Last week at SHOT Show’s Media Day at the Range, I couldn’t help but notice that the MKA 1919 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun was receiving a great deal of attention. This unique, AR-15 style shotgun is made by Turkish company Akdal Arms, and was being showcased at the range by U.S. importer RAAC. Stock MKA 1919’s are currently available online for around $700-800.
In addition to the stock models, they also had a model customized for 3-gun competitions in the open division by Firebird Precision, which was incredibly popular for those that wanted to give one of the MKA’s a try. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to test it out, but I talked to a few people that shot the race gun version, and they were surprised by the lack of recoil and said it was very fun to shoot.
The MKA 1919 ships with two 5-round metal detachable magazines, 3 internal chokes, and almost all of the controls are identical to an AR. The barrel is 19.7 inches, and it weighs only 6 1/2 pounds when empty.
I expect the MKA 1919 shotgun to give the Saiga-12 shotgun a run for the money in 3-Gun competition. It’s two pounds lighter than the Saiga, would make transitioning from rifle to shotgun almost effortless, and aftermarket competition accessories are already available. The tricked-out race gun will set you back somewhere around $1800, and you can expect to wait approximately 8 weeks for delivery.
Check out 3-Gun champion Patrick Kelley’s video clip of the super tuned, competition model MKA 1919 in action at the 2012 SHOT Show Media Day at the Range:
The fine folks at Glock are introducing a new beavertail attachment for all Gen 4 pistols, that should be of particular interest to competition shooters, and it’s been designed to reduce or eliminate slide bite.
It’s a super quick snap (literally) to install, and will help you focus on your next shot, instead of your grip. The price and release date are TBD, but Glock tells me that it will be on shelves soon.
We’re here at SHOT Show 2012 this week, and we’ve been hunting for the coolest new products that will be hitting the market this year. One of the new shiny things that caught my eye is the .22 UZI from Umarex.
The new UZI in .22 will be available in a rifle and pistol, and Umarex said they would start becoming available in February. Both rifle and pistol accept 20 round magazines, and the rifle features an authentic folding stock, a detachable swing swivel and the traditional UZI handguard.
While I did not get the chance to shoot these great looking new guns, I got a chance to handle the rifle and pistol and they both feel solid and well made. Umarex let me know that the estimated retail price will be around $480 for the pistol, and $645 for the rifle.
A couple of days ago, NSSF chief marketing officer, Chris Dolnack wrote a great post about the growing number of gun bloggers at SHOT Show. Chris noted that it’s time for the firearms industry to take gun bloggers and internet media seriously, and recognized the fact that those of us that blog about guns and shooting have the ability to take a new product and give it instant recognition.
I went back to the post yesterday to catch up on the comments, and was quite surprised to see this from a representative of GunsAmerica:
Now the question is when you are going to start qualifying internet media? We have to crawl over nobodies who can install wordpress and have nobody reading anything they write, It isn’t so hard to qualify internet media using Alexa.com and Compete.com. Why do you waste the manufacturers’ time and make the real internet media have to deal with wish I were internet journalists who are just using your stamp of approve to solicit review guns and accessories? You’ve created this giant gorilla in the room and we all have to deal with it, and you may think the industry takes your numbers seriously, but everyone sees things for what they are. If you are serious about bringing value to your exhibitors, you need to vet the press list.”
SHOT Show 2012 is less than two weeks away, and if you’re one of those gun blogger types attending, we’d like to see you there. ExKevin from Misfires and Light Strikes was kind enough to put together a questionnaire to help determine the date and location, so please take a minute (as soon as possible) to put in your two cents on the time and place.
I’ve previously established that I’m not tacticool, but I don’t mind admitting that there are some gadgets and widgets in the tactical gear world that I would be happy to own. I now have another item to add to this list: 5.11 Tactical’s Taclite Pro pants for women.
I’ve looked at purchasing tactical pants in the past, but the options for women have always been extremely limited. While there are a few companies that make women’s outdoor clothing, the vast majority of tactical and outdoor sports pants are made only for men. Another issue that has prevented me from finding a pair of pants that are suitable for competition shooting is that I’m a bit vertically challenged, and pretty much all the tactical-ish pants for ladies I’ve looked at are ridiculously high-waisted. I don’t enjoy wearing pants that go up to my armpits in my daily life, and that would be a serious no-go when I’m shooting.
5.11 Tactical decided to tackle the ill-fitting women’s tactical pants issues, and they have recently updated their line of pants for women with a more friendly fit. I got the chance to see their new styling during Media Day at SHOT Show earlier this year, and they caught my eye right away. One of the ladies in the 5.11 Tactical booth was sporting a pair, and they not only looked sharp, the waist looked to be at just about the perfect height (just under the natural waistline).
Thanks to 5.11 Tactical, I now have a pair of Women’s Taclite Pro Pants of my very own. I selected my most often worn pants size, and I was very pleased to find that they fit great through the hip, seat and legs – not loose enough to be called “relaxed”, but still plenty of room to move around in. The top of the pants fall just below my natural waist; I could not have asked for better placement. I was surprised to find that the waistband was on the loose side (hey, maybe I lost some weight. More cake!), but the little areas of elastic on each side of the waist seems to help keep the waist from drooping. I’m almost always going to wear them with one of my competition shooting belts, so this is a non-issue for me. I’m considering that a plus, as the slight looseness will allow me to throw a pair of long underwear on underneath without them being too tight.
The only fit issue I had to deal with was the overall length – a good two inches too long for me. I knew this before I received them because they are only available in regular and long. I managed to hem them myself with no problem (and I didn’t even cheat with hem tape this time), but I really wish 5.11 would add a “petite” length to their line of tactical pants. After all, I’m perfectly average, according to the Government.
The Taclite Pro’s are made with poly-cotton ripstop, which is why I chose them over 5.11’s standard, cotton canvas tactical pants. I figured I would get more use out of a lighter weight pant, and since they are treated with Teflon for a stain resistant finish, I have a chance of keeping them snazzy looking for a decent amount of time. I have a habit of wiping my dirty, grimy magazines off on whatever I’m wearing, so having some stain resistance is a nice bonus.
To put these pants through their paces, I decided to wear them at the two big matches I shot in November: The IDPA South Mountain Showdown and the USPSA Area 2 Championship Match. The IDPA match was an all-day, 8 stage match, and temperatures were unseasonably low with dark rain clouds looming almost all day. I was concerned the fabric would be too light for the weather (anything under 75 degrees=cold), but my legs never felt cold, and they were so comfortable that unlike everything else I was wearing, I didn’t want to rip them off after wearing them for over 11 hours.
For the Area 2 match, I wore them on Saturday, our second full day of shooting. The weather was, again, unseasonably cool with the threat of rain. Once again, the pants felt great all day. I’m really glad I chose these pants for Saturday because it turned out to be the day with some of the most physically challenging stages. The reinforced knees came in very handy while going prone and the deep front pockets allowed me pick up after myself quickly after pulling a couple of yard sales with my magazines. In addition to feeling really comfortable in these pants all day, I also received an inquiry and complement on them from one of my fellow female squad mates, who is of similar stature and has the same problems finding pants to wear while shooting.
To see the pants in action, here’s a video of me shooting stage 7 of the Area 2 match. Yes, the popper on the far right was supposed to go down. (Note to self: the *ding* of the steel does not always mean it went down) Might I suggest focusing on my mag changes instead?
I really like these pants. So much so, I’ve already purchased another pair in black. I decided to purchase a size smaller then the original pair, and that might have not been the best idea. The waist fits better, but the seat, hip and upper leg area are a little too tight (So much for more cake). If you are a skinny-mini, you should be able to get away with purchasing a size smaller than normal, but if you’ve got some shape going on, I’d recommend sticking with your regular pants size.
The tactical pants reviewed above were supplied to me by the fine folks at 5.11 Tactical in exchange for my unbiased review. The 2nd (and soon to be 3rd and 4th) pair I own was purchased with my own monies.
Today, my interwebs are overflowing with stories and information on concealed carry. It’s getting a little safer out there, but there are still plenty of reasons to make sure you ready and able to protect yourself at all times. Here’s some great information about why and how to carry, courtesy of the internet:
My Gun Culture reviews the Ruger LCP .380. A VERY detailed review with a sprinkling of humor that makes for a great read.
NSSF has a link to a Babes with Bullets video that is part of a series on choosing a concealed carry pistol. While this video focuses on semi-auto pistols, they also have a video dedicated to choosing a conceal carry revolver, and a more general video about choosing a conceal carry handgun:
The above videos serve as a great primer for anyone (especially women) looking at the idea of carrying concealed. As an added bonus, you get to learn something from one of the greatest competitive shooters in the world for free.
Last week at SHOT Show’s Media Day at the Range, I couldn’t help but notice that the MKA 1919 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun was receiving a great deal of attention. This unique, AR-15 style shotgun is made by Turkish company Akdal Arms, and was being showcased at the range by U.S. importer RAAC. Stock MKA 1919’s are currently available online for around $700-800.
In addition to the stock models, they also had a model customized for 3-gun competitions in the open division by Firebird Precision, which was incredibly popular for those that wanted to give one of the MKA’s a try. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to test it out, but I talked to a few people that shot the race gun version, and they were surprised by the lack of recoil and said it was very fun to shoot.
The MKA 1919 ships with two 5-round metal detachable magazines, 3 internal chokes, and almost all of the controls are identical to an AR. The barrel is 19.7 inches, and it weighs only 6 1/2 pounds when empty.
I’ve previously established that 
