Sometimes you start a week thinking it would be a normal week, and about halfway through you realize nothing is going quite as you had planned. That was my week last week.
I have been working for the last few weeks to get some RC airplanes up and going for the kids. I finally got the last few components together and spent the better part of two evenings trying to get the radio communicating with the receiver. I am using an open-source radio and software so there was a learning curve that I had not anticipated. Friday night I finally got everything talking to each other and control surfaces moving in the right direction, and thought I was all set for that Saturday. Nope.
Couldn’t get the model to fly straight, couldn’t get things to trim out properly, and I ended up hitting the broad side of the barn at least once. By the time I thought I had maybe figured out a few things, one of the servos stripped a pair of gear, and my day was over. On the plus side, the kids thought it was great fun, watching it do loops, tight turns, and fly upside down. So, I guess it did its job, despite my best efforts.
On a more pleasant note, a buddy of mine in Utah sent me a surprise loading block as a gift. Made it to hold 50rnds of 338 Lapua, which worth about one month’s mortgage. He really put a lot of time into it and I couldn’t help but show it off a little.
Website Updates
We’ve been working on quite a bit of background stuff, nothing new to hit the website this week. We do want to give a thank you to all those folks who are using the affiliate links to support the website. July was a record month for us; we were able to raise $20 for the website. While that does not seem like much, we really do appreciate the support, and it means a lot to Marc and I.
Time at the Bench
I should rename this section, to “Time Away from the Bench” as Time at the Bench has been fleeting lately. However, I will be spending some time at the bench to knock out some 124gr 9x19mm loads sitting on some N330. I’d like to get all of it loaded so I can swap the press over to 40 S&W, and then to 357 SIG. All in due time.
Rethinking My MRAD: From Long Range to Muzzle Energy
This week I’ve been thinking about what to do with my Barrett MRAD in .338 Lapua. I picked it up back in 2015, topped it with a Nightforce ATACR 5–25x, and eventually added a Surefire .338 suppressor. At the time, I was living in Utah; where public land is plentiful and it’s easy to find places to stretch your shots well beyond 1,000 yards.
But now that I’m back east, those wide-open ranges are gone. Finding even 600 yards is tough, and most of my shooting opportunities are much closer. So, what’s the best use for a rifle like this in tight quarters?
I started playing with QuickLOAD, running a few “what ifs.” What if, instead of building for extreme range, I built for maximum muzzle energy? That changes things. Instead of a high-BC, heavy-for-caliber bullet, I’d want something lighter and faster, something that delivers a bigger punch at shorter distances.
Then I added another layer: What if I also wanted the lowest possible muzzle signature? That means using a faster-burning powder optimized for 16 to 20-inch barrels and pairing it with a lighter bullet to reduce the gas load and blast. Instead of match-grade open tips, I’d run a solid copper projectile like the Barnes TSX for terminal performance.
This is what I love about reloading. You can rethink the entire equation based on your environment, your goals, or just your curiosity. It’s not always about squeezing out that last 20 fps or shrinking your group size by 0.25 MOA. Sometimes it’s about finding the right tradeoffs for your actual use case.
Out here, I’m not trying to hit steel at 1,400 yards. But I can build a suppressed load that hits like a hammer inside 300. That’s a useful tool, and a fun project.
Reloading gives us the freedom to tailor our ammo to our needs, not just what’s printed on the box. And sometimes, shifting your goalposts is exactly what makes the process fun again.
Industry and Legislative News
HPA and SHORT Act
No significant movement that I am aware of. There is one comment that should be made, the industry seems to be working together, whereas in the past it was often the NRA pitted against the GOA. It made sense, both groups are vying for a finite pool of money. However, we are seeing all of the groups, from the 2nd Amendment Foundation, GOA, NRA, and manufacturers all moving towards a common goal. I would not say this is unprecedented, but it is a unique moment something I have not seen in my lifetime.
The Law Is the Law – Even When It’s Inconvenient
Colorado is finally starting to recognize what many in the gun community have been saying for years: lying on a Form 4473 is a felony. It always has been. Yet despite tens of thousands of denials each year, the prosecution rate for these offenses remains under 1%.
This issue hit the national spotlight when Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, was charged with lying on his 4473 by falsely denying his drug use. When the DOJ tried to quietly resolve the case through a plea deal, many of us cried foul. It looked like yet another case of politically connected playing by a different set of rules.
Now, Colorado appears poised to take enforcement more seriously. The state is reportedly working to track firearm purchase denials more carefully and dedicate resources to investigating them. Democrats supporting the effort argue that people who try to illegally purchase firearms are at a higher risk of later committing crimes with them. It’s not an unreasonable concern. Still, I’ll be honest; I worry this could be abused, particularly when enforcement is selective or politically motivated.
But here’s the rub: we can’t have it both ways.
We can’t advocate for law and order, then object to enforcement just because it feels inconvenient. If someone who is legally prohibited tries to buy a firearm, they should be held accountable. We need consistency. Either the law matters, or it doesn’t matter. Selective enforcement, whether to protect the President’s son or to avoid tough political optics, undermines the rule of law.
That said, I also fully acknowledge that some people are wrongly classified as “prohibited persons.” I agree with many of the arguments for restoring Second Amendment rights to individuals who’ve served their time, made amends, or were unjustly penalized. The DOJ stopped processing rights restoration requests years ago. That’s a fight we absolutely should be having. But that’s a legislative battle, not an excuse to ignore current laws in the books.
Right now, when someone who shouldn’t own a gun tries to buy one at a dealer, the system often works; they’re denied. But if they’re even moderately determined, they’ll just try to get one through a private sale. That puts the burden squarely on the rest of us.
If you’re selling a firearm privately, I strongly believe you should demand to see a valid CCW permit or have personal knowledge that the buyer is of sound moral character. If you sell to someone who’s prohibited, and that firearm ends up being used in a crime, guess who the feds are coming to see first? You. That’s a felony. That’s your name in the headlines.
Imagine a case where a person is denied at the gun store, but law enforcement follows up, intervenes, and stops a potential tragedy. Most of us would call that a win. We should want that to happen more often.
So yes, enforce the law. All of them. Even the ones that make us uncomfortable. And at the same time, let’s fight to fix the ones that need to be changed. In the end, I think this comes around to bite Democrats as they end up enforcing the laws the disproportionately affect their constituents the most, then all of this quietly goes away and we are back to where we were.
SIG Sauer and the P320/M18: A PR Nightmare in Progress
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how SIG Sauer turns the ship around on the P320. What started as a promising striker-fired platform has become a full-blown PR disaster. Multiple major agencies, including the Denver Police Department, Milwaukee PD, ICE, and the Air Force Global Strike Command, have either pulled the pistol from service or severely limited its use. Even competitive shooting organizations like USPSA have banned it from competition. That’s a level of rejection that’s hard to bounce back from.
Since 2023, there have been over 100 reported incidents of the P320 discharging “uncommanded”; meaning without the trigger being pulled. Various videos have circulated online attempting to reproduce the issue. One popular method involves pressing the trigger to take out the pre-travel and then squeezing the slide and frame together, which can cause the striker to release. Technically, that’s an uncommanded discharge, but if the trigger is already nearly pulled, I’d argue it’s still a trigger-involved event. The more serious concern would be if compression of the slide and frame alone, without touching the trigger, caused the gun to fire. That’s the scenario SIG needs to disprove; or fix.
From a design standpoint, this is a nightmare. During my time at Barnes (then under Remington), we often discussed the idea that even a “one-in-a-million” failure rate wasn’t good enough. In a high-volume product line like .22LR, that meant you were still seeing 7–10 incidents a year. In the firearms world, rare doesn’t mean acceptable. If even a small fraction of P320s suffer from a tolerance stack, material flaw, or wear-induced failure, you’re still dealing with thousands of guns that might fail under the right circumstances.
SIG’s biggest misstep hasn’t been the design, it’s been the response. Instead of acknowledging the reports and launching a transparent investigation, they’ve stuck to the line that there’s no problem. That kind of stonewalling might work in court, but not in the public eye, especially when officers are being injured and departments are walking away from the platform. Sig doubled down on this on their statement issued on July 29, 2025
I won’t be surprised to see used P320s hitting shelves in large numbers, possibly at steep discounts. I also wouldn’t be surprised if SIG quietly phases out or rebrands the line altogether. Lawsuits are already stacking up, and while the gun may function flawlessly for 99.99% of users, perception is king, right now, that perception is crumbling. I personally believe that Sig has to double down, to admit otherwise will add fuel to the lawsuits.
Only time will tell how deep this issue runs. But if SIG doesn’t change course soon, the P320 could go from flagship product to cautionary tale.
Barrett MK22 “Uncommanded Fire”? Let’s Not Jump the Gun
There’s a YouTube video circulating that shows a Barrett MK22 seemingly firing without a trigger pull. In the clip, a soldier either has the rifle on safe or flips it to safe, presses the trigger (nothing happens), then taps the bolt or bumps the chassis, and the gun fires.
With the recent backlash over the SIG P320, people are quick to assume this is another firearm with a critical design flaw. But based on what’s out there, I don’t think we’re seeing a crisis, we’re seeing speculation without context.
So far, we’ve got a few short clips that may feature the same rifle, in similar conditions, with no details on maintenance, trigger pack adjustments, or prior issues. Yet everyone seems ready to assume the rifle is in “perfect working order.”
To dig deeper, I tested my own Barrett MRAD, an early civilian model with a serial number under 1800, purchased in 2015. The only modification is a left-hand safety swap, which matches the setup in the video. I tried everything shown: flipping the safety, pressing the trigger, bumping the bolt and chassis. Nothing happened. The rifle performed exactly as expected.
So, until we get more detailed reports, ideally from a range of unrelated users, I don’t think we should jump on the hate wagon just yet. Could there be a rare trigger issue? Possibly. But one or two unclear clips do not make for a systemic failure.
Let’s wait for facts, not just viral footage, before we throw Barrett under the bus.
New Guns and Gear
Lyman 6th Edition Shotshell Reloading Manual
Lyman has released an update loading manual for shotshell reloaders. I flipped through it the other day and it’s laid over very well and it’s got some really good information on shotshell reloading. It’s a beautifully laid out book with full color pictures and section views of cartridges.
If you are like me and you have dipped your toes into the world of shotshell reloading, you’ll know it’s a completely different landscape when compared to metallic cartridge reloading. Most notably there is less “universality”. For example, a Remington 12-gauge low brass shot shell takes different wads, and recipes than a Fiocchi 12 Gauge low brass shot shell. I dabbled in it, but to be honest I am just not that big into shot guns, and hence I never got huge into shot gun reloading, even though I have Littleton Shotmaker and a slug mold.
This is a book I’d have on the shelf just to peruse.
The Ballistic Assistant is a website dedicated to the art of handloading and shooting. We aim to share tips on reloading and shooting, inform others on what’s going on in the firearms community, and provide our opinion and thoughts on firearm related news and events. If you like what you read, we only ask that you subscribe and share with a friend or two.
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