In a country devoted to 9mm, BUL TRANSMARK manufactures a high capacity 1911-A1 .45.  I have known BUL Marketing Manager, Hayim Funes, for at least ten years.  He is actually a good guy.  I sleep better knowing whatever problem may develop with my Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Hayim will get it fixed, while I wait.  I called Hayim and asked if he could put me in touch with his American distributor.  Two days later I was speaking to KBI’s Michael Kassner.  A Charles Daily M5 Government Model 1911-A1 was on its way to Steve’s shop that same day.  It has a polymer frame.

“Its plastic. I don’t want to shoot a plastic gun” was Jay’s comment when I handed him the M5.  Shooting was temporarily postponed as a round of “handing and getting the feel” of the polymer pistol took place.  Reluctantly Jay began to fire.  We all held our breath and watched.  Just like Mikey of Life Cereal fame, Jay liked it!  Jim also liked it.  So did Steve.  Steve really liked it and pronounced it, “especially accurate right out of the box.”  The Charles Daily M5 handled all Black Hills and Hornady loads equally well and flawlessly.

This M5 pistol was designed for the Israeli doctrine of Combat with a Handgun.  Shooting is rapid-fire, accomplished by allowing the trigger to return forward no further than required to engage the sear.  With practice, lots and lots of practice, in that split-second it takes to reengage the sear, one gets back on target and fires.  My budget for ammunition has never allowed for me to fully develop the technique.  But I know people who have.  You would think they are firing, with exceptional accuracy, a full-auto pistol.  Fifteen (15) rounds in 3 seconds is “average.”  The M5 has something approaching what Israelis call a “minus-trigger,” one requiring virtually no real forward motion to reengage the sear.  Firing the Charles Daily M5 my trigger-work became 50% faster without loss of accuracy.  Firing a pistol made for Israeli-style shooting was an eye-opener.

We all agreed that one needed to get use to the balance of the M5 which being a “polymer gun” was lighter “up front.”  Jim and Steve did encounter a minor problem with the handgrip safety.  The bottom edge of the metal grip was sharp.  Both gentlemen came away with a cut shooting hand.  It didn’t matter.  The M5 was most definitely added to everyone’s “got to have” list.  And “I’d never buy a plastic gun” Jay was heard to say, “It’s the only polymer gun I’d ever buy.”

We took a break for lunch.  My sandwiches were a hit even though I did not, to his disappointment, use one of my son’s gourmand mustards.  We ate sitting on the deck of Steve’s home, a 150 year old house dating back to the Civil War, which conflict had we been sitting less than a half mile away in West Virginia, I would have had to refer to as the War between the States.  Surprisingly, in the middle of this super hot day, deer running across the far end of the field Steve called, “my yard” supplied the lunch entertainment.  As we finished our sodas Jim explained that he had to call it a day.  He is working on a Friend of the Court brief in support of the decision overturning DC’s Gun Ownership Prohibition.  We were understanding and supportive, but sorry to loose him.              

                                          END OF PART I

Afternoons Are Made For 7.62x51

I had not really spent much time with H-S Precision’s tack-driver.  I wanted to put it through several Israeli Police Sniper drills.  So when I went back to Steve’s for Day Two, I took the HRT rifle back out to the shooting bench.  As it turned-out, this day it was just Steve and myself.  Since Steve had some chores and a business to attend to, I was pretty much on my own.

By 09:00 I had already walked out 100 yards and put up several Israeli police targets, each the outline of a person’s face, to which I added a few inch-in-diameter black dots.  Each dot was more than enough of an aiming point.  I put up another face, without the additional dots, at 300 yards.  By the time I walked back and sat down at the shooting bench I needed a sweatband to keep the sweat dripping down my forehead from running into my eyes.  Thoroughly beat from three weeks of non-stop lecturing and travel up and down the East Coast, I appreciated the quiet solitude.  Time to try two real (terrorist) world police sniper drills.

Drill Number One was to determine how fast one could fire a round, work the bolt and fire an accurate follow-up shot.  Sitting at the bench using a sandbag (bipod removed) for a rifle-rest was a pretty realistic position.  I aimed for the right eye of one of the targets at 100 yards.  First I fired two rounds of Black Hills 168gr. Match Moly-Coated BTHP Match, then I aimed for the left eye firing two rounds of Black Hills 175gr. BTHP Match.  Both loads delivered sub-MOA accuracy.  The bolt was smooth and easy to work with a minimum of hand movement.  Not once did my cheek move from its weld to the stock.  The heavy barrel did a good job of keeping the rifle from jumping.  The trigger was crisp and a joy.  The follow-up shots were sufficiently fast.  I moved to another target and repeated the drill using Hornady 168gr. and 155gr. TAP FPD.  Again the rifle and ammunition worked flawlessly.  I shot sub-MOA, with each follow-up shot coming fast.

Drill Number Two was identical to Drill Number One except the follow-up shot was fired at a target five feet away from the target fired at first.  I attached the bipod and placed both feet in an inverted Frisbee.  It is a great technique when firing at multiple targets and using a bipod.  The Frisbee swivels allowing you to transition from target to target.  You only need shift your upper body thus moving the rifle stock and your point of aim.  It is a technique I learned from my good friend and expert marksman/sniper instructor Rick (the “Nailer”) Garcia, Sr. of TriTech Training/Mission First!

I fired moving right to left, easiest for a right-hander like myself.  First using Black Hills 168gr. I fired right eye - right eye, then using 175gr. left eye - left eye.  I repeated the sequence first with Hornady 155gr. and then with 168gr. TAP FPD.  The rifle handled with ease while working the bolt, allowing the follow-up shot to be touched-off the moment the cross-hairs engaged the target.  When I start teaching anti-terror courses for American Police SWAT/Precision Marksmen, I’ll be contacting H-S Precision about obtaining an HRT for my personal use as instructor.  I like it that much. 

Back to Day One.

By mid-afternoon we were all getting a bit tired.  Jay remained the most energetic and enthusiastic of us.  I brought out the ArmaLite AR10A2.

John Kestel, ArmaLite’s, VP of Sales & Marketing had been kind enough to oblige my request to send a rifle to Steve’s.  Time to test one of my theories - which is that a “Patrol Rifle” qualified officer can transition to a caliber .308 Win. AR15 type rifle with standard “iron” open sights, and using precision marksman ammunition and given regular practice, can effectively engage targets at 100 yards and well beyond.  Why in heaven’s name do I think every law enforcement department and agency should have several officers with not only an AR15 in 5.56, but also one in .308 Winchester? 

Out of the box the AR10A2 shot 3-round groups, the bullets touching each other at 25 yards.  Jay was doing the shooting.  He had experience firing an AR15.  He fired from a stable, bench rest position.  All together he fired several groups of both Black Hills and Hornady 168gr. BTHP Match as Steve fine-tuned the AR’s standard sights.  Jay then moved to 100 yards.  He fired Black Hills 168gr. and 175gr. BTHP Match and Hornady 155gr., 168gr. and 175gr. BTHP Match.  From a rested position Jay averaged MOA with all ammunition.  It was now 16:30.  Time to call it a day.

I took the AR10A2 back out to the range on Day Two.  I wanted to experience how it handled.  My intent was to fire the rifle not as I would a sniper rifle, but as I would an AR15, be it with precision ammunition. I fired standing, with the back of my left hand braced up against one of the poles holding up the roof over the firing area.  I also fired sitting, unsupported.  I fired an initial aimed round, then two quick, but aimed follow-up shots.  I fired using all the Black Hills and Hornady loads. 

The rifle functioned flawlessly with all ammunition.  Most groups were MOA.  Those that were not were my fault.  I admit I grew tired towards the end and had trouble concentrating in the heat and humidity.  I also discovered that my eyes were not what they were when I was in my 30s.  In the last ten years I simply had not fired a rifle that did not have either a scope or an optic!  Damn, seeing the black dots I had put up at 100 yards strained my eyes.  

                                        END OF PART II

Day Two’s “No Show”

I have a pre-ban Standard Model AR15 in .223 circa 1989.  I wanted to put the flattop upper on it.  The manufacturer of my AR15 would not respond to a single Email, Fax or telephone call, a dozen or more of which I made during the four months preceding my trip home.  Nor did several other manufacturers with seemingly workable flattop uppers responded to repeated inquiries.  One company did not want their upper on another company’s lower.  And one company sent me their 18” Marksman Flattop Upper.  This “Spec” upper was supposed to fit my “Spec” lower.  It didn’t quite do that (pins not perfectly aligned) and I was not going to force it, which I could have with a few gentle taps from one of Steve’s gunsmith mallets.  So much for “best laid plans…”

I learned that one must never rely on even honestly held, normally valid representations that one company’s Upper will fit and function on another company’s Lower, and visa versa.  Test the fit and function of the aftermarket Flattop Upper on the actual rifles you want to be able to “convert,” before you purchase and even if you are purchasing product from your ARs’ manufacturer.  If you are planning a purchase of ARs consider specifying that a percentage of them be sent with a second upper, the manufacturer’s flattop heavy barrel target upper.  That is of course presuming the manufacturer makes one and its quality has been established in advance.  Have the seller test the fit and function of the additional Upper.  If he doesn’t make one ask him which Upper manufacturer he suggests you try.  Same question can be asked of the manufacturer of the ARs your department presently owns.

My AR15 - Black Hills .223 Match Ammo - As Good as my Handloads

So there I was on Steve’s range with my AR15 upper and lower back together, some “free” time and energy…and lots of Black Hills .223.  Suffice to say that, at a distance of 100 yards with open sights, I fired several 5-shot group from every Black Hills load, 60gr. Soft Point, 60gr. V-Max Molly Coated, 68gr. Match HP, 69gr. MatchKing and 75gr. Match HP as well as my 55gr. SP and FMJ handloads.  I fired at Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C Targets that made it possible to detect bullet holes with the aide of Steve’s spotting scope.

My handloads give me the maximum accuracy achievable with full-length resized cases.  I was taught you must full-length resize for ammunition that will be fired from a semi-auto rifle such as my AR15.  My FMJ loads average a bit under a MOA and my SP loads often average closer to ¾ MOA.  My rifle’s barrel has the conventional twist one would expect to best handle bullet weights in the 55gr. to 60gr. range.  Well for a second time I find actual results contradicting theory.  All the Black Hill loads grouped as well as did my handloads.  The best group of the day came from the heaviest bullet fired - Black Hill’s 75gr. Match HP!  Go figure.       

More Black Hills Ammunition

Two days before I was scheduled to return to Israel a nice surprise arrived at my son’s Virginia home.  Black Hills sent me several boxes each of 168gr. BTHP Match 30/06 and 240gr. JHP .44 Magnum.  I am loath to shoot a firearm within 72 hours of flying, especially when it is international to Israel.  But Clark Brothers Gun Shop and Shooting Range, just down the road from my son’s, literally a 10-minute drive away, called to me like a Siren’s song out of Greek mythology.  As a precaution I figured any clothes I wore shooting I would leave with my son.  I would do the same with my boots and ballcap.  The next morning I was at Clark Brothers at 09:00.

I put up a couple of ¼ MOA “grid” sighting-in targets at 100 yards.  Time to see how much my Remington Model 700 30/06 tack-driver liked the Black Hills Match.  I knew the rifle was dead-on at 100 with my 168gr. BTHP Match Handloads. I shot from a benchrest, with sandbags steadying the rifle’s forearm and stock.  I fired an initial 3-shot group.  First round hit 1 MOA high ¾ MOA right.  The following two rounds were touching; ¾ MOA high ½ MOA right.  Without adjusting the scope I fired a 5-shot group at my second target.  I was interested in group size.  The group was ¾ MOA, ¾ MOA high ½ MOA right.  I fired one more 5-shot group.  This time I held ¾ MOA low and ½ MOA left.  The result was a ¾ MOA group - dead-on.  Great Ammunition!

I took down my 100 yard targets wrote appropriate correction notes on the second and put it away with the remaining Black Hills 30/06 ammunition.  Then I put up several bullseye targets at the 15-yard mark on the pistol range.  Out came my single action Ruger .44 Magnum New Model Super Black Hawk with 3 and 5/8 inch barrel.  I had bought it when going to Alaska was in the planning.  I handload 240 gr. JHP rounds for it.  I wanted would compare my handloads to the 240 gr. JHP Black Hills ammunition.  I decided to fire from the benchrest, my two-hand grip supported by sandbags. 

I loaded 6 rounds of my handloaded ammunition.  As is the case with all of my handloads, it is painstakingly made, superior ammunition.  I cocked the hammer and the instant I pulled the trigger I remembered the Ruger’s recoil.  The 6-shot group was nothing to brag about.  Now having reintroduced myself to my .44 Magnum after an 11 year absence I fired another 6-shot group.  I paid attention to the fundamental of handgun shooting.  There was improvement.  The group measured under 5½ inches.  Time to try the Black Hills ammunition.  I took my time.  I concentrated on the sights rather than the boom and recoil.  I fired 6 rounds.  They seemed a bit “smoother,” the 4 and 5/8 inch barrel whipped less.  The group measured 5 inches.  I fired another group of 6 shots.  This time the group measured a bit under 5 inches.  I must admit the Black Hills ammunition was every bit as good as my handloads, perhaps a tad better.

TRU-SPEC

My Israeli Police Civil Guard Sharp Shooter (Sniper) Unit members wear Israeli-style BDUs on operations.  Years ago each of us was issued a uniform, a khaki colored shirt and pants made of comfortable cotton.  Our uniforms got so old that when we tried to replace them, we discovered khaki had been "discontinued.”  In fact many of the newer members of the police force did not know khaki had ever been issued.  The potential of being misidentified on duty “up above,” scoped rifle in-hand, grew more likely with each new class of police school graduates.  Eventually the police broke-down and issued us new, blue work uniforms in “more polyester than cotton” material.  The uniform was not only uncomfortable, but also had less-than-functional pockets.

Several of the members of our Unit asked me to try and find a suitable substitute while I was in the USA.  I did!  I have several sets of Atlanco’s TRU-SPEC BDUs.  I have worn them for years.  They are tuff as nails; really good stuff.  So naturally when I went in search of BDUs for our Unit I contacted Bob Grueskin TRU-SPEC’s media representative.  Bob introduced me to Steve Stidham, TRU-SPEC’s Director of Public Safety Sales.  Steve was especially accommodating.  He sent me three sets of TRU-SPEC’s “TRU” Tactical Response Uniform; Navy (police) blue, Digital Woodland and MultiCam Camo.  The TRU is the latest evolution of the BDU.  It is well thought-out, being first and foremost functional.  It is also what I call wearably comfortable.  It is simply a superlative DBU for the professional.

Normally in hot, muggy weather I wear jogging shorts.  I hate wearing pants in the summer and don’t.  Pants irritate my legs and my legs sweat.  I wore the blue TRU pants at Steve’s, both days.  They were comfortable enough that I didn’t notice them.  Walking, sitting, bending-over and driving the 90 minutes (each way) to and from Steve’s place, they simply did not bother me.  Back in Jerusalem where it was equally hot, with non-existent humidity, but with a baking sun, I wore the pants for 6 hours on duty overseeing the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.  The pants worked just fine.  They let my legs breath.  I have taken to wearing the TRU shirt as a carryall lightweight jacket. 

I asked Jay to wear a TRU shirt during the afternoon out at the range.  He was happy to oblige.  When he returned it to me several hours later Jay reported the shirt was comfortable, it protected his elbows and did not add to his being hot and sweating.  What more can one ask?

I let the Unit know that I had found not just a suitable substitute, but a preferable substitute for our issue BDUs.  The TRU shirt was not regulation, but was certainly “useable” with the addition of a police insignia shoulder patch.  I planned on sending around an order sheet.  But before I could, the Israeli Police implemented an 8-year-old recommendation issued by a pre-Intifada “Police Professional Committee,” and disbanded the Civil Guard Sharp Shooter Units and did away with snipers in the Border Police.  Seems the committee concluded precision marksmen (snipers) were exclusively offense and therefore inappropriate for the exclusively defensive police.  Getting rid of all snipers has also been blamed on “budget cuts.”

I wish it were that we were placing an order.  For the moment our Unit remains “in limbo.”  We have no need for “work” uniforms.  Lets see what happens during the next six months.  I have absolute faith in the terrorists.  Their renewal of terror, each time more vicious, violent and venomous than the time before, is the only constant in Israel.  When next it hits-the-fan I believe our Unit will get an emergency call-up and I’ll be on the phone to Steve Stidham.

Warne Scope Mounts

Dave Wilcox, Warne’s Plant Manager had sent me a number of sets of Warne rings for use with the AR15 flattop(s).  I did not get the opportunity to test them “in action,” that is on a rifle being fired.  A set did get mounted on the flattop Upper that did not fit my Lower.  Rings when on and held the scope perfectly.  I thought highly enough of the rings to bring several sets back to Israel with me for use by members of our Unit.  Those sets of rings are now in a box together with TRU-SPEC TRU order sheet I drew-up. 

Iosso Cleaning Products

During the past ten years I have become somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to cleaning firearms.  Before returning the test firearms to their manufacturers I thought it appropriate to clean each one.  Iosso Gun Oil, Bore Cleaner and Eliminator Brushes are what I use in Israel, so they were the natural choice as what I used to clean those firearms that had been entrusted to me.  Southern Bloomer patches and the pull-through from an OTIS Technologies Sniper Cleaning Kit.  The final touch before putting away my personal firearms, I lubricate them with Militec.

Postscript:

Steve Palmer is the founder and President of Outdoor Sports Program, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit that offers youth and women traditional outdoor sports clinics, teaching safe and fun aspects of shooting, fishing and man’s relationship to nature.  Steve can be reached at Appalachian Mountain Products, 16290 Spielman Road, Williamsport, Maryland 21795.