The Loadout Blog
Firearms X Culture
As, an RSO I get a lot of question thrown at me on a daily basis. That can range from the mundane to the historian level of detail about a certain firearm. To be honest I know a decent amount of information about a lot of firearms. By far the question I get asked by far the most is, ”What is your favorite weapon at Battlefield Vegas?”
As, an RSO I get a lot of question thrown at me on a daily basis. That can range from the mundane to the historian level of detail about a certain firearm. To be honest I know a decent amount of information about a lot of firearms. (To be completely honest that still ain’t shit.) I’m curious and I enjoy learning the histories behind these firearms I am always trying to learn more. By far the question I get asked by far the most is, ”What is your favorite weapon at Battlefield Vegas?”
Now, that is a loaded question. A really loaded question. Why is it a loaded question? It is a loaded question because it is hard to quantify what your favorite firearm is when we have a selection of 500+ firearms. Honestly, it’s like asking a kid who his favorite Superhero is. That is a hard decision ladies and gentleman.
At, Battlefield we have firearms from WWI to present so clamping down on a favorite firearm is hard. I always tell customers it depends on what era, firearm category, and my potential usage of the weapon. For era are we talking about WWI-WWII, Korea, Vietnam, or GWOT? (For the uninitiated GWOT stands for Global War on Terror). For firearm category: Is it a rifle, submachine gun, or a bolt action rifle? Finally, for usage is it for hunting, competitive, personal defense or home defense?
You maybe saying, “Why is he putting all this thought into the simple question of what is his favorite firearm?” The reason why such an easy answer becomes complex because context matters. Not every weapon is designed to handle every problem you face as a shooter. For different situations, I have different favorites as a shooter.
I can honestly breakdown my favorite firearm by era, category, and potential usage. I could but, I won’t today. Today, I will focus on the weapon systems I genuinely enjoy on the whole and that are always fun to shoot. I will break it down into pistol, submachine gun, PDW, rifle (light and heavy calibers), and machine gun. With each firearm, I will give you a rundown on my opinions on the firearm and why I like it.
First, I will start off with my favorite handgun at Battlefield. Before, I started working at Battlefield I had never shot a handgun before. I was able to get some time with the Beretta M9 when, I was deployed to Afghanistan. I learned how to disassemble and reassemble the M9 and that was it. So, my experience with handguns where limited at the time. Overtime my knowledge and handling of them have greatly increased.
There was one pistol I had to shoot first just on reputation alone and it’s iconic status was the 1911. When, I was able to finally shoot the 1911 it did not disappoint. The 1911 has a weight to it in a good way. It feels solid and well built. The ergonomics on the 1911 are fantastic. Everything with the 1911 is simple yet refined. Letting me know you don’t have to over complicate a handgun to make a well-built handgun. We all know it shoots .45 ACP and it handles it like a dream. Felt recoil is decent and for shooting .45 the muzzle filp is well disciplined and not as pronounced as you think it would be.
Let’s talk about the trigger in the 1911. The trigger in the 1911 is money. Money, I tell you!The 1911’s trigger is smooth with a clean and crisp break with a great trigger reset.
I will say this about the 1911 the trigger has forever spoiled me. In my opinion by far it has the best trigger in the game. Yes, that includes modern handguns. The best trigger in the game! As, an overall handgun it is my favorite by far.
John Moses Browning did an excellent job with this firearm. He did so well that it’s design has remained unchanged since its creation. Which tells you how thoughtful the design was by Browning.
Check out Sig Sauer 1911 lineup
Check out John Wick’s STI/Taran Tactical 2011
I am over here gushing about 1911 it does have its drawbacks though. With it shooting .45 and coming in single stack magazine. You can only get seven or eight rounds per magazine. That’s a major drawback in my mind. Even if you do a magazine extension you are only adding 2 rounds. The ammunition price is also a little more expensive than 9mm which is to be expected. Which means it’s a little more expensive to shoot and supply ammo for.
Finally, if you want a quality built 1911 you are going to have to pay for it. I would pay a minimum of $1,300 to get a quality built 1911. The one I am thinking of that cost about $1,300 MSRP is Sig Sauer 1911. I will leave a link below to their site so you can check them out. 1911 can range from $600-5,000. The Taran Tactical/ STI John Wick 2011 MSRP is $4,500.
There are a lot of submachine guns to choose from the modern to the old school. Yet, the one by far that I absolutely love shooting is the German made MP-40. The MP-40 was the submachine gun of Hitler’s Germany. Oh, man did they have a winner on their hands. I know the MP-40 was apart of the Axis forces but, damn does this weapon shoot like a beast.
The MP-40 is simple in design and function. Just stamped sheet metal body, rocking an open bolt system, and shooting 9mm. Basic right? When you shoot MP-40 she is smooth like a Cadillac. The type of Cadillac I’m talking about is the old school Cadillac DeVille. The old school DeVille where land boats and drove as smooth as can be. That MP-40 shoots as smooth as a DeVille drives. Like scary smooth. Never out of control just dropping rounds on target like a beast. The felt recoil is next to none. Even, though it’s shooting automatic you can put a grouping wherever you wanted on a target. I absolutely love shooting that MP-40 it never disappoints. Ammunition isn’t super expensive because it’s 9mm. All in all a winner in my book.
The only drawbacks I see is finding replacement parts if something breaks or fails. Finding an original one that is complete or a in parts kit will take a little digging. Finally, having a proper paperwork through the Federal government to own a automatic submachine gun.
With the PDW you are looking for concealability and lethality in a compact package. The king of this market space has been FN P90 and it will continue you to be I will explain later. But, if I had a choice of an PDW weapon I could own I would choose a HK MP-7.
The MP-7 is an awesome weapon system. It is compact in design with a collapsing stock, weighing in at 4.63 lbs, shooting 950 rpm on cyclic, and 200 meter effective range. The MP-7 is all about that up close and personal engagement area.
My experience with the MP-7 has been a great one. The weapon system has instant familiarity to it because of its M4 like design. Besides the bolt release and magazine release in a different place its an M4 setup. When shooting the MP-7 it feels smooth and recoil is light. Which allows for easy hammer and control pairs when shooting. When shooting automatic the MP-7 stays discipline allowing you to keep the MP-7 on target center mass without much trouble.
Here is a link to HK MP-7.
The main and only drawback is that as a civilian I can never own this. The MP-7 is only sold through contracts to military and law enforcement. That’s why within the civilian market at least the P90 will reign supreme.
The M4 is my favorite rifle because of my knowledge and usage of the rifle. I used it while I was in the Marine Corps as an 0311 for 5 plus years. I have many hours of weapons handling and maintenance, dry firing, and drills with the M4 weapon system. It is reliable weapon system if you keep up on proper maintenance and cleaning. I have personally never had one fail on me with my time using the weapon. That is within the confines of the Marines Corps use.
It is one of the most versatile modern rifle you can get today. It is completely customizable to your needs as a shooter. If you need it for CQB purposes. You got it with the MK 18. If you need it for long range engagement. You got it with the MK12 Mod 0. If you need a jack of all trades rifle. Again you have it with the M4. At 14.5 inches the M4 give your the distance you need in a longer engagements, while still being maneuverable in tight spaces.
Check out the Colt M4
In my opinion there isn’t many drawbacks to the M4. The main one I would say is that you are only going to hit accurately up to 500 meters. Anything beyond that is possible but more difficult. Another drawback is it’s ammunition. 5.56 NATO is only going to reach out so far. The U.S. military MK12 Mod 0 shoots match grade 5.56 NATO with an 18 inch barrel and its maximum effective range is 700 meters. That is why the military has been sending out RFI (Request For Information) to find a better caliber than 5.56.
When choosing .308 rifle you have your choices. You have AR-10’s which you can customize from here to infinity. So, you can definitely find your flavor to suit you with an AR-10. You have the HK G3 or FN FAL to choose from also. I personally prefer FAL’s over G3’s but, that’s me. With the SCAR-H it is a better overall user experience.
The SCAR-H is shooting .308 but, it’s not aggressive on felt recoil. You can easily do hammer pairs and controlled pairs with the SCAR-H with no problem if you are a competent shooter. Even, on automatic the SCAR-H never seems out of control. If you lean properly and control your bursts its no problem. It is a well designed rifle in my book.
The ergonomics on it feel good. You have a foldable and collapsible buttstock. You have a cheek riser built into the stock. Ambidextrous selection switch, flared magwell, and Picatinny rail at 3-, 6-, 9-o’clock position. The SCAR-H also comes with a surprisingly clean and crisp trigger for it being Mil-Spec. All in all its a good package. If you are looking for a rifle that is shooting .308 out the box with minimum upgrades the SCAR-H is a good choice.
The main drawback for me is the price. Coming in at around $3,600 MSRP. It is an investment for sure. Many shooters will say I can put a superior AR-10 together for that price. At, the end of the day I can’t argue against that point cause it is true. But, if you want a .308 rifle good to go from the moment you open the box. The SCAR-H is a good choice.
Here is link to SCAR-H on FN website.
When it comes down to my favorite shotgun it wasn’t hard from me to choose. I am deeply fond of the Benelli M4. The Benelli M4 is one of the smoothest semiautomatic shotguns on the market. To me it is the premier semiautomatic shotgun on the market.
The Benelli M4 comes to you ready out of the box to fit all your shotgun needs. It comes with ghost ring sights, Picatinny rail if you want to mount a red dot, a solid trigger, and good charging handle. It can shoot different 12 gauge loads that you can throw at it. As, long as it’s between 2.75-3 inches shells. It shoots smooth as slik and felt recoil for a 12 gauge isn’t too aggressive which is a bonus. All in all I love the Benelli M4 and if I am to purchase any shotgun it would be that one.
Here is a link to Benelli’s website to find out more about the Benelli M4.
The main drawback of the Benelli M4 is the price tag. The Benelli M4 retail for about $1,600-$1900 depending on where you look. You are making an investment with this semiautomatic shotgun.
On the other hand, what makes that price point null and void in my book is its longevity of the M4. At Battlefield we had a Benelli M4 on the range for 4 years before it had a major problem or a part needed to be replaced. In between that time it only had general maintenance and upkeep. I know from personal experience with that Benelli we ran that M4 to hell and back. So, with that personal knowledge the price point becomes null and void because I know I am getting expectional qualify from this shotgun. Well, done Benelli. Well done.
Finally, we come to machine guns. This section was technically my hardest to choose. That is because I have like a Top 5 when it comes to machine guns so it’s hard for me to decide. I finally dwindled it down to my favorite which is the Israel Negev.
The Negev is setup in two different configurations. You have a 5.56 NATO version that will be their light machine gun (LMG) for the Israeli military. Then, you have .308 version to cover your medium machine gun needs. They both shoot between 850-1050 rounds a min. That depends on the setting of the adjustable gas block.
The reason why I love the Negev so much. First, because it shoots like a motherfucking beast. Letting the Negev loose feels like letting the Hulk loose. It is there to forge a path of destruction. The Negev will definitely give you the suppression fire you need to fire and maneuver on an enemy element.
Second, the Negev was designed to be shoulder fired on automatic. Which is dope! I have shoulder-fired .308 version on automatic and I must say its pretty dope. The Negev comes with two different fire modes you have semi and automatic fires on this machine gun. If you need to take well place shots with the Negev you can. Then when you need to drop into automatic and lay down some chaos you can. It is the most versatile weapon I have encountered when it comes to a machine gun.
Click here for about IWI Negev NG-7
The only main drawback that the Negev’s are hard to get a hold of even if you have the proper paperwork and licensing through the government. I don’t know how much they run but, I’m assuming they are pricey to say the least. I know the civilian version of the M249 is about $8,500. I would imagine the Negev would be around the same price or a little bit higher.
That should about wrap it up. I gave you the rundown of my favorite weapons per certain category. I know there are more firearm categories than I mentioned here. If you want me to share my favorites from other categories let me know in the comments below.
What was your favorite weapon I mentioned today? What is your dream weapon you hope to own one day? What is one weapon you have always wanted to shoot? Let me know in the comments below.
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Hello, everyone and welcome to The Loadout Blog. The purpose of this website is to share educate, inform, and build a lasting culture around firearms. I want to create a hub of reliable, cohesive, and relevant material for today's shooter. I am seeking to appeal to all demographics so from the novice, to experienced, along with LE and military communities. I am here to be transparent and honest on all matters discussed or chronicled on this site. I will post content once a week at minimum or more often if time allows.
Now, a little bit about me. I served six years in the Marines Corps as an 0311. I was in 2nd BN 4th Marines, 5th Marine Reg, 1st Mar Div. I was in Golf Company while in 2/4. I was deployed twice during my time in. I did one deployment to Afghanistan and my second was on apart of 31st MEU. I departed the military in September of 2015. I currently work as an RSO at a local range in Vegas.
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