The Last Gun

Apparently, these posts are going to become a lot more erratic than I had originally thought. I seem to have lost the steam I had in the beginning when I was posting at least one article per week. I will try to do better.

I was having one of those odd thoughts running through my head the other day and started wondering... If I could only own one gun, what would it be? To me, this is a VERY difficult question because I have worked my whole adult life to build my collection so the thought of it being reduced back down to one gun is unthinkable. However, you never know when financial or political forces could give you no choice. Hopefully, the day will never come that this is anything more than a fun hypothetical discussion, but it is a good way to prioritize what is important in a gun choice.

To do this right, I had to set some ground rules.

1. One firearm, period. Not one pistol and one revolver and one rifle and one shotgun. Just ONE firearm.

2. So that it is realistic, I set a price limit. For a rifle, the max would be $2,000. If I chose anything else, it would be $1,000.

So, I had to figure out what things I use a firearms for and then prioritize them into what is the most important for me. Here is my list in order of what I feel is the most important...

• Concealed Carry/Self Defense
  
• Home Defense
• IDPA
• Teaching new shooters about firearms
  
• Recreational Target Shooting
• Wilderness Survival Tool
• Hunting

I chose concealed carry as my top priority because it is the one thing I do with a firearm EVERY day. That greatly narrows down the list of possible choices. It completely eliminates rifles and shotguns from consideration. The whole reason for concealed carry is for self defense, so it would have to be in a caliber that is adequate for self defense. That means 9mm or bigger in my book (I do carry a .380 occasionally, but only as a backup or when I can't conceal anything else). Since it needs to be concealable, that means no BIG guns so scratch off N-frame revolvers and particularly large pistols like the HK Mark 23 or Desert Eagle. For home defense, pretty much anything that is good enough for self defense while carrying concealed can do the job at home too, so that's not a problem.

Since I really enjoy IDPA and would want something I could be somewhat competitive with, I can't go too small on the gun size or too big on the caliber size. That means probably sticking to a compact or full sized pistol or a medium framed revolver and limiting my calibers to 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP or .357Magnum. Since single column .45's have too low of a capacity as compared to other similar pistols and double stack .45's are too big for smaller hands, I eliminated it from the list. If I went with a pistol, I'd rather go with 9mm than .40S&W just because ammo will be easier to find and less expensive, but with the hotter defensive loads, it will still do the job.

Now, I needed decide between a pistol and a revolver. My first instict was to go with a revolver. They are durable, simple and (in my opinion) beautiful. However, as I looked at the next two items on the list (teaching and plinking) I realized that both of these are best done with a .22LR. Since I can't get a second gun in .22 in this scenario, I need to limit my choices to guns I can buy a .22 conversion kit for. So... scratch off revolvers.

The last two items are a problem. If I'm going with a pistol in 9mm it isn't going to be great for outdoor use or hunting, but there is a reason they were at the bottom of my priority list. Besides, in a pinch, you could use a 9mm pistol for hunting smaller game (I'd say anything smaller than a boar) and while not ideal, it will fend off smaller 4-legged predators in a wilderness situation. It wouldn't be too great against bears, but choosing one gun means making compromises.

Now, I need to find a 9mm pistol that is reliable, durable, decently accurate, is small enough to conceal but big enough to compete with in IDPA and you can buy a .22 conversion kit for it. There are probably others, but the only one I know that fits all those criteria is a Glock 19. I guess that would be my choice. Hopefully, it is a choice I'd never have to make.

A few other reasons for this choice would be that Glocks very rarely break. If they do break, they are very easy to work on and the factory parts are available from plenty of retailers. In fact, you can put together a fairly complete spare parts kit and all the tools you need (one punch) for less than $75. Plus, you are getting a very handy sized gun that is not overly heavy that has a great capacity and there are tons of aftermarket accessories to make it fit your needs.

If there was any way I was able to keep a second gun, I have no questions about what my second gun would be. I'd take an M4-style AR-15 for my other gun without a second thought.

As an interesting side note, I posed this question on one of my favorite gun forums. I was surprised at the variety of answers I got. Some people went as large as a FAL or M1A and some went as small as I did with a Glock 19. The point is that there is no one answer. Everyone has different things they do with guns. That is the beauty of our hobby is that it is so diverse.

Stay safe out there... and watch your six.

Building an AR-15

First, I apologize to my readers (if I actually have any) for the lack of posts lately. I've just had a bit of writer's block and couldn't seem to come up with anything worth writing about. Today, I'm going to try to cover the basics of what is involved in building your own AR-15. This could get a bit on the long side, but I'll try to keep it as direct and to the point as possible.

The first part you will want to purchase is the Stripped Lower Reciever. This is the part that has the serial number and is considered the firearm by BATFE. This means it's the only part you will need to actually go through an FFL dealer to buy. There are many many brands to choose from and to be honest, most of them are the same other than the logo on the side. I personally don't care for billet lowers because they tend to be overpriced and they leave less room for customization. Avoid the cast lowers because they are of poor quality. If you stick with a good aluminum forged lower from a reputable maker you should be fine. A couple to avoid are Vulcan and Hesse. They are rarely within spec and not worth the trouble. A few that are good and safe bets are DPMS, Stag, Rock River Arms, CMMG, Spikes Tactical, LMT, Bushmaster and Mega. I'd avoid Colt lowers because they use a non-standard pin size so it just adds a level of complication that is not needed.

Once you have your lower, you will want to find a lower parts kit. At the moment, that may be pretty tricky. It seems everyone is out of them. Stick to a name brand on this. I personally like the Rock River Arms LPK's, but Stag and LMT are also excellent. This is where the first customization starts. You can get different safety selectors, grips, trigger and hammer pins, trigger groups, etc... A lot of this will depend on what you plan to use the rifle for when it is complete. I can tell you what I chose, but that does not mean it is necessarily the best. I used a Rock River Arms Lower Parts Kit that included their 2 stage trigger group. By buying the upgraded trigger as part of the parts kit I avoided paying for parts that I was going to just replace immediately anyway. I also replaced the standard grip with a Magpul MIAD grip. However, if I had it to do over again, I'd use Magpul's new MOE grip since it is configured just the way I liked it and is much cheaper. I also bought the AA battery core for the grip so I could store batteries for a light or red dot sight. I upgraded the safety selector to RRA's star safety selector. I already had it installed on another AR and just really like the feel of it. I also replaced the standard trigger guard with the Magpul Enhanced Trigger Guard. This gives you the ability to shoot with gloves on without having to modify the gun. The last modification I made to the lower parts kit is that I replaced the standard trigger and hammer pin with KNS Gen 2 Mod 2 anti-rotation pins. There have been cases of AR's with heavy use wearing out the lower from the rotation of the pins during use. These pins prevent that situation and they look cool too.

The next thing you will need to decide on is the stock. If you plan to shoot High Power rifle matches, you will want to stick with a standard A2 stock. If this will be a self defense gun I recommend either the Magpul CTR or UBR depending on your budget. The new Magpul ACS might be a great option, but is has not started shipping yet. For a long range target rifle, the Magpul PRS stock is great. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a big fan of Magpul stuff. However, if they aren't for you, LMT and Vltor make excellent stocks as well. If you do go with a collapsible stock, do some research on how to properly stake the castle nut so that the stock stays where you put it during heavy firing.

Once the stock is attached, the lower half of the AR is complete. Picking an AR upper can be pretty tricky. This part is very much personal preference, but I'll give you some personal opinions that you can use as a guide.

1. Get a flat top receiver. Even if you plan to put a removable carry handle on it and never use optics, get the flat top. You never know when you might change your mind and that is a hard thing to change after the fact.

2. If you plan to use this gun for precision target work, get a stainless steel barrel. Otherwise, stick with chrome lined barrels.

3. Stick with a quality manufacturer. Good ones for uppers are BCM, LMT, Noveske, CMMG and Sabre Defense. Rock River Arms, Stag and Bushmaster also make pretty good uppers but some consider them a step below the ones I listed first. I'm sure there are others but those are the ones I feel confident in recommending.

4. Get a good quality Bolt Carrier Group from either BCM or LMT, but do not waste your money on the Enhanced version. Do get the Full Auto bolt carrier though. It has a bit more mass and is more reliable. Buying this part will NOT make your gun fuction full auto and it is not illegal to use.

5. Don't go cheap on the sights. There are a lot of cheap, airsoft quality sights out there. Don't use them. They will fail you.

6. If you decide you need a quad rail, don't go cheap on that either. I would say that YHM is the bare minimum, but you'd be better off with MI, GG&G, Troy or Daniel Defense. Larue Tactical also makes great stuff. If you don't need a quad rail, don't buy a quad rail. It is a lot of money for something that you don't actually have a need for. This same tip can be used for red dot sights. EOTech, Aimpoint and Trijicon make good stuff. Most of the rest is not worth messing with.

7. Avoid hanging too much "stuff" off your AR. It is meant to be a high speed, low drag fighting rifle. It is very easy to start buying red dots and magnifiers and lights and lasers and vertical foreward grips and backup sights and coffee makers and DVD players and turn a 7 pound battle rifle into a 15 pound boat anchor. If you don't NEED it, don't attach it.

8. Unless this will be for target use ONLY, make sure it has a 5.56mm chamber and not a .223 chamber. You can shoot .223 in a 5.56 chamber but you cannot shoot 5.56 ammo in a .223 chamber. With ammo as difficult as it is to find right now, don't limit yourself.

I hope this helped at least some. If you do some research on some of the forums I have linked on the right you can get a lot more specific info and ar15.com has some great instructions on how to actually put it all together. Good luck with your build. Your biggest challenge will be just finding the parts in the current market.

Stay safe out there... and watch your six.