BATFE to BAN Commonly used XM855 Ammunition

The ATF is trying to ban the sale of XM855 or SS109. This is Bad, these videos illustrate why.

Act now!!

Step 1- write to the ATF 

ATF email: APAComments@atf.gov

Fax: (202) 648-9741.

Mail: Denise Brown, Mailstop 6N-602, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226: ATTN: AP Ammo Comments.



Step 2 write to your Representative
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find

Step 3 Sign the Petition
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-batfe-banning-xm855-ammunition/XrvVh1cj




SAMPLE LETTER:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to voice strong opposition to the proposed change to current law that would make it illegal to manufacture, import or sell on the open market M855 / SS109 ammunition.

The claimed purpose of this change is to “protect the lives and safety of law enforcement officers from the threat posed by ammunition capable of penetrating a protective vest when fired from a handgun”.

As the Technical Branch well knows, all rifle ammunition of a common caliber such as .223 / 5.56 is capable of penetrating threat level IIA and IIIA body armor regardless of the firearm that is used to fire it. M855 / SS109 is no more of a threat to law enforcement than M193 or Horandy VMAX loads are.

It’s also worth noting that rifle caliber pistols are rarely used in violent crime, their usage is a statistical zero for all practical purposes, which further begs the question as to why this proposed rule change is even being considered.

Banning the availability of affordable surplus ammunition under the false pretense that it’s in the name of officer safety is a direct violation of our 2nd Amendment rights. To reiterate, it is clear that this proposed change places an unreasonable restriction on law abiding citizens that will have unintended consequences and will further negatively impact our ability to exercise freedoms guaranteed to us by Constitution of the United States.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

FULL NAME
CITY / STATE

Wolf Releases Optics Line

SHOT Show 2015:

Wolf officially releases its line of optics for sale to the public. Included in its offerings is the PSU, a 1x-4x competitor to the Raytheon Elcan. It is equipped with graduations for work out to 800 m and includes seven low light reticle settings as well as throw lever quick-detach mounts.

Also, included in their offerings is a series of night vision devices. Of these the PN23 is a dedicated night optic with integral IR illumination source. Similarly, the PN22 maintains all of the capabilities of the PN23; however, also includes the ability to transition to no IR support for full use during the daylight hours. Lastly, the PN21K is a PVS-14 style monocular designed to be mounted on the head or hard mounted behind an optic on a rifle.

At VSO we had the opportunity to run these optics through several hard days of testing and evaluation and were impressed.
For more information check out the interview and official release video below:

Steel Cased Ammo, To Use or Not to Use?

I recently received a message from a viewer asking about the use of steel cased ammunition in his firearm and if it is alright:

"I had a question. I was wondering what your opinion is of on steel cased ammo for just recreational shooting. I've talked to a lot of people and they all have different opinions. Some say it's just fine. Others say I can shoot them as long as I clean my gun immediately after shooting. But others say not to use it period. What is your opinion? Thanks! "

My Response:

"Well before giving a straight opinion I will give you that facts and let you formulate your own.

Steel cased ammo is generally less expensive because:

i.)The cases are generally not reloadable as they are almost always berdan primed, Of course you could drill these out if you wanted...

ii.) Steel is less malleable than brass, making it more brittle and prone to failure when reloaded.

iii.) By far the most relevant reason why steel ammo is considered "cheaper" is because the case does not expand/contract as well during the firing cycle as brass. This leads to an increased incidence of malfunction because the seal on the chamber is often not as complete as its brass alternative. People also say that steel ammo is "dirtier" ; this is actually not true either. XM855 is some of the dirtiest ammo you can find for your AR-15. However, because of the aforementioned seal issue there is often leakage of the chamber gasses back into the action. Making it appear dirtier than most brass ammunition.

So long story short:   It will not hurt your gun, period

As for the cleaning of the gun immediately after use, most of the steel cased ammo available now is non corrosive and will not damage your weapon. You can confirm this by checking for odd colored residue (often Blue-green) on the crown of your barrel after about a week of inactivity. If the ammunition is indeed non-corrosive then the only reason for immediate cleaning would be to 

mitigate berdan buildup between cleanings.

WE use, almost exclusively, Steel cased ammo."

To continue that point, the reason we do so is two fold. One, to keep costs down, obviously. Two, to increase the incidence of malfunction of our weapons. This is a valuable training tool. A weapon that malfunctions from time to time is better than one that doesn't in the realm of training. If your gun never has a problem then when Murphy's law kicks in you likely won't know how to handle it in an expedient manner. 

I recommend cleaning every thousand rounds or so.

Now all my "Emergency mags" are loaded with high quality brass ammo and hopefully will stay that way.

As a final note:

You should always read your owners manual. From time to time your manufacturer will dictate what kind of ammunition they will not warranty your firearm for use with. What works for me may also not work for you: I am going to burn that barrel out far before I worry about long term erosion by corrosive ammo or clogging of internal components with berdan. I assemble my AR-15s and augment most of my firearms myself. I am accountable to myself in this regard, but remember that the role of gear tester is much different then that of long-term owner.

Spectre