Table of contents for June/July #61 2024 in RECOIL OFFGRID

The term “technical” is often used to describe a civilian vehicle — usually a 4x4 pickup like the venerable Toyota Hilux — that has been modified to carry an onboard weapon system such as a heavy machine gun, anti-aircraft cannon, or anti-tank rocket launcher. The underlying light, mobile weapon concept dates back far beyond the automobile to horse-drawn tachanka carts of the First World War and carroballistas (essentially huge crossbows mounted on carriages) of the Roman Empire. However, according to the book Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great War to Modern Special Forces by Leigh Neville, this descriptor originated during the Somali Civil War in the early 1990s, where NGOs hired local gunmen in “Mad Max-style armed pickup trucks” for protection under the guise of being “technical advisers.” As…

MAKE & MODEL OTTE Gear V2 OG Helmet Bag w/Nods Box CAPACITY Up to an XXL Ops Core ballistic helmet with AMP ear pro attached MSRP $199 URL ottegear.com What do you own that costs upward of $10,000 but is fragile enough to break if it’s dropped a few feet onto a hard surface? Unless you’re a collector of Ming vases, antique Waterford crystal, or high-end camera equipment, it’s probably a very short list. But there’s one thing that many military members, law enforcement officers, and shooting enthusiasts wear that fits this category: night vision. A set of dual-tube night vision goggles (NVGs) can easily set you back $8K to $15K, and this equipment is extremely sensitive to hard impacts, long-term light exposure, and other environmental damage. That doesn’t even…

“To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined.”–George Washington Preparedness exists at the intersection of skills and tools. You wouldn’t expect a surgeon to operate on a patient with a chef’s knife instead of a scalpel, nor should you hand a surgical scalpel to a chef and expect him to perform a successful operation. The same is true when it comes to firearms — a gun is not a magic talisman that wards off evil, and it can’t fire a silver bullet that solves all life-and-death scenarios. You have to have it with you when you need it, and you have to know how to use it effectively (and wisely) under extreme…

With a multigenerational history of firearms experience, teaching, and a deep understanding of all the intricacies of shotguns, Matt Haught and his father, Rob, are true experts in their craft. Rob has been training law enforcement officers and members of the military for more than 30 years, specializing in the tactical and defensive applications of shotguns. He even helped develope the shotgun curriculum for the FBI’s special operations teams. Following in his dad’s footsteps, Matt has cultivated skills with a variety of firearms. He enjoys shooting multi-gun competitions as well as specialty matches such as the BUG (Back-Up Gun) match held in Tucson, Arizona. Additionally, Matt has a wealth of historical knowledge involving firearms, including noteworthy incidents, and has written several articles for our sister publication RECOIL magazine. Combined, the…

In a true case of “what’s old is new again” the last several years have seen not only a resurgence of the lever action rifle, but an evolution of it. Although this platform was once reserved for ranchers and cowboy action shooters, well-known companies like Midwest Industries have committed significant resources to developing accessories that modernize this oft-over-shadowed platform. Smaller custom houses like Mad Pig Customs go even further, offering complete boutique builds with selectable furniture, accessories, and colorways. With all this effort expended to teach an old gun new tricks, some of you are certainly wondering: why? We’re not sure there’s a definitive answer. If all you care about is practicality and cost-effectiveness, it’s impossible to deny the advantages of a modern semi-auto rifle with a detachable 30-round magazine.…

It has been said that rendering aid during a mass casualty incident (MCI) is trying to create order out of chaos. When most people hear the term “mass casualty incident,” it conjures up images of major catastrophic events: hurricanes, terrorist attacks, plane crashes, etc. Those are all prime examples to be sure, but an MCI can happen anytime and anywhere. Simply put, an MCI is any scenario in which those needing aid outnumber those able to provide it. The occurrences of MCIs are few and far between. But sadly, not as few and not as far between as one might think. They can be naturally occurring or man-made, accidental or intentional. Natural disasters, hostile events, civil unrest, even multi-passenger vehicle accidents — to name a few — happen all around…

1 MAKE & MODEL PLANO Rustrictor All Weather 2 1-Pistol Case INTERIOR DIMENSIONS 12.5 inches L by 10.1 inches W by 4.8 inches H MSRP $69 URL planooutdoors.com NOTES Safely transporting sensitive items requires a special degree of protection. The Rustrictor All Weather 2 1-Pistol Case by Plano is designed to offer that protection for firearms during transport or storage. It integrates Plano’s Rustrictor technology, which is said to block rust and corrosion five times longer than competing products. This case is constructed with industrial strength materials, making it highly durable and reliable. It features TSA-approved lockable latches for secure transport and a Dri-Loc seal for watertight, dustproof protection. The interior includes customizable pluckto-fit foam, allowing for a tailored fit to your pistol and accessories. This case ensures comprehensive protection…

One of the fundamentals of fighting well is to know your enemy. When we’re talking about fighting violent crime and criminals, there are a lot of varied opinions. Some people see violent criminals as victims of a flawed economic system or argue they’re just mentally ill, while others see them as cunning rational actors engaged in rational acts. Hopefully, the essay that follows will give you a quick summary of who criminals are, how criminals think, how they pick their victims, and how to truly win confrontations with them. Any time we’re generalizing, we must be careful to remember there are always exceptions. The discussion that follows reflects the reality of a Western country with a somewhat intact legal system and a place where scarcity is a forgotten concern. As…

The year is 1964 — the same year the Colt M16 officially entered U.S. military service. In West Germany, engineers at Heckler & Koch have begun developing a new submachine gun based on the architecture of the H&K G3 battle rifle, which had become the Bundeswehr’s standard-issue weapon in 1959. The new SMG uses the same roller-delayed blowback architecture as the G3 (and the G3’s predecessor, the CETME). However, instead of coping with the stout recoil of a 7.62x51mm NATO rifle round, this operating system would be set up for the 9mm Luger pistol caliber. The resulting SMG was designated the MP64 after its first year of development, but later renamed the MP5. Over subsequent decades, the MP5 would rise to prominence as the world’s most widely used submachine gun.…

Many worship at the altar of Stoner, exalting the AR-15 platform’s ergonomics, versatility, and modularity. But with a receiver extension and buttstock that can’t be folded, since the bolt carrier group reciprocates into it, compactness for transport wasn’t Stoner’s first priority. The aftermarket has come up with solutions for this — but what if you’re looking for an even smaller footprint than a folding stock will provide? If you don’t mind disassembling your weapon, Stoner’s original design gets you halfway there, as you can easily detach the upper and lower into two pieces. However, it’s fiddly and not the quickest to deploy, and you’re still constrained by the length of the entire upper assembly, essentially the barrel plus the upper receiver — which itself accounts for about 8 inches of…