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American Shooting Journal // May 2015

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American Shooting Journal // May 2015

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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American Shooting Journal // May 2015

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A MERIC A N

SHOOTING JOURNAL Volume 3 // ISSUE 10 // June 2015 PUBLISHER

James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Dick Openshaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andy Walgamott EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Danielle Breteau LEAD CONTRIBUTOR

Frank Jardim CONTRIBUTORS

Robert Campbell, Larry Case, Tom Claycomb III, Andre Dall’au, Dana Farrell, Norman Gray, Scott Haugen, Frank Jardim, Carrie Lightfoot, Mike Nesbitt, Bob Shell, Robin Taylor, Troy Taysom, Oleg Volk, Tatiana Whitlock, Dave Workman, Andrew Young, Scott Young SALES MANAGER

Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Becca Ellingsworth, Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS

Beth Harrison, Sonjia Kells, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Kelly Baker PRODUCTION MANAGER

John Rusnak OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING

Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn INBOUND MARKETING

Emphasis on Quality Accent on Innovation

Jon Hines CIRCULATION MANAGER

Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION

Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford, Barry Johnston ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

ads@americanshootingjournal.com

ON THE COVER John Johnston is the owner of Ballistic Radio.

We specialize exclusively in vacuum packers / sealers since 1984.

We are a complete center with repairs, supplies, sales of both home style vacuum sealers and commercial industrial vacuum packers. www.vacupack.com and www.vacupack.ca Phone Toll Free 1-800-227-3769 10

American Shooting Journal // June 2015

(JOHN JOHNSTON)

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S. Ste. 190 • Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com

westernshootingjournal.com 11

VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 10 • JUNE 2015

CONTENTS 83

HOLLYWOOD’S KENTUCKY CONNECTION When movie directors need period-accurate props for The Patriot, Master and Commander and other films portraying the late 1700s and early 1800s, they turn to Frank and Lally House, makers of exquisite American firearms and embroidery. We sat down in the Houses’ Blue Grass State home and workshops to learn their story. (RICK LAMBERT)

women’s annual 49

ROADHUNTER: Tiff’s Many Roles

127

If you put a chef, a TV host, an author, a public speaker, a huntress, a mother and a loving wife in a room, how many people would there be? One – Tiffany Haugen!

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BEHIND THE BADGE: Northern Utah’s SWAT Chick

WOMEN AND GUNS: Venus & Mars At The Range With a tool as gender-neutral as a gun, what are the psychological differences between men and women on the range?

Tatiana’s insights may surprise you.

101

133

Side By Side With Menfolk Add equal parts laughter, Southern charm, side-by-side barrels and women busting clays, and you’ve got the recipe for GRITS – Girls Really Into Shooting.

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SCATTERGUN: What The Women Of Weatherby Want Don’t give Heath Haley no pink gun or kids model – she and three other Women Of Weatherby are on their way to designing a rifle for women, by women.

The Firearms Of Frogmen Combat divers around the world have developed an odd and fascinating array of underwater guns for protecting navy ships in port. In part I of this two-parter, we take a look at the flechette-firing pistols of Russia’s Naval Spetnaz, our SEALs and Germany’s Kampfschwimmer units; next month: their long guns.

Beth Morris and her .45-70s “Surely,” “Freebie” and “The Ninety” are regular winners on the silhouette match trail.

Beehive State bad guys have a force to be reckoned with in Nisha Henderson, the Salt Lake area’s first lady SWAT member.

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BLACK POWDER: She’s One Sharps Shooter!

features

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Tune In Or The Mic Gets It! Who’s that guy with the gun and radio microphone on the cover? Meet John Johnston, host of Ballistic Radio, a syndicated program dedicated to making you laugh while becoming a smarter shooter and gun owner – with the odd gun test thrown in for fun.

AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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CONTENTS women’s annual

Also inside 35

GUN REVIEW: Windham Weaponry’s Carbon Fiber AR-15 43 GUN REVIEW: Chiappa Firearm’s Single-action, 10-shot .22LR pistol 67 PRODUCT REVIEW: Tops Knives’ MIL-SPIE 3.5 Tanto 71 Building Your PCCS – Personal Concealed-carry System For Gals 145 No Boyz! Northwest Girls Form Sisters Before Misters Gun Club 151 RELOADING: Ready, Set, Load – Part 2: Case Prep For Handloading 155 Emily Robinson: Up And Coming Young Southern Shooter 163 The Gauntlet For Girls: Getting Past Obstacles To Gun Training

DEPARTMENTS 17 23 25 27 29 33 161

Editor’s Note Competition Calendar Gun Show Calendar Top Shots: Reader Photos Show Profile: Inside The Western Hunting & Conservation Expo Time Capsule: What’s Old Is New Again – Semiauto Remington 742 Product Feature: Flashlights

©2015 Olin Corporation

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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BLAZING A TRAIL

World champion mounted shooting cowgirl Kenda Lenseigne travels the world showing off just how bad to the bone American women really are. (DAVID MECHIN)

What’s more “cutting edge” than the razor sharp tusks on a wild boar?

The bone-breaking technology built into the Razor Boar XT™ line by Winchester. Offered in popular rifle calibers from .223 to .308 Win., and also available in .44 Mag, the Razor Boar XT™ line has what you need to bring down the biggest and baddest boars.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE really hope you enjoy the variety in our Women’s Annual issue. We are featuring extraordinary women from all facets of the shooting world, and I’m sorry that I don’t have a thousand-page magazine to highlight more amazing stories.

Hailing from multiple shooting arenas to include top huntresses, SWAT chicks, mounted-shooting champions, girls in practical shooting competitions and sporting-clay trailblazers, these ladies are seriously bad to the bone!

Among our feature stories, we had an exclusive opportunity to interview and see inside the home and workshops of Frank and Lally House, creators of fine contemporary long rifles and Native American-inspired porcupine-quill embroidered gun straps and slings. No matter where in the gun industry you plant your passion, the work of these two Kentucky artists is not lost on anyone.

Our team is proud to bring this story and images of the Houses’ amazing works to you.

Our cover feature should inspire some questions. Why in the world is that guy holding a gun to a microphone?!? My thoughts exactly, but our interview with John Johnston of Ballistic Radio on his sadistic tendencies towards guns and sharing the results with his listeners is quite revealing.

Looking ahead to our summer issues, next month is our patriotic and beginner’s guide, followed by the long-range shooting and working dogs issue in August.

For July, I am reaching out to you, our readers, to ask,

I

Not only will our July issue focus on patriotism, but it will also feature the beginners in the world of shooting, with a strong focus on kids taking center stage. Cheyenne Dalton is an up-and-coming 3-gun competitor and we will tell you all about her and her team, next issue. (OLEG VOLK)

“What does freedom mean to you?”

We plan on compiling some of the best phrases and comments from around the nation and will share them with you in that star-spangled issue. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please share them with me at dani@americanshootingjournal.com.

Our August issue will feature working dogs – everyone’s favorite – as well as long-range shooting. We’ll spotlight dogs with jobs from all areas to include SWAT, bomb, cadaver and hunting. (STEVE MEYER) americanshootingjournal.com 17

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

CORRESPONDENCE We received this letter from a Washington state reader in response to our first issue under the magazine’s new name, American Shooting Journal: DEAR EDITOR, I noted your “note” in my April 2015 Western Shooting Journal issue that the new name is American Shooting Journal and your little “yay” at the close. A few years ago I subscribed to Western Shooting Journal because it was focused on the Western region of the country. I have noticed a decided shift to the universal ASJ focus over the last few months and thought something like this would be coming. I figured it was the end of WSJ when we lost our editor from the West and you arrived.

I have no animosity toward you and no reason to develop any. I understand it is a fiscal reason to broaden the base, but it is still a loss. Every shooting magazine published is headquartered on the East Coast, and Media Inc. might as well move ASJ as well. There isn’t a hunting magazine that recognizes the existence of Washington state, and most barely recognize Oregon or Idaho (other than the northern panhandle).

It seems that unless you are “hunting” baited whitetails from a tree stand on leased property, you are not hunting.

I’d like to see one of those food-plotdependent “hunters” work through 40,000 acres of open, public, dry scrub sagebrush looking for mule deer or elk.

They are limited by population in their hunting methods and I understand that, but it is not the only way to hunt and not the only environment. Oh, yes, there are the $5,000 to $10,000 guided hunts in Wyoming and Montana, but most common folks couldn’t save enough $$ in a lifetime to go there. WSJ recognized those differences, and I don’t know if ASJ will. Time will tell.

I will continue to subscribe until I feel the magazine has become just another East Coast rag, irrelevant to my shooting and hunting interests. Until then, I wish you and American Shooting Journal well.

S.D., Ellensburg, Wash.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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COMPETITION C A L E N D A R

June 6 - 7

Lone Star Challenge The Rifle Ranch Frost, Texas

June 20 - 21

Woody’s PRS Match Regional Qualifier Woody’s Hunting and Rifle Club Sanford, N.C.

June 27 - 28

SilencerCo Quiet Riot Spirit Ridge Rifle Golf Range Tremonton, Utah

Emily Robinson fires during the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) 2014 youth clinic. (RODNEY ROBINSON)

Email Dani@americanshootingjournal.com to have your event listed here.

June 6 - 7

June 12 - 14

June 17 - 20

June 12

June 19 - 20

June 27

June 6

June 20

June 27

June 13 - 21

June 16 - 21

June 19 - 21

June 14

Jun 27 - 28

June 20

June 6 - 7

June 21

June 13 - 14

Virginia State Championship Meadow Event Park Doswell, Va.

Wisconsin State Match Schultz Resort Rod & Gun Club Muskego, Wis.

Secret City Challenge Tier 2 Oak Ridge Sportsman Club Oak Ridge, Tenn.

June Spring Shoot Walter Cline Range Friendship, Ind.

Polo 3-Gun Match Tri County Gun Club Polo, Ill.

Perazzi USA Grand Prix Keystone Shooting Park Dalmatia, Pa.

SoCalifornia/Nevada Championship Murrieta Equestrian Park Murrieta, Calif.

Michigan State Match Western Wayne County Conservation Association Plymouth, Mich.

Miss’ippi Showdown Championship Tier 3 Desoto Rifle And Pistol Club Como, Miss.

Idaho Rifle, Pistol & Trap Match EE-DA-HOW Long Range Meridian, Idaho

Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Virginia Int’l Raceway Alton, Va.

International Pistol Match Oklahoma City Gun Club Oklahoma City, Okla.

Cowboy Capital Central US Championship Lone Star Arena Stephenville, Texas

Missouri State Match Central Ozarks Practical Shooters Rolla, Mo.

Virginia State at Kettlefoot Match Tier 3 Kettlefoot Rod and Gun Club Bristol, Virginia

Territorial Rifle & Pistol Match Buckhorn Skinners, Loveland, Colo.

Club Series Match Sand and Sage Rifle and Pistol Club Gainesville, Fla.

Iowa State Junior Olympic Trap Championships AVAD Hunt Club Coon Rapids, Iowa

americanshootingjournal.com 23

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

PRIMER

GUNSHOW C A L E N D A R

June 5 - 7 The Nation’s Gun Show Dulles Expo Center Chantilly, Va.

June 6 - 7 Crossroads Of The West Cal Expo Sacramento, Calif.

The Great American Gun And Knife Show Martin County Fairgrounds Stuart, Fla. Dan’s Five Star Gun Show Grapevine Convention Center Grapevine, Texas

June 12 - 14 Tradeshow Productions Gun Show Iowa State Fairgrounds Des Moines, Iowa Sportsmans Gun Show Laramie County Fairgrounds Cheyenne, Wyo.

June 13 - 14 Crossroads Of The West The Cow Palace Daly City, Calif.

Two Guys Gun Shows Charlotte County Fairgrounds Port Charlotte, Fla. Eastman Gun Show NW Georgia Trade Center Dalton, Ga. Eagle Arms Gun Show All Star Conference Center Gettysburg, Pa.

Future cowboy and outdoorsman, Kyle Conley from northern Utah attends the 9th annual Western Hunting & Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. (TROY TAYSOM)

G & S Gun Show Elk City Civic Center Elk City, Okla.

June 19 - 21

The Great American Knife And Gun Show Scottish Rite Masonic Center Lake Worth, Fla.

Collectors West Portland Expo Center Portland, Ore.

The Gun Show Philadelphia National Armory Philadelphia, Pa.

C & E Gun Show PA Farm Complex Harrisburg, Pa.

June 26 - 28

June 20 - 21 C & E Gun Show Hickory Metro Convention Center Hickory, N.C.

Up In Arms Gun Show County Fairgrounds Rock Springs, Wyo.

June 27 - 28 Crossroads Of The West Mesa Centennial Hall Mesa, Ariz.

Premier Gun Show Cedar Park Center Austin, Texas Collector West Gun Show Clackamas County Fairgrounds Canby, Ore. Washington Arms Collectors Puyallup Fairgrounds Puyallup, Wash.

Email Dani@americanshootingjournal.com to have your show listed here.

americanshootingjournal.com 25

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

PRIMER

TOP SHOTS

Mimi WingďŹ eld calls for a rabbit during the Southern Side By Side Championship and Exhibition Classic in North Carolina. (DANA FARRELL) Kristin Smith takes a break from training with her 1911 while sporting pink like a champ! (ROBERT CAMPBELL)

Mike Bennaka, Mike Hyde and Dave Miller near Higginsville, Mo., pose with their CZ-USA 12- and 28-gauge over-and-unders. (MIKE HYDE)

Tony Olick, one of our avid fans, sports some of his favorite gear. Thanks for sharing, Tony, whomever you really are! (TONY OLICK)

Black powder Sharps shooter Beth Morris aims her Shiloh Sharps Model 1874. Look for her feature article in this issue! (MIKE NESBITT)

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Show Profile

BIG GUNS, BIG GAME, BIG MONEY, BIG CROWDS Largest Show Yet For Western Hunting & Conservation Expo In Utah STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TROY TAYSOM he Western Hunting and Conservation Expo recently held their 9th annual convention in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah. The show has grown rapidly and become a destination event for hunters, guides, firearms manufacturers, outfitters and outdoor enthusiasts. This year was the biggest yet.

“Attendance at this year’s show topped 40,000, and that is a conservative number,” said Chris Carling of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, which, along with the Mule Deer Foundation, puts on the event.

I hit the show’s final day and it was packed. Normally shows slow down at the end, so it stands to reason that the preceding days were even busier.

The Expo had something for everyone, hunters and nonhunters alike.

The main corridors and lobby areas of the Salt Palace Convention Center had wall to wall displays of trophy animals bagged from around the world, like red stag deer from New Zealand, bezoar ibex from Turkey and many more.

The biggest attraction was the hunting permit booth. Organizers were holding drawings for more than 200 hard-to-get permits for animals like buck deer, bull elk, pronghorn, bison, black bear, bull moose, cougar, desert bighorn sheep, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, goat and turkey. If the draw wasn’t for an animal tag, it was for a rare location where hunters don’t usually get to go. There were even draws for out-of-state hunters since Utah offers some of the most exciting hunts and guided tours in the US. This expo had a very active auction, boasting a world record bid of $390,000

by Troy Lorenz of Canada to hunt the

T

The 9th annual Western Hunting and Conservation Expo had over 40,000 attendees – as well as some of their favorite quarry, elk.

big mule deer that roam Antelope Island, located in the Great Salt Lake, a hunt that will take place this November.

Other bids included a bighorn sheep tag for $85,000, a moose permit that went for $90,000 and a statewide mule deer hunt in Arizona that went for $320,000.

Most of the money goes towards conservation, and 90 percent of the money raised with the Antelope Island hunt goes into a conservation fund specifically for the island.

The main sponsors, Ammo & More and Armscor Cartridge Inc., raised more than $4 million dollars for conservation overall; hosts SFW and MDF oversee the use of these funds.

Friday night featured numerous speakers and entertainers from the firearms, hunting and outdoors industry highlighted by Kristy Lee Cook, country singer, TV show host and Browning personality.

In the event hall, I visited with MG Arms, innovators in the hunting and firearms industry, and perused their custom-made rifles. Each rifle

is built to order and made to the customer’s desired caliber and color pattern. I found their designs to be very unique. The owner, Kerry O’Day, had a dangerous-game rifle on display that featured Turkish walnut, Belgian carvings and took more than 200 man hours to produce. The rifle was chambered in .470 Capstick and sold for a whopping $20,000.

I had an entertaining opportunity to meet Jerimy West of Wild West Guns.

I asked him what his company did, and he said, “We make big guns that shoot big bullets that kill big animals.” After this response, I knew I was dealing with quite a character. He went on to show me one of their rifles called the Co-Pilot.

The Co-Pilot is a lever-action, chambered in .457 Wild West Magnum.

This cartridge, invented by Wild West Guns, is basically a .45-70 that has been “magnumized.” Having shot the .45-70 extensively, I asked him why he felt it needed magnum power. “Because we can, and besides, why not?” he said. americanshootingjournal.com 29

Show Profile I can’t argue with that. I also asked if he had considered making it in a handgun. The answer was a resounding “yes,” and it had already been done.

Not all exhibitors were gun makers or guide outfits. Gohunt.com is a relative newcomer to the hunting scene and offers a very unique product for Western hunters. They have a subscription-based website that provides information such as climate, terrain, location of airports, hotels, etc. But what is fantastic are the statistics it provides regarding what types of animals have been harvested and the areas where they were found.

All the content is provided by hunters who have been to each specific area and the website shares these firsthand and up-to-date accounts. This intel is invaluable to a hunter.

The site also contains articles that are written by and for hunters offering advice and tips for specific hunts.

Gohunt.com takes the guess work out of hunting when one is already

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

Among the vendors at this year’s show was Jerimy West of Wild West Guns. One of company’s featured items was the Co-Pilot, a lever-action rifle chambered in .457 Wild West Magnum.

“We make big guns that shoot big bullets that kill big animals,” says West.

spending thousands of dollars for the trip of a lifetime. A membership runs about $149 per year.

If you’ve never been to this show, plan on attending. The atmosphere is family friendly and Utah is a beautiful state, although I’m biased. I met people at the show as old as 100, and even made a new friend, future cowboy and outdoorsman, Kyler from northern Utah who is featured on the Gun Show calendar page of this issue.

His family was kind enough to let me take his picture with one of the bison on display. The young man, maybe 6, was having the time of his life in his big cowboy hat, complete with feather, cool jeans and fancy, tan, square-toed cowboy boots.

Young and old, male and female – this show really is for everyone.

Next year’s will be held Feb. 11-14, and promises to be bigger than ever. For more, see huntexpo.com. ASJ

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TIME CAPSULE

The author’s very first Remington Model 742 BDL Custom Deluxe.

SO FAR BEHIND THAT I’M AHEAD Reminiscences On The Remington Model 742

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM CLAYCOMB III

f you research Benjamin Franklin, he had a lot of good quotes. The one that I really like is “Don’t be the first to embrace the new nor the last to discard the old.” I’m an outdoor writer so I test a lot of new gear. Every year the manufacturers bombard us with things that we cannot live without. I’m a willing victim!

But, hey, what’s wrong with the bow, gun, tent and backpack that I bought last year and which was supposed to be the latest and greatest?

When I think back to 50 years ago I’m reminded of the above. My father told me his Remington Model 742 was a great deer rifle. In case you didn’t know, the 742 is a semiautomatic. He dropped two bucks within seconds of each other numerous times. His theory was that with one shot, the deer can’t pinpoint where the sound came from, but if you’re shooting a bolt-action rifle, the second buck will pinpoint you when you rack in the second bullet. He will be long gone before you get that shot in.

So of course, my first rifle was a Remington 742 BDL Custom Deluxe that I bought with the earnings from my newspaper route. Years later, everyone made fun of me for having a semiauto since they don’t group as well as a boltaction. I was ridiculed for years, despite shooting my first five to 10 turkeys in the head with it – and some of those were up to 140 paces away. It couldn’t have been too inaccurate.

Eventually, I was convinced that I needed to upgrade to a Remington 700 bolt-action. I got it and was proud as a peacock. But then a few years later, the AR-15 craze hit and became the new rage. Maybe Dad was right after all.

Semiauto long rifles are the ticket. Everyone should have just listened to him 55 years ago.

I

[

IT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN TOO INACCURATE

]

I guess I’ll just always be out of style. Now I carry a boltaction like some prehistoric cave-dwelling hunter while everyone else is carrying souped-up, tricked-out AR-15s.

Maybe I’m just destined to be a nerd. Maybe I need to re-read the ol’ Ben Franklin quote “ … don’t be the last to discard the old.” Sometimes I’m so far ahead that I’m behind. And sometimes I’m so far behind that I end up being ahead. ASJ

The Remington 742, also known as the Woodsmaster, is a semiautomatic rifle that was produced by Remington Arms from 1960 until 1980. It featured a rotary breech block and side-ejection port, as well as a free-floating barrel.

americanshootingjournal.com 33

gun reviews

Windham Weaponry’s R16M4FTT-CF1 “SRC” represents a step forward as it uses materials other than aluminum to manufacture a complete AR-15 rifle. The upper and lower receivers are constructed of a molded composite made with 40 percent carbon fiber.

AN AR-15 ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Carbon Fiber Model Drops Pounds Off Popular Platform REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY NORMAN GRAY ince the weight of an AR-15 rifle varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model, it can sometimes be an undesirable element for women who shoot them. A fully accessorized AR15 can weigh upwards of 10 or more pounds with a fully loaded, highcapacity magazine. This weight can cause the shooter to lean backwards to compensate, and in turn, makes these heavier guns unenjoyable. If you’re physically fit and do strength training, weight has a reduced affect, but supporting a heavier rifle will

S

eventually affect the shooter causing them to focus more on the weight and less on the target. If you can identify with this, please read on.

The second concern I commonly hear has to do with a heavy trigger pull.

This can be just as much a concern as weight. Women, including my wife, have disparaged the heavy trigger pull of an AR-15 as well as some handguns, especially ones with double-actiononly triggers. Many old military rifles including AR-15s have what is referred to as a “military trigger,” and on average have an 8- to 10-pound pull. The original reason for this was so that when the

adrenalin was flowing, the shooter would not be able to pull the trigger easily, and experience an unintended discharge. A suggestion would be adding a Timney drop-in trigger. They are easy to install (they drop in using the existing pins) and you have several trigger-weight options to choose from.

While walking the floor at the 2015 Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade, or SHOT, Show I met with the representative from Windham Weaponry. I told them my concerns about women having to deal with heavy ARs and how some companies are starting to employ polymers to reduce americanshootingjournal.com 35

gun reviews The total weight of this Windham Weaponry carbon fiber “SRC,” equipped with a sling, loaded 30-round magazine, sights and magnifier finished at 8.75 pounds. That’s where most AR-15s start stripped.

the weight of both the upper and lower receivers. Their rep walked me over to a display and handed me their Windham Weaponry Carbon Fiber “SRC.” I couldn’t help but notice the reduced weight of the rifle. I was impressed

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

and knew this could serve as a great alternative to the heavier aluminum receivers. I had seen some polymer receivers around, but at the time didn’t know of anyone who effectively used it for both upper and lower receivers.

Windham states that this rifle weighs 5.85 pounds without a magazine. Using a postal scale I weighed the rifle with the factory sling and an empty aluminum 30-round magazine; it came to 6.25 pounds. I weighed it again with the sling and 30-round magazine (full); it came to 7.25 pounds. At this weight the R16M4 was still lighter than most AR-15s. If you were to add Magpul’s all-steel MBUSPro sight set, it would raise the weight 3.3 ounces. For this review I added an EOTech model 518 HWS (holographic weapon sight) which uses AA batteries (13.3 ounces) and a G-33 3X magnifier (11.9 ounces). The total weight with a sling, loaded 30-round magazine, sights and magnifier finished at 8.75 pounds. That’s where most AR-15s start stripped. I approached this like I would backpacking: ounces count and can add up quickly.

This SRC starts with a 16-inch, M4style, chrome-lined barrel which has a

americanshootingjournal.com 37

gun reviews 1-in-9-inch right-hand-twist rate that works well for stabilizing bullets from 55 to 75 grains. It finishes off with an an A2 flash suppressor. The gas block sports a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail for mounting any front sight you choose, as well as has a standard bayonet lug and sling swivel. A word of caution: use a sight constructed of steel, as the gas block will heat up considerably and possibly melt other sights. The

handguards have a double-layered heat shield to protect from the heat and are constructed of plastic. They are easily grasped and can be replaced with a quad rail handguard.

An A2 pistol grip offers your shooting hand a secure grip and, as with most parts, it can be replaced with a grip more suited to your hand size.

The six-position telescoping buttstock is easy to adjust; grasp the buttstock

EOTECH 518 HOLOGRAPHIC WEAPON SIGHT AND G33 3X MAGNIFIER This electronic sight is easy to use and, most importantly, takes AA batteries that can be found in any store. It’s also easy to install and remove and retains its zero.

With the added addition of the EOTech G33 3X magnifier, you can go from 0X to 3X magnification. With the STS (switch to side) mount it can be moved out of alignment with the HWS (holographic weapon sight) with just a push of your hand so you can use the 518 by itself. Simply push it back into alignment and you can effectively engage targets out to 600 meters or more. You can use one or both sights for tactical or hunting applications, but they work just as well at the range for your primary sights. In addition they are used by our military and are combat-tested tough. -NG

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

trigger bar by the rear-sling loop and squeeze it while moving the stock forward or backward to the desired length of 6.5 to 10.5 inches.

Now we have come to what makes the Windham Weaponry rifle so unique: the carbon-fiber upper and lower receiver. They’re molded to look much like what you’re used to, yet discernibly different, containing more angles than curves. On the upper receiver the Picatinny rail is also made of carbon fiber and offers a strong and secure point to mount optics. The charging handle, dust cover and forward assist button is metal, mainly because they have moving parts or springs and are high-stress areas. When disassembling a normal upper, you would remove the charging handle by pulling it to the rear until it stops, then lifting straight up and out, allowing the side tabs to clear the cutouts in the upper receiver. With

americanshootingjournal.com 39

gun reviews this model, you simply pull straight back and out and reassemble the same way. You must use caution when disassembling or reassembling the upper receiver as the bolt and charging handle will fall out if tipped up, possibly causing damage. All other areas of the rifle are the same as common models.

On the lower receiver the magazine release, bolt catch, safety selector and trigger are metal as well. The markings for the safety selector are icons molded into the receiver; a bullet with an X inside means safe (safety selector pointing forward) and a plain bullet means fire (safety selector point up).

The serial number is etched inside of a box under the selector and highlighted with silver, so it’s easy to read. The trigger guard is oversized to allow shooting in cold climates with fingered gloves, and there is room on the rail for backup iron sights, optics and a magnifier, but it’s tight.

I disassembled, inspected, cleaned and lubricated the rifle and headed to the range. It did not disappoint. Oh and do not fear, the rifle comes with a detailed “how to” manual on safety and instruction, disassembly, cleaning, lubrication and re-assembly if this is your first AR15. I had some random leftover ammo from other tests and loaded them into the Windham-original magazine first. I fired all 30 rounds with no stoppages.

I then fired the test ammunition

On the R16M4FTT-CF1 SRC’s upper receiver the Picatinny rail is made of carbon fiber and offers a strong and secure point to mount optics. The charging handle, dust cover and forward assist button are metal mainly because they have moving parts or springs and are high-stress areas.

through the chronograph using the factory and Magpul’s 20- and 30-round magazines; again, no stoppages. I also wanted to see how the carbon fiber dissipated heat. With the help of my son we fired 120 rounds through the rifle and I carefully placed my finger on the receiver, and while very warm, it did not burn my finger. It also cooled to the touch relatively fast despite being a direct-gas impingement system, which means the gas from the round is tapped off from the barrel and moved through a gas tube and then back to the bolt to cycle the action.

This Carbon Fiber SRC performed as hoped with all the ammunition

CHRONOGRAPH RESULTS .223 Rem/5.56x45mm NATO

Bullet Weight (gr.)

Average Velocity (fps)

Standard Deviation

Doubletap DT Tactical

62 FMJ-BT

2963

22.1

Federal M193 Ball

55 FMJ

3053

28.4

UAE Ball

62 FMJ

2941

62.2

Winchester Ballistic Silvertip

50 BS

3137

31.6

Notes: Accuracy results are averages of three three-shot groups from a Caldwell Matrix rest at 100 yards. Velocity figures are 10-shot averages recorded on a CED M2 chronograph placed 12 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: FMJ: Full metal jacket; BT: Boat tail; HP: Hollow point; UAE: United Arab Emirates.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

and magazines tested. The cooling and heat-dissipation properties of the carbon fiber are noticeably better than their aluminum counterparts, and so is the overall weight with the accessories tested. If you wish to keep the rifle as light as possible, use a 10- or 20-round magazine with iron sights.

The only problem I encountered was that the rear takedown pin will walk out if not pushed all the way in until you hear or feel a click. Other than that, I highly recommend this rifle to any shooter who wants a light and dependable M4-style rifle. The choice is yours in the end on how light your rifle will be, but rest assured, you’re starting out with a rifle whose manufacturer is confident enough to give you a lifetime warranty that is even transferable. Lastly, something I feel is very important: Windham rifles are 100 percent American made in Windham, Maine, just outside Portland. ASJ Author’s Note: A special thank you to Windham Weaponry, Doubletap Ammunition, EOTech, Federal Premium Ammunition, Liberty Ammunition/ Silverado, and Winchester Ammunition for material used in this gun review.

americanshootingjournal.com 41

gun reviews The Chiappa 1873 10-shot revolver represents an effort to bring an affordable single-action plinker to the market. Using a cast zamak-alloy frame, they look and feel like the old .45 Colt Peacemakers without being as expensive to buy.

THE SHORT AND LONG OF IT ALL A Look At Chiappa’s SAA 1873 10-Shot Revolvers REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY OLEG VOLK he Chiappa 1873 10-shot represents an effort to bring an affordable single-action plinker to the market. Using a cast zamak-alloy frame, they look and feel like the old .45 Colt Peacemakers without being as expensive to buy.

Depending on the model they retail anywhere from just under to just over $200. These revolvers are available in the US and come with either a 4.75-, 5.5- or 7.5-inch barrel, the last with adjustable target sights.

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KNOWN PRINCIPLES Single-action, gate-loading revolvers are among the most hardy repeating gun designs. Sequential ejection enables the use of imperfect ammunition and brings the full impact of the ejector to bear on one empty casing at a time, and since the ejector

rod goes into the casing from the front, even rimless ammunition can be used.

With the cylinder fixed in the frame, alignment with the barrel usually remains good, even after a steady diet of hot loads. With rimfire ammunition the guns should last for many generations. Single-action triggers are generally quite decent, but loading may be slower than with break-open or sideswinging cylinders. Recent models, like this pair of Chiappa SAA1873s, hold 10 rounds each, which should be sufficient for a fairly high rate of fire for a short time.

THE TEST I headed to the range with high hopes and a brick of Federal 40-grain ammunition. The long-sight radius and crisp trigger should produce good practical accuracy, and the longer models with a 7.5-inch barrel should

yield a very respectable velocity.

Normally, the 40-grain CCI Velocitor manages about 1,250 feet per second and the 33-grain CCI Stinger zips out at 1,350 fps.

The shorter revolver with fixed sights was test fired first. I discovered that the substantial gap between the cylinder and the forcing cone caused a louder than expected report. Despite good balance and a decent trigger, the best groups I could get were well over 2 inches at a distance of 25 feet. The problem with these entirely acceptable groups was their location – 3 inches down and one to the left of the point of aim. With a groove in the topstrap for the rear sight and a fixed blade for the front, there was not much that I could do to reconcile the point of aim with the point of impact. The front sight could be filed and repainted to raise the point of impact, but I wouldn’t try to americanshootingjournal.com 43

gun reviews Unfortunately, two issues plagued this sample. First, it actually jammed during loading. To load, the hammer should be placed at half cock, which enables the cylinder to spin freely.

Opening the loading gate exposes the chambers. Half way through this process the cylinder would stop rotating. To get it to rotate further, I had to put the revolver on full cock, carefully lower the hammer (sometimes on a live round) and only that would

Chiappa’s short-barreled (4.75-inch) revolver can be reliably used for point shooting, but aimed fire would require a bit of Kentucky windage.

bend the casting for fear of breaking it.

This revolver can still be used for point shooting, but aimed fire might require a bit of Kentucky windage.

The longer model with the 7.5-inch

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

barrel shot much better. A minute with a flat-blade screwdriver adjusted the target rear sight to correct zero. At 25 feet, all 10 rounds shot consistently and fit into a 1-inch circle. Success?

The 1873 with a 7.5-inch barrel comes with an easily adjustable target sight, and shot a 1-inch group on a 10-round test fire at 25 feet.

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americanshootingjournal.com westernshootingjournal.com 45

free up the cylinder for the completion of the loading procedure. The other problem was the amount of misalignment between the forcing cone and the chambers. This caused lead shavings during firing.

Outdoors, this could have been overlooked given the excellent accuracy, but indoors I found small chunks of lead hitting the lane dividers, which bounced off into my face.

Though not very fast by the time they reached me, these bits were annoying.

It’s possible that minor gunsmithing would resolve these issues, but the cost of that would quickly add up.

My reluctant conclusion is that the budget singleaction revolvers are hit and miss in terms of quality. ASJ

Single-action revolver grips are usually a fairly good fit for smaller hands, and their triggers don’t require much reach, so the author plans to use them for teaching new shooters.

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ROAD HUNTER

THIS WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN ‘THE KITCHEN...’ ... And The Field, TV Studio, Speaker’s Podium – Meet Tiffany Haugen STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT HAUGEN he’s been offered hosting jobs on major TV networks; approached by country music and NASCAR celebrities to cook and launch private-label food lines; and looked to for her expertise in coauthoring books. But she has turned them all down.

“The timing just wasn’t right,” shared Tiffany Haugen when asked about these offers. “My priority isn’t my career it’s my boys, and I don’t want to miss a minute of their growing up. I’m gone enough as it is, and there’s a limit,” she added when asked about some of the challenges she faces.

“I love hunting and fishing with the family and enjoy speaking around the country, but if we can’t be together as a family, then it’s not as rewarding.”

For Tiffany, hunting and fishing are about family and putting meat in the freezer. “Our family lives on wild game and fish,” she says. “It’s what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not only are these meals nutritious, but gathering the meat, butchering and preparing it as a family offers quality time that’s hard to get any other way.”

S

I just want them to get the most of their hunting and fishing experiences and have the confidence to butcher, fillet and cook their meals. The outdoor industry has changed a lot in the last 15 years; it’s gone so much toward bling and inyour-face entertainment that people are losing sight of what hunting and fishing are all about. It’s about education and should not be considered a contest or entertainment; it’s promoting the game, fish and other opportunities that we’re so blessed to have in the US.” Tiffany is a big promoter of eating what you kill. She’s been filmed for various hunting shows over the years – most currently on The Sporting Chef and

Cook With Cabela’s, where she serves as a guest-host. She is all about making it simple and attainable.

“Cooking fish and game isn’t like cooking store-bought meat, but that doesn’t mean it should be a big challenge,” Tiffany continues. “When (I was first) married, we moved to Alaska’s Arctic where we lived a subsistence lifestyle. Being immersed in this way of life is where I really learned to master cooking wild game.

Now that our family makes a living in the outdoors, we eat game and fish year-round. Our boys love it and usually question the quality of meat when we go out to eat.”

TIFFANY GREW UP in a family of hunters and anglers, and her grandfather, now 102 years old, still eats wild game. She isn’t about seeking the spotlight. “I do not care if people know who I am;

Cookbook author, food columnist, TV host and lecturer Tiffany Haugen. americanshootingjournal.com 49

ROAD HUNTER HAVING TRAVELED AND HUNTED in over 30 countries and throughout much of the United States, Tiffany says this is where she gets much of her inspiration.

“Travel and food go hand-in-hand,” she smiles. “AlI I want to do is share it with people, show them how easy it is and that they can do it!”

“Africa was great, not only because the whole family hunted together and ate what we killed, but because we exposed our sons to several cultures.

Seeing them gather 50 pounds of toys just to share with African children in villages and orphanages was amazing.

These are life-changing occurrences they might never have experienced had it not been for hunting.”

“There was a time Braxton sat for 43 hours in a blind over the course of five days, in temperatures dipping into the teens, before he arrowed a big mule deer; he was 12 years old,” she reflects.

“If that’s not a testimony to what hunting teaches youth, I don’t know what is.”

“Kazden, at 9, overcame hunting in a cold, driving rain to take his first Columbia blacktail deer,” Tiffany adds.

“He and his dad gutted and skinned

BOOTS FOR BEARS

Sharing the hunt and putting wild game in the freezer is what it’s all about for the noted speaker, outdoor cook and author, pictured here with her two sons, Braxton (left) and Kazden, and a mule deer she arrowed in Washington state.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

that buck, we butchered it as a family and canned most if it, per Kazden’s request. Last spring he shot an axis deer in Texas right at dusk. He and his dad stayed up butchering and wrapping that deer until 2:00 a.m., just in time to grab a bite to eat and go hog hunting at dawn; that’s dedication!”

TIFFANY’S BIGGEST COOKING TIP is “don’t be afraid to experiment or make mistakes.

That gets old for everyone. Changing recipes and trying new things is easy, and that’s what I’ve devoted the last 15 years of my life to doing, turning people on to intuitive cooking methods.”

Prior to entering her career in the outdoor industry, Tiffany was a school teacher for 15 years. Between juggling her writing, national speaking schedule (she delivers over 50 seminars a year), filming cooking segments, running the family business and home-schooling both of her boys, she doesn’t want any other responsibilities. “I’m in a happy place right now. I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made or opportunities I’ve passed up, because life is too short.”

held her ground when challenged by anti-hunters, eloquently defended our family when confronted with verbal assaults on how she could let her kids shoot guns since the age of two, and stuck to her morals when asked to be part of contrived outdoor reality TV. I have utmost respect and love for this woman. After all, we’re celebrating 25 years of marriage next month, and each year keeps getting better! ASJ

AS A HUNTER, AUTHOR, SPEAKER and TV host, myself, I couldn’t be more proud of my wife and what she represents. She’s

Note: To order signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular line of cookbooks, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

In 2014, Tiffany’s butchering and cooking seminars drew record crowds at the NRA’s annual convention. She delivers over 50 seminars a year around the country and is one of the nation’s leading outdoor cooking columnists.

americanshootingjournal.com 51

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Nicknamed the “Swiss Army Knife of cans,â€? Liberty Suppressor’s MysticX is rated for over 53 different calibers. Imagine a can that will ďŹ t your Glock 19, HK USP 9mm, AR-15 and more. Liberty Suppressors offers a full line of silencers from 22LR all the way up to 300RUM.

The PK-A Venezuela Red Dot Scope was designed for the Venezuelan military, which operates in humid climates. With a low-proďŹ le, center-over-boremounting adjustable clamp, it is perfectly suited to any semiauto weapon and is great for picking up fast-moving targets. With 1,000 hours of run time on AA batteries, you can take this scope anywhere.

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The ESS Ice eyewear is a lightweight, frameless, eyeprotection system that offers a unique combination of high-impact resistance, unrestricted ďŹ eld of view and interchangeable lenses for effective eye protection in any light conditions. This is a very popular model for prescription lenses.

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This American-made, convertible two-point to one-point bungee design – complete with transition-loc pull tabs that allow for quick adjustments, 1Ÿ-inch webbing with Duraex buckles, side-release buckle-to-release adapter and a covered HK snap hook – is the only sling you’ll need.

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BEHIND THE BADGE

PROVING HERSELF IN PROVO

Nisha Henderson Is The First Female SWAT Officer In Salt Lake City Area STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TROY TAYSOM mariner sailing in uncharted waters runs the risk of hitting a reef, running aground, or becoming lost and suffering an immense hardship. The mariner takes these risks because the reward of discovery and achievement far surpass the hardship required to be the trailblazer. Being a trailblazer and

A

Nisha Henderson, who stands an athletic 6 feet tall, is in as good if not better shape than officers 10 years her junior. She runs a 9:08-minute mile and a half, can do 50 pushups in a minute, deadlift 295 pounds and bench press her bodyweight. (No, we didn’t ask.)

navigating uncharted waters is what officer Nisha Henderson lives for.

Henderson is the very first female member of the Utah County, Utah, Metro SWAT Team and is blazing a trail not only for herself, but for other female officers.

Reared in the shadow of the Beehive State’s Wasatch Mountains, Henderson grew up shooting, hunting and spending time in the outdoors with her parents and siblings.

Henderson loved girlie things, but always had an affinity for guns and shooting. She was given her first gun, a Browning .243 bolt-action rifle, by her father when she was just 10 years old. From that day forward Henderson has loved shooting, hunting, hiking, camping and fishing in the canyons of Provo, Utah.

In the 1980s, Provo experienced devastating floods. These disastrous times had a lasting impact on Henderson, who as a young girl saw the police in action helping citizens deal with the overflowing banks of the Provo River. These acts of service inspired her to pursue a career in law enforcement. After high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree of science in sociology from the University of Utah, and upon graduation, worked with juvenile offenders before moving to Killeen, Texas, with her-then husband, a soldier in the US Army.

While in Texas, Henderson met a recruiting sergeant from the Killeen PD at a career fair who strongly encouraged Henderson to apply and

americanshootingjournal.com 57

BEHIND THE BADGE test for a patrol position. She did and was hired.

Working her patrol beat provided experiences that would drastically alter the way Henderson saw the world. She was assigned one of the more dangerous beats in the city and learned firsthand what drugs, alcohol and bad choices can do to people’s lives. She spent much of her time dealing with prostitutes, drug dealers, drug users and the homeless. This required her to be a quick study when it came to enforcing the law.

HER TIME IN KILLEEN allowed her to meet people who needed her help. She told me of an old couple who would go for a walk in the wee hours of the morning. Nothing she said would keep them from this tradition, so she made sure they would inform her if their schedule ever changed. While patrolling, she always made sure to check on them.

Her patrol time was not without sad

moments. Henderson was dispatched to an address where she recognized the complainant as the girlfriend of one of her fellow officers. The woman was too distraught to speak; she simply pointed at the garage.

Inside, Henderson found the body of a coworker who had committed suicide days earlier. Scenes like these leave an indelible memory.

Not all her experiences were so personally traumatic. She told me about an active-duty soldier who picked up a prostitute right in front of Henderson. She performed a traffic stop and informed the soldier that the female prostitute was really a male prostitute, and that it was best if the soldier never came back.

After going through a divorce, Henderson was looking for a way to return to Utah with her growing boys.

With nothing in Killeen holding her back she began searching for a job in Utah County. An opening with the Provo PD provided her with the

Henderson takes pride in knowing the people on her beat and treats everyone with respect. She’s solved several cases thanks to her ability to appeal to either the suspect or victim on a personal level.

A BEAT STORY: STOP-STICKS GONE WRONG NEW TOYS, NO INSTRUCTIONS

BY RETIRED DET. SCOTT YOUNG

Working as a deputy sheriff in south Florida during the late 1990s, my agency had just been issued stop-sticks. These sticks were about 3 feet long and had large spikes protruding all the way around. They were meant to be used as a stop-gap measure when a suspect was fleeing in a vehicle. If an officer could get into position, the sticks were to be thrown in front of the tires as the car passed by. The weight of the car would bear down on the spikes, deflating the tires and ideally ending the chase safely. If I said everyone was eager to deploy them, that would be an understatement.

While working a series of burglaries in the most southern portion of our county, I heard dispatch state over the radio that the special investigations unit (SIU) was in pursuit of suspects who had fled during a drug raid. Although I was some distance away, there was a possibility the suspects would flee in my direction, so I kept my ears open. A short time later, dispatch advised that SIU was still in pursuit and heading my way. I responded to let them know my location and that I had stopsticks. As the information unfolded over the radio and I listened intently, my excitement increased when the suspects chose an escape route with only one possible avenue: right past my location. I repositioned my marked patrol car to a more hidden location and stood near the roadside and waited.

I watched other traffic pass my location and soon heard the

58

American Shooting Journal // June 2015

loud siren of the pursuing patrol car and the roar of the suspect’s engine as they neared. I saw a dark van careening around the corner with the marked patrol car right on its tail. I waited for the vehicle to get close, then threw the stop-sticks just before they passed.

The sticks hit their mark, and not only the front tires, but the back as well. Excited, I ran to my patrol car, got in and advised dispatch that I hit the suspect’s vehicle. I activated my lights and siren and headed south. As the road wound to the right I saw the pursuing patrol car parked behind the suspect’s van, which was tilted rigidly to the right and on the side of the road. That is when I observed several individuals dressed in black with the letters DEA on their backs. “OMG!!” I had stop-sticked the DEA van. Dispatch had communicated the description of the suspect’s vehicle on the SIU channel, but not my main channel. I stopped my patrol car about 100 feet way and turned off my lights and siren. To say they were upset would, again, be an understatement. They all were yelling something and with arms flailing wildly while motioning for me to come closer. I shook my head left and right to say no way! At that moment my sergeant’s voice came through over the radio and asked, “Well, did you get ’em?” Oh, I got them. My only reply was, “Sarge, I think you need to get down here right away.”

Several years later, as a task force officer assigned to the DEA, the driver of the van that day was assigned as my training officer. He trusted me with his life, but not the stop-sticks. -SY

americanshootingjournal.com 59

BEHIND THE BADGE perfect opportunity. She worked her final shift in Killeen on a Thursday and reported for duty in Provo the following Monday.

The Provo PD has proven to be a great fit for Henderson, and she is excelling as a senior patrol officer, but when she started, she was only the third female officer in a department of 107.

I spent a Friday night riding with Henderson and she is not like any other police officer I have ever met. When she exited her patrol car to greet me, I was struck by her presence. Henderson exuded confidence, but not cockiness.

I immediately felt at ease with her and never thought that she was pretending to be someone that she wasn’t.

ONCE IN PROVO, Henderson set her sights on becoming a member of their SWAT team which is comprised of officers from Provo PD, Orem PD, Brigham Young University PD and

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Utah Valley University PD. The two universities have a combined enrollment of close to 80,000 students. Wanting to be a member of the team and actually becoming one are two very different things, especially since the team had never had a female before. In order for this to happen Henderson would have to be as good as the male officers, and maybe even a little bit better. “I began preparing for the team as soon as I was hired on. I intended to try out in the spring of 2013, but was injured in January of that year, so I couldn’t do it,” she said. “My recovery took five months, but as soon as my doctor gave me the OK, I began training rigorously. Ten months before tryouts, I started exercising at least twice a day and sometimes three. I would run in the morning, do Crossfit in the

Nisha Henderson is able to be sympathetic without being emotional, empathetic while remaining professional and human while still enforcing the law and making unpopular decisions when required.

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BEHIND THE BADGE afternoon and would dedicate three days a week to weight training,” she continued. “I spent many hours not only on the range, but also working on speed reloading and dry firing at home during pizza and movie nights with my boys.”

If you don’t know what Crossfit is, I can only explain it as some medieval form of torture that has been resurrected and used to get people into extremely good physical condition. I can also tell you that Henderson, who stands an athletic 6 feet tall, is in as good if not better shape than officers 10 years her junior.

She runs a 9:08-minute mile and a half, can do 50 push-ups in a minute, deadlift 295 pounds and bench press her bodyweight. No, I didn’t ask her how much that was; I didn’t want to get my butt kicked. How many 12-year-old boys can tell their friends that their mom practices speed reloads and dry fires her Glock while watching

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movies? I’m sorry, but that is just straight-up cool and bad to the bone.

WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR SWAT tryouts, Henderson was prepared. She had prepared physically and attended SWAT monthly training sessions to get familiar with what she would be doing. More importantly, she prepared mentally.

While the training is physically demanding, the majority of candidates wash out because they aren’t mentally tough enough to endure the physical pain, criticism and sleep deprivation.

Mental toughness is taking that next step when your body says, “I can’t do it.”

SWAT training was brutal. On the second day the team was performing spider-man drops. This consists of a team member on top of a shipping container and another below to help the team member coming down. The member on top lays flat and then hangs off of the box with one leg dangling and the other still on top. When the member

is ready, he or she swings the last leg off and drops. The team member below is supposed to catch the other officer.

The teammate on the ground got blood in his eye as Henderson dropped. She fell to the ground, landing on her M4, and suffered multiple micro fractures to her right arm. The doctor told her that her training and tryout was over. She said no and made him print up a waiver.

She finished the course shooting lefthanded, her weak hand – and made the team.

Henderson is the first person to tell you that her team rallied around her; otherwise, she would not have made it. They had to help draw her handgun and reholster it, but in the real world this is exactly what would happen if a team member was injured during an operation. You do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission.

Henderson made it and is now assigned to the entry team. As part of her kit she uses a Glock 17 Gen 4 as

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BEHIND THE BADGE her sidearm and an M4 with a 10-inch barrel as her primary weapon.

IT WOULD APPEAR that all of Henderson’s time is taken up between SWAT and being a patrol officer, but she has found time to become certified as an instructor in a women’s self-defense program called Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) that helps empower women to fight against would-be attackers as well. She is also a mother of twin sons, whom she helps with their newfound love of the Boy Scouts.

The night that I rode along with her, our shift ended at 7 a.m., the same time that a “merit badge pow wow” started for her sons. She left the station, changed out her uniform, and spent the day teaching the law merit badge course.

Provo PD’s new chief, John King, told me, “In addition to being a member of our SWAT team, Officer Henderson has distinguished herself

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to be. She is concerned about the people by her work as a patrol officer. She who she refers to as “her” citizens. She takes pride in knowing the people is able to be sympathetic without being on her beat and treats everyone with emotional, empathetic while remaining respect. She has solved several cases professional and human while still because of her ability to appeal to enforcing the law and making unpopular either the suspect or victim on a decisions when required. ASJ personal level. She is obviously one of the most physically fit individuals on the department and makes excellent use of combining her physical strengthen, her femininity and her professional skills to proudly represent our department. As she advances in her career, she’ll undoubtedly set more firsts for women here, and those selections will be based on the merits of her work.”

Henderson is a trailblazer, The inside of Henderson’s patrol car sports Hello Kitty floor and not just because she is a mats and flower-shaped air-freshener vent clips. She also rocks pink handcuffs. On the gear shifter, she carries hair scrunchies female, although that is part and her perfectly manicured nails and makeup added to her of it. She represents what we already very feminine appearance. Maintaining her femininity means a lot to her. want all of our police officers

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Product REVIEW

TOPS KNIVES MIL-SPIE 3.5 TANTO Tough-Guy Equipment REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIELLE BRETEAU PROS The Packaging: I know, I know – who cares about the packaging? But wait, it comes in a suede and sheepskin-lined zippered pouch. Nice touch!

Appearance: Looks great. It’s a tough, sturdy-looking knife with a great design and ergonomics.

Finish: Good meaty blade with a magnetized powder coat that is sprayed on and then baked for good measure.

This finish is on both their black and tan models.

Feel: The ergonomics of the handle and blade are very comfortable and feel exceptionally solid, but then all of the TOPS Knives I have owned or tried have that solid you-can’t-break-this feel.

Function: I’m not going to cut open a soda can or saw through the tree in my front yard to test this knife because that is not what I would use it for, unlike some well-known Asian knives. This

knife will be carried day in and day out and be used for self-protection, skinning something I want to eat or opening boxes. I usually assign my knives a job in the beginning and try not to waiver. It confuses them.

This is not a spring-assist knife, but it does have a nice-sized thumb extractor, allowing the user to readily crack open

the blade just enough to get that handflick-open dynamic for quick and immediate access. I noticed that when I pushed on the thumb extractor, the blade exited the housing and stopped at what felt like a natural safety point, as if it had a hesitation. This, I found out, was intentional because it is a tip-up design. This keeps the blade americanshootingjournal.com 67

PRODUCT REVIEW from falling open when removing it from your pocket. I liked it because I don’t like knives that float freely from the housing; they feel wishy-washy to me. This natural break area is at the perfect point for the transition from thumb pressure to wristflick moment.

As a woman, the MIL-SPIE 3.5 Tanto is a bit big for me to carry around as a daily pocket carry because I wear fitted pants; my knives need to be a bit slimmer. But this would not be a problem for most men whose pants have larger pockets. I will, however, carry it as a secondary in-thewaistband knife when hiking, camping or hunting down a nice porcupine for dinner when the zombie apocalypse strikes.

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CONS The handle gets a bit slippery when wet, and I’m sure blood would be even worse, so if there is a downfall, that might be it.

Then again, I don’t swim with my knives, and if I have to kill something, I will only need to use this knife once. ASJ

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arrying a gun isn't supposed to be comfortable; it is supposed to be a comfort.” - Clint Smith, owner of Thunder Ranch training center

Clint’s quote is very revealing because it’s important to understand that carrying concealed, for a woman, inevitably means making some physical adjustments and concessions.

There may be times when it’s an inconvenience or a little uncomfortable, but this comes with the territory. You are choosing to carry a serious piece of equipment on your person, and feeling it on your body is a healthy reminder to handle this awesome responsibility with care and respect.

With time, you will feel naked without your gun, and if you are ever required to use it to save your life, believe me, it

eal your can help conc and patterns ls ia er at m g right clothin Choosing the firearm.

will be well worth the little bit of discomfort.

There are four key elements necessary for optimal comfort and safety that must all work seamlessly together for a truly effective concealed carry. The process of addressing each of these is what I call the building of a personalconcealed-carry system (PCCS). The four elements of a PCCS are: the gun, the body, the holster and your clothing.

Developing this system requires a thorough review and assessment of each, and an understanding of how they work together. Women have some unique issues that must be addressed in order to build their individualized PCCS. U Choosing a gun is the most important decision you will make. Your gun is the central piece of equipment that everything else must work around. It should be the americanshootingjournal.com 71

right size for you, fitting both your hand and body and be something that you can shoot with confidence. It will become part of your body, and will be your partner in self-defense, so finding the right match is the foundation for building your PCCS. Its size and weight must work with your body style, clothing and holster. If your gun is too big and cumbersome, you will be less likely to carry it, but finding your gun doesn’t need to be so daunting.

What makes it complicated is the combination of a new shooter’s natural lack of knowledge and lack of confidence, mixed with the opinions and advice of others. The truth is with some research and a basic knowledge of firearms you will not only find the right gun for you, you will do it with confidence. So, stop looking for a gun that is somehow supposed to be the best based on generalities. This may or may not be true for you.

Part of your research should include handling and shooting as many guns as you can. Going to a shooting range and renting different types of guns will readily help you eliminate many options, making your final decision even easier. There are advantages and disadvantages to all gun combinations, such as size, caliber, concealability and how they operate, but address those issues based on your individual requirements. It is OK to talk to friends and family for additional input, but instead of it dictating your purchase, it will add to the wealth of knowledge you are developing for yourself.

A woman's body is curvy, with bumps and bulges that must be taken into consideration and maneuvered around. A woman’s waist is typically shorter, which can inhibit her ability to draw; her hips are wider and sit at a different angle, rendering many traditional holsters useless; and her calves and ankles are smaller, just to name a few physical considerations. Now, I am not complaining about all of these differences; we just need to learn how to find the “sweet spots” and use them to our advantage.

Body shape, size and physical limitations are all important factors. Let’s be honest, a 32A-bust size will not conceal a GLOCK 19 in a bra holster, nor will a 42 DD or a large tummy allow for effective cross-draw carry. Joints, muscles and other physical attributes help you identify your best carry options.

Your choice of clothing is critical if you intend to carry concealed. Your clothing not only needs to fit you, it needs to fit your gun. Women tend to wear more fitted styles, and many of the fabrics we love can be thin and sheer. Dresses and skirts pose an additional set of challenges, as does the absence of a belt or strong waistband. To provide the security we desire our gun must be close, accessible and hidden from view. Again, we must take a closer look at how we dress; does it help or hinder our individual ability to carry concealed and/or access our firearm?

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Men have it easy!

Their wardrobe consists of pants and a shirt every single day. The fabrics seem to change but men’s concealedcarry location does not. Women, on the other hand, wear a variety of different clothing styles each and every day. Each wardrobe may require a completely different carry location than the day before. It is likely that some concessions and changes will be necessary with a variety of holsters carried in some creative locations and with a few simple adjustments many of these challenges can be addressed. Think about how you dress most often and begin to plan your strategy. Here are some adjustments that might help: * Wear low-rise pants to increase the length of space to draw. * Buy pants and skirts with more room in the waistband to accommodate your new bulge. * Wear flowing, looser shirts, especially for bra, bellyband or underarm carry. * Integrate patterns into your clothing. They substantially hide and minimize any bulge or gun printing. * Wear your shirts untucked or a sleeveless vest. These are great for small-of-the-back carry. * You could slit the bottom of a pocket in a skirt or dress for quick access to a firearm in a thigh holster.

It is extremely important to note that there is an increased commitment to training on how to draw from all of these different holsters. You should also have a heightened sense of awareness regarding the location of your firearm. It is not a good time to figure out where it is located or how to draw from that location when you are being attacked.

S S This is where everything you have learned and now understand about the gun, your body and your clothing come together to complete your PCCS. Just because a holster is pink is no guarantee that

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it was designed for a women’s body. Finding a holster designed for a woman and one that works can be extremely difficult. The Well Armed Woman has designed an exclusive line and has sought out the best options to help.

A good holster is one that attaches to your body or clothing securely and retains the firearm properly. A good holster fully covers the trigger guard, is one you can reach with ease and is comfortable. This is a very important piece of equipment in your self-defense plan. Holsters should not be chosen on appearance or sexiness, but on performance and comfort because it has a very important job to do. As obvious as this may sound, your ability to put on your firearm and draw it efficiently is key. I have seen some holsters that are so complicated you need to be a contortionist or your hands need to have the strength of a super hero to attach it. Another thing to consider is the thickness of a fabric-type holster. It must be thick enough to keep your finger from pressing into the trigger-guard area so you do not accidentally pull the trigger during daily “adjustments.” Thin and lacy fabrics are not good options.

On-the-waist carry is one of the best locations

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A good holster will attach to your body or clothing securely.

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to carry your firearm because it offers easy access and, it turns out, this is now the most popular carry location for women. After collecting data from holster sales and customers, I was very pleased to learn that 40 percent of women who carry, carry in-the-waistband holsters and position it either in the appendix position or just off the back of the hip.

The belly band came in second, primarily because of its versatility to be worn in multiple ways and locations and provide the ability to customize the holster fit and location. Onthe-body carry is the safest and best way for you to carry your gun because it limits access to unauthorized persons or children. Regardless of where you carry, your firearm should be holstered and the trigger guard covered at all times.

Once you have considered the first three elements of your PCCS, you can shop for holsters that fit your gun, your body and your clothing. The order of importance is valuable as each decision will help lead you in the right direction. ASJ Editor’s note: Carrie Lightfoot is the founder and owner of The Well Armed Woman.

A woman’s PCCS starts with the handgun and builds around it.

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women and guns

MARS AND VENUS AT THE RANGE How Men And Women Think

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY TATIANA WHITLOCK

hen it comes to who is the better shooter and why, men or women, the iconic Irving Berlin duet from Annie Get Your Gun immediately springs to mind.

“Anything you can do I can do better! I can do anything better than you” is sung while Annie Oakley and Frank Butler prepare for the climactic sharpshooting contest in the classic Broadway musical. For an object as functionally gender-neutral as a gun, why is it that each of the sexes assumes they are better adept at mastering You only have to look at Bianchi Cup competitors to see that after an athlete invests in extensive training, scientifically tested gender inclinations are meaningless down range. Author Tatiana it? Any quality instructor will tell you the Whitlock observes while Zachary Howard fires. real weapon is not the gun. The educated mind that controls the gun possesses the real power. Therefore, do men and women learn and process FROM AN INSTRUCTOR’S PERSPECTIVE, new male shooters tend information differently especially with a gun in hand? to learn better when introduced to a concept or technique by There is still much uncharted territory when it comes to presenting the mechanics of the skill first and then putting that the human mind. The scientific community offers studies activity into context. Women tend to learn the same skill best of both children and adults that prove more similarities when introduced to the context of when and why that particular between the sexes than there are differences at the biological skill is important and then taught the mechanics of putting it level. Painting with a wide brush can lead dangerously to use. The result is the same: the student learns both the action down a path that reinforces gender-specific stereotypes and and the application, though from opposite perspectives. Both hinders learning down range. That being said, touching on are fully capable of executing the skill set with precise fine and some of the salient points that make men and women unique gross motor skills, regardless of gender, and put it to use when is worth investigating. and where appropriate in the real world.

W

Thanks to advances in neuroscience we now know that there are actual differences between the male and female brain. Studies have shown that men have more front-to-back connectivity within the brain’s hemispheres, suggesting they are more optimized for fine motor skills and compartmentalized learning. Women’s brains have more left-to-right connections between the hemispheres, leading scientists to believe they are more optimized for analytical and intuitive thinking. These brain patterns are not exclusive to men or women, but the average findings over the population as a whole. Whitlock works with Chuck Whitlock (left) and Laura Duffy and Cynthia Wood (right).

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women and guns PROCESSING INFORMATION Male and female brains have a number of welldocumented structural differences that illustrate how men and women process information. One major difference is in the grey and white matter Women produce more oxitocin and seratonin – two chemicals associated with the ability to be calmer and have more of the brain and how the bonding behaviors – than men, while men produce more testosterone – which is associated with varied levels of sexes use it all to process aggression and impulsiveness – than women. Women generally prefer social groups and training with other women.

National women’s groups have sprung up over the past decade such as The Well Armed Woman and A Girl With A Gun. information. The female Left: The author and Seth Balliet; right: Whitlock, Jody Chase, Christi Hissong, Lisa Kendrick and Joy Corrant brain utilizes more white matter (the connective athleticism and aggressive nature of Men, on the other hand, produce more network that links the information testosterone that is associated with varied shoot house, force-on-force or vehicle and action processing centers of the close-quarter battle training, but it is levels of aggression and impulsiveness. brain) by a multiple of 10, and that typically not their initial launching Both men and women produce these may be why women are considered point for learning. While men are neurochemicals, but to varying levels. better at making social connections, The very nature of self- and home defense quick to act and apply aggression in observational connections and are a dynamic self-defense scenario, they require a realistic preparation for an better at multi-tasking than men. By often need to be taught how to slow uncomfortable level of violence. Women contrast, men utilize seven times more down and take in the details so they gray matter (the information and action are the largest growing demographic in can take appropriate action. Women, the firearms community largely because centers that are localized in different by contrast, often need to be taught of an interest in being able to protect regions of the brain), which is largely how to tap into that aggressive and themselves and the ones they love. The why men are attributed with being competitive part of themselves to fact that they are taking ownership and good at task-focused activities, having apply that same action. personal responsibility for their safety tunnel vision or a “one-track mind.” rather than deferring to their male New firearm students offer the best OVERVIEW counterparts for protection proves that opportunity to see these differences Mankind has proven time and again they are capable of flipping the chemical in action, especially in a high-stress that such defining traits are not environment like their first force-on-force switch to face violence head on. Not only exclusive to either sex. We didn’t attain are women making the retail investment class. Students often break down into apex-predator status without a brain of the gun and the gear, but they’re also two categories that display these brain that made us adaptable problembehaviors without prejudice. Women can investing in their continued education on how to use them in context with their lives. solvers. For all of the differences that be observed as seeing and processing have been observed between the Joining a firing line with a dozen a wide range of critical information, bearded, molle-covered, tactical hipsters male and female brain there is no yet they often hesitate to take specific evidence that one is more optimized action, while in a first-time force-on-force is out of the question for most women for firearms use than the other. Having scenario men can be observed to identify new to shooting. Women generally an understanding of these types of prefer to begin their journey into the one specific problem and focus intently gender-specific tendencies helps world of firearms by training with other on it missing other threats entirely. This instructors build curriculums and women. This birds-of-a-feather model isn’t to say that both aren’t guilty of better communicate with students. A is successful in part because it appeals making the same beginner mistakes, nor desire to learn and a commitment to does it mean that these mistakes can’t be to a woman’s inclination towards social personal development down range is interaction and community. corrected with proper instruction. the only differentiating factor between Men represent the predominant the Annie Oakleys, Frank Butlers and student population of run-and-gun, FLIPPING THE CHEMICAL SWITCH everyone else in the shooting world. tactical-ninja, and gun-camp courses.

The male and female brain differ at a The gun allows us a unique opportunity These courses are generally physically chemical level as well. Women produce to meet at the firing line, cast off intense, mentally taxing, and speak more oxitocin and seratonin than men. societal stereotypes and engage in directly to understanding violence and These two chemicals are associated with friendly competition to prove just how how to counter it in kind. This isn’t to an ability to be calmer and have more alike we really are. ASJ say that women don’t also enjoy the relationship and bonding behaviors.

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T

An Exclusive Interview With Fine Craftsmen Frank and Lally House

BY FRANK JARDIM

Frank and Lally House specialize in 18th Century armaments and embroidery. (RICK LAMBERT)

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wo centuries ago, just as today, most tradesmen were simply mechanics who churned out serviceable work to meet commercial demands. True artists were few and far between, but it is the artists’ imagination and skill that allows them to make things of exceptional beauty and genius.

Frank and Lally House are artists.

Though they specialize in traditional trades of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, their work far exceeds that of typical artisans. Frank creates Kentucky rifles, tomahawks, swords, knives and powder horns and Lally works with brain-tanned deer hides and 18th century dyestuffs to create a nearly lost Native American Indian art form of porcupine quillwork and moose-hair embroidery. Both create almost all of their art from raw base materials in the same manner as they were created centuries ago. When not creating, you might find Frank and Lally at the Contemporary Longrifle Association (CLA) gatherings, an organization dedicated to preserving the knowledge of American gun makers and associated arts from colonial times through to the early republic. Recently, the Houses shared some of their observations and experiences as artists who might just have been born 200 years too late.

AMERICAN SHOOTING JOURNAL How did AM you you yo u gget involved with creating historic weapons weap we po and accoutrements?

FRANK H HOUSE My older brother Hershel started star st artte ted tthis all off. He was born in 1941, ted so he’s older than I am, and so h e s so e’ ssomewhat om m yyounger oungge brother John and I spent our ou my yyo oun ungg life life f watching him work, hanging young around a ou ar ound n his nd hi work bench, burning up his p aalllll h iiss coal in the forge and turning ttu urn rniin ing all of his scrap wood on ing thee wood th woo lathe and all that wo sstuff. st stuff tuff ff. So, ff.

S we’ve been in we were kids. tthis th his is since si Hershel Hers He rsh h started building riflees full time in 1966 ri rifles and then founded an and the the Woodbury th gun gu n gun-making school sscch with hard ha work a and dogged d

Two lifetimes of passionately researching American culture have provided Frank and Lally House with the knowledge to create their own unique, historically relevant pieces, to the highest artistic standards of any era. (JOHN OLIVER)

determination. His greatest contribution was inspiring those of us who grabbed that torch. He’s got a great imagination; never followed somebody else’s lead, and I picked that up from him. It’s one thing to copy a knife or a rifle or tomahawk, but it is another thing to come up with the concept from scratch and design your own artwork, your own engraving patterns and your own patch boxes and architecture. The tricky part is keeping it historically relevant.

ASJ I’ve read that the drop in demand for gun makers after the wartime needs of the American Revolution led to an increase of competition amongst craftsmen.

FH Absolutely! Competition and isolation fed a lot into that. Sometimes these guys were secluded in their own little enclaves and they had to rely on their own inspiration. They couldn’t go down the street to someone else’s shop and borrow their pattern. They had to develop their own styles.

ASJ How do you go about creating a rifle?

FH I have to come up with the concept first. I have to say, I want to create a rifle from this period in this caliber for this client who would have to come into my shop. He might want a .50-caliber rifle to hunt bear with or a target rifle that he’s going to take to the local shooting matches to impress his friends. I have to put myself into that frame of mind. I try to build a rifle based on what I would have had to look at, say, Thomas Simpson’s

work or John Wilson’s (gun makers from eras gone by). What would I be building if that was my input? If that was what I was looking at and that was what I was seeing and surrounded by, what would I do?

How would I make my work different, but still influenced by these guys? That’s the mindset I use.

ASJ In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, weren’t rifles a means of displaying a man’s social standing?

FH At that time there weren’t many ways of demonstrating your wealth; one was your plantation house. People always misconstrue the meaning of that. It just means a large farmhouse. A man’s house, horse and rifle were the only ways he had to show who he was, and they took a lot of pride in those things. Now we have cars and speedboats, new iPhones and flatscreen TVs. ASJ The depth of your historic research is impressive. You’re more informed on early American history than my university professor.

FH I quit school in my junior year of high school, and I enjoyed it so much I went back for my senior year and quit again.

Some people are cut out for academia and I’m not one of them. However, I’ve been exposed to historic weapons and accoutrements for 40 years. I’ve been a full-time artist since 1988 and Lally since 1990. I do a lot of restoration work on original weapons, tomahawks, the whole thing, so I get the opportunity to handle

westernshootingjournal.com 85

Subtle and delicate engraving on the captured lid “box” created with traditional tools (chasing hammer and burin). Notice the bone “eyes” with coin-silver bezels where attaching screws are normally found.

(RICK LAMBERT)

Each piece and part of this rifle is a “one off” and hand made.

(RICK LAMBERT)

The warm tone of the nitric-acidstained, curly maple stock is complemented by the gold-lined pan and “touch hole.”

(RICK LAMBERT)

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

Riflee and Rifl and d strap strap st p by

by F Fr Fra Frank ank an ank and d La LLallyy House. This ensemble is a fresh concept based bas a ed on n artwork arttwo worrk fashionable wor fash fash ash shion ionab ablle in in the thee Blue Blue Grass Gras raa region of Kentucky, circa the h 1790s. he 17790s.

90s 9 0ss. This Th his hi iss rifle rriifle fle sports spo ports rtt a custom cus ussttom u o barrel barrr ba rreel by

by John Joh ohn h Getz, Getz, Ge ttz, z,, hand-forged ha lock and triggers, aand trigg tr igggers er , ssand-cast an -ca and -caast st brass bra b raasss mou mo mounts ounts ou ounts n an aand nd over over ve 40 40 co coin-silver oinin-sil s lver sil ve and d ggold old iinlays. inl n ays ayyss. (RI (RICK (RIC RICK IC CK L LAMBERT) LA AMBER BER ERT)) ERT)

Rifle strap and sling inspired by the artwork of Chickasaw Nation artisans. This truly fantastic piece represents hundreds of hours of painstaking work by Lally House using brain-tanned leather, natural dyestuffs and porcupine quills. (RICK LAMBERT)

A bimetal name plate (gold and coin silver) proudly displays the gun maker’s and owner’s names.

(RICK LAMBERT)

Anywhere one cares to look, the attention to detail is impressive, as demonstrated on the “entry thimble” and carving surround.

(RICK LAMBERT)

and take pieces apart to see how the work was done. It all contributes to education.

ASJ Neither you nor your brothers started out doing this. How did you come to the decision to make your living creating historically inspired pieces of Americana? I read that you were a boilermaker – nothing seems farther away from being an artist.

The boilermakers I knew were rugged, plain-spoken union men who liked sports and drinking beer.

FH I still like sports and drinking beer [smiles]. My father was a boilermaker and my grandfather an iron worker. We came from a long line of heavy construction. I was actually national graduate apprentice of the year in 1985 among all the new

journeyman in the country. I was a good boilermaker. I was a wonderful welder, but there’s something that won’t come out in a welding rod. There’s something in you that absolutely has to come out. You can’t help it and if you don’t let it out, you’re a miserable son-of-a-bitch.

ASJ Did your father think you were crazy americanshootingjournal.com 87

we should be, but no weapon leaves our shop until it’s finished.

At this point, hell, I could take ten rifles to a show and probably sell five of them, maybe all ten, but then I only make two a year.

ASJ To say your work is good is quite an understatement. You don’t just make rifles either.

FH I also do restoration and knife work and a few other things.

Hershel makes guns in addition to his knife work. John is primarily a knife and sheath maker and Lally is “eye ball” deep in her porcupine-quill work and moosehair embroidery.

Frank and Lally House often work together to create extraordinary, historically informed, multi-media artworks like swords and “frogs” (a sword holder), knives and scabbards, and rifles and slings. Their work is simply exquisite. (JOHN OLIVER)

quitting a good-paying union job?

FH Yep. My father never had an artistic bone in his body. He was one of the hardest working men I’d ever met. My mother was artistically inclined. She was a country music songwriter and musician.

ASJ Hasn’t this type of gunmaking always been a custom business, with clients coming in with their special requirements and having their rifles made to order?

FH Yes, but our work is in such demand, actually, that as long as it’s good it will sell, and our work is always good. We simply don’t turn out substandard work. We spend the time. That’s one reason we’re not as financially successful as some people think

ASJ So there aren’t now and never will be a whole lot of House rifles out there?

FH Nope. Never will be. Hershel in his career, early on, did a lot of simpler, plainer mountain rifles and things like that to pay the bills getting started, but after he got his legs under him and got his mojo working, he slowed down. These guns are a tremendous amount of work. One of the things that makes this a very difficult occupation is that you literally have to master six, eight, 10 different vocations to be able to build a rifle from start to finish by yourself. You have to be a pretty damn good blacksmith, an architect, and you have to do some engineering work because all the mechanical aspects of the rifle have got to work. You have to be a foundryman, a carver, an engraver, a silversmith and a goldsmith.

There’s a whole lot involved in making a rifle,

Lally tediously embroiders porcupine quills with moose-hair. (JOHN OLIVER)

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

and it takes a lifetime to master it. That’s one reason there’s not a lot of people who do it. If you’re talented enough to build a rifle from start to finish, there are a whole hell of a lot of other things you can do that can make a whole lot more money. I’m just being honest.

ASJ The rifles you make now are not the basic weapons that the average guy looking to hack himself out a homestead on the frontier would buy. They are the high-end pieces that would have been commissioned by the most successful and wealthy landowners. Back in 1790, fine guns like that would have taken a master gunmaker a half a year to build too.

FH Exactly right, and that’s one reason why these really great rifles are so rare. Because there wasn’t a great deal of them built to begin with. Only a handful of really great guns have survived.

ASJ You have a depth knowledge of American culture that most museum professionals will never have. How did you and Lally get involved with Hollywood, where they have a reputation for never letting the facts get in the way of a good story?

FH It’s a strange story. Randy Wilkenson, a friend of ours in Los Angeles who was working on the film The Patriot, brought in a rifle I’d made him and a horn strap that Lally made for a prop department show-and-tell where the director looked over all the props to decide what he liked and didn’t like. The director said he wanted our pieces for the movie. Wilkenson said he couldn’t have them because they were his own personal pieces. The director asked him, “Well, who

Frank painstakingly hand engraves each design and letter.

(JOHN OLIVER)

americanshootingjournal.com 89

made these, because I want them to do this for us.” That’s how it started. Then Mark Baker (a subject matter historian and writer) and I went down there and did the gun training for Mel Gibson, Jason Issacs, Heath Ledger and all the actors, and did a really good job for them. They got my name in their rolodex.

We went from there to Master and Commander and Pirates of the Caribbean and even Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, for which Lally and I did all the monkey war clubs, spears and staffs props to give them an aged Neolithic look.

I’m up to 16 shows now. Some of them major, some of them minor but all of them pretty big productions.

ASJ Lally, it seems to me that an unfortunate byproduct of today’s vast world market is that it has cheapened the value of “Moose-hair embroidery started in Canada in the early 1600s by French Loretto nuns,” explains Lally House. handwork of all kinds, including “French Jesuits set up schools for the Huron Indian women. The nuns who taught there, like most French women of that time, had done embroidery since they were little bitty girls and learned about porcupine quill embroidery art. What would have been a from the local Indians. Needing a means of support for their schools and unable to get proper French silk prized possession a century ago embroidery floss, the nuns ingeniously took part of the mane off of the moose. Maybe one in fifteen moose has a section of mane that is solid white, about 3 inches wide and 6 inches long. The hair was cleaned and dyed in the is now something you buy at the same way the Indians dyed their quills. The nuns sent their work with the women of the tribes to Fort Ticonderoga dollar story. Have you observed and Fort Niagara to trade for the items they needed to operate the schools.” (JOHN OLIVER) this too?

LALLY HOUSE Yes. An example is Native American beadwork, which was once a preliminary work that goes along with quills to learn from studying surviving pieces highly collectible American art form until the and moose hair. Imagine having to trap the in private collections and museums. My Japanese started making loom beadwork. porcupine, pluck and clean the quills, gather main goal is to ensure that this beautiful That changed the whole game for the really the natural dyes and dye the quills before and culturally important art form is kept good bead workers out there. Because shop you can even get started. alive. We aren’t just in jeopardy of losing an owners and importers brought in cheaper Indian art form, we are in jeopardy of losing Asian-made products, people started to feel a uniquely American art form. ASJ ASJ How many artists still do this type that the American handwork wasn’t that of embroidery? important of an item. I’m so glad they don’t LH There’s probably less than a dozen of us Note: Those do anything with quill work or moose-hair who do Eastern Woodland Indian-style work. interested in embroidery.

Of that dozen, maybe five or six of us make helping Frank our sole living this way. For many, many and Lally House ASJ Embarrassed to admit my own years, I was the only person using all-original preserve our ignorance, I had never heard of this art 18th century natural dies, the same dyes nation’s history form until I saw your work. used in early settlements and through the LH Porcupine quill and moose-hair Woodland Tribes. living art of embroidery were almost extinct as art forms its craftsmen Lucy House, curator. by 1800 when European-made glass beads ASJ How did you get started in this esoteric and -women (JOHN OLIVER) became the dominant trade item with the art form? should consider native tribes on the America frontier. It’s LH I grew up in Louisville. I had a great history supporting the Contemporary Longrifle not hard to understand how this almost teacher in 4th grade who sparked my interest Foundation. You can visit them at happened 200 years ago. A handful of and I learned how to do research from some ContemporaryLongrifleFoundation.org. brightly colored glass beads was easy to elderly ladies in my local branch library. I store and the Indians didn’t have to do the found a book on quillwork and the rest I had 90

American Shooting Journal // June 2015

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

Nothing Average About This AR Rifles Just For The Ladies

The company known as Average Gun Guy offers a series of AR-15s made by women just for women.

Many models offer custom handguards and colors such as navy blue and burgundy highlights.

STORY BY DAVE WORKMAN PHOTOGRAPH BY AVERAGE GUN GUY

N

o doubt about it, the AR platform is the most popular rifle in America today, and for a growing number of female shooters this rifle offers not only a comfortable platform but accuracy and reliability.

Enter Average Gun Guy LLC with a series it calls their New Ladies Line, all chambered in 5.56mm.

There are some great models here, designed by women for women, featuring components tested for quality as well as aesthetics, according to the company’s website (averagegunguy.com).

• The Lil Red Crimson model features an AR-15 flat-top upper with an M4 feed ramp and a 16-inch

M4 barrel with a three-prong flash hider. It also has a 12-inch customdesign handguard and a carbine gas system. The rifle has flip-up sights, and the Average Gun Guy lower is made from a solid 7075 billet. It also features a Battlink Minimalist stock and comes with a 30-round magazine. It is custom colored with a deep red color scheme.

• The Passion Purple model also sports a flat-top upper with M4 feed ramp, a 16-inch M4 barrel with an AR Stealth flash hider, carbine gas system and 12-inch custom design handguard. It also has flip-up sights.

The lower is made from a solid 7075 billet and is fitted with a Battlink minimalist stock. A 30-round magazine comes standard. This one features a custom finish with a purple color scheme.

• The Femme Fatale features an AR-15 flat-top, upper with M4 feed ramps, a Series II 16-inch Tru-Flight match barrel with an AR Stealth flash hider. It’s got a carbine gas tube and Odin gas block. The rifle is topped with a Gen 3 red dot sight powered by an AA battery, and it has a 30-round magazine, as well as a 5.56 bolt-carrier group with a Buffer Technologies charging handle.

• Rounding things out is the Gun Girl Blue, described as the “next step” from their original EWR Femme Fatale, introduced more than a year ago. This rifle has a royal blue color scheme, with the AR-15 flat-top upper, 7075 lower, Battlink Minimalist stock, flip-up carbine sights, 16-inch barrel with AR Stealth flash hider and 12-inch custom design handguard. ASJ americanshootingjournal.com 99

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

The Heckler & Koch underwater pistol was developed during the 1970s to arm the Kampfschwimmer, the commando frogmen unit of Germany’s armed forces.

FIREARMS OF FROGMEN PART I OF II Underwater Pistols Used By Combat Divers Around The World

T

he Soviet Union was the first to begin developing firearms specifically for their combat divers. The Soviet Navy was worried about divers attacking their ships in their naval anchorages, and in particular those of the Black Sea fleet based in Sevastopol, located on the Crimean Peninsula, and Odessa, Ukraine. These anchorages could be easily threatened by NATO forces operating out of Turkey.

It wasn’t an idle worry. The use of divers to attack anchored ships was used extensively by the Italian Navy during World War II, and the British Navy developed their techniques by using captured Italian equipment.

The Soviet Navy had as many as 1,000 combat divers in their Black Sea fleet, but averaged about 300 in most other naval bases. Known as Naval Spetnaz divers, these divers were not trained to the same level as US Navy SEALs, but then again, they had a more limited role in protecting their

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW YOUNG

fleet from underwater attacks than US teams.

THE B-V1-307 UNDERWATER HANDGUN The designer of the first underwater pistol was Dmitry Shiryaev of the TsNIITochMash plant, otherwise known as the Central Research Institute for precision machine building, a Russian industrialdesign bureau. In the early 1960s, he designed the B-VI307, a simple four-barrelled hingedgedbreak pistol that fired a flechette, or Soviet Union’s tiny arrow, rocket-assisted 7.62mm mm The B-VI-307 underwater round. These rounds stabilized in n pistol was a simple water by using a cavitation bubble. le. four-barrelled hinged-break pistol that This bubble was generated around fired a flechette rocketassisted 7.62mm round. the front of the flechette by the americanshootingjournal.com 101

to pro produce. This gun retained the simple breakspecially designed shape of the nose. e. open design with a cluster of four smooth-bore When fired above water, however, barrels and double-action trigger, but the the round was for all intents and rocket-assisted projectile was abandoned purposes useless. The flechette in favor of a simple 4.5mm rimmed tumbled once it left the barrel cartridge flechette-firing round utilizing and was only capable of causing a conventional cartridge propellant. The a wound at point-blank range. rround was protected against water by using The gun had one round in each chamber, a se sealant in the neck and a lacquer coating with an opening The Soviet’s second-generation underwater pistol, the on the primer. The flechette also used the on each of the SPP-1 used a simple 4.5mm rimmed cartridge flechettefiring round that used a conventional cartridge cavitation-bubble design and was as equally ca bolt faces for the The round was protected against water by a ineffective above water as striker. The double- propellant. sealant in the neck and a lacquer coating on the primer. the original. The 4.5mm th action trigger cartridge was effective to ca cycled the rotating 55 feet underwater, and striker, separately that varied based on firing the 8-inch, smoothbore barrels with each pull d and the depth. The range of the trigger. Since the gun was designed to be carried decreased as the depth ls and used in saltwater, it was built using noncorrosive metals increased.

The new specially coated internals with plastic furniture. design was eventually To accommodate the thick neoprene gloves worn byy The SPP-1 accepted by the Soviet Navy rd divers operating in subfreezing waters, the trigger guard featured a simple break-open and entered service in 1971. It is ere design with a ente and combination safety lever and barrel-hinged lock were believed that the Naval Forces of all oversized. Although this weapon was produced in small cluster of four smoothbore barrels and a the Russian Federation still use this numbers and tested by the Soviet Navy, it was not adopted, double-action trigger. weapon today.

US M1 UNDERWATER DEFENSE PISTOL While the Soviets were developing the SPP-1, the United States was working on the design of their M1 Underwater Defense Gun for the US Navy combat swimmers. Much of the development was carried out at the Naval Surface Weapons Center Laboratory in Silver Springs, Md. In what appears to be an amazing coincidence of similarity, the

Accuracy and range of a flechette, or lance-jet projectile, is affected by depth; they’re often useless above water.

reportedly because the rocketassisted round was too advanced for the military at that time.

269th Combat Diver Battalion, Russian Navy Spetnaz Divers

102

RUSSIAN NAVY SPP-1 UNDERWATER PISTOL The design team went back to the drawing board and created the SPP1 pistol. This was basically a cruder version of the B-VI-307 and cheaper

American Shooting Journal // June 2015

The US M1 underwater pistol fired a rocket-propelled round based on gyrojet weapons and projectiles.

original concept for the US weapon fired a lancejet round.

This was a rocket-propelled round based on gyrojet weapons and projectiles. These had been developed commercially

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some years earlier, but were never taken up or adopted by the military. Like the Russians, the US military decided this round was too innovative, not to mention costly and totally inaccurate above ground, so the idea was scrapped.

The M1 designed the Mark 59 underwater ammunition as an attempt at a more conventional round.

The Mark 59 ammunition was contained in a preloaded, stainless-steel, six-round cylinder. The cylinder was 5.5 inches long and was effectively a “pepperbox” configuration with each chamber acting as its own barrel. The six chambers contained a 4.25-inch, heavystabilized, tungsten-fin darts, which were propelled from the weapon by a captive piston when the gun was fired. With a muzzle velocity of 738 feet per second, the effective 32-foot range at a depth of about 60 feet was similar to the SSP-1. The frame, action, door assembly and cylinder were all made from lightweight alloys while the other parts were machined from stainless steel and the double-action trigger was made of nylon.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

The M1 entered into service in 1970 and was not overly popular, mostly due to its bulky configuration. It was withdrawn from service in the 1980s and replaced by the Heckler & Koch HK P11 underwater pistol.

HECKLER & KOCH P11 The HK P11 is one of the least-known weapons to emerge from Heckler & Koch’s factory in Germany’s Black Forest.

For a long time H&K would not even acknowledge its existence, but recently some details have become available.

Developed during the 1970s to arm the Kampfschwimmer, the commando frogmen of the German Bundeswehr, this weapon has since been adopted by other NATO navies, including those of Italy, France, Norway, the Netherlands, UK and the US. The P11 and the ammunition is somewhat bulkier than the SPP-1 Soviet counterpart, and just like the US M1 underwater pistol, it uses a detachable pepperbox cluster of five barrels, each factory loaded with a powder charge and a drag-stabilized, flechette-dart art projectile.

Each projectile is 117mm long and weighs 31 grams with h a muzzle velocity of 351 fps.

The pistol is German Navy Kampfschwimmer

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The H&K P11 used a propellant that was electronically ignited using 9-volt batteries sealed inside the pistol grip.

reloaded by replacing the entire barrel cluster. Loaded barrels are protected from saltwater by thin diaphragms, which are destroyed when the projectile is fired. The propellant in each barrel is electronically ignited using 9-volt batteries that are stored in a sealed container inside the pistol grip. The nature of the propellant is still classified information. End users cannot recharge the barrel cluster. It has to be returned to Heckler & Koch to be reloaded.

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American Shooting Journal // June 2015

The effective underwater range depends on the depth, but the maximum is about 50 feet. Above water, the effective range is quoted as being around 65 feet, and while the long and relatively heavy flechette can be lethal at longer ranges, accuracy is minimized by the flechette tumbling and yawing in flight. ASJ Editor’s note: Next issue we will look at underwater rifles used by frogmen.

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One Shooter’s Effort To Educate The Masses

STORY BY DANIELLE BRETEAU • PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY JOHN JOHNSTON

When I explained to Ballistic Radio show host John Johnston that I would need some photos to share with our readers, even though he is a former fashion photographer, he couldn’t imagine what I wanted. I flippantly suggested a photo of him geared up in camouflage, covered in mud, holding a gun and radio microphone would be a good start. Well, you get what you asked for, and this is just another glimpse into Johnston’s level of effort and humor, which we applaud.

hen I first heard about something called Ballistic Radio, which doesn’t sound like two words that go together, I did what anyone would do: I Googled it!

One of the first websites I landed on was for the Ballistic Radio Youtube Channel.

The description? “A channel that is dedicated to making the Internet cry by destroying popular gun and shooting myths.” I immediately needed to know more.

John M. Johnston is the owner and

host of Ballistic Radio. Johnston may not be what you would think when you visualize a guy in a radio station, sitting behind a DJ’s microphone.

Johnston is a 6-foot, 2-inch, 250-pound man, with lots of tattoos and a shaggy beard that conjure up images of a cave man crossed with an ornate Aztec warrior. Maybe that is what he is going for, but my interview with him proved to be something more than a discussion with only grunts and sign language. Johnston

is actually quite brilliant and has a diverse background in psychology, real estate office management and fashion photography, to name a few. Ballistic Radio seems to allow Johnston to express his deep-seated passion for bringing gun-industry news, tactics and concepts to the world in a very intelligent and sometimes humorous manner.

Ballistic Radio is a syndicated weekly radio show that covers topics about self-defense, firearms americanshootingjournal.com 111

mong Johnston’s hobbies, and much to the entertainment of many, he spends a great deal of time destroying guns through hard use, then documents his efforts. “I do product torture tests, not dumb ones like shoving a ham sandwich into the action and seeing if it will fire, but realistic ones,” he emphatically states. As an example of what he calls a test, he took a Salient Arms International MK25 Tier 1 Prototype and shot 25,000 rounds through it in 18 days in the middle of winter, a test which he himself barley survived physically.

nother of Johnston’s gun-torture tests involved practically submerging a Wilson Combat 9mm 1911 in the mud, and immediately after rescuing it, demonstrating a successful firing sequence. You can see the video of this at ballisticradio.com. His next victim will be the LWRC Tricon MK6 with a SilencerCo suppressor.

Johnston says this will be the first public high-roundcount test of a suppressor ever done

and training without politicizing it.

“Stereotypes of gun owners have nothing to do with politics, and how you feel about guns is not a point to be made when someone is kicking down your door,” Johnston threw out during our conversation, making a very poignant point. After listening to multiple podcasts of the show to get a feel of the conversations, subject matter and demeanor, I found that they refreshingly incorporate industry

to cover.

I asked Johnston what he was trying to do with his radio show. He said, “I don’t want there to be any stupid gun owners. I would like to see people understand that there is more to self defense than just having the gun. It is not a magic talisman that wards off evil just by existing.

You’ve got to have the knowledge of how, when and why to use it, as well as familiarity with local laws,

[

minority/specialty groups combined and are professed liberals. They own guns and said they felt like I wasn’t alienating them by talking about things outside of the self-defense topic, and that is why they love the show.” Johnston went on to say that he felt that we as a community are fighting against the Dunning-Kruger effect, a psychological phenomenon where people without knowledge, experience or expertise pass along

“HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT GUNS IS NOT A POINT TO BE MADE WHEN SOMEONE IS KICKING DOWN YOUR DOOR.”

experts with intelligent conversation and a good dose of humor to top off the content. I think this is great, since the average age of his audience is younger than you might expect, around 32 years old. It seems to be doing well so far, and as of this issue’s press deadline, they are on their 101st episode, with plenty more content yet

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which can make a huge difference in how a gun owner can react in a bad situation. I feel like there are lots of different sides to this vast topic, and I am able to help breach the language barrier between them. I love being able to talk to people from all walks of life, and have even received an email from a couple who fall into at least six

]

bad information as fact, while ignoring and arguing against accurate information. He feels he runs into this quite often, and almost seemed defeated when he said it.

The start of this radio show was a combination of luck and good timing.

After a rough divorce, Johnston found himself working in a gun store.

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“I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE MANY SIDES TO THIS VAST GUN SUBJECT, AND I AM ABLE TO BREACH THE LANGUAGE BARRIER BETWEEN THEM.” Johnston said he often heard gun store clerks say things around him that he simply couldn’t believe. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a clerk at a store suggest something like a Smith and Wesson J-frame .357 magnum (subcompact revolver) as the perfect self-defense gun for a woman because it’s small. The problem, of course, being that they’re incredibly uncomfortable to shoot and almost impossible for a new shooter to shoot well. Can you imagine trying to train with that if you have never shot before?” Johnston went on to explain that there are everyday questions that inspire him to want to help the industry. “I’m probably strange for enjoying this, but

I like having conversations with people who say things like, ‘I don’t need to have a flashlight handy because I have night sights on my gun.’ Having to explain the importance of knowing what you are shooting at before you shoot pushes me to try and help educate gun owners.”

The gun store where Johnston was working was given an opportunity to have a radio show on a local station.

He ended up running it and tailored it with his personal ideas and topics.

That show subsequently became very popular locally and online, according to Johnston. “After some time I offered to buy the show from my boss and he agreed to sell it,” Johnston said, and

hile dodging the occasional death threats, which Johnston honestly gets from time to time, he tries to be a mediator between the folks who speak “gun” and those who may only attempt to understand the attraction.

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]

that is how Ballistic Radio started.

You can find Ballistic Radio on multiple radio stations to include: 1100 KFNX in Phoenix, 55KRC in Cincinnati, 820 WWBA in Tampa, among several others, with 20 to 30 more on the way. If you are more of a podcast person or mobile-app type, there is a Ballistic Radio podcast and you can listen via iTunes, or you can catch the live stream Sundays at 7 p.m. EST on iHeart Radio (55KRC channel). You can also check out Ballistic Radio at ballisticradio.com to keep up with all the latest action in the gun industry, as well as gun and shooting experiments, AKA “torture tests,” that are quite entertaining. ASJ

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COMPETITIONS Cutting hard around a corner, empty real estate appears between Kenda Lenseigne and mother earth.

She floats in midair, held into her stirrups solely by the G-forces in the turn. Like a motorcycle rider leaning into a corner, she banks hard in order to explode out the other side of the barrel to fire at the next target.

BLAZING THE TRAIL

Kenda Lenseigne, World Champion Cowboy Mounted Shooter, Leads The Herd STORY BY ROBIN TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID MECHIN

ll the shooting sports have unusual athletes. Call them champions, or even stars.

Among the stars you find greats that do more than win. They change the sport. Kenda Lenseigne grew beyond star status some time ago, becoming part of the cultural bedrock of mounted shooting. In the course of winning multiple titles on the national and world stage, Lenseigne transformed the guns, the gear, even the saddles used by the current generation of riders/shooters.

“If you had asked me 16 years ago if I thought I could do this full time I wouldn’t have said yes,” says Lenseigne.

“Who would have known work would

A

be something you love so much?”

Today Lenseigne is both “making a living” and “living a message” of responsible firearm use that opens doors worldwide. As a trainer, shooter, rider, and ambassador for the shooting sports there is a lot to be said for Kenda Lenseigne.

I caught up with Lenseigne at her New River, Ariz., home, freshly returned from an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) night event in Scottsdale (the Sun Circuit Championship). Like most people, I’d always assumed that mounted shooting was primarily regulated by the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) – the major governing body for cowboy-style events. Not true!

Mounted shooters and SASS “ground shooters” have very different needs,

and when Lenseigne started shooting in 1998, the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association (CMSA) had just branched out from SASS. Since then, the two organizations have followed different roads. The most visible difference being CMSA’s decision to eliminate SASS’ long-standing costume requirements.

“Dropping the costume requirement changed everything,” says Lenseigne.

“That one decision opened up the sport to the broader riding world,” says Lenseigne. “Suddenly we had better horses, better riders, and it became a lot less expensive to participate.”

Sponsors like Wrangler took an interest, and people started taking “mounted” seriously. The result was a modern rodeo sport akin to barrel racing – with guns. Horse and rider charge through a rodeo-corral-sized americanshootingjournal.com 117

COMPETITIONS Physical conditioning and plain old toughness play a role in mounted shooting, as the risk of falling is ever-present.

“There’s a saying in the horse world that says ‘green horse, green rider usually equals black and blue.’” Lenseigne explained that “even if someone is a great rider in other disciplines, the scenario changes when you start to shoot off of a horse for the first time.”

course of fire, circling around and through a proscribed pattern of plastic barrels at maximum speed. At intervals, the rider breaks target balloons using a blank-firing single-action revolver.

With as many as 10 balloons in play, the shooter must switch from one pistol to another at full gallop. It happens fast, and at Lenseigne’s level, if you miss one balloon, you lose.

“If you are too far away, the black powder granules burn up before hitting the target, and if you’re too close, once in a while the pattern will have a hole in the middle. The balloon will literally just wave at you. It’s happened to me several times.” Lenseigne continued, “You have to trust yourself to hold off a little bit. If you relate it to bird hunting, you want to wait for the bird to be at an optimum distance. Shooting it too soon leads to a bad result, and so does waiting too long.”

Flying through an agility course atop a galloping charger isn’t “normal” horseback riding. Barrel racers aren’t quite as crazy as, say, rodeo bull riders, but the pictures with this article show 118

American Shooting Journal // June 2015

a little bit of what Lenseigne’s horses can do. I mentioned to Lenseigne that my aunt was a barrel racer, and she shot back with “Then, she’s crazy like us!”

INTERNATIONAL GROWTH This year Lenseigne made her fourth trip to France to serve as an ambassador/ trainer for the growing community of Western shooting enthusiasts there.

European mounted fans are overcoming some gun-control requirements – using cap-and-ball revolvers if they have to – in order to shoot from horseback.

The following year, Lenseigne was asked to teach a clinic – and France had eased its gun restrictions so she was able to use a revolver. “People started showing up with all manner of crazy stuff. They were just so happy to be there, it was infectious,” she says. “Last year, even more showed up, some with modified .357 revolvers.”

Some European riders are bringing their dream to learn all there is to know about the mounted shooting and cowboy lifestyle all the way to the United States just to compete.

NEW SPORT NEW GEAR Back in the late 1990s, Lenseigne and her fellow riders had no gear that really worked for mounted-action shooting.

Some things could be adapted (barrel racing saddles, for example), but most of the “gun stuff” was just wrong.

The Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association branched off from the Single Action Shooting Society in the 1990s and has since become its own regulated event series. CMSA does not have costume requirements like SASS, and many feel this is the aspect that helped the sport to grow even faster.

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COMPETITIONS Imagine trying to reholster an SAA (single-action Army Colt revolver or Peacemaker) one-handed while using a period-correct “slim jim” holster (a holster with a very narrow girth) at full gallop. It’s not quite like threading a needle, but you get the idea.

“We had people walking around with water bottles stuffed in their holsters to get them to stay open,” says Lenseigne.

“I was one of them!”

The problem became an opportunity when Lenseigne met Safariland’s Scott Carnahan at the NRA’s Bianchi Cup in Colombia, Mo. The holster innovations that practical shooters like Carnahan take for granted – low-cut fronts for faster draws, laminated holster materials, adjustable draw tension – all that was unknown to the mounted community.

Carnahan connected Lenseigne with his design staff, and their Bianchi Cowboy line has offered Kenda Lenseigne signature holsters ever since.

Lenseigne’s line takes advantage of the

technology that Safariland is known for, but holds the standard of a traditional look and feel. “It’s like an old model car with a new engine.”

“When you look at the products I’ve been involved in developing, people essentially are benefiting from my decade of learning the hard way,” laughed Lenseigne. As she explained, it’s difficult to shoot a standard Peacemaker well right out of the box due to the stiff hammer action. Competitive shooters immediately lighten the hammers.

“When I first started in the sport, I had heard about the legendary Bob Munden who was the go-to gunsmith, so I sent him my guns. When I got them back, $300 per gun later, I had hair triggers – which is absolutely not what you want for mounted shooting.” Once Lenseigne found the right gunsmiths, her mounted guns began to evolve. “The original hammer spur on the old Peacemaker tends to open your grip when you’re shooting one-handed,” Lenseigne

Like miniature shotguns, Lenseigne’s blank-firing pistols throw a “pattern” of burning black-powder granules to break the balloon, but those granules burn up at a distance of just 20 feet. Optimally, the rider wants to engage at 8 to 10 feet.

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COMPETITIONS explained. “So, we took that hammer spur and made it lower and wider for quicker access.” Today, Uberti firearms offers the Kenda Lenseigne signature line as a package “racegun” for mounted shooting. They sell well to mounted shooters, and to “ground shooters” who compete in SASS events.

Now that the American Quarter Horse Association recognizes mounted shooting as an official event and the growth of the sport overseas, the future for mounted shooting appears very bright.

THE MOUNTAIN COMES TO MOHAMMED Certain brands have become household words among horse people in the US. One of the largest is Circle Y Saddles.

“In January of ‘09, Circle Y contacted me to design a saddle for them, saying ‘We want to be the first in the industry that builds a saddle specifically for your sport.’” Lenseigne was shocked. What an honor! “This is the saddle brand that practically everybody grew up riding, or at least wanting to ride. Basically, if you own a horse, you know Circle Y.” Lenseigne had ridden many different disciplines over the years, so

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she had a lot to say.

“They sent out their designer to visit with me, and we sat down with a yellow pad. We sketched out what I thought would be a good design for the sport: a forward-tilted horn to allow clearance for your gun leather, free-moving stirrups, and a deep seat to hold you in.” A contract to ride for Circle Y developed, and things got very serious. “They hand-delivered the prototype to one of the CMSA majors in Arizona. They put it on my horse, did a photo shoot, and then gave me the option to ride it in the upcoming event, or ride my regular saddle.” As any sponsored competitor knows, running brand-new gear at an important match invites disaster. If it works, you’re a hero. If it fails you damage yourself and the brand. It’s a high-stakes “hero or zero” gamble.

“I warmed up my horse in the saddle for about 45 minutes, liked it, and decided the time was right to believe in my design and go for it.” Lenseigne set the world record on her first pass, and her saddle design went “hero” instantly.

“The design was a hit from day one; we’ve only made some minor changes since then – different grades of leather, etc.,” she says. Not every project has worked out so well, but as she’ll tell you “you can’t excel unless you fail a time or two and learn from your experiences.”

THE LIFE Lenseigne’s life involves many pieces.

She describes herself as “horse-heavy at the moment” with six of her own quarter horses in varying stages of training, plus several more that she’s training for customers. As you might imagine, training a horse to deal with a gunshot fired near its head isn’t easy, and would-be competitive riders are more than willing to pay her for her help. Lenseigne’s involved with every piece of the puzzle, firing .22 blanks from horseback on her home range, and taking horses to the Ben Avery Shooting Complex to shoot the louder .45s.

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“(Kenda’s) had an amazing impact on the mounted shooting world,” says Ken Amorosano, former publisher of Western Shooting Horse, and current publisher of Cowgirl and True West. “She became a role model for hundreds of girls that wanted to be just like her, and she’s never let them down.”

their horses to me for that.”

Once she gets the horse settled in, she insists on spending time training the rider. “I can train the horse and he’ll be ready to go, but if the rider doesn’t know what buttons to push, that won’t work for either of us.”

Lenseigne explained that even a moderately experienced rider can accidentally send the horse mixed signals – especially with all the distractions created by adding guns and rapid balance shifts to the equation.

“Had I not been an experienced rider, I certainly would have hit the ground more times than I can count,” says Lenseigne. In the Internet age, Lenseigne’s an irony in motion.

She’s competing, training, designing, traveling the world, and doing media appearances – all because of her skill with a horse and a gun. ASJ Editor’s note: David Mechin is a French photographer whose ability to capture Kenda Lenseigne in these images portrays his passion for his field and depiction of beauty, power and dynamism. See more of his work at davidmechin.com. americanshootingjournal.com 125

BLACK POWDER

SHE AIN’T SHOOTIN’ NO GIRLIE GUNS! Beth Morris Is Sharper Than Ever

uring my initial try at black-powder, cartridge-rifle silhouettes, the first person I met was Beth Morris. She was the match manager who greeted us, accepted our entry fees and also presented the awards after the shoot. Those tasks would keep any person well occupied; however, during the match was when she really got busy.

Beth is a real shooter: She uses Model 1874 Sharps rifles in “buffalo” calibers, and her stocks are decorated with entry stickers from her many competitions. Those stickers are the real marks of experience, but don’t let me suggest that Beth is the only woman to shoot in those matches, because there are several ladies who compete (and hunt) with black powder rifles. You can find ladies shooting in silhouette and long-range matches, as well as the famous Matthew Quigley buffalo rifle match in Montana this month. As a lady Sharps shooter Beth isn’t alone, but she is outstanding.

The real start for Beth was when she pitched in to help her husband Steve with his bullet casting and reloading.

Steve started competing in black powder cartridge rifle (BPCR) silhouette matches 15 years ago and had little time to prepare the ammo the way he wanted it. That’s when Beth learned how to cast bullets and, as she says, one thing led to another.

Her next step was spotting for Steve while he was shooting. A spotter watches for bullet impacts to let the shooter know if any sight adjustments

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE NESBITT

D

Beth Morris with her Hartford model .45-70 equipped with a 30-inch heavy barrel, Montana Vintage Arms front sight and long-range Soule rear sight on the tang. She named it “Freebie” because her husband Steve won it in a drawing at an Idaho State Rifle Match.

need to be made. Spotting, of course, is done with powerful scopes that can see the bullet’s impact from well over a quarter of a mile away.

Their first BPCR match was at the Powder River Sportsmen’s Club in Baker City, Ore., and both of them quickly got hooked on the sport. Beth’s boss at the time was also competing and they would have lengthy discussions at work about reloading, ballistics, reading and calling wind conditions, plus everything else related to long-range, black-powder-rifle shooting. Beth would then share this knowledge and expertise with Steve.

Beth then got involved in the testing and load development for Steve’s Sharps .45-70. Even though she had only shot a rifle once in her life previously, she started thinking about doing some of the shooting herself. So, after one of the matches she fired her first shot with a black-powder, single-shot Model 1874 Shiloh Sharps in .40-65. On her second

shot she knocked down a pig silhouette at 300 meters and was hooked.

Steve was certainly excited about Beth’s shooting, although he might have been a little worried about the extra work it involved. She told him she would start shooting under two conditions: She wanted to do all her own bullet casting, reloading and load development so whatever she achieved would be her own accomplishments from start to finish. She depended on Steve’s support and advice, but she wanted to do the work. The second condition was that if she felt at any time her shooting adversely affected her husband’s enjoyment or ability to compete in the matches, she would quickly quit. Luckily, it turned out to be a great experience for both of them and something that they share a great passion for.

Beth began looking for her first black-powder-cartridge rifle and decided on a .40-65 caliber Pedersoli americanshootingjournal.com 127

BLACK POWDER Rolling Block from Dixie Gun Works.

She shot in her first silhouette match with that rifle in September of 2002 and reached a score of seven hits out of the 40 targets. Frankly, that isn’t a bad start, and by December of the next year she was shooting in the NRA AAA Class, which generally means she was hitting 26 to 30 targets out of 40, almost a master-class shooter.

Now, Beth shoots three different .4570 rifles, all Shiloh Sharps Model 1874s.

Beth gives her rifles names, and that to me is revealing because it means she recognizes how each rifle can have a character of its own. We might say that people who name their guns know their guns the best.

Her first rifle is named “Freebie” because Steve won her (all of Beth’s rifles are ladies too) in a drawing at the Idaho State Match. She is a Hartford Model .45-70 with a 30-inch heavy barrel, Montana Vintage Arms front sight and long-range Soule rear sight

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on the tang. This rifle is also fitted with an MVA 23-inch 6-power scope with a 4 minute-of-angle aperture reticle.

Freebie is Beth’s all-around gun for iron sights and scope classes, and she has helped her win several NRA national titles while setting several women’s records. Beth uses Freebie mainly for shooting with a scope, and has fired over 16,000 rounds through her.

Beth’s second rifle is called “The Ninety.” It started out as a .45-90 lightweight hunting rifle, but they sent the gun back to have it fitted with a heavy 30-inch barrel chambered in .4570, half-round, half-octagon. With this gun, she also uses a Crossno .22-caliber barrel liner for practice, and with the liner she also competes in BPCR .22 long-range silhouette competitions.

Those Crossno liners are accurate, and with that combination Beth won the “High Woman” award at the national matches in Raton, N.M., in both 2009 and 2010 as well as the Oregon State

During her first silhouette match in 2002, Beth Morris scored seven hits out of the 40 targets. That wasn’t a bad start, and by December of the following year she was shooting in the NRA AAA Class, which means she was hitting 26 to 30 targets out of 40, almost a master-class shooter.

.22 Iron Sight Open Championship in 2013. Beth achieved her Master Class in .22 Long Range Silhouette competition with The Ninety in 2013.

“Surely” is the name of Beth’s third Sharps rifle, and it’s very special for several reasons. The only time the NRA Nationals, held at Whittington Center in Raton, ever awarded the Shiloh Sharps rifle trophy to a High Woman

americanshootingjournal.com 129

BLACK POWDER Champion was in 2008 when this rifle was presented to Beth Morris who used Surely for the competition.

Surely is a .45-70 Model 1874 No. 3 Sporting Rifle with a heavy 30inch barrel. It is equipped with an MVA front sight and midrange Soule sight on the tang. Beth named this rifle Surely in honor of her mother, Shirley Merrin who passed away after a brave battle with cancer.

“My mom,” Beth says, “was the rock of our family and could always be counted on to support and encourage us. So my beautiful mother’s spirit now is part of that rifle.”

In 2009 Surely helped Beth achieve her highest finish at the Nationals in Raton. That year Beth finished 5th overall out of 182 shooters, and she won the AAA Class and was the high-

BETH MORRIS’S SHOOTING ACHIEVEMENTS 2006 NRA National Woman Champion Scope 2008 NRA National Woman Champion Scope and Irons 2009 NRA National Woman Champion Scope and Irons, 1st AAA Class, 5th overall 2010 NRA National Woman Champion Scope and Irons, 6th AAA 2012 NRA National Woman Champion Scope and Irons 2014 NRA National Woman Champion Iron Sights 2013 Oregon State Long Range .22 Silhouette Iron Sight Champion (open) 2014 Oregon State Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouette Scope Champion (open) NRA National Record for Women in BPCR Iron Sights (coholder) 2 NRA Women’s Team Records in BPCR Iron Sights - 3 Woman Team Numerous State awards in AAA class (Oregon, Idaho and Montana) Numerous State High Woman awards (Oregon, Idaho and Montana)

scoring woman in both the scope and iron-sight classes.

All three of Beth’s rifles have added custom pistol grips that Steve makes out of black walnut.

Those grips allow for more control, especially in offhand shooting. Steve also adjusts the trigger pulls on the set triggers of Beth’s Sharps rifles so that all three have a very similar light pull. That allows Beth to switch from one gun to another without any real difference in the feel of those rifles.

She says she is very lucky to be married to her gunsmith.

Beth Morris is a Sharps shootin’ gal, for sure. She knows what she’s doin’ and more than a few guys ask her advice on loads and bullet styles, especially for black-powder-cartridge silhouette shooting and those shots out to 500 meters. We might say if you want to see how it is done, just watch Beth while she shoots her Sharps. ASJ

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BY

SIDE SIDE WITH MENFOLK

This year marked the 16th annual Spring Southern Side by Side Championship and Exhibition event, a gathering of men and women who love the romance of all things side-by-side shotgun, the chance to browse vendors’ inventory, visit with like-minded people and, oh yeah, do a little clay-target shooting while they’re at it. Seen here, Debbie Clay and Mimi Wingfield who are members of Girls Really Into Shooting having a great time with friends.

These GRITS Are Southern All Right – Girls Really Into Shooting STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANA FARRELL

S

hotguns come in a variety of types – single shot, pump action, autoloading, side by side and over and under. There is a diehard group of shotgun shooters and collectors who consider a side by side the only style truly worth their time, and nowhere in the United States can you find more of these male and female side-by-side aficionados in one place than the Spring Southern Side by Side Championship and Exhibition, held each year at the Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting School outside the central North Carolina town of Sanford.

The shooting rules are casual, with the only stipulation being that all guns shot on the sporting-clays course must have horizontally aligned barrels. This is more of an exhibition, so although some shooters take their shooting very seriously, posting a good score is secondary for many, with camaraderie and a chance to rub elbows with fellow side-by-side enthusiasts being the true main attraction. It’s called a championship, but that’s just for bragging rights – there’s no purse, there’s

no betting, and there are so many trophy categories that it’s almost like a kid’s soccer club.

MORE WOMEN TAKING UP THE SPORT One of the more notable changes at the Spring Southern over recent years has been the influx of lady shooters. They’re not just attendees either, but actual competitors. Groups such as Girls Really Into Shooting have led the way for more women to get involved.

Bill Kempfer, owner of the Deep River shooting school, says he’s seen a steady uptick in the number of women shooters over the years. Kempfer serves on the National Shooting Sports Foundation Board of Governors and has been in the shooting sports business since the 1950s – certainly long enough to notice any trends in the industry. “I’ve seen big changes – particularly in the last 20 years, and Deep River has been around for 27 years,” he says. “In the beginning you’d occasionally have a wife or a daughter come out to shoot, but around 15 years ago we had an increase in single mothers who would bring their sons to the range to be around men and americanshootingjournal.com 133

Elizabeth Lanier, an NSCA level III clays instructor, gathered four local women for an afternoon of clay shooting and had so much fun they decided to do it on a monthly basis. They needed to come up with a good name for the group, and that’s how GRITS came about: Girls Really Into Shooting.

learn masculine things, because that’s what their fathers and brothers did. In the last five to 10 years more women have stepped out and started doing it themselves.”

ENTER ELIZABETH LANIER, G.R.I.T.S. FOUNDER

Elizabeth Lanier didn’t shoot much as a child growing up in Texas, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she handles her shotgun on the clays course. On her call of “pull,” two orange targets are launched and instantly turned to dust by her

12-gauge side by side. Liz’s childhood experience with guns was limited to 4th of July celebrations when the men in her family would set up a few soda bottles for the youngsters to shoot with .22 rimfires. Several years back she bought her then-husband a set of five shooting lessons, tagging along with him for the first outing.

She discovered she liked shooting so much that she used the remaining four lessons on herself. “I thought it was great therapy; it was something I could go out and do that was just about me, the shotgun and the target.

I used to drive my kids up to the fivestand and leave the car running, air conditioning on and a movie playing.

They were all in car seats and I’d take an hour lesson, go back to the car and they’d all be sound asleep. It was wonderful fun,” she said.

As things progressed, Lanier figured she needed to learn more so she could help the group become more proficient. She got her National Sporting Clays Association level I

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certification, and then her level II. The only woman in a class of nine, she was so full of nervous excitement that she literally cried when she was awarded her certification. One thing led to another, and people started coming to her for instruction, but she says money has never been the object – it’s the love of the sport that drives her.

Her sights were then squarely set on her level III certification, which she considered the ultimate goal – one that would place her in a select group of women so few you can count them on one hand. Lanier calls the day she obtained her level III certification one of her proudest moments. After weathering her divorce, instructing morphed into a career that not only offsets the cost of her hobbies, but ultimately ended up supporting her and her kids.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you have, what you do for a living – we’re all together to have fun, to enjoy being outside and shooting,” says Lanier.

Since its inception in 2007, GRITS has attracted a diverse group of women who nonetheless all love shooting, being outside and leaving everything about their lives at the gate to just have fun shooting. Marilyn Mcllvain calls for a bird on the clay course.

“People would see us out shooting and think, ‘Oh, my, those ladies are having a good time!’”

With five chapters and two more currently in the works, GRITS is spreading the word that women and shotguns are a good combination

You’ll know GRITS girls at clay competitions. They’re the ladies smiling and slapping high-fives while shooting the course. It’s the love of the sport that keeps them and their side-by-side shotguns coming back for more. ASJ

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scattergun trail

CLEAR SKIES AHEAD Haley Heath And The Women of Weatherby

STORY BY LARRY CASE • PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE WOMEN OF WEATHERBY

A

lright, it may be true confession time, but for quite a while the whole concept of the female hunter may have been a little lost on me. Outdoor TV, the source of much good and much bad, is to blame.

Something about young women who look like models, and shooting whitetail bucks in a class that the average hunter will never see – much less get the chance to hunt – is somehow perplexing to me. Now, before you get out the tar and feathers, just remember that maybe I come from a time when this was not the norm.

Try not to be too hard on an old exgame warden shotgunner who might not be used to this. Hope springs eternal, however, and recently I came upon a bright spot in this journey. I met Haley Heath in the Weatherby booth at the NRA convention in Nashville. Heath has been a veteran of the outdoor and shooting industry for many years, and through her I saw things in a new light.

Heath is the real deal: a hunter and a shooter. She was kind enough to talk to me for a bit and tell me her story.

“Since I was a little girl, sharing the outdoors with more females and children has been my mission. As a wife and mother of two, I have loved working in an industry that not only supports and encourages families in the outdoors, but now more than ever supports me as a woman,” she said.

Heath told me that when she started in the outdoor industry, over nine years ago, she owned two restaurants and worked a full time job at Bass Pro Shops. The problem was that she still had a desire for a career that provided more time doing what she loved, as well as time to be with her children. After

Haley Heath – here with daughter Dakota, husband Kemp and son Gunner Heath – believes women can feel confident and comfortable as hunters or shooters, thanks to the support of companies like Weatherby.

almost a decade of doing just that, she is very proud to pass on her passion to her 10-year-old son Gunner, and daughter Dakota, who is 8. She was quick to say that she had the support of her husband Kemp, who also works with Weatherby.

“At the beginning of my outdoor career there were a few female hunters and shooters, but the numbers have skyrocketed over the past few years.

Trade shows rarely had well-known female hunters and shooters signing

autographs at their booths like we have today. Instead, the only women you’d see were paid models to help attract visitors to company booths.”

Heath noted that as the number of females getting into hunting and shooting started to grow, companies thought shrinking their products and coloring it pink was the way to go, or simply trying to place a youth firearm in our hands. Fast forward to the present and she thinks women americanshootingjournal.com 139

SCATTERGUN TRAIL THE WEATHERBY SA459 TURKEY SHOTGUN

I kknow th thatt when h you h hear th the word d “Weatherby,” shotguns are not the first thing that springs to mind – more like a line of fine, high-end rifles. Well, I think that is going to change. I want you to consider the Weatherby SA459 Turkey model. This is a very nice lightweight (6¾ pounds) semiauto shotgun tricked out with a pistol grip, Real Tree Xtra green camo and a Picatinny rail. You will

can feel confident and comfortable being a hunter or shooter, thanks to the support of companies like Weatherby and programs like The Women Of Weatherby.

hear more from me about this shotgun, but for now I would rather you hear it from Haley Heath of The Women of Weatherby team, who has some experience with this hunting firearm.

“Since I started shooting the Weatherby SA-459 Turkey Shotgun, I gained a great deal of respect for this gun. It’s a shotgun like no other, with qualities that you don’t find on any other brands, such as the larger pistol grip. This feature is a great for turkey hunting since staying still and quiet while in a comfortable holding position

is so important,” Haley said. “This turkey season everyone in my family hunted turkey using the Weatherby SA-459 Turkey Shotgun. My 10-year-old son, Gunner, waited over 30 minutes for the perfect shot, and when he finally took the long shot, he dropped the large tom.

Even at his young age, he completely gave credit to the Weatherby shotgun for helping him stay steady and comfortable.

As a wife and mother of two, I am always looking for a gun that will work for my whole family, and the Weatherby SA-459 Turkey is that gun for me!” -LC

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SCATTERGUN TRAIL

Heath holds her Weatherby Vanguard chambered in .257 Weatherby Magnum. A wife, mother, huntress and TV host, she says she’s proud to call herself one of The Women Of Weatherby.

women like myself,” Heath said. “I am a serious hunter and all I’ve ever wanted was a gun truly made for me.

I don’t want a pink gun or a youth model. I am a woman and I am a hunter!”

As I said, a rifle made for women by women. The women of Weatherby are: Rachel Ahtila, a Canadian hunting guide; Karissa Pfantz, a college student and outdoorswoman who is new to the outdoor industry; Jessie Duff, who is a world champion shooter on Team Weatherby; and Heath, wife, mother, huntress and TV host. All of these ladies will be doing weekly blogs and responding to women’s questions, thoughts and opinions.

The girls found our fort, guys, we may as well get used to it. Heath and The Women of Weatherby are one of the groups that will blaze the trail for all women in shooting. ASJ

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The ladies of Club Sisters Before Misters include (left to right) Rebecca Marcum, Katja Marek, the author’s daughter Camila Claycomb, Tiffany Baird and Kara Jenkins.

D E W O L L A Z Y O B NO

How To Start A Girls Shooting Club

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

BY TOM CLAYCOMB III

I

am sure you can imagine how thrilled I was when my daughter Cami Claycomb told me that she and her buddies wanted to start a girls shooting club. I didn’t realize how many weirdos were out there until I got married and had a wife to protect.

Two daughters later, that idea has only grown. My girls are not going to be victims in this perverted society.

Cami told me that the girls were going to have an initial meeting to determine the club’s goals and see how many would want to join. Who knows what also was discussed there!

Since I had been conducting seminars and attending shows nonstop, I was to fly home to Idaho in between events, grab a bunch of Hornady ammo, and drive over to Oregon to take the girls out to the range.

Cami’s friend Rebecca Marcum had lined up a shooting range, and since I didn’t know the level of this groups shooting experience, I started off covering a few basic safety rules and then let them shoot one at a

time. Within a few minutes they were doing great. If you threw out the off shot or two, they were all shooting 2-inch groups, and two of the ladies – Cami and another young lady – hit the same hole a couple of times from respectable distances.

It was a cold day in the mountains, but no one complained. I had taken a variety of pistols for them to try and they were too busy having a great time shooting to notice. Many generalize, but as a whole you would expect women to prefer a smaller-caliber pistol with less kick. This is not always so – Cami loved shooting the 1911 chambered in .45. Often, the question comes up about caliber and which one is the best. My vote? Shoot the largest caliber that you are comfortable with.

For a normal burglar, a .25-caliber bullet may work fine, but if he weighs 250 pounds and is heavily drugged, suddenly that’s a game-changer.

You need some stopping power if you’re going to survive. In the end, if someone is not comfortable with what they are shooting, then they simply won’t carry the gun and will be out of luck when they need it.

I’ve trained literally thousands of women on various tasks over the past 40 years and as a whole they are a lot more fun to train than men. They actually exercise an unknown skill called “listening.” So, consequently, they learn and progress faster, in my opinion.

If these girls can start a women’s shooting club, so can you, but you may need to limit access because I have not yet spoken to a girl who doesn’t want to know how to shoot and protect herself, or at the very least want to know how to render a firearm safe, Democrat or Republican.

After our day on the range, we all went to dinner. While ordering, one of the girls started fidgeting with her top and said, “Hmmm, what’s that?” and pulled a spent case out of her shirt? That kind of stuff never happens when my buddies and I go shooting. Of course, none of my buddies wear a bra either.

The following day, Rebecca had lined up a meeting with the local International Defensive Pistol Association. It turned out that IDPA had been game planning on how to americanshootingjournal.com 145

WOMEN’S OUTDOOR CLOTHING HAS COME A LONG WAY When my wife Katy Claycomb and I were eree h first dating, she’d go bowhunting with me. In those days there simply weren’tt women’s outdoor clothing options. She’d e’d wear my old cammies and the shirt sleeves would hang 6 inches below herr finger tips, with the pants pulled up to her chest.

One night we’d had a good hunt and I thought I would “go all out” and take her to into town to buy her a steak. She jumped straight up and said, “What? Not looking like this you’re not!” I guess she did look

like a little kid dressed up in her dad’s hunting clothes – and maybe I hadn’t done a good of a job painting up her face. ace.

Lesson quickly learned.

Let’s fast forward d 30 years. Katy met Katherine Grande with ns ns Prois Womens Apparel. Prois is is makes excellent lllleent women’s hunting clothing th hiing (and other apparel). Katy ty ty

was sold. Now Katy demos Prois shirts at a lot of my seminars when she’s helping me out, and is a big proponent of their products.

During the most recent SHOT Show, I met Prois co-owner (along with her husband) Kirstie Pike and told her how much Katy loved Prois. I shared with her the hunting story and Katy’s refusal to go out in public. Pike laughed and said, “Basically that is the same thing that happened to me, and that’s what pushed me to develop the Prois line.” She went on to explain that back in 2006, she and her husband were in a Bass Pro Shop trying to find women’s camoflauge clothing for an upcoming hunting trip. Ha! Not a chance of finding that then. They searched around for some ideas on how to rectify the problem, and by 2008, they kicked off their own line of high-performance hunting gear for women.

So for all of you poor cool-clothingdeprived girls out there, check out Prois gear. You don’t have to settle for being one of the guys nowadays. -TC

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cannot shoot steel everywhere.

Most women have smaller hands, so a combat-sized, double-stacked, semiauto pistol is not always the best choice for many reasons. But the National Shooting Sports Foundation actually says that semiautos in general are the top choice for women.

get more women into the sport and gladly offered their help. This made me feel good since I didn’t want to get them started and then run off.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO START a girls shooting club, here is what Sisters Before Misters did: • Discussed the idea between friends to determine how many were interested and what they wanted to learn.

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• Talked about the direction they wanted to go, at least initially. Did they want to learn to shoot for selfdefense? Competition? Hunting?

Sporting clays? That decided, they created a game plan.

• They found a gun range that would cater to their training requirements.

For example, if they wanted to learn steel-challenge shooting, they would need an appropriate range that offered those amenities because you

• Found an instructor. Initially it is important to find someone who will teach safety first and then move into the shooting style you prefer. Some ladies are more comfortable with female instructors, and this is all part of the initial discussion. Guys, if a girl asks you to help them with such a venture, they don’t want a knucklehead ragging on them. Don’t get on your high horse or try to turn it into some Bataan Death March, or you’ll run them off. First, lay out some safety rules and then don’t try to force them to do what you like.

• They created a name for their club.

In this case, Sisters Before Misters.

Finally, to speed up your learning curve, a few great books you can read might be: Armed and smart, Armed and smarter and Legally armed. ASJ

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RE loading

READY, SET, LOAD! Part II - Preparing Cases For Handloading STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB SHELL

n this segment on loading your own ammunition, we will focus on cartridge cases since this is what holds the other three main components (powder, primer and projectile).

^

I

When inspecting your cases (new or used), make sure the necks are not out of round or oversized, as seen in these examples.

Although rare, defects do occur.

INSPECTION All cases should be visually inspected and that includes new ones. I have bought a lot of cases from various brands and there are occasionally defective ones. While not common, they do exist and should be discarded. When in doubt, throw it out.

FACTORY-NEW CASES (HANDLOADING) New cases can be out of round and/ or oversized. Part of that comes from shipping when they are banged around. After sizing, I take an RCBS very low drag (VLD) tool and ream

the inside of the casing’s necks. This helps seat the bullet and keeps it from catching on the sides of the case. This is especially important with some flat-base slugs. I feel that this also adds accuracy and consistency. Sometimes, I’ll even create a cannelure, which is a groove that I crimp a little to aid in feeding the bullet. All revolver ammo should be crimped, especially with the heavier loads. Failure to follow this rule will usually result in the bullet coming out and tying up the cylinder.

^

If there is a defect in your case, then your ammo will be poor, not work at all or be seriously dangerous since they might rupture. Cases must be able to withstand the pressure of being fired, which can run from a few thousand pounds of pressure per square inch to 65,000psi. Among many possible flaws you may encounter in casings here is a 12-gauge shell where the extractor has cut through the soft brass case.

the rim, that may indicate excess headspace in the gun that fired it.

One of the most common problems is a split neck. Cases that are heated and cooled over and over cause them to be brittle and the only way to combat that is to anneal them. This means softening the case by heating it. This isn’t practical with common cases, unless you have more time than an I do. The Berdan primer is generally used in foreign gn military, as well as somee commercial ammo. It can an be reloaded, but you also so need special tools, and as a rule it’s more trouble than it’s worth. In a later er installment I will go into to more detail on this. Thee

USED CASES (RELOADING) Fired cases should be inspected prior to any other procedure. This is really important if you pick up range brass. There may be a reason someone discarded their brass rather than take it home.

Before inspecting, you should clean your cases. There are several ways to do this. I use a Dillon case cleaner with crushed walnut hulls and some cleaning liquid. A couple of hours in there and they come out looking great not to mention defects are easier to spot.

You may encounter cases with Berdan primers, This .303 Savage case shows what a split and we will talk about neck looks like. You should always be in this in a minute, or some the habit of constantly inspecting cases.

Sometimes it might look good, but that were shot with a load when you size it a split occurs during the that was too hot. This procedure, and if you miss that, then you will have loaded it for nothing. A split will produce swelling and neck case can be fired, but will generally should be discarded. If you be inaccurate and inconsistent because the neck can’t grip the bullet properly. see a shiny ring about a quarter of an inch above

^

americanshootingjournal.com 151

Here is an example of a case subjected to too much heads headspace This caused in a firearm. T the case to separate.

Clearly, this sep should be thrown throw away and not reloaded.

standard American primer is the Boxer, which has a flash hole in the center of the case and is much easier to work with.

SIZING When a round is fired the case expands, so when you are reloading, the cases have to be resized. All die sets, which we talked about in Part I of this series, have what is known as a sizing die and which accomplishes this task. If you buy new brass, it normally doesn’t need to be fully resized, though the neck may need to be squared.

CASE LENGTH After you size the case, you will need to check for proper case length. Cases stretch during firing and sizing, so you should lubricate the inside of the neck, especially with bottleneck cases. If the case is too long, it might be hard to chamber or even cause a dangerous buildup of pressure in some instances. It could also have an affect on accuracy. If you are just

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doing some informal shootin shooting, mixing brands of cases won’t cause any harm. Some people may disagre disagree with that, case work but mixed cases well, as long as they aare in good se condition. For more serious purposes, such as a big big-game hunt, I will segregate the cases by brand and the tim times that they were fired. The other stuff is used for sigh sighting-in or practice. I’ll run all of my hunting ammo through the chamber and magazine because it’s easier to fix the problem at the shop than in the field. Serious target shooters sort their brass out by lot number, weight, size of the flash hole and other factors that might effect accuracy. They measure groups in the thousandths of an inch, so they have to be more particular than the rest of us.

PRIMER After you have checked out everything, then you are ready to prime. The primer should have some feel going in, and if it’s too loose, you might want to discard the case.

Loose primer pockets are generally a result of hot loads, which will stretch them beyond usefulness.

Sometimes soft brass will also cause this problem. The primer should be seated about .002 inch below the head and be flush with the case or you will have another set of problems.

^

^

RELOADING ELOADING A decapper assembly deprimes and finishes sizing the neck for a perfect bullet fit. When a case is sized, the neck is purposely made too small so when you pull the expander through the case the neck expands as necessary to the right fit.

^

If the primer is too tight, you either have a dirty primer pocket or perhaps a military crimp around the primer pocket. Either problem will have to be resolved prior to seating it. There are plenty of tools out there to resolve these problems, but I ream out militaryprimer pockets as opposed to swaging (a process of bending or shaping cold metal), as this works better for me. If a pocket is dirty you’ll need to clean first. While this may seem like a small detail, improperly seated primers can ruin good ammo.

BULLET SEATING After priming, it is time to seat your bullets. There should be some resistance when seating so the bullet stays in the case. A bullet that is too loose will either come out or cause an inconsistent ignition. This problem can be caused by a bullet that is too small, a case neck that is too thin or an oversized expander plug. If the bullet is excessively tight, it may not seat at all and will cause other problems. In a later installment in this series we will get into expanding and various types of crimping.

FINAL THOUGHT BEFORE NEXT TIME Like everything else in life, you get what you give. If you follow these suggestions, it will go a long way toward helping you produce quality ammo. The thing is paying attention to small details. ASJ

The neck of this case was too small when the bullet was loaded, causing the collapse of the case neck.

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G N I T O O H S AR ST

Emily Robinson and R. Lee Ermey at the Conyers, Ga., Glock Sport Shooting Foundation match in 2014.

One of America’s Newest Youth Shooters: Emily Robinson STORY BY ANDRE M. DALL’AU • PHOTOGRAPHS BY RODNEY ROBINSON

T

he media is singularly transfixed on youth issues that present a very disappointing and negative impression of kids today. The truth is that well-raised and properly focused youth produce much less interesting TV, movies and articles, compared to dysfunctional families, parental relationships in crisis and troubled adolescents that have been presented as the new norm. However, since that is what America is usually exposed to, it is almost surprising to find terrific, moral and hard-working kids. What is even more surprising is how many of those outstanding youths are in the shooting sports. One of those well-nurtured young shooters is Emily Robinson, a daughter of Rodney and Belinda Robinson, who are both active-duty officers on the Cramerton, N.C., police department.

I asked Robinson how she started shooting competitively, and she said, “I was raised shooting .22 rifles, but the first competition I attended was a Glock Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) match in Columbia, S.C., in 2009. Both of my parents were competing; I only watched that day.

Later that year, I shot in my first GSSF match and was completely hooked!”

She continued, “My older brother also started competing, and together with my parents, helped teach me to grow in the sport. The following year, my parents gave me a Glock 34 for my birthday, and in 2012 I got into USPSA action shooting and really loved it.”

Robinson clearly enjoys competing, and we talked about what intrigues her. She said, “I shoot at several clubs (Robinson shoots two or three matches per month between USPSA and GSSF) and enjoy the personal

challenge, but it also gives me the opportunity to shoot a variety of courses designed by different people, as well as shooting against other competitors. I have a lot of friends in this sport and enjoy going up against different shooters.” As a result of her commitment to the shooting sports, Robinson is a lifetime member of the USPSA, GSSF and the NRA. She is a Glock-certified advanced armorer and a certified range officer for the National Range Officers Institute.

Robinson’s favorite pistol is the one that she wins with, her Glock G34. “In competition, I use a G34 because it fits my hand perfectly and has a natural point of aim for me.

I’ve had it for five years now and it’s been reliable, accurate and a very controllable pistol,” she said. When asked about other types of shooting Robinson noted, “I love to shoot a americanshootingjournal.com 155

variety of other pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns and have been practicing with AR-15s and semiauto shotguns. I want to get involved in 3-gun and am trying to decide what type of gear I will need. I use Atlanta Arms ammunition for pistol competitions and action shooting, as well as CR speed-mag holders along with a Blade-Tech holster.” Robinson also receives a lot of support. “I’ve been very fortunate to have so much help. Ed Turner and Don Anderson with Ed’s Public Safety in Stockbridge, Ga., believed in me and gave me a sponsorship. Danny Wisner at Atlanta Arms were very supportive too, and when Jason Koon took over, he continued to help.” Robinson also

EMILY’S IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD

Earlier this year Robinson won “High Lady” in Production Class at the Extreme Steel Targets Alabama Sectional.

2014 GSSF Matches • Griffin, Ga. - High Junior female • Dawsonville, Ga. - High Junior female • Prospect Hill, N.C. - High Junior female • Morgantown N.C. - High Junior female • Dickson, Tenn. - High Junior female • Beckley, W.V. - High Junior female • Georgia State USPSA Championship • Gainesville, Ga. - High Lady in B/Production class

2015 (so far) GSSF • Griffin, Ga. - Top honors • JABS Extreme Steel Targets Alabama Sectional • Phenix City, Ala. - High Lady in Production class

acknowledged, “I have to give a lot of credit to friends who shoot with me on a regular basis and share advice.”

Based on her steep learning curve I asked Robinson what she has gained during the last few years of shooting competitively. She said, “The number one thing is safety with firearms and that they aren’t toys. You have to be responsible and know that your actions have consequences. I have also learned that competitive shooting is 156

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more than just shooting well. Like any sport, it’s about good sportsmanship, honesty, concentration and physical fitness (Robinson spends almost two hours a day, four days a week in the gym). I know how to be serious and focus, but it’s still exciting and fun.

I’ve made a lot of great friends and there are always new opportunities to learn from other competitors.”

She continued on about her attitude towards the sport: “Competitive shooting is also about strategy. I love that part because there are so many ways to accomplish a course of fire. I recently had the opportunity to help with a female-only clinic last year, and it was great. I found that I really like to help others who are new to the sport. The response was so good they are doing another one this summer.”

I mentioned that due to her ability and success, she is being watched by other girls who would like to shoot like her. Robinson said, “That is a big responsibility, so I try very hard to live and compete in a way that I can be a role model for other girls.”

Robinson continued to explain her love of the shooting sports: “I’ve been lucky enough to attend the US Army

Marksmanship Unit’s Junior Action Shooting Clinic in 2013 and 2014, and learned so much. It was great to be able to shoot with some of the best juniors in the country. I would love to be a professional competitor, but first I want to earn a spot on the USAMU Action Shooting Team. I’d be able to serve my country (like her brother Justin who just enlisted in the US Army) and compete. It’s a huge goal and I will be working hard for it.” I asked where her ability to shoot successfully and at such a consistently high level came from and she said, “The success I have comes first from the support of my amazing family and friends.” Robinson continued to explain how her family has provided the foundation for her success: “My parents provided equipment, support, traveling, gave up weekends and challenged me.

My older brother Justin even helped teach me to shoot.”

More than anything else, Robinson is a normal teenage girl who enjoys every aspect of growing up in the great community of Cramerton. She is homeschooled and works two part-time jobs, but unlike

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the kids highlighted by the media, Robinson is a bright, happy, wellraised teenager with a great attitude who has achieved a lot already due to her focus and discipline.

Unfortunately, like most kids, her achievements are seldom televised or publicized, but that is OK with her. She would rather be at the range, at work or at home with her family learning more and strengthening an already brilliant future that is unrolling before her. ASJ Robinson has been competing in the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation matches since 2009 and has never looked back.

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With all due respect to the equality of the sexes, women need self-defense training more than men because women are targeted more often as victims of violent attacks, the author argues.

THE GAUNLET FOR GIRLS Getting Past The Obstacles Of Learning How To Handle Firearms

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBERT CAMPBELL

W

omen are not a minority in America, gentlemen. There are some 6 million more of them than us – perhaps even a few more since 2010’s census, where that stat comes from. Many female shooters are interested in the shooting sports as well as personal defense. If you are in a gun-related sales field, you would do well to treat them well. If you are a professional trainer, you must be alert to the nuances and differences of the female thought process. To ignore this significant portion of the shooting fraternity/ sorority is a disservice to all concerned.

I am going to gloss over the psychological differences between men and women, as they are vast and touched on elsewhere this issue.

What I will focus on are a few things I have found interesting during my 20-plus years in law enforcement and instructing people from all walks of life. Women make interesting choices.

They are often very independent, don’t have ego problems and progress very quickly.

I do not live and breathe gunpowder smoke, but it is certainly something I love. When the

Before purchasing a handgun, take a training course first, the author suggests. Women will then have a much better idea of the level of complication and comfort they are willing to adapt to.

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It seems that the most motivated shooters are those who have been a victim of an assault.

Confidence in the handgun and a concealed-carry permit as well as a good working understanding of the handgun go a long way toward aiding these women to defend themselves if need be.

opportunity comes to indoctrinate a young shooter in the proper use of a firearm, I am always ready, and a large number of these shooters are females. In the basic NRA Course, most of these students are interested in obtaining a concealed-carry permit, while others simply want to learn how to use a firearm safely; few are interested in filling a gun safe. When it comes to firearm instruction, I highly suggest turning them over to a qualified trainer. A father or spouse interested in a female’s shooting progress often diminishes the value of the instruction. I sent my own daughter to driving school, money well spent, in my opinion.

I have been to gun shops where even I have been offended and I can only imagine a female traveling to one of these alone; it can be a disastrous encounter. The good-old boys could sometimes use a Dale Carnegie course. As an example, one of my daughters, who is a very capable shooter, an NRA-certified firearms instructor, and purposely drives a truck because she had been told all her life what type of cars women should drive, went into a gun store and was automatically presented a pink-handled woman’s gun by a gun-store clerk who was very condescending. Now, putting aside the fact that she actually likes pink guns (my other daughter doesn’t care and the clerk couldn’t have known that), these are exactly the problems women are facing.

Men and women alike make the same mistakes.

When many purchase their first gun they find out later that it’s too big to carry concealed. Others might purchase one that is too small for personal defense, and still others might choose a low-quality option. Only with good education and a bit of study behind them will they be able to make a choice that is beneficial.

As an NRA instructor I teach the basic handgun course. Often I find that females in my class have no one in their family who is a “gun person.” It’s all new to them,

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and perhaps that is for the best because they are starting out with a clean slate. Oftentimes, a well-meaning person has taught the shooter bad habits, and those are very difficult to shake. The ladies I have seen – from fledging attorneys all

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the way to 17-year Army reservists – have impressed me at every turn. One thing I have noticed is women do not care to maintain their firearms as diligently as men. Men are more likely to tinker with what isn’t broken.

It also seems that the most motivated shooters are those who have been a victim of an assault. Confidence in the handgun and a concealed-carry permit, as well as a good working understanding of the handgun, go a long way toward aiding these women to defend themselves, if need be. If you are the right kind of trainer, you should never let the female student’s ability to pay decide if you take them on as a student. Many of these good girls are financially distressed for a number of reasons. When I was in law enforcement, I saw a number of young girls and elderly women who were robbed, beaten and assaulted in my city. I wish they had been better able to defend themselves. Sometimes, though, you hear about the occasional assailant who made a poor decision when choosing their victims. The results are gratifying to rightminded people.

The choice in handguns for females comes up a lot, and often the choice is made before the owner takes a class, which is a shame. The .38-caliber snub-nose revolver remains an excellent all-around choice for most female shooters, but perhaps the worst performance I have seen from them is when they are armed with some type of .40-caliber subcompact purchased by a well-meaning parent or spouse. These guns are just too much; the same goes for the snub-nose .357 Magnum. Even tough men have problems with these handguns. In my opinion, a shooter’s first handgun should be a good quality .22 caliber. The Ruger Standard Model is close to perfect, but even the aforementioned .38 is difficult to argue against for many reasons. A smaller caliber, such as the .380 ACP, has merit when used as a nasal inhaler for the bad guy, but is lacking the requisite balance of penetration and expansion. If you cannot control a 9mm automatic or a snub-nose .38, I would skip the rest and go straight to the .22 Magnum. A revolver may create a bulge on a woman’s hip like a boa that has swallowed a possum, but the nice thing about it is you can place it against an attacker’s chest and pull the trigger repeatably. It will not jam in the worst-case scenario. Think hard about the choices.

There are commercials that depict criminals breaking into homes, and when the alarms sounds, the criminal runs away. This may be true of the intruder who is only motivated by profit or startled by the sound, but a criminal who is abusive or violent will not be deterred by an alarm. Even in the best situation, police response is about 5 minutes, and a lot of damage can occur in that time.

When many of us began shooting, we were hopeless.

But if the student has the will to learn, male or female, they will. ASJ

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