tactical Archives - Talking Guns


Jason McdonaldSeptember 14, 20233min241640

The Beretta 1301

When it comes to modern semi auto shotguns, option overload is a thing. Prices range wildly, from entry level to a mortgage payment. Today we will discuss one option in particular that, while expensive, is stacked in the value department. The Beretta 1301 tactical.

When I was growing up, my grandfather was full of one off advice. One such anecdote went as such, “ if you’re buying a gas saver, always go Japanese. If you’re buying a working truck, buy American. If you’re buying a shotgun, can’t go wrong with Italian.” Many of these sayings I have found to carry merit, the last one especially so.

So what makes the 1301 tactical so much better than its peers? In short it’s an addition equation more than anything. Ergonomics, excellent. Aesthetics, that’s a check. Reliability, phenomenal. The same can be said about other shotguns at a lesser price point, but few have all of them.

My experience with the 1301 has been very good in my sample size of 1. The first thing I noticed upon the first handling of the gun was how light it was. Honestly I was not looking forward to shooting it due to the laws of physics. Light shotguns regularly equate to sore shoulders with a heavy firing schedule. However, I am happy to report that the recoil impulse was very smooth, extremely linear, and surprisingly soft considering weight. Color me surprised.

At this point in time, I have shot somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500 rounds of assorted ammunition through the 1301. I can count on one hand the number of stoppages I have experienced. I’ve run it dirty, in the cold, in the heat, and the 1301 chugs through it all unscathed. Basic cleaning and lubricating was the only  maintenance performed.

Aftermarket parts for the 1301 tactical are available and usually in stock. I particularly enjoy the Aridus Industries line of products, and have several parts on my shotgun. Be careful though, modifying this shotgun is addicting.

I have had many people ask me for my thoughts on the 1301 tactical. My opinion can be summed up quite simply, “buy with no reservations.” I have found it to be a lightning fast cycling, ultra reliable, and overall enjoyable shotgun to use. It has quickly become one of the firearms that always seems to find its way in my range bag when I leave the house.

 

 

Photography by Joe Lutrario

Written by Jim Sanford



Joe LutrarioMarch 1, 20238min109370

MOMENTS IN LIFE

There is no better medicine for the heart, mind and soul than rolling consistently. Are you
aware of how the benefits of Jiu Jitsu are more than just physical? Jiu Jitsu is an art that
exercises the mind as well. Practitioners are led to think only about what is indeed essential and
to let go of what is of no use and stressful.

According to Cardiologist Jose Mansur Filho (no relation to Grand Master Mansur), “Our health
hinges on the windows we open during our lives. There is ill-being in wanting things to happen
right away. That anxiety harms the heart… I tell my patients that our brains have several
windows. When we have a problem, that tends to be the only window we open. We must open
others as well. If in 4 years from now I ask you what the problems you had today were, you
wouldn’t be able to remember 95% of them”. *Quoted from an interview in “O Globo”
newspaper.

When we roll, we can’t stay focused on the initial situation, we must understand our position,
consider what is next and move… Observe, Assess and Move (O.A.M.). This all should happen in
a fraction of a second. Hesitation and fixation can be detrimental. We need to lose the blinders
and become problem solvers in the moment. This is not something that develops right away. It
is an attribute we strive to obtain. It’s something we all start to figure out at our own pace.
Never compare yourself to anyone. Each of us is unique, and that is the most fascinating and
inspirational thing we can come to realize.

Life off the mat is no different. We need to realize the challenge that stands before us, assess
the situation, and move toward the goal of getting through it. Essentially, we need to take the
blinders off!

Off the mat, there are specific moments in life that define us. These times carve us out to be
who we are today. When one looks back on these moments, it’s apparent that three traits are
present. Perseverance, determination, and tenacity.

Perseverance to weather the storm or ride the wave, determination to consciously not allow
failure or success to derail you, and the tenacity to move forward when it is easier to quit or
even compromise. This all may sound redundant but have the patience and faith to believe that
when examined in your own life, the differences will be clear as day.

Compromise…I mentioned the term above. Let me explain why I coupled it with quitting. I’ll try
and illustrate it with a quick story I once heard and will never forget. “There was once a cold
and nearly frozen hunter who found himself lost in the woods of Washington State sometime in
early January. The snow was falling, and the winds were blowing. The hunter placed his
backpack to the ground and was ready to prop himself up against a giant Hemlock tree and give
up when he looked at the beauty that surrounded him and thought of all the good times that
he had over the years and even got a bit excited about what could have possibly been. Just then
a hungry old grizzly that was woken by the growling of an empty stomach caused by an
excessively lazy spring and summer. Their eyes met. The hunter stumbled to grab his rifle, but

his hands were too frozen to hold on to it, the fear and panic was ever so present. The old,
grizzled bear saw a warm meal, but realized his swiftness and agility were way behind him. The
hunter thought for a moment and presented the hungry beast with a compromise. “I’ll give you
something to eat if you keep me warm”. The bear realistically could have devoured the hunter
but figured he’d play along and delightfully agreed. He watched with amusement as the hunter
grabbed his knapsack and began to remove some food for his “companion”. Feeling a new and
overwhelming grumble the bear did what hungry bears do and yet kept up his end of the
bargain”. You see the hunter fed the bear and the bear kept the hunter warm with a beautiful
fur coat! Compromise is not winning. In some cases, it can be used as a tool to avoid the
current dilemma but understand it is not always a final solution and one probably will have to
revisit the battle once again.

It is often said iron is forged in fire. While that is true, it is a limited explanation at best. Fire can
be a negative as well as a positive. Iron is generally forged during the strengthening process,
nobody tells you that we are constantly being presented with the choice of moving forward,
constantly being “re-forged” for new possibilities or conceding. We are always given the option
to continue or step aside. Weak people are defined by their circumstances. Strong people are
defined by their commitment. Their commitment to rise to the occasion and do whatever it
takes to overcome regardless of being on or off the mat.

This is what Jiu Jitsu teaches us. Stay consistent, stay dedicated to yourself as well as to each
other and most importantly believe in your journey.

 

 

 

Written by Joe Lutrario

Edited by Jason Mcdonald



Erik WenzelMay 18, 20203min107712
Legendary firearms instructor and subject matter expert, Dr. Wes Doss is now the victim of a series of medical incidents, including Malpractice and Negligence, that is almost too ridiculous to believe. The worst part is that this incident continues to Spiral out of control and now Wes’ health, future and the continuation of his life is complete unknown at this point.
This is a Call To Action for anyone who can Spread the Word about this Injustice.
Dr. Wes Doss is an internationally recognized firearm, tactics and use of force instructor with over 30 years of military & civilian criminal justice experience, as well as significant operational time with both military & law enforcement tactical operations & protective service organizations.
Wes holds specialized instructor certifications from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, Arizona POST, the Smith & Wesson Academy, the Sig Sauer Academy, NRA LEAD, FEMA and the Department of State.  Wes holds a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration and an upper level Doctorate in Psychology, with an emphasis on sports and performance.

#army #veteran #help #helping #hospital #medical #doctor #emergency #stroke #wesdoss #calltoaction #clicklinkinbio #linkinbio #link #gofundme #charity #police #policeofficer #cops #cop #statetrooper #statepolice #trooper #deputy #deputysheriff #sheriff #law

Audio and Video by Caleb Lash and Mike Kovacs



Jim SanfordJanuary 13, 20201min443290

Sneak Peak at Blackwater’s new 2011 pistol line up

These new 2011 weapons from Blackwater will be totally manufactured in house and loaded with some of the best features available.

Blackwater states ” Our goal is to provide a superior handgun than whats currently available, at a competitive price!”

Look for more info and a complete video review from www.talkingguns.net exclusive shot show coverage.

2011s will be available soon from www.blackwaterammo.com

 

Photos by Caleb Lash and Mike Kovacs



Mr 9mm SMGJanuary 26, 201912min260292

The Radian Weapons Model 1 – Perfection?

While we are living in uncertain times in terms of gun laws, we are also living in an amazing time to be a firearms consumer. The market is flooded with AR-15s in every price range you can imagine, some with features that were unheard of during the Clinton Era ban. Want a milspec rifle? I can name you ten companies that could fill the role and be exceptionally reliable. Want something better than milspec? There are manufacturers out there right now selling rifles that would make the 18 year old version of me living during the federal assault weapons ban weep tears of joy. But which one? What do I want in a rifle that with a price tag often doubling milspec offerings? I want perfection or as close to it as I can get.

On to the topic at hand, The Radian Weapons Model 1.  At a glance at the website you’ll notice two things. Firstly you’ll notice the price tag, $2,555.00 and your eyes might burst out of your head.  But stay with me, after the sticker shock you’ll take a glance at the rifle and say to yourself “Wow.. With that rifle in my safe I’d be upper class within the hour”. The billet lower will catch your eye, you’ll wonder why your lower doesn’t look like that. Why does it look like the rifle is made of one solid piece of aluminum? You know it doesn’t matter what your rifle looks like, you tell yourself this over and over, but it catches your eye the same way a Lamborghini in a showroom does. That’s what first attracts you to the rifle, it’s the first thing you see, before any features. If grading solely based on aesthetics, The Radian just changed the bell curve. The rifle is cerakoted as one piece so there is no shade mismatch between the upper and lower receiver and speaking to the manufacturer, they will not sell one that does not meet this standard.  The lines on the rifle flow beautifully, are you looking at a work or art or a machine that would fit inside a collectors safe just as easily as it could a weapons locker in the military? Can you have form and function as opposed to one over the other? Keep reading.

When I decided on which Radian I wanted there were multiple options. What color? What caliber? Did I want a .300 blackout pistol or SBR? A 5.56 16 inch? 14.5? What color? In the end I decided on the 14.5 inch carbine in  .223 Wylde/5.56 in Radian brown with a pinned and welded Silencerco ASR flash hider. For me 14.5 is the sweet spot in terms of carbine length and I’m not one to frequently switch muzzle devices so being pinned is a non issue.

When I first mated the upper and lower together the first thing I noticed was the mated receivers had zero play. The rifle felt like one solid piece. One of my biggest pet peeves in rifles is slop between the receivers. While not directly impacting the function of the rifle, it’s 2019 and there is no excuse for excessive receiver slop. While the upper and lower are fit snuggly there is no issue pushing the take down pins with zero tools and little effort. So how does the rifle come from the factory? Let’s take a look.

Starting from the rear, Radians ship with a Magpul CTR stock and Magpul pistol grip. While there is nothing wrong with the CTR, I favor the B5 systems sopmod stock on my rifles. I switched mine out with the B5 and this is the only change I’ve made from the Radians factory parts.  The castle nut is staked well and secure, attaching the fluted receiver extension tube to the reciever.

To me what stands out the most about the Model 1 is the ADAC (Ambidextrous Dual Action Catch) lower receiver. The controls on it do not feel like an after thought like some rifles advertised as being ambi. This was designed to be a true ambi rifle. The safety selector is Radians own Talon system ambi safety, featuring a user adjustable 45/90 degree throw. While I was skeptical at first regarding the 45 degree selector, I’ve grown to love them. The throw of the 45 degree safety is faster and natural. If you’re more of a purist the Talon can be configured into a traditional orientation. The bolt release is of course also ambidextrous and actuating it from either side is natural. All Radian rifles ship with the ATC gold trigger with black bow. This is a match grade trigger that makes shooting fast a breaze and shooting accurately just as easy. Certainly a very smooth trigger with a short reset, comparable with Geissele offerings I own. If I had any complaints about the trigger is I would prefer the reset be a little more tactile, but I’d be splitting hairs at this point. The flared magwell makes reloading fast and simple, even under night vision. If you’ve ever tried to reload a rifle under nods you’ll understand what I’m saying.  One of the most stand out features of the ADAC lower is the option to lock the bolt open by pressing and holding the mag release while pulling the charging handle back. It’s engineering like this that truly takes rifles beyond milspec. It’s hard to appreciate it without trying it first hand, but it is one of those features where I never thought I’d care about it until using it.

Moving onto the upper, it’s 7075-T6 machined billet with a proprietary Mlok full length rail. Sitting inside is a Match Grade 416R Stainless Steel Barrel with polished crown and feed ramps. While there is a sub moa guarantee from Radian using Black Hills match ammo, I rarely shoot 5.56 guns for accuracy and admittedly I’m not a consistent sub moa shooter. While I’ve achieved sub moa results with the Radian, it’s not something I’ve spent much time on.  The BCG is black nitride coated with a properly staked gas key which for some reason some manufacturers find difficult. The charging handle is the Radian Raptor which the company is most known for  I’ve been running them in my rifles for years, starting when the company was called AXTS. They feature oversized latches easy to use with gloves while providing clearance for optics/mounts, ambidextrous actuation and oversized sturdy pins. The M-Lok rail is sturdy and runs nearly the length of the barrel while providing multiple options for mounting accessories.

But. . How does it shoot? Is it reliable?

In the time I’ve owned the rifle I’ve fired roughly 3500 rounds  Out of those 3500 rounds I experienced one single malfunction, a light primer strike using brass cased Wolf Gold. I’ve yet to repeat the malfunction. During the test phase I shot every ammo I could, ranging from steel cased wolf to M855a1 and all cycled fine. The rifle was never cleaned during the 3500 rounds and only oiled with CLP around the 1k mark because I don’t like shooting dry when I don’t need to.  While accuracy was tested on the rifle, the majority of my shooting is within 100 yards, rarely prone and rarely stationary. While I’m certainly far from a tier one operator, target transition is fast and follow up shots are extremely quick. Why are the follow up shots quick? This is the softest shooting 5.56 rifle I’ve ever owned. The gun is extremely flat shooting.

When I first decided to actually review this rifle I was worried people would perceive this as a fluff piece like found in print gun rags through the years, I wanted to find something I could hate on this rifle, something to make it seem more credible. There’s nothing I hate about it, I looked up and down and there’s maybe a couple things I’d like to see them work on.

What would I change?

  • I’d like to see a reduction in weight. At 6.9 lbs the rifle isn’t what I would call extremely heavy, but after adding an optic, a light, an IR laser and illuminator and a hand stop it starts to pack on the pounds.
  • It’d be nice to have QD sockets built into the rail. I know it’s a minor complaint and people run their slings in different positions, it’s just something I like seeing when purchasing a rifle.
  • Include back up iron sights. People have different sight preferences, but my ideal rifle comes ready to fire out if the box. Would it add to the cost? Yes, but it’s nice to have something ready to go upon purchase.

Final thoughts.

The Radian offers a superior set of features over milspec offerings. I’d trust my life on it without question  That said, is it the perfect rifle? Well I’ll leave you with some wisdom from a manager at work regarding performance reviews. “I’ve yet to see anyone walk on water, until I do there is always something to be improved on”  Does the Model 1 walk on water? Not quite, but it’s as close to it as I’ve seen. Is it for you? That depends, there are many great milspec offerings out there that will serve you well. Do you want to go beyond that? Then this very well could be for you, I know it is for me.

 



One Shot DNovember 7, 20187min69630
By One Shot D and Erik Wenzel
I’m going to start off by saying that without a doubt, I am an AR15 guy. I am a firm believer that Eugene Stoner must have been touched by a beam of light through a thunderstorm, sent by none other than whatever deity in the sky, and blessed him with the design for the AR platform. The ergonomics can be changed indefinitely, the caliber can be infinitely changed, and best of all they can be assembled with basic tools and items owned by any self respecting person with nothing more than a little practice and a working YouTube account. However, there is a time in every rifle lovers life where an AR15 becomes just another AR15. The love is there, but the mind starts to wander to life outside the safe, what strange and foreign alternatives may be available. For me the fascination turned to, “What can I find that nobody else has? What have I never seen at the range?” After scouring the inter-webs and lurking my favorite haunts also known as the gun shop, I was finally intrigued in…..Bullpups.
If I still have you here by this point in the article, I am going to assume that you are past the phase of laughing so hard you spilled your bourbon, and on to being just a bit interested in why my curiosity strayed the way it did. Long story short it boiled down to a few reasons for me. The first and most prominent one is the dilemma of overall length to projectile velocity. In most cases, when the barrel length decreases, so does the velocity. This effectively neuters the effectiveness of most rifle calibers, and it is extremely noticeable in the 556 loading. Bullpups solve this problem in its entirety. As the action is in the rear of the rifle, it lends itself to maintain a full length barrel, thus retaining all of that precious velocity while attaining overall lengths usually reserved only for SBR or pistol alternatives. This was extremely appealing to me.
Off to the races I went, and my newfound infatuation became a full on affair. For me there were two rifles that captured my attention. The venerable Tavor, and the Kel-tec RDB. While both are bullpups, they are both very different in operation, features, and also in the determining factor of price. While the Tavor was definitely the more proven of the two rifles, the RDB was straight unobtanium, and I liked the ability to have a more versatile adjustable gas system. I also liked the fact that by all accounts, the RDB has a better trigger from the manufacturer, and the idea of spending $1600 on a Tavor and then being forced to spend $250 on a Geiselle trigger was rough on the palate. By this point I can assume that you know which way I went. After making countless offers on gun broker, I was to be the proud owner of a shiny new RDB.
Upon retrieval of my new rifle, there were several things that I noticed right off the bat. Firstly this thing was light.  I mean really light. It’s not that the rifle itself was amazingly light when put on the scale, but it was more about the feel of the rifle when it was shouldered. All of the weight was to the rear, that’s where the action, bolt, steel safety plate, and the majority of the barrel reside. This also happens to be where the rifle contacts the shoulder, leaving a polymer hand guard, and half the barrel and piston system out front. This makes the rifle feel much lighter in the hand, and it is very quick to stop when transitioning the rifle from target to target.
The second thing that I noticed quickly was the versatility of the adjustable gas piston system. Being honest, tuning the system was a little bit of a pain. Do yourself a huge favor and read the manual. When completed successfully, I was very pleased.  The recoil is very mild, and the recoil impulse is different in a very good way. Its almost a two stage affair, and after a brief transition from the AR15 it is very pleasant and easy to manage recoil. The addition of a SilencerCo muzzle brake makes recoil virtually non existent. This set up when tuned properly is very smooth shooting, with extremely low recoil, and very easy to shoot very quickly. I was able to deposit large quantities of brass in neat piles due to the downward ejecting pattern of the rifle, and I found myself ringing steel with near reckless abandon.
I have been nothing short of extremely satisfied with my venture into the bullpup world. I have heard the occasional disparaging comment in regards to Kel-tec as a company or their customer service, but I have not found this to be the case in my sample size of one RDB. What I have found is a very sweet shooting rifle that draws both attention, and complements when I take it to the range. It may not be a Steyr Aug, nor is it an IWI Tavor, but it is in my opinion and experience competitive in every way to either. Also of note is that it is half or better the price of both, and for approximately $700 it should at the very least be given a shot at impressing you the way that it has impressed me.