Author: Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is an American author, editor and entrepreneur. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

Categories
Optics and Sighting Systems

ATN Thor 4 Thermal Scopes: Better Performance, More Features

ATN Thor 4 Scope

American Technology Network (ATN) Corp. announced a new line of thermal rifle scopes called the Thor 4. These scopes offer a wide range of options and features that are sure to interest many hunters.

Sensors

At the heart of this scope is the ATN Obsidian IV Dual Core T. This is the technology that makes the rest of the features possible in this scope. In the base scopes, the sensor provides a 384×288 resolution while the optional sensor offers 640×480 resolution.

ATN Thor 4 color image

With the internal lithium ion battery, you can expect at least 18 hours of runtime with the first sensor. The upgraded sensor should still run for at least 16 hours on a single charge according to the data provided by ATN.

With this scope, you have the option of three viewing modes: black hot, white hot and color mode. A variety of electronic reticles are included in the scopes.

ATN Thor 4 Scope

There are additional sensors and measurement devices in the scopes. These include a gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, compass and range finder. These all feed data to a ballistic calculator.

Lenses

Variable power magnification lenses are part of the Thor 4 system. Like any other scope, you have to select the one that makes the most sense for you.

The 384×288 sensor can be paired with one of four different magnification lenses: 1.25-5x, 2-8x, 4.5-18x and 7-28x. With the 640×480 sensor, you have four different magnification lens choices: 1-10x, 1.5-15x, 2.5-25x and 4-40x. The higher the magnification factor, the higher the final price of the optic.

Video

Video capabilities have been upgraded in the Thor 4 models. These scopes use a dual core processor that has enough computing power to handle both recording high definition video and streaming it over WiFi.

In practice this means that you can record the entire hunt onto a microSD card while your partner can see things on his or her phone or tablet in real time. It also allows you to stream live to social media while recording locally if you wish.

I highly recommend checking out my friend’s hunting website that has additional information on hunting with thermal optics.

The microSD slot can handle high capacity cards: up to 256 GB of data. To put that into perspective, that is a quarter of a terabyte of data. Video is recorded at a resolution of 1280×960 @ 60 fps with the display showing 1280×720.

Controls

On the Thor 4, ATN opted to use a zoom wheel on the left side of the scope. Instead of pressing buttons to zoom in, you simply rotate this knob to move in or out.

Button style controls are still present on the top of the unit. These controls cover other things you may wish to change such as the reticle type or viewing mode.

WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity allows you to send data to your phone.

Ballistic Calculator

Using the data collected with its sensors and a load profile you select, the optic can do calculations for you for more precise shots. In theory, you range the shot and the computer automatically adjusts the reticle location based on all of the data its collected. All you have to do is pull the trigger.

Ranging the shot is accomplished by keying in on the height of the animal you are stalking. From the top of the animal to the bottom of the animal is enough height that the computer can calculate distance.

If you want a faster, more precise way of ranging, ATN offers an auxiliary ballistic laser, the ABL 1000. This laser integrates with the front of the scope and provides a direct measurement to the target.

ATN ABL 1000 Laser

Cost, Where to Buy

The cost of the new Thor 4 series of thermal scopes varies depending on how you choose to equip it. The base model, a Thor 4 384 1.25-5x has a suggested retail price of $1,999.

Upgrading to the 640×480 sensor and changing the lenses affects the price. Going to the largest sensor and using the 4-40x glass jumps the price to $4,799. While that may seem like a lot to the average shooter like me, I recognize that the technology built into this scope is far beyond anything I could have ever had just a few years ago. ATN deserves to make their money back on all of the research and development that goes into this kind of scope.

For me, I would probably buy the ATN Thor 4 640 1-10x. This would seem to make the most sense for my shooting. It offers the highest resolution with a broad range of magnification for short to medium range targets.

Last Update: October 23, 2022

Disclosure

GunsHolstersAndGear.com is a for-profit website.?I do not charge readers a dime to access the information I provide.

Some of the links on this page and site are affiliate links to companies like Amazon and Palmetto State Armory. These links take you to the products mentioned in the article. Should you decide to purchase something from one of those companies, I make a small commission.

The links do not change your purchase price. I do not get to see what any individual purchases.

Categories
80% Builds

Liberty MkIX: 80% 1911 Frame with Significant Advances

Liberty MkIX featured image

If you like to build your own firearms, the Liberty MkIX line of 80% 1911 frames may be of great interest to you.

Table Of Contents
  1. Sizes & Models
  2. Fewer Parts
  3. Hand Fit, Lefties
  4. Pricing, Where to Buy

The new Liberty MkIX pistols from Freedom Concepts Laboratory promise fewer parts, lighter weight and improved fit for a range of shooters. With a range of frame sizes, you will be able to build a 1911-style handgun that meets your needs instead of trying to arrange your life around the gun’s size.

Sizes & Models

Initially, there will be three basic models:

  • MkIX-G – a government sized model with a 5″ slide, short accessory rail, full grip and 8 round magazine
  • MkIX-Gx – an extended model with a 5″ slide, full length accessory rail, full grip and 8 round magazine
  • MkIX-O – an officer sized model with a 4″ slide, short accessory rail, full grip and 8 round magazine
Liberty MkIX 1911 frame

All three models are made of a proprietary blend of glass filled polymer. The frame rails are made of steel for increased durability.

I should be careful to note that these are 80% receivers, or frames, and not completed firearms. To be used as a firearm, you must complete a number of machining actions on the part before it can be assembled into a working handgun. Once you complete the required machining operations, you can complete it with 1911 parts.

The machining process will require some simple tools and work on your end. Until the machining is complete, this is (legally speaking) just a hunk of polymer. It can be shipped straight to your home without paying $30 or more to have it transferred through an FFL.

80 percent 1911 frame

Yes, it is perfectly legal to build your own gun. Homemade firearms are completely lawful under federal law and most states. See my article on the federal requirements about applying a serial number to a homemade firearm for more information.

Fewer Parts

According to Freedom Concepts Laboratory, the new 80% 1911 frames use standard 1911 magazines, slides and internal parts. However, the company says the frames require 40% fewer parts than a standard 1911 pistol.

In addition to the 80% 1911 frames, the company will sell a reusable jig. This will be sold separately since it can be used to complete multiple firearms.

1911 frame jig

Freedom Concepts Laboratory states it will support the frames with a full line of parts kits to make assembling the guns as easy as possible for the home builder. This includes a “one box, one gun” package that includes all of the parts you need.

Hand Fit, Lefties

One of the things that 1911 shooters tend to love about the guns is the way they fit into the hand. However, that doesn’t mean the traditional 1911 grip is ideal for all shooters.

To improve the shooting experience for folks of all hand sizes, the company designed the frame to accept different sizes of backstraps. Interestingly, the patent pending backstrap system also captures the mainspring assembly. I look forward to seeing exactly what the designers did here.

left handed 1911

Left-handed shooters may be interested in the ambidextrous nature of this frame. The frame comes with the parts needed for a right-handed shooter: magazine release button and frame mounted safety on the left side of the gun.

However, the company will also offer an ambidextrous upgrade kit for $75. No modifications to the frame are needed to install the ambi kit.

Pricing, Where to Buy

The pricing of these new 80% frames is interesting. The full suggested retail price is $139. This puts them in the same ballpark as the Polymer80 frames for Glock compatible pistols.

However, to sweeten the deal, Freedom Concept Laboratory will offer full pistol kits that include everything you need to assemble a completed frame into a working 1911. These kits will have a MSRP that starts at only $399.

Liberty MkIX 1911 officers model

One of the complaints I hear regularly about building your own Glock-style pistol is that the cost of all the parts exceeds the price of just buying a new factory Glock. At $399, the Liberty 1911 is a real bargain. Not only do you get to build your own gun, but it comes in a lot cheaper than nearly any 1911-style pistol on the market.

All three of the models are expected to ship in March 2018.

Last Update: October 23, 2022

According to Freedom Concept Laboratory, the Liberty MkIX pistol frames will be sold through Brownells and the Glockstore. I’m a fan of both companies, and would not hesitate to do business with either in the future. If you like doing business with Brownells, please use my affiliate link here so that I receive a small portion of the profit from that sale. It doesn’t affect your price and it literally helps me feed my family. I do not have an affiliate relationship with Glockstore, but I recommend them regardless. You can access them through this link.

Categories
Handguns

FERRO 9mm Pistol from DRD Tactical: Steel Frame Glock

DRD Ferro 9mm pistol

DRD Tactical announced it would show the new FERRO 9mm pistol at the 2018 SHOT Show. The new pistol is fed from Glock compatible magazines, but unlike a Glock pistol, it has a significant twist: it has a steel frame.

A stainless steel frame is a bit heretical for many fans of the Glock system. Even though it wasn’t the first gun with a polymer frame, Glock popularized the concept back in the 1980s. Since then, there has been a significant trend toward polymer frames in military, law enforcement and self-defense handguns.

[Catch my review of the original Glock 17.]

However, there are many shooters who prefer to have a steel frame from which to launch projectiles. If you are of a like mind, it would seem the DRD Tactical FERRO is one possibility for you to consider.

In addition to the frame, DRD Tactical uses stainless steel for the barrel and slide as well. As shown in the above photograph, the FERRO can ship with a threaded 4.88″ barrel. You can also purchase it with a non-threaded 4.48″ barrel – the identical length to a standard Glock 17 pistol.

The trigger is provided by Apex Tactical Specialties. Additionally, the gun comes with an extended slide lock and magazine release. On top is a set of night sights.

DRD Tactical will ship the gun with three Magpul 17-round GL9 magazines.

Exactly how compatible this gun is with a Glock remains to be seen. I suspect that a lot of the parts interchange between a G17 and the FERRO. However, there may be some that do not.

The DRD FERRO 9mm will be offered with a black nitride finish and with a NiB Battleworn finish as is shown in the photo. DRD Tactical expects to ship the gun by spring of 2018. I do not have word on a price yet.

For those that are not familiar, DRD Tactical is a Georgia based company that is known for building high quality rifles like the APTUS, KIVAARI and quick takedown Paratus.

Categories
news

Taurus 856: Return of a Classic Revolver

Taurus 856 featured image

[Editor’s note: Taurus announced the new Defender 856 at the 2020 SHOT Show. The new guns are +P rated with a 3″ barrel and a front night sight.]

Taurus USA announced the return of the Model 856 revolver.

Table Of Contents
  1. Just the Facts
  2. Six Shots or Only Five?
  3. Bull vs. Snake
  4. Final Thoughts

While the gun is interesting on its own, I find that it is an even more compelling introduction when it is put head-to-head with the Colt Cobra. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s first take a look at what the gun is.

Just the Facts

At its most basic, the Taurus 856 is a 6-shot, compact revolver with a steel frame. It comes in at less than 1.5 pounds unloaded and is chambered for the venerable .38 Special cartridge.

Taurus 856 revolver

The gun has sights typical to concealed carry revolvers of this size: a fixed front ramp with a trench-style rear that is integral to the frame and top strap.

Taurus uses a set of its own rubber stocks on the gun. I’ve not had a chance to shoot a gun with these grips yet, but they look to be an improvement over some of the grips the company used in the past. The profile looks similar to Pachmayr Compac grips I’ve used occasionally on my Smith & Wesson J-frames.

(Update: Taurus will introduce new frame colors for the 856 at the 2019 SHOT Show.)

Six Shots or Only Five?

When Dirty Harry asked that question, he was talking about the rounds in his 6-shot .44 Magnum. But a lot of cops were asking themselves the same question when that movie was released. Should their backup gun hold six shots, or only five?

While many compact wheel guns use a 5-shot cylinder to decrease the gun’s width, there are a lot of people who are hesitant to give up that extra round of ammunition in their defensive handgun.

Guns like the Colt Cobra battled the 5-shot J-frames from Smith & Wesson for position in the ankle holsters of cops in the 60s and 70s. That single extra round of ammo made the decision easy for a lot of lawmen. A little extra width and weight were a cheap price for 20% more firepower.

With the renewed interest in the compact revolver, companies have expanded their wheelgun offerings in recent years. This includes Colt, that rolled out its updated Cobra in 2017.

Bull vs. Snake

The new Taurus 856 is a direct competitor to the new Cobra. Both are compact, steel-frame revolvers with 6-shot cylinders.

There are differences, of course. Here’s a look at some of their specs:

Taurus 856Colt Cobra
Caliber.38 Special.38 Special
Capacity66
ActionDA/SADA/SA
Barrel Length2″2″
Overall Length6.55″7.2″
Unloaded Weight22.1 oz25.0 oz
Frame Materialcarbon steel or stainless steelstainless steel
Height4.8″4.9″
Width1.41″1.40″
Sightsserrated front ramp, fixed trench rearfiber optic front, fixed trench rear
GripTaurus branded rubberHogue Overmolded
Finishmatte blue or matte stainlessmatte finish
MSRP$329$699

While I would prefer the Colt’s fiber optic sight to the Taurus’s serrated ramp, the specs seem to heavily favor the Model 856 when you factor in the final comparison: the price.

The Colt Cobra is more than twice the price of the Taurus 856.

I would never buy a self-defense handgun on price alone. However, the huge price difference is likely to sway many people standing at a gun counter.

For me, the key differences are the ones not listed in the spec chart above. What kind of reliability can I expect out of each gun? How smooth is the trigger? Does the gun feel good in my hand?

Those are things that I can only determine through testing of the guns.

Final Thoughts

Taurus USA and its parent company have been through some rough years. I don’t know if the bad times are truly behind them, but I do like the guns I’ve seen announced at the SHOT Show this year. The guns expand on the company’s best lines and are interesting enough to bring in new buyers.

Taurus 856 Custom
Since this article was written, Taurus introduced multiple versions of the 856 revolver including this model with special VZ Grips.

The Model 856 seems to be introduced with the same reasoning. It is a known winner and is competing in a popular niche with relatively little direct competition: compact, 6-shot revolvers. With such an inexpensive MSRP, I suspect these guns will be good sellers.

If Taurus quality control can keep these guns in the hands of its customers and out of the repair center, I think this gun can go a long way in restoring trust to the Taurus brand.

Last Update: October 17, 2022

Categories
Ammunition

Rob vs. Rob: A Return of the Great Caliber Wars

bullet effectiveness

I’m old enough to recall the debates of .357 Magnum vs. .45 ACP in the gun magazines. Those arguments came before the rise of the Wonder 9 pistols of the mid to late 1980s.

Once semi-automatic pistols became the norm at police departments and with shooting enthusiasts, I witnessed the arguments of 9mm vs. .40 S&W (and skirmishes over the .357 SIG, 10mm, .400 Corbon and others.)

bullet effectiveness

I thought that shooters got the ill-informed bickering out of their system during those decades and people were off to settle more important issues. Issues like what is the best technique to add an electric fan to your holster or what style of Realtree matches which caliber.

I’m afraid I was wrong.

Recently, Springfield Armory announced a Mod.2 version of the XD-S pistol. Like the original XD-S, Springfield Armory introduced the first guns in .45 ACP. I would expect the company will follow its existing pattern of introducing the follow up gun in 9mm.

It seems that the choice to introduce the gun first in .45 caused some small dust up in social media. At about the same time, competition shooter Rob Leatham, a Springfield Armory representative, put out a video about his preference for the .45 ACP.

In Leatham’s video, he talks about the .45 ACP being “more powerful” than the 9mm. He seems to imply that because the .45 ACP cartridge tends to have more momentum than the 9mm, that it is a better choice for self-defense. Leatham could have demonstrated this with a paper shooting target but opted instead to knock down some steel targets to better illustrate his point. (Ed. note: Leatham’s original video appears to have been taken down.)

In the video, he specifically mentions trainer and author Rob Pincus. Pincus holds a  preference for the 9mm cartridge as a self-defense round.

In response, Pincus posted a bit of a tongue in cheek article that offers evidence to the 9mm cartridge’s usefulness in actual self defense encounters. You can read that article here.

I should note that Leatham and Pincus have worked together in the past, and I believe they are friends. I have no reason to believe there is any animosity between them.

I have a great deal of respect for both Leatham and Pincus. Both have accomplished a great deal in their respective careers. In this video they talk about the calibers and “controversy” here:

https://youtu.be/7LL2-HiE8j4

Leatham is an accomplished competition shooter. However, in the original video – which has been removed – Leatham appears to make an argument that the .45 offers better “stopping power” than the 9mm based on the concept of momentum. I haven’t heard a serious argument made for momentum being an indicator of load effectiveness against an attacker since the early 90s. I was a bit stunned by his emphatic assertion that momentum as being something of significant note.

However, Leatham appears to suggest in the above video that he wasn’t making any references to the effectiveness of the cartridges in stopping a violent attacker. He said the video was made while he was in his “annoyed mood” and that he might have “snapped” during a conversation off camera about the differences in the two cartridges. Leatham even admits that he was being a “smart ass” with his comment about 9mm being adequate for people that can’t handle .45 ACP.

People rarely make good decisions when they are angry, and the original video may be an example of that.

During the last 30 years, we’ve seen significant advances in both bullet technology and lab testing of defensive loads. Additionally, emergency medical personnel have been interviewed and surveyed to get their insight into the effectiveness of various bullet wounds.

By and large, what is most likely to stop a violent attacker is multiple gunshot wounds delivered quickly into vital areas. That could be from a 9mm, .38 Special, .45 ACP or virtually anything else that can penetrate deeply enough to cause massive bleeding by hitting the heart, lungs or other areas. Barring a hit to the central nervous system (brain and spine), rapid blood loss is what will shut down an attacker.

A quality 9mm hollow point will do the job as effectively as a quality .45 ACP round. Some might argue that extra width gives the .45 a slight advantage in wounding capacity, while others will say that the decreased recoil of the 9mm allows for more rounds to be delivered into the attacker.

My opinion: both will get the job done. Carry what you like and treat everyone’s opinion with a healthy degree of skepticism.