USPSA 2 Gun Nationals

USPSA 2 Gun Nationals

It’s the newest competition sanctioned by the United States Practical Shooting Assn., run and gun challenges for Pistol Caliber Carbine and Handgun, on the same stages of fire. Plus, The Steyer A. U. G. is now one of History’s Guns. Then, the extraordinary story of the angry Confederate Sniper who sought revenge for the killing of his sons with the heavy barrel percussion rifle he left behind. The records show he was a man of dubious character before he turned his rage to killing bluecoats on riverboats passing his hide along the Tennessee river. And Julie Golob has a new Pro Tip on how to practice when ammo is in short supply.

USPSA 2 Gun Nationals 

The United States Practical Shooting Association continues to innovate, adding new divisions of competition that follow the trends of popular new firearms in the market. The newest is competition combining Pistol Caliber Carbines and your choice of handguns. Reasonably, they’ve named it the Two Gun Nationals.

The combination of two firearms platforms makes for an interesting and challenging weekend of shooting. The majority of the courses of fire at the Two Gun Nationals requires both firearms. However, there are a pair of stages that focus on each gun individually.

In Two Gun Competition, your time to complete the course of fire is your score. You must neutralize the targets to avoid a penalty in the form of time added.  For paper it’s one hit in the A zone, or two hits anywhere to neutralize. Steel must fall and clay targets must break, or fall from their target stand. The time penalties can be painful. A failure to neutralize is five seconds, and so is a hit on a no shoot. A complete miss, but engaged is 10 seconds. And a failure to engage, meaning you didn’t shoot at a target, that’s 15 seconds.

USPSA Information 

Talladega Marksmanship Park

History’s Guns

Every once in a while, a military rifle comes along that looks like nothing else.  There’s no better example than the futuristic looking rifle that is far more capable than you might imagine. Often miss-named as the Aug, the Steyr A.U.G. is now one of History’s Guns.

One of the Civil War’s little-known stories involves a Tennessee farmer who started his own private war as a civilian sniper sworn to kill as many Yankee soldiers as he could. What actually happened is lost in years of myth and legend, but there’s no question Jack Hinson had a fiery temper even before the war, and before setting up in a sniper,s hide high on the banks of the Tennessee River to seek his revenge and become a legend in central Tennessee.

Civilian Sniper Jack Hinson was deadly on land and over water shooting at boats on the Tennessee River and Union soldiers on foot and horseback. It’s impossible to say exactly how many of the enemy fell to his 50 caliber muzzleloader, but the markings on the rifle give us a pretty good idea. Jack Hinson’s rifle is what’s often called a chunk gun, big and heavy, and meant to be shot from a rest.  Passed down through generations, Hinson’s chunk gun is now a valued relic from the war between the states. 

Legend and Facts of Jack Hinson

The thing that sets the Helium apart from other PCs is that its light. Just four pounds, five oz. Lead Star has achieved that by skeletonizing everything in the receiver set and then adding carbon fiber everywhere possible, including the carbon fiber tension barrel under the carbon fiber handguard. The trigger is from Hyperfire. The controls are from Lead Star. The safety is ambidextrous with a small paddle on the right side. The magazine release has been flush fit into the receiver. Even the bolt catch has been lightened. The helium accepts Glock pattern magazines. 

Then the add-ons, the first is the Techwell magazine funnel. This thing is vital for hitting those fast reloads or the unloaded starts. The other add on is the Tech Latch, also from Techwell, with ambidextrous function and oversized. Wings make this thing the fastest charging handle for competition. It works for PCC and AR15s. The Tech Well is 85 bucks. The TAC latch is 80 bucks, and the Lead Star Helium is $3,600 suggested retail.

Lead Star Helium in 5.56mm

This is the other Lead Star Helium Rifle. This one is in rifle caliber, so it's 5.56. It's way more powerful and remarkably, it's lighter. Just four pounds, nine ounces as you see it, with the Trijicon reflex optic. Everything is skeletonized. The bolt carrier weighs just 5.9 ounces. Even the pencil barrel and two port comp save weight. What’s most remarkable is the overall balance and shooting experience from this rifle, you would think it’s going to be harsh, and snappy, but it’s really not. Everything works together so well that it is genuinely a pleasure to shoot. The controls are the same as those found on the 9-millimeter including the Hyperfire trigger. This piece of engineering artwork is $3700.

More Info from Lead Star

Trijicon Reflex Optic

The Manners PRS TCS, that's tunable competition stock and it starts at five pounds eight ounces with the ability to add an additional eight pounds or more. The buttstock is fully adjustable for length of pull and vertical offset. This is a full carbon fiber shell around their mini chassis which accepts all short action Remington patterns, including right hand or left hand. You can add more weight under this Arca Swiss 419 MCS rail in the form of weight plates, which can be moved forward and back to get the perfect balance of your rifle. This along with all Manners composite stocks is covered by their lifetime guarantee.

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Sikes Clutch 

Designed by MCS Team Shooter, Bryan Sikes, the Sikes clutch knob works in any quick-detach flush cup base or the Sikes Rail.

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The Pistol & AR Mag Caddy was designed for a government agency that needed to keep extra magazines close at hand. The Pistol & AR Mag Caddy securely stores five pistol mags and five 30rd AR mags. Oversized handles on the top and side allow it to be grabbed quickly from a backpack or bag. The Pistol & AR Mag Caddy is made from Milspec solution dyed 1000d Cordura nylon and is proudly made in the USA. Suggested Retail $70.

More Info from Armageddon Gear

Pro Tip: Julie Golob - No Ammo Drills

In a time when ammunition is expensive and difficult to find, keeping your skills sharp could be a challenge. But Smith and Wesson Pro Shooter Julie Golob has a Pro Tip to keep you practicing while conserving ammo.

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