2012 SHOT Show: Robinson Arms XCR-M Battle Rifle, New Stock and More...

Alex Robinson of Robinson Arms and designer of the XCR on the right.

I stopped by the Robinson Arms booth at SHOT Show and got to meet Alex Robinson himself. Very nice guy and very smart too.

Aaron Holladay of Robinson Arms

I talked with Aaron Holladay about the new rifle and other goodies Robinson Arms was showing at the booth.

I got to see their new XCR-M battle rifle chambered in 7.62 NATO and see their new stock too.

Aaron showing off the new rifle here in the picture above noted that the XCR-M has less felt recoil than the XCR-L chambered in 7.62x39. If that is true that would be quite a feat as I own and shoot the XCR-L in 7.62x39 and don't notice the recoil as being a problem in so if it's lighter that that then WOW!

I wasn't disappointed in what I saw. The XCR-M has all the familiar fire controls as the XCR-L but with an newly designed adjustable gas system to handle the extra power of the 7.62x51 round.

New XCR-M adjustable gas system

Apparently the XCR-L gas system wasn't able to do the job so a whole new gas system was needed.

Also, the bolt and bolt carrier was redesigned. New the firing pin in not integral to the bolt but has become part of the bolt carrier.

XCR-M Op-rod, bolt, bolt carrier and spring assembly.

XCR-M Shorter Bolt

XCR-M Bolt Carrier: Firing pin inserts on left side.

Other changes include the piston which loses it's cup design to be flatter and more robust to handle the extra power.

XCR-M piston

The op-rod now is a once piece part where on the XCR-L it is composed of two pieces wielded together. Much nicer looking. I hope they do that going forward with the XCR-L's op-rod.

Op-rod now one piece contruction

I also got to seen the new ambidextrous mag release which is compatible with both rifles. That should be available to current XCR-L owners in a couple of months.

Ambidextrous mag release

Other notable changes are the XCR-M opens up a lot wider when the rear pin is remove than the XCR-L. That's a  welcome change as I find the less 45 degree opening between upper receiver and lower receiver a little restrictive. Now  it's a full 90 degrees.

Spring system

Spring system.

Now here's a couple of pics of the new stock. This is a nice stock with a max LOP of 14" and a bit, I believe, which is great for me because my arms seem to be extra long.  There are 6 (I believe) adjustment increments and the cheek piece is adjustable to two positions which is an easy procedure to adjust.

It seemed very robust and easy to fold and unfold.

New Robinson Armament Folding Stock

Bottom of new stock fully extended.

 With all the AR10's now coming onto the market this is a refreshing alternative with great ergonomics. I love shooting my XCR-L so shooting this must be just as fun if not more.

The Robinson Arms XCR-M has a MSPR of $2,300.0.

Thinking outside the box

We did a great drill whereby each participant had to solve the problem of shooting a target with his handgun but not having a functioning magazine to feed it.

No one got to see what was coming ahead of time.

A lot of people put their spin on solving the problem in creative ways.

Over all it was a great drill to get the participants to think outside of their realm of normal experience.


Here's a video of the antics:

Defensive Shooting Club: Scenario Day

Last Sunday was scenario day and it was a good one. The scenarios are all blind shoot scenarios meaning no one has a chance to see what is coming down the pipe. This gives everyone a chance to react to the situation based on their current training level.


The basic problem was you were picking up a loved one from a government building and, because it's a government building, you had to surrender your legally carried weapon at the door.

Somehow, some criminals got through the security with there illegal weapons and started to cause problems.

You enter into the scene as it unfolds...

Watch and see how the various participants react to the situation.



Basically, it's probably a good idea to be familiar with multiple weapons systems so you can operate in case of emergency, also, situational awareness it critical yet elusive if not trained for it.

Defensive Shooting Club: First Day Out Already

It's January 1, 2012 and there's a Defensive Shooting Club meet! I didn't think too many people would get out due to other obligations.

I was wrong!

Seventeen dedicated 2nd amendment practitioners showed up to participate in the various scenarios and drills that were presented by the instructor Jeff Patane.

I'm uploading the scenario that we did right now so it's not available but for now I'll just add this whimsical steel shoot video:




Happy New Year everyone.

Training Vignette: Drawing from a holster

I belong to a defensive shooting club that meets twice a month where we train drills on one of those days and do scenarios based on real life happenings dug up from the news of the other training day. We train about 5 hours per session.

I like to carry my video camera and capture some of the instruction that Jeff imparts to our brains so I can review it later.

These training vignettes are a result.

I find it really useful to review what was captured on video because I seem to miss some of the finer details of instruction during the action.

Anyway, I hope someone else can find some use in these videos too.

The following video is Jeff explaining the how's and why's of drawing from a holster.

Train for the worst...

Hope for the best.

Vignettes in training: Position SUL

A description of "Postion SUL" by Jeff Patane of Alpha Dog Tactical

Vignettes in Training: N Plus One Sight Picture

"It doesn't matter how fast you shoot, you always have to be ready for one more shot"



A great discussion on how to execute proper follow through.

Pistol Training Using Support Side Techniques

Just did some training with the Defensive Shooting Club with focus on support side only manipulation of a pistol. That means you can't use the primary side.

Topics covered include immediate action drills from the support side, reloading from the support side and drawing from the support side. Also covered were optimal shooting position when shooting from the support side only.

It was raining quite a bit so these guys and gal are dedicated to the art of the pistol!

Other topics were covered and the day was wrapped up with some fun barricade, barrel, multiple position shooting as you will see if you watch the video.






It was a lot of fun and is over way to fast.

Defensive Shooting Club Anual Fun Shoot and Raffle!

Well it's that time of year again for the Defensive Shooting Club Fun shoot. Last year we had a three gun competition but this year it was reduced to two guns.

There were four stages the competitors had to complete in to see who would win this year.

After the event we all filled up on pizza and beer and got some raffle prizes if we were lucky.

Here is some video of the event!



Someone bought 400 raffle tickets so they got all the prizes donated by the Bay Area Gun Vault. Luckily, Jeff Patane, the DSC instructor started off by quizzing us on our defensive handgun history knowledge, I managed to get an answer right and won some 9mm snap caps.

The question was: Who is considered the father of modern pistol craft?

It was a super fun day and everybody had a lot of fun I'm sure. Especially at the end. View the video if you want to know why.

Defensive Shooting Club: Carbine Month!

Here at the Defensive Shooting Club we normally dedicate our time to honing our skills with a handgun since that's the most likely defensive gun that would be deployed. But this month we practiced with the carbine to freshen up our skills and refresh our muscle memory regarding the manual of arms for the long gun.

We sure are lucky to have in my area a club that is dedicated to defensive firearm use. The club has been around for over 15 years! We get to train twice a month, five hours a session for a total of ten hours per month of intense firearms training that includes not only a wide variety of drills including to train unconventional use and positions but also scenarios where we have to think on our feet to maximize a positive outcome. The instructor, Jeff Patane, also drills us in the basics and drives them home so they become automatic actions.

Jeff mixes up the training to make sure we can use any hand to shoot from, load from any hand and use whatever we have around our environment to survive if we find ourselves in a hostile situation. When is it best to reveal that we are armed, how time plays a factor in a successful outcome. And some much more. He always stresses, gun fighting is a thinking mans game.

I haven't seen or heard of another club like this in existence anywhere. Most of the time you have to take a course. Courses can only go so far and once you are done it's up to the student to keep up and practice somehow until the next course where there will be the necessary re-evaluation of all the students skill levels. Signing up for courses also has it's own barriers such as going into the unknown, the uncertainty etc.

The benefit of the Defensive Shooting Club is the continuity of training and familiarization with most of the students present. Everyone is pulling for everyone else, sharing ideas and having a friendly competitive atmosphere which drives people to try to improve in areas that could be brought up to a higher level of proficiency. Jeff knows what to try out next based on the previous classes and can add twists and turns based on current affairs such as setting up a scenario that deals with protecting oneself in a restaurant. He can see that, as a group, it's time to do X or Y. I've taken a lot of courses from other instructors where they teach you various techniques, drills and procedures but at the DSC we get to put it all together and try it out. The DSC is a great proving ground for equipment too. If it fails during our training then it's time to find something better.

Another great thing about the club is anyone can join by simply paying a modest $20.00 fee and diving right in. The value is incredible. It might not be for everyone though in that the core philosophy is defense which includes the notion of situational awareness. If you are not aware you could have a rude awakening!

Anyway, I'm just happy that I get to live nearby and be a participant in the Defensive Shooting Club! Thanks Jeff for being an unending well of enthusiasm, inspiration, and information!

Here is a short compilation of what we did last Sunday!