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I recently acquired the Fabrique Nationale Herstal SCAR 17s. It was a rifle that I have wanted for many years, but it was always out of reach due to how much it costs.

In order to obtain the funds for the 17s, I had to sell several of my firearms. It was worth the sacrifice and I have no regrets.

SCAR stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle. This rifle isn’t new and there are many reviews out there so I will just focus on my own experience with mine.
The SCAR 17s is based off of the SCAR H (Heavy), which is currently in service with US SOCOM. It is chambered in .308 Winchester or 7.62x51mm. The difference is that the 17s is semi-automatic only, whereas the Heavy is select-fire.
The 17s comes in matte black or FDE (Flat Dark Earth). I got mine in FDE and every single rifle in FDE comes with multiple different shades of FDE. The upper and lower receivers and stock all are different shades of FDE. This was expected and I don’t mind it as it naturally breaks up the rifles visual profile. My aluminum upper receiver came in bronze, the polymer lower is almost dark brown and the collapsible stock was Magpul FDE.

Before I continue, this rifle had to be California Neutered in order for it to be legal for me to possess. Most people don’t know all of the restrictions this state had on law abiding gun owners. Both of the magazine releases on the 17s have Raddlocks installed and the stock has a Raddlock stock block disallowing it to fold. Why? The state law requires a tool to release the magazine and the minimum length for a rifle in California is 30″. The 17s folded comes in at 28.5″.
I had some immediate upgrades that were installed before I took it out to the range. GG&G extended charging handles is a must have, it gives you the extra needed space to keep your fingers and knuckles to clear whatever optics you may have on top. I replaced the standard and cheap A2 grip with a Magpul MOE grip modified by Parker Mountain Machine. I also replaced both safety selectors with PMM ones, large on the left and small on the right. PMM’s BCD (Battery Control Device) was installed as well. All of these parts added a few more shades of FDE.

I replaced the PWS brake with Surefire’s new WarComp. The WarComp is mainly a flash hider with compensator ports on top to mitigate some recoil and keep the barrel flat during firing.

I placed an EoTech 552 HWS as a temporary optic for now. In the future I am looking at the XPS-2 with the G33 magnifier.
One advantage the 17s has over other .308 AR platforms is it’s weight. It is 8 lbs empty. It had a  short stroke gas piston operation, which will keep the bolt carrier group and chamber relatively clean.
I was able to squeeze in some range time last week at the local indoor range. I shot three rounds on the bench with a Harris Bipod attached. The EoTech 552 was set to the BUIS and after shooting it at 25 yards, I found that they were perfectly zeroed for 50 yards and no adjustment were required. Since I have the WarComp installed, the felt recoil was definitely noticeable but it works as advertised. There’s no flash signature and the barrel stayed level and flat leaving the recoil impulse going straight back. I have to admit my shoulder was a bit sore for a few days but you just have to suck it up, you’re shooting.308!
In my opinion, the 17s is the best semiautomatic .308 battle rifle for the price that you pay. It’s the lightest among its counterparts. As expensive as it is, it is actually in the middle when you compare the prices. There’s a reason that SOCOM chose it. It’s combat proven by our elite troops in the worst conditions. What this rifle can do is what sets it apart from all the others; you can maneuver it at close quarters, you can shoot long range, you can hunt with it. It pretty much does it all. Everyone of my friends and partners at work who have picked it up are truly amazed by how compact and light it is. When compared to my LWRC M6A2, the 17s is just a few inches longer and weighs just a hair more.

FN definitely succeeded in making the most technologically advanced battle rifle out there yet and I am happy to own one!

The moment you accept the oath, are sworn in and given a badge, your life changes. Unlike any other job or career, being a Peace Officer is a lifestyle that is 24/7. Whether an officer accepts it or not, it is a reality that they signed up for.
We carry weapons on our person and wear a bullet resistant vest because our job and sworn duty is to enforce the law and to protect and serve. These are merely tools that are necessary to effect an arrest and to keep the peace.
When most people leave their workplace, they leave their work behind. This isn’t necessarily true for officers. Some officers do choose to be truly off duty and want nothing to do with their jobs when they’re 10-7. You can’t blame them for choosing to do this, however I am not that type of officer.
When off duty, there is absolutely no legal obligation for us to act or respond to anything. I can’t speak for anyone else other than myself. I’ve already made my decision when it comes to how I will react to different situations when off-duty. My family’s safety comes first, then it is my own safety because my family needs me more than anyone else. All of my decisions come down to whether my involvement would help or make the situation worse. Most of the time, I’m a good witness while I’m on the phone with a dispatcher.
The current unfortunate trend of violence and murders of Peace Officers around the nation is simply heartbreaking. We’ve always had targets on our backs from the moment we first donned on our uniforms. These attacks are not new to our community; they are however, more frequent and increasing. An officer was murdered in his own home the other day. If this isn’t an all out war on law enforcement, I don’t know what is.
There is no job our there where there are people who hate you enough to kill you based solely on the fact that you wear a uniform and what you stand for.
There is an obvious division between law enforcement and the community. It is getting worse everyday. Our leaders need to step up and speak out against the murders of my fellow brothers and sisters.
It’s time for our leadership to do what is right, not what is easy. That being said, it isn’t hard to take a stand for what is right.
I’m not holding my breath. As always, we really only have ourselves to keep each other safe.

United We Stand.
Do we as Americans still remember this phrase? It sure doesn’t look that way currently; in fact, I don’t ever our nation so divided as it is today in my entire lifetime.
Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of seeing fellow U.S. citizens stomp on and burn the American flag. Just because you have the right to do something that disrespectful, doesn’t mean that you should.
I love America and what it stands for. It definitely is not a perfect nation, but it’s ahead of all others on this planet when it comes to the freedoms it provides for it’s citizens. America is a nation by the people and not by the government.
I am a first generation American. Both of my parents were refugees from the Vietnam War. My father was a South Vietnamese Airman and was evacuated from an airbase being overrun by the Viet Cong. My mother came across the Pacific Ocean by boat. They both went to America to start a new life and they did so, successful by working hard. They loved America and what it provided them and our family. They lived the American Dream.
Most Americans take a lot for granted. We are free because of the brave. The brave are our service members and our law enforcement officers. Our service members keep our enemies off of our soil, while our peace officers keep our streets safe from criminals. I have the utmost respect for all of those who have answered the call to serve in our armed forces. I have many close friends who are veterans and many who are currently serving and deployed overseas. I can’t imagine being away from my own family, let alone being away months at a time.
I never served in our armed services; I instead chose to serve my community by being a peace officer.
Why do people serve as soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors or peace officers? They all do so because they are a part of something much bigger than themselves individually. They do so to serve their fellow Americans selflessly.
There’s absolutely no excuse for anyone to disrespect the American flag because there’s no greater disrespect to those who have sacrificed so much, many with their lives.
If you’re unhappy with how your life sucks, how about taking it out on those who are responsible: your leaders, not the people who are only doing their jobs and have no power to make any changes.
Never Forget that over 3,000 Americans were brutally murdered on September 11, 2001. Don’t forget the ultimate sacrifice of the hundreds of first responders who went into the towers to save others. Remember the United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Lest we forget…

My knowledge on optics for long guns is very limited. I can say that I’m proficient in close range engagements with rifles. I’ve only shot out to a hundred yards to zero some of my rifles. I am not a sniper or marksman and this post is to pass on some knowledge to those who were in my shoes a while back when I researching what optic to put on my rifles.
What most new gun owners will notice after they had just spent nearly or over a thousand dollars (sometimes thousands of dollars) on a quality rifle, is that the cost of optic for will be in the hundreds and sometimes may exceed the cost of  rifle it’s going on.

Iron Sights, in my opinion, everyone should learn how to shoot with them first before adding any optics to their weapon system. Most optics are electronic and therefore can fail. That’s why they call the BUIS, or Back Up Iron Sights. So why have optics? There’s many good advantages you obtain from employing good optics. With Iron Sights, in order to get a good sight picture, you need to align the front and rear sights, usually using yor dominate eye and closing your other. One can be very proficient and fast with Iron Sights, but with a Red Dot Optic (RDO) you only need one point to focus one, allowing both eyes to remain open. This allows for extremely fast target acquisition, increased field of view and peripheral vision. It makes shooting real simple: place the dot on your target and press the trigger.
There are many options for RDO’s, like with everything in life, you get what you pay for! You cannot go wrong with Aimpoint, EoTech, Trijicon and a few other brands. These brands are all expensive and start at the $400 mark. They are all combat proven by our service members and are tough as nails. They will hold their zero and will take a beating. I will go in depth on RDOs on another post.

Magnified Optics do exactly what their description says, they magnify. Here, my knowledge and experience becomes very limited. Like I said, I’m not a skilled long range shooter. There’s not a lot of places for me to shoot further than a 100-200 yards. I also don’t get enough time at the range to shoot my longer range rifles. With my limited experience, I will say that it definitely helps having a magnified optic to identify your target and hit your targets with more accuracy than you would with a non magnified Red Dot Optic. The cost of good magnified optics can get extremely expensive. There are many manufacturers that have affordable options available. Some good brands are Leupold, US Optics, Steiner, Night Force, Zeiss and the list goes on. Some of those will run over $5000 easy! Shooting long range is not a cheap or easy endeavor. It takes a lot of time to be proficient. It is a very satisfying and challenging experience nonetheless shooting things that are far away.
So if you’re a new rifle owner, there’s a ton of information out there, so do your research before you drop a few hundred on one. Always remember, you get what you pay for!

I’ve carried the Beretta M85F Cheetah chambered in .380 ACP or 9mm short for many years as my backup gun.
When I got tired of lugging around my HK P2000sk in my vest holster, I started searching for something smaller but not too small. Back then, pocket .380 pistols were all the rage. Almost every company had one; Ruger, Sig Sauer, KelTec to name a few. I was, however not a fan of the pocket pistols then, believing that they were too small to control and shoot accurately. That was then, I’ve come around on that thinking and that’s why I sold my M85F… back to the review…
I’ve always wanted a Beretta, but didn’t want the full-size M92, so the M85F was a great solution; it is like a mini M92.
To my knowledge, it was the biggest .380 pistol I could find and at the same time, it was smaller, slimmer and lighter than a subcompact pistol. I could get a full grip with both hands.
The Beretta M85F is a DA/SA Semi-Auto with a manual ambidextrous safety/decocker that resembles a 1911’s, it is on the frame and not on the slide like on the M92. It also has a magazine disconnect safety, which I don’t like. The trigger pull is like a standard DA/SA on the M92 and has no trigger reset, another feature I’m not a fan of. The magazines are metal, single stack which hold 8 rounds.

It was accurate and easy to shoot.
So why did I get rid of it? There are quite a few reasons for that.
If you have been following me for the last few months, you would notice that I have been doing what I’m calling a “spring cleaning” of my firearms collection. I’ve been updating my collection with newer guns that I want and will use more often by selling ones that I don’t anymore. At the same time I am consolidating the ammunition that I need by getting rid of a few calibers.
The M85F was one of them. It was the only .380 ACP pistol I owned and those that own .380’s know that it’s difficult to find ammo for it. My department does not provide .380 for practice, so I had to supply it myself, which was not an issue, but I didn’t always have practice rounds with me at work so I rarely shot it.
The .380 is also called a 9mm short because that’s what it is. Some will argue that it is too small of a round to use defensively. I always carried good JHP ammo for duty, but why carry .380 when you can carry 9mm? Enter the Beretta BU9 Nano.

Cost, the M85F isn’t cheap with the price being close to $800! You can get a M92 at that price!
Bottom line: if you like .380’s and Beretta’s this is the gun for you. I sold it to my partner who got it for his wife for the range. It’s an ideal range gun for the ladies who have less upper body strength to deal with other Semi-Autos. The M85F is pretty easy to manipulate.
In my opinion, it’s more of a collector’s piece because of it’s price tag. There’s so many other options out there that are more practical and cost effective.

Throughout my career, I’ve come across a lot of criminals. Most of them made poor decisions or life choices. Seldom do I ever run into some truly evil people.  Those are the ones you don’t forget.
It’s like looking into the eyes of a shark; black, cold and empty. Their facial expressions are full of hate and rage. As scary and intimidating as they may seem, I’m not afraid to face them. I too, can look fearsome and when they stare at me with all of their hatred for my uniform, my race, or whatever..I stare right back.
A few years ago, I was in a arraignment courtroom and one the inmates was an overt white supremacist with his lightening bolts and 88 tattoos all over his neck and face. He was uncooperative from the moment he entered the courtroom. He eventually had to be physically escorted by the detention deputies out of the courtroom. Later on, his mother approached me asking about him. Usually, family members I deal with are curious as to when someone gets released from jail. She was the total opposite. With fear all over her face, she asked me to confirm that her son will be staying in custody as she was in fear of her life from her son. I wasn’t a parent then, but now that I am, I couldn’t imagine going through what that poor woman has to go through.
Racism is still in existence of today, sadly. I just don’t get it in this day and age with all of the information available for people to educate themselves. It’s a huge topic in our media and I can say what most cops will attest to, I don’t care what someone’s race or ethnicity they are, it’s their actions that were focused on.
A few months ago a man who was probably suffering from some mental illness had a rough time going through our weapons screening process and had to place a forbidden item outside of the building. He responded by opening the exit door and throwing the item outside. I told him that he needed to take it away from the building and not throw it. He got about a few feet from my face and stared right at me and clenched his fists and started to turn red, it reminded me of the Hulk getting angry. He then turned away and did what I requested him to do. On his re-entry through the metal detector, he yelled something at me that was inaudible. I asked him to repeat himself. He said it again and it was still inaudible. Then he said, “First Amendment! Freedom of speech!” I responded with, “okay…” He then said what he said earlier, this time clear and loud, “I HATE ASIANS!!!!” I replied with, “Well I don’t care!”
Once my partners heard what he said, they stayed with him and eventually escorted him out of the building for saying other absurd things to civilian staff members.
Does it make my blood boil? Yes, but I’m a professional and I know better than to let my emotions get in the way of my job. It’s all part of the job, to take it and move on. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned over the years is to just let it go.

The worst case scenario. If anyone really knows me, they know that I always plan for the absolute worst that can possibly happen, this way I’m never surprised.
I’ve always carried a backup gun on duty. Things happen and Murphy’s Law is always waiting to enact itself whenever your in the middle of the worst situations.
I keep all of my firearms well maintained and as you know, all of the firearms I choose to own and carry are of high quality. I don’t expect my VP9 to fail me, but if that does happen for some odd reason, I’m not out of the fight.
My first backup gun was my Heckler and Koch P2000sk in .40, believe it or not, I carried it in my best holster!

Well that got old and I bought a Beretta M85F in .380 ACP. It served as my backup gun for many years and I just sold it to my partner to buy it’s replacement from another partner, the Beretta Nano in 9mm. I wasn’t a fan of pocket pistols, that is why I choose the M85, it was a mini M9 and it was small, but not too small, allowing me to have a full grip. I didn’t get to shoot it often however, since it was a .380, my department only gave me 15 rounds a year to qualify with it and no more. I would have to bring my own ammo to practice and I did not always have my .380 practice ammo with me at work. It’s was also a pain to have to buy another caliber and stock up on.

The Beretta Nano changed my opinion on pocket pistols. It is built specifically for concealed carry and is snag free, which will make drawing it an east task. I will do some in-depth reviews on each weapon later.

The whole point of this post is encourage everyone to have a backup gun. Most of my partners don’t carry one. Their reasons basically comes down to pure laziness and believing that it is unnecessary. A lot of them also believe nothing will ever happen while they’re on duty. That way of thinking will cost them dearly. Trust me, I always try to teach them but it’s like preaching to the choir. A lot of you can attest to the same with your own partners.
I can go on all day long with examples of why you should carry a backup, but I don’t feel like it. So if you don’t have a backup, you should!

One of the most rewarding feelings you get out this job is knowing that you helped someone, possibly saving their life.
What is prevalent in our society these days is that people don’t seem interested to help another person in need of help; instead they will pull out their smart phone and record the event, then post it online. A lot of people don’t get involved because they don’t have the knowledge or expertise and sometimes the ability to help. But instead of video recording the event, why not call 911 and get help?
I handle a lot of medical aids here at my courthouse. I make sure that I have the knowledge and training within my scope to be effective in helping a person in need.
A few months ago, I was flagged down by a lot of people waiting in line outside the courthouse clerk windows. They pointed out a older woman in distress, who they said was on the ground. When I saw her, she was standing up and seemed to look okay. I asked her what happened and her daughter said that her mother felt weak but is now okay. They initially did not want any medical aid. I started to relay the incident to my partners, who also responded and told them it was Code-4. I had to go back to get the woman’s information to log the contact and when I saw her this time, she was very pale and not looking good. With my training and experience, I knew that she needed to get checked out by paramedics. After talking to her and suggesting that she should get looked at, she agreed. I called for Fire and paramedics, who arrived within minutes and eventually transported her to the hospital. I found out later that she was diabetic and extremely dehydrated.
I’m glad that I knew how to help her and possibly saved her life.
Over my career I’ve seen firsthand numerous medical emergencies. A lot of them involved drugs or alcohol. Those who have drug addictions or are alcoholics have some of the worst withdrawals that usually results in violent seizures. Sadly I’ve seen many of those.
My counterparts who work at our local airport, have saved many lives with CPR and the use of the AED.
You just never know when someone will need help, this is why I always urge everyone to get some basic knowledge and training that will make a difference when the time comes. I’m not a paramedic and don’t claim to be, but I know what my capabilities are and I can take care of things until they get to me.

Since this is a huge topic today, thanks to our media, I will give you some insight into why the Deadly Force option to a Peace Officer is their last resort.
The media makes those who have the difficult, dangerous job of enforcing the law come out to be a group of lawless hitmen or assassins out to kill the innocent with impunity. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am not here to talk about any particular case because I wasn’t there and neither were most of you. What I will say is that I don’t leave my home each day, head in to work to change into my uniform, badge and duty belt with the intention of using any force on anyone. That is true for the majority of my fellow brothers and sisters in blue, although I cannot speak for all of them.
In my almost eight years in my career, I have not had a Use Of Force incident yet. That is something pretty hard to do in my profession. Have I come close? You bet, numerous times.
A Peace Officer is reactionary by nature. Everyone in contact with an Officer are the ones that usually determine the outcome of that contact, whether it be positive or negative. I’ve had thousands of contacts with people and I can tell you from my own experience, it really is a “Split-Second decision” (a common term you hear all the time) that I’ve had to make many times throughout the years, and it is extremely stressful. In these types of encounters, most of them escalated in very few seconds and some of them took time to escalate.
It’s really easy to “Monday Night Quarterback” any incident, especially with Deadly Force incidents. The media, the average citizen, who have no knowledge or experience of what an officer goes through during these incidents think they know the correct way of handling that particular incident. Usually none of these experts were present during the incident.
I myself do my absolute best to de-escalate a situation if possible and it shows with my record so far. I am always prepared to defend my life and the lives of those I swore to protect and I cannot hesitate if it ever comes to that.
Why don’t I want to get into a UOF and especially a OIS (Officer Involved Shooting) incident? There are many reasons. First of all, I do not ever want to take another person’s life if it can be avoided. In any UOF, no matter how minor, I can be injured. Injuries can end my career and livelihood for me and my family. What most people don’t know is the level of scrutiny the involved Officer comes under from the investigation by the department, the District Attorney and nowadays the media and general public. I highly recommend that you watch the first two episodes of Flashpoint, a Canadian police show that focuses on their Strategic Response Unit. That show in my opinion, shows the process of what an Officer goes through after an OIS. Once a thorough investigation by all parties is over, you are either cleared or you will face criminal charges if you weren’t justified in your UOF, discipline by your department if you weren’t within policy. It definitely isn’t like what you hear from the pundits who think that the departments cover for their officers. If there was a mistake made, then there will be consequences for those actions. If you’re cleared by your department and the DA, you’ll still face civil action by family members of the person whose life was taken.
As you can see, this is why my Deadly Force Option is my absolute last resort to end a contact with any person.
This is why I constantly train myself physically and mentally, so that I will make the best possible decision whenever I need to make them. It is said, ” You do not rise to the occasion, you fall back on your training.”
With all the negativity and public outcry and scrutiny LEO’s come under nowadays, why do we keep going 10-8?
It’s because for many of us, it’s a calling and we take pride in what we do each day and night.

In this line of work, you have to adapt and adjust with the times. When it comes to your gear and equipment, you have to pick and choose each piece that works for you, because you are the end user.
With that said, I have chosen a new duty weapon: the Heckler and Koch VP9 with a Surefire X300U attached.

There’s plenty of reviews on the VP9. I’m just going to give you my own observations I’ve had with using this weapon system since I got it a few months ago and why I chose it over my Sig Sauer P229R.
When the VP9 first came out, I could’ve cared less about it, thinking it would be like another Glock. I wasn’t too fond of striker fired pistols because I never really liked the trigger. There are a lot of similarities to a Glock, however, there are many features that HK put into the VP9 that caught my attention. First of all the trigger is clean and crisp out of the box and feels a lot lighter than the 5.5 lb pull weight and it had a positive reset. The side panels and backstrap are adjustable, therefore improving the handling of the weapon. It is a fully ambidextrous pistol with the slide release lever on both sides. The magazine release is improved from the one on the USP, being a bit longer and easier to reach at the rear of the trigger guard. I didn’t get the Law Enforcement model with night sights because it wasn’t in stock at the time. I got the standard model with luminescent metal sights and they are extremely bright in the daytime and in low light, will glow brightly for several minutes. They can be recharged with a quick burst of light from a flashlight. This isn’t an issue for me since I have a WML attached. I plan on replacing the sights with Trijicon HD night sights in the future, but for now it works for me. Underneath the rear sights, there are unique plastic tabs that assist in racking the slide.
There is a loaded chamber and cocked striker indicators, which are nice features just to have.
I had a lot of dry fire practice with it and took it to the Falcon Ops Group LEO 1.5 Pistol Deployment Course, where I shot it for the first time. I shot over 500 rounds without fail. I did however run into an issue with my thumb placement on the slide release lever. I noticed that it wasn’t going to slide lock when it was empty. I quickly adjusted my where I placed my thumb and haven’t had an issue since.
So why go with the VP9? The biggest advantage the VP9 had over the P229 is the trigger. A striker fire system is much simpler to operate than a DA/SA hammer fired system. I no longer have to pull a 13 lb trigger or have to decock the hammer before I move or reholster, all I have to do it draw fire and reholster. I was used to the DA/SA but if it could be simpler, why not?
The VP9’s magazine capacity is 15 over the P229’s 13. The VP9 uses the same magazine as the P30 but let me tell you, they are like unicorns, extremely scarce. I was luckily able to grab a few more from RifleGear.

I had the Surefire X200b on my P229, which outputs 80-100 lumens. The new X300U on my VP9 outputs 300 lumens giving me over three times the power!
Since the VP9 was released late last year, Safariland was working on a duty holster solution for it. I was emailing Safariland back and forth to get them to make a duty holster that will also accommodate the Surefire X300U. They came through and I special ordered it from Tactical Pro Shop. The Safariland level 3 holster for the VP9 fits like a glove and is much more secure than the level 2 for the P229. The P229 had a tiny bit of wiggle room and would rattle with each step as I walked. The ALS on the VP9 keeps it snug and quiet.

The VP9 is significantly lighter in weight than P229. The moment I switched duty weapons, I could feel the difference.
Before you can carry any weapon, especially your duty weapon, you need to have it inspected by a department armorer. After being approved, you need to qualify with it right away. My VP9 was the armorer’s first one he had ever seen. He took his time going over it and was impressed with it after he took it apart. Qualifying was a breeze with it and I didn’t have to worry about that heavy first trigger pull or decocking the hammer.
As of right now, I am the first and only one in my department carrying the VP9 on duty.