While looking over ATI’s new offerings I came upon the new FX45 Thunderbolt Enhanced. This is one 1911 that doesn’t lack good number of included options.
This model is an upgrade to the stainless steel FX45. They gave this one a matte blue finish with adjustable sights, ambi dexterous thumb safety, rail for any light or laser the user wished to use. ATI also added a magwell, which is well done and fits very nicely with the grip.
As with the previous model the Enhanced has a ported barrel with five ports per side. These ports are well executed and uniform in appearance and size. The trigger has a flat face that is smooth and a bit wider than the trigger body. Of course the trigger is fully adjustable.
One new addition that immediately catches your eye are the new grip panels. These grips are made by Timber Smith and developed through Tapco. Now we’ve all seen grips with large skulls carved into them but these are a bit classier with small skulls carved into the grips. There are also finely detailed background images around the skulls. The grips also help the shooter by adding three strips of a material not unlike a fine grit skateboard tape. These grips come in Rosewood and black. MSRP is $ 869.95. Of course your dealer price will be less.
This press release just came out this morning. It’s self explanatory and indicates the future of this innovative derringer is in doubt. When I obtain further information I’ll post it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2012
To our valued customers:
As the inventor of the DoubleTap™ pistol and owner of the design and utility patents, along with other intellectual property including the DoubleTap™ name, I am issuing this press release to inform our loyal customers of the current status of the production of this new innovative pistol.
Since we introduced the DoubleTap™ Tactical Pocket Pistol in November of last year, we have been overwhelmed by the industry reception; the popularity confirmed by literally tens of thousands of orders placed by consumers to their dealers, through our distributor partners.
Unfortunately, with the deepest regret, today I announce that we have terminated our relationship with HEIZER DEFENSE, our manufacturing partner, due to their inability to manufacture the DoubleTap™ pistol. I cannot comment further on this subject at this time, under advice from legal counsel, due to pending litigation.
It is our intention to immediately license the design to a leading firearms manufacturer or to align with another manufacturing source to produce the DoubleTap™. We intend to accomplish this as quickly as possible to satisfy the huge demand for the DoubleTap™ pistol. I will make a further announcement as soon as we have established a new manufacturing agreement.
As most of you know Mark Craighead, owner and designer of Crossbreed holsters, passed away last Friday from a heart attack. Mark has made a great number of contributions in the firearms world with his very innovative holsters as well as his many other activities most people aren’t aware of.
Anyone who keeps track of what’s new in our hobby know about his holsters but many don’t know what a fine man he was. He not only made one of the best concealment holsters you can buy he was also a contributor to many charities and was very active in the protection of our second amendment rights. He was also a fine family man who’s loss will be felt for a long time.
Mark started his business about three years ago from his home in Republic Missouri. Republic is a small town in southwest Missouri a stones throw from where I grew up in Springfield. I’ve spoken to Mark a good number of times and I’ve never known anyone who was as dedicated to his customers as he was. He always went that extra mile to ensure his customers got what they needed. He would even call customers himself which is rare these days.
Mark was too young to leave us but then God sure has a great guy with him! I’ll miss him. My prayers are with his family and those who’s lives he’s touched.
For those who are familiar with Jerry he wrote a series of popular books back in the 1980’s called the” Survivalist”. They were wildly popular at the time since that was the height of that movement which we now refer to as “preppers”. Since that time he wrote thousands of gun reviews for many publications on gun related topics.
He was also a very devoted fan of Detonics pistols. In fact his main character in the book series always carried them. During one of the time periods when Detonics was looking for a new home Jerry was able to bring the company back to life once again. He was the president of Detonics from 2004 until 2007. Jerry’s obituary is below. Our prayers go out to his family and many friends. He will be missed!
Evans Funeral Home announces the death of Mr. Jerry Ahern, age 66, of Jefferson, who passed away on Tuesday, July 24, 2012.
Mr. Ahern was born in Chicago, ILL, a son to the late John and Arline Ahern. Jerry was an award winning, internationally known author of over 80 novels, including “The Survivalist” series, numerous non-fiction books as well as thousands of magazine articles. In recent years Jerry served as an editorial consultant. Additionally, Jerry was a strong supporter of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Jerry had a strong Christian faith and led a vigorous and healthy lifestyle until a recent and aggressive cancer took his life. His positive and never give up attitude, as well as a good sense of humor, were a part of his day to day throughout. Jerry was deeply cherished and loved by his family; all those that knew him loved him. He had a strong devotion to his family.
Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Sharon Ahern, Jefferson, children, Samantha and Robert Akers, Commerce, Jason and Tracy Ahern, Buford, grandchildren, Olivia Akers, Alec, Aidan, Emily and Addison Ahern, nephew, George R. Smith, Hartwell.
A private family Memorial Service will be held on a later date.
Hilton Yam is in my opinion one of the best builders of working 1911’s. Notice I said working. These aren’t competition guns these are built to be working guns for the CCW holder, Police Officer etc. In other words those looking for an ultra reliable piece of gun art meant to save your life. Hilton just released a new video on You Tube which is a video presentation of the printed version on the 10-8 Performance website. Check the 10-8 Performance website for many articles on the 1911 and how to run it right!
This would be a good one to download from You Tube and keep for reference. I use 10-8 sights and other parts for my 1911’s and S&W M&P. I hope you enjoy the video!
Click the picture for a larger view
Hum my Rock Island 38 Super looks a lot like his. I guess so since it has 10-8 sights and Ed Brown grip safety, 10-8 trigger, Tripp Research magazines etc. Yep I did the build:-)
A 71 year old man who has a CCW permit was in the middle of an attempted robbery in an Ocala, Fl. Internet cafe.
The video explains it all. No charges will be filed on Mr. Williams for taking action!
Those of us who love military rifles have this overwhelming desire to modify them as soon as we get them home. For those who like an older design upgrading them can be somewhat of a challenge.
After reviewing the Golani from Century International I bought it. My first intention was to leave it as is and use the good ol iron sights, no flashlights, scopes etc.
The more I thought about it I realized that a lot of Golani owners probably want these add ons in order to make the Golani a more capable modernized rifle. I made a list of the most common add ons that shooters add to their AR15’s without making it ridiculously heavy and clumsy.
With list in hand I started an internet search for items fitting the criteria I set for the Golani/Galil rifle. Finding a suitable quality rail system wasn’t terribly easy as most systems were plastic or of poor design. I found an excellent rail system made exclusively for the Golani. The rail system is made by UTG from aluminum with a durable black finish. As you can see from the picture it replaces the factory handguard. Rails are on all four sides and come with rubber covers. The top rail extends back to the rear sight. Installation is simple and takes about 15 minutes to complete using the included six hex bolts.
Specs
Material:AluminumWeight:13.6 ozPieces:2Rail Type:Picatinny/WeaverNo. of Rails:4Length:11.4 inchWidth:2.3 inchHeight:3.2 inch.
An optic was next but which type? I’ve used many kinds of optics on AR’s from red dots to Trijicon ACOG’s. A scope that has become popular of late is the designated marksman scope. The power range is from 1X4. This allows the shooter to engage targets from CQB range to 500 meters. They also have a long eye relief averaging four inches. This allows the shooter to keep both eyes open using the 1X setting. This prevents a limited field of view when things get up close and personal. Leapers makes just such a scope.
Specs
Magnification:1X – 4XTube Diameter:30mmObjective Diameter:28mmField of View @ 100 yards:85.0′ – 24.0’Eye Relief:5.0″ – 4.0″Exit Pupil:11.0mm – 6.0mmClick Value @100 yards:1/2″Length:254mmWeight:14.3 oz Parallax Setting:100 YdsBatteries:CR2032 3V
Etched glass/Mil-Dot
I would also like to thank the folks at Leapers/UTG for supplying the mount and scope for this test. They were very helpful with my questions concerning optics and materials used in making these two excellent accessories. Leapers was the only company I could find who made a quality rail system for the Galil/Golani. Obviously they keep track of customer needs. Leapers Reticle
The next item I wanted to add was a good quality sling. My criteria includes a sling that is easily adjusted for length, quickly removed, comfortable, adaptable and lastly durable. For anyone who has an AR15, Golani, FN SCAR or whichever you know there are a huge number of slings to choose from. Some are very well made and fit most shooters needs while others are junk that won’t last six months before falling apart. It’s really not a good idea to cut the budget on your sling. You’ll save money in the long run buying quality the first time out.
I scoured the internet for anything new I may have missed since the last time I looked for a new sling. I currently use a Troy single point sling on an AR but this time I wanted one that would also allow single point mounting as well as dual point mounting.
I found what I was looking for at Mounts Plus. I contacted my friend Stephen at Mounts Plus about a new sling and had one in mind. Stephen steered me in the right direction by suggesting the A.R.M.S. company SWAN sling rather than the one I had my eye on. He was right this is a fantastic sling and I’m glad I bought it.
The SWAN (from Mounting Solutions) sling has metal QD (quick disconnect) hooks on both ends. If you look at the picture above you’ll see one of the QD hooks. Note the lighter green nylon piece attached to a small metal ring. The hook is spring loaded. Pulling the nylon piece trips the catch releasing the hook allowing you to remove the sling. Pushing the hook over the connection locks it back in place securely. This feature allows the sling to change from dual mount to single point. The next picture up shows a similar tab halfway up the body of the sling. This tab can be pulled up or down which lengthens or shortens the sling. This allows the user to carry the rifle close to the body.
Another item I wanted was a front rail grip. I decided on the Grip Pod also from Mounts Plus. Now I know what you’re thinking, this thing is ugly and kinda big. I couldn’t agree more and yes it’s not very attractive but in this case function trumps form. The Grip Pod is in use by all branches of the military as well as federal law enforcement agencies. The military version differs from the law enforcement type having steel reinforced legs. The law enforcement version doesn’t have these steel reinforcements. It’s still very strong and darn near impossible to break.
Note in the above picture you’ll see a round button at the top front. This is the button that is pushed to activate the spring ejecting the two legs very quickly. When the user is ready to retract the legs you simply use one hand to pull the legs together and push them up locking them back in place. It also has a heavy screw attaching it to the rail system. This also allows the Grip Pod to be removed or attached easily.
This video demonstrates the Grip Pod in use.
The last item on the list is a flashlight. I chose the Hoyt H-1. This light fits in any 25mm rail mount. It’s powered by two CR-123 batteries and has a run time of 100 minutes at 155 lumens. This model has four modes. I chose to use mode 3 which with one click is a full power beam of 155 lumens. Two clicks and you have a disorienting full power strobe setting. The light comes in a hard plastic black waterproof case.
Conclusion
Not everyone will want all of these additions to their rifle. Customizing any gun is purely a personal preference so I am by no means saying everyone needs to use these items to have the perfect rifle. My intention in this article is to show the owner of this or a similar rifle different options they have available to them. The pros and cons are for the reader to conclude based on their own needs and experiences.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the article and found it useful. Your questions and comments are always welcome! Remember any purchase you make from Mounts Plus by clicking on the ad here on the blog and enter Gunner777 at checkout you get 10% off even on ACOGs etc.
Since my blog has a big emphasis on the 1911 it wouldn’t be right not to celebrate the birthday of the father of the “Modern technique” of pistol shooting John Dean “Jeff” Cooper. Anyone who is a fan of the 1911 probably knows who the Colonel is or has at least heard of him.
These are some of his writings concerning the combat mindset:
Combat Mindset—The Cooper Color Code
The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation, according to Cooper, is neither the weapon nor the martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset, set forth in his book, Principles of Personal Defense. In the chapter on awareness, Cooper presents an adaptation of the Marine Corps system to differentiate states of readiness:
The color code, as originally introduced by Jeff Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one’s state of mind. As taught by Cooper, it relates to the degree of peril you are willing to do something about and which allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation. Cooper did not claim to have invented anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state.
White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be “Oh my God! This can’t be happening to me.”
Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that “today could be the day I may have to defend myself”. You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that “I may have to shoot today”. You don’t have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don’t know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to “Watch your six.” (In aviation 12 o’clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft’s nose. Six o’clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are “taking in” surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, “I might have to shoot.”
Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to “I may have to shoot that person today”, focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: “If that person does “X”, I will need to stop them”. Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.
Red: Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. “If ‘X’ happens I will shoot that person”.
The USMC uses condition Black, although it was not originally part of Cooper’s Color Code. Condition Black: Catastrophic breakdown of mental and physical performance. Usually over 175 heartbeats per minute, increased heart rate becomes counter productive. May have stopped thinking correctly. This can happen when going from Condition White or Yellow immediately to Condition Red.
In short, the Color Code helps you “think” in a fight. As the level of danger increases, your willingness to take certain actions increases. If you ever do go to Condition Red, the decision to use lethal force has already been made (your “mental trigger” has been tripped).
The following are some of Cooper’s additional comments on the subject.
Considering the principles of personal defense, we have long since come up with the Color Code. This has met with surprising success in debriefings throughout the world. The Color Code, as we preach it, runs white, yellow, orange, and red, and is a means of setting one’s mind into the proper condition when exercising lethal violence, and is not as easy as I had thought at first. There is a problem in that some students insist upon confusing the appropriate color with the amount of danger evident in the situation. As I have long taught, you are not in any color state because of the specific amount of danger you may be in, but rather in a mental state which enables you to take a difficult psychological step. Now, however, the government has gone into this and is handing out color codes nationwide based upon the apparent nature of a peril. It has always been difficult to teach the Gunsite Color Code, and now it is more so. We cannot say that the government’s ideas about colors are wrong, but that they are different from what we have long taught here. The problem is this: your combat mind-set is not dictated by the amount of danger to which you are exposed at the time. Your combat mind-set is properly dictated by the state of mind you think appropriate to the situation. You may be in deadly danger at all times, regardless of what the Defense Department tells you. The color code which influences you does depend upon the willingness you have to jump a psychological barrier against taking irrevocable action. That decision is less hard to make since the jihadis have already made it.
He further simplified things in Vol. 13 #7 of his Commentaries.
“In White you are unprepared and unready to take lethal action. If you are attacked in White you will probably die unless your adversary is totally inept.
In Yellow you bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and that you may have to do something about it.
In Orange you have determined upon a specific adversary and are prepared to take action which may result in his death, but you are not in a lethal mode.
In Red you are in a lethal mode and will shoot if circumstances warrant.
I was fortunate enough to attend Gunsite back in the 1980’s when the Colonel was still teachings classes. Believe me it was not only an education in pistol craft but an education in how to survive.
The Army awarded Remington Arms Company an April 20 contract to make tens of thousands of M4A1 carbines. By outbidding Colt Defense — the original maker of the M4 — Remington may end up being the only winner in what many gun makers have labeled as the Army’s well-intentioned but doomed effort to arm soldiers with a better carbine.
On the upside, the award means that more soldiers will go into combat with the M4A1, a SOF version of the carbine that features a more durable barrel and a full-auto capability. The Army’s decision to dump the three-round burst setting will give soldiers a more consistent trigger and better accuracy.
It’s part of the service’s dual-path strategy to improve the individual carbine. Army weapons officials recently completed phase one of the service’s Improved Carbine Competition and will soon announce which companies proved they have the infrastructure and production capacity to turn out thousands of new weapons. Gun makers that advance to the second and third phases of the competition will have hundreds of thousands of test rounds fired through their prototypes before the Army announces one winner.
Many small-arms firms believe the endeavor is a waste of time since the Army has shown no interest in new calibers or features that would increase modularity. In the end, the winner of the competition will likely lose when the Army conducts a business-case analysis comparing it to the new-and-improved carbine that emerges from the parallel effort known as the M4 Product Improvement Program.
Questions have already started to surface over just how successful the PIP will be since the Army recently canceled a search for an improved bolt and bolt-carrier assembly. Companies such as LWRC International, Remington and Smith & Wesson that competed for the bolt and bolt-carrier assembly portion of the PIP were notified by the Army April 10 that none of the submissions offered enough improvement over the M4’s existing bolt and bolt-carrier assembly. It will be interesting to see if similar efforts to improve components such as the selector-switch assembly and the forward-rail assembly suffer the same fate.
Gunner's Journal 