Tactical Works, Inc.

Happy New Year!

tacticalblog — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:12:44 +0000

Goodbye 2011, hello 2012!

After watching the “ball drop” in New York last night it was apparent that many Americans were very happy to see 2011 to the end. At the same time it was exciting to bring in 2012.

We had the opportunity to work with a lot great people over the year who share our passion for firearms. Every interaction is unique, insightful, and a pure pleasure.

Nothing is more rewarding that sending gear to someone who really needs it to get their job done.

Team Tactical Works, Inc. thanks everyone for your support in 2011. We stand ready to serve you in 2012.

Cheers!

Team Tactical Works

Merry Christmas from Team Tactical Works

tacticalblog — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:05:52 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Team Tactical Works.

As we find ourselves fortunate to have almost too much family, friends, great food and fun, please take a second to recognize the men and women who sacrifice to provide us the freedoms that we so easily take for granted.

Kiss your wife, hug your parents, and smother your family with love for I can promise there are many who would love to take your place.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

May our military men and women and their families be strong and take courage as they protect us this Christmas.

Thank you,

Team Tactical Works

Veteran’s Day 2011 “Freedom is never free”

tacticalblog — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:39:09 +0000

First and foremost, Team Tactical Works sincerely thanks all of our service men and women of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, who have and will sacrifice everything to make it possible for us to live safe and free here in the United States.

Thank you for your service!

Today, within five minutes of turning on any technology, be it the television, a computer, or now days an iPhone or iPad, it’s easy to feel as if our country is in trouble. Enough exposure to this type of media causes people to loose faith and pride in America. Long gone are the days where a grandfather would curse anything made anywhere except for the good ol’ USA, especially after it broke within three minutes of use.

Those days are sadly turning into heated debates about our government, banking greed, and who should or shouldn’t care for who and how.

We so quickly distill all of this media and focus in on how all of this impacts us on a personal level. Caught in the mess of media we often forget. We forget about the Americans who are not here and the Americans who will never return. They are not here simply because they have, are, and will be standing up for you and I to fight for the rights that so many of us take for granted.

Thankfully we receive what we now call “wake up calls”. These are the calls that make us take a few moments and appreciate what we have and where we are. The call usually start like this, “Good morning, or is it night over there now? I forgot. Anyway, I’m calling because I have some questions about one of your products. I’m dreaming about building a rifle when I get home. I’ll be in the sandbox for another 9-months however when I’m finished here I hope to arrive home to a stock pile of parts to start playing with. Yea, it’s tough here, it certainly isn’t home, but don’t worry, I’m good.

It’s surprising the reaction you get by simply saying “Thank you for your service”. It’s usually followed by a short pause as if the solider is caught of guard, like they haven’t been thanked for their service for a very long time.

After a call like this you can’t help to be overwhelmed with pride, respect, honor, and sorrow.

If you have the opportunity today, Veteran’s day 2011, please, unplug for just one second and simply say “Thank you for your service”. The brave men and women who have and are serving our country deserve at least a sincere thank you.

In an effort to show our ongoing support of our service men and woman, Team Tactical Works has decided to donate to The Leonidas Fund. The Leonidas Fund supports our troops and our veterans alike.

The primary goal of The Leonidas Fund is The South Park Wellness Ranch. The Ranch will be a transition between combat and civilian life for wounded warriors diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, or missing limbs.

The Ranch will consist of a 1,500-acre ranch near Como, Colorado. Programs will help wounded warriors work through combat-related issues with help from PTSD counselors, doctors, nurses, dietitians as well as family and physical therapists.

In addition to The South Park Wellness Ranch, the Leonidas Fund is continually sending needed supplies to the front lines. Supplies range from firearms to socks.

One way The Leonidas Fund supports it’s goals and efforts is by hosting fund raising events. Currently they are preparing to host a Kansas City BBQ competition at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Airshow on August 24th to the 26th.

The hope is to create a national venue for some of the best BBQ’s in the country to go head to head for prize money.

The money raised from the competition will be reinvested in current and future operations.

For more information visit www.leonidasfund.org or visit them on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leonidas-Fund-Support-our-Troops/59358357668

Thank you for supporting Team Tactical Works.

“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” -Jose Narosky

CDI/Choate Tactical Package Installation

tacticalblog — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:58:44 +0000

CDI Precision Savage Bottom Metal

We have been offering CDI Precision Gunworks Bottom Metal and Choate’s Tactical Stock for a while now. One of the top questions that we have been receiving is, “Can I buy the Choate stock and have you inlet it for the CDI bottom metal”? You asked and we have delivered! We now offer our Choate Tactical stocks already inletted for the CDI bottom metal.

By offering this package we have shorted the wait time from weeks to just days as well as reduce total cost especially after factoring in shipping.

We’ve tried to assemble a comprehensive, “turn-key, solution by offering the CDI/Choate Tactical Package however there are a few things that the customer still needs to consider. At first we assumed that the installation instructions that ship with the package would be all the help a cusotmer may need to assemble the package which, in many cases are. After a few phone calls we thought it would be a good idea to add some ”tips” and illustrate the installation step by step here.

The installation is pretty straight forward; remove the action from your old stock and bolt it into the new CDI/Choate Tactical Stock. If you have the Remington package its almost that easy. If you have the Savage Package there are a few additional steps.

This tutorial will cover the installation of the CDI/Choate Tactical Package for a Savage Short Action Stagger Feed since its the most complicated. We do hope to follow up with a tutorial dedicated to the Remington 700 package soon.

The one difference between the Remington 700 package and the Savage Stagger Feed package is removal of the Stock/OEM magazine box. The Stagger Feed Savage rifles have the magazine box semi attached to the action. The magazine box must be remove from the action to switch over to the CDI/Choate Tactical package.

Warning!

Before starting work on any firearm be sure that the firearm is clear. Do not touch the trigger until the firearm has been cleared. Inspect the chamber to ensure that it is clear of ammunition and that there is no ammunition positioned to be chambered. Do not keep live ammunition near your workspace. Once you have checked the firearm, check it again!

Tactical Works, Inc. takes no responsibility for the accuracy and/or safety of this “how to”. This post is simply for your reading enjoyment. Before shooting any firearm have it inspected by a qualified gun smith.

Parts:

Choate Tactical Savage Stock (inletted for CDI’s bottom metal)
CDI Precision Gunworks Savage Stagger Feed bottom metal
2 Hex/Allan Receiver Screws

Tools:

Rubber Mallet
3/16″ Hex/Allen Key

Time:

Give your self at least an hour for this project start to finish.

Step 1: Remove the barrled action from the old stock.

Its a good idea to remove the bolt from the action for this project. Removing the bolt will make sure the rifle is “safe” and helps make it easier to hold the receiver.

There are three screws that will need to be removed to part your action and barrel from your old stock. The rear screw is typically a phillips wood type screw that simply holds the back of the trigger guard to the stock. Sometimes the screw will be slotted or a “flat head” screw.

The next screw (north of the butt plate) is the rear action/receiver screw and is a typically a 7/28 pitch XX” hex/allan screw. This screw will go through the front of the trigger guard, through the stock, and into the rear of the action/receiver.

The last screw (north of the butt plate) is the front action screw and is typically a 7/28 pitch 3/16″ hex/allen screw.

To remove your barreled action from the old stock all three screws must be removed. Once all three screws are removed, the trigger guard will separate from the stock and the action and barrel will come free of the stock.

Step 2: Removing the OEM box magazine from the action/receiver.

This is the difficult part of this project. This is where you have two options, you can pry the magazine box off the receiver or you can use a rubber mallet to “bump” the magazine box off the receiver.

The “pry” method:

The pry method takes a little patients and can bed don in most cases without the need to remove the trigger.

To remove the magazine box, slide it as far to the front (away from the trigger) as possible, then use a wide blade screwdriver to pry the rear retaining lip forward until it clears the receiver. The box can then be eased out of the receiver.

The “mallet” method:

The mallet method may require the removal of the trigger assembly to help you get a square strike on the rear of the magazine box. WARINNG: Removing the box magazine with a mallet may distort the box magazine! If you plan or using to box magazine in the future you may want to consider using the “pry” method. Either method may permanently damage the magazine box

To remove the magazine box with a rubber mallet, strike the back side of the magazine box forward with a rubber mallet.

You may find that you need to use a little of both methods to relive the magazine from the action/receiver.

Once the box magazine is detached from the action/receiver it’s time to put the barreled action in its new “skin” and add a 10-shot capacity.

Step 3: Installing the action and barrel in the Choate Tactical stock with CDI’s bottom metal

Place the barreled receiver/action into the new Choate Tactical stock. From the bottom side make sure that the receiver holes and in line with the bedding blocks. If the screws do not line up move the receiver (front and back) until the screw holes line up.

Also check to make sure that the trigger assembly is free and is not hanging up on the CDI bottom metal. If the trigger has clearance issues do not continue with the installation. Contact CDI or the reseller for next actions. The CDI bottom metal should clear most OEM/Savage and after market triggers.

Next place the CDI bottom metal into the inletted Choate Tactical stock. The fit is snug and may require a little negotiation before it slides firmly into the stock.

Once the CDI bottom metal is in place again check the screw hole alignment. If the holes are not aligned move the receiver until the holes are aligned.

Start with the front action screw. This will the the shorter of the two provided screws. Use a 3/16″ hex/allen key to tighten the screw snug. CAUTION: Take your time and make sure you have “good threads” when starting the action screws. Cross threading the action holes will result in a trip to a gunsmith! This can be avoided by being very careful.

Next thread in the rear action screw. This will be the longer of the two provided screws. Again use caution to prevent cross threading the action screw into the receiver.

Torque both “Action” bolts to 65 in/lb.

The last step is to install the rear trigger guard screw. There is a pilot hole in the stock however it is just to guide the screw in straight and is much smaller that the screw so use a quality phillips screwdriver to prevent stripping the head of the screw.

Step 4: Testing

The bolt should be out of the rifle. Before reinstalling the bolt inspect the action to make sure neither of the action screws are protruding into the action. Some screws may need to be slightly trimmed. If this is the case remove the action screw(s) and either source shorter screws (Ace hardware carries 7/28 screws) or trim the screws to size.

If the action screws do not intrude into the action, reinstall the bolt and cycle the bolt. The bolt should cycle freely.

Use dummy rounds to test fire the rifle to make sure the trigger is functioning properly.

Installation complete.

September 11, 2011 Ten Years Today

tacticalblog — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:05:10 +0000

We can all remember where we were September 11th 2001.

The day America went to war.

September 11, 2001 has touched everyone in some way. For most civilians today is about remembering. Looking back 10-years and talking about where we were and what we doing when we first heard of the attacks. Today, for most of us, will come and go with a few brief moments spent thinking about what happened 10-years ago.

What many of us don’t realize is that for 10-years now men and woman of the US armed forces have been fighting for today, ten-years ago. Fighting to send a message to the rest of the world that we will not let another September 11 happen, ever!

Let’s spend today remembering the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001. Let’s also spend today honoring the men and women who have, and will, sacrifice to provide us the freedom to live without fear that another September 11th will happen. To help us understand the impact and sacrifice that September 11th had, and still has, on our families of our armed forces we decided to post a letter from someone who is very close to us.

Remember yesterday, thank them today, honor them tomorrow.

Team Tactical Works

Ten Years

One clear September morning ten years ago, I woke up, kissed Jason, and headed to work. He was still on leave from a vacation we had just taken for our uncle’s wedding. We had flown home to Colorado from Pennsylvania the day before, and I had forgotten a meeting downtown, so I headed North to my office. Listening to the radio, I was confused at reports coming out of New York City. A plane had struck a tower? At first I thought it was pilot error. Now, I only wish it had been.

My sister and I worked only a few feet away from each other at Stewart Title, and we grabbed breakfast together and tried to figure out what was going on. It’s funny how being with Kate has always made me feel like we could face anything. Once the second plane struck, it was all too clear. The twin towers were hit. We had been attacked.

I am not from New York City. I did not personally know a single person who died in the terrorist attacks that day. I cannot imagine the sheer terror of those who lost their lives that day. That beautiful, clear September day, those hours, changed my life, and countless other lives, forever.

The towers fell, and the tears rolled.

Smoke and ash. Running. Screaming. Terror. Across the nation, we were helpless, watching our fellow Americans live through an never-known before tragedy. The news kept playing the scene of the planes striking the towers. Of those who had jumped from the buildings. It was the kind of day where tears slipped down cheeks unnoticed. There were just too many to count.

Watching the devastation on television, almost two thousand miles away, I felt my reality shift. Jason called. The entire unit had been called in. I still remember the feeling of my heart hitting the floor. In that moment, that’s when I knew: we would be at war. Never again would a tour in Korea or a trip to NTC be the worst we would imagine. There were lines that lasted four hours just to get on post. There were nights that Jason stayed with a friend on base because he could have only gotten a couple hours of sleep had he come home. There were rumors like a wildfire. When were they going? Where were they going? How much notice would they get? None of my friends had ever lived through a war. None of us had ever sent a husband to one. America was in its darkest day, but I never imagined it would be a decade of our darkest nights.

I keep hearing on the news that this is a time for healing. These beautiful memorials that are designed to help bring peace to those who are still grieving. Heal, yes. Forget, never. No, America has not forgotten. We, the military families cannot forget. How can we, when we are still living it every day?

Jason will spend the 10 year anniversary of September 11 fighting in Afghanistan. While America is healing, watching the water flow on those amazing memorials, the military families are still stagnant, still fighting the same war, unable to move forward. While those names of the victims are permanent and carved into the walls of the voids where the twin towers stood, we military families are watching our friends’ names carved into new memorials in an ongoing process. We wives are constantly on our knees praying that we will not see our husbands’ names etched permanently into granite. Our list has not ended, instead it keeps growing. We cannot heal, because we’re too busy trying to survive. Our memorials cannot provide us closure because they have room left at the bottom to add names. Our nightmare from that terrible day in September is ongoing.

In ten years, we have not had a moment of true peace.

Our family has lived this decade in fear. Sure, you can watch army families stand strong, but it takes a great deal of courage to take a deeper look and watch who is breaking, to acknowledge that this decade of war is wearing us down. Jason brought home PTSD from OIF 1. After he was wounded, he could not be in a crowded room, couldn’t hear the pistons firing on a garbage truck without cringing. I watched him reach for a weapon that wasn’t there too many times to count. It took him weeks to stop driving in the middle of the street to avoid IED’s. And we got off easy. There are men who have fallen apart. There are 19 year-old boys who are fighting their own battle even after they return home. These are casualties, yet there is no place to carve their names because they still walk. There are marriages that simply cannot withstand the pace at which the army has been driving us. We have spent the last decade watching our friends’ marriages fall apart. How many times can you tear two people apart, have them live separate lives, and then stick them back together when the jagged edges don’t fit perfectly anymore? We are tired from have spent the last decade watching the names of those we love carved into those memorials. We are still watching.

What has a decade at war done to us?

We cannot know peace. We may glimpse it in a sunny afternoon, watching our kids play in the back yard, grilling with friends. We may hold tight to it on a Christmas morning, alive with love in one another’s eyes. But each moment of that joy is easily lessened by the knowledge that it could be our last. We are just watching our days pass by, either waiting for Jason to come home again, or waiting for him to leave again. Always waiting. Even now, with Jason returning so soon from his third year-long deployment, we’re just waiting to flip the hourglass when he comes home for when he leaves again. Even when Jason is home, chances are that my brother is deployed. This year they were deployed at the same time. Twice the worry. No, there is no peace here. How can you heal, when you just keep ripping the scab off over and over? Each cut is deeper, wider, until there is nothing left of the perfection of what once was. So many of us are covered in battle scars. My husband wears them on his face, his neck, his arms, his torso, his legs. I, like so many other wives, carry them in my heart, my eyes, the choked back tears. My boys have lost any hope of a “normal” childhood. When Jason came home for mid-tour, Aaron rushed him, only to back off. To everyone else it looked like he was giving his little brothers a chance to see Daddy. Once Jason was gone, I asked him why he didn’t jump in there, why he was so distant. “What’s the point? He’s only home for vacation.” His response choked me. My God. One day, one clear September day has done this to us.

My children have only known war.

They have never known a certainty that their dad would come home. They have never held on to him and known that he would never leave them again. That must kill Jason, to know that he can’t promise them that this time he’ll stay. Aaron and Aidan have both learned about the September 11 attacks. They both understand that’s why Jason is gone from them now. My boys, they are the ones who are paying the price. They pay the price every single day. I knew what Jason did when I met him. I’m not an idiot. Though I never really thought he would actually fight a war, I always knew it was a possibility. But my little guys? They never had a say in this.

Jason and I went to Ground Zero over five years ago. I needed to see it first hand. I needed to see the scarred buildings that had survived. I needed to understand the depth of what had happened. I needed to be able to tell my children years later that while soldiers kept dying in Afghanistan, I liked to think that they were escorted to heaven by the souls of those who had died in the towers. I needed to justify it to them, to myself, that daddy was gone fighting a war half a world away so that it would never again happen here. So that it wouldn’t happen to them.

Nearly three thousand people were killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It is an utterly devastating number. Three thousand grieving families. It’s almost incomprehensible. Now add half of that again. 1756 American soldiers have died in Afghanistan in this decade-long war. It was 1755 when I started writing this yesterday. 1756 grieving military families to add to the roll call of those consumed by these attacks. If you add Iraq, add 4,474 to that list. Our memorials seem to be living things, growing, consuming more names. More lives.

It has been ten years since the towers fell, the pentagon was attacked, the flights were hijacked. Ten years that have shaped our lives. Ten years has brought me a marriage as strong as I could ever have hoped for, and beautiful children who have brought me immeasurable joy. It has also brought me fear, grief, worry. It has brought Jason shrapnel, pain, and the knowledge that he has missed years of his children’s lives. But we stand. We fight. We fight for our marriage, our children, and our lives. I am so proud of the rebuilding going on at ground zero. We are cracked and scarred but not broken. It would do no justice to those victims and those lost soldiers if we were to break.

To the families who lost their loved ones on that day, or the years that have followed, my heart aches for you. To those who are rebuilding, bravo. You are what makes this nation strong, and I admire you more than you will ever know. And to my love, my darling husband: One day you will walk in the door of this house, you will hold your children in your arms and you will be able to say that you won’t leave again. Until that day, we are here, waiting.

Always.

Rebecca Yarros

The Only Girl Among Boys

Alison Haislip and a Savage 110 .300 Win Mag Savage

tacticalblog — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:06:49 +0000

This clip is filmed at the Oklahoma Full Auto Shoot and Trade Show. Halfway through the video Alison Haislip shoots a Savage 110 .300 Win Mag in a Choate Ultimate Sniper Stock that was used in the Long Range Sniper Shoot Tactical competition.

Enjoy

Independence Day 2011

tacticalblog — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 14:59:09 +0000

July 4th 1776, the day the United States people declared to be and remain free. The signing of the Declaration of Independence made official the separation of the thirteen Colonies from Great Brittain.

John Adams sent a message to his wife Abigail explaining how July 4th would be a day of celebration forever.

“It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games,sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more^“

As many of us enjoy this long weekend, I challenge you stop and think, think about the 235 years that have passed, think about the years that you have been free. How many generations of your family have been free? How many more generations will be free?

Now think about who provides us this luxury of freedom. American’s who gladly put our freedom in front of their lives. The U.S. Solider is and has been our provider and protector of freedom for 235 years and we owe them thanks.

To honor our men and women of our armed forces enter coupon code “thankyou” and receive free shipping on all orders until July 5th.

Happy 4th of July and thank you for your service.

Team Tactical Works

Patrol Carbine

tacticalblog — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:01:35 +0000

This build had a few requirements that needed to be met. The most challenging was bring the project in under budget which was pretty tight.

The need was for an all around maneuverable entry-level training carbine that would adapt nicely to a tall shooter while remaining light weight and fairly accurate inside of 300 yards.

Once funds are available, this carbine will dawn an optic/red dot, railed hand guard, one point sling, and a weapon light.

Immediately thoughts turned to an A2 stock to satisfy LOP and the budget however, a collapsible stock was on the “nice to have” list. The Ergo F93 Pro Stock adjusts from 8″ to 12″ when fully extended helping to add 1 & 1/2″ LOP over the A2 fixed stock helping to accommodate a tall shooter and at the same time addressing the “nice to have” collapsible stock.

A Lightweight DPMS 16″ barrel with a 1:9 twist helps keep the overall weight down and will stabilize 55 grain bullets for training as well as heavier bullets for longer work. The upper components, bolt, carrier, receiver, etc. were also DPMS.

A Mckay Enterprises “No Logo” lower receiver was chosen because of the sleek look and competitive price. To aid in training in the Colorado cold weather a Magpul Enhanced Trigger guard was installed.

To complete the rifle a Magpul rear sight added and 2 Magpul 30 round magazines.

DPMS 16″ Carbine Upper Receiver,
DPMS 5.56 1:9 Lightweight Barrel,
CAR Hand Guards,
A2 Front Sight
Magpul MBUS Rear Sight
Falcon Industries Ergo F93 8-position stock
Magpul 30-Round Magazines
Mckay Enterprises Lower Receiver
Allen Gun Bag
Magpul Enhanced Trigger Guard
Falcon Industries Ambidextrous Sling Plate

Overall, the build went very smooth. The first range visit for testing and barrel break-in provided successful results. At 50 yards with no zero all shots sent down range (10) hit the intended target, a paper plate. When time is available, we will zero the sights and test from 50 yds. to 200 yds. We expect to experience tighter more consistent groupings.

Mission Accomplished!

Memorial Day 2011

tacticalblog — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:31:16 +0000

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” – President John F. Kennedy

Thank you for your sacrifice to all of our service men an women.

Team Tactical Works

osama bin laden taken out by US Special Forces

tacticalblog — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:59:15 +0000

“The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.” George W. Bush May 1, 2011.

Americans can continue to sleep easy tonight thanks to the American Solider. U.S. Special Forces have ended osoma bin laden’s terror efforts against the American people.

As many of us sit back in our comfy living rooms and celebrate this victory in front of our 55″ televisions please take a few moments to pray for the safety of the men and woman who protect us 24 hours a day 7-days a week. It’s very easy to forget that there are almost 200,000 U.S. Soldiers just in Iraq and Afghanistan who sacrifice their comfort and safety for ours.

”I am overwhelmed with pride in America and in those who protect us. We are all united tonight in gratitude and love for our country. God Bless America.” Condoleezza Rice May 1 2011.

Thank you for being determined, thank you for your sacrifices, thank you for doing what you do to keep America safe and free.

Thank you,

Team Tactical Works