I can’t believe it has been more than 18 months since my last firearms related article, but here we are. I’ve actually had this particular blog entry on my mind for a couple of years but other things have taken priority. I’ve got a draft for my NRL Hunter match that has been sitting unfinished since Feb of last year, and I am afraid it may have to be killed as my memory of the event is no longer fresh. I said this blog would always be my own personal form of therapy and never an obligation. For the last 18 months, writing about guns just felt like an obligation, so I have focused on other blog topics (523 Days) and different hobbies.

However, I do feel genuinely excited to share my thoughts on this subject. The concept here is extremely simple, and rational, but I don’t see it executed very often. Maybe it’s our desire to experience new things that prevent us from going down this path. Perhaps it just takes too much effort. They say variety is the spice of life, and while that may be true, they also say there is no place like home. We can certainly become complacent with familiarity…but familiarity is also where we find consistency.

The catalyst to this mindset for me happened over 10 years ago, when a certain high profile mass shooting drove the firearms market into a frenzy. Resale prices on firearms went through the roof. At that time I had significantly more guns than I have today and the assortment was much closer to the 31 flavors you would find at Baskin Robbins than it was to my current situation, which is more like the three option menu of an In-and-Out.

When the market went crazy, I decided to get full (well, better than full) value for most of my firearms and it was at this point I took the first step that led me to where I am today; I decided to consolidate calibers. I made a hard-lined commitment that I would pair down to just a few basic calibers. This would ensure I’d always have plenty of ammo on hand and it would be easy to find no matter where I was in the U.S.

I ended up selecting just 5 calibers: 22LR, 9mm, 5.56/.223, .300 BLK and 6.5 Creedmoor. I ended up making a small addition last year when I built a 7 PRC for western muleys and elk, only because my 6.5’s are short and I wanted to have effectiveness on larger game at longer distances. It proved to be a wise addition. Shotguns are a little different story, For what it’s worth I have .410, 20 and 12 gauge.

If you build a gun specifically for you…then why aren’t all your guns mostly the same?

Once I had the caliber selection out of the way, it was time to decide which guns were going to stay. Guns for me are simply tools. I am not a collector and I do not have safe queens. I see nothing wrong with doing so, it’s just not where my personal interest lies. When I built my Ruger #1 in 6.5CM (The Gambler), most thought I should never hunt with it…well, that’s just not me. I had to get out right away and use it to put food on the table. I like to shoot, compete, hunt and enjoy my guns, I don’t like to just fondle and stare at them.

My main priority other than hunting, was wanting to be able to shoot any type of competition that was made available to me that I enjoy. I have a very full schedule, so if I only was shooting one type of competition, I may not be able to compete often due to scheduling conflicts. The more types of competitions I had a weapon system for, the more likely I could find a slot on the calendar to make it happen. I set out to have an AR platform rifle for nearly everything I like to do.

Top to Bottom in the picture below:

5.56 12.5” SBR Upper w/ Lazarus 6 for CQB work and short(er) range competitions
9mm 10.5” SBR for PCC competitions and cheap(er) training
300 BLK 8.3” w/ Mojave 9 -This is my home/truck defense gun
5.56 13.7” for Run and Gun, DMR and QP matches
300 BLK 10.25” w/ Sandman X for deer/hog hunting
.22LR 16” for rimfire competition and really cheap training

SBR 5.56 Upper, 9mm SBR, 300 BLK SBR, 13.7” 5.56, 300 BLK SBR, 22LR 15-22

Now, this article is not about caliber consolidation, or reducing the number of firearms you own, but about firearm familiarity. Do you notice anything about all the AR platform rifles in the above pic? They are all as close to the same setup as possible.

No matter which gun I grab, it feels like the next one. They all present the same and handle the same. I don’t have to worry about how one trigger or safety feels different than the other. Because the purposes are different for each rifle, there is an exception here or there but the exceptions make sense in the context of its use-case.

For the most part every AR platform gun I own runs the following:

Fab Defense GL-Core S stock - Light, compact, rounded design works w/ armor/chest rigs, has required QD cup, snag free design and I prefer the adjustment lever position.
On each stock is an XLR industries piece of cheek foam - It is simply comfortable.
Grips are Magpul Moe-K - I like a more vertical grip with no tang.
Buffer tubes are VLTOR A5 systems - Very smooth and more reliable than mil-spec.
QD end points are Reptilia Sockets - I like the “parallel-to-handguard” setup that limits twisting.
Safeties are Geissele Posi-Snaps - The name says it all, they flip on and off with a satisfying snap in each direction.
Bolt Release is Geissele Maritime - Larger top paddle for easier manipulation.
BCG’s are Rubber City Armory, Enhanced - Fell in love with the slickness and easy to clean properties of these long ago and never looked back.
Forward assists are Forward Controls Design - No ripped off fingernails!
Charging Handles are Radian Raptor SL’s - Short levers that won’t dig into your chest/back or snag on things in the woods.
Hand/Barricade stop is Heathen Systems - I pull against these when off-hand and it works like a hand stop. When shooting against something, I push into it. They will also work on vertical barricades and surfaces such as a door frame.
The handguards are all wrapped at my hand placement for indexing and sweat control. I use the Camo Form Gear Wrap.
Slings are Armageddon Gear Heavy Carbine - They stretch so you can push against it for steady off hand shots and they are wide for comfort when putting in the miles. (Mine are cut and sewed from 2 piece into 1 piece)
And finally, all my AR triggers are ATC AR Gold - I could write an entire article on these triggers. I’ve converted many doubters. If accuracy is what you are looking for, nothing is better. The thin shoe limits unwanted input on the gun. The light and short first stage is imperceptible when running the gun hard, yet welcomed when slowing down for precision. The reset is one of the shortest in the industry, if not the shortest. But most importantly, they have nailed the break. To the inexperienced, the break feels perfectly clean, but its not. It is “nearly” creep free, and that “nearly” part is very important. Some triggers, like Trigger Techs have virtually no creep at all. This is fine when static or running the gun hard. However, it is not ideal when trying to time an accurate precision shot at distance while your whole upper body is shaking from exhaustion. You need the gun to go off exactly when you want it to. These triggers feel like they are wired to the neurons in your brain, it’s that intuitive.

In addition to these similarities, my EOTECH’s and any red dot you see over the top of an LPVO are all at the same height over bore. They are all 4” over bore. (You need to use an EXPS with an absolute, or XPS riser, to achieve this) My chin index is identical for all these guns when I pick them up, whether it’s the red dot over the top of my LPVO’s or an EOTECH HWS atop a riser.

When I spoke about the exceptions before, it's fairly simple. My hunting .300 BLK does not have a Geissele posi-snap safety...because they are loud. That rifle also doesn’t use QDs on the sling that clang around against the gun in the woods. The others are lack of availability, the 9mm can’t have a RCA BCG, the .22LR can’t have a Geissele safety or a Radian Charging handle as those parts are proprietary.

When I am training or using one of these guns, I am training with all of them. I don’t have to think about making a training adjustment when I pick up any of these rifles. It’s efficient, it’s familiar. It’s consistent.

Bergara B14R .22 Trainer and Defiance Anti/Proof 6.5 CM in XLR Magnesiums. Pictured with Dead Air Mask and Nomad Ti XC suppressors.

I carry this same mindset into bolt guns. Above you can see my 6.5 CM and my .22 Trainer. They both feature magnesium XLR chassis. Both have Trigger Tech Diamond 2 stage triggers. Both are running optics with the same MIL-XT reticle at the same height. Both have the same Magpul MOE-K grips that are found on my AR’s and the same piece of cheek foam. Even on a completely different platform, I attempt to make as many things as similar as possible.

Finally and most importantly, pistols. I see so many people shoot something completely different in competition than they carry and I just think this is a mistake. I would even go as far as saying the real smart guys are just competing and carrying the same gun…here’s to you Ellis D!

If your EDC and your comp gun are different, at least put in a lot of time with both. If you have red dots on both, try to get your grip angle as close as possible. When I was running my MR920P in comp and carrying a P365, I would not run an optic on the P365 because the grip angle was so different the dot would not be there when presented. This is very important. The most important thing you can dial in is your presentation. That is a life saving muscle memory and the closer you can get your EDC to your comp gun in that regard, the better off you will be.

In the end, this mindset for me is all about being intentional and efficient in my training, reducing my learning curve and increasing my ability to properly manipulate the weapon system. This greatly helps me perform to the best of my ability whether it be a competition or a real life scenario with reduced training time and expense.

I’m definitely not suggesting you throw out your heirloom guns or that you should only have 5 calibers like I do. However, if you can synchronize a core group of guns that you use often, I think you will find that effort will pay off in spades.

“Strive to enter though the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ - Luke 13:24-25

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May 30 Beware the Man with…Similar Guns?

Mar 11 523 Days