Nato Round

I was reading up on NATO round selection in the 1950s and 60s and cam upong this gem:

"8 solider squad with M16s can outgun 11 soldier squad with M14s"

Imagine that! 8 to 11. I wonder how they thought that up. Clearly it's a fight in each other's range. Is it merely becaue of the combat load difference, with M16s carrying more ammo? Or are they easier to swap magazines? Hmmmm...

“Fighting between the big-round and small-round groups reached a peak in the early 1960s, when test after test showed the .223 Remington round fired from the AR15 allowed an 8-soldier unit to outgun an 11-soldier unit armed with M14s. U.S. troops were able to carry more 5.56x45mm NATO ammunition which would allow them a better advantage against a typical NVA unit armed with AK-47s. In 1964, the U.S. Army started replacing their M14s with the M16, incurring another series of complaints from the British.”

Those complaints were because the Brits had developed a decent intermediary round at .280 caliber that they fought for. The US wanted to stick with .30 caliber and insisted, thanks to our bigger pull, on teh .308. A shortened .30-06.

Why were we still married to .30 caliber? Well it is a good beefy round. But we may have switched to something smalled except Old Soldiers, like MacArthur remembered our time in the Phillipines and liked a big stopper, and we were in the beginning of the Depression in the early 30's and switching our inventory over would have been an expensive PIA. So we made the Garand take the venerable 8 .30-06 instead of 10 new-then .276 Pedersen,

I sometimes wish we HAD adopted that .276 Pedersen in 1932. It would have been the NATO round in the 1950s instead of a .308 replacement for the .30-06 or the brit .280. The M14 would have been lighter to carry because of what it ate, and we might not be now saddled with .223. We might have a modernized M14 still in service. Just update the stock and it'd fit in as good or better than the competition.

Or I'd be complaining about some flaw with .276 or .280 right now that only would have come to light after extensive use in WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam, etc.

Would we even KNOW what a .308 was if that had been the case, though? The .308 was an answer to a shorter .30-06 in the 50's, but we'd have been 20 years beyond using the .30-06 by then, had we gone Pedersen in the Garand. No reason to develop a new round.

Where's the Ammo?

According to ESPN...



YOU people have MY ammo!

Pink

With all the talk about Girls with Guns on various blogs the past week.

Added to the fact the Saucy Trollop is half considering a boomstick purchase.

Plus the added detail of her being a HUGE recoil junkie...

She asked me if it was possible to get a Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum with pink furniture.

Aw, geez, what hath I wrought?

She's never FIRED a .44. I don't have one for me. I have fired them and find them to be too much gun. For my tastes. Kaboom! It's a fun big boom but... Wow!

And now 5'2" she wants a something 6'1" me is afraid of.

I got to get her to try a .44 before this bug burrows too deep, and she just impulse-buys one.

"Did Colt make a pink Anaconda? Maybe blinged-out and bedazzled with swarovski crystal? I bet if I buy one, I could do wonders with a can of spray paint and a hot glue gun."

(And you DON'T want to know what she thinks the grip shape of Ruger pistols remind her of...)

Financial Alert

Good advice!

retread

I think I have asked that previous question in a post a while back.

I must be getting old.

Or ideas are unsettled in my noggin.

Or I'm deperate for blg fodder.

How Often To Clean

How often to clean your firearms. Specifically how often should I clean my firearms.

Some never do, as a test to the funtionality of their pistol. "This Thunderboomer has gone 8732 rounds without cleaning and hasn't malfunctioned once."

Personally I do after each range session. Even if I only shot 50 rounds of relatively non-dirty ammo. Probably nothing wrong with that. It gets me familiar with my equipment. But I don't HAVE to.

Even then I don't get all the dirt when I clean with various solvents and even anti-guilding compounds. After my most thourough cleaning work, here is always a nook or cranny I can't get to, or don't want to disassemble the gun down to detail level to get to.

And there is caked on film of carbon on the revolver that is much easier to see because the gun is stainless steel. It's there on the other guns, but not seen as easily because they are matte black in color.

Now if I ever used anything with corrosive primers I'd certainly clean every sessions, and then right quick. Corrosive primers are made with potassium perchlorate, these primers are corrosive because they are a salt and that is hygroscopic, and that means it suck humidy out of the air, aiding in oxidation of iron. Your gun is made of iron, in part. But that worry is only with ammo older than 1960 or so, generally. New, domestic, production ammo doesn't have this issue, as they have some lead-based primer. Some new imports from the OTHER side of the iron curtain is questionable.

For corrosive primer it is important to clean quickly and perhaps swab some ammonia based Windex window cleaner through the barrel before the session starts to get them salts on out of there.

Black powder shooters have a dirtier ammo to deal with and it may well be salt (saltpeter is hygroscopic maybe?) filled too, so their fastiduous cleaning job is cut out for them.

I don't think I need to invest in one of those sonic cleaners. These use sound waves to agitate a pan of solvent that you put metal parts of your dissambles firearm in. If I ran a gun shop and wanted to sell squeaky clean used guns that would be a worthwhile get.

I use anti-guilding solvent on well used guns once a year. This is a VERY strong cleaner that smell of ammonia. It is there to help get rid of copper rubs on the inside of the barrel that the full metal jacket copper bullets leave behind.

Is there something else I should be doing? I use Break-Free or Tetra or RemOil cleaner, with several applications, including a period where it just sits on the dirt for some time to wet it down. I use flannel bore patches to swab out the crud. I use nylone and copper bristled bore brushes and scrub brushes. I use spare patches and cotton swabs to get the small spaces as much as possible. I use boresnakes as extra good measure down the barrel a few times.

What am I missing? What could I add to the regime?

~~~~~~~~

As for how often to clean other things, I don't NEED your advice. I take that one bath every Saturday whether I need one or not.

War is Heck

Fluffy too.

Armor Piercing

When did the military go from armor tipped .30 cal to non-armored tipped .30 cal on their way to .223?

In WWII the army was enamored with the black tipped armor piercing .30-06 round. If you shot at and hit a Nazi with your Garand you could probably would go through the quarter inch plate steel behind him. Got that tidbit from General Hatcher’s Notebook

Eventually the Army would change to the .308 round, then the .223. Somewhere in there they through the doctrine of issuing AP to fighters, routinely, over the side. When and why?

In war you don’t care about the backstop so much. AP may be expensive, but you issue full metal jacket for practice and gold tipped to war fighters if it means a better chance for victory.

Does AP work better, though? The AAR for TF Ranger in Somalia made the assertion that the tungsten tipped .223 wasn’t dropping enemy targets. Ok, fine. Maybe an AP .223 isn’t effective, especially against unarmored Somali fighters, but routine use of AP may be more advantageous than not against something like armored Chinese fighters, or Russian, or French. They wear armor.

Heck we may HAVE a whole boatload of AP rounds pre-positioned for modern military use in the event France invaded our ally, Germany.

I ask all this because I recently got Hatcher's Notebook from NRA affiliate Paladin Press. Turk had a little blurb from it on HIS blog about trigger timing.

Anyway, I had always 'known' that AP .30-06 was common in WWII, but Hatcher confirmed that fact in my head.

Hatcher was a BIG DEAL. And highly regarded by Jeff Cooper. What John Moses Browning (pbuh) was to designing guns, Julian Hatcher was to the study of firearms and such ballistics. So this should be a treat as it is CHOCK full of goodies. I'll probably crib blog entries from items of interest contained therein.

Back Strap Erosion

On revolvers there is a tiny gap between the cylinder and the barrel. No big deal, but don't put your finger near there if you are firing 2-handed. Hot gases can shoot out and severely injure you.

This hot gas will evenually erode away some of the metal on the back strap of the revolver. That is the top of the frame that the cylinder fits in and right above the barrel's back opening.

I just noticed a bit of erosion on the S&W 686. A tiny bit.

When do I need to get worried about this?

I don't have the knowledge that Tam has. I haven't inspected hundreds of used revolvers. I have no idea what a lot is or what too much is or what a piddling amount is. Any help would be appreciated.

Lies

I listen to National Public Radio on the commute home. No commercials, and for the Intel purposes. It's good to know what the bad guys are thinking and saying. Bad buys meaning Leftist Media.

Yesterday (24 March 2009) afternoon was depressing for all the lies about guns and Mexican gun cartels. Feature after feature of just plain WRONG information.

'Drug cartels are using machine guns and RPG's and getting these from America via gun shops and gun shows.'

Yeah right. RPGs in US gun shops. I've never seen an RPG and every machine gun I've seen costs at LEAST $10,000 for a $1000 item, and it takes 2 months to take possession after purchasing, MINIMUM.

'The ATF has traced 90% of cartel guns found in Mexico to US sources. '

These non-existent or unavailable machine guns and RPGs? Ok, I can go along with that. THe US Government sold/supplies the Mexican army with Colt M-16's. These Mexican Army guns get sold by deserters to the cartels, maybe. That's not a lie, then. The sourcing percentage. Just misleading.

And Senator Lieberman said it was because of, 'the gunshow loophole where gun dealers are selling guns without a background check, so that loophole legislation needs to be looked at again.'

It is already illegal, Senator, for a Gun Dealer to sell guns without a background check of the purchaser. Or do you mean you want to set it so YOU can't give a old gun to your grandson without permission of some gov't bureaucrat? If you MEAN you want to pass a law saying no private sale person to person, ANYWHERE, then come out and say that. Why won't you? Because you know your constituents wouldn't like that. That's a bit too much gov't nose in their personal business.

And there was one more, sorta in our favor, about SWAT abuse where the over zealous cops proned out an innocent family and 'held them with .50 caliber sniper rifles'

While I don't doubt the cops pointed guns at the family, I do doubt they were .50s. Not the first choice of dynamic entry teams terrorizing a family in their own yard. Probably just abusive use of 9mm MP5s or some iteration of .223 AR types. Maybe a bolt action .308. Cops just don't engage at ranges that make the use of 2000 yard .50 caliber Barrett jobs. A bunch of cops with .22LR pointed at you while you are cuffed is intimidating enough, though.

Stop lying to us, gun banners. Stop pretending to be journalists and actually fact check stuff if you do. Stop inventing horror stories, or, if you do, at least make them something a bit less easy for a slow-head like ME to debunk.

Dud

Some commenter asked "How do you extract a 'dud' round then? Long stick down the barrel?"


I'm not sure what he is referring to specifically, but I am assuming a 'squib' round. Look it up in Google or wikipedia.

A squib happens when lack of a powder charge or faulty powder causes an event that is different than expected. It's not enough to propel the bullet out fo the barrel, much less down range. The primer cap is too small a 'pop' to necessarily get the bullet itself out of the works. The shot will generally sound and feel light, and if you are paying attention you should notice this. And you should be paying attention.

This has never happened to me, but if it does, I am prepared to handle it.

First, keep the gun pointed down range as a matter of caution. In case it is a handfire or complete dud, wait 30 seconds. I'd hate to be manipulating the piece and have it go off 20 seconds late. Stay calm. Even when guns blow up entirely they rarely injure anyone. But don't let this fact make you act complacently.

NEVER in ANY circumstance try to 'shoot out' a stuck obstruction.

Next, unload all the remaining live rounds, and the fired case if it is still in battery. The light shot might not have operated the slide on an automatic to eject the spent case.

Double check that all the bullets are out.

Now, worse case scenario is you have a bullet in the barrel. Best case is the bullet left the barrel and dribble onto the ground, as impotent as a Nevada Boxing Commissioner. If you have a chamber light you can shin this light down the barrel to see if it shine through.

A bullet is not dangerous just sitting in there. A bullet, not the case cartridge. A bullet is just a piece of lead and copper metal. There are no explosive in the tip. (If you have explosive tipped bullets you are much more advanced than me and don't need this primer.) You can often just poke this bullet out with a cleaning rod without a brush or patch on the tip.

I have a chamber light and cleanign rod at home, so I'd usually do this chore after the shooting session was over. If I only brought the one, now gimped, gun then my session is over. At home I'd fully field strip the semi-auto pistol anyway.

Depending on how certain I was that I caught the one squib round and didn't luck out firing a second round after it, I might take the gun to my gunsmith for him to check out to see if there is any damage. There is no shame in doing that even if you are sure of yourself. Or if the gun is an antique or cheaply made. Err on the side of caution. Never hurts to. I'd also definitely take it to a smith if I couldn't dislodge the obstructing bullet. If all went smoothly and everything looks fine and the barrel isn't bulged.

I'd suspect the ammo from that box, too, paying extra attention to how they feel and sound, if factory ammo. If they were reloads I'd worry that a no-charge case might mean a double charge case elsewhere in the batch. A double charge is much more dangerous than a squib. Many times with a double charge you don't have to worry about disassembling the pistol after the failure. It will have disassembled itself.

Buy a Gun Day

Buy a Gun Day is coming, April 15th. To show your support for the industry and your inherent right to defend yourself against bad guy you are supposed to buy a new firearm on that day. It's the 15th, ostensibly, so you can use you tax refund money to fund the purchase.

I shant be participating this year. I bought enough guns last year to last me for this one. My buddy Frozen bought enough for both of us 2 weeks ago.

My tax refund, that I got in February, went to paying off the credit card the M1A and SIG 229 went on. Phew.

Maybe I'll order a Milt Sparks holster in April.

I'll certainly stop by my local gunstore and buy ammo and cleaning fluid. That sort of thing.

If I was in a market for a new gatt, I am leaning toward a revolver of some kind. A Smith and Wesson 617 (10 shot .22) or a Smith snubbie of some kind. Still not sure which type. Something stainless steel, yes. With no exposed hammer. But .38+p or whole hog .357? Model 642 has no internal lock and shoots .38, and is compact enough for pocket carry, but is made of the lighter alloy, weighing maybe half a pound less than the steel models. Model 649 and 640 (both 23 oz.) are 5 round .357, and are in the lead, and are all steel, I am pretty sure. 442 is on the list for consideration, but is aluminum. I think I really want the all-steel. How much more annoying is that half a pound when you carry it?

I've shot a model 60, and liked it. Don't know what the difference is between it and the 649 and 640 when you get those two with an exposed hammer option.

And one day an inexpensive used 12 gauge double barrel will follow me home.

Leaving me with few voids in the gunsafe. A 10/22 decked out like my M1A for cheap practice, yes. That might have to be the suppressed version, too.

Now I want a shrouded hammer, but, is there any disadvantage to getting the kind where you can still reach it and cock it on occasion, or will shmutz get in there from my pocket and I should get the fully enclosed hammer instead?

Diary of the Dead

Saw this Romero movie, Diary of the Dead. Decent flick. 2007. Decent effects for a low-ish budget movie. The genius from Romero is the mood and the performances he gets out of the actors. One tedious part at the end which added up to making a foolish critique of wholesome country people, people of the soil... that happen to like beer and nascar… you know, Hillbillies. He made a moral equivalence between mindless predatory flesh eaters and people that enjoy hunting and shooting. Not cool, but that is a long running theme in Romero movies. I think George might just hate Rednecks or something. Newsflash, George. It’s not the same breed of Redneck today that you had back in 1968. Ease up. They aren't society's bane.

But that’s really a minor quibble. The movie is worth the rental despite that. Sure the acting is REALLY clunky in parts, but, hey, it’s a zombie movie. Zombie movies are good.

The premise is; a film school class is making a mummy movie in the woods outside of Pittburg. The Type 4 outbreak starts in the middle of this and they decide to vamoose on back home. To Harrisburg, Scranton, and/or Philadelphia and whatnot. So a small group, unsure of what is happening in the world and what a zombie is, head off in a Winnebego. One of the students records it all with the video camera because he has some compulsion to be a documentarian. Picture Michael Moore, but this guy doesn’t make stuff up.

This type of Level 4 Zombie outbreak is the worst possible. It is even more hopeless than sprinting zombies infected by a Rage virus. In Romero style outbreaks, EVERYONE becomes a zombie when they die. Yes, if you get bitten, the bite will fester and kill you and you’ll come back to feast on the living, fine. That's typical of all zombies. But. If you die of old age you come back as a zombie. If you drown you come back as a zombie. If you starve to death in your impervious zombie shelter you come back as a zombie. Unless you die of a destroyed brain or severed head you will come back as a zombie. The film students call their documentary “The Death of Death.” No one just dies in a Romero movie. You are alive, an undead, or you have a head wound and can finally rest. These zombies have unlimited endurance, too, and don’t need food for energy to stay mobile and dangerous. Sort of a violation of the laws of thermodynamics, but… whatcha gonna do? At least they are shamblors. If it was universal undead conversion AND sprinters? Well, it’d be a very short movie. As it is, it doesn’t take long to spread such a horror, globally.

There is a little chrome gun at the beginning. It does most of the shooting in the movie. And the college kids shooting are really good shots. It looks a tiny bit like a Colt Pocket Hammerless. I say that because it is really the only small gun I am familiar with, so, my head turns to it whenever I see small guns. It was certainly in the .380 style. But the gun must have held 24 rounds in the tiny grip. And you had to rack the slide of this semi-auto randomly. Not for the function of the pistol, or because it malfunctioned, but for dramatic effect. You know how it is…

There is some M16 action. One revolver is prominent and looks cowboy style. And a very effective bow and arrow set. There is a flash of 2 boobs. 4 gallons of blood are spilt.

T-Bolt says check it out

Bonus Money

So a buddy of mine got a BIG bonus. He spent it all on a spending jag, buying rifles. He got the missus something really nice, first, actually. Jewels. Patio furniture. And a new computer. He’s no dummy. But after he made the boss happy he made himself happy.

I’ve talked about him before. He’s Frozen. The guy I shovded down the slippery slope and got him to buy his first gun. Hmmm. He must have been standing on a particularly STEEP section of that slope. At this rate he’ll have his own table at gun shows in a couple years.

So what did he get? Brace yerself:

• K31 Schmidt Rubin
• CZ52 Romanian TTC (TT-33)
• An 1895 Chilean Mauser
• Enfield #4 Mk2
• Mosin-nagant m38
• Mosin reproduction sniper
• 1899 Mosin
• Yugoslavian m64 underfolding kit
• Romanian AK kit
• Bulgarian 5.45x39 Krinkov kit
• And a 10/22
  
  

And there is an order for a Garand or two from CMP in the works

And he got his XD upgraded with a trigger job and night sights from Springfield. He reported very fast service from their shop.

He needs a new BIG gun safe now, too. I picture myself getting roped in to help move it.

Many of these ready items were purchased from a gun store with a very good reputation that I haven’t visited yet. Gun Connection. I must remedy that someday.

Too bad my buddy’s bonus for a job well done came from AIG. He wasn’t even in the division for credit default swaps and securitized bond funds and whatnot. Dang shame the Congress had to unconstitutionally and illegally punish him for being so good at his job insuring airlines, and getting a big profit for his division, and such. I’m sure he deserves it for something he did. Or something.

Safe Deposit Boxes

Someone asked me about safe storage of a firearm. As in VERY safe. As in inside a safe deposit box at a bank.

Sure, you'd need a few days lead time to prep for an emergency. Sometime emergencies give you that much warning. If you saw Katrina coming, you could go to your bank and collect your roscoe. And it is certainly safe from home burglars and the risk of a toddler getting his mitts on your gun unsupervised are nil. No good for home invasion, naturally. But your strung out drug dealing brother in law can't get to it to pawn either since he's probably out of jail for a few months. That type of storage for all my guns is not for me since all my brother in laws are serving long stretches in the pokey. Maybe I'd put one of mine in a safe deposit box. I can't put ALL.

But are you allowed to?

Well, if you don't ask the bank's permission, they'd probably never know that you have more than a deed, coin collection, and birth certificate. And I wouldn't ask them. Why expose yourself to hoplophobes. I WOULD read the leasing agreement for the box. If the box doesn't say no firearms, go ahead and store one in there. Unloaded. Most lease agreements will probably say 'no explosives'. So, don't keep a box of ammo with your piece.

If the lease says no guns, well... don't rent a box from that bank.

New

Another negative to taking a n00b to the range. I can't practice on my OWN stuff so well. I'm not there to devote time to myslf, but to the guest.

Oh sure, teaching someone else has its own reward. If I was more of an expert shooter I wouldn't even worry about the loss of my own practice time. It's not really a loss, I guess, as teaching a new shooter is usually an EXTRA range trip.

Any range time is good time. Certainly.

Six Words

JayG and Borepatch and SigBoy are floating around a meme called, SIX WORDS. I need blog fodder

This week, mine are:

"I don't mind five ayem phonecalls"

And the guy that that's about may never know I wrote that.

Shooter's Wheel

I've gone over the shooter's wheel before, but this deserves some review, as there is always new insight to discover and apply.







[Note, I am left handed so this diagram is mirrored left to right for me.]



And that whole Bullseye website has info to be mined...



So, low and right for a lefty means... what I always complain about... JERKING. They even made it bold and ALLCAPS in the diagram to highlight my great shame. Though I have also worried about tightening fingers, and, sure enough, that's there too.



Which is why I do a bit better with "tickling" the trigger. It's simply a method I use, for me, to improve a crappy trigger pull.



It could be worse. I could have a whole passle of faults. For all I know I have... But I just want to fix the bad habits I have and move my crappy groups into the middle. If JERKING was equally negated by Heeling, I'd probably be happy. If I got rid of ALL bad habits I'd be ecstatic. Time to look for more training. Maybe a few weeks of more intensive practice, twice a week.

Range Birfday

I took the Saucy Trollop shooting on Saturday. It was her birthday.

She had never tried the 1911 with .45 in the pipe, just .22 conversion pops. Nor had she tried .380 Colt Pocket Hammerless. And she loved loved LOVED the recoil of the .357 Smith last time. So those are the three that tagged along, this trip.

We went over the 4 rules ahead of time, as per usual. Though I am personally starting to think of rule #1 as "know the condition of your weapon at all times." I think that is fine, if that mindset is as careful as the traditional #1. I still teach the traditional, so as not to confuse, right now. But I am leaning toward changing my tune externally as well as internally, and deviating from Colonel Cooper's cognitive dissonance dogma.


Anyway, I've been prepping for this trip for some time. I had to squirrel away a lot of ammo is twos and threes to get enough to shoot.

She did ok. Next time she wants more autonomy. To do it all her self. With next to no input from me. I'll probably giver he the revolver, her own lane, and 100 rounds to play with.

She anticipates the shots and recoil and shoots low. That habit started to fade late in the session as she worked on it. The first shot was always pretty good. After that she was pushing.

Her shoulders got tired and she had to take breaks. New, unused, muscles.

Her thumbs were all over the place, and often sticking out in the air. She isn't comfortable with any spots of her grip. More dry fire for her to work the grip and anticipation.

One other thing... I loaded mags up to 8, and didn't lube the slides to test the failure to go into battery malf I noticed a couple sessions ago. Tam was right. That reprodued the error, and now I will avoid 8 rounds in the magazine for the 1911.

Rule #1 Safety

Rule #1 is there for your safety.

"All Guns are ALWAYS loaded."

Great tip. That way you don't become complacent and can never claim after a negligent discharge "I thought it was unloaded..." Ingrain it, and it is second nature, and you are a bit more responsible.

But what about the other way?

What if, for your safety, for you VERY LIFE... you need that gun to be loaded. You need it to go BOOM, instead of click, to save you life. Rule #1 said it was loaded. But it just went click. Not very safe in that dire emerency where you need to defend yourself...

Another reason to change Rule #1 to "KNOW the condition of your weapon at all times."

That rule covers a lot of bases. Is the mag full? How many are in it? How many in a full mag? Is there a round in the chamber? Is the safety on? Is the gun clean and lubed? Is it in good working order? Are the sights zeroed? What kind of rounds are in the weapon? Where is it if it is not in your hand? If you have a strange gun in your hand you picked up or borrowed you better know all the previous answers toot-suite...

Dang Mean Mormons!

That was MY plan! At least for Y2K. Know which neighbors you liked the least AND had canned goods and bring a revolver with 6 bullets. If things went pear-shaped on Jan 1, 2000, that is. War Nerd put paid to that:

“Q: What is the definition of a survivalist? A: Somebody with a rifle and the address of a Mormon.” Because everybody knew those Mormons were required by an official memo straight from God to Joseph E. Smith, Jr. to stockpile canned goods for a year in their tidy little basements. If you had a rifle, the idea was, you just strolled over to their house and either ordered them out if you were feeling all interfaith-cuddly or shot the whole bunch, although with those Mormon birth rates you’d be using up a lot of ammo on basically harmless people.

Well, they were harmless back then. I suspect if you kicked down the door of the average Mormon house now you’d get a face full of buckshot. People are meaner than they used to be.

Take a Liberal Shooting...

So some guy conducting a Hunter Safety class took the opportunity to crassly criticize Obama voters in his class, refusing to instruct them because they voted for a gun unfriendly politician. Gun bloggers castigated him for being a jerk about it. And he was. A jerk. About it. Did more harm than good being all pure and venting on some poor student.

Other bloggers, including myself, are at least internally reticent to take a new shooter to the range to teach them the joys of shooting safely if that shooter allied themselves with politicians with a poorly hidden gun-banning agenda.

The gun culture is indignant about the political proclivities of neighbors voting ‘wrong.’

The other side of the coin is gun people still trying to convert Obama voters to our cause. Helping the cause out by looking reasonable to the other side, and maybe planting the seed to of freedom. Perhaps that seed falls on fallow ground in most cases, but it won’t always languish on stony soil. Some will grow into Liberty Trees. People interested in maybe going with you aren’t Brady types. Brady types will never go within 500 feet of a range. So, by definition, you’d only be taking people that vote for socialists to the range. Not actual gun-banner single-issue voters. People that might be swayed or swayed back.

If Obama was a full-throated second amendment supporter, owned an AR and M1 Carbine and an XD in 9mm because they are fun and it is his right, what would we think of him? Especially if he made statements like “if Congress sends me a nationwide shall-issue CCW bill I’ll sign it.” Heck, a lot of gunnies are single issue voters and would have voted for him, other socialistic politics be damned. If he was really of that opinion. It’d be odd, because I think most gun-confiscators have busy-body socialistic instincts as part and parcel. There are pro-gun Republicans with busy-body socialistic instinct, too, admittedly. There are few pro-freedom types that aren’t also pro-gun, happily.

Still… the question isn’t about them… it’s: “How do WE in the gun-culture respond to those types going forward? Shun? Try to convert? Some mixture?”

People make mistakes. A lot of people are going to consider voting for the Harry/Barry/Nancy regime a mistake. Of course we should reach out to these people. It’s not too late. Maybe.

If I was teaching that Hunter Safety class instead of that crass guy, that’s how I would have proceeded. I’d have maybe ribbed them for voting for someone allied with anit-hunting anti-gun types and to watch out for possible grabs at Cop-Killer Bullet laws and Sniper Rifles in Private Hands laws because it’ll mean grandpa’s scoped .30-30, but I would have been friendly thereafter and taught the class in a manner that he wouldn’t have described me as a wild-eyed extremist afterwards, like the teacher at fault is described now.

Hell, my BROTHER voted for Obama. My brother the Naval Officer that took fire from insurgent mortars, taking shelter in a bunker WITH the gun issued him by the Navy. But he is flawed. He BELIEVED all the bad propaganda put out about Palin. He voted for Perot, too. I know, I know. I’m working on him. Anyhoo, he wants me to take him shooting. Would you have me NOT take him?

Spring is coming. I’ll probably get him to Hap Baker with his girlfriend and Saucy Trollop. All Obama voters. So that’ll be the 4 of us, none of whom voted ‘for’ McCain. (I only did because… what choice did I have? Palin wasn’t able to just run without him.) Hap Baker has the rifle range, but we’ll probably spend the most time at the less utilized pistol section. Trying to decide which 2 rifles to bring. Probably the 2 M1A and Garand. But then I have no .22 with a BRAND new shooter (brother’s GF)… Hmmm. The Saucy Trollop already knows she likes the Garand, and my brother won’t flinch at full power.

One thing, though. I’d have foot the bill for the range and ammo if he hadn’t voted for Obama. Now, HE is paying. I’ll make him buy lunch, too. I’ll call it “Stimulus.”

Check out “he is not who you think he is”:

"Not one gunny, by the way, gave me a big load of garbage for being a gun owner, and also voting for Bill Clinton that first time. I was free to make the transition and learn reality with a rifle in my hand, and the hyperbolic protestations of the lib-ruls in my ears.” Agreed. I try to keep my loads of garbage on the small side, personally."

More Cartel Confusions Cleared

HA!

So media people are catching on that OTHER media people are gargantuan ignoramuses about gun issues. Good for Bob Owens of Pajamas Media… taking to task someone else on Pajamasmedia. Of course he goes from blaming consumer demand for ammo shortages to blaming/inferring the presidents minions are restricting the ammo market somehow. I'm not sure where he is going there.

He wrote the same thing I did, but he, ya know, professionally researched and used good English and stuff. The ammo shortage is not because of the Drug Cartels buying up new-fangled FN 5.7 "Misnomer" rounds.

That's the name for those, right?

T

Look at the logo/image for the t-shirt Breda sent me!





Zombie Donkey. From Threadless T's.


Nice of her, ain't it?!



What? Breda isn't sending YOU gifts and stuff? Huh. I guess she loves me more than you. That's ok. Lots of beautiful women love me more than they love you. It's a burden really. For me. I can't imagine what life is like for you. Must be pretty miserable though, for ya.

I'm sure you are relieved that my life is so very nice.

Preparing to Fire

Ok, at the range, I've loaded the mags, the target is down range, and I want to make holes in the paper.

This is my semi-ritual, when I remember to do everything. I get better at this ritual each session.

Loosen up. Relax. Put the jarring effect of neighbors at the range with the loud booms out of you mind. Smile. Take a deep breath. This is the fun part. after all.

Bend the knees slightly. Like I am preparing to box. I'm not gonna move around in the booth, but I should behave like I could. Put the strong side foot back just a tich. Even the weight out.

Grip the weapon and try to make the barrel in line with forearm bones. If it's not, I correct it. Eventually you want this grip to be as natural as blinking. Thumb on safety of that 1911, or in that similar place on the SIG.

Do the "Todd Jarret Kung Fun Grip" with the support hand, thumb on spot where trigger guard meets the frame. I have to put it there cuz if I put it on the frame I touch the back of the slide release lever, causing malfuntions.

Be sure I am gripping kind of firmly. It's not a bird.

Now grip 20% tighter. Both hands

At this point I am presenting the gun downrange toward your target. Eyes focused on the front sight

Inhale, exhale a bit, hold that breath.

Tickle that trigger so it is gentle and not jerked and so it surprises me.

Boom. Repeat by focusing on front sight and continue until empty...

[update: the following is a repost of video of the Kung Fu Grip... 1:20 in.]

March Range

I went to the Range last week. Friday. To practice my 1911 shooting skills. I had a couple of minor epiphanies! Is my shooting WAY better now, cloverleafing the bull like Brigid does? No. It is noticeably better, though. More than 'baby steps' improvement. Toddler, maybe.

But first!

I rented a snubbie. I have never fired a good snub nosed revolver. I wanted to try one in case I hated it. No use buying a gun you know you hate, and a snub nosed revolver is on my list for future acquisitions. And the range had a nice bubinga-wood grip Model 60 in the case so...







Ok. I feel like a fool. I was letting the front sight ride too high in the notch. As though there was an invisible adjustable rear sight I was peeking through, instead of the back strap groove that serves as the rear sight on snubbies. So my shooting sucked until I grokked that out. That front sight just fooled me by being so big on this particular revolver. Once I leveled the top of the front sight with the rear sight groove I was then happy as a pig in poop. It shot as well as my 686 using Double Action. You can shoot a Model 60 Single Action, but then Ahab and Xavier will laugh at you, so I mostly did DA. Very serviceable, and I'd trust one as a pocket carry pistol EASILY. Very happy with that. The trick I gelled from one of Tam's old posts is to just squeeze through on double action. Don't stage or 'take up the slack.' Just squeeze it.


I used wad cutters for this. They punch nice holes when they down tear away huge strips of target paper.

This is the first target of the session. 5 rounds of .38 and 7 rounds of 1911.





Yeah, crappy all around.

Here is a later target where halfway through I figured out what I was doing wrong with the revolver sights and started landing in the black. They are the big clean round holes:







(The others are raggedy 1911 ball ammo. All ranges are 25 feet. The .45 ACP is Remington. No name .38 wadcutters.)



~~~



Back to the 1911.


Remember, my flaw is low and right. The standard explanation for lefties with this flaw is jerking the trigger or anticipating the boom and flinching a little bit.


Well, a while back I wanted to see if maybe I wasn't also pinching a bit. Pinching is when you move OTHER fingers on the shooting hand while you are pulling the trigger. It's natural to pinch your fingers to pick up something and the hand just wants to do that. This natural tendency is bad for shooting. To test if it was hurting me I extended my little finger of my shooting hand, as if I was drinking tea with the Queen.


Well, what do you know! HIGH and right now. It's an awkward way to shoot, with that finger sticking out, and I need to test to see what ELSE my darn sympathetic hand movements are doing, but it makes me SEE that I can effect where the bullet falls. Dry fire practice where I consciously move only that trigger finger will be key. The 1911 and other Single Action semi-autos and me must be a little picky with tiny movements.

Note the mostly raggedy hole low and right. These are from regular gripping. The scattered high and right on that bottom shoot-n-see is pinky extended. I still leave that left side all clean...

More importantly, I've improved my trigger squeeze with single action with a single word. That word is: Tickle.

You've heard people say "Squeeze, don't jerk" and "Front sight, presssss." So I've been using/thinking those words when I am shooting.

"Aim. Squeeeeeeze." Goes through my head. Or, "Front sight. Pressssss." And they work ok, but it's not getting me the ideal squeezed trigger.

When I think to just tickle that trigger into firing it is just sneaking up on the Single Action break of the trigger. It's a lighter, gentler squeeze. When I think 'tickle,' I am not slowing down, but I am doing a proper trigger pull. It's surprising me better. And a tickle is probably helping to keep those other fingers moving sympathetically. "Front sight.... Tickle..."

Does a tickle put my rounds on the bull? No. But it does densely group them in the same neighborhood. Yay! Look at that target and compare to the target at the very top. All in the black shoot-n-see for the most part, and the cold target would have most OUTSIDE the black. All 'tickle,' helping, there. And warming up. And the shoot-n-see positive feedback.

~~~

Oh, and last time I had issues with the slide not being strong enough to chamber a round. The theories at the time was not enough lube on the slide, or loading 8 rounds in a magazine. I have more lube and didn't shoot 8 rounds at a pop this time, and didn't have the minor Failure to Feed malfunction. I'm not going to lube up so much after cleaning this time, and test it with 8 rounds in a mag versus 7 next time at the range. I am betting Tam is right again, and a dry gun plus 8 rounds will malf, and 7 won't.

Cop Killer Bullets

BUSHWA!

This whole "Crime in Mexico" thing has got ignoramises in the Media talking about a special kind of bullet that Drug Cartels are buying freely in the US and smuggling into Mexico. Magic Cop Killer bullets


Baloney!


It's a Magic Bullet! It hunts down blue uniforms that are covering a bullet resistant vest. The bullet then grabs the Law Enforcement Officer by the collar and slaps his face a bunch of times until said cop calls the bullet "Mommy." Satisfied the police officer is sufficiently humiliated, it then backs up a few feet and goes through the kevlar armor as though it were tissue paper and seeks out the heart. It then bits down on the aorta until the unmanned peace officer expires. Another tragedy that could have been averted if we only had more laws. Like one against murdering people.



It's Cod Swallop!

It's hype. It's a new thing and people are believing the marketing people.


The specific bullet is the FN 5.7x28 bullet. Not so special really. It's a glorified .22 Hornet or Spitfire, and that has been around since my father was young. It's just a teeny tiny rifle round being fired out of on specific FiveseveN pistol and FN's sub machine guns and pistols like this:

Here is a picture of the bullet next to the already tiny (but more effective) .223 round fired out of most US Military rifles:

There is nothing magical about the cartridge. It's just pistol size with a spitzer bullet. Spitzer, in layman's (or idiot Media) terms means 'pointy'.

Here it is again next to pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo. The misnamed Cop-Killer bullet is the blue tip one. The bullet to it's left is what I practiced with this week out of the 1911. On the far left is the famous Euro Pellet. The Wonder Nine. The 9mm that many eschew as underpowered today, but in it's heyday it was assigned magical propeties of death and destruction.

The BIGGEST brass bullet is a .300 Wincester Magnum, and the other big things are shotgun shells.

The DO make a Armor Piercing (AP) variety of the 5.7. The SS190 Duty Round. It has a hard core. But you can harden many type of Spitzer (pointy!) bullets. In WWII the famous BAR often and routinely loaded loaded with steel tipped .30-06. Now THAT would go through body armor! It's hard to get .30-06 today, if at all. It's harder to get this new Cop-Killer bullet in armor piercing variety. It is not for sale to civilians. If Mexican Drug Cartels are getting their hands on them in the US they are either buying them from crooked US cops, or stealing from same. Not from gun dealers or gun shows.

It's is Class III. IF a regular Joe like me wanted to get it I'd have to go through a huge expensive rigmarol with fingerprints and pictures and forms and waiting a coupla months. And the ATF might wonder if I was getting a bunch of em. They might keep an eye on me, see if I am making contact with known smugglers, that sort of thing.

It'd be easier to just steal them from the Secret Service armory, than to buy AP rounds.

Awwww

I MISSED it!

World Zombie Day.

Hey, Wait!

A commenter mentioned...

I don't have a scary black rifle. The closest I come is that one in the heading. An M14 clone.

Sure it has a 20 round magazine, a flash suppressor, and it can mount a bayonet. Maryland thinks it's an 'assault rifle.'

Swapping the walnut stock to a synthetic black stock would take 15 minutes and $700. $750 with a pistol grip. THAT would be a scary black rifle.

So I guess I'm safe from gun bans. [sarcasm is on full bore at this point.]

Ok. I wonder if the anti-civil-rights Gun Banners would be happy if they agreed to swap all civilian ARs and accessories one for one with walnut stocked semi-auto M14... Heh. All those AR owners now sporting a MORE capable .308 rifle. Yeah, that'd make them happy. Wouldn't need any gun control after that.

Ammo Availability

Went to Bass Pro to get some stuff. Like a sausage attachment for my grinder. Also some range ammo for the .40 caliber SIG.

They had next to nothing. A few boxes of .38. Some 44/40. Maybe 10 boxes of Winchester .45 ACP target loads for $22 per 50. A few other esoteric calibers, but not in quantity.

No .40 S&W. At all.

The only thing plentiful was .223 and 9mm. And 8 shot 12 gauge.

Folks are right. No ammuntition to be had right now. Good thing I am stocked on .45 for range use. And .22. Enough for a coupla range trips for the .40, maybe 3 or 4 for the .357. Then I've hit the "don't go below" floor and I'm stuck practicing with the more plentiful varieties out of my bunker.

That's if ammo never comes back. In a month or two it should be more plentiful.

Further 22

A commenter brought up a good point. “What is the purpose of your acquisition of a .22 pistol.”

Hard to give me advice, or me to decide, if it’s unknown what it’s for…

The reason is: I don’t have a .22 pistol. You need a .22 pistol for general target practice on the cheap, at a minimum. It’d be nice if training on the .22 pistol was similar to training with my personal full size guns.

Someone suggested a conversion kit for a 1911, and Tam mentioned the virtue of a Ruger 22/45 with a 1911 style grip to help with practice for full size 1911 shooting.

I HAVE a conversion kit. So I have SOMETHING. I just want a .22 pistol that is a devoted .22 pistol. But the .22 conversion kit covers the base Tam brings up without adding the extra cost and space of a separate, SECOND, .22 pistol. If I decide on a Ruger 22/45 (like a MkIII but with that different grip) that will be that; it would be my one actual .22 handgun. But I’d rather avoid something like getting a .22 revolver AND a 22/45. (Until I start to approach Tam quantities of firearms.) And I mentioned previously that I am deficient in revolver purchases and I like the ease of general cleaning/maintenance of revolvers

I lean S&W 617 (or just 17) to make practicing the same type of revolver as my 686 in the same way Tam practices with a 22/45 to help with 1911 use.

For cheap range days, for me, 617 and conversion kit. On regular range days, the 686 and 1911 with .45s.

[As an aside, I don’t like swapping out the conversion kit at the range. I worry the recoil plug will fly off during the switch and be mixed in with the brass cases on the floor, downrange, and unreachable. Plugs aren’t expensive, but they it’s still a waste to consider them ‘disposable.’]

Another reason I am leaning revolver despite its extra expense to get a good, new one… If an Assault Weapons Ban comes down the pike, it probably won’t impact revolvers. My acquisitions to date have eschewed ban-escaping models for the most part. So I got my rifle with a 20-round magazine now, and saved for later the pick up of a side by side shotgun, a snub nosed .38, and a .22 revolver. Oddly enough, some AWB schemes contemplate making semi-auto .22s verboten. And it might be a while before I get a new gun.

Beretta X4s

Beretta makes 3 types of X4s. PX4, CX4, and now RX4.

Intriguing. If I liked Beretta, I'd have my carbine selection made for me. The pistol and carbine share ammo and magazine commonality with each other, and you can get the carbine to match other models of Beretta handguns. But get all those firearms above, and a shotgun and .22, and you can call yourself 'covered.' All from one company.

But that rifle, the RX4 is interesting, and appeals to my lack of anything that fires .223. If I were to get a .223 rifle, now I have another option. As if I needed MORE .223 options. AR's, Mini-14, expensive high quality quasi ARs like SIGs offering, HKs, now this.

Looks like the RX4 takes standard NATO magazines. Good. It's styling is similar to the CX4, but it actually looks better on this platform. Plenty of places to mount sights, flashlights and tactical bottle openers.

The Ruger Mini-14 still holds my heart. It's like an M1 Carbine that fires more common .223 ammo and they still manufacture is quantity today. It has the Garand style action I love, and it's still all conservative in styling with wood stocks common. Less expensive than most alternatives, too. MBtGE loves Mini-14s, but he is also digging the RX4. Availabilty of regular capacity magazines is its drawback.

.22 Pistols

There is a .22 pistol in my future. What to pick?

The Ruger MkIII and Browning Buckmark are hugely popular and at the top of any consideration. People love both. They are good guns. But they both are kinda tricky to disassemble/re-assemble for cleaning. One of the great things about military arms in the past 75 years is that they are field-strippable easily, and without tools. Take em apart and put em back together and they'll work as before. My impression of these .22s is that they require some adjusting when you put it all back together. IF you can get it all back together.

Other .22 pistols are out there, like the SIG Mosquito. I know not much more about this as I do the Ruger and Browning, other than some folks complain about reliability to cycle. Also, the SIG is perhaps a bit more expensive.

But the semi-auto pistols can be gotten with a sound-suppressor option, and I like that idea.

I lean toward the .22 revolver. A good one like the S&W 617 is expensive, but its cylinder, and other revolver brands, swings out, so you can use a speedloader with it. Almost as convenient as a magazine. No silencer, of course, with revolvers. I looked at a Charter Arms .22 revolver. The metal didn't look so good. If I can notice casting marks in the steel, I am a bit leery of the tool. Between Charter Arm and Smith and Wesson brands, in quality, is a Taurus 96. Not much to a revolver as far as cleaning its nitty gritty parts.

A selling point for me for the S&W 617 with a 6 inch barrel is that I have the matching S&W 686 with a 6 inch barrel. Except for recoil, the practice will be the same. Oh, and you can end up with a 6 shot or a 10 shot .22, I think.

Or I could go cheap, old, and second hand no-name revolver. The very cheap price would outweigh the cheap other features. I might luck out and get one that they make speedloaders for, like an H&R 9-shot. Not TOO cheap. Perusing the options on auction sites reveals some VERY poorly manufactured pot-metal .22s out there, good for nothing but to rip off an over generous gun-buyback program in order to fund better quality firearm purchases.

Anyway, that's my thinking and I haven't totally settled myself. My mood waivers. What am I not considering? Or am I way off base with the ease of takedown for the pistols?

New Trijicon

Trijicon has a new offering to compete with my desires for a red dot optic of some sort. To compete with Aimpoint and EOTech red dot sights. The Trijicon RMR:

And it's at the same pricepoint as the others. It has an excellent battery life, compared to the direct competitor, EOTech in that it's battery requirement is, um, none. The tritium and fiber taking ambient light are what lights the reticle. Good selling point.

So, if I have a bit over $400 to mount on a $300 rail system for my M1A, I'll join the 21st Cenury. I can get the more expensive magnifying type optics later.

And something struck me. Now that I'm old, my eyes are failing. I may NEED optics that can magnify 3x or so sooner than later, like the Trijicon ACOG. I could save money by spending $1000 now, rather than $400 now and $1000 later. The $300+ rail is a given either way.

Phew, this is an expensive little pursuit...

Here is an ACOG:

Bizarro World

This is territory gone over by other bloggers, and I am late to the party, but, heck, I need blog fodder.

We live in Bizarro world. First the AG floats a trial balloon to reinstate the Assault Weapons Ban. (aka, cosmetically scary-looking with all the capabilities of hunting rifles) Why? He wants to help enforce laws in Mexico. You see, apparently he is the chief law enforcement officer for all of North America, not just the USA.

Apparently, Mexican drug cartels are buying cheap (non-existent) machine guns and RPGs for cheap at the 10000 gun shows and stores near the southern border of the US, and then smuggling them into Mexico. I’d like to know where you can find readily available machine guns, and you can buy RPGs at all, in ANY gun store or show, but… that neither here nor there.

Of course it is illegal to make a straw purchase, or for a non-resident alien to buy any gun, and it illegal to smuggle anything across our VERY secure and controlled southern border, and no machine gun made since 1986 has been sold legally here in the US, and guns made before 1986 have a HUGE trace on them and cost $20,000 for an M-16… If I was a drug cartel I’d just buy machine guns from corrupt members of the Mexican army for less than $1000. Or just steal them for free.

But let’s say I am a drug cartel straw purchaser and that’s the only law I want to break, the straw purchase. I have to be in the US legally, I can’t have any prior felony convictions, I have to have the big chunk of cash for the gun (collectors have really bumped up the price), I have to have $200 for the tax stamp, the ATF certainly knows the seller because HE had the tax stamp and has to go through this rigmorole before me, an extensive background check has to be performed so I can’t easily hide my identity from the ATF as I will be fingerprinted, and I have to wait months for approval, whereupon I have ONE machine gun that I, the criminal straw purchaser, would then turn over to some bad guy for him to move to Mexico. Now the cartel has one machine gun. If I had LOTS of money to buy LOTS of guns, the ATF would notice, so, only one.

Can you convert some so-called assault weapons to full-auto, and have a machine gun, with the right know-how? Yes. But why would a drug cartel bother with a US bought AK-47 clone when they can buy a real AK using their own channels for cheaper than an AK clone can be purchased. Buy AK clones for $300 here, smuggle them into Mexico, and go through the expense of converting them, Or just us different smuggling channels and buy real AK-47s in great available quantity for $100 each? Are cartels uninterested in keeping profits high by keeping expenses down, now?

So, and AWB would make something the cartels are prohitted from buying in any form, and they aren’t buying ‘assault weapon’ sport utility rifles because they want actual MACHINE guns (which aren’t effectively available on the civilian market in any real quantity) MORE ILLEGALLER. You know, that ‘Assault Weapons’ are the most prolific sporting-use rifle IN this country, right? When I go rifle hunting it is WITH a so-called assault weapon. A semi-auto M14. Many other hunters do the same. But the even big sport use is target shooting and target competitions.

But all that isn’t the Bizarro world part. The Bizarro world part? Nancy Pelosi, practically a poster child for gun confiscation, came out and said we don’t NEED a Assault Weapon Ban, and we should just enforce the laws we have….

The HELL?!!!

Is Superman incapable of composing grammatically correct sentences in the world I live in now, or what?


The whole point of the AWB is to ban cosmetically scary looking guns that resemble machine guns but are no more capable than politically correct hunting arms, It’s a bit nonsensical. And since Heller unconstitutional. Unless that ban is a stepping stone measure to eventually ban all guns. Which it is. As has been freely admitted by anti-gun types.


[ Pssssst: When someone conflates Sport Utility Rifles (what the AWB banned in 1994) with actually military Assault Rifles they are either ignorant or purposely lying to you. If you like to have your time wasted with stupidity, or your life controlled by liars, then by all means keep listening to them.]

My ex was that type. Not the gun ban type, but the uncomfortable with scary looking guns type. Show her a Remington shotgun that is painted all black and she wanted nothing to do with it. But bring her the same model Remington with walnut furniture and she was fine with it. She is better now, but because she knows better.

She’s probably still a bit anti-gun, but she is aware that ‘scary-looking’ doesn’t make it more dangerous. It’s called education. She has it. She can figure things out. Using her brain. (Which is more than you can say for Eric Holder, the Attorney General. A Attorney General either ignorant of the law, or purposely misleading about the law. Both bad.) So the ex probably dislikes walnut furnitured firearms more, now, and the scary looking black tactical firearms less. Ah well.