I have a great fondness for the Gauge. And when it comes to The Gauge, I am a firmly in the House of Remington and consider the 870 to be where it’s at.
I’ve considered and examined and have fired all the Semi Autos out there. The M4 is certainly the Mercedes Benz of the class. However at it’s price… a Thousand Dollars more than most everything else, is it worth it? Man, I don’t know. It’s cool… but I am not sure its a Grand More of Cool.
You know what gun I keep coming back to? The 1187. Reason? I like the position of the Bolt Release. To unleash that bolt on a Tactical Reload, it’s center bottom, easy to get to and faster than a tiny little button that everyone has positioned in the worst possible place. A small button with no geographic reference point on the gun… just alone in the field of the receiver some place where your hand can get struck by the charging handle if you don’t get it out of the way. Every semi auto in current production that feeds from a Tube does this and they are all wrong… all save for the Remington 1187.
I believe this to be a key advantage. Because regardless of how many shells your tube gets stuffed with, its going to go dry and you are going to have to do a fast tactical reload. I think this is a winning position. Not only that, but the 1187 can run the same iron sights that you can on the 870, making it scary accurate with slugs.
This is why my pick on the Semi-Auto Shotgun for fighting… the 1187. For impressing other guys, the M4 remains just fine.
We have a lot going on right now, but not too much. Joe has a little bit of Free Time on his hands. Let’s take that away from him! We need him busy! And I have a plan for that… more on that in a moment.
One of the things we are doing is a Limited Edition Armed American Radio Signature Rifle we’re calling the AAR-15.
If you want one of these badboys, contact Mark at Armed American Radio, I have a link over there on the right hand side bar.
The Longbow… Stan of The Gun Dudes has one of these rifles, here’s the latest one wearing a custom camo Cerakote finish.
We still have a custom Glock, in a package we call the Reaper. This is a tweaked Glock 22. I’ve checked out this pistol and it’s fantastic. The trigger pull is right where I like it, you feel some take up on the spring and then the trigger stages for a super crisp break. It breaks clean and you don’t see any twitch on that front sight post. This is what you want. Night sights, Grip Force Adapter, giving it some Beaver Tail… this is a Mod made popular by Todd G at Pistol-Training.com. I like it. The Slide is Cerakoted in a light grey color that really stands out. Looks fantastic, like a brushed/satin stainless kinda.
The price on this Glock is 699.99, and I’m going to throw in a Crusader Jacket for you. I only have a couple sizes, so I hope you are not picky or XXL or bigger.
Okay, now here is my favorite – if I can have only one – gun. The 870. Crusader’s Wrath Shotgun is one I’d put up against every other pump action on the market – and most Semi’s as well. I’m proud of these guns and believe them to be the ultimate expression of what a Pump Action is capable of.
Normally these shotguns are 799… We have one, in a dark OD Green, on sale for 749.99. This one gets a free Crusader Jacket as well as a Training Voucher to go with it for the guy that buys it!
And then is our Flagship Rifle, the Broadsword. This one is our Media Relations Demo gun. We can build you one too. Just contact us at CrusaderWeaponry.com.
There is a shooting competition called Cheapskate. .22 LR’s. I think I’m going to get into this. But I don’t have a rifle for it and there isn’t a .22 rifle that I’m really digging as is.
Looks like I’ll have to CRUSADERIZE a Ruger 10/22.
Tactical Solutions Barrel, Slipstream ST-1 treatment on the bolt and inside the receiver… Oh yeah. I can see it now.
Crusader Weaponry can build you the best AR you’ll ever own – for not much more than the cost of a production AR with the features you want.
Go to CrusaderWeaponry.com. Hit the Contact Page. Send Joe a message and tell him you want the best damn rifle ever made… Pick your Caliber. Pick your Configuration – you tell us how you want your AR. Pick your Finish. And Joe will give you the quote. It’s easy. To make it easier, we have an Installment Plan. Tell Joe you want to set up your Crusader Account. You pay what you can when you can… We’ll help you get the gun you want. Even if it takes you a year to pay for it – We’ll work with you.
We also do custom Glocks and Shotguns. This OD Green 870 is Available. 749.99 gets it shipped to your Dealer or if you are in Utah, you can pick it up. This is one seriously badass Shotgun. A local fellow got one of these guns, in Coyote Tan. He brought it out to the Range. Firing it – holy crap – it’s so smooth and can cycle so fast it was like I was running a Semi. Amazing.
Time to get Serious. Time to get a Crusader.
If you already have an AR that isn’t a Crusader. You can still get SLIPSTREAM. You will be amazed at the difference. At the last Crusader Tactical Carbine course, some guns were running Slipstream and some were not. The Slipstreamed guns had no problems. The others… Hell, even an AK jammed out here in our dusty dirty gritty hot as hell training location. Slipstream made all the difference.
The subject of Lever Action Rifles has been stirring a lot more emotions lately. And it’s not my fault. I blame Tracy for this. Tracy is a local cowboy out here that comes out to Crusader Training using his Lever Action rifles.
To run a Lever defensively, you need not all the modern accessories… the gun is serviceable as is. You needn’t run it with your support hand far out in front as is the modern style. These are not modern guns so you keep your support hand in a location where you find balance and support to work the action. You run it under the same theories as you run your tactical shotguns… fire one, reload one. Fire two, reload two. Keep the gun topped off as much as possible. Standard rifle tactics apply other wise. I find it best to keep ammo not in individual loops like is popular, but in a pouch so you can carry more ammo in bulk rather than a small fixed amount. I like to keep this pouch on the Strong Side, not the Support side like is popular with Shotguns. Reason being is that it’s easier to reload with your Strong Hand than it is the Support Hand. Easier and more efficient. This might be counter to other’s doctrine, but this is what has been working for me for some time now.
Winchester pattern guns or Marlin pattern guns both have their Pro’s and Con’s and one is not clearly better than the other in Rifle Calibers. But I must say that I am quiet fond of the Winchester 92 Pattern guns for Pistol Calibers. But that’s just a Flavor Preference and not a Technical one. I do like the ability to drop a cartridge into the open top if you’ve run the gun dry.
As far as caliber selections… you can argue the benefits of all the options. .44, .45, .357 and such… all fine and well. I’m fond of the .45-70 for my Big Medicine. But don’t discount the Classic .30-30 Win. Ammo is cheap enough an it’s enough gun to drop an Elk let alone Deer or Assorted Baddies. And as far as trajectory goes, the .30-30 offers about the best there is. Especially with LEVERevolution ammo from Hornady.
Crusader Weaponry will be teaching a Lever Action Focus Course in the near future. If you are interested and serious about training with us… Post such below and Emails will be kept for organizing the class. We’re looking at this Fall.
The class was fantastic. An Instructor couldn’t ask for a better group of Students. Former Marine and his Daughter, A Tactical Cowboy, an experienced shooter wanting to sharpen his skills… and then we had The Gun Dudes.
This was a Basic Level Course, so it was mostly Old Hat to some of the guys here… but we all still had a good time. The more advanced level shooters were still challenged in one particularly simple, yet difficult drill… and we saw the guys work hard to do it right. I was going to say more about the course… but those that have been to a Crusader course know what went down and those that haven’t yet, well, you gotta come out.
Saturday’s Defensive Pistol Class was the hardest class we’ve ever put on. In the morning, an hour before the class started, we arrived and started setting up the targets. It was a beautiful morning and we were looking forward to having a great day of training.
Looking towards Vernalstan
As the students started to arrive, so did the wind. The wind was brutal. We had Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that said it was just like over there. The wind was picking up sand and dust and blasting us all day long. Sand would get in the guns, in your eyes, ears and teeth, and in your sinuses. And that wasn’t the worst of it. We’d watch helplessly as the target boards were snapped off the stands and carried up over the berms, over the mountains. Paper targets that were taped to the boards were shredded, and then ripped off the boards, and then the boards were ripped off the stands. This was the worst training environment I have ever trained in. I wanted to Postpone the class… But the students wanted to train, so we trained.
Started out with 12, ended up with 5.
The students all did a great job. They worked hard and trained hard in these horrible conditions. One guy was having problems with sand getting into his contacts, but he stayed and trained through the end.
What you don't see here, is the Sand Blasting Effect going on.
It really felt like being Sand Blasted, it would sting, the skin and eyes. This was unpleasant. With the sand getting into everything, we did have some problems with some weapons. One of the Walthers started jamming very badly and was failing to go into battery with more consistency than not. Sand in the magazines started getting troublesome for an XD shooter. The worst of it though was the sand contamination that brought a S&W Revolver to it’s knees.
Dave shooting around simulated cover
If there is any lesson to be learned from training in these conditions… it’s that these are the same conditions experienced by our troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan. We expect them to perform in it. Such conditions make doing everything more difficult and unpleasant to say the least. But with following the basic core fundamentals of shooting technique and malfunction clearing… you can overcome the environmental difficulties. These students can no handle shooting in situations like these… they can handle anything. Great job to everyone that attended.
But right here is what made this class, as brutal as it was, very special to me. Our good friend brought out his daughter to train. She’s 13. She had never done anything like this before and really took to it.
Dad's what else is better than taking your girl training?
She did a great job in some of the worst conditions, with a gun that was jamming like a jazz band. Dad was proud of her, fit to bust. I was proud of her too… I’ve known her since she was just a little tiny thing and it’s good to see her being raised right.
After the class, some of our Crusader 870 Shotguns came out to play, one had been transferred to a customer the day before and the other was Joe’s personal training gun.
Nothing makes me grin like a good Shotgun
The actions were so smooth it felt like I was shooting Semi Autos. Cycling was effortless and fast. There were no failures of any kind and the patterns were good with the loads used. With the Rifle Sights, I was able to pick up targets and engage them fast and accurately, just as fast as with a Ghost Ring set up, but with much more precision. It doesn’t have the Cool Guy winged rear sights that are popular because they look cool… These sights just work better. When you start launching slugs, Ghost Rings are no help. Rifle sights are what you need.
I want to personally thank my assistant instructors who were dealing these these conditions and the environmental issues we were having. Joe and Zack, hopefully we never have to teach a Sand Storm again… but if we do – we know we can get it done.
"Really? Another target stand blown off the range?"
This was not a Fun Day at all. It was hard. It was unpleasant. It was draining. And that’s what Training is all about.
Crusader Weaponry has been in the Shotgun business for awhile now. This is what we are doing for our customers who demand the absolute best. We worked on this configuration with leading members of the US military elite. This gun is now being offered to the American Gun Owner. I am very pleased with these guns, and they are one of my favorite weapons that Crusader offers. They are not just affordable, but also shockingly effective. If you can only buy one gun, buy one of these 870’s. The Shotgun offers a flexible weapon system that is simple to use, rugged, and reliable… and you can engage targets as small as Humming Birds, and as large as a Brontosaurus at ranges out to 200 Yards.
Features include a tuned action with our Slipstream treatment. Rifle sights for greater precision with slugs over the popular ghost ring option. Improved spring and follower. Tac Star Side Saddle for flexibility.
This gun is of course already spoken for. He’s going to be well pleased with it! We are offering these shotgun for only 795 USD. If you want one of your own, or have any questions about it, contact Joe at Crusader Weaponry.
These Glocks came to us as a well taken care of pistols. They were in great shape but we wanted to give them new lives. The barrels were in great condition so we left them alone. We added Ghost 5 lb fitted trigger connectors. You’ll never get a better trigger break than with this connector in the gun, but then we tweaked that so it’s even better yet, because that’s what we do at Crusader. Make great stuff better. We added tungsten guide rod assemblies. This takes out the flexibility of the polymer rod and give some extra weight to help control muzzle flip. Complete action jobs were done to ensure a smooth trigger pulls and enhance the reliability under dirty conditions. All our weapons come standard with our Slipstream permanent lubrication treatment so you stay well lubricated even after all rust prevention oils have been cooked off from heavy firing. We topped it all off with a Cerakote finishes and Grip Force adapters to remove any slide bite. These may be used pistols but after all the care we put into it, they are better than than they ever were brand new.
For more information, or If you want one of these customized Glocks, or if you want Joe to work on your own Glock, M&P, XD, or other Weapon of Choice… Contact Joe at Crusader Weaponry directly.
Let me throw in a little Sweetener here. Buy one of these Glocks – you get 50% off Crusader’s Defensive Pistol Course. Same goes for Crusader Shotguns and our Tactical Shotgun Course.
Have to say, the guns I go to the most are Glocks, AK’s, and 870’s.
The 23 in .40, remains my most favored handgun for CCW. The model 20, in 10mm is coming in second. The more I use the Glocks… the more I like them. Not just an appreciation for the function… but liking them for the way they feel and point, the triggers… The elegant simplicity of them… I just really like Glocks now. I don’t know… maybe it’s the crash… but I really dig them and the more I’m around them, the 19 and 23’s stand out as the perfect handguns to me – even more so than the 1911 now. Yup. They crossed that line for me. I like them more than 1911’s. No they are not the prettiest, but they are still beautiful. Kinda like the Girl Next Door that you grew up best friends with and there is that moment when you realize “You want that.” That’s Glock.
My Crusader Kalashnikov is more and more my go to rifle. I just really feel an attachment to it. It suits me to a T. It can hit. It’s reliable. Mag changes are getting much faster and everything is “Clicking”. And I get more satisfaction out of running the Kalash well than running an AR well.
For the 870’s, my adopted Police Tactical is my favorite. I have my other 870’s and they are cool and all… but something about that old wood furniture. Nothing says I am going to “Jack You Up” like an old wood stocked gun… You just know you are going to get an old school beating. The warmth it has when you handle it. Wood is an under appreciated material to a whole generation of shooters and I find that a sad state. Poly is fine – but Wood is finer. Especially nice grained wood with character. Again, Wood stocked guns have “Soul” that Poly guns just don’t have and never will. They can’t. I’ve said that before… And when I pick up that old Police Tactical… You can feel it has a History of Kicking Ass and all that experience is backing you up giving you some extra confidence. A new 870 Tactical with a plastic stock – it’s like a new Police Rookie with his first pair of Mirrored Cop Shades. The authority is there… maybe even the skill is there… But not the Character and Experience – that Soul just isn’t there.
