The VEPR (Russian for “wild boar”) is available in .223 Rem., 7.62×39 mm, 5.45×39 mm and .308 Win., and features a stronger receiver than standard AK-47 variant rifles. The guns have hammer-forged barrels, upgraded walnut furniture and adjustable sights, as well as side-mounted rail-attachment points. Early VEPRs were imported with either 20- or 23-inch barrels, while current models have 16.5- and 27.5-inch barrel lengths available as well. VEPRs are generally considered to be the highest quality rifle based on the Kalashnikov design, and having owned and shot a number of AK-based rifles, that assessment is accurate.

I acquired my VEPR six years ago, when it was one of the first models brought into the country as a “sporting” rifle—hence the thumbhole stock familiar to anyone that knows PSLs, Dragunovs or MAK-90s. One of the downsides to having a unique arm like the VEPR is that finding parts can be challenging. Now, though, with companies like K-VAR importing these rifles again, parts are easier (and cheaper) to come by, so it sees more rotation in the shooting lineup.

Shooting the VEPR has some pluses and some minuses. The good is the heft of the gun, combined with a generous rubber recoil pad, tames the .308 Win. recoil quite well and makes shooting it—even from a prone position—less punishing. It came with a genuine Russian POSP 4X scope, which was exchanged for this review for a Leupold 4-12×40 mm Mark AR scope. For long-range shooting, the clearer picture and superior optics of the Leupold worked much better than the former Soviet optic. This particular VEPR has a 23-inch barrel, and came with a single five-round magazine, although 10-round magazines are now available (and at a price that doesn’t necessitate the selling of corneas).

K-VAR offered a variety of VEPR models at the 2012 SHOT Show, and other importers also have variants of this beefed-up AK-platform rifle.

After a few rounds to sight in the new scope, the VEPR settled in nicely. Accuracy was about what I expected for an AK-47-based firearm—certainly not terrible, but not Camp Perry worthy, either (though the last two, four-shot strings were produced groups inside of 2 MOA; not bad for off-the-shelf ammunition and a duffer behind the trigger). Shooting prone with the rifle on a Harris bipod, the recoil was quite manageable, while shooting offhand, though taxing with a rifle coming in at close to 10 pounds, was also not unpleasant. A sling, which I forgot to bring, would have been of immeasurable help.

With the price of even bulk .308 Win. being what it is, I decided against trying to light the handguard on fire. Besides, the walnut is rather striking and it would be a shame to singe it, but beware: the barrel does get hot after repeated strings.

While the AK-47 platform may not be the most accurate option available, it is known and renowned for robustness. The VEPR performed as expected. Five different brands of ammunition with different bullet weights and powders were handled with equal aplomb. From high-end, 175-grain target ammunition, to 147-grain, steel-cased bulk surplus, the VEPR loaded, fired and ejected everything fed into it. Neither accuracy nor reliability suffered from repeated range trips without detailed cleaning—it’s a Kalashnikov.

The VEPR was designed as a hunting rifle, and with .308 Win. power and decent accuracy, it’s well-suited for most game in North America. From the bench, it’s accurate and easy to shoot. It is a very reliable gun that will work in any temperature a hunter is likely to endure, and its 100-yard accuracy is definitely within minute of deer, or wild boar. The VEPR is an unusual choice for a semi-automatic .308 Win., but it is likely to keep working for the foreseeable future no matter what you do with—or to—it.

Manufacturer: Vyatskie Polyany Machine-Building Plant (MOLOT)
Action Type: Gas-operated, rotating bolt semi-automatic
Caliber: .308 Win.
Capacity: 5 or 10 rounds
Receiver: black oxide finish
Barrel: 23 inches; hammer-forged, chrome-lined bore
Rifling: 1:12.6-inch
Stock: Walnut thumbhole
Sights: Adjustable rear, drift-adjustable front
Length: 43.5 inches
Weight: 8 pounds, 6 ounces
MSRP: $1,029

Foregrips are certainly nothing new—the legendary Thompson submachine gun was so equipped back in the 1920s. A foregrip allows the gun to more quickly be brought to a “ready” position, sacrificing a degree of accuracy for faster target acquisition. Since the point of connection with the support hand is no longer directly in line with the rifle, but rotated 90 degrees, precision shooters prefer more traditional handguards. With the rise of pistol-caliber AR-15 pattern rifles and the increasing use of the .223 Rem. as a defensive round, though, the utility of a vertical foregrip has seen increased interest.

Several different polymer foregrips were acquired for testing from Tapco, The Mako Group and Magpul industries. Additionally, a UTG model I have had for a while was added as a fourth option. In the interest of comparing similar functions, only the standard-size, straight foregrips are reviewed. All units were installed on the same Bushmaster XM15-E2S carbine in the same position on the fore-end.

UTG Model 15 Tactical Foregrip

The least expensive option of the four (MSRP: $12.95), the UTG grip is manufactured in China and was the easiest to install on the rifle. The grip has individual finger grooves to assist when holding the unit, and there is a section on either side of the grip for attaching a pressure switch for a light or laser mounted to the rifle.

The unit installs by twisting on the mounting hardware—a polymer insert with a hollow portion for battery storage. A detent engages one of the rail slots to lock it into place, and with sufficient application of force was found to be a stable and solid platform. After several sessions at the range, slight loosening was discovered, but the grip can quickly be tightened without tools whenever it works loose.

Tapco Intrafuse Vertical Grip

The Tapco grip (MSRP: $21.99) is made in the U.S. and is utilitarian in appearance. It utilizes a series of grooves to provide solid purchase, and despite appearances to the contrary, does not pinch upon firing the rifle with the grip installed. Test-firing did not cause any noticeable change in the security of the attachment point.

Installation is simple and requires only a flathead screwdriver, resulting in very solid attachment to the rifle. The screw-attachment point mates with one of the slots in the rail and keeps the unit firmly in position. The Tapco unit also has storage inside the grip for small items like batteries, and the storage area is accessed via a rubber pressure-fit plug.

The Mako Group TAL-4 Tactical Vertical Grip

The TAL-4 originates in Israel through FAB Defense and is sold in the U.S. through The Mako Group, at an MSRP of $42.99. Like the two previous units, the TAL-4 has a small area inside the grip for storage of small items, which is accessed by twisting the fore-end cap off the grip (it even has a slot to make it easier). There are removable panels on either side of the ribbed grip for pressure switches to be installed if needed.

Installation was most difficult with this unit, with both a flathead screwdriver needed to loosen the attachment point and a locking portion that needed to be depressed in order to affix the grip to the gun. This provides engagement at two separate rail slots; making this one of the most secure units installed. Even after repeated range trips with the TAL-4 installed, it was still quite firmly attached.

Magpul Industries MOE RVG (Rail Vertical Grip)
Magpul has one of the hottest foregrips with its Angled Fore Grip (AFG), but the company also has a standard vertical grip available (MSRP: $24.95). It’s American made, and the grip itself is textured to ensure tight purchase when in use. This grip is hollow inside, with no provisions for storage, although that makes it the lightest of the grips tested. It’s also slightly shorter than the others, but still allows for a full four-fingered grip.

The RVG has the most robust installation method of the grips tested. Two flathead screws are spaced one slot apart to allow for an extremely secure pairing of grip to rail. The grip is quite comfortable despite its smaller size (which comes in handy when fitting the rifle into smaller cases), and did not appear to loosen after numerous range sessions.

All four of the vertical foregrips tested offered different value as an accessory for the AR-15 platform. Some were inexpensive, making them ideal for those who aren’t sure if a vertical foregrip is right for their needs. Others are no-nonsense—built to last through the hardest use without moving. All four grips are available for significantly less than $50, provide solid attachment to a Picatinny rail and change the ergonomics of AR handling. There are many options available, so finding one that’s right for you should not be difficult.

Folks with private ranges or permissive gun clubs can use a wide variety of reactive targets: milk jugs filled with water, tin cans, soda bottles, even old appliances can provide a target that provides feedback with every hit. Often, though, these targets can be messy and/or are disallowed in private gun clubs. A target that doesn’t make a mess or require extensive cleanup would make a lot of sense, and this is where steel targets excel. The instant feedback—the distinctive ting—of a hit immediately lets shooters know their shot found its mark.

I got a chance to talk to the folks at MGM Targets at the SHOT Show this past January. The Idaho-based company makes a wide variety of targets, both steel and cardboard, with many options available for moving and stationary targets. I saw its line of auto-resetting targets, known as the Auto-Poppers, which have a strong steel spring that immediately returns a struck plate back to the upright position. It’s a simple and elegant solution to the problem of resetting a steel plate—some units use a swinging or hanging plate to get around the need to reset, but these will take time to stop moving before a second shot can be taken.

MGM was kind enough to provide two different targets for testing, a .22 Rim Fire Auto-Popper and a Colt Speed Plate Auto-Popper. The rimfire plate is pretty self-explanatory, while the Colt Popper is designed with a larger 6-inch area for new shooters—just the thing needed to build the confidence of those being introduced to centerfire arms.

The rimfire popper works with .22 Short/Long/LR only, and for the centerfire plates, MGM recommends the following:

“For MGM 3/8-inch AR500 reactive targets, you can shoot pistol from 15 yards or more. Closer range risks frag bounce-back. Shoot rifle ammo up to 2,800fps/175-grain bullet, all steel/no steel or multi-core at 100 yards. While closer-range shooting is not recommended and may void warranty claims, if you want to shoot closer with a rifle, test two rounds then go look at target, minor pitting of the steel is common with some small-caliber, higher-velocity ammo. If you’re shooting high velocity–over 2,800 fps, like .300 Win. Mag., or .338 Lapua Mag., as you know, those are long range rounds, so we always recommend shooting at a distance reasonable for the rifle and ammo, in this case, 200 yards or more. MGM 3/16-inch AR400 reactive targets can be shot with rimfire ammo at range of 15 yards or more.”

The real test, of course, is in the shooting. Since we’re looking at these autopoppers from the perspective of a new shooter, some video was shot to show them in action:

The plates were set up at the 50-foot station at my gun club, to ensure we covered the MGM recommended minimum distance of 15 yards. More than 250 rounds of .22 LR and about the same in .45 ACP, 9 mm, and .38 Spl. were shot against the respective targets, with the paint being the only casualty. The poppers performed beautifully as shown in the video, springing back into place immediately, ready for a second (third, fourth, etc.) shot. Even under rapid fire, the only issues were with the shooter, not the speed plates—they bounced back quickly and cleanly every single time. These targets do start moving, which is to be expected, and I found I had to reposition each popper roughly every 100 rounds. A small price to pay for steel shooting goodness.

The targets held up very well—after several sessions and multiple hundreds of rounds, they may have lost a bit of paint, but were otherwise in excellent shape and still ready for more. No pitting of any kind was observed, even with jacketed-hollow-point .357 Mag. rounds fired out of an 8 3/8-inch Smith & Wesson N-frame. Lead splatter from the rounds was quite evident in the wood block holding the .22 LR Auto-Popper and on the steel base of the centerfire popper, but other than cosmetic paint removal, these targets are 100-percent ready for the next set of shooters. Grab a can of white spray paint and they’ll be good as new.

For new shooters—and experienced shooters, too—the instant feedback and immediate gratification of a reactive target is hard to beat. When building good firearm handling skills and developing proficiency on the range, it’s very helpful to have a target that’s easy to hit, provides instantaneous and audible confirmation and doesn’t leave a mess. Steel targets fulfill all of these requirements, and the Auto-Popper line from MGM Targets has the additional benefit of not requiring folks to stop shooting to reset their targets. That’s very useful when maintaining a new shooter’s interest during their first trip to the range.

Budget is really the limiting factor when choosing a safe, with selections ranging from less than $100 to the “wow, do they still buy kidneys?” range. A simple locked metal box for a single handgun can be found for the same price as a box of premium ammunition, while a fire-, water- and theft-resistant safe that can hold several dozen long guns might cost as much as a good used car. Most of the requests I’ve received have been for advice on safes in the $500 to $1,000 range, which excludes some of the higher-end offerings, but still covers a good number of offerings.

The most basic safes are little more than steel cabinets with a keyed lock, like those from Stack-On shown here. These are the least expensive options, but offer little more than cursory theft protection and little to no fire or water protection. They’re good for conforming to safe-storage laws and keeping curious people separated from your firearms, but they won’t stop a determined thief for very long. As the quality of safe increases, its ability to protect against intrusion from fire, water or prying hands also increases. Being able to securely bolt the safe to the floor and/or walls adds another level of security for any safe.

There are three basic types of locking mechanisms available: Input, tumbler or keyed. Input refers mainly to fast-response safes, like a pistol box one might keep under the bed for quick and close access. These may have biometric mechanisms that read fingerprints, like those from GunVault, or push-button combination locks that need to be manipulated to open like the DAC Sportsafe. Keyed safes require a key to open, and tumblers require memorizing a combination, both of which may be harder to accomplish in a stressful situation—but, they also do not have batteries that can go dead at inconvenient moments. Safes with redundant opening mechanisms—like a biometric safe that has a key backup—help mitigate concerns about use under stress.

Most safes are rated for fire, water and theft resistance. A general rule of thumb is that the more expensive the safe, the longer these three dangers can be kept at bay. The most desirable safes (read: most expensive) will have fire- and water-resistance ratings up to several hours. They’ll also have improved security measures like reinforced hinges to resist prying, and will often weigh enough to require assistance with moving (some safes can weigh nearly a ton). For example, the National line from Liberty Safe  has empty weights ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds. Add several dozen firearms at 6 to 10 pounds each, and the total weight increases well beyond a ton. Empty weight for the largest models from Fort Knox exceeds a ton, too.  Such safes are frequently placed in a home’s basement owing to their weight and ease of installation—when an item weighs half a ton, it’s a lot easier to bring it down stairs rather than up.

For those looking for individual firearms storage, there are an even greater number of options available. Many companies make small metal safes for mounting underneath a bed, in a motor vehicle’s center console or even entire systems that permanently mount into the beds of pickup trucks and SUVs. Other products, like the innovative ShotLock, use a metal cover over a longarm’s action and a metal plate that gets bolted to a wall to secure a single firearm in a location where it can be accessed quickly.

There are about as many options available for keeping one’s firearms safe as there are firearms out there. The level of security provided by the safe correlates to the construction, both concerning the quality of materials used to build the safe and the processes employed in assembly. The top quality safes have thick steel walls, rolled hinges to prevent prying and are built to withstand invasion by thieves, fire or water. Options abound for specialized applications, whether for discrete room safes, secure storage for one’s vehicle or devices that function for both.

And one final note: Always buy a larger safe than you think you might need…