intel, as well as a high-ranking Nazi that needs killing. Doing these bonus kills and objectives unlock new weapons and experience for your character.

Every rank gained delivers a skill point that allows you to choose different perks in three other ‘skill trees.’ These are combat, equipment, and body. Upgrading the different trees allow for different skills and abilities, but it’s super shallow and fairly simple.

Prior to every mission, you can upgrade your character or pause the game at any time to upgrade your skills. Also, prior to every mission, you can select your weapons and gear as well as customize your guns. We’ll talk more about that later.

Diving Into Sniper Elite 5

One thing that stands out to me in Sniper Elite 5 is the level design. It’s fantastic. These massive levels are well designed and allow for multiple, unique approaches to an objective. Maybe as you circle right, you see a machine nest, backed by a fireteam of Nazis. If you’re going stealthily, then this might not be the correct route for you. So, backtrack and approach the area in a different way.

The levels are open and allow for a lot of freedom of movement. As you navigate the levels, you can climb vines and ladders, vault over walls or through windows, climb under fences, and take zip lines when necessary. This freedom of movement allows for easy navigation and grants you the ability to get out of rough situations reasonably quickly.

Obstacles all have different solutions. For example, let’s say you have a locked door. You can blow it to pieces with a satchel charge, or you can slowly and stealthy pick the lock, or maybe you hunt down and kill who has the key, which is both silent and quick.

Most of your killing will be made with your guns in Sniper Elite 5, but there are some creative ways to dispatch enemies. Exploding red boxes, barrels, and more show up, making it easy to take three Nazis working on a tractor out. You can lay down booby traps and mines and even plant grenades under dead nazis for other Nazis to find.

Maybe you drop a chandelier on a Nazi. Or, you plant a mine at the end of a bowling alley and take out a high-ranking Nazi who thinks he’s Randy Quaid from Kingpin.

The Action

Unsurprisingly Sniper Elite 5 puts a big emphasis on stealth gameplay. Lots of crawling through high grass and sniping from long distances. Throughout the game, elements allow you to conceal yourself and your shots. Planes flying overhead are loud enough to help silence your shots, and generators can be rigged to make noise for the same reason.

You enter a mission with three guns, a sniper rifle, a submachine gun, and a handgun. You start with two options in each category and can pick and choose between British and American firearms.

The enemies in Sniper Elite 5 are pretty aggressive, and if discovered, you’ll be pursued mercilessly. They lay down gunfire at you or where they think you are. If you fire a loud shot, the enemies will isolate your position and come to that position. If you fire a loud shot and quickly sneak away, they’ll isolate the area they think you are.

All the different guns have different audible distances measured in meters. The louder the weapon, the more likely someone is to hear it. The use of suppressors and even subsonic ammo can reduce this noise. Additionally, a 9mm SMG isn’t as loud as a .30-06, which makes sense.

Also, if you find yourself outnumbered, I’d advise running. You won’t last long against a fire team of Nazis. That’s not how the game is played. Stealth matters a lot in this game.

The Kill Cam

The Sniper Elite games have this kill-cam feature. Occasionally, when you make an impressive shot, the camera will follow the bullet until it hits the bad guy. When it hits the bad guy, an X-ray camera will show it violently ripping through the bad guy’s head, lungs, and testicles.

The Guns and Ammo

Sniper Elite 5 is packed full of guns, both the guns you expect and guns you don’t. Sure, we have the M1911, the Thomspon, and even a scoped M1903, the usual suspects. However, we also see some experimental weapons like the Welgun, the SREM-1 pump-action, bullpup sniper rifle, and Welrod Mark 1.

The game allows you to pick one from each category before each mission, and you’ll unlock more firearms in the armory as you get bonus Nazi kills. Oh, also, there are some period-correct but oddly placed guns. For example, the Nambu Type 14 and Type 100 are both Japanese weapons that found themselves in France somehow.

The damage guns do all over the place is typical for video games. Also, a .32 ACP gun, called the MAB Model D, randomly pierces armor with standard rounds. To be fair, an urban legend states that the .32 ACP pierced Nazi helmets more consistently than other pistol rounds. The Webley Mk VI is stupidly powerful, like a magnum-powered revolver.

The game does give a variety of weapons to the player. As you play the levels, you can pick up Nazi weapons to use temporarily. When out of ammo, or when you swap to an equipped weapon, you’ll ditch your battlefield pickup. This allows you to make on-the-fly changes to your equipment because sometimes you need an MG42.

Customization

Sniper Elite 5 features a deep and rich customization system. You can make some real Frankenguns through this system. Sure, you can attach suppressors to your guns, a Cutts compensator to your Thompson, and extended magazines.

You can also get a little weird with it. Let’s attach a stock and three power scope to a 1911, cause why not? Let’s make it full auto, and get crazy with it. You can do that with most of the guns and make something that would make John Browning frown.

Players can grab different ammo types as well. You can swap between standard rounds to armor-piercing loads or subsonic. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Heck, there are even nonlethal loads, but don’t ask me why. These are the Nazis we are talking about. They only get the lethal lead.

Sighting In

Sniper Elite 5 is a very fun game. The only downside is that the objectives are rarely much different and tend to repeat themselves. However, the level design, enemy A.I., and multitude of solutions make the game a ton of fun and grant you some real replayability.

As a shotgun nerd, I laugh when rifle and handgun bubbas complain about the cost of .30 cents and .40 cents per round prices on their ammo. Even when ammo is cheap, shotgun rounds never get close to those price points. Especially when it comes to buckshot and slugs. For high-quality defensive buckshot, you’ll find yourself spending upwards of two dollars a round. However, Fiocchi’s relatively new Defense Dynamics buckshot loads promise a budget-friendly alternative to your home defense needs.

My shotgun load of choice is Federal’s eight pellet 00 load with the Flitecontrol wad. However, Flitecontrol loads can cost over two bucks a round, and when ammo demand is high greedy shotgunners like me gobble it up. I recognize that there are a lot of new shotgun owners out there looking for a defensive ammo option without breaking the bank.

This led me to experiment with several shotgun loads, and one of those loads is the Fiocchi Defense Dynamics buckshot. I think it might be one of the better options for a defensive buckshot load on a budget. I’ve gotten a case of it to find out anyway.

Not All Buckshot Is Equal

There are lots of buckshot loads on the market, and most will stop a threat. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t chase loads that are better tailored for defensive shooting. Let’s examine what separates a defensive buckshot load from every other buckshot load on the market.

First, we have to look at shot size.

For buckshot, the smallest shot size consistently penetrating 12 inches of ballistic gel is No. 1. No. 1 is easily the most efficient shot size for defensive shooting, but it’s often ignored. No. 4 buck is often suggested but is a poor penetrator and best used for coyotes and vermin. That leaves us with the tried and true 00 buckshot. These .33 caliber pellets penetrate deep and hit hard.

Second, we also want to balance recoil and power.

This leads us away from full-powered 1,600 FPS buckshot. It has a lot of recoil and no noticeable defensive value. On top of that, we tend to avoid 3-inch magnum shells for home defense due to the recoil and the loss of capacity. The use of 2.75-inch shells frequently allows for an additional round in your magazine tube.

So we have 2.75-inch shells with 00 buckshot loaded into them. Most common loads use nine pellets. That’s fine, but eight pellet loads, like the Defense Dynamics, tend to pattern more consistently. Nine pellet loads will often have a’ flyer’ separating from the main pattern by several inches.

What makes the Fiocchi Defense Dynamics different?

Looking at what we discussed above, let’s look at what the Defense Dynamics load does and compare it to what good defensive buckshot should be. First, these are 2.75-inch shells with a listed velocity of 1,325. Not exactly low recoil, but still controllable. They are guaranteed to run in any semi-auto, even if it’s a bit picky.

Next, they are an eight pellet load, which is desirable for more consistent patterns. It’s also a 00 buckshot load, so it’s perfectly capable of penetrating deep enough to stop a threat. The Defense Dynamics load scores high in the basics of being an excellent defensive shotgun option.

We also get a round that provides a high brass casing. While most high-quality shotguns cycle most shells, some can be picky and require high brass to function correctly. Fiocchi went with a rolled crimp instead of a star crimp. Typically a rolled crimp increases the length of the shell exponentially and can often reduce capacity by a single round in magazine tubes.

That’s not an issue here. I can fit five in a five-round tube without a problem. The roll crimp does help prevent moisture from building in the shell, but I doubt that’s a concern for most defensive shotgun enthusiasts. Overall the construction of the Defense Dynamics load is solid.

Performance at the Range

While everything above sounds great, it’s all nothing more than a theory until we get to the range. So, to the range, I went armed with 200 rounds of Defense Dynamics and a variety of shotguns. To be fair, it was extended over several days, but you know what I mean.

I tested the Defense Dynamics through a few different shotguns. Specifically, the most popular platforms on the market like the Remington 870, Mossberg 590, Benelli M4, and Mossberg 930 SPX. In terms of reliability, each gun ate every round of Defense Dynamics without so much as a burp.

Unsurprisingly the 1,325 feet per second rating doesn’t make it the lightest recoiling round but still makes it plenty easy to control. I handled the rounds fine in a TAC-14 PGO. In a stocked shotgun, the Defense Dynamics rounds are fairly comfortable, especially in semi-auto platforms. Enough so that I can control quick double taps on multiple targets without losing my focus.

How do the Defense Dynamics rounds pattern? That’s a fair question. I took a few shots at ten yards from each gun and measured the performance. The 590A1 presented the tightest group, and I could cover the entire pattern with the palm of my hand. The loosest pattern was probably 6 inches or so and fired from the Remington 870.

The Benelli M4 presented an impressive pattern as well, somewhere in between the two. Overall the Defense Dynamics rounds rill the role of defensive buckshot quite well. These rounds cost about a buck a pop, which is about half the price of Federal Flitecontrol.

What I’d Change

These rounds aren’t perfect. I’d toss in a Flitecontrol wad if I could. However, other than that, the only thing I’d change is reducing the velocity to reduce the recoil to make it even more controllable. Take it down to 1,250 FPS, and it’d be downright comfortable.

The Fiocchi Defense Dynamics loads promise and provide a comfortable, reliable, and consistent load for home defense shooting. The load offers enough power, penetration, and reliability to conquer any home defense task. It also won’t break the bank and is seemingly easy to find. 

Syphon Filter 2 holds a special place in my heart. Kids these days don’t know how awesome it used to be to buy a new game, open it up, and read the manual as you headed home to play it. The manual had a weapon catalog with a picture and a short blurb about the weapon. This entranced me as a kid and planted a seed that led me to exactly where I am now, writing this article.

The game was rough and more action than stealth, but a ton of fun. It was my first two-disc game, and I couldn’t wait. The game absolutely kicked my ass, and it took forever for me to finish as a kid. However, to this day, it provides me with fond memories of my PlayStation.

Syphon Filter 2 — The Forgotten Series

I’m not gonna lie, I never played the first game. However, the second picked up apparently right after the first. The main characters, Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing, were part of the ‘Agency’ and now are enemies of the state. The plot involved the two characters trying to stop the release of the Syphon Filter virus and prevent rogue members of the ‘Agency’ from selling the virus to a rogue Chinese general.

It was an excuse to kill hundreds of bad guys with a variety of guns, a knife, and even a taser. It was mostly an action game, but it had small bits of stealth gameplay that amped up the action. Stealth levels with suppressed weapons and knives were intense but instantly failed when caught. I do remember being incredibly frustrated by these as a kid. Luckily, checkpoints existed, and I made it through.

Syphon Filter 2 often felt like an action movie with lots of little quasi-scripted situations. You swapped between Gabe and Lian and played through a wide variety of levels. Two that I’ll always remember is the mountain level where I rocked and rolled with an HK G11 firing accurate, three-round bursts into bad guys. The other is the train level, where you fought through waves of bad guys on a moving train.

The game sold over a million copies, and Syphon Filter 3 did well, but the franchise has been largely abandoned. There were some awesome PSP games, but in terms of major console releases, Sony seems to have forgotten how awesome these games were. I don’t want a remaster, but I’d love to see Syphon Filter make a comeback as a tactical shooter.

The Gunplay

The gameplay feels super dated now compared to most modern shooters. I mean, it is twenty-two years old. It can have a beer if it wants to. Syphon Filter 2 was a lock-on shooter that meant you had to hold a button for your character to aim at an enemy. A meter filled up on the side, showing you how likely you were to hit and damage the bad guy.

This is how you played the run and gun portions of the game. You kept your character moving to avoid getting shot, and you never stopped shooting. You could instantly switch to first-person mode to aim precisely and lean around cover. It was unique for the time and felt very ‘tactical’ to ten-year-old me.

You had a danger meter that rose and fell in a fight. The longer you were exposed, the faster the meter filled. Once the meter filled, bad guys would destroy your armor and end you quickly. You needed to use cover or even roll to drive the meter down and stay alive.

The Armor

Speaking of armor, both you and bad guys could have it. Bad guys with armor were super tough, and smart players switched to first-person mode and took precise headshots to make armor a non-issue.

The boss fights were also so cool. One required you to hide, roll, and avoid a bad guy boss because if you killed him, a bomb would explode. You had to wait and survive until your friend defused the bomb before you could take him out.

Another involved a bad guy boss so heavily armored you couldn’t kill him with guns. You could retrieve a Daewoo USAS 12 and knock him down. Eventually, you figured out you had to knock him into some helicopter blades to decapitate him. Syphon Filter 2 was a blast, both literally and figuratively.

“Teresa, I’m Coming Down the Hard Way!”

If you wanted guns, Syphon Filter 2 gave you guns. Lots of guns were relatively realistic for the time, and some were very different from the usual video game fare. Also, some were new — so new that they never reached full production, like the aforementioned HK G11. The G11, supposedly the rifle of the future, utilized the famed caseless ammo and a weird horizontal magazine.

Another standout was the game’s interpretation of the 1911. It’s every boomer’s wet dream. Stopping power was the name of the game, and the 1911 was one of the more powerful weapons. In fact, it was more powerful than most of the rifles. However, the blurb about the gun is comically wrong.

We also got some standards like the MP5SD, the M16A1, and the Glock 17. On top of that, we got a fictional blaster, the HG34, as well as a 37mm tear gas launcher posing as an M79. There were also some exotics like the Sig 550 sniper rifle, the Glock 18, and the Daewoo USAS shotgun.

Different guns delivered different effects and animations. The shotgun’s animation was the best and felt hefty with every shot. The taser could be used to the point the bad guy caught on fire and died violently, and it still amuses me.

Was it realistic?

None of the gunplay was very realistic. With the scoped rifles, you could zoom in and take long-range shots. The suppressors were whisper-quiet, and the pump shotgun seemingly had an infinite magazine tube.

Yet, it was still so much fun for me as a kid. Games like Syphon Filter 2 helped spawn a rugged, more violent, and more adult genre of tactical shooters, which most of us enjoy to this day. Why Syphon Filter 2 and the Syphon Filter series seem to be forgotten about is beyond me. I loved these games, and it’s time they make a comeback, dang it!

Fun fact apparently, the zombie game Days Gone is loosely connected to the Syphon Filter world. Perhaps a zombie plague is what happens when Gabe and Lian fail their mission.

As AR-15s have grown in popularity, so have the number of parts made for them. It used to be there was a basic component sheet and that was that, but today there are practically endless options for everything right down to the takedown pins and trigger pins. In a recent video, Classic Firearms talks about charging handles. At this point there are so many different options out there it’s not an easy matter to choose an AR-15 charging handle anymore, and these guys are here to help.

What is a charging handle?

The charging handle is a removable part in the upper receiver of an AR-platform rifle or pistol. It’s an elongated, T-shaped piece that drops in above the bolt carrier group. Its purpose is to pull the bolt back to charge the gun, clear a malfunction, or lock open the bolt for storage. The charging handle might not look like much, but it’s an important part of your gun. Without it, the gun won’t run at all.

Does the type matter?

The type of charging handle you use depends on use and personal preference. Some issues you might face with certain designs include an inability to grab the uppermost portion of the handle because the optic overhangs too far, it’s not ambidextrous and you are left-handed, or it isn’t well made and gets hung up when you try to use it. Also, if the handle portion of it is massively oversized you might end up snagging it on everything. Not all charging handles are created equally and you’ll have to find one that fits your hands and needs.

Check out the video to see what Classic Firearms has to say about AR-15 charging handles:

Your choice of charging handle is unique to your situation, but tips from other shooters can be very helpful.

 In the video comments section, YouTuber Scott talks about his personal experiences: “You know, I’m pretty happy with adding an extended lock lever on a standard handle. Just need a drift punch and drift block. I do that because I’m left handed and it just simply makes it a tiny bit easier. Steel part Part costs about 7 dollars from Brownell’s. Very small part. Also, my AR is only lightly updated.”

Gregory Hamilton has a few thoughts on the topic as well. He says he’s always bought Radian charging handles because he’s left-handed and their vents help. However, he bough a Noveske with a Geissele charging handle, and “not only did it help with the gas it doesn’t poke me in the chest and it doesn’t get caught on stuff.” He says he was surprised with how much better it was than the Radian, that he’ll run Geissele on everything now. 

And GW left a hack that might be interesting to try out: You can put a bead of silicone on a MIL-SPEC charging handle and it basically does the same as the more expensive ones.”

What’s your favorite AR-15 charging handle? Tell us in the comments below.

Out-of-the-ordinary objects have a certain appeal, and ammunition is no different. Have you ever noticed a cartridge that you’d never seen before and wondered why it even exists? Join us as Roy Huntingdon and two other narrators dive in to explore some of the off-the-beaten-path calibers in the shooting world. This video is a bit different than many you may be accustomed to, in that it is the modern version of three guys sitting around the campfire, chewing the fat, and having a fun time. Except that they’re in three separate locations and all connected by video, and there is technically no campfire. As such, there won’t be a ton of photos in this article because…well, there were no guns shown. Rather, the conversation focuses in on rarely-seen calibers.

What is or isn’t an “oddball caliber?”

Roy mentions that he was going through some of his Thompson Contender barrels and noted .221 Fireball, .222 Remington, and .35 Remington, among others. What is an oddball to one may not be that odd to another person.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Some folks just love weird, unusual stuff! To those folks, weird calibers really aren’t weird at all, they are fascinating. These old, odd calibers can add zest and variety to a gun collection. And then there’s the historical aspect that appeals to those of us who enjoy history and nostalgia. And from what the guys talked about on the video, there’s definitely a hobby aspect to it; it seems that chasing down reloading components or complete ammunition is a large portion of the fun.

It seems that sometimes people happen into a glut of ammunition in an unusual caliber, and so they buy a firearm in that caliber. Sometimes the rarity of the caliber actually justifies buying a firearm in said caliber, especially if they acquire an entire case or more of the ammo. Hey, it happens! Some may ask if that isn’t putting the horse before the cart, in that with most people whom I know will purchase the firearm first, and then the ammo. So how does it make sense to do it in reverse? Well, if you stumble upon a super rare cache of ammo, it’s sometimes easier to find the firearm afterward than it is to get the ammo, and so it could make sense to jump on the ammo deal.

Weird Caliber Disease

Reloaders sometimes end up with what the narrators call “Weird Caliber Disease.” Roy mentions that he knows how to make “11 mm pinfire” cartridges, and jokes, “I’m not proud of it!” To be honest, I’ve never even heard of the caliber before now, and I’m a gun enthusiast. Actually, it’s a little humorous because to the uninformed, I’m an “expert”, but the real truth is that the guys in this video have forgotten more about bullets and calibers than I even know.

Roy mentions that it’s all well and good to train with a 9mm, blasting hundreds of rounds at the range, but he likes to expand things and have some fun, which is where unusual calibers come into play. He says, “It stretches your gray cells a little bit.” His eyes light up as he explained a rifle that he’s building in caliber .32 H&R Magnum, which is apparently the apple of his eye for the moment. He also talks about a 4mm Rimfire caliber that can be fired from miniature guns, which can be great fun.

Roy goes on to describe firing a 4-bore elephant rifle, “It was like an 8-ounce projectile from a rifle that weighed 26 pounds and I can’t describe the recoil, I’d never shoot one again and I was geared up, I had pads, I had something against my cheek, I don’t know why I didn’t break any teeth, and these guys would shoot multiple targets!” He was chuckling, and, I suspect, exaggerating slightly for the fun of the story.

Personally, I buy standard calibers because I try to stretch my dollars as far as I’m able. To me, exotic equals expensive. Plus, I like being able to find my ammunition on the shelves easily instead of having to search for it. With that said, I’m at a very different position than these guys; they own dozens upon dozens of guns, while I…don’t. At some point, I’d enjoy branching out a bit more. I enjoy WWII history, and would like to acquire more firearms from that era because they’re just very interesting. I know many people who have gone down various rabbit holes in the firearms realm, and it’s easy to go off on tangents.

To the guys in the video, these calibers are like a fun hobby, and for the most part, they’re not very practical for every day, heavy use. They enjoy tinkering with these calibers because they’re interesting and require effort to put all the components together.

It’s rather like an antique car — you take it out for a leisurely drive now and then, but you don’t commute to work with it daily. You treat it gently, pamper it. An old car might take years to put together, searching for missing parts, assembling it, tweaking this and that, painting, polishing. The truth is that, for the guy putting it all together, the building process is the most fun. When he finishes, he has a beautiful product, but the process is all done. And so he’s on to the next project. It’s really no different than with oddball firearms and cartridges. The heart of the matter is not really the material product that we’re talking about here; rather, it’s human nature. Just ask any collector, whether it’s guns, cars, tins, old spoons, coins…there are no limits.

Clearly, everyone in the video cherishes pursuing oddities in the firearms realm, and is very knowledgeable about doing so. It’s neat that they enjoy sharing the knowledge with those who are not as well versed. This is a fun video if you’re a firearms enthusiast. Normally, I don’t delve into such topics, but it was refreshing to gain a new, different perspective. Check it out, you may feel the same way!

The thought of waking up in the middle of the night to sounds of an intruder in your house is what drives most people to select a home defense weapon. The idea of protecting your home is easy but selecting the right weapon can be a bit more complicated.

There are many factors that need to be considered when selecting a home defense weapon and those factors can change greatly based on the individual that will be using it. A lot of us grew up in the days where your grandparents kept a shotgun by the front door, back door, over the mantel or within easy reach of their bed. Others grew up in a home that had no weapon in it and if someone were to break in, your only hope was calling 911 and waiting for the police to respond. Working in law enforcement for the past decade has allowed me to see a wide range of opinions on home defense and I have found many people today use anything from rifles to 12 gauge shotguns to small-framed, small-caliber handguns.

When selecting a firearm for home defense, the first thing I take into consideration is the caliber. You want something that can stop an intruder, but not over penetrate. This of course can also change some by the individual circumstances. If you live in the middle of nowhere and have no one else living in the home with you, a larger caliber rifle may work just fine. But if you live in a populated area, a home with several rooms, or an apartment building, this needs to be the first consideration.

There is no perfect list for everyone because everyone is different. Their experience with guns is different, their ability to keep a gun close by could be more challenging depending on their family size and ages of children in the home. Each home will require careful consideration and planning when selecting a home defense weapon, but this is my list of the top three weapons to use.

1. Glock 19 or 23 Gen 5

Any good quality handgun can work for home defense, but you need to use what you are comfortable with. I carry a Glock 19 or 17 on me every day at work (19 for daily carry, 17 for tactical operations) and I train with it weekly, so I am very familiar and comfortable with a Glock, making this my first preference. I have used both 9mm and .40 caliber versions and when it comes to self-defense, there will be endless debate on which caliber is best. Both calibers, however, can easily stop an intruder, and the over penetration can be controlled by the type of ammunition used so we will leave the discussion of 9 vs 40 for another day.

The Glock handgun is one of the most produced and used handguns in the world. In the United States it is currently the most-used handgun by law enforcement and the easiest gun in the US to find magazines for. I have 15, 17, 24 and 33 round magazines for my Glock 19. The Glock has proven to be one of the most reliable guns out there and its size is just right for me to use as a full-size combat gun, even though it is not a large bulky gun. If someone prefers a larger grip there is also the Glock 17 or 22. I also have many other firearms that use Glock mags making it a good platform of weapons for one magazine. I can attach a light on my Glock 19 and keep it hidden in any room, so it comes in at my first choice.

2. Glock 19 with MCK Micro Conversion

I am not always a fan of conversation kits, but I will say when I was sent the MCK Micro to do some training with, I became a believer. If you want a little larger platform that will give you more control of your gun, the MCK is great for home use. It does take a little more space because of its size, but it can be great for a compact system that takes up minimal space and allows you to use a good two-handed sub-machine gun grip. You can attach a red dot and a light if you desire better optics.

I am not always a fan of conversation kits, but I will say when I was sent the MCK Micro to do some training with, I became a believer. If you want a little larger platform that will give you more control of your gun, the MCK is great for home use. It does take a little more space because of its size, but it can be great for a compact system that takes up minimal space and allows you to use a good two-handed sub-machine gun grip. You can attach a red dot and a light if you desire better optics.

One of the best designs of the MCK is that the foregrip also carries an extra magazine. I keep a 32-round magazine in mine with a 17-round magazine as the backup. This is an important feature because most people will not be strapping on a mag pouch in the middle of the night when intruder kicks open your door. Grabbing the MCK and flipping open the stock gives you good stability, a light and lots of ammo on one platform. I placed this as number two, because its larger than the Glock 19 by itself and you must either place your Glock in it each night or have an extra one to leave in the MCK. The MCK often sells in the $250 range but I have seen them go on sale before as low as $150.

3. 12 Gauge Shotgun — Remington 870, Mossberg 500

No one will argue that a shotgun will stop an intruder. In fact, a 12 gauge is probably one of the most intimidating guns you could have pointed at you. There are endless options for ammunition so over penetration can be controlled rather well.

The shotgun has one thing going for it that no other weapon does and that is the distinct and universal sound of the pump, racking a 12-gauge shell into the chamber. I would venture to say there isn’t anyone that does not recognize and fear that sound. Have you noticed in movies they manage to “rack” the same shotgun multiple times to make a point? Of course, in real life, there would be unfired shells ejecting out of the gun but hey, its Hollywood.

The biggest problem with using a 12 gauge for home defense is its size.

Again, in the movies it is always someone stomping out onto the porch and racking a shell into the chamber to scare off the would-be assailants, but this is real life and keeping a 12-gauge shotgun within easy grasp and being able to clear your home with a long-barred gun may be difficult for some people. If you train with one and you are familiar with it, and you can safely keep it within easy reach, then a 12 gauge may be the perfect home defense weapon for you. But for others, it may not be as practical. Like handguns, there are plenty of other good shotguns, but in general, it is good to stick with a popular model that has been tested extensively and offers plenty of accessories and parts so you can make it fit your needs. If you use a specific brand and like it, then that is what you should use.

Hope for the best while preparing for the worst.

There is not a “one size fits all” option when it comes to selecting a gun for home defense, everyday carry, hunting, or the zombie apocalypse. For home defense I recommend not going smaller than 9mm or larger than .45 caliber and I would not recommend a high caliber rifle unless you know you live in an area that would not be affected by the over penetrating round. Find something you are comfortable with, do some research, and then make sure you train with the weapon you select. When teaching firearms classes to law enforcement and civilians alike, I stress being aware of your surroundings and who will be affected if you start shooting through walls.

The best way to be prepared is to hope for the best while you train for the worst. You train, train, and then train again.

The Halo TV series has surely made some people subscribe to Paramount plus. It’s made me login into my parent’s account at the very least. My Halo credentials go back to the first game and up to the third and Reach. I spent many an hour playing the first game on a four-player split-screen with friends and family. I enjoyed playing the series, and I even read a few of the novels while deployed. 

All that said, I don’t consider myself a megafan of the games or the world. It’s a cool world, but it was never my vibe. I wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement at a Halo TV show, but I knew I’d check it out eventually. Today we’ll be talking about the very first episode. We’ll talk about it as a Halo property, as a SciFi TV show, and obviously, we gotta talk about the guns. 

Jumping Into the Halo TV Series

If you don’t want spoilers and just want the bottom line up front, I’ll give it to you. Halo, at the least first episode, is fun, mature, bloody, and okay as a sci-fi series. It hasn’t blown me away, but I enjoyed watching it. If you have Paramount Plus, check it out, but I wouldn’t subscribe just to watch Halo. It’s a solid 6/10 show. 

This is where your spoiler-free review ends. After this, you’ll get my gripes, praises, and a little about the guns.   

I’ve heard many Halo fans make plenty of complaints regarding the series. If you’ve followed the years of lore, short films, games, and more, you’ll likely be disappointed. I have a cursory understanding of the backstory outside of the games from the novels. I know the game’s storylines well and the Spartan lore. 

With that being said, I can see why fans are disappointed. The show swings wide and somewhat away from the Halo story we know. I’m not condemning that as a bad thing, but yeah, there are massive differences between the show and the games. 

That being said, the show explores different themes that are sprinkled throughout the books, like the UNSC being seen as a bad guy by insurgent forces. Reach touches on Spartans fighting insurgents and anti-UNSC forces. The first episode starts in an insurgent camp and revolves around the war between the two. 

Master Chief isn’t the only Spartan in this series. Spartans aren’t universally seen as heroes, and the UNSC acts monstrously. We see the Spartans, their guns, and their ships replicated well. The same goes for the Covenant. 

Heck, the noise of the Spartan’s shield recharging and the occasional first-person shooting bits made the first episode of Halo worth the watch. A number of little things are tackled just right. 

…but the Helmet

What’s not tackled right is the armor. It looks good, but the characters move in a clunky way. Also, Chief takes his helmet off, and well, I like the actor, but seeing his face isn’t earned. In The Mandalorian, it took time and built suspense, and the helmet was removed for a reason. In Halo, he just pops it off, and we get a big reveal that feels silly and unearned. 

I’d have kept the helmet on and the face concealed, at least for a bit. They should make us earn the reveal—make us know the character first before we see his handsome face. 

As a Scifi Shoot ‘Em Up 

Let’s say Halo never existed previously, and this was our first introduction to the world. As a sci-fi show without a past, it’s pretty solid. The violence and action are entertaining. Seeing teenagers reduced to bags of blood in the first five minutes was an eye-opener. It’s certainly no Star Wars in terms of PG-13 action. 

It’s bloody, violent, and R-rated. The Covenant is without mercy and slaughters humans when they are discovered. When the Spartans arrive and kick-ass, it’s a ton of fun. However, it dips in dullness after that first firefight. I don’t need constant action, but after the action, the dialogue becomes stilted, and some of the scenes are just dull. They don’t capture you. 

What About the Guns? 

Okay, we gotta talk guns. First off, we get plenty of favorites from the game series from both the human forces and the Covenant. We see the plasma rifle and pistol and the Covenant energy sword. They look great and turn humans into exploding water balloons. 

The Spartans wield some of the game’s famed guns. We see a Spartan blasting away with dual M6D pistols and the other Spartans carrying them as sidearms. It’s that huge 12.7mm pistol we’ve always wanted. It seems appropriate for fighting Covenant. 

Master Chief prefers the classic full auto MA5B and blasts away with it as the fight devolves into a standard Halo jumpy fighting melee. We see the DMR in the hands of another Spartan, and Chief gets his hands on it in short order. 

Finally, the Spartan Sniper wields the anti-material rifle that was my bane in Halo 2 online. These sci-fi weapons are faithfully replicated and fun to see in action. Later on, we see a Battle Rifle, but it doesn’t get a lot of action. 

Are there any real guns in the Halo TV series? 

The first episode of the Halo TV series opens up at an insurgent base, and they don’t have the fancy Halo guns but normal human weapons. Most are dressed-up variants of real guns. We see lots of AKs, maybe some Galils, and what appears to be an MP5 that’s been stripped of its handguard. 

We see a few shotguns, and they look like Baikal pump guns, which makes sense since the show is filmed in Bosnia. There appears to be a US Palm Banana mag in one of the AK series rifles if you look close. Several weapons don’t have sights, but hey, you don’t need sights in the future. 

We also see a minigun, although it’s just a mocked-up model. It’s fun to see that the AK will never die in the hands of insurgents, even space insurgents! 

“I Need a Weapon.” 

The Halo TV series has potential. It can be a fun sci-fi romp, but I doubt it will be something the fans love. It’s a separate canon from the television show, which will rub some people the wrong way. What do you think? 

Does the Halo TV Series tickle your fancy? Let us know below.