History of the Rifle

The history of the rifle is a long one, but the term rifle was originally applied to the grooving inside a barrel with the first examples being referred to as “rifled guns” or “rifled muzzleloaders”. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “Rifle: a gun that has a long barrel and is held against the shoulder when you shoot it, or to cut spiral grooves into the bore of.” It is also possibly from the French term, rifler, which is to scratch or file.

Rifling in itself is not specific to shoulder fired guns, as cannons had been rifled as early as 1664, and examples used in 1776 by the British. There are common features which separate cannons from rifles; a stock, barrel and trigger/ignition mechanism. There are variations on these three features as technology progressed and, for many years, early rifles shared characteristics of their non-rifled contemporaries such as muskets and shotguns. It’s hard to talk about rifles without also talking about ammunition. In the history of the rifle technological evolution and innovation have affected each other. I will cover a few specific examples of both firearms and ammunition that shaped what became a modern rifle.

History of the Rifle Stock

 

The first step in the history of the rifle was the stock. A stock is the part of the gun placed against the shoulder to facilitate aiming and recoil management. This can be made of wood, plastic or metal depending on the manufacturer and time period. It is often a permanent part of the assembly that holds the mechanical working parts of the rifle. Folding, collapsible or attachable versions have also been developed.  A stock is not exclusive to a rifle, as machine guns, shotguns, submachine guns and even pistols have had them through the years. The term stock dated to 1571 is derived from the Germanic word stoc, meaning tree trunk, referring to the wooden nature of the gunstock.

The first hand cannons simply had a wooden pole attached to the breech end to provide a handle. They could not be aimed and fired by one man effectively. The Arbuequest, a matchlock with a long barrel, was the first appearance of a stock that could be braced against the shoulder and held with two hands. This was due to the innovation of the slow burning match, which allowed one man to light the fuse, brace the gun and sight down its barrel.

History of the Rifle Barrel

 

The most distinct feature that makes a rifle is the way its barrel works. Helical grooves are formed in the barrel, which impart a spin to a projectile along its axis. Machining or forging created these grooves.  The spin creates gyroscopic stability, which improves the aerodynamic properties and therefore accuracy. Invented in Germany in the 15th century, rifling was first polygonal and shaped in a spiral pattern. This created hills and valleys and created a spin on the projectile. This was replaced for a time by conventional rifling where deep groves are cut into the barrel, which also created spin and increased accuracy. The soft metal of the projectile would deform into the rifling and start the spin, and in some cases fins or ribs where added to the ball to fit into the rifles grooves. Polygonal rifling has come back into common use today in many handguns by CZ, H&K and Glock, with claims that it provides longer service life and has higher velocities.

   Conventional            Polygonal

Smooth bore muskets do not have rifling. The spherical projectile was smaller in diameter than the barrel, and the projectile would bounce against the sides creating instability. One of the first adaptations of the musket was the Kentucky rifle, in the early 1700s. German immigrants created long barreled rifled muzzleloaders. The smaller diameter barrel and tight fitting lead ball made it more accurate, but it was slower to load. It was the slower reload time of the rifled guns that made them less desirable as a military firearm at the time.

Ammunition

 

In the history of the rifle it was the introduction of the “Minie” Ball in 1840 that allowed rifled muskets to replaced smoothbore muskets as the primary military firearm. The Minie was a conical projectile that would expand and deform. This would create friction and engage the rifling. For the most part the longer the barrel the more spin and more accuracy one would have. However, barrel length had little to do with the definition of a rifle. Until the 19th century there was little standardization of barrel length. The Brown Bess musket the British army carried had a barrel length of 42 inches, while cavalry units would have short-barreled guns ranging from 24 to 32 inches. In the 20th century, a barrel length of about 20 inches sets the difference between rifles and carbines. A carbine is simply a smaller length rifle.

Powder Fired Rifles

 

The way the powder was ignited has changed the efficiency and ammunition capacity of rifles.

First, fulminate of mercury, then potassium chlorate and now lead styphnate is used for propellant. The ignition of the powder, or deflagration, creates expanding gas pushing the bullet out of the barrel. The first simple hand cannons simply had a hole in the barrel to insert a fuse and ignite the powder. This was followed by matchlocks, which used a slow burning match and a small pan holding powder. Flint and wheel lock guns followed in the 15 and 1600’s, which were of similar design and function. These early firearms had to be cocked and caught by the sear, which holds the hammer back, before each shot. In 1610 Marin le Bourgeois developed the flintlock rifle. The trigger releases a spring-loaded mechanism that causes a flint to strike a steel surface; the ensuing spark ignites gunpowder and propels a spherical bullet.
In 1825 Reverend John Forsyth invented the percussion cap. The significance of this is the percussion cap made rifles reliable in inclement weather by enclosing the ignition system.

In 1836, Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse created a needle gun that would become a staple of the Prussian army. Dreyse’s breech-loading rifle relied on cartridges that included a black-powder charge, a percussion cap and a bullet wrapped in paper. While not a muzzleloader, Dreyse’s design of the entire firing mechanism in a straight line is thought to have led to the development of the inline muzzleloader and the bolt-action rifle. It also leads to the development of cartridge ammunition.

The first pin fire cartridge was created in 1840 and was followed by both rim fire cartridges (1859) and center fire (1869). The advent of cartridges fundamentally changed the way rifles we loaded and paved the road for multiple capacity, repeating firearms. Pulling the trigger allows the hammer or striker to fly forward, striking the firing pin, which then strikes the primer, igniting an impact-sensitive chemical compound which shoots a flame through the “flash hole” into the cartridge’s propellant chamber, igniting the propellant.

Magazine Fed Rifles

 

In 1860 the Spencer repeating rifle was the first adoption of a removable magazine fed infantry rifle. The Spencer used rim fire metallic cartridges in a tubular magazine.

In 1884 Paul Vieille invented a smokeless powder that gave off almost no smoke and was three times more powerful than black powder. Cartridges became smaller and lighter, and led to the development of magazine fed rifles such as the Lebel Model 1886.

The Lee-Metford was a bolt action. 303 Caliber bolt action, box magazine rifle created in 1884. This was the predecessor of the famous WWI and WWII rifles such as the Lee- Enfield and Mauser. Many of the rifles of this period used a striper clip to load the magazine.

Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher unveils the model 85 semi automatic rifle in 1885.

Introducing the recoil operated action. It is accepted that the model 85 inspired the M1 Garand, and his 1900 short stroke piston inspired the M1 Carbine.

A fundamental change in the employment and role of rifles quickly developed during and after WWII. Many countries developed intermediate cartridges, bridging the gap between pistol and heavy rifle rounds. It was believed that the standard. 30-06 round was too powerful for average engagement distances. The US Army for instance, had staunch opposition to issuing the semi automatic M1 as they believed its higher rate of fire would lead to wasted ammunition. During Operation Barbossa, the German invasion of Russia in 1941, the Russians had already equipped many units with STV-38, STV-40 and PPSh-41 submachine guns. The high volume of fire over that of the German units caused the Germans to reconsider their doctrine and increase production of semi automatic and select fire guns.  Select fire guns using a rifle cartridge are seen as far back as 1890 with the gas operated Cei-Rigotti, and the short recoil Fedorov Avtomat in 1915. In the history of the rifle the first accepted “assault rifle” was the German Sturmgewhr 44. Sometimes known as the MP 43/44, this rifle set the stage for today’s modern systems such as the AR-15 and the AK-47. Two of the most prolific and controversial weapon systems ever created.

Even today new designs like the British SA-80 and Steyr AUG which use a “bullpup” design make us rethink of what we consider a rifle. Into the 21st century, innovations will again change how we define rifles, such as caseless amunition, smart optics and better metallurgy. The U.S. Army’s experimental XM 25 crosses the line between a grenade launcher and a rifle.  The questions of what the next steps will be and how will we classify what a rifle is, are to be determined.

First published on Aegis Academy

Posted by Aegis Academy Staff.

Gun Safety Rules and a Few Tips !

Firearms are excellent tools for both personal defense and recreation. Having a good working knowledge of gun safety rules is an part of being proficient. Unfortunately, many web sites and Internet forums default to “humorous” safety tips and rules or worse, things that are simply unsafe. Here are a few gun safety rules and tips to think about as a responsible gun owner. Before we talk about tips you need to know and understand the Four Universal Safety Rules. There are variations on the theme, but Jeff Cooper is generally credited with distilling these down to the key elements to creating a safe gun owner. These apply to any firearm.

Gun Safety Rules

1. Treat every gun as if it was loaded.
Do not ever do anything with an unloaded gun you would not do with a loaded one.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
The bullet will go in the direction the gun is pointed. If you do not have a reason to point a gun at something – Don’t
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
Guns do not shoot themselves. If your finger is not on the trigger modern firearms will not discharge.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
Not just beyond it, but around it as well. Bullets do not stop simply because you didn’t hit what you aimed at.

Notice, I did not mention safeties. Much of the military teaches keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire. Many modern handguns do not have external safeties. They are all mechanical devices – and like all mechanical devices, they have a failure rate. If you adhere to the four core safety rules, you make a mechanical safety irrelevant.

When using a firearm that has mechanical safety, use it in addition to the four gun safety rules – but don’t rely on it to keep you safe.

Gun Safety Tips:

 

Gun Safety Tip # 1 – Keep your weapon maintained.

Proper cleaning of a weapon means it should function as designed. Read the owner’s manual and what the manufacturer recommends as far as cleaning products, schedule and procedures. Some guns need more cleaning than others and some ammunition can create more residues. Keep the gun properly lubricated as well. Malfunctions due to improper maintenance, bad ammo or worn parts can contribute to safety problems with a gun.

Gun Safety Tip # 2 – Use the proper ammunition.

Most factory-produced ammunition is adequate for your training purposes. Reloaded ammunition is also an option, but consider the source and reputation of the product. Unlike factory ammo, there are no standard testing or safety criteria for home re-loads. Improper powder loads, bad crimping, and unchecked measurements can lead to poor round performance, squibs and worse.

If you are looking at cost savings as a factor, remanufactured ammunition from a reputable dealer is a safe bet. I recommend making and using your own reloads over a strangers. Again read your owners manual, some manufactures do not recommend +p ammunition and warn that it will increase wear. This may be an important consideration in gun selection and training, especially when considering a defensive carry gun. We don’t recommend your personal ++P home brew for defensive carry as it is a liability nightmare to shoot someone with your own hopped up ammo. From a safety perspective, a catastrophic malfunction from bad ammunition can cause serious injury to both the shooter and others.

Gun Safety Tip #3 – Train properly, develop safe habits

Building proper habits and proficiency is the hallmark of a responsible shooter and gun owner. You must create an environment where gun safety is a habit, not an after thought or decision. Placing your finger on the trigger is a decision. Maintaining muzzle awareness, trigger discipline and situational awareness consistently can only be done with proper practice and realistic training goals. Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent.

If you build improper habits, you will do improper procedures. It stops being fun when a preventable accident occurs. You are the one responsible for gun safety. Familiarity can breed contempt, and I have seen more than a few professionals, military and other wise, do stupid things with guns. Why? Because they take it for granted. Teach your friends and family the good habits you have learned and only train at ranges that promote gun safety.
Load and unload your gun the same way, in the same sequence every time. Do it the point where you can’t get it wrong and build the habit of a thorough inspection of the chamber and magazines well in to the process. That one habit alone would prevent a number of negligent discharges from occurring.

Gun Safety Tip #4 – Store your gun properly

Once you own a gun, you are responsible for gun safety. Period. A gun will not fire by itself, but an improperly stored gun is unacceptable. In some states it is a crime, but it is a moral responsibility of every gun owner to protect their gun from thieves and keep it out of the hands of children. In 2010, according to the Center for Disease Control, there were 62 unintentional gun deaths for children under the age of 14, and 667 nonfatal injuries. Twenty-eight states have laws requiring safe storage, but the implications of a child or criminal obtaining your firearm due to negligence is the owner’s fault.

Understand and be in compliance with the law in your state, but if your state has no guidelines, here are few thoughts. A gun should be under your control or stored properly at all times. Teach your family the rules of gun safety. Children are curious and will find ways to get where they are not supposed. Take away the curiosity, then teach them to respect it – and make sure your guns are secure. Look into programs like the Eddie Eagle program from the NRA for young children and read Teaching Kids to Shoot for more information.

Gun Safety Tip #5 – Wear proper protective equipment

Proper eye and ear protection will save you a lot of pain and suffering later. Ranges should require them to be worn and often provide protection for you. Gunshots can range from 140 to 180 decibels, and levels at which damage to your hearing can occur. Eye protection will prevent brass, particles or lubrication from damaging your eyes. It is particularly important when you are shooting at steel targets where fragmentation of the copper jacket of the bullet can bounce back. Rarely does this break skin, but your eyes are a different story.

Hats with a brim are helpful for both sun protection and the stray piece of hot brass. I do not recommend wearing sandals on the range. Hot brass tends to find the space between your toes as a nice place to land. Long sleeve shirts and pants are a good choice. Gloves can be worn when you’re shooting, especially if you expect to be wearing them when you have to use your firearm – like in the winter. Practice for the conditions you expect to experience.
Practicing gun safety is the responsibility of anyone handling or owning a firearm. Gun Safety should be thought of and practiced continuously. You can never be too familiar or proficient at it. Using tips like these can help you and your family be responsible gun owners.

First published on Aegis academy

Posted by Aegis Academy Staff

Home Defense – What you can do

Basic guide to home defense

 

At the end of a long day at school or work, or after a lengthy trip away, which one of us doesn’t look forward to coming home? It’s the one place where your surroundings are the most familiar. It’s the place where you spend the majority of your hours off, wake up in the morning after a restful sleep and immerse yourself in the things that mean the most to you. Home is where you spend quality time with your family and ultimately it’s where you kick your feet up at the end of a long day.

Home is your castle, your sanctuary, your favorite place to be; it’s where you and your family are the safest and feel the most secure. It’s also a primary target of the predator.

Looking at it from the viewpoint of a predator, your home is a one-stop-shop of exploitable opportunity. To the drug addict, repeat offender and criminal opportunist your home is a treasure trove of cash, expensive jewelry, high-end electronics, weapons, tools and precious metals. To the sexual predator, your home is a prime hunting ground where potential victims can be predictably observed and targeted, knowing when they are asleep or otherwise occupied they are vulnerable to attack.

Knowing that law enforcement will most likely respond, most people think; “Well, if something bad happens here at home I’ll just dial 911.” Instead of relying 100% on a reactive response, others choose the option of being better prepared to manage a home invasion by being armed with the full gamut of proactive, active and reactive measures.

What proactive measures can you take in home defense? There is a traditional protective concept called concentric rings of protection using multiple “rings”. Circles or layers of security used to create that 360-degree envelope of protection around your home and all residents.

The concentric rings – multiple circles or layers – are like an onion of security wrapped around your home. The first layer would be located at the outer boundary, with additional layers as you move inward through your home toward things you value most. Rather than placing full reliance on a single layer or ring of protection, the application of multiple layers requires an intruder to penetrate a series of protective layers to reach his goal. The more protective layers or rings that exist between the outside world and the things contained inside, the better your protection.

The outermost ring – the perimeter defensive layer – might include a continuous fence, locking gates, exterior motion-sensor alarms or lighting and a dog.

The second ring in – the exterior defensive layer, at any area of entry to the building – might include solid hardwood or metal exterior doors, an alarm, surveillance cameras and sturdy bolt locks.

The third ring in – the interior defensive layer – might include internal locking doors, additional lighting, indoor motion detectors and so on.

The fourth ring in – the core interior defensive layer – could include locking cabinets, a rugged safe, a safe room and the like.

The primary tool used to actively defending your home is simply using your situational awareness. Take about three seconds to scan your immediate environment upon arrival and departure from your home looking for anything that doesn’t seem right. If nothing is out of the ordinary, then no action is required. Additionally use your verbal skills, do not shout over the fence to your neighbor “Hey I’m going on vacation and nobody will be here for the next two weeks!” Refrain from sharing additional information such as discussing your storage of valuables or weapons.

If intruders force you into a defensive position in your own home and you own a firearm, have access to it (and ammunition). If you are qualified and willing to utilize it to defend your home and family, after you have retreated to your safest position, then it is recommended you dial 911. Put the phone on speaker and provide one warning to the intruder(s). Using your verbal skills shout “get out of my house – I am in fear for my life and I have a gun – get out.” Say it only once—phone calls to 911 are in most cases recorded and this advises both incoming first responders and your assailant that you are in fact armed and prepared to utilize deadly force.

Remember, long before it ever comes down to taking reactive measures, you have a plethora of proactive and active measures at your disposal. However, there is a balance between level of protection and convenience which must be struck. The last thing you want to do when coming home at the end of your long day is to cross a moat, unlock three heavy steel gates, pass the four Dobermans, fumble with another set of keys to unlock five more deadbolts, successfully pass a retinal scan and take another ten minutes to disarm your home defenses – all with both arms full of groceries. The same would apply to all members of your household.

On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want to leave all your doors and windows wide open 24/7 even when you’re not home. The answer falls somewhere in between. You don’t ever want to sacrifice convenience for security and vice versa. Utilizing a wide range of proactive and active protective measures can significantly lower your threat profile and ensure an effective yet comfortable level of home defense.

First Published at Aegis Academy

About Author

 

- Steve Tarani

 

Firearms Instructor, Unarmed Defense Program Manager


Serving the federal training community for more than 25 years, Steve is a respected Protective Programs subject matter expert (SME) and service provider to numerous high/ low-profile US federal agencies and the private sector. Specializing in operational readiness, he is actively contracted by the US Department of Defense, National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, and many others. Steve is himself a former US Defense Intelligence employee (CIA), Protective Programs Educator and formerly on staff at the US DOE National Security Institute (Security Force Training Dept.) at Kirkland Air Force Base (NM). At the time of this writing, he is a published author of seven books and remains an advisor to the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He is additionally a knife designer and the architect of IACP Model Policy on the carry and usage of knives by federal, state and municipal peace officers.

Sources of Information and Personal Security

Since most of us choose not to live like a paranoid fanatic with cleared fields of fire from our front door to the keep-out signs surrounding our houses – life is about managing risks. Everything we do from the moment we are born until the day we pass involves making risk assessments and developing various means of avoiding or mitigating the risk we choose to accept. We all do it every day and in many aspects of our lives we are experts. Unfortunately, it’s in the big-ticket items where people tend to make mistakes in this arena – and that unfortunately results in a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering.

For starters – stop worrying about things that don’t happen and spend a few of those minutes preparing for the inevitable. If you simply plan for the things that are likely to happen to you – you’ll be light years ahead of the general population! In order to do that we really need to take a look at what negative events are most likely to occur and unfortunately the media, the internet and our personal experiences are generally poor indicators.

 

We are inundated with poor sources of information

The Internet is an incredible collection of a variety of sources of information, and some of which is even true! Anyone with an opinion can write an article on any subject they choose and post it for the world to view. The days of having some expertise, journalistic integrity, editorial oversight and even fact checking are for the most part over. Lets look at that last sentence. Sounds accurate, connects with most readers on a base level – but the fact is, I just made it up. It is a single source opinion (mine) expressed as a fact, and I am confident someone will have quoted it by the end of the week… Perhaps it’s even true, but other than the absolute falsehoods I see reported, I have no factual basis for my opinion.

When we see movies, we are typically getting an adrenaline filled journey through the combined lens of a fiction writer, a Hollywood director and ultimately the producer who is writing the check. While accuracy is important to many of them, producing a movie people will pay to watch is what they get paid to do. People naturally want to connect with great stories – and mundane activities generally doesn’t make a great story. We exaggerate key components, rely on nearly superhuman capabilities and and construe a completely improbably series of extraordinary event and in that we find our hero’s. Unfortunately, preparing to meet our movie hero’s challenges does not prepare us to deal with the real risks in our own lives.

The bottom rung of the information food chain these days is the media. MSNBC, FOX and CNN are simply pandering to a political base to expand viewership and increase advertising revenue. In recent years, their penchant for un-researched opinion is with out equal. Take the same event, same facts and the same statistics and get three completely divergent OPINONS on what it means. All of which are expressed as known facts. It makes for great entertainment, but their “reporting” has no basis in fact aside from the general agreement that a spin worthy story has occurred. The line between opinion and fact has become so gray many of us have forgotten the difference between the two.

Quantity of information

When we spend time sourcing information on which to base risk decisions, the source of information is in many cases more important than the information itself. We hear the drum beat about human trafficking, kidnapping and sexual slavery. These stories flood the Internet, make engaging movies and provide fodder for the pundits like Nancy Grace to blather on about. In the security industry we call it the “Missing White Girl Syndrome”. Statistically it is irrelevant, but if a western white girl is missing, somehow that makes international headlines. We don’t talk about the 1.2 million teenagers inducted globally into sexual slavery.

If you believe what Hollywood and the media provide you, you will spend valuable time educating your child to avoid strangers to reduce their chance of being kidnapped. The fact is less than 100 of 800,000 U. S. children reported missing fall into the category of a “stranger abduction”. While you are worrying about the 100 abductions, 2,800 children will be killed in car accidents in the same year. The quality of information is far more relevant than the volume.

Unfortunately, like most things of value in life, quality information requires time and effort. Conducting sound risk assessments is the basis of establishing sound personal security plans. The reason the source of information is so critical is because it will ultimately define the quality of your assessment. If you make an assessment based on bad sources of information, you are very likely to come to a highly inaccurate conclusion.

 

Where to find good sources of information

The Center for Disease Control has produced an injury and fatality reporting tool that is incredibly user friendly (WISQARS). The World Health Organization is the global equivalent. Boiling this down to be user fin in a local risk can be difficult. I have found crimereport.com and healthmap.org are the simplest and easiest tools to use real time reporting for outbreaks and crime and their data is collected from quality sources of information. From here, I can make solid determinations on the real risks my family faces from injury, crime and diseases in matter of minutes.

If you are traveling, spend 15 minutes reading the CIA world fact book on that country before you go. This is a free online publication that contains a quick overview of every country on the planet. The writers study these countries in detail for a living, and do an annual update. They cover languages, customs, politics, economics and a brief overview on crime. The next step is the country studies published by the Library of Congress, which can be accessed from the state departments website. Country studies are detailed information on anything you want to dig into, but they are long and detailed so go there with specific questions and use them to answer them. Lastly the state department will have up to the minute travel advisories and warnings posted for every county on the planet.

More than likely that is beyond adequate for most people. However, if you want more data you can look at the economic intelligence unit. The economic intelligence unit collects from a wide variety of sources and produces a number of local assessments. While some of it is free, most of it requires a subscription. United Nations on Drugs and Crime and the International Center for Prison Studies can also be enlightening if you want more data on specific regions.

Using Sources of Information

Having great sources of information is worthless if you don’t use them, and collecting random snippets of quality information is equally futile. The purpose is to keep you and your family safe. Here are statistically the risks you need to be concerned with when looking at personal security:

• Illness prevention
• Access to medical care
• Crime rate and threats
• Food & water quality
• Local security forces

If you have even gross familiarity with the above in the area you live or are traveling to, you are already ahead of the locals. The goal of collecting this information is to mitigate the risk, to which you are choosing to expose yourself. After you deal with the big five, then you can worry about what to do in the event your mitigation plans have failed. Remember, you don’t have be the fastest person in the group if you are chased by a bear, you just can’t be the slowest.

Start getting informed in your local area and check back next month for the next article in our personal security series – Developing a practical risk mitigation strategy. You can see more our existing personal security curriculum here! For additional articles check out Personal Safety step one – Threat Avoidance and Social Media and the Attack Cycle!

First Published at Aegis Academy

About Author

- Patrick Henry

President
 

Patrick Henry received his operational training and experience from the U. S. Government, 22 years of which were spent in the Marine Corps where he served in the Reconnaissance, Infantry and Intelligence fields. During his active service, he spent more then seven years deployed overseas in combat, operational and training assignments. After the military, Pat worked as a contractor and as the Director of Operations at a private paramilitary company, specializing in training special operations forces and providing protective services to select private clients. His education consists of an MBA from the University of Southern California (USC), and a BS from San Diego State University with an emphasis in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and a minor in Psychology. He holds an extensive list of security and training related certifications from a variety of government and nationally recognized entities. He has an extensive entrepreneurial background ranging from real estate and technology, to the security training and education market. He currently sits on the advisory committee at USC’s Master of Veterans Business Program, and is an active member of Infraguard and the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS). He has been a guest speaker at ASIS, the San Diego Industrial Security Awareness Council and other private organizations on physical security, travel security, and competitive intelligence collection counter-measures.

Benelli Super-90 Shotgun Review

Aegis Academy members and readers, I did a review of the Remington 870 12 gauge tactical shotgun, but the question always comes up, what about the semi-auto shotguns? We have now done the same for the Benelli Super-90 semi-auto 12 gauge. For starters, it’s very hard to make a true side-by-side comparison of the 870 pump gun and Super-90 semi-auto. Simply because the Benelli can be more than three times the cost of the Remington, depending on which model you chose. The retail price is just one part of the review. Let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of one of the best high-end auto loaders.

As the name implies, the Benelli Super-90 is a semi-auto shotgun and has a lot of particular features that set it apart from many other semi-autos. First and foremost, the Benelli Super-90 comes in numerous different models. Each of which has some very distinguishing differences. The M-1 is the basic model with an 18.5 inch barrel, standard butt-stock and castle-type pistol sights. The M-2 has the same barrel length with a pistol grip butt-stock, ghost-ring sights plus the receiver is drilled and tapped for a picatinny rail. The M-3 has an 18.5 inch barrel, pistol grip butt-stock, ghost-ring sights and the rail system is factory installed. The M-3 can also function as a semi-auto and/or a pump gun with a twist of the control collar located at the front of the fore-grip. The M-4 is the high end model with a pistol grip, collapsible butt-stock, 18.5 inch barrel, ghost-ring sights and rail system. This is the model that the USMC and other military units have purchased to replace various other 12 gauge shotguns. Depending on where you live and which model you want, retail cost can be anywhere from $1200 to $1800, quite a lot of money for any shotgun.

All of the Benelli Super-90 models come with the patented Benelli “inertia recoil system”. This system uses the majority of the gas pressure to cycle the weapon so the shooter feels less actual recoil compared with a 12 gauge pump gun. All the Benelli Super-90 models come with an aluminum alloy receiver and synthetic butt-stock and fore-grip which make them very light weight and easy to manipulate. The light weight coupled with the recoil system makes the Benelli Super-90 the preferred shotgun for 3-gun matches that are very popular with sport shooters across the country. Go to any 3-gun competition in your local area and more than 75% of the shotguns being used are some variant of a Benelli Super-90. You will also see a variety of the latest electronic red-dot systems and illuminated high-visibility front posts as well as numerous other high-end modifications. These include, extended bolt handles and bolt releases, oversize safeties, high capacity magazine tubes and beveled loading ports. None of the above modifications, other than the high capacity magazine tube, would I call a tactical necessity.

The Length of Pull can be measured and changed to suit almost any size shooter just by changing the thickness of the recoil pad on the butt-stock. You can also order your Benelli Super-90 with any of the normal length smooth-bore or rifled slug barrels. Another popular tactical accessory is a light system, which replaces the standard fore-grip with an integral light mount fore-grip and pressure pad switch. However, any standard or aftermarket accessory that fits on the Benelli Super-90 will be relatively expensive.

When it comes to actual shooting and manipulating of the weapon there some real tactical disadvantages to any semi auto shotgun, Benelli Super-90 included. The type of ammunition and maintenance of the weapon drive the reliability of all semi-auto shotguns. Benelli Super-90s thrive on high quality ammo such as 2-3/4”/3” buckshot and slugs plus proper care and cleaning. Without both, they can be become very manipulation/training intensive during a malfunction. Depending on the malfunction, an average shooter can clear a pump gun faster and with less drama than a semi-auto. A pump gun will also be easier to change ammunition on the fly (slug select) and run better on lower quality ammunition with less maintenance due to the manual pump action.

With all that being stated, a high capacity magazine tube and light system are all you need to make your Benelli a great multipurpose home defense weapon. With the accessory light system and magazine tube extension, you could have more than $2000 invested in one weapon. For less money, you could purchase the Remington 870 12 gauge Tactical with a light system and a Sig-Sauer pistol and have cash left over for training and home defense ammunition. If you’re not going to be a 3-gun competitor anytime soon the decision seems very easy to make.

You can find more gun reviews from the Aegis Academy staff here.

Article first published on Aegis Academy

About Author

 

- Chris White

 

Range Master

Chris White is 20-year veteran of the United States Navy (SEAL Teams) where he retired as a Chief (SO7). He has multiple combat tours and was assigned to three different SEAL teams as well as Naval Special Warfare Development Group during his active duty service. His key billets include: Assault Team leader, Platoon Chief and Platoon LPO at Development Group. He spent 6 years in instructor and training assignments during his career. Since his retirement, he has worked as an instructor and contracted operator at numerous high threat security providers in the Middle East and Africa. He continues to deploy in support of contingency operations and high threat protective details spending approximately 120 days a year overseas. He holds an extensive list of Department of Defense and Special Operations Command certifications and qualifications.