Ballistic June/July 2022

IT WAS OCTOBER 1982. I recall sitting on the edge of my seat in the Juliet Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York. Next to me was my dad, who watched while chain-smoking a full pack of Salems—impressive because First Blood had a scant 93-minute run time—as we rooted for Rambo to survive the onslaught of firepower from mean folks who hadn’t a clue what this Green Beret was capable of. John Rambo—the ultimate survivalist. My pals and I spent the rest of the fall acting out scenes in the woods, using pocketknives, of course. We weren’t quite ready to step up to the Bowie plate. We crafted spears and traps (never caught jack), and climbed through boulder fields and Laurel-laden hillsides hiding and avoiding being hit with BBs from our war-scarred 10-pump…

WOULD YOU RATHER… Have a smartphone with an app for x-ray vision OR be as badass as Jack Carr’s signature character James Reece? Would you rather be an expert at hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting and virtually any weapon you pick up or see through the blouse of a hot chick walking down the street? In layman’s terms, do you lean toward utilitarian or pervert? I’m perv all the way. I’ve spent my entire adult life practicing the other arts and, while I can certainly hold my own, I know lots of people who would leave me dead by the road without breaking much of a sweat. Now I’d just like to be a voyeur. It’s a lot less work and probably more satisfying. The best comment online came from Bil Hans: “I’ll…

DANIEL DEFENSE DD4 RIII FAMILY There’s never any quit over at Daniel Defense. They’re always looking to improve on their shooting systems. The new RIII family of AR-15-style rifles is enhanced with fully ambidextrous lowers (bolt catch, mag release, safety) and the new RIII rail system, which is modeled after the revolutionary RIS II two-piece handguard developed for SOCOM. It features M-Lok attachment for lighter weight while still offering M203 grenade-launcher attachments. New family members include DD4 RIII (16-inch barrel), DD4 RIII S (11.5-inch barrel), MK18 RIII (10.3-inch barrel) and the M4A1 RIII (14-inch barrel). (danieldefense.com) SPRINGFIELD EMISSARY 4.25” 1911 There are no signs of slowing down in 2022 for the folks at Spring field Armory. The next evolution of its Emissary line is the 9mm, 4.25-inch, forged stainless steel, match-grade, fully supported…

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, the Ballistic Custom Challenge is back again! It has been almost a year since I’ve had the pleasure of showing our readers work from the top customizers in the business, and it seemed fitting to bring back the pros at Outlaw Ordnance to show off some new coating tricks on a pair of rowdy troublemakers: Springfield Armory’s new Hellion 5.56 bullpup rifle and upsized Hellcat Pro 9mm wearing a Hex Wasp red-dot optic. While the etymology of their names doesn’t seem to have any particular relevance concerning fiery and eternal punitive suffering, it does seem the most obvious theme for a custom paint job. Also, it would be hard to argue that Springfield had no intention of conjuring devilish thoughts releasing these guns after their Saint series of…

TO the casual observer flipping through a magazine, the images are eye-catching, but few know what went into them. The planning, logistics and securing of guns are more complicated than most will ever know. The fruits of this labor, though, are images that not only capture the product but give it a life of its own. This was exactly the case with a recent photoshoot for two Ballistic Custom Challenge giveaway guns. The goal was to take the exceptionally well-done Springfield Hellion and Hellcat Pro with their custom paint from Outlaw Ordnance and bring them to life. The model for this project was the lovely and talented Andrea Fox. Andrea is more than just a pretty face. She is a long-time shooter with a gun collection that would make some envious.…

BACK IN 2018, SIG STARTED A TREND WHEN THEY INTRODUCED THE P365, a tiny gun with a big capacity. It came with a great trigger, night sights and a very reasonable price tag. Other manufacturers sat up and took notice. Sig will forever be known as the originator of the micro-compact. The following year, Springfield Armory introduced their Hellcat, which was billed at the time as the smallest micro-compact 9mm with the highest capacity. It holds 11+1 rounds with its flush-fit magazine, 13+1 with its extended magazine and has a 3-inch barrel. The Hellcat is almost effortless to carry, very accurate and possesses flawless reliability. For these reasons, it became my everyday carry gun. Lightweight micro-compacts loaded with hot defense loads can be a handful, and the Hellcat is no exception. Shooters…