Recoil November/December 2021 #57

This year, RECOIL as a team committed to pushing outside the usual safe audience of middle-aged white guys in order to reach people in the gun community not typically served by firearms publications. This is the very antithesis of the woke culture currently infecting the rest of American discourse, with our litmus test being that if you support Second Amendment rights not just for yourself, but for others, you’re part of our tribe and an ally in the fight to keep Washington out of our gun safes. I first became aware of Alaina Hicks earlier this year while shooting the first major three-gun match of the season in Arizona. Although she was on a different squad, word soon spread that a former adult actress was on the range and shooting pretty…

01 CRIMSON TRACE CMR-301 RAIL MASTER PRO MSRP: $315 URL: crimsontrace.com No one will blame you if the first thing you do to your newly built AR-15 is to get a light and a laser for it. We all love new toys, after all. But you can save some forend space and some money by getting both devices in one. The CMR-301 Rail Master Pro from Crimson Trace offers a weapon-mounted light with a peak mode of 1,000 lumens and a powerful green laser that’s visible in various lighting conditions, including when it’s bright out. It’s user programmable and can be operated with either the tail-cap switch or a pressure pad. This device fits on any standard AR platform with Picatinny rails or similar accessory rails measuring at least 2.75 inches in length. 02 XS…

An unassuming plot of desert on the largely industrialized southeast side of Tucson, Pima Air & Space Museum (named for Pima County, Arizona, wherein Tucson falls) is a diamond-in-the-rough treasure trove of both aviation and American history. To understand the history and growth of Pima Air & Space, one must also understand the history of its next-door neighbor. The museum sits in the shadow of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, home to a number of USAF units including the 309th AMARG (Aircraft Maintenance And Regeneration Group). The AMARG is the government curator of one of Tucson’s other popular aviation landmarks, lovingly referred to as “The Boneyard.” The Boneyard is a massive parking lot for mothballed military aircraft that are out of operation but maintained for recommission in the event a surge…

We’re not big on the idea of classic cars that just sit in a garage or get trailered everywhere because the owner is too afraid to drive it. That’s kinda like being married to a Playboy bunny and having separate beds. It’s not often RECOIL gets the opportunity to have a vintage ride grace its pages. In this case, it’s a model that’s celebrated over 50 continuous years of production. So, it’s only befitting that it serves as the platform for a build done by an organization whose mission is to get injured and disabled veterans into the therapeutic surroundings of nature, outdoor adventure, and some serious horsepower. Meet the Veterans Sportsman Alliance (VSA) and its ’67 Mustang, “Scorned Woman,” which, as it should be, is far from being a…

Although they can obviously take many forms, when one thinks of a tactical folding knife it’s the tanto that predominantly comes to mind. Tanto literally means “short sword” and dates to the Heian period of Japan from 794 to 1185 A.D. Although a few came home with G.I.s who served in Japan during WWII, they retained an air of mystery until the mid ’70s when the late Bob Lum began making custom knives based on the design. In the ’80s, the late Phill Hartsfield became known for his tough and sharp tanto designs, and Cold Steel propelled them into the mainstream by introducing high-quality production pieces. This would be followed by Ernest Emerson introducing designs that somewhat resembled tanto blades and were called that by the gun and knife press for…

Among devout AK fans, the phrase “mass-produced American AK-47” will usually result in more grimaces than a string of expletives in church. We specify mass-produced because there are plenty of reputable shops in the U.S. that build custom AKs — Lee Armory, who helped us with this project, is one noteworthy example. However, those custom builds involve substantial hand-fitting, cost, and lead time. If you’re looking for an off-the-shelf AK with a sub-$1,000 price tag, the typical recommendation used to be an imported Eastern-bloc gun such as the WASR-10. Unfortunately, prices for those rifles have climbed rapidly over the last few years, so the idea of an inexpensive, domestically produced AK has become more appealing. The Palmetto State Armory GF3 AK-47 is offered in various configurations, some of which are priced…