How a Purpose-Built Cartridge Changed the Game I’ve spent more than a few seasons dragging rifles through brush, bouncing brass out of bolt guns, and ringing steel with everything from .30-06 to 5.56. Each round’s got a job to do. But every once in a while, something new comes along that doesn’t just fill a gap—it rewrites the manual. That’s exactly what happened with the .300 Blackout. Now, I know what you're thinking. “Looks like someone chopped down a .308 or necked up a .223.” And yeah, on the outside, that’s not far off. But trust me, this cartridge has a story of its own, and it earned its place the hard way—by delivering where others came up short. .300 BLK Cartridges Why 5.56 Wasn't Always Enough Back in the early 2000s, the 5.56 NATO was still king of the hill. Light, fast, and easy on the shoulder, it made sense for a lot of folks running ARs. But it had its weak spots too—especially once you started cutting barrel length and trying to run suppressed. Short barrels sucked the life out of 5.56. And when you dropped velocity to go subsonic, it just didn’t work right. Special ops guys were already pushing the limits of CQB rifles, and the standard cartridge was holding them back. They needed something better for the job. Big Bore in a Small Package This wasn’t the first time someone tried stuffing a .30-caliber bullet into an AR. Way back in Vietnam, 7.62x39 was already proving itself in close quarters. In the '90s, guys were playing with the .300 Whisper, J.D. Jones’ wildcat that could sling heavy pills quietly through a suppressor. Problem was, the Whisper wasn’t standardized. It ran different from gun to gun, and you never quite knew what you’d get. That made it a hard sell for anyone outside the wildcat crowd. Then came Advanced Armament Corp , with backing from Remington Defense. Their goal? Build a round that used standard AR-15 parts, worked both subsonic and supersonic, and cycled reliably with a suppressor and a short barrel. That idea became the .300 AAC Blackout , and by 2011 it was a SAAMI-approved cartridge ready for prime time. What Makes It Tick The magic of the .300 Blackout is in what it lets you do without reinventing the wheel. It uses standard AR-15 mags, bolts, and receivers. No new platform, no Frankenstein builds. Just swap the barrel and you’re running .30 cal in your AR. .300 BLK Infographic Here’s what it gives you: Supersonic loads  (110–125 grains) that hit like a 7.62x39. Great for deer, hogs, and barriers. Subsonic loads  (190–220 grains) that run smooth and whisper-quiet with a suppressor. That’s something 5.56 can’t do without all sorts of compromises. Who Runs .300 Blackout and Why Military units were some of the first to adopt it. SOCOM started running .300 BLK uppers for close quarters missions, and guns like the Honey Badger were built around the round from the ground up. But it’s not just door kickers using it. Civilians caught on quick too: Hog hunters like the hard hit and short barrel performance. Suppressor owners love the subsonic thump without the bark. Home defense setups benefit from the reduced muzzle flash and overpenetration. Reloaders enjoy playing with both quiet and hot loads depending on the job. It’s especially useful in those 7.5" to 10" pistol builds. Unlike 5.56, which fizzles out from those short barrels, .300 Blackout thrives in them. .300 BLK Ammo Ammo and Rifle Notes These days, just about everyone loads .300 BLK: Hornady, Barnes, Federal, Fiocchi you name it. You can pick from whisper-quiet 220-grainers to supersonic 110s that bark and bite. But let me be clear: don’t ever  try to run this stuff in a standard 5.56 upper. I’ve seen it happen, and it ain’t pretty. The case may look similar, but it isn’t the same. Wrong chamber, wrong results. Keep your mags and uppers clearly marked. I run blue mags for mine. Some folks paint their barrels, others use colored followers. Whatever you do, make it obvious. .300 BLK Ammo and Blue Magazine Final Word from Uncle Kenny The .300 Blackout started as a niche round, built for suppressed shorties in the hands of professionals. But now? It’s got a well earned seat at the table for everyday shooters who want a little more out of their ARs. It’s not here to replace 5.56, and that’s not the point. But if you’re building a truck gun, or want to hunt hogs in thick brush, or maybe just want to finally shoot suppressed without hiccups, the .300 Blackout delivers. I’ve run mine in everything from pistols to carbines, suppressed and loud. Never gave me a lick of trouble. You learn to respect a cartridge that just plain works. If you're ready to try something that punches above its weight, but still runs smooth in your favorite AR, give the .300 Blackout a shot. Just don’t forget to mark your mags. By: Uncle Kenny Gun Buyer | Saint Louis, MO | MDRF Enterprises 👉 https://www.mdrfenterprises.com

Ruger Single-Six vs. Single-Ten Single-Six vs Single-Ten Infographic Some guns just feel like home. For me, a single action .22 revolver brings back memories of dusty campsites, tin cans lined up on a log, and hearing the soft “ping” of a well placed shot. Ruger’s been king of that particular hill since 1953 with the Single-Six , and in 2011, they stirred the pot with a ten-shot version, the Single-Ten . Now, I’ve shot both, carried both, and argued around more than one campfire about which one’s better. Truth is, they’re both solid as a hickory fencepost, but they shine in different ways. So if you’re trying to pick one for plinking, teaching, or just plain fun, here’s what you need to know. Back When the Single-Six Made Its Mark The Single-Six  came out when cowboy shows ruled the TV and every kid wanted to be a marshal. Ruger saw that and gave us a .22 six shooter that looked like a scaled down Colt single action but ran cheap ammo and kicked like a feather. Single-Six Over the years, Ruger offered just about every flavor: blued or stainless, adjustable or fixed sights, short barrels or long. They even made convertible models that swap between .22 LR and .22 Magnum , which is a mighty fine option if you’re chasing squirrels one day and tougher critters the next. The Single-Ten Steps In Fast forward to 2011, and Ruger says, “Let’s give them four more shots.” Same frame, same single action feel, but a ten shot cylinder  instead of six. It was a quiet revolution, no big fanfare, but it made a difference. Those four extra rounds might not seem like much, but when you’re banging steel or teaching a new shooter, less reloading means more time behind the trigger. Once you get used to ten, it’s hard to go back. Single-Ten That said, the Single-Ten is .22 LR only . No .22 Magnum conversion here. So if you want caliber flexibility, the Single-Six still holds the high ground. Cylinder Fit and Feel Adding four more holes to a wheel gun changes things. The Single-Ten’s cylinder  is fluted, a bit tighter, and some folks say it’s trickier to load and unload, especially with big fingers or cold hands. The Single-Six  feels more open. There’s more space between chambers, and the loading gate has that old-school ease that just works. Sights, Triggers, and Targets This is where the Single-Ten  pulls ahead. It comes with Williams fiber optic sights , and they’re no joke. Bright, fast, and great in low light. They make a difference if your eyes aren’t what they used to be or if you’re running speed drills. The Single-Six  usually wears a plain blade and adjustable rear, though some come with fixed sights. Traditional? Yes. Precise? Mostly. But not as quick on the draw in poor light or fast shooting. Single-Six As for triggers, both are crisp, clean, and just what you want from a Ruger single-action. Some might say one’s smoother than the other, but truth is, it comes down to the individual gun more than the model. Ranch Range Report Both revolvers are plenty accurate . With a good barrel and a tight cylinder, they’ll group tight at 25 yards and beyond, especially if you’re shooting off a stump or a bench. The Single-Ten’s fiber optic sights  might help you ring steel faster, but the Single-Six has that easy rhythm to it. Either one will knock cans off a fence rail all afternoon long. Weight and Balance They share the same frame, but the Single-Ten’s heavier cylinder  adds a couple ounces. That makes it a touch more nose heavy, which can help control muzzle rise a bit. Some folks like it, others find the Single-Six more nimble. Best way to know? Handle both, spin the cylinder, and trust your hand. Style Points Count Too Let’s face it, these guns just look cool. The Single-Six , especially with a blued finish and wood grips, feels like a piece of the Old West. It’s a campfire gun, a story gun, a “first .22” gun. The Single-Ten  still nods to that tradition, but with a more modern touch: matte stainless , fiber optics, and a cleaner, newer look. Single-Ten If you want nostalgia, the Single-Six leans harder into cowboy roots. If you want an edge for range work, the Single-Ten gives you more rounds and brighter sights. Money Talks As of now, you’ll usually find Single-Sixes  priced a little lower, more models out there, both new and used. The Single-Ten  runs about $100 more on average , especially in stainless. Either way, you’re not just buying a plinker. You’re buying a revolver built to last generations. And both hold their value better than most. Final Word from Uncle Kenny You can’t go wrong with either one. If you like switching between .22 LR and .22 Magnum, or want that classic cowboy feel, the Single-Six  is your huckleberry. If you want more shots and better sights for range days, the Single-Ten  is a smart pick. For me? I keep both in the safe. The Single-Six reminds me of the old days. The Single-Ten keeps up with my grandkids when they want to shoot faster than I can load. Different tools for different days. Whichever you choose, you’re getting a rock solid rimfire revolver that does what it’s supposed to do, with style, accuracy, and a whole lot of fun. By: Uncle Kenny MDRF Logo Gun Buyer | Saint Louis, MO | MDRF Enterprises 👉 https://www.mdrfenterprises.com

The Remington Nylon 10C and the Joy of a .22 Childhood Growing up in South Boston in the ’70s, there wasn’t much green space, but I was lucky , my mom and dad had a small house in Vermont, and every fall & summer we would pack off and a head for a vacation soon to be full of adventure stories. That’s where I first met the Remington Nylon 10C. Not in the woods, but behind the glass of a wooden display case at the local hardware store. You know the kind: pegboard walls, a cooler full of sodas, and a worn wood floor that creaked like an old porch. That rifle stared back at me like something out of science fiction, a gun that looked more like a Star Wars prop than anything my dad toted. Remington Nylon 10C But that’s the thing. The Remington Nylon 10C was ahead of its time. It still kind of is. A Gun Made of Plastic? In 1959 ? If you’re not familiar, the Nylon 10C was part of the iconic Remington Nylon series, a lineup that shook up the firearms world when it launched in 1959 with the Nylon 66. Up until that point, guns were steel and walnut. Period. Then Remington, with a little help from DuPont (who just happened to own them), dropped a .22 rifle with a Zytel nylon stock and receiver cover. That was borderline heresy. People thought it would crack in the cold, melt in the heat, or just feel too “toy like” to take seriously. They were wrong. The Nylon rifles, including the 10C, turned out to be shockingly rugged, nearly maintenance free, and accurate enough to knock squirrels out of trees all afternoon long. The 10C: Tubular Roots, Box Mag Evolution The Nylon 10C was a bit of a hybrid in the Nylon lineup. It was essentially a magazine fed version of the Nylon 66, sharing the same sleek, space age lines but trading the 14-round tubular magazine in the buttstock for a detachable 10-round box mag. That may not sound revolutionary today, but back then, it made it more familiar to folks used to bolt guns or military surplus trainers. It had no bolt hold open on empty, and the trigger wasn’t match grade by any stretch, but none of that mattered. It was light. It was handy. It was durable. And for a kid like me, with a new pair of Chuck Taylors and a summer full of daylight, it was everything. Running Rounds Through the Nylon I still remember the feel of the plastic stock. It had this weird texture, somewhere between Tupperware and lawn furniture, and in your hands, it felt indestructible. You could bang it around in the woods, drop it in the dirt, wipe it off with your T-shirt, and it just kept running. Remington Nylon 10C Accuracy? Let’s be honest, at 13, shooting prone off a tree stump, I wasn’t punching sub-MOA groups. But I could hit cans at 50 yards all day, and the action cycled .22 LR with a kind of zippy, mechanical snappiness that I still find satisfying. There was something about the ping of ejected brass and the way the bolt slammed forward that made you feel like you were handling something more high-speed than just a plinker. A Lineup for the Ages The 10C wasn’t alone. Remington put out a whole family of Nylon rifles: Nylon 66 – The original. Tube-fed. In Mohawk Brown, Apache Black, and Seneca Green. Nylon 76 – A lever-action variant, pretty rare these days. Nylon 77 – Magazine-fed like the 10C, but with subtle internal differences. Nylon 11, 12, 12A – Bolt-action versions for those who preferred slower-paced plinking. They even tried a smoothbore “Garden Gun” variant for pests and short range pests, and over the years, collectors have snapped up the rarer colors like candy. I remember once seeing a Seneca Green 66 on the shelf and thinking it looked like something out of a comic book. Why the Nylon 10C Still Matters These rifles were often a kid’s first gun, affordable, reliable, and weird enough to feel special. If you walked into a department store or a K-Mart back in the day, you could pick one up off the rack like you were buying a toaster. There’s a generation of us who learned the basics of sight picture, trigger control, and ammo discipline through a Nylon rifle. Today, the 10C doesn’t get the same collector hype as the original 66, but that just means you can still find them at reasonable prices. And when you do, odds are it still works. The synthetic stock doesn’t warp, and the action doesn’t gum up easily. You can store it in a barn for 20 years, blow out the cobwebs, and it’ll run just fine. Remington Nylon 66 Infographic Final Thoughts Sometimes we forget that innovation doesn’t always come wrapped in steel and tradition. The Nylon 10C wasn’t just a novelty, it was a quiet revolution. It opened the door to polymer firearms years before Glock ever existed. And for those of us who got our start with one, it wasn’t just a .22, it was freedom in a box magazine. I don’t have my original 10C anymore, but I bought the one in the pictures for myself. Like a lot of things from that era, my original disappeared somewhere between apartments and job changes. But every now and then, I’ll see one on a rack at a gun show, and I’ll stop for a moment, still hoping to find that Seneca Green Bad Boy. Because some guns don’t just shoot bullets. They shoot memories. By: Drew Gun Buyer | St. Louis, MO | MDRF Enterprises https://www.mdrfenterprises.com

Looking for more stories, insights, and firearm talk beyond the shop? Check out our two local blogs: Gun Desk , where we dive into firearm history, valuations, and collector insights; and Gun Talk with Uncle Kenny , a nostalgic, story driven look at classic guns, hunting tales, and lessons learned the hard way. Whether you're a seasoned shooter or just love a good backwoods story, there's something for everyone. Explore both and follow along as we share what makes these firearms, and the people behind them, so unforgettable. Uncle Kenny's Corner Uncle Kenny's Corner Uncle Kenny The Gun Desk The Gun Desk Drew