August 25, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"The Postmans Bridge (Two Rope Bridge)"

Corporals Corner (12 min.)

• TGIF: The Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training for this week.
• Glock Gen 5 Reviews: As you may know, today was when the blackout on reviews and such was lifted for the new Glock pistols. Currently, only Model 17 and 19 versions are out, and one of the reviews indicated that the Gen 5 will only be offered in 9 mm. The big differences between it and prior generations are that it no longer has finger grooves, it has a belled magazine well, it has an ambidextrous slide release, and it has a barrel using traditional rifling. There are other minor mechanical differences which are discussed in the reviews. Interestingly, in addition to the past offerings of the standard Glock sights or 3-dot Tritium sights, there will also be offered from the factory the Ameriglo GLOCK Spartan Operator sights which sport a large bright orange front sight and plain black sights, but also include tritium inserts front and rear to give a 3-dot in low light. These are the sights that I added to my Glock 34, and they are excellent sights. I researched long and hard before deciding on the Spartan sights, so I feel some additional vindication by Glock offering it as a factory option. In any event, here are the articles:

• "Here’s the Full Reveal of the New Glock Gen5 Pistol"--Recoil Magazine. This is probably the most detailed of the reviews, going into much more detail on the mechanical differences and improvements, as well as other minor improvements to the finish and shaping of the slide. There are enough minor differences that, other than magazines and the magazine catch, there is not much else that is interchangeable between Gen 5 and other generations.

• "GLOCK Gen 5 Safe Action Pistols , First Look at New GLOCK 17 & 19"--Ammo Land. This is also a fairly detailed review of the new handgun.

• "OFFICIAL: The New GLOCK Gen5 Has Arrived"--The Firearms Blog. This is a much shorter overview of the Gen 5.

• "The 5th Generation GLOCK Glock 17 and Glock 19 Gen5 Pistols: Improving Perfection! (4K UHD)"--The Firearms Blog. This links to a video review for the TFB TV YouTube channel. I'll be watching it later this evening.

• "Knife attacks on soldiers, police in Brussels and London"--Deutsche Welle. A man armed with a machete has been shot dead after attacking soldiers in the Belgian capital while yelling "Allah Akbar". Later, in London, two police officers outside Buckingham Palace were attacked by a man armed with a knife. See also this article at The Daily Mail. 
• "Worst case scenario looms for Texas with Hurricane Harvey"--Mashable. From the article:

        Because the storm is likely to get trapped over South Texas for days, caught between two high pressure systems — one to the east, and the other to the west — it's also likely that inland flooding will be compounded by the strong onshore winds, which will discourage the floodwaters from draining into the sea. 

         Some computer models even loop the storm back out over the Gulf of Mexico, only to make a second landfall in northeastern Texas or western Louisiana early next week.

• "Twin Falls Fatal Shooting Was Self-Defense, Police & Prosecutors Agree"--Ammo Land. Twin Falls is a town in southern Idaho. What is interesting about this case is that the shooter was a convicted felon. So, although the shooting was determined to be justified, he is still being charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
• "Hornady Introduces 4DOF Ballistic Calculator"--Rifleshooter Magazine. This is an online, web-based calculator which you can access here.
• "Review: Nikon Monarch"--Rifleshooter Magazine. If you follow and agree with The New Rifleman (to which I cite from time to time), you will like the reticle in the Monarch 3 scopes. They are BDC scopes using thick bars on the outside, and fine lines at the center, similar to the German #4 which The New Rifleman prefers. This means that if your battery dies, you can still use the sights in low light. The only illumination is a dot in the center of the reticle. The reticle also includes windage adjustments for the given ranges (based on a 10 mph cross wind). Also, don't forget to check out Nikon's Spot-On app page for their program/app designed to help you get the most out of your scope.
• "Hold that Forend!"--Terminal Ballistics Research. A great article on steadying a rifle in the field and handling recoil for long-distance shooting. It's a long read, so plan accordingly.