My request for video evidence of Karl Lippard’s claims re: an 800-yard grouping from his Combat NCO 1911 has unleashed a brace of emails from Lippard supporters. First, here’s the response from his Number One, Charles Henderson: “Attached are the four pictures that I took with my BlackBerry cell phone camera. Since we were shooting the pistols on a rifle range, it never occurred to me to point the camera anywhere but at the people under the firing line shelter . . .
As for the 600 yard shooting, it was very interesting and reassuring that the Lippard A2 pistols can provide effective fire on enemy positions at battlefield range (500 yards). Had an enemy been positioned at the points of the two 18-inch gong targets, Karl’s direct fire would most likely have killed him. Certainly the enemy would not have been able to advance from that position without some kind of suppression fire on Karl.
Of interest, one of the Ben Lomond Gun Club members had an Ed Brown 1911A1 style .45 caliber pistol, and attempted to shoot the gong targets at 600 yards. The Ed Brown, in my opinion, is one of the best 1911 style guns on the market today, on par with Wilson and Les Baer. This club member was only able to put one shot within 15 feet of the 18-inch gong target. All other shots were well away. Karl was effectively peppering that same target with shot groupings within a 6 foot radius. In one series of fire, Karl hit the 18-inch gong target 4 out of 6 shots, and this was witnessed by several of the gun club members there.
According to National Weather Service, wind gusts at the Ben Lomond Gun Club shooting range complex reached 55 mph, blowing predominately out of the south. The rifle range faces north. The winds were “fishtailing” causing a quarter value effect left to right at 100 and 200 yards but then causing a quarter value right to left beyond that point. Furthermore, the covered firing line caused vortex winds to swirl into both sides for the 100 and 200 yard lines and a boiling effect on the center. Holding any kind of group at 100 yards was quite frustrating. However, consumers shot on two 20-inch silhouette targets and made groupings within 15 inches on average. In other words, had the average person engaged an enemy at 100 yards, the enemy would have been shot.
You can interpret this in many ways. A US Border Patrol agent armed with a sidearm and comes under fire by drug smugglers with AK-47 rifles can engage those enemy effectively whereas before he would have had only one option and that is to seek cover or run for his life. Soldiers or Marines in a platoon typically have members, such as radio operator or crew served weapons details or medical corpsmen, whose only weapon is a sidearm. These people can now effectively engage enemy positions at battlefield ranges, rather than just helplessly watching or waiting until a rifleman goes down wounded and take over his rifle. If I am in a profession where I depend on a sidearm, I would rather have a pistol that can shoot effectively at long ranges than have a pistol that is only reliable at 25 yards and closer.
How is this possible? Two important factors that the Lippard design has fixed. First, the new design has eliminated the side-play or energy from each shot going right and left in the gun, and focused it totally fore to rear. Secondly, the Lippard design has only 0.003 thousandths of an inch in total variance in the gun compared to the mil-spec .45 pistol having 0.028 thousandths of an inch total variance. Mathematically, the greater variance (slack) in the shooting platform causes greater variance in the shot group, and that is projected outward exponentially as the range extends. Simple mathematics tells us that the Lippard will shoot the tighter group at any range, since no other 1911 style .45 caliber pistol (including the best made match guns) has as little variance as the Lippard A2.
CWH
And now, a testimonial:
Gentlemen,
I can’t begin to thank both of you enough for yesterdays demonstration of the Lippard Combat NCO A2 and the chance to shoot one of the finest 45 auto’s that I’ve ever had the privilege of firing.
Karl you’ve given me too much credit regarding my time in the Marine Corps. I only served from 04/1962 through 10/1966. I’m only a proud Marine veteran that had the chance to be one of the chosen few. I was also an aircrew member on the KC-130’s but not a pilot. I was honorably discharges from the Marine Corps as a SGT- E5, my serial number was #2013719. I had the pleasure of shooting on the Marine Intramural Rifle and Pistol team at my last duty station. Small potatoes compared to you two gentlemen. I also shot on the Jefferson County Sheriff Department’s pistol team for a number of years and shot at the Camp Dodge matches for Law Enforcement with officers from all over the world. My highest rating is Distinguished Expert and that was with a wheel gun, no semi-autos back then.
I only became a pilot in command after being hired by United Airlines in 1966. I retired from United in March 2003 as a B767-300 Captain, Line Check Airman, and Instructor Pilot. My life has been pretty tame compared to yours and Charles.
I’m currently the Chapter Director for Ben Lomond Gun Club at the Tri-Lakes Chapter in Monument, Colorado. I’m also one of the range officers at Ben Lomond and I shoot in several of the disciplines, such as, sporting clays, skeet, trap, military high power matches, and I’m a Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol, and a CCW Instructor. I’ve been shooting all types of firearms as long as I can remember, I was raised with them.
This long story is just to give you some background on myself and to help lend credence to my testimonial of what I witnessed yesterday at Ben Lomond Gun Club’s high power range. I own and shoot numerous 45 autos, but never have I handled or fired a 45 pistol of this quality and accuracy in my life. I only fired it offhand at the 100 yard line with swirling winds that were 35mph gusting to 50mph and I shot a group that amazed me for those conditions, all killing shots in a man silhouette target. I personally observed other members and guests fire the A2 with the same results.
The real icing on the cake, so to speak, was when Karl Lippard sat down with a sand bag rest and proceeded to put 3 out of 5 and 4 out of 6 rounds on an 18 inch gong at 600 yards, not once or twice but 4 or 5 times. The other rounds would have kept the enemy’s heads down and provided ample cover fire all with a 45 semi auto pistol, that was truly amazing.
I can only imagine what properly trained Marines, DEA, Border Patrol, Swat teams, Seals and Special Forces could add an element that has been missing, the offensive weapon capability of their sidearm. George Patton called the M1 Garand the “finest battle weapon ever made” but he isn’t around to see and shoot the Lippard Combat NCO A2, he just might change his mind. This weapon takes the fight to the enemy in a form that no one would suspect. The United States Marine Corps needs to put the A2 in the in the hands of the best fighting men in the world.
Please feel free to share this with those doubting Thomas’s , whoever and where ever they are.
Semper Fi, Fraters Infintas,
Steve Davis – Proud Former Sgt. of the Marines