February 5, 2010

Drug Detective Kit Makes Detection Quick and Easy
Filed under: Reviews — Tags: — CTD Blogger @ 4:57 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

A new drug testing kit, the Drug Detective, allows parents to check not only whether their children are using drugs, but also whether they have been exposed to drugs or drug paraphernalia by testing for residue left by the drugs. This new drug testing kit was developed by a South African company, and is available in the United States only through Cheaper Than Dirt!

South African Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA) director Shamin Garda commented on the new drug detection kit, saying “It is very good for employers or even parents. You simply put a swab on the computer, a phone, a steering wheel or basically any surface and you can test if drugs have made contact with that surface. This is excellent for parents who suspect drug use in their homes.”

Most companies in the United States have privacy statements informing employees that employers have a right to search work areas for illegal activity such as drug use. While the kit may not be sufficient evidence to conclude whether or not a particular employee is using drugs in the workplace, it is an inexpensive method to initially investigate and determine if more expensive testing for individual drug use may be necessary.

The new drug testing kit was recently covered in a news segment by KDAF The 33 News. Cheaper Than Dirt! Chief Operating Officer Roberta Wilson was interviewed by the news team, and mentioned how easy the drug detection kit is to use. “Most other kits require samples of saliva or other body fluids to determine whether someone is using drugs. This system goes a step further and allows testing of fingers and hands, or nearly any surface, to see if an individual has even handled illegal drugs regardless of whether they actually ingested the drugs or not.”

The kit is a one-time use system that consists of a swab, buffer liquid, mop, eye dropper, and chemical test strip. Detection can be accomplished in as few as 10 minutes. The system is able to detect drug residue left on virtually any surface, and can even be used as a saliva test to determine if an individual has drugs in their system. Other drug testing kits available in the United States are generally more costly and require samples be sent off to a lab for analysis with results coming back in days or even weeks.

The Drug Detective may prove most useful for parents who suspect that their children, who may not even be using drugs, are being exposed to drugs. One of the most useful aspects of the detection kit is that it is capable of detecting the presence of drugs even when those drugs have not been ingested. Simply by swabbing hands, bags, purses, or any surface that may have come into contact with drugs, Drug Detective kit users can determine whether or not drugs have come into contact with the user. This can allow parents to determine if their children are around others who may be using or carrying illegal substances.

The drug detection kit also works well as a deterrent. Simply owning a Drug Detective kit may give children an easy way to avoid the peer pressure to use drugs. According to Wilson, “Children can simply say ‘I can’t use drugs, or even be around them. My parents have a Drug Detective kit.’ It’s an easy way for kids to save face in front of their peers.”

The Drug Detective one-time use kit sells for $29.97 and is available only at CheaperThanDirt.com

February 4, 2010

Darren Newsom of BVAC Talks about Ammunition
Filed under: Ammunition, People — Tags: , — CTD Blogger @ 2:16 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

20 years ago, Darren Newsom made himself a promise. By 2008, he would own his own business. The years came and went, and when 2008 arrived, Darren made the obvious decision to continue his work in an industry he’d spent more than two decades in: small arms ammunition. In 2008, Darren Newsom started up Bitterroot Valley Ammunition & Components, better known as BVAC. His timing couldn’t have been better. Nestled in a valley just south of Missoula amidst the mountains of Western Montana, BVAC began their mission to provide high quality and low priced ammunition and components to shooters and manufacturers alike.

We recently had the chance to sit down with Daren Newsom and discuss BVAC and the ammunition industry as a whole, as well as find out what new products and research BVAC is working on.

CTD: “Hi Darren, thanks for taking some time to talk with us.”

BVAC: “No problem.”

CTD: “I notice that you’ve got some extensive hunting experience. How does that experience help you in manufacturing ammunition?”

BVAC: “It helps because I get to use the rounds we develop and test them. I get to use them in all different scenarios. We take stuff up as far north as we can get, up by the Arctic Circle, and we take it down as far south as we can get. I think you’ve got to know what the ammunition is going to do in all different environments, especially a premium hunting round. You’ve got guys who are buying it for once in a lifetime hunts. I’ve been fortunate enough to go on some of these hunts and by going on them I’ve been able to test a lot of things. We’ve changed some things to adapt to different situations. We’ve worked with Speer and actually exclusively use one of their bullets that they don’t put in a line of ammo, we’re the only one who put it in a line of ammo.”

CTD: “Which bullet is that?”

.338 Lapua BVAC Grand Slam, 250 Grain bullet, 20 round box

BVAC: “That’s the Speer Grand Slam bullet. And they only offer that bullet as a component. Neither Speer nor Federal load that bullet but they allow us to load it. By working with them, we’ve been able to come up with our own Trophy Class line of ammunition. I’ve been on a lot of hunts with Speer to prove this bullet. They haven’t had to go back to the drawing board to improve anything because it’s worked really good, but if they did we’ve got that technology at our disposal.”

“You know, half of my crew on the loading end are all hunters. The guys who are building this premium line of ammunition are also using it. I think that’s a key deal. Our ammunition made by hunters for hunters. Our guys, October to November leave from the reloading press and head up into the mountains. These guys know that the next person that opens this box of this ammunition it might be a once of a lifetime bull elk they have in front of them, because they’ve been in that situation. They know that the last thing that you want to worry about is your ammunition going off. It’s hard enough to get the shot, but when you get the shot the last thing a hunter wants to worry about is his ammo. That’s where we kinda pride ourselves is we don’t want  him ever to question the ammo. He can question his scope or his rifle or the conditions, but we never want him to have to question the ammo. Each round on our Trophy Class is one at a time hand inspected. It’s looked at individually, every round, before it goes into the box.”

CTD: “Let’s talk for a bit about the ammunition industry and the increased demand we’ve seen.

9mm, BVAC FMJ, 115 Grain bullet, 50 round box

BVAC: “For the industry as a whole, I think we’re still in for high demand for some time. The way I still look at it for the next two or three years there’s going to be a shortage of ammunition. The key on ammunition is components. It doesn’t matter if you’re Federal or Winchester or Remington, if you’re building ammunition you need components and there’s a shortage of components right now and I don’t see it getting any better. I build for law enforcement and government too, and those sales are as strong now as they were two years ago.  I see it still being a high demand item because there was such a shortage it will take a couple of years just to fill in what was sold and put away in somebody’s storage or their gun safe. There was a lot of ammunition that was just stored. Now what we’re seeing is that guys are getting out and shooting. The thing about ammunition is that once it’s shot you have to buy new, you have to buy more. People are out there shooting right now, the hoarding just isn’t going on there’s actually guys just getting out there and shooting also. I think we’ll see this for at least a couple of more years.”

“I’ve been in this industry since 1988, and I went through the early 90s, you know- the Clinton years, and I’ve never seen it like this. The Clinton years took a couple of years to recoup in the manufacturing end of it, and this is 10 times worse than that. Ammunition could be strong for the next 10 years. We went to the SHOT show, and I know in the meetings we had with the bigger companies they were 400% up on sales this year from last year, and last year was a record year. We’re a month into the year and their sales 400% increased over last year. That’s huge.”

CTD: “Do you see that number growing or shrinking?”

BVAC: “Well, I don’t see it shrinking at all. I don’t know how much more it can grow because even the bigger companies are telling me “We might be 400% ahead of last year, but we can never deliver that much.” I don’t think it’s going to shrink, but I think we’re about maxed out on what everybody can do, so I can’t see the growth getting that much bigger. I haven’t heard of any new big manufacturer coming into the market to help out the demand, and I know the bigger companies are maxed out. None of them are looking at building new plants or anything like that because everybody just wants to weather this storm and just not be into debt when this does end. If it ends. With nobody expanding big time I think the demand is going to be there for quite a while.

CTD: “Do you think we might see some industry expansion if the demand doesn’t die down? Because you mention that you don’t see it shrinking.”

BVAC: “Well, I see it in companies our size. You know, the smaller businesses I can see expanding. I’ve been to the bigger companies, you’re talking for the bigger companies spending millions and millions of dollars. A company my size, you can spend a million dollars and expand pretty good. We’ve already expanded; we built a new plant. I’m looking at probably expanding again next year. I want to do it at a scale where we don’t get way ahead of ourselves. I think you’re going to see small businesses expand and get into the market. That’s why we came up with our own Trophy Class ammo. When the shelves are bare we want to get ammo to the hunters. That’s one thing we’ve been able to do in the last two years. We’ve been able to actually get the product to the consumers. We’ve been able to get it onto the shelves when a lot of people haven’t been able to.”

CTD: “We’ve noticed shortages in certain calibers that seem like they would not see a high demand, such as .30-30, .380, .45 Colt, etc. Why is that?”

BVAC: “What I’ve seen with .380, because it’s the same way when I go to get brass, .380 and 9mm are usually run on the same production line, so if there’s a big demand for 9mm they don’t switch it to .380. What I’ve been able to do is go into some companies and make the demand for .380 as important as the demand for 9mm, and sometimes by doing that you’ve got to offer to pay them the same amount you would 9mm brass. Even though there’s less cost in making .380, their production time is worth more to them. So, the case with the bigger manufacturers is that they’re making the hot items such as 9mm, .40, .45, and not able to switch their machines. We can do a machine switch in 3 hours. For Federal or Winchester to do a machine switch, they may be talking 3 days. Right now I think they’re 9 months back ordered on 9, .40, and .45 right now so .380 is one of the last items they’re looking to make.”

CTD: “You mention the cost of production time and the brass and components selling for more money. Is that part of the increased costs we’re seeing in .380?”

BVAC: “Yes, that’s why you see an increase. Obviously .380 ammunition costs less on the commodities side as far as raw materials to build than 9mm, yet you see .380 sometimes costing twice as much as 9mm if not more. Well, the reason for that is that you have to pay for the production time and I’ve had to do that to get brass and to get bullets. I’ve had to pay more than I would have to pay for 9mm. That’s exactly why you’re seeing .380 go up is you’re paying for production time, you’re paying for guys to switch their machines over and they lose the 9mm business and you’ve got to pay for that.”

CTD: “Talking a bit more about the components, I know that a lot of people like myself have noticed that primers are very difficult to find, and when they are available it’s at a substantial price increase. Tell me a bit about what’s going on behind the scenes.”

BVAC: “Well, BVAC has been in a good position because we’re the master component distributer for ATK, and you know ATK owns Federal and Speer and CCI, and we’re their master distributer for components so we’re at the top of the food chain there. But you have to call in every resource you have. We back up our CCI primers with Winchester primers. I pool all my resources. We’re one of the main suppliers, so I haven’t had a problem getting primers at all or getting certain brass. The thing with the larger manufacturers – let’s use primers as an example. They can always make more primers than they can ever make ammo. So, if they make 5 million primers a day at CCI, their capacity of ammunition might only be 4 million, so they always have an extra million primers a day. It’s always like that with any manufacturer; the primers have always exceeded the production of ammunition. So, thus they need a market they can move the primers in. With CCI, I’m their avenue that they move them through. They might send me 10 million primers a month and I decide how I distribute it. Do I use 1 million for my own manufacturing and split up the other 9 million amongst other manufacturers? That’s what we try to do because I like to keep all the other manufacturers making ammo too because that way BVAC can support the whole market. We support them with components.

“I think some of the smaller companies that don’t make primers just have to plan. We’ve planned ahead 2 years on our primer orders. I’ve got my orders in for 2 years for primers, so that keeps me at the top of the list for two years. That’s the biggest thing is just getting primers.”

CTD: “So if there is this surplus of primers, help me understand. The shortage on the retail level for reloaders… is that simply from hoarding?”

BVAC: “The shortage on primers right now is on the retail level just because the primers that are coming out are all going to manufacturers.”

CTD: “So it’s not necessarily that there’s any hoarding going on, it’s just that they don’t trickle down? The primers never make it to the retail level?”

BVAC: “Exactly. I’ve got OEMs, manufacturers, that we sell primers to that will pay the commercial price to get the primers. So you’ve got manufacturers willing to pay commercial prices for the primers, thus the commercial market never sees them.”

CTD: “Or when we do, we see the increased price.”

BVAC: “Correct. Because, they look at it and say “This manufacturer going to give me $25 per thousand primers. Well, what will the retail guy give me?” That’s why you start seeing primers for $30 – $35 per thousand, when you see them at all. We keep the primer cost down for other manufacturers, and then we don’t allow them to sell the primers we sell them. I won’t sell another manufacturer primers to resell, they have to put them into ammunition. The biggest reason for that is pricing. If I give them the best price possible to manufacture ammunition and then they just take the primer and mark it up 100% and sell the primer, that’s not the purpose for us selling them primers.”

CTD: “So you’re actively trying to help prevent all the price gouging we’ve seen in the market.”

BVAC: “Exactly, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. There’s a lot of that going on. And some of it is justified. You guys for example have pay more for certain items just to get them, just for the availability sometimes you have to pay more, so obviously you have to charge more for them.”

CTD: “And then there’s .380 like you mention, where the cost of production has actually gone up.”

BVAC: “Correct. One thing I can tell you that we’ve been able to do is that we actually just did a price decrease at the first of the year because I was able to increase our manufacturing capacity and reduce our costs of labor, so I was able to adjust pricing. You’re not seeing that with many companies right now; you’re not seeing anybody decrease the price of ammo. I’m trying to stay ahead of the curve, and I want to keep people shooting. If we don’t have people out there shooting, the ammo industry is going to hurt like every other industry. But if I can keep it affordable and keep guys shooting, the market’s going to be strong. That’s part of why I re-manufacture ammunition. If guys can’t afford to shoot, they’re not going to shoot. Then you’re going to have the hoarding. Well, the hoarding in my opinion is good for the short term. But if they don’t go out and shoot it, it’s only a short term deal. You’re only going to sell them enough ammo until they get their stockpile up. Well, I want to make it affordable enough so that these guys can go out and shoot the ammunition and purchase more.”

CTD: “What new developments can we look forward to seeing from BVAC?”

.308, BVAC Grand Slam, 165 Grain bullet, 20 round box

BVAC: “Well, we’re working, we’re putting in our own test lab so we can actually tweak loads to different guns as gun manufacturers come out with new guns and new models. There’s a lot of new stuff coming out on the component end. There are some new powders coming out that you can get higher velocities with less pressure. There are powders coming out that will burn a lot cleaner. There is a new line of lead free primers coming out so we’re looking at a line of lead free ammunition. The key with lead free ammunition, and we’re going to be working on it this year, is to produce a lead free round that will not only works the same as a lead round but will also cost the same. That’s been the key with the lead free rounds; the cost has been so expensive that people can’t afford it. We’re working with some bullet manufacturers and with primer manufacturers to make the costs affordable so that you can afford it. There are a lot of indoor ranges that require lead free ammunition, the problem is not many people can afford the ammunition. One thing we’re going to come out with this year is a re-manufactured lead free round to keep the costs down. We’re looking to offer that with you guys.”

CTD: “Yeah, we get a lot of requests for that. Many training centers now require lead free frangible ammunition, and if you go and look on the market to buy 1,000 rounds of lead free frangible ammunition, the price is just astronomical.”

BVAC: “You’re right, we sell a lot of lead free frangible ammunition to training facilities, and I think you’re going to see the whole market kind of shift that way eventually. The EPA and OSHA come in to the ranges, and you’ve got places like California that are going to a completely lead free rifle round. That’s one thing we’re working on now too with Barnes bullets is a lead free rifle round for California. You can’t hunt in California with a lead bullet. In the next couple of months we’re going to have some lead free hunting rounds available to anyone, but the big push has been for California. And we’re going to test it in the field, you know, take it on a couple of hunts and see how it performs.”

CTD: “I want to back track just a minute here. You mentioned powders and dirty ammunition talking about some developments and such. We’ve seen a lot of dirty ammunition, smoky ammunition that is foul smelling and such. What’s the cause of all of this dirty stinky ammunition coming on the market during the ammo shortage?”

BVAC: “Well, the dirtiest round you’re going to see is in a pistol round when you shoot a lead bullet. A lot of the cowboy action stuff and revolver bullets have a lead bullet and you’re actually burning the back of the bullet when it’s fired. We see a lot of lead actually being burnt, and that’s where a lot of the smoke is the lead being vaporized off of the back of the bullet. Also there are some powders out there that are just some dirty powders and that’s one thing we’re working on is trying to get some clean burning powders. There are powders out there now with flash suppressors to keep the flash down and what keeps the flash down also keeps you from basically burning the bullet. But the big reason is that there is also a lot of surplus powder out there that has been the only thing available to a lot of companies.

CTD: “So it is related to the component shortage?”

BVAC: “Yes. When somebody can’t get the powder that should be used for their cartridge, they have to use a powder that isn’t supposed to be used for that particular round. Thus, you get a lot dirtier round. I mean we’ve seen it on the lead rounds. It’s almost impossible right now to sell a .38 wad cutter that you’re not going to see the smoke without going to a completely jacketed round. By switching to some different powders and using a harder cast bullet you can cut it down. The last thing you want to do is have some guy shooting your ammo standing next to another guy with a smoke cloud no one can see through. And that’s some testing we do. We have a range getting built right now where we can go in and shoot and it will detect how much smoke is actually generated in there. We’ll actually set up a lane where we can see if it’s going to fill the entire room up with smoke.”

“Ideally you want to get away from leaded rounds, but in a market like now that’s not the cheapest round to make. I think it’s going to be huge if we can come up with a lead free round that is affordable, because you eliminate all of that. I mean, you can eliminate it all right now, it’s just that the cost of eliminating it isn’t justified. I think this is a price driven deal right now. If you have a competitive good priced ammunition in stock you’re going to sell everything you can make, and that’s the case with us right now. We’re doing 300,000 rounds a day and every day that entire production is sold. A lot of it is quality, but it’s also pricing. I mean, you can’t make the best ammunition in the world and sell it at the cheapest price. That just doesn’t happen, but we can build really good ammo at affordable pricing and sell it. Reloaded is a really good alternative right now if it’s done right and that’s why we’re specializing in it.”

CTD: “You’ve touched on your re-manufactured products which use once fired brass. We often have customers ask about the once-fired brass, and they are obviously concerned about quality and reliability. Tell me a little more about your re-manufactured cartridges and the process you use in conditioning and preparing the brass.”

BVAC: “A lot of people don’t realize that once fired brass is actually more reliable than newly manufactured brass. With newly manufactured brass, there can be flaws in the metal, weak points, cracks or creases that aren’t visible or easily detectable. With new brass, there are often flaws that are revealed when it is first fired. Once the brass has been fired, you can see discoloration, shiny spots, cracks and deformations and discard that brass. We start by sorting and sizing all of the brass that comes in. Any brass that has flaws or is damaged is discarded. What’s left is the good brass, and of course we still thoroughly clean that; we polish it, size it, and test it. We actually have a machine that injects high pressure air into the brass case to check for flaws and leaks. By going through reconditioning we can actually improve the brass and make it better than newly manufactured brass.”

CTD: “That’s great. And with the reconditioned once-fired brass, you’re able to reduce the cost of manufacturing even more and pass that savings on to the consumers, to the shooters.”

BVAC: “Exactly.”

CTD: “Well Darren, I believe that’s all I’ve got. I appreciate the time you’ve given us, and the insights you’ve provided into the ammunition industry. I know our customers will appreciate the efforts you put into manufacturing low-cost high-quality ammunition.”

What We Carry
Filed under: Preparedness, Survival — Tags: , — CTD Blogger @ 10:18 AM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

Says Uncle recently posted a meme that had been started by Marko about what we carry every day. When it comes to preparedness, the items you carry in your pockets or otherwise on your person essentially comprise a “bare bones” survival kit.

My list includes my wallet, iPhone, a Para Ordnance 14.45 with 185 grain Speer Gold Dots, a Camillus Blaze pocket knife, business card holder and reading glasses (I’m getting old) along with the standard wallet and loose pocket change. In my wallet I also have a thin metal bottle opener the size of a credit card. I don’t carry a flashlight, but I do have a lighter. Between that and my iPhone I figure I’ve got emergency illumination covered. I also have a pack that is generally on me or nearby in my car with many more essential items in it, including a first aid kit.

What do you carry in your pockets every day?

February 3, 2010

January Photo Contest
Filed under: Photos — Tags: — CTD Blogger @ 1:15 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

Congratulations to Cheaper Than Dirt! Forum member CostumerGayle for her winning entry in our January Photo Contest!

She calls her photo “Breaking in an AR variant of the M4 ’til Sundown” Gayle mentions “This is my husband, breaking in a newly built upper and lower and testing it for the first time.” Gayle is a novice photographer from Shreveport Louisiana. She used a Canon 40D with a zoom lens to obtain the winning shot.

February 2, 2010

ModGear Tactical Magazine Chest Rig
Filed under: Reviews, gear guides — Tags: , — CTD Blogger @ 2:46 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

Our Tactical Magazine Chest Rig is outfitted with many features that make it a great value for those needing a modular vest with integral magazine pouches.

By taking a cue from the SOTech’s BLoCS and adding a padded harness and a sewn- in hydration bladder pocket, the Tactical Magazine Chest Rig supports a full combat load of ammunition without adding a single pouch.

The front opening rack secures with snaps and hook and loop closures.  The removable bib secures to the top of the rack by hook and loop and to the harness via straps with snaps. The harness attaches to the front of the rack with two side release buckles, and at the rear with three adjustable straps with ladderlocs on each side. The Removable bib also features PALS webbing and an internal pocket.

The harness features a built in drag handle that tucks out of the way with a small piece of hook and loop above the Hydration bladder pocket. The Hydration pocket secures with hook and loop and the lid has a small piece of hook and loop tape perfect for morale patches or name tapes.

The internal map pockets also ingeniously double as a mesh lining for the magazine rack system.

The six built in magazine pouches can hold the standard M16 magazine or AK mags. Some of our customers have even used it for 10/22 and M14 magazines. Magazine retention is accomplished by holding most of the magazine deep pocket in the and is backed up by a bungee cord retention strap.

This rig is very adjustable and can be adapted to either fit over your body armor or be worn as a stand-alone rig.

This vest has rugged construction far beyond its price point, with nice stitching and quality material. There are enough MOLLE compatible PALS type webbing on this carrier to add any and all pouches you would ever need. There are 3 rows and 9 columns on each side of the rack and 3 rows and 4 columns on the bib. The Harness shoulder area has 2 rows and 3 columns and the hydration pouch has 5 columns and 6 rows.

There are some drawbacks to this chest rig. Any heavy pouches attacked to the MOLLE compatible webbing on the rack may sag if there is no magazine behind that pouch in the internal magazine pocket. This is only noticeable with the heaviest of items and only when the magazine is removed. It is also not available in MultiCam at this time.

January 29, 2010

Choosing Hunting Rifle Ammunition: Dangerous Game
Filed under: Hunting, Rifle Ammunition — Tags: , — CTD Blogger @ 7:15 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

When choosing ammunition for a particular game animal, the terminal performance of the round you choose is extremely important. Winchester has developed (and trademarked) their CXP (Controlled eXpansion Performance) scale which is used to rate ammunition performance on various types of game. Dangerous game animals, classified as CXP4, are generally thick skinned African game animals such as hippopotamus, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo, and can weigh anywhere from 1,000 pounds up to 13,000 pounds or more for large male elephants. As such, when hunting these species, you will need to choose your caliber wisely.


.375 H&H Magnum
Click to view larger image.

The .375 H&H Magnum is generally considered to be a bare minimum for hunting dangerous CXP4 class game. In fact in Africa, the .375 H&H Magnum is the smallest caliber legally allowed for hunting. Loaded with a 300 grain projectile, the cartridge develops a muzzle velocity exceeding 2,600 FPS which results in a muzzle energy of approximately 4,600 ft-lbs (around 6,500 joules). The .375 is very popular with hunters due to its flat shooting characteristics; given a 200 yard zero, bullet drop is only 8.5 inches at 300 yards with a trajectory peak of 2 inches at 100 yards, which makes it very easy to calculate your hold over.

Probably the most famous and widely used cartridge is the traditional .470 Nitro Express. This round, developed by the British for their double rifles, replaced the Eley brothers .450 Nitro Express cartridge which had become banned in a number of countries. The newer bottle necked .470 round pushes a 500 grain “freight train” of a bullet to velocities exceeding 2100 FPS at the muzzle, generating more than 5,000 ft-lbs (nearly 7,000 joules) of force.

There are a number of intermediate sized cartridges such as the .416 Remington Magnum, and the .458 Lott. The .458 Lott is a recently developed cartridge intended to replace the relatively underpowered .458 Winchester Magnum by Jack Lott, a popular gun writer at the time. Lott had the unpleasant experience of having a .458 Winchester Magnum fail to stop a charging Cape buffalo. This life threatening encounter prompted him to design a replacement round based off of a .375 H&H Magnum case. The new .458 Lott brass was slightly longer than the Winchester Magnum, enabling it to be loaded with more powder and giving the bullet an extra 300 FPS. It wasn’t until 2002 however when Hornady began manufacturing the ammunition on a large scale commercial basis that the cartridge gained in popularity. Ruger chambered a new rifle for the Lott, the M77RSM Mark II, which soon became very popular with hunters in Africa. The .458 Lott manages to launch a 500 grain projectile out of a 24″ barrel with a muzzle velocity of 2300 FPS, giving it a muzzle energy exceeding 5,100 ft-lbs (almost 7,000 joules) making its overall performance as good or greater than the popular .470 Nitro Express.

One of the largest cartridges in common use today is the .505 Gibbs. This monster cartridge is capable of taking down even the largest African game; only the .500 Jeffrey round is more powerful than the Gibbs. Loaded with a 600 grain Australian Woodleigh bullet the Gibbs generates 2,100 FPS muzzle velocity and 5,877 ft-lbs of energy. The Gibbs was made famous by Ernest Hemingway, who wrote and talked about it often. It was favored by one of Hemingway’s characters, Robert Wilson, in the story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”.

Bullet selection for these dangerous game cartridges depends on the type of game being hunted. By and large, solid bullets are preferred due to their excellent penetration. They are absolutely necessary for head shots on the largest game such as elephants and cape buffalo. Soft pointed and lead core bullets are only suitable for lung shots, as they rapidly deform from the heavy thick skin of large African game and will not penetrate fully. Expanding bullets for large African game must be well constructed to be able to retain weight and remain intact upon impact. Examples of suitable soft bullets include Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, A-Square, and Barnes Triple Shock X Bullet.

It’s critically important to select a caliber that you are capable of shooting but that is also capable of stopping dangerous game animals. Utilizing a caliber that is too large can result in flinching or anticipating recoil and pulling the shot, too small and your quarry may not drop. When hunting dangerous game, your life may very well depend on the ammunition you select.

January 28, 2010

Trunk Guns
Filed under: Preparedness, Rifles, Survival — Tags: , , — CTD Blogger @ 5:38 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

There is much debate over what makes the best trunk gun. To understand where the concept of a trunk gun came from, let’s go back a few years. Traditionally, farmers and ranchers often had a ranch rifle hung in the back of their pickup truck. The role of the rifle was to enable the easy elimination of varmints, or to be used to put down injured horses or livestock. Nowadays, many farmers and ranchers still keep a durable rifle hung in the window or stashed behind the seat for the same reasons. But in addition to the traditional reasons for toting along a truck or trunk gun, many people in urban and suburban environments see the usefulness of having a rifle somewhat readily available in the trunk of a car for self defense and general preparedness. For preparedness minded individuals, the trunk gun is often paired up with a BOB (Bug Out Bag).

Without getting into the specifics or whether you need a trunk gun, let’s discuss the types of rifles that are commonly used as trunks guns. A good trunk gun should be supremely reliable, durable, capable of operating in dirty and dusty environments, and not particularly susceptible to rust. Cost is another issue, as a trunk gun may be subject to more wear and tear, and it’d be a shame to have a thousand dollar rifle beat up from riding behind the seat of your pickup.


Kel-Tec Sub-2000

Carbines are one obvious option, as their shorter barrel length makes them easier to transport. The next question is, do you go with a pistol caliber carbine, or a rifle caliber carbine? We’ve discussed the advantages of having a pistol caliber carbine in the past. A number of rifles fit this bill ranging from the various lever action Marlins available in .357 and .44 Magnum to autoloading carbines that share pistol magazines like the Ruger PC9, the Hi Point carbine and the Kel-Tec Sub-2000. The Sub-2000 also has the distinct advantage of folding in half for an overall length of just 16″. Both the Hi Point and the Kel-Tec have synthetic stocks which adds to their durability. The Hi Point 995 Carbine is probably the least expensive carbine of this group, retailing for just over $200. The Hi Point however will only use 10 round Hi Point magazines, and does not fold like the Sub-2000. The Sub-2000 can be bought in configurations able to use Glock, Sig, Smith & Wesson, or Beretta magazines, including high capacity 30 round mags. A lever action in .357 or .44 Magnum would have significantly more power than the Hi Point however, but the lack of a detachable magazine means that it would be slower to reload.

Stepping up a bit to rifles chambered in larger calibers such as 7.62×39 and .30-30, we have the ever popular (and generally very inexpensive) SKS and the venerable .30-30. The SKS is generally fed by stripper clips into a fixed magazine, though some conversions are available to convert them to use detachable AK-47 magazines. Like their pistol caliber shooting brethren, the Winchester 94 and Marlin lever action .30-30 rifles also have a fixed magazine tube, making reloading more difficult and time consuming. Because ammunition for the lever action rifle is generally kept in a bandoleer or sling, we’d have to give the nod to the SKS in this comparison. While it too has a fixed magazine, high capacity 20 round magazines and the ability to quickly reload using stripper clips give it a slight advantage. While the .30-30 is slightly more powerful than the 7.62×39, we feel that power difference is offset by the ability to quickly reload the SKS.


MagPul PMags with dust covers

Which brings us to detachable box magazine fed rifles. Basically, this group is divided into intermediate and full size rifle cartridge firing long guns. AK-47s, AR-15s, Mini-14s and Mini-30s are all fine examples of intermediate caliber rifles. The Mini-14 and Mini-30 are very similar rifles apart from caliber, and both are marketed by Ruger as Ranch Rifles; a clear indication of their intended roles as truck guns. The primary drawback of the Mini-14 and Mini-30 is that they use proprietary Ruger magazines, instead of the more readily available AR or AK magazines. In the AR vs AK comparison, we feel that the AK wins out when equipped with a folding stock. The fact that it can easily be bought or outfitted with a folding stock means that the AK style rifle can more easily be stashed in a small trunk or even a duffel bag. The AK is also slightly more reliable and can be abused and neglected in ways that the AR cannot. If you choose to go the AR route we recommend getting magazine covers or using Magpul PMags with dust covers, as well as using a muzzle cover to keep dust and dirt out of your rifle and magazines. In fact, the shoot off muzzle cover is a valuable accessory for any trunk gun.

In the full size rifle category, your options for a “cheap” box fed semiautomatic rifle are fairly limited. In this category, only the CETME, FAL, Saiga and AR-10/LR 308 can be found for less than $1,000. I’m limiting discussion to these rifles as they are relatively inexpensive while at the same time very durable. Century built CETMEs as well as Saigas in .308 can be found for around $500, and FALs are available for around $650, making these three decently priced rifles. The AR-10 and LR-308 are more expensive, usually just under $1,000, making them fairly expensive for a trunk gun. Among the other three, the AK based Saiga is generally the most reliable. While the FAL and CETME are both fine rifles, the FAL has been known to a bit finicky about the gas adjustment, and the quality of CETMEs built by Century is questioned by some. All three of these rifles shoot about a 2-3 MOA group, so accuracy is decent enough. AR-10s and LR 308s are more accurate; both are capable of shooting 1 MOA or less at 100 yards. But if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck in a durable truck gun, we have to give the nod to the Saiga in .308.

It’s hard to argue against buying a $90 bolt-action rifle. Check out any gun show and you’re sure to find a table full of Mosin Nagants selling for less than $100 each. While they may not be the prettiest rifles, it’s pretty easy to justify spending that little cash on a rifle you can toss behind a pickup seat or in the trunk of your car. Toss in a couple of stripper clips of cheap mil-surp 7.62×54R and you’ve got a really inexpensive trunk gun and more than 400 round of ammunition for around $200. It may not be the fastest to reload, but if you’re just hauling it around as a “just in case” rifle, it fits the bill just fine. An alternative would be Lee Enfield rifles. The Jungle Carbine model is a short barreled version that fires the British .303 round, and is short enough to fit in even the smallest trunks. Enfields can be found for around $300, and Jungle Carbines for slightly more.

Some people prefer shotguns as a trunk gun, especially in areas where it may not be legal to transport a loaded rifle. With their ability to fire a variety of rounds, shotguns can be effective from point blank range all the way out to 100 yards or more with a good slug. Pump action shotguns are generally the most popular, with the Remington 870, Mossberg 500/590A1 and the Winchester 1300 rounding out the top choices. There is a plethora of accessories for these three shotguns, including folding stocks, tactical rails and so on, so you can customize your shotty however you like. Most of these models are also easy to find for less than $300.

Not all jurisdictions allow transporting loaded firearms, and some frown on transporting firearms at all unless traveling directly to or from a range. As always, make sure to observe local laws when considering whether to get a trunk gun.

January 27, 2010

Guest Post: Do you have a plan?
Filed under: Guest Posts, Self Defense — Tags: , — CTD Blogger @ 5:48 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

Todays guest post is by Caleb Giddings from Gun Nuts Media. Caleb is the 2009 Indiana State IDPA champion, as well as a Steel Challenge Revolver Division Champion.

Do you have a self defense plan?  If you’re walking with your spouse/significant other and you’re accosted, do you have a plan for what to do?  If you don’t, I’ll share my plan with you.  It’s pretty simple, and easily adapted to multiple situations.  One caveat is that this particular plan assumes I’m with my wife and not out by myself.

  • Option 1: we both run away like little girls and call 911 from a safe place.

This is my favorite option.  “You always win the fight that never happens”.  But what if running away isn’t an option?  What if there are multiple attackers and one of them is blocking your retreat?

  • Option 2: Disable the guy that’s blocking our retreat, then run away like little girls and call 911 from a safe place.

Any time the situation turns to violence, we’ve reached “undesireable options”.  However, sometimes violence is inescapable, so it’s best to have a plan on when and how you plan on resorting to force.  Of course, sometimes you can’t retreat at all, which leaves us to option 3.

  • Option 3: My wife runs, I buy time.

Needless to say, that’s probably our least favorite option, because it doesn’t leave a whole lot of positive opportunities.

The point of all of this though isn’t so much to talk about my plan though, as it is to help people realize that “having a plan” doesn’t necessarily mean having a detailed, written out “I’ll do X, Y, and Z in the event of a deadly assault’.  In fact, I personally prefer to keep my plan a bit more fluid specifically because a dynamic threat is just that – dynamic.  Just as no two assaults are the same, your plan needs to be flexible enough to adapt to a situation that may not be exactly what you thought would happen.

If you’re ever in a situation where you need to use your concealed firearm, your day has taken a pretty statistically unlikely turn – better to have some kind of a plan than nothing.

About our Guest Blogger Caleb makes his home with his wife in Indiana where he is a competitive shooter. Caleb is an active blogger as well as the host of Gun Nuts Radio.

January 26, 2010

Cheaper Than Dirt! Sponsored Shows on Outdoor Channel
Filed under: Media — Tags: — CTD Blogger @ 4:30 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

If you’ve been watching the Outdoor Channel lately, you may have noticed Cheaper Than Dirt on the airwaves. We’ve picked up sponsorship of SWAT Magazine TV.

A new show, SWAT Magazine TV made its debut on the Outdoor Channel last month. SWAT Magazine TV is dedicated to providing the latest news and information on effective real world weapons tactics, training, and techniques. Cheaper Than Dirt is proud to sponsor SWAT Magazine TV, and we think you’ll love what they have to show you.

Just check out their new promo trailer on our YouTube Channel

The next episode of SWAT airs tomorrow night. It features Tony Blauer where he discusses how he came up with his S.P.E.A.R. system with SWAT TV host Rob Pincus. Blauer covers the use of the S.P.E.A.R. technique for moving through a large crowd, and then demonstrates the technique with live fire on a hot range. Later, Host Rob Pincus talks with Travis Haley from MagPul about some of their latest products.

Cheaper Than Dirt! is also sponsoring American Rifleman TV and American Guardian TV. SWAT Magazine TV airs at 7:30PM, 6:30 Central on Wednesday evenings. American Guardian TV is on the Outdoor Channel Wednesdays at 9:30PM, 8:30 Central and American Rifleman airs immediately afterwards on Wednesdays at 10PM, 9 Central. We’ve got your Wednesday Night TV lineup on the Outdoor Channel covered, so tune in at 7:30 and stay up to date with all the latest from SWAT Magazine, American Guardian, and American Rifleman.

January 22, 2010

SHOT Show Recap
Filed under: SHOT Show — Tags: — CTD Blogger @ 9:35 PM    Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit YahooBuzz

Well, I’m back from the 2010 SHOT show. We left after day 3, tired, wet and bedraggled, to head back to headquarters and compile our findings so that we could share them with you.

Overall, there weren’t a whole lot of new exciting products unveiled at this year’s SHOT show. Sure, Remington and Bushmaster finally had the ACR out on display, and Vltor had a functioning version of their Bren Ten redux. FN even had a civilian legal SCAR on display, but none of these really rose to the level of what I’d consider “revolutionary” or “game changing”. That being said, there were some bright spots. One notable theme of the show was the seemingly never ending parade of small .38 and .380 caliber pocket pistols. It was obvious that there is a huge groundswell of demand for small concealable pistols, and the industry has responded in kind with nearly every kind of compact and sub-compact carry pistol you can imagine. From Smith & Wesson’s Bodyguard line of handguns, to the new Taurus .380, it seemed that everywhere you turned there was another pocket heater on display.

It was somewhat refreshing to see the enormous amount of AR variants and accessories being showcased by literally hundreds of exhibitors. The NSSF has been heavily promoting AR style rifles as “America’s Rifle”, emphasizing the important role it plays as a sporting arm. If the number of dealers we saw at the show hawking their newest AR part or accessory was any indication, NSSF’s efforts have paid off. Even ESPN wrote a news piece about the enormous popularity of the AR platform at this year’s SHOT show, stating:

The growing popularity of these rifles follows a familiar pattern. The military adopts the latest, greatest fighting weapon, whether a Winchester lever-action or a Springfield ‘03 bolt-action, and soon those firearms enter the civilian market. That’s also what happened with black rifles, whose fame began in the Vietnam War era. Vets, and second- and third-generation vets since then, notched out a place in their hearts for such firearms long after their terms of duty ended.

An assault rifle is an assault rifle, as far as the general public and the mainstream media is concerned, and while the AR-15 models being marketed here shoot one bullet for one trigger pull, just as any other rifle does, the AR-16 shadow hangs like a pall over the shooting sports community.

Slowly but inevitably, perhaps modern sporting rifles will win tolerance, if not universal acceptance. They’ve already won the hearts of shooters, but the public is always a harder sell.

Yeah. I know. They called the M16 an AR-16, an obvious though understandable error. But, they’re making an effort and, as we saw at this week’s SHOT show, they’re right. The AR-15 is gradually becoming accepted by the mainstream media and public as the modern American sporting rifle.

So: what other goodies did we see that might interest you?

A-TACS Camouflage
DCS’s revolutionary A-TACS camouflage system was on display at the SHOT show, and Bushmaster even had some ACR and AR-15 rifles wearing the new pattern. A-TACS joined the competition vying for contracts to provide a universal pattern of camouflage that worked effectively in a wide range of environments. The A-TACS design does away with the square pixeled digital patterns currently in use by the United States Armed Forces. DCS felt that the sharp edged pixels did not effectively replicate the shapes and shadows of a natural environment, and that they in fact stuck out when viewed through optics making detection actually easier. DCS argues that the digital patterns currently in use blend together to produce a “blobbing” effect that causes the pattern to appear as a solid color when viewed from long range.

EOTAC President Fernando Coelho commented on the pattern saying:

“I am very happy that we are involved in the A-TACS® project. Of all the camo
patterns I have seen over the years, this is the first one to break from tradition and
actually makes sense.”

A number of factors make the A-TACS patterns inherently superior. First, DCS uses far more colors than traditional camouflage. This decreases the definition of shapes and gives a smoother and more natural transition from light patches to darker patches. They also use smaller patterns that are worked together to create larger and more distinct shapes which are brought together to create a distinct asymmetrical design with no clear horizontal or vertical pattern. They use this “pattern within a pattern” principle to break up the outline of the wearer and eliminate the “blobbing” effect caused by having smaller patterns blur together. To create this uniquel organic pattern, DCS uses specially created mathematical algorithms which draw incredibly organic designs and patterns. The result, while obviously digital when viewed up close, is an effective organic camouflage that breaks up the shape of the wearer and allows them to blend in to their surroundings.

Dan Wesson
CZ owned Dan Wesson had a new full size 1911 on display. This latest offering by Dan Wesson is a “back to the basics” 1911. The Valor is available as either a base stainless steel model, or with the new Dan Wesson mate black “Duty” coating. This new coating utilizes a ceramic base that is incredible durable. Other features of the Valor include a forged frame with an undercut trigger guard and slimline VZ grips. The slide comes with fully adjustable night sights.

From Dan Wesson:

We’ve been listening to our customers again and this gun is the realization of all of their desires in a full sized, defensive style 1911. This gun has everything you need and nothing you don’t.

MSRP for the Dan Wesson Valor is $1913

Burris Eliminator
Burris had an amazing new scope on display that combines their laser range-finder technology with their weapon scope optics to create a unique hybrid that computes bullet drop on the fly and illuminates an aim point on the vertical section of the cross hairs to indicate the corrected point of aim. I’ve got to say it: this thing is cool and I want one. The scope has an adjustable 4-12 power lens with a 42mm objective.

The Burris Eliminator works by storing the ballistic data of more than 600 different cartridges, from .17 caliber all the way up to .50 BMG. To set it for your rifle, you simply choose one of the preset loads and zero your rifle for either 100 or 200 yards. After that, the Eliminator does all of the work calculating the trajectory of your bullet at nearly any distance. Press the ranging button, and the Eliminator finds the range and then illuminates a small 1/3 MOA aiming dot that indicates exactly where your point of impact will be.

Using a handloaded cartridge, or one that isn’t in the Eliminator database? No problem. Zero your rifle at either 100 or 200 yards and then calculate the bullet drop at 500 yards. Input the Drop Number in inches into the Eliminator, and you’re all set to go. Knowing just the 100 or 200 yard zero and the amount of drop at 500 yards is all the Eliminator needs to calculate the trajectory of your round. Don’t like using yards? The Eliminator is also capable of performing the same calculations in meters. All of your data is stored in the onboard memory of the Eliminator regardless of the status of you battery. The Eliminator will retain your ballistic data even without a battery installed, so you never have to worry about reprogramming it for your favorite rifle and cartridge.

From Burris:

The Burris Eliminator LaserScope is in a league of its own. No other riflescope combines this level of quality, technology, accuracy, simplicity, repeatability and effectiveness. It will greatly increase the distance at which you can be confident in making an ethical shot. You do the hunting and shooting, the Eliminator will do the memorizing and calculating. The Eliminator is affordable and of a size and weight that’s welcome for everyday field use. The revolutionary new Eliminator is a brilliant riflescope innovation that ensures long range hunting success.

ArmaLite
ArmaLite had their SPR (Special Purpose Rifle) Mod 1 at the 2010 SHOT Show. The most striking aspect of the SPR Mod 1 is that it is forged monolithic one-piece upper receiver and rail system. The rails, for their part, use a unique system that allows the side and bottom rails to be removed. This ability to remove the rails makes the ArmaLite SPR Mod 1 stand out from other one-piece systems on the market today.

With the ArmaLite detachable rail system, you can adapt your rifle to whatever role is demanded of you and your primary weapon. The SPR Mod 1 comes with three extra rails. including one with a quick detach sling swivel hole. Inserts allow you adjust the height of the rail, giving you the option of a low profile rail. Changing out the rails is quick and easy.

The one-piece monolithic design of the SPR Mod 1 gives you a long single rail with no breaks along the top of the rifle. this not only gives you more options when mounting your optics, but also provides additional strength and stability to your platform, ensuring that your optics remain solidly zeroed.

All SPR Mod 1 uppers come standard with the extra rails, hard coated finish, as well as a chrome lined barrel with a 1 in 7 twist and a two-stage tactical trigger. MSRP for the SPR Mod 1 is $1,439.

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