Testing a Compensated Glock 19 "Roland Special" vs a Glock 34

An unscientific comparison of the Glock 34 and compensated Glock 19.

The Glock 34 has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence recently.  I attribute this to the popularity of the Roland Special.  The RS concept came about soon after the RMR started popping up on handguns.  The optic negates the advantage of the G34s longer sight radius.  With a high output weapon light (#allthelumens) protruding past the muzzle, a compensator can be added without extending past the light.  The result is a G34 length gun, with the advantage of a compensator, G17 muzzle velocity (4.5” threaded barrel), and the concealability of a G19s frame.  With the rise of AIWB carry, people could now conceal what was once considered a “duty length” configuration.

When I started competing in USPSA, I wanted to carry and compete with the same gun, but compensators and weapon lights would move me into the Open division.  I decided to build a G34 to stand in for my carry/training guns while still being Carry Optics legal.

G34

Like my other Glocks, the G34 started with a Gen3 frame and slide ordered from BigTexOutdoors.  Framework was done by MAC Defense and the slide was milled and nitrided by JagerWerks.  All feature Agency triggers, Vickers slide releases, Ghost Edge connectors, and 4.5# striker springs.  The G19s have oem 18# recoil springs, while the G34 has a tungsten guide rod and 13# recoil spring.  All are topped off with Trijicon RM07 RMRs and Ameriglo sights.  The only departure is the barrel.  While Blacklist is my go to for barrels, I couldn’t pass up an Agency blemished G34 barrel for nearly the same price as OEM.

During my test and zero session with the G34, I noticed more muzzle flip and recoil than my G19.  I was shooting 147 Speer Lawman at the time, since it replicates my carry ammo, 147 GoldDot.   I wondered how it would fare with lighter grain ammo and recoil spring.  I also wondered if there was a combination of ammo that would give identical muzzle flip and felt recoil between the two pistols.  The general consensus is that heavier 147 gives more of a “shove” compared to “snappier” 124.  Which would I prefer?  Most importantly, which got me back on target faster?  Some people might simply look up muzzle energy and assume that the lower energy of 147 would have less recoil/flip than the lighter grain bullets.  But after doing some math, the heavier rounds also have more momentum, often referred to as Power Factor.  A slow rolling bowling ball may have less energy than a 9mm, but it’s more likely to knock over a pin.  Some experimentation would be necessary, if nothing else, to satisfy my curiosity.

	Weight grains	Velocity ft/s	Energy ft/lbs	PF(Momentum) P=MV/1000
Remington UMC	115	1135	329	131
PMC Bronze	124	1090	327	135
Speer Lawman	147	985	317	145

After a little planning, and a few online orders, I was ready to start my informal test.  I chose the ammo in the table because they offered similar kinetic energy and represented an average for their weights.

For the target, I chose a 6”x11” sheet of paper at 7 yards.  This mimics the A-zone of a USPSA target and looks roughly the same width as the RMR window.  I wanted to make sure that muzzle flip was the determining factor on splits, not long range precision or simply hammering the trigger up close.  The same 21-round Pmags were used throughout the test.

My goal was to shoot 5 round strings as fast as possible while keeping all hits on paper and measuring the splits.  Again, this test is purely anecdotal.  It’s simply a measurement of my performance between two pistols across a small range of ammo.  

Results:

Run 1	comped 115	G34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Split 1	24	26	24	29	24	25
Split 2	22	23	24	23	25	25
Split 3	20	26	24	31	22	24
Split 4	20	27	23	25	22	24
Average	21.5	25.5	23.75	27	23.25	24.5
Run 2	comped 115	g34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Split 1	20	31	25	25	23	37
Split 2	20	27	22	24	22	24
Split 3	20	25	24	23	21	23
Split 4	20	24	24	23	21	24
Average	20	26.75	23.75	23.75	21.75	27
Run 3	comped 115	g34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Split 1	25	25	24	31	27	30
Split 2	23	23	22	23	23	24
Split 3	18	24	22	24	23	25
Split 4	21	23	22	23	21	26
Average	21.75	23.75	22.5	25.25	23.5	26.25
Run 4	comped 115	g34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Split 1	21	25	23	31	24	30
Split 2	22	22	22	28	25	25
Split 3	20	23	22	26	23	22
Split 4	20	22	22	26	20	22
Average	20.75	23	22.25	27.75	23	24.75
Run 5	comped 115	g34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Split 1	23	26	24	24	24	32
Split 2	25	24	22	25	22	28
Split 3	23	25	21	24	21	26
Split 4	23	22	22	25	23	24
Average	23.5	24.25	22.25	24.5	22.5	27.5
	comped 115	g34  115	comped 124	g34  124	comped 147	g34  147
Average All	21.5	24.65	22.9	25.65	22.8	26

Obviously, I'm not a master class shooter, but I was consistent enough to see measurable results at my skill level.

I felt that 147 had less recoil than the 124 through the comp, but the shot timer shows no appreciable difference.  I had hoped that 115 from a G34 would perform similarly to 147 from the comped G19.  One personal observation is that the shorter grip of the G19 may have also helped with muzzle flip.  The flared lip at the bottom, puts pressure on my pinky, giving me more leverage to counteract recoil.  It just felt more secure from a mechanical standpoint than the longer 17 sized grip.  A more even test, would be to compare a comped G45/19X against a G34.

MAC Defense Industries Custom Frame Work

The Twins

I’ve never been much of an artist.  I can Photoshop a meme or two, but I’ve never been able to create anything outside of the digital realm.  My handwriting is atrocious, and anything I draw looks like something you would stick on the fridge to appease a 4-year old.  So when I decided I wanted more grip than a factory Gen4 Glock 19 could offer, I was conservative in my approach.  After some planning, I picked up a 25-watt woodburner and a 20lpi waffle tip from OTDefense.  The result was functional, and while I wasn’t overly concerned with aesthetics, I didn’t want it to look like a hack job.  My second attempt on my Gen4 Glock 26 was a bit more audacious.  I used a vertical mill to cut Agency Arms style thumb ledges, removed the finger grooves, and undercut the trigger guard.  I opted for a more time consuming but EDC friendly micro-dot pattern. 

DIY 20 LPI

DIY Micro-Dot

From a functional standpoint, micro-dot is great for EDC, and provided excellent grip during a rainy vehicle defense class.  However, the pores quickly filled with red Georgia clay, which was a chore to clean out.  As the round count increased over several months, I also found myself touching up a few areas that had worn down from use.  I also wanted to try my hand at cutting borders to give my amateur work the look of a professional job.  After ordering a few high speed cutting bits for my Dremel, I attempted to practice cutting borders on a scrap frame.  It went poorly. 

Last Spring, I ran into Will McElise of MAC Defense Ind. at a Sage Dynamics Defensive Handgun class.  I brought my G26, as well as two nearly identical G19s, aside from a few slide machining variations and frame color.  Both had RTF2 frames, which I consider the best factory texture on any handgun thus far.  I also prefer the extra circumference of the grip tang over the gen 4/5, as it gives me better trigger finger placement.  After listening to my wishlist, he pulled out a few of his frames to examine.  I was immediately impressed with his work.  After a few more questions, I stripped my G19s, handed him my frames, and headed home with just my G26 for company.  While some RTF2 fans might consider this sacrilege, the RTF2 texture does not extend to all the areas where my hand contacts the frame, and there are smooth gaps between the sides and front/backstraps.

RTF2

One thing that always prevented me from sending my frames to a professional were the hassle of shipping firearms and the wait time.  Some of the outfits known for good work can have lead times ranging from six to an eye watering 12 weeks, and I’m not the most patient man.  Fortunately, Will had my frames back to me in just under three weeks.  It would have been worth the wait at triple that.

Aesthetically, the MD2 Hybrid package looks beautiful.  The smooth rear tang allows the web of my hand to slide deep into the beavertail, allowing a high grip as I index the frame.  The “accelerator” cuts are textured on the inset portion above the ledge.  Some places texture the bottom portion, leaving the cut section smooth.  Will prefers to stipple on the upper portion since that’s where your thumb actually rests, and I’m inclined to agree with his logic.  However, I don’t really put that much downward pressure on the ledge and use the cut as more of an index point.  I also like how the lines blend with the angles of the rest of the pattern.  

Sprinkles

BrainMatter

Will also reduced the “hump” on the backstrap.  Unlike other Glocks, the texture nubs on RTF2 frames stick out above the surface, instead of being molded into it.  Will removed some of the material at the hump, to match the profile of a Gen3/4 frame after removing the texture blocks.  Combined with the double undercut, the gun points a bit lower, but more naturally than before.  Removing the finger grooves is an industry staple.  I actually don’t mind them, but removing them does let my hand get farther up on the front strap, nestling nicely in the smoothly undercut trigger guard.  Will thoughtfully uses a milder texture on the trigger guard to spare your support hand knuckle.

Trigger Guards

For Gen3s, MAC offers a frame scallop around the mag release.  I tried my hand at this before, and even with the help of a vertical mill, it came out looking uneven.  The MAC scallop is clean and smooth, allowing me to easily press the factory mag release without shifting my grip.  I still use an extended Agency mag release, but if I didn’t already have it, I’d be happy with just the OEM length part.

Mag Scallop

 While both guns are similar, I decided one would be setup for carry, and the other for training.  For carry, I decided on the “Brainmatter” texture.  It offered similar grip to microdot, with the added benefit of being less likely to accumulate dirt or dead skin cells over time.  It also doesn’t grab at my cover garments as much.  For my training gun, I opted for the “Sprinkles” texture.  This offered a higher level of grip, although I’ve since run it in classes AIWB without any discomfort.  It does tend to snag on soft fabrics and would poke holes in loose knit fabrics in short order.  One option MAC offers is to provide different levels of texture for each pattern.  He can soften the chosen texture a bit by knocking down the sharp edges with hand sanding for EDC(light) or Duty(medium), and no sanding for Comp(aggressive).  I decided on Duty for both since I knew the texture would naturally wear down with use.  According to Will, the sharper edges of Sprinkles will wear down a bit more than Brainmatter.  After seven months, two classes, and a few thousand rounds of ammo, I’d say that was accurate.  Brainmatter feels pretty much unchanged.  Sprinkles isn’t as rough on my hands, although maybe my hands have toughened up, but both still provide excellent grip in less than ideal conditions.  If I had to choose just one, I’d pick Sprinkles with the EDC or Duty level of texture.  While not as comfy as Brainmatter, it provides more consistent traction.  Both are grippy, and you can still adjust your grip on the fly if you don’t get a perfect one on the draw.

Finally, let’s talk borders.  I’ve seen some amazing border jobs but with that beauty often comes a small sacrifice in function.  Thick, deep, smooth borders look nice, but in my mind, that’s 1/8^” of space that could be textured.  MAC minimally cuts the borders, then adds a single row of microdot stippling up to the edge.  He then fills everything out with the requested texture.  This extra step looks great and maximizes every bit of available grip.  It’s a subtle touch, but I appreciate the extra time spent on such a small thing.  It’s plainly evident that Will has spent a great deal thinking about maximizing performance without giving up anything in the looks department.  He gives the same attention to even small details that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

One thing I didn’t do was Cerakote.  While it can result in some gorgeous frames, changing the color wasn’t a requirement for me, so I skipped it on the order forms.

When I decided to build a Gen3 G34 for USPSA Carry optics, I knew exactly where to send my frame.  I purchased a G17 frame from BigTexOutdoors and had it shipped straight to MAC Defense.  The G34 slide went straight to Jagerwerks.  After a few emails and some feedback from Tyler at Modern Outdoor Adventures, I decided on the same MD2 Hybrid package as before, but with the experimental “Swamp Donkey” texture.  After a few weeks, he shipped it to my FFL so I could take delivery.  I have no idea why it’s called Swamp Donkey, but it’s aggressive as hell and perfect for competition, class, or duty carry.  It’s insanely grippy and positively locks the gun to your hand, even with an intentionally weak grip.  You had better have a proficient draw stroke, because once you clear the holster, whatever grip you get is what you’ll have without peeling your hand off the gun.  Everything else is exactly what I expected from MAC Defense, from the crisp border lines to the frame cuts and stippling consistency.  Even if the stippling wears down to half its original grip level (unlikely without a belt sander) it will still be leagues above most “duty” stipple jobs.  The only grip I’ve felt with more traction is the Armor stipple from Agency Arms, which feels like crushed glass.  It’s actually painful to grip, and I can’t imaging carrying it against bare skin, although I know of some masochists that do.

Swamp Donkey

Sending a gun off to get worked on is not a decision to be taken likely.  A slick Instagram feed is one thing, but it’s another matter to actually put thought into how a product gets used versus how many likes it can get.  Will at MAC Defense takes immense pride in his work.  You can sense it in the way he describes his processes, and how he’ll answer any question you have.  Whether you want to address specific shortcomings of your gun, need a bad stipple job fixed, or just want to “Gucci” up your blaster, you won’t be disappointed with MAC Defense.

Unscientific “Grippy-ness” Index:

OEM Gen3 – 2 (meh)

OEM Gen4 – 3

OEM Gen3 RTF – 4 (nice)

DIY Micro-dot – 5

MAC Brainmatter – 5.5 (great for EDC)

DIY 20LPI Waffle - 6

MAC Sprinkles – 6.5

MAC Swamp Donkey – 8 (as aggressive as can be without causing pain)

Agency Armor – 10 (like crushed glass)

Swamp Donkey sticks like Velcro.

Sage Dynamics - Citizen Response to an Active Shooter - Force On Force AAR

When I found out that Aaron Cowan of Sage Dynamics was teaching a force-on-force class about 30 minutes from my house, I jumped on it.  Citizen Response to an Active Shooter was hosted at ForceTEC in Cleveland, NC.  The site was originally an old school, then a YMCA, before being bought by ForceTEC.

Day one started at 9am.  I brought donuts.  Buzzing from sugar and caffeine, the mood started off light but quickly changed.  Aaron played a 16 minute video of the entire Columbine school shooting with 911 audio spliced in.  Personally, I hate watching stuff like this.  The same goes for horror/slasher movies.  I’m fine with war/crime movies, or videos of bad guys getting smoke checked, but hearing the screams of innocents disturbs me far more than seeing people killed on screen.  I wanted to reach through the TV and strangle the two pieces of shit, strolling around and casually pumping rounds into victims.  Everyone in the room shared the same conviction. 

With the seriousness of what we were training for established, Aaron spend the rest of the morning going over active shootings, more specifically the shooters and how we deal with them.  The common aspect was how motive was academic and that the only profit in an active shooting was causing death itself.  He did a section on critical anatomy which was familiar to anyone who has taken his classes before, or watched his videos on the subject.  The next block was on how our bodies respond to stress in a life threatening situation.  I experienced everything he talked about once the scenarios were underway.  Tunnel vision, time distortion, increased respiration and heart rate, the uncomfortable almost electric feeling of adrenaline, and how this would all lead to the degradation of my shooting and problem solving skills.  Finally, he went over the Simunition system.  He provided us with ammo, a sims converted AR15, and four sims converted Glock 17s, one with an RMR.  He went over safety and the limitations of sim weapons, including an accuracy check.  We broke for lunch, and returned to the classroom after sanitizing ourselves of guns, knives, and car keys. 

From Sage Dynamics Instagram

After double checking ourselves for real weapons, we donned our protective gear (masks, neck bibs, padded vests, long sleeves, gloves, and groin protection) and were broken up into three groups of four.  One group consisted of role players, one was the bad guys, and one was the good guys.  The good guys were separated from the rest of us for each scenario, and wouldn’t know who the bad guy or guys were or how the scenario would start.  The bad guy(s) wouldn’t know who the good guy was either.  The scenario was repeated until all four members of the good guy group had finished, and then a new scenario was setup for the next group.  For the first day, the scenario was in a doctors office.  For one group, the good guy started in the back exam room, and the bad guy entered the lobby and started shooting. 

For my scenarios, I was equipped with the RMR'd G17 and attached my TLR1-HL.  I used my EDC holster and mag carrier.  The only real difference to my EDC Glock 19, was that we couldn’t load the magazine past 13 rounds or the guns would malfunction.  The bad guy started in the exam room, and started shooting shortly after I checked in with the receptionist.  One of the artificialities of sims is knowing that something is going to happen.  I walked in much more alert that I’d normally be.  The other role players would try to distract me with questions, arguments, or simply positioning themselves uncomfortably close.  My eyes were darting all over the room and I'd probably be seen as a madman if I’d been acting that way in real life.  I heard a shot from the rear and moved toward it with gun drawn.  The people in the waiting room ran in front of me toward the exit, two men ran toward me from the hallway, and I had to quickly identify them as threats or not.  I yelled for them to show me their hands.  I only remember seeing their hands and body language.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible to read facial expressions due to the masks.  I saw a figure emerge from the back room.  Even with adequate overhead light, I couldn’t make out the blue gun in his hands.  I didn’t think to activate my weapon light.  I heard his first shot, saw the muzzle flash, saw a nickel plated shell bounce off the wall, and felt something hit my shin.  I shot before I had my arms at full extension, finally seeing the red dot on his chest after what felt like an eternity.  I tracked and shot him to the ground, then moved in to secure his weapon.  Attempting to clear it one-handed with gloves on did not go as smoothly as I’d hoped.  I also didn’t think to top of my gun with a fresh magazine.  I had fired 11 of 13 rounds but didn’t remember shooting that many.  With the shooter down, I yelled “Call 911!” to no one in particular, and I felt stuck, trying to think of what to do next.  I was concerned with possible threats down the hall, when I should have improved my position and started considering law enforcement response and rendering aid to the wounded.  Reviewing my GoPro video, I was happy to see a few things I got right.  My muzzle and trigger finger discipline were good, and I instinctively moved toward a bookcase for “cover”.  However, the particle board bookcase wouldn’t stand up to real bullets, my shots were nowhere near as accurate as I can shoot on paper, and I’d have probably been better served working to my right, using the wall corner for concealment.  I also should’ve been more specific regarding what information was being relayed to 911. From the time I heard the first shot, to when the shooter was down took less than 9 seconds.  The entire scenario was over in 90 seconds.

As a role player or bad guy, it was easy to watch the scene unfold and know what to do next, but as the good guy, there was immense pressure to perform and make the correct decisions.  While getting shot as the good guy didn’t end the scenario, it reinforced the idea that gunfights are absolutely terrible.  I took one unlucky round to what would have been my femoral artery.  As the bad guy, I was able to land a few headshots on the good guy, simply because the pressure was off.  One thing I had difficulty with was shooting innocents though.  Even as the bad guy, I would shoot over their heads or at the floor, only aiming for the good guy when he presented himself.  I was instructed to go down after a solid head shot, or 2-3 good shots to the torso.  That didn’t mean I had to stay down.  In some cases I chose to “bleed out” while in others I kept fighting from the ground.  Once the scenario played out, Aaron would call “out of role”, and then let the student explain what he saw and his actions.  Aaron would provide insight into what was done well, why,  and what needed to improve.  His feedback was honest and direct.  He didn’t sugarcoat our mistakes, but wasn’t overtly harsh either, even with the students who had shot the wrong people.  We all understood that failure was an important part of learning, and that no one could be harder on us than ourselves.  By the end of day one, we all had a few welts and bruises, and a few band-aids were applied.  The running joke is that in sims you get stung by bees.  Mistakes made in force-on-force became solid lessons.  I didn’t realize how much more I had to learn, and we still had another day to go.

After class, most of us returned to our respective hotels, showered, and met up at a local chain restaurant.  We ate, swapped stories, and talked about our experience in class.  While many of us had just met, we spoke like long time friends.  One of the local alumni even joined us for dinner even though she couldn't attend the class.  This has always been a constant at Sage classes.  Sage Dynamics students make up some of the best people and shooters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.  

The next day started like the previous afternoon.  We stripped ourselves of weapons and jumped back into scenarios.  Yesterday was “training wheels”.  The complexities would increase today.  Multiple shooters and the rifle were now in play.  If getting hit with pistol sim rounds felt like bees, the rifle felt like wasps.  We started in the cafeteria which was laid out like a small café.  As a bad guy, I got to try out my acting abilities.  I was to sit down, and act like a guy trying to psych himself up.  Nothing too dramatic, but enough to catch the attention of someone paying attention.  I got up, walked to the counter, drew the handgun, and “executed” the cashier.  I then started firing indiscriminately until I saw the good guy draw his gun and emptied my magazine toward him managing to hit him in the mask.  I ran behind the counter, reloaded and popped up like a lunatic, spraying his cover(concealment), while stepping out from behind the counter.  I felt a few hits to my chest and fell backward to the ground firing as more rounds snapped into the wall behind me.  My gun locked empty as a volley of rounds hit my thigh and head.  The good guy recovered my weapon, directed people to call 911, identified himself as the good guy, and got people to the exit when Aaron called the scenario.  Even as the bad guy, I learned from each incident.  I saw how easy it was to get pinned down, and how foolish leaving cover for the sake of aggressively attacking could be.  On the flip side, my initial hail of gunfire gave me a huge advantage until I ran out of ammo.  I saw how getting to behind cover/concealment first might be a better option than going straight to your gun, and how aggression can briefly regain the initiative.  In this way, force-on-force gives you a way to experiment.  There were some situations where we might be more likely to just sit tight or even retreat in real life.  In FonF, you can take chances you normally wouldn’t take, gaining valuable insight.

In my scenario, I heard a shot outside the restaurant and immediately drew my firearm.  With no threat present, the role players reacted to me like I was the bad guy.  I now had to deal with an unruly and frightened crowd for what felt like minutes.  In reality, about 10 seconds later, the shooter appeared in the back doorway dual wielding a rifle and pistol.  My first few rounds hit him square in the chest and I drove him back out the door.  This time I reloaded from slide lock, used my light, and held the corner.  My reload was awful.  I grabbed the mag backward and felt like I was moving underwater.  I moved to better cover, and when he reappeared, I shot him several more times, tracking his head to the ground.  I was more assertive this time, directing individuals to tend to a wounded man, and another to call 911, before directing everyone who could walk to escape, and then call 911 myself.  After ending the scenario, we talked about how I had pulled my gun unrealistically early had this been real life.  A single loud noise this close to 4^th of July could just be a firework, car back firing, or if indeed a shooting, an isolated incident.  Without a clear threat, I should have made my way to a better position before clearing my gun, but I had “gamed” the scenario.

In another scenario, I was instructed to enter a hotel lobby with the rifle, with a second shooter a few seconds behind me.  As I was being engaged by the good guy, he was so focused on me that he didn’t check the direction I came from down the hall, and was shot in the back eight times by my accomplice.  In another, one student didn’t hear Aaron identify himself as police and engaged him in a shootout.  In two other instances, a hostage was shot by the good guy.  We took every one of these lessons to heart.  One big takeaway was after a student initially engaged the shooter, drove him into a room, backed off, and waited.  There was no pressing need to move forward and take down the shooter.  We were reminded that our goal is to deny the shooter access to more victims.  Obviously, incapacitating the threat is a great way to accomplish this, but just stalling them can also save lives until help arrives.

In my last scenario, I was in line for a movie when someone opened fire on the cashier.  I moved to my left to clear the line of bystanders, but they all moved as well, crowding around me and blocking my arms.  I found out later they were told to do this to see how I’d react.  I pushed the guy in front of me down and shot at the shooter one-handed, before getting my support hand on the gun, activated my light, and shot him to the ground.  At slide lock, I spun away as I backed down the hallway, checking behind me while reloading.  I fumbled the magazine against my vest and dropped it on the floor.  Cursing, I got my gun back into action, and made my way back to the shooter who was now seemingly deceased.  I slid his gun away, then looked up and down the hallway convinced there would be a second shooter.  I forgot to secure the weapon which was now laying next to the sims rifle which I also never saw.  I moved back into the hallway and backlit myself to the entryway behind me, a ripe target if someone had been there.  I assessed for wounded, yelled for 911 to be called, and finally improved my position before calling 911 myself.  Scenario over, the bad guy commented on how my light temporarily disorientated him even under the normal lighting conditions.  Score one for having 800 lumens.  Reviewing my GoPro, I never saw the innocent man running behind the shooter.  While I didn’t hit him, I could have just as easily done so.  While I scored multiple hits, I have no idea which of my shots were on target.  Just as before, I can’t recall seeing my dot until after I started shooting, and my one-handed shooting felt slow, like I was dragging my fingers through concrete.  

The class came to an end shortly after.  We were excited to learn that Aaron would be returning some time early in 2019.  He encouraged us to continue training, but to seek out instructors other than himself.  Red patches were handed out, one of which I received, and the coveted Black patch went to the top student.  With real-life fast approaching, we all headed out.  I spent the next few days decompressing, and as mentioned before, it took a few days for some of the lessons to fully sink in.

Bite mark from a rifle wasp.

Many of the things I learned I already knew, but experiencing them first hand reinforced them.  The adage of gunfights lasting 3-rounds, 3-feet, and 3-seconds is B.S., as is having too many lumens.  Nobody wished they had fewer rounds or less light once scenarios kicked off.  I learned how hard wired I am to not hurt people who don’t deserve it.  Even while playing a bad guy I felt conflicted.  I had to shoot one person point-blank in the chest to start a scenario.  Even though he was wearing a thicker vest and wouldn’t even feel the shot, I hesitated for a split second.  I had no qualms about shooting the bad guys multiple times in the face though.  I learned that I need to improve my one-handed shooting, smooth out my reloads, and work on my accuracy at speed.  I learned first hand how quickly an incident can occur, and how little time there is to actually think.  I learned how my mind and body react to stress, and that I can work through it.  I never once saw my iron sights and I still default to high center chest shots instead of the head at close ranges where headshots are possible.  My fine motor skills didn’t so much degrade as they were overridden by an intense desire to be fast.  My movements felt sloppy and frenetic.  Quick draws from concealment are great, but getting in a better position may help you live longer.  In a perfect world, we’d see the shooter and take him down before he fires a single shot.  The reality is much more sobering.  The shooter probably won’t make himself known until it’s too late to save the first victim(s).  In one scenario, the good guy was shot in the back at the very start.  It also gave me insight on how a potential bad guy might carry out an attack.  As I participated in the next weeks 4th of July festivities, I found myself taking just a few seconds to take note of my surroundings and who was around.  

My GoPro proved invaluable.  While I forgot to turn it on a few times, being able to review most of the scenarios allowed me to dissect any lessons that could be picked out.  Just as Aaron had said, my memory of each scenario was incomplete, especially in the first 48 hours afterwards.  Having the GoPro video made it easy to piece together what I did right and wrong.  The other students and I shared our videos freely with each other.

The class also reshaped my understanding of violent encounters.  Whomever brings the most violence the fastest usually wins.  Violence itself is not a bad thing.  It’s simply a description.  A tornado is violent but doesn’t carry the evil connotation society has given it.  Being able to focus an unholy amount of violence onto a bad person is something that needs to be practiced ahead of time.  Just thinking about it isn’t good enough.  Saying how you’re going to hit a home run isn’t the same as actually swinging the bat.  

A force-on-force class should be taken as soon as possible by anyone once they are proficient with their defensive handgun.  FonF is both a laboratory and a proving ground.  I can’t think of a single live-fire class where I’ve learned more about myself as a shooter and as a person.

Eaton Tactical Innovations – Gunformz Pelican 1720 V14 Foam Insert

Judgement Drill

Last fall I flew to South Florida for Sage Dynamics’ Home Defense class.  Flying commercial meant buying an appropriate case to transport my firearms and accessories.  Considering that I’d have the monetary equivalent of a gently used Civic in the case, I wanted to keep everything as organized and protected as I could.  After fumbling with the usual DIY methods, I discovered the semi-custom foam inserts from Eaton Tactical Innovations.  I wrote about my experience with them here: Eaton Tactical Innovations - Pelican 1720 V3 Foam Case Insert 

Fast forward a few months, and I had signed up for another Sage Dynamics class.  This time, Defensive Rifle with Jon Dufresne.  Located at the Ross Lake Plantation in Georgia, I’d be making the trip via a 7-hour car ride.  I planned to pack my dedicated practice/training pistol, my suppressed 11.5” SBR and a 14.5” upper.  I would mainly use the SBR for night vision shooting/pig hunting and swap to the 14.5” upper for the class.  Looking at my Pelican 1720 case, I figured it had enough room for everything to fit with the right insert.  Browsing ETI’s website, I noticed a lot more foam configurations for Pelican cases, as well as Pelican Storm and more the budget friendly Plano cases.  The inserts are now known as Gunformz, and they have also expanded their lineup of inserts for the bottom foam layer, for magazines and pistols.  I found the 1720 V14.  It features a main compartment for an assembled 14.5” or longer rifle, a cutout for an 11.5” or longer suppressed upper, one pistol cutout, and various pockets for accessories.  This was nearly exactly what I needed.

 

Gunformz AR 1720 V14

I received the insert in under a week.  I removed the insert from its black plastic shipping bag, grabbed a thin bladed utility knife, and began freeing the sections of foam from their cutouts.  After a bit of trial and error, I had trimmed a few sections manually to account for my rifle rails, pressure pads, and muzzle devices.  I then  filled the remaining compartments with a spare pistol mag, pistol suppressor, sling, muzzle blast shield, and my Dbal A3.  I did however run into a small snag with the pistol cutout.  I neglected to take a close look at the position of the pistol slot.  It’s very close to the top of the insert, with no room for slide mounted optic.  This wasn’t a huge deal since I was driving, but if I was flying commercial I’d have had to pack my pistol with a checked bag.

Checking ETI’s website and found a 1720 bottom layer insert, the ARBL 1720 V2.  It holds 5 rifle mags, 5 pistol mags, and optic equipped handgun.  Unfortunately, I was leaving in a day, but placed the order knowing I’d need it in the future.

Once I had everything in its place, I had some difficulty closing the case.  The rifles are wider than the thickness of the top foam.  While I did cut pockets to clear my rifle mounted lights in the factory lid foam, having the second upper near the latches required pressing hard on the lid to close the latches.  The last thing I did before leaving was order a replacement convoluted (eggcrate) foam panel for the lid.

All day Saturday, the foam was exposed to the Georgia heat and humidity.  We were constantly brushing off the loose, sandy soil from the range mixed with sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray (OMG the gnats!).  Day two ended with heavy rain.  I was thankful for the non-moisture absorbing closed cell foam and remembering to bring a pair of beach towels.  (It always rains at Sage classes.)

 

Blasters

I returned from the class late Sunday night, and my wife (probably rolling her eyes at yet “more gun s**t”) had left the 42” long black plastic package in my office.  I noticed one change from my current bottom foam insert.  The rifle mag cutouts are precut for 30-round AR15 magazines as well as larger AR10 magazines.  Since I now run compensators on my pistols, I did have to enlarge the pistol cutout, but I had to do the same on my V3 insert.  At least with my configurations, the pistols aren’t directly under any of the wider parts of the rifles, so I don’t have to worry about the optic buttons getting pressed.

 

Gunformz ARBL 1720 V2

Once again, I’m impressed with not only the performance and durability of the inserts, but at 1/5 the cost of a custom insert, the value is excellent.  At $64.99 on Brownells, the cost is comparable to a solid replacement foam piece and a hot wire cutter without any of the hassle.  And now that these are available for inexpensive Plano cases, I’m going to pick up a lighter duty 36” Plano rifle case for general range and road trip use.

"Gun Bunny" pic