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Under 26 U.S.C. 5845; 27 CFR 479.11, the ATF regulates certain firearms under the National Firearms Act (NFA) and one of which is considered a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR). An SBR is defined as "a rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length". So what does that mean? Long story short, in order to acquire one of these fancy guns, you have to get a list of information about your intended firearm such as make, model, serial number, overall length & more, then you have to submit all of that information to the ATF along with a check for $200 made payable to BATFE and wait the long couple months for your tax stamp approval.
So that's it? Well, not quite. The last step is one that has been discussed heavily in online forums, blog posts and magazine articles and I've got news for you - everything you read on the internet isn't true. Once you receive your tax stamp, you MUST then take that NFA item and have it engraved with either your name or the name of your trust and the city and state in which you/the trust resides in.
Once you get to this stage, you've probably just waited the longest 6+ months of your life, so why bother taking a shortcut now? All too often, we hear horror stories of people dropping their lower off at their local trophy shop and having them engrave the required information onto their lower receiver. I see a couple problems with this. Firstly, I highly doubt the trophy shop has an FFL and can therefor not legally take possession of firearms for the purpose of generating income. Secondly, the trophy shop probably isn't up-to-date with the always-changing laws that the ATF sets in place, so don't expect your engraving to "pass inspection" for lack of a better term.
This is where we come into play! Other than making PMAG's look awesome, putting your family crest on the side of your lower, or engraving profanities onto a bottle opener for your Brother's birthday, we do NFA Engraving. Not only can we do it, but we do it well. We engrave all NFA Text (Name or Trust, City & State) to ATF Specifications (1/16" High, with a minimum depth of .003") on your SBS or SBR. NFA engraving will be done in standard CAD lettering to ATF specifications unless you're feeling fancy and want something different. We are currently offering this service for only $55! So, if you or someone you know is looking to get NFA engraving done, give us a call, shoot us an email or stop by the shop!
For more information on marking your Form 1 NFA Firearm, check out this video put together by our good buddy Jon over at The Gun Collective!
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If you lose your baseball game, you don’t get ice cream on the way home. If you lose the 100M Butterfly at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, you’ll most likely never have another chance at success. If you lose to your buddies down at the local pub, you’ll probably just drink another pitcher or two and forget you even played darts that night. However, if you lose the fight for your life, that’s it; it’s over. All we know for certain is you lost; your life on earth has ended and what happens after that is up for discussion.
Why is it that people train religiously for these events that, in the grand scheme of things, don’t matter? Yet, when it comes to carrying a firearm, they have their license to carry, bought their Uncle Mike’s #5, vaguely recall going to the range once with their uncle two decades ago, and walk around with this false sense of security as if they are ready to take on the world.
Everybody has heard the expression “Practice makes perfect,” right? Well, I’m not a fan because the same guy that says that will turn around and tell you “nobody is perfect” when you make a mistake. I much prefer “Practice makes permanent, so practice perfectly”. When you go to the range, you’re spending your hard earned money on ammunition, targets, etc., so make the most of your time and money. All too often we see people come into our range and aimlessly put holes in paper. They walk out with a sense of achievement. They feel as if they accomplished something because out of the 50 rounds they fired, 43 hit the paper. Meanwhile, their life-sized silhouette looks like a gigantic slice of swiss cheese. Don’t get me wrong, shooting a gun is good fun. Between the noise, power, and adrenaline you experience while operating a firearm, it’s sure to put a smile on your face. However, you can work to accomplish a goal and still get all those warm, fuzzy feelings inside.
Increasing your proficiency with firearms doesn’t have to be a costly process. To help you better understand your options I’m going to break it down in order from most to least expensive.
Private Training
While this is the most expensive, you are going to get one-on-one attention. Every last thing you do, right or wrong, is noticed, critiqued, and corrected. This form of training gives you the ability to work on exactly what you want to work on. If you have a question for your instructor, you don’t have to raise your hand or wait your turn, you get your answer immediately.
Group Training
By far the best value for money. Normally these classes run for at least 4 hours, so make sure you bring coffee. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot of different things in one day, all while working and shooting alongside your peers.
Seminar/Classroom Training
Considering the fact that this form of training offers no live-fire portion, it is an awesome opportunity for you to train your mind. This aspect to training is often overlooked as most people don’t realize that the mindset is one of the most important things to work on.
Reading Materials
There are numerous books out there that will help you learn exactly what it takes to survive a violent confrontation. Some that I have read and strongly encourage you to pick up are the following: Warrior Mindset by Dr Michael Asken; On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman; On Combat by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.
Youtube Videos
When it comes to educational videos via the internet, be cautious of what you soak in as “truth”. Anybody with a camera can make a video and upload it. While there are plenty of channels out there with awesome content, take some with a grain of salt. Some of the channels that I personally subscribe to include the following: The Gun Collective, IV888, Military Arms Channel, Tremis Dynamics, Tactical Response & Demolition Ranch (the last one is because it’s awesome to watch him blow shit up).
Dry Fire
Performed at home, WITH NO LIVE AMMUNITION IN THE ROOM, dry fire is a great way to fine-tune your muscle memory. Depending on what you’re working on, it can be performed with an empty gun or snap-caps. You can practice holster-draw, loading/unloading, clearing malfunctions, and much more.
Word of Mouth
Ask questions, People! If there is something that you are unsure of, don’t be afraid to seek advice. All too often gun shop employees forget that they were once in your shoes and, unfortunately, that’s caused many customers to be tentative to ask for help. Here at Sensibly Armed, we strive to be the polar opposite of the stereotypical “guy behind the counter” at a gun shop. We have a regular that comes into Sensibly Armed and almost every time he asks me for my opinion on something that popped into his head earlier in the week, and honestly, I love it. Instead of just trying to figure it out for himself, or diving into the wide world of the internet, he asks me for my opinion. A truly humbling experience.
Remember when you were a kid and got your first bicycle? It came with training wheels. You rode up and down the block, practicing your new skill until your dad took them off. Then, on your 16th birthday, your parents took you to an empty parking lot and taught you how to drive. You spent hours behind the wheel before you pulled onto the highway. However, when it comes to firearms, the necessity for training is overlooked. Unfortunately, there’s a good percentage of people that bought their first gun, took it home from the shop, loaded it, placed it on their nightstand and haven't touched it since. Yet, they’re under the false pretense that when they hear a bump in the night, they’ll be able to eliminate the threat.
Recently, I heard somebody say: “If you carry a gun and don’t train, you’re just supplying the bad guy with a firearm.” Please, for the sake of humanity, go get trained.
Ryan Perry
Sensibly Armed
]]>Like anything in life, you're going to get what you pay for. One quick trip to your local Wal-Mart and you'll find an abundance of coolers in the $30-$60 range. While this option may suffice in transporting your tasty cold beverages & snacks to-and-from your destination, expect to be dealing with wet cheese, soggy bread and worst-of-all; lukewarm beer.
This is where Engel Coolers comes into play. They've created a line of rugged, heavy duty coolers that are built with more in mind than just keeping things cold. If you're the type of person that enjoys the outdoors, you know how important it is to stay hydrated. Whether you're on a family camping trip, headed to your hunting cabin with some friends, going fishing or out for a day at the range, Engel Coolers has a solution to your problem.
Featuring the following:
"When the heat cranks up, Engel is here to cool things down."
]]>In an industry filled with opinions, it is up to you, the shooter, to decide what works best for you. Almost every handgun sale that I have conducted has begun with the buyer asking me, "What is the best gun for me?" And that is truly a tough question to answer. I can feed that person with the information, prices, measurements, etc.; however, at the end of the day, he or she is going to buy whatever feels most comfortable for him or her. The most efficient method to shooting a pistol has a similar response. The operation of a handgun has some obvious and proven do's and dont's, such as: tea cup grip, slapping the trigger, and anticipating the recoil, to name a few. Now, where it gets complicated is when 7 different people, with varying backgrounds and levels of experience, want to tell you what they believe is the "correct" way to shoot. It is at the discretion of the individual to decide which social media specialist they're actually going to listen to. To refer back to my original analogy, you are going to end up doing whatever is most comfortable for you.
When at the range, on social media, or just engaging in casual firearm-related conversation, I often encounter somebody wanting to give me advice. I am always looking for methods to become a more proficient shooter; with that said, if you have input, I am all ears. Now, depending on the person, I'm either vividly listening to your instruction, or I'm merely watching your fat, double chin gobble while your food trap opens and closes, all the meanwhile contemplating a swift throat punch. As I mentioned earlier, it is up to you, the shooter, to decide what content you will absorb, and to what content you will politely nod and smile.
One person I have a lot of time for is Jerry Miculek. For those of you who do not know of Jerry, he has been dubbed 'The Greatest Shooter of All Time', known for his incredible speed and accuracy, which has earned him over a dozen world records. One of his most admirable feats is emptying a five-shot revolver in .57 seconds with a shot grouping the size of a playing card. With that said, you would have to be an arrogant idiot not to listen to what he has to say. Rather than trying to convey his words of wisdom and probably screwing it up, I have attached his video below for your viewing pleasure.
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My journey began at 4:30am on Friday the 13th with my drive to Philadelphia Airport. I am far from a morning person; however, the angst kept me in good spirits. I declared my firearms and dealt with those horrid demons in blue shirts known as TSA. Fast forward to landing in Phoenix, Arizona, and let's just say the weather there made the early start to the day worthwhile. I met up with a college friend of mine and spent the majority of the afternoon with him getting the rental car loaded up for the next day's shenanigans. That night I headed out to the Shockwave Pre-Party, hosted by Jill Hensley, who was kind enough to offer her home to over 100 complete strangers. While there I met some great people from even greater companies. I spoke with Eric from Fox Den Tactical (creator of all things paracord) and listened to his best drunken Australian accent. I showed our engraved Shockwave & W4W PMAGs to a friend Aaron, who I later discovered was the Owner of Hexmag (this made it clear why he didn't care for my magazines). The night was filled with great conversations, exchanging of business cards, spilled drinks and too much pizza (who knew that was possible?). The whole night, I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve knowing what the next day would consist of.
Saturday morning was another early start for me; however, my adrenaline replaced my need for caffeine. I arrived at Cow Town Range in Peoria, AZ around 7am and I am just going to say that their facility was the nicest I have ever seen. They label it as "The most famous range you've never heard of!" as it features a vast natural desert terrain with unique structures, including a full ghost town, Afghanistan/Mexican village, six shooting bays, two 100-yard ranges, a large shoot house, and 2 rifle ranges, one of which is for long range precision shooting, allowing you to reach out and touch something at 1,000 yards.
As the day went on, people came and made their guns go pew, they donated to a good cause, and were guaranteed to have left happy, all the while making lasting friendships. There were numerous vendor booths, some ammunition stations, firearm rental bays, and private instruction/demonstrations all day long. While there were so many great aspects to the event, the one that cannot go unnoticed is the fact that with over 1,000 people, hundreds of firearms and millions of rounds, there was NOT EVEN ONE firearm related accident. That there should say it all.
While trying to keep this blog post short and sweet, I am going to recommend you watch the video I have below for a more in-depth look, thanks to Mixflip Productions.
Lastly, I would like to extend my personal gratitude to all of those that made this a possibility. You know who you are, and I'll be seeing you again next year!!
- Ryan
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Have you ever wondered how they go from a railroad spike to a unique “tacti-cool” piece of art? Perhaps you are curious about the man behind these knives? Well, I am about to give you the inside scoop on their production.
]]>All his life, Mike Collingwood Sr. has had a knack for all things metal. His first ever gig was structural steel fitting, which sparked his initial interest in the field. From there, he has performed in a variety of careers, odd-jobs, and projects during his time as an X-Ray service engineer. Because of his sparked taste for fabrication, Mike began “piddling” with knives. What originally started as a hobby in his spare time quickly became a full-time production. It was in early 2012 when Mike realized the products he was creating were now in high demand. Not long after that, Mike had countless inquiries, all wanting to know how they could get their hands on a piece of his work.
To keep up with the rapidly growing wait-list, Mike built his own forge and knife grinder. The grinder is constructed of structural steel and features a series of pulleys running on a 3hp motor. Currently, he is working on a 25 ton(ne) hydraulic knife press. Obviously, having this knife press will save him a lot of hard labor. However, he claims he needs the press because his shoulders are becoming “too muscular” from manually pounding out the steel, but we’ll let his wife be the judge of that.
After conversing with Mike about his production, we thought it would be a good idea to give the readers an in-depth, play-by-play of his work. Of course, we’ll be sure to let out some of the more important details. From what begins as an ordinary railroad spike, he places it in his custom coal forge and uses his personal judgment as to when to remove the spike. Once removed, the red-hot metal is put into a vice where he gives it either a full twist or a twist and a half. As each knife is fabricated custom to order, it is up to the individual to decide on the number of rotations. From there, it is placed back into the forge for a process he refers to as “heatin’ and beatin’”. He continues this process until the basic form is achieved. He then brings the knife over to the grinder where he applies multiple belt grits, ensure that each knife has its own custom, rough shape. Next, Mike moves into the heat-treat phase where he heats the knife to about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, and then quenches it in pure olive oil. The final grind is then applied with a 1200 grit belt, followed by buffing it out to give the knife its overall shiny appearance. Mike applies what he describes as a “chemical process” to give the handle its blackened finish which also doubles as an anti-rusting coating. Lastly, he sharpens out the edge and voila! A one-of-a-kind railroad spike knife is complete.
Mike Sr.’s knives have ended up in the hands of many, including LEOs, civilians, and celebrities. Likewise, currently, two of his knives are in the hands of the best disabled veteran, non-profit organization. Unfortunately, at this time, we are not at liberty to discuss further details. Regardless, this is something that Collingwood is truly proud to be a part as he can relate to these brave men and women on a very personal level; Mike served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War during his early adulthood. When asked his thoughts on the donation of his custom-made knives, he was quoted saying: “This is a real opportunity to give back to those who gave it all for our country.”
- Ryan
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In today’s society, your success is dependent upon finding your niche, and here at Sensibly Armed, we are refusing to end the pursuit. From what began as a six lane indoor range has rapidly expanded into a one stop shop for firearms, accessories, and private instruction...
]]>In true Sensibly Armed fashion, Mike wasn’t done there. While still pleased with the work his new toy was producing, he wanted better. He wanted a sharp, clean image, no matter the material of the product. Consequently, he refused to settle with what he had and began the search for a new machine. He made a few phone calls, talked to a couple people, met with a guy who knows a guy who was friends with a guy that... well, you get the idea, Mike did his research.
Fast forward to the middle of January, 2015, and I’m meeting Mike in front of the shop with a couple of co-workers unloading his much-anticipated, newest acquisition; a fiber optic laser engraver. All week long he was venting his frustration that it was arriving on a flatbed truck, weighing 150+ lbs, with no lift gate and that it was our responsibility to get it inside. Well, come to find out, it didn't weigh anything close to what we originally expected, and to be honest, it was very anti-climactic. We removed all of its packaging and got it off the skid to find what looked like an oversized conventional oven. It had the door with the window to see your food heating up and everything, minus the buttons to set the time.
Once we discovered a home for it, Mike had it assembled, plugged in, software running and was eager to get to work. The only issue was he wasn’t content with what he had. (To give you guys and girls a little background on the whole laser engraving deal, this new laser is so powerful that looking directly at the laser as it cuts, without appropriate eye protection, will cause permanent damage.) The focal point of the laser is about eight inches from the object, and our issue was that the laser head had to be manually slid up and down depending on the canvas height. Well, Mike wasn’t too happy with this considering the price tag that came with it, (which I am still not sure if his wife even knows) so he immediately went to the drawing board to come up with a solution to the problem. He constructed and wired a linear axis that allows the operator to move the laser unit up or down with the flip of a switch, adjusting the focal point to ensure a precise and clean cut.
After a month of experimenting with the settings and a wide variety of materials, we are confident in saying we’ve got the hang of it. Mike has engraved anything from stainless steel to cork, aluminum to wood, Damascus steel to polymer, and, of course, all things tactical. Thanks to a tedious trial and error period, we now have the skills and knowledge to continually produce a reputable product. Each day, products are created, inventory is photographed, images are edited, and merchandise is added to the website. With that being said, we can almost guarantee you will find something from our online store that will make you want to spend that money you've been “saving”.
- Ryan
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