(Sorry again for the light blogging, but I am still in the throes of some connectivity problems.)
First things first, I had a great range session yesterday morning with MDL. I busted the figurative rust off my .45 skills, and reacquainted myself with the iron sights on the S&W M4gery. I had a small epiphany: I stacked up my loaded mags on the table at the firing point, and shot til all were dry. At some point I realized that this is a bad habit to get into. So, I will now make it a point to shoot up to my last magazine, load it, then re-holster (sling up, or set it down) and re-load the empties. We ought never be caught with a completely unloaded weapon.
OK, well, it hasn’t been our year for Biathlon. (Scroll down about a quarter of the way to begin the biathlon discussion. Yes, that article is a few days old but expresses a current sentiment.) The competition has been good, but it sure was a disappointment. Yet, we’re building a base of experience for the future.
On the more positive side of firearms news: farther down in the same article (about half-way) , we see something that BR BullNav brought to my attention:
“The United States Marine Corps is once again breaking from the norm when it comes to their equipment. This latest break is in their 5.56 ammunition. This latest change means the Corps will be using an “open-tipped” round as opposed to the heretofore standard M855 ball round.
The New 5.56 SOST a “couple million” are already in theatre, and more is on the way.
“So what’s the advantage? The new SOST round (Special Operations Science and Technology) is a more deadly and more accurate round – especially when fired in the Corps’ shorter barreled rifles. Initially, the SOST was only cleared for use by the Special Operations Command troops (SOCOM) with their Special Operations Force Combat Assault Rifle (the SCAR).
“This new round is essentially an open-tip round, similar to sniper ammunition. It’s also supposed to be “barrier blind” – staying on target better than M855s after penetrating windshields, car doors and other objects. It’s also reported to stay on target longer when fired and deliver increased stopping power through “consistent, rapid fragmentation which shortens the time required to cause incapacitation of enemy combatants”.”
(Is “open-tipped” a euphemism for “hollow-point?? Sounds like a step forward, either way.)t?? Sounds like a step forward, either way.)
