A PDF of the regulations is available here.

Don’t forget, in addition to your regular hunting license, you also need to register with HIP and have a federal duck stamp to hunt waterfowl.  Registering with HIP is free.  A federal duck stamp is $15 and is available at most post offices.

The NYSDEC press release:

Air Guns Now Allowed for Small Game Hunting. DEC has adopted a new regulation that will allow small game hunters to go afield with an air gun. Modern air guns are very advanced and many are designed to effectively take small game. Prior to the recent change, DEC regulations did not clearly allow their use for hunting. The new regulation permits the use of air guns that shoot a pellet that is .17 caliber or larger, using either a rifled or smooth bore barrel. The air gun must produce a pellet velocity of at least 600 feet per second. Air guns may be used to take any small game species that may also be taken with a .22 caliber rimfire firearm. This includes rabbits, squirrels, ruffed grouse, and hunted furbearer species, such as fox, coyote, and raccoon. Modern air guns are also available in “big bore” calibers and are very suitable for larger mammals, including furbearers. At the present time, air guns are not allowed for hunting big game. Review the new regulation online.

Photo courtesy of Allstar Tactical

I recently took the opportunity to train in Camden, TN with Tactical Response in their Fighting Rifle classes. I took down a rifle with the new trigger from Allstar Tactical for evaluation. The trigger itself appears to be very well manufactured and has a competition trigger feel with a smooth comfortable trigger face and modernized design. The trigger breaks crisp @ a bit over 6lbs and almost zero creep.

I took the time to make sure the rifle was sighted at my home range before going to the class and found the trigger very nice off my bench for the 30 or so rounds I sent downrange to verify consistent zero. After cleaning the rifle up I cased her up and off to Camden,TN.

The Tactical Response classes are round count intensive with a touch over 1500rnds in two days. The trigger performed perfectly, allowing me accurate fire and fast follow up in a combat style shooting atmosphere. One thing I really began to appreciate the trigger for was the smooth (maybe a touch wider than usual) trigger shoe face. After the first 700rnds several people not wearing gloves began to develop a sore spot on their trigger fingers along with fatigue in their hands. The trigger from Allstar offered me a much more comfortable purchase on the trigger itself and the minimal amount of movement and rapid reset curbed both fatigue and any type of blistering.

The second day the trigger was put into one of my light weight carbines as the rifle the fine people at Allstar sent me with was a bit heavy. It worked flawlessly in my carbine as well, rounding out with a touch under 1k rounds that day. I had several very fast very high round evolutions and the trigger was fantastic. I found the trigger really lent itself to rapid follow up shots with a clean fast reset.

Having had numerous trigger designs from several manufacturers I feel this trigger is well worth the cost. It offers a combination of single and double stage attributes that give it a distinct advantage over many. This single stage trigger offers an excellent break and fast reset two things that are greatly appreciated by competition shooters looking to squeeze every bit of accuracy out of their weapons. It also offers the reliability and safety that combat style shooters need, giving it a “best of both worlds” feel. As I understand it, there is a possibility that Allstar can lighten the trigger pull for a nominal fee which would make this a great three gun trigger if combat style shooting/training isn’t your thing.

Photo courtesy of Allstar Tactical

After returning home I took the time to put the lower assembly from Allstar onto a Compass Lake Engineering NM A2 upper I have used for competitions like CMP. This upper will shoot far better than I can and really gave me the chance to see how the trigger would be on a true competition setup. My results were outstanding at 100yrds for a single stage battle trigger. The trigger consistently allowed me to hold groups of 5 rounds in a two inch or less group with irons off a bench with standard 62gr M855 ammunition.

I can honestly say I will be investing in a couple of these for my own personal weapons. I can’t thank Mike at Allstar enough for letting me try out their new trigger, it was fantastic and I’m looking forward to putting them in my own rifles.

-EvilRP-

According to the club’s website:

“NOTICE!!!
In an effort to reduce noise leaving the club grounds, all semi-automatic medium to large caliber rifles are to use the upper range. Only two shooters at a time and no more than 10 rounds in 30 seconds per shooter with a 1 minute pause between shooters/ magazine changes. We are trying to be proactive about the noise before it becomes an issue. Your support is greatly appreciated.”

Many of the club’s members are unhappy with these new rules and question the validity of the reasoning.

There is a club meeting on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 7pm.  The club’s address is 6275 Laird Road, Jordan, NY 13080.  Click here for a map.  If you’re a member of the club and would like to find out more about the new rules and share your opinion on them you are encouraged to join some other NYFirearms.com members who will be attending the meeting.

To quote the course description from MDTS, Combative Carbine Skills series “emphasizes three critical elements of defensive shooting: Mindset, Skill-At-Arms, and Tactics.” CCS 1&2 begins the series with the fundamentals needed to operate the carbine in a combative and defensive manner. What I love, personally, is the focus on the class from a citizen perspective, which 90% of us who take these classes will be using the training for.

The first hour of the day was classroom-based training, which went over firearms safety, range safety, some carbine history and zeroing, accessories and rifle modifications, as well as some initial administrative firearms handling and platforms. Once the initial classroom training was complete, we moved out to the range and jumped right into zeroing our rifles.

Once all of the rifles were zeroed, training began. Without divulging too much of the course, there was a great deal of information thrown at the attendees. Personally, I enjoy “drinking from the firehose” as they say, but I can see how some people may not like that approach. However, most everyone rose to the occasion and stepped up their game to learn.

I also noticed that there were several people attending the class who had just bought their AR-15 or similar carbine, and by the end of the class they were engaging targets out to 75 yards, and clearing complicated “triple feed” malfunctions. Considering how some of the newer shooters were picking up the information, I have to say that speaks louder than I can about Chris’ proficiency as a trainer.

As I said above, this is the second time I have had the chance to take this class from MDTS, which has joined my resume of several other carbine training classes, and I have to say that I would highly recommend anyone with carbine rifles to give this class a shot (no pun intended). From the basic fundamentals to some advanced weapon malfunction clearing, the class provides a great deal of valuable information to the average shooter.

MDTS is holding another Combative Carbine Skills 1&2 class on August 28th in the Rochester, NY area. Visit their website, mdtstraining.com, and check out their schedule to sign up!

Combative Carbine Skills 1&2 Course Details

The MDTS Combative Carbine Skills curriculm is designed for the new rifle owner, individuals who have owned a rifle but never attended formal training as well as the seasoned operator. A solid grounding in safety and fundamentals of gun handling is presented with a heavy emphasis on the students ability to manipulate the carbine platform while mult-tasking or under stress. This is a fast paced, challenging course. Course content will include but is not limited to:

CCS1 Firearm Safety/Range Safety
History & Zero
Modifications & Sling Options
Personal Equipment Selection & Placement
Administrative Gun-Handling
Carry & Carbine Ready Positions
Fundamental Marksmanship
Combative Marksmanship
Shooting Response Theory
Combative Gun-Handling/Malfunctions

CCS2
After Action Assessment Concept
Bilateral Weapon Operation
Transition to Handgun
Combative Shooting Positions
Vertical and Lateral Displacement
Multiple Target Engagement
Proactive Movement
Fundamental Use of Cover & Concealment and more…

Equipment List:
A serviceable carbine to include M4, AR15, AK47 or pistol caliber rifle, a minimum of 3 magazines, 500+ rounds rifle – NO GREEN TIP OR AP AMMUNITION, 50 rounds pistol, eye and ear protection, pistol and minimum of 2 magazines (if you own a pistol), appropriate clothing for weather, water, hat with brim, optional equipment- sling, gloves & knee pads.

*A pistol is not required to attend this course

Additional Equipment Considerations:
Weapon mounted illumination tool, knee & elbow protection, note taking materials, lunch for full day class

Mossberg 930SPX Specifications:

• 12 Ga. 3″ Chamber
• 18.5″ Barrel with fixed cylinder bore
• 7+1 Capacity
• LPA Ghost ring rear sight
• LPA M-16 style front sight
• 39″ Overall length
• 14″ Length of pull
• Matte black synthetic stock

Tickets sales are now closed.

The winner can redeem the shotgun at Allstar Tactical in Webster, NY after completing a background check.  There will be no fee for the transfer.  If you live out of the area you can make arrangements to have the shotgun shipped to an FFL of your choice.  We will pay to ship the gun to your FFL where the winner will be responsible for any fees associated with the transfer at their FFL.

Thanks to The Firearm Blog where I found this.

The first event for my relay was presented by Southnarc of ShivWorks. The block was entitled “Confined Space Shooting” and covered the physical mechanics required to defend yourself with a handgun in small spaces and at close proximity to both threats and innocents. The first part was the basic steps of drawing from a holster. While the pistol draw is something most shooters have a pretty good handle on, Southnarc has some very targeted specifics that keep the gun very close to the body and enable rounds to be accurately fired as early as possible. The focus here was being able to access your handgun while minimizing the opportunities for an opponent to interfere with the draw. We practiced each step of the draw and fired from both the compressed ready and extended positions. We covered the “nose over toes” stance that I’m familiar with and conducted several drills. One very enlightening drill was where we practiced engaging a target while surrounded by innocent bystanders, literally shoulder to shoulder. The mechanics of Southnarc’s draw stroke proved effective here as we were able to draw and fire in these very tight confines without sweeping any of the bystanders with our muzzles. Southnarc is very attentive during these drills, always right there to intervene if there is any hint of a safety issue as well as offering corrections. The session concluded with an overview of how to both shoot from, and properly exit a vehicle. The mechanics of this are way more complicated than you would think. Being able to exit a car without sweeping yourself or any of your (presumably friendly) passengers with your muzzle requires lots of forethought.

The entire Confined space block was very educational. Most of the techniques were small tweaks to what I’ve already learned in various other courses, but these small changes have big results. The only downside of this session was that I managed to slam my holster hard on the seatbelt latch when entering the car and I broke one of the screws. Having a pinwheeling holster isn’t conducive to range safety. Thanks to Chris for stealing a screw from one of his spare holsters and getting me back online!

The next block was presented by Chris Fry of MDTS Training, and I had the pleasure of assisting him. The class was based around dealing with carbine malfunctions. We started with a diagnostic test that shows basic gun handling at very close range.  We then covered what to do when your carbine stops functioning at various ranges from contact distance to 25 yards. This included muzzle strikes as well as both one and two handed pistol transitions. Finally Chris described and demonstrated all the common (and a few not so common) carbine malfunctions as well as his simple system to handle them without some of the problems of more traditional methods (like SPORTS). The culmination of this block is an exercise where students get a chance to handle multiple malfunctions under some induced pressure.

During a great lunch provided by the club, we enjoyed a lecture from Andy Langlois about Dealing with First Responders. Some good insights into what will be going through an officer’s mind if they are responding to a defensive shooting. Biggest takeaway from that, when an Officer says “DROP THE GUN!”, do it … now.

After lunch we had an overview of some of the many hardware options available for the AR platform. There are a lot of them.

After this I assisted Chris again with his carbine block for the 2nd relay of shooters, this meant I had to miss the block on Tactical Medicine, but I will be looking for more opportunities in that area.

Overall, it was a great day of training. The blocks of instructions were somewhat compressed, but there is a lot of information to be learned, and the opportunity to train with many instructors is a welcome one.

Thanks to the organizers and all the help from Pelham Fish and Game Club, which, incidentally, is a beautiful club.

Click here for day 2…

Common build up point on bolt, NEVER stretch out or compress gas rings

I have noticed several questions on the forum recently focused on lubrication and maintenance of the carbine.  So, I thought I’d post some generalized guidelines for maintenance, cleaning and lubrication. If followed, these guidelines will keep your carbine functioning optimally with minimum time expenditure.

The AR15/M4/M16 family of firearms has gotten a poor reputation due to the bad experiences and poor information provided to operators in the past. This weapon platform is highly reliable when maintained properly. Some general guidelines to follow to insure reliable function and life time service from your firearm:

1. Attempt to field strip and quick clean your carbine after each shooting session. Even if this only means you have time to de-grease the bolt carrier, bolt face and clean out the chamber and bore.  This will go a long way toward maintaining reliability.

Clean extractor claw trench of any debris and visually inspect for cracks or chips

2. Soak small parts such as the charging handle, bolt carrier, bolt and its small parts in a Tupperware container of Hoppe’s #9 overnight. This  will make cleaning these small, hard to reach surfaces much easier and save you time and trouble in the long run.

3. Attempt to fully field strip, inspect and thoroughly clean your firearm after every 3000 rounds. Note “witness marks” or where metal has rubbed on metal wearing away finish. These are important lubrications points. Look closely at the gas key on top of bolt carrier and make sure it is still tight.

4. Keep a close eye on components that are critical to the proper operation of your carbine such as the extractor and spring, ejector and spring, gas rings, firing pin and buffer spring.  It is a good idea to have back ups for all of these essential parts in a range bag or kept at home.

Bolt carrier lubrication points, DO NOT lubricate bolt-face

5. Inspect the extractor claw making sure there are no cracks where the metal is thin or chips and that the claw is not filled with carbon or debris.

6. When lubricating remember that “less is more”. Your bolt and carrier do not have to be soaking wet. Extra lubricant will attract dust, dirt and debris when firing your carbine. A light coat or sheen is all that is needed.

7. Make sure the charging handle is not bent. Lateral stress is put on the charging handle during aggressive cycling and over time they will bend and the finish will wear on one side creating witness marks.

Charging handle lubrication points- common “witness marks” or silver areas

8. Utilize a q-tip, tooth pick or dental pick to clean carbon or chunks of debris out from around the trigger group. Visually verify the legs of the trigger spring are the same length and not broken.

Make sure a small amount of grease or lubricant is placed on rear of hammer where the trigger sear makes contact

9. During dedicated field stripping remove the action spring/buffer spring from the receiver extension and inspect. Remove the buffer from the spring and degrease along with spring. Lightly lubricate the spring before replacing buffer and spring into receiver extension.

10. Learn and understand the “Cycle of Operation” for your carbine: Feeding, Locking, Firing, Unlocking, Extracting, Ejecting, Cocking, Chambering. Understanding this cycle will aid in recognizing and diagnosing any malfunctions or problems experienced while firing your carbine.

Recommended Cleaning Tools, Solvents & Lubricants

Listed in the order I use them. No fancy cleaning tools are necessary to maintain a carbine. Field expeidient items found at any small mini-mart  or box  store can be utilized for 99% of carbine maintenance. However, good cleaning kits such as those manufactured by Otis are a good investment and can make the job easier.  http://www.otisgun.com/

There are numerous degreasers and lubricants available on the market today ranging in price. Over the years I have tested/used pretty much all of them. The best degreaser I have found is Mil-Comms MC25. http://www.mil-comm.com/. For lubricants I now use and recommend Mobile One motor oil found at any box store, if these motor oils work in high performance vehicles and motorcycles they will certainly work in my carbine. A single container of Mobile One ($2.oo) will last several years. Use sparingly, apply a very small amount to the tip of  a finger and then apply to common lubrication points.

• Paper towels
• Tooth picks
• Q-Tips
• Green Scouring Pad
• Small screw driver
• Dental pick
• Brass & nylon brush
• Pipe cleaners
• Bore Snake
• Chamber brush & rod
• Mobile One 30W
• MC25 Cleaner/Degreaser (Milcom)
• Hoppe’s Elite (spray bottle)
• Hoppe’s #9 bore cleaner (for soaking parts overnight)
• Lubriplate (or other white lithium grease, see boating department)
• TW25b or Tetragrease (grease with Teflon suspensions from Milcom)

About Chris Fry

Chris is the owner and director of training and curriculum development for Modern Defensive Training Systems in Utica, NY where he conducts courses in reality driven practical combatives skills, extreme close quarters physical defense, tactical folding knife and edged weapon combatives and combative pistol, carbine and shotgun skills. Chris has been an active instructor with Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts in Nevada since 2003, servicing law enforcement, military and select government agencies. Chris is a certified AR15/M4/M16 and Glock armorer, contributor to various online firearms resource websites and a frequent presenter at national and international personal protection and small arms training conferences for both citizens and law enforcement.

For more information or to locate carbine, shotgun or pistol training in your area see: http://www.mdtstraining.com

The direct gas system of a typical AR-15 rifle has worked well for decades, but it has is drawbacks with reliability and cleaning. The gas tube can become clogged from carbon buildup, especially when used with lower quality ammunition. Many manufacturers have answered this call with a gas piston system, which is exactly what it describes; the action moves based on the gas transferring its energy to a piston, which, in turn, moves the bolt rearward.

There are several other manufacturers of Gas Piston AR-15 rifles, but many of them are fairly pricey and extend upwards of $2000. The Stag Arms Model 8, with it’s MSRP of $1145, comes in a great price-point, and definitely competes very well in the market.

The gas-piston system on the Model 8 is actually quite simple. Gas bleeds off through a hole in the barrel, through the regulator, actuating the piston which pushes the bolt carrier back, cycling the action. There is a spring in the forward section of the piston system which keeps the piston in the forward position until the rifle is fired. The regulator also has two positions, ON and OFF. The ON position allows the rifle to function normally, while the OFF position will allow the rifle to fire, but will not cycle the action. This system is considered a short-stroke gas piston system.

Besides the enhancement of the gas-piston system, the Stag Model 8 is everything you would expect in an AR-15 rifle. From standard carbine handguards to a forward assist A3 upper receiver, this rifle is ready to go right out of the box. Another great benefit of this rifle for us NY residents is that it can be ordered right from the factory as a NY-compliant AR-15 rifle. In fact, the one that Allstar Tactical lent us was already NY-compliant. The benefit of this is that there is no extra costs for pinning the stock or the muzzle brake.

Another great feature for the Model 8 is that it comes with a pair of $200 flip-up iron sights from Midwest Industries. Midwest industries is highly regarded for their Back Up Iron Sights (BUIS) and other AR-15 accessories. Including these with the rifle only makes the price-point of the Model 8 that much more attractive!

We tested the rifle with 55gr Armscor 5.56 surplus Ammo, also donated by Allstar Tactical, and found that every round fired flawlessly.  No failure-to-feed’s, no failure-to-eject’s, and certainly no jams of any sort. I was also very surprised at the accuracy of the rifle, even when using surplus ammunition. I was able to average 3-4″ groups at 50 yrds using iron sights, and I’m not that great of a shot!

So, great accuracy and ridiculous reliability combined with an MSRP under $1150 produces the Stag Arms Model 8 Gas Piston rifle, an AR-15 for the masses. Manufactured in the USA (Connecticut), the Model 8 also comes in a hard plastic case, and carries Stag Arms’ standard warranty. I would have to say that I definitely recommend this rifle to anyone looking for a gas-piston AR-15 and doesn’t want to break the bank!

SPECS:

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