Just finished a workout (Kuk Sool-based) in the front yard. I want to cool down before I hit the shower, so that gives me some time to write up something I observed during the workout.
Hand placement. Does it matter?
Month: May 2009
The Ammo Oracle
ar15.com (also known as “arfcom“) is a tremendous resource for all things firearms (I know people have varying opinions on it, but hey, it’s still got some good stuff), but with an obvious focus on the AR-15 platform.
One of the resources provided by ar15.com is The Ammo Oracle. The tagline: “Everything you ever wanted to know about .223 and 5.56 ammunition or double your money back.” I’ve read it before, but they seem to have improved the format and navigation of the information.
In The Oracle you can find all sorts of information: history and design; performance; how barrel twist comes into play; terminal performance, including discussions of fragmentation, over-penetration, and self-defense ammo; M193 vs. M855 vs. other .223/5.56 rounds; ammunition testing results; ammunition selection; purchase and storage; legal questions; and much much more. As you can see, it’s rather a complete resource.
I revisited The Ammo Oracle yesterday because a friend asked me what I think about “green tip” ammo (M855). I gave him some opinion and pointed him to The Ammo Oracle, but then I started re-reading it myself because it’s been a while since I last read it. I’m glad I did as I become much better informed about M855. In the end I discovered that for my purposes, M193 is a better choice. M855 is fine, but in the end it’s like any tool: you have to pick the right one for the job. All depends what you’re after.
If you own and/or use a firearm that is chambered for .223 Rem/5.56×45 NATO, you owe it to yourself to take the time to read The Ammo Oracle.
Car burglaries and how to deal with it
Apparently car burglaries are on the rise in Austin.
I’ve had my car broken into twice in my lifetime. It’s not a fun experience… the feeling of violation, the anger that some punk asshole decided instead of working hard they’d hardly work and just take something of mine.
I used to work with a guy that spent time working in the Maine legal system. We were going to lunch together and I was surprised when we got to the parking lot and his car doors were unlocked. I asked him about it. He told me that in the end, it doesn’t matter. The key thing to do if you want to avoid getting your car broken into is to not leave anything in the car. The thief is looking for easy targets and desirable things: money, cigarettes, CD’s, things they can quickly rip off and sell or directly consume themselves. So if you basically leave nothing in your car but your car, there’s not much to worry about. If they want the car itself (or just want to vandalize), then there’s just not much you can do period. He said in his time he’d seen all sorts of cars come in… steering wheel locks are easily defeated. If the criminal wants it bad enough, they’ll get it and that’s why you keep your insurance paid up. In the end it still sucks to have such assholes existing in the world and that we even have to modify our lives and behavior to avoid and minimize the impacts from these assholes, but such is life.
Texas to follow Montana’s lead?
Montana passed into law a bill that exempts Montana-made guns from federal regulation.
Texas follows suit with HB 1863. It’s made it out of committee. We’ll see where it goes.
Distract and Diffuse
Another good article from the Force Science News about distractions and aggressive subjects.
While the article is aimed towards law enforcement, what it discusses is useful to anyone that might find themselves in a self-defense situation (read: everyone). Sure those of us that take self-defense seriously spend a lot of time on skills such as marksmanship and empty-hand fighting, but those tend to only come into play when you hit condition red (or black). You should spend your life in code yellow, but when you find yourself in condition orange or red, you need to take other actions.
Most of the actions you should take towards the aggressor should be ones intended to distract and/or diffuse the situation. You want to deescalate things. Increasing the level of force is undesirable, so you must do everything within your power to bring things down. Note that one of the requirements to obtain a Concealed Handgun License in the state of Texas is taking at least 10 hours of classroom study, which includes discussions of nonviolent dispute resolution techniques. InSights Training Center’s Street & Vehicle Tactics course in large part is all about psychology and avoiding potential problems in the first place, or if you get into them how to deescalate.
The FSN article contains some good suggestions on how to distract and diffuse a situation. Worth a read. There is also a follow-up article that contains a lot of reader-submitted techniques.
Force Myths
An article about myths in the use of force.
I must admit, back in my earlier days I believed the myths. I mean, the media keeps feeding this stuff to us and the media never lies or distorts or furthers an agenda, right? They always present well-researched, correct, unbiased, and factual information, right?
Continue reading
Nyko Perfect Shot Review
Geez… I bought a Nyko Perfect Shot a few weeks ago and didn’t get to play with it until now. That’s how busy my life has been.
So how is it?
Rifle Archaeology
An interesting set of photos of some military weapons, buried about 70 years ago and somewhat recently excavated.
Can anyone identify what the rifle is?
Flu Control? Gun Swine?
Howard Nemerov notes an interesting common thread between the way gun control and the swine flu are presented.
He’s right. It’s all about presenting fear, preying upon fear, and that government is the only one who can save us! Didn’t Ronald Reagan say “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'” How soon we forget.
Roy Batty was right. Living in fear is what it is to be a slave.
Memorization, Precision, Smoothness
I’ve heard Master Harmon say this before, but he brought it up again in yesterday’s seminar, and it struck me deeper than it has in the past. I figure this is because there’s a growing harmony in the various aspects of my life, and it’s great when things flow and harmonize this way. Let me explain.
Stuff From Hsoi 