Guns

Tom Givens on gun control

/ hsoi

If you support gun control, you need to read this article.

In light of the Arizona shootings, Tom Givens of Rangemaster articulates his thoughts on the matter. Tom discusses the laws and mechanisms already in place that could have kept Jared Loughner from purchasing a gun, but how no one with the authority to do anything did anything. He also touches on the topic of “high capacity” magazines.

Tom speaks with facts, with reason, and with data. He’s not about emotional appeal, he’s about what makes logical sense.

SHOT Show observation

/ hsoi

The SHOT Show winds up today. That means all this week there’ve been lots and lots of pictures posted online.

One common thread?

The Grip Pod is the VFG of choice for maximizing booth demo-ability. 🙂

6.8 – a different opinion

/ hsoi / 10 Comments

When the February 2011 issue of American Rifleman showed up in my mailbox a few days ago, I look at the cover and see “Shooting & Loading the 6.8 SPC“. Ooo! How apropos!

In reading the article I was taken aback. How much actual experience with 6.8 SPC did the author, Bryce M. Towsley, have? I know he’s been around, but I’m talking specifically with the 6.8.

The article isn’t overall bad, but it just doesn’t seem all that well-informed.

He says “The 6.8 SPC is not a ‘drop-them-in-their-tracks’ cartridge”. I beg to differ, having dropped a deer DRT just a couple months ago. I know others have experienced the same. He also mentioned that they rarely exited, but until that same deer hunt I have never recovered a bullet… all have exited, and this one didn’t purely because of the angle at which I shot the deer (all hail Barnes TSX performance). But I’ll give him a pass on this given the rest of the paragraph seemed to have been speaking of past performance, not modern 6.8 performance.

Then he says after testing a multitude of factory ammunition and handloads, he says didn’t find the 6.8 to be particularly accurate. Eh?


Ignore the ones in the center as I was still zeroing the rifle. This is from a Wilson Combat 6.8 upper using Silver State Armory 85 grain Barnes TSX “tac-load”. The 3 groups on the diamonds are not accurate?

If the data in the article is complete, then I’m not sure what to say. Either it’s your gun, your handloads, or your factory ammo choice. Try some Silver State Armory for factory ammo. For handloading, Silver State Armory’s small-primer brass is the best.

When it comes to performance when hunting, the article makes it sound like 6.8 isn’t good for much beyond varmints and whitetail deer. People are taking elk with 6.8, big mean hogs with 6.8. So, not really sure why 6.8 gets the brush-off from the author.

What’s more confusing? While the online article doesn’t have the sidebar, the print article has a sidebar on 6.8 by Bill Wilson (the “Wilson” in “Wilson Combat“). Bill has done a lot of testing and work with the 6.8, and here’s the proof. <– go on, click it. It’s not just the copy nor testimonials at the top of the page; it’s not just the guns listed in the middle of the page. Look towards the bottom of the page and the number of animals taken, and those are just the big trophy-like ones. Look how many big Texas feral hogs were taken with 6.8. And look all the way at the bottom at the steel plates and the grouping there at long distance.

Furthermore, Bill’s sidebar says:

My initial impressions of the 6.8 SPC were its accuracy potential, functional reliability and lack of recoil. Shot through quality barrels, it’s easy to get 1/2″ to 1″ 100-yard groups with bullets suitable for hunting. Few load combinations I tried shot worse than 2″.

One article contradicts the other article. So which is it? Is 6.8 accurate or not? Me? I’ll take Bill’s word for it because I know how much work he’s done in this area.

Bill continues:

But my personal reason for experimenting with the 6.8 SPC was not tactical or target shooting. It was hunting, specifically hog hunting. For those who have not hunted hogs, be aware that a 100-lb. hog is as tough to kill as an average whitetail, and a big, tough old 200-plus-lb. boar is as hard to put down as some elk-sized animals. They are tough, require good shot placement and deep penetration.

[…]

So how does the 6.8 SPC actually work on game? This little round has terminal performance way out of proportion to its size. At the time of this writing I know of more than 50 hogs weighing up to 270 lbs. that have been cleanly taken with the 6.8 SPC with neck and shoulder shots at distances up to 150 yards.

[…]

…my favorite [loads for hogs] being the 85- and 100-gr. Barnes TSX and the Nosler 130-gr. AccuBond. For predators and whitetails, I like the Barnes 85-gr. TSX, 110-gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter and the 100- or 110-gr. Nosler AccuBond.

Based on my hog and deer hunting experiences, however, I would not hesitate to shoot the largest hog, a large mule deer or a black bear with my 6.8 loaded with Barnes 110-gr. TSX bullets.

When you actually know what the history is of the 6.8, when you know what’s going on with the 6.8 and what it can actually do, you find it’s quite a fantastic and capable round. If you really want to stay on the cutting edge of what’s going on with 6.8, or if you just want to learn more about it, 68forums.com is your best resource.

I got into 6.8 because I wanted something more capable than .223/5.56 for hunting, but didn’t add tremendous amounts of recoil. Something in the AR platform gives lots of versatility and flexibility of options. I wanted this so I could have something my kids could hunt with. Thing is, it’s becoming what I’m enjoying to hunt with. 🙂  I’d say the only downside is there still isn’t an inexpensive option for plinking rounds.

If this article can get more people interested in 6.8 SPC, that’s great. Unfortunately I wonder if people are going to read the article and blow it off due to the way the article was written. Hopefully people will pay more attention to Bill Wilson’s sidebar.

Magpul goodies

/ hsoi / 15 Comments

Oo… look what Mr. FedEx man just delivered

Ordered a bunch of stuff from Magpul. Of the Magpul Dynamics DVD’s, I really wanted the shotgun one. I figured I should get handgun to be complete. Carbine will have to wait for another time.

Picked up 2 B.A.D. levers.

I also picked up 2 trigger guards. I figured why not get one of each, the aluminum and the polymer and compare and contrast. Unfortunately, the polymer one is on backorder so I only received the aluminum. I’ll have to wait to install it until the backorder is fulfilled.

But the biggest bummer? I ordered their iPhone case, and it’s backordered. *sigh*  Of all the things I ordered, I was looking forward to that most of all. 🙂

Not sure when I’ll get around to watching the DVD’s. I’d like to do it soon, but I’ve got other things to tend to right now.

KSG fail

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

Well, this just sucks.

Caleb has video of himself working a Kel-Tec KSG action. The fail? the trigger doesn’t reset if the trigger is held back when you rack the slide. Ooo… that’s not good.

And it’s a shame too. I was just thinking how nice the dual magazine tubes are. I mean, it’s great that the shotgun can use all sorts of ammo, but it sucks that switching ammo is slow. So you’re using buckshot within 15 yards (or maybe 25 with the right ammo), but now you need to transition to a longer shot so you need a slug. You’d have to pull one out of your ammo carrier, drop it in, work the action… it takes time. But with this KSG? one tube is full of buckshot, the other tube has slugs. Just flick the magazine selector and off you go. Of course, I’m not sure if it’s truly faster as I haven’t been able to try the gun. It’s just thinking.

Well, I’d still like to play with one, and who knows… if word gets around about this, maybe Kel-Tec will do something about it.

Gun-Related Bills for the 82nd Texas Legislative Session.

/ hsoi

The 82nd Texas Legislative Session is in full swing.

Here’s a few 2A-related bills to keep an eye on (actually since we’re talking Texas State, it’d be Article 1 Section 23 of the Texas Constitution)

SB 354 – Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of institutions of higher education.

I’m curious about one thing here. The bill allows private institutions to prohibit legal carry. If an institution opts to do so, how is the public supposed to know about it? As far as I can tell, the bill doesn’t specify. Section 4 of the bill mentions amending PC 46.035 such that collegiate sporting events can only prohibit with 30.06 notice, but what about non-sporting event times, like just strolling around campus on a Tuesday? To remain consistent with the rest of the law, notice of prohibition should be given through proper 30.06 notice; if a private institution wishes to prohibit, they’re going to have to post 30.06 signs all over campus.

I’ve emailed Sen. Wentworth’s office requesting clarification.

My guess is they would have to give notice under 30.06.

SB 321 – Relating to an employee’s transportation and storage of certain firearms or ammunition while on certain property owned or controlled by the employee’s employer.

Cursory reading of the text, and the bill seems good.

HB 681 – Relating to an employee’s transportation and storage of certain firearms or ammunition while on certain property owned or controlled by the employee’s employer.

This is the House version of SB 321, and the text appears identical.

Doing a detailed search of the 82(R) – 2011 Legislature for any bill having the subject “Weapons (I0887)” (thanx Jay!), here’s a bunch of others. I’m only listing those of direct relation to “gun rights” (e.g. not listing HB 48).

HB 25 – Relating to the carrying of certain weapons in a watercraft.

HB 77 – Relating to the carrying of certain weapons in watercraft.

Looks to just add “watercraft” along with “motor vehicle” to a few parts of the Penal Code. Seems to be 2 bills for the same thing.

HB 86 – Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of institutions of higher education.

Not the same as SB 354, but close.

HB 145 – Relating to exempting the intrastate manufacture of a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition from federal regulation.

HB 298 – Relating to exempting the intrastate manufacture of a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition from federal regulation.

Both going for the same thing. They’ll hopefully reconcile and merge.

HB 181 – Relating to an exemption from the sales tax on handguns, rifles, shotguns, and ammunition.

HB 242 – Relating to the authority of certain retired peace officers to carry certain firearms.

HB 356 – Relating to the recognition of a nonresident license to carry a concealed handgun.

That one is a bit contentious. If you’re a Texas resident and wish to carry a concealed handgun, you must have a Texas CHL. Obtaining say a Utah permit and then carrying in Texas via reciprocity wouldn’t be able to fly. Yes you could still have a Utah CHL, but as a Texas resident you’d be required to have a Texas CHL.

HB 698 – Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns by certain persons attending a school board meeting.

That’s nice and all, but how about allowing the general public to also carry there? Look, if someone is going to come in and start doing evil things during a school board meeting, why should only the board members be allowed to defend themselves? Why not the general public? A CHL-holder is unlikely to be the evil-doer, and an evil-doer is going to do their evil regardless of any law. Why create privilege?

SB 285 – Relating to exempting certain judicial officers from certain requirements for obtaining or renewing a concealed handgun license and to the authority of certain judicial officers to carry certain weapons.

HB 750 – Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on certain premises of or locations associated with schools or institutions of higher education.

Updated: HB 750 was filed after I originally wrote this. So there are now 2 House bills (HB 750 and HB 86) and the one Senate bill (SB 354). All have similar but different text, so there’s going to have to be some work to reconcile things.

I get the feeling this is going to be one of the bigger issues of the legislative session.

 

Folks: contact your Texas State Senator’s and Representatives to let them know your stance on these bills. Furthermore, if you support these bills, urge your Senator or Representative to sign on as a co-author of the bill.

Finally, if you have not joined the Texas State Rifle Association, you should. Many of the things we enjoy in Texas came by way of the hard work of the TSRA and Alice Tripp. Support their efforts. (Disclosure: I am a TSRA Life Member, but otherwise have no connection to the TSRA; I just like supporting them and encouraging others to do so as well).

H.R. 308 – misguided

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Rep. Carolyn “Shoulder Thing That Goes Up” McCarthy (D-NY) has introduced H.R. 308 “to prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.”

Contact your Congress-critter, tell them how you feel about this.

This is misguided and will only serve to cripple law-abiding citizens. It will not stop crazy. It will not stop evil people from doing evil things. It will cripple good guys from being able to do good things. Consider Business Week Magazine’s recent article about Glock:

Walter garaged his RV and began zooming around in a Porsche, pitching the Glock to force after force. In late 1986 the Miami Police Dept. ordered 1,100 pistols, followed closely by Dallas, San Francisco, and others. “It’s the wave of the future,” said the chief in Minneapolis, who authorized Glocks for his officers. In December 1986, Curtiss Spanos, a cop in Howard County, Md., fired 16 rounds in a 30-minute pursuit of two armed robbery suspects. The Glock saved his life and his partner’s, he told The Washington Post. “There would be two dead officers if I didn’t have the 9 millimeter gun.”

And that from an article with an anti-gun bias.

Sure, that’s police. What about civilians? Well, Tom Givens has had nearly 60 students — private citizens — involved in and that survived incidents because they were carrying their gun. Tom has a presentation that highlights 10 of the incidents and of those while the average number of shots fired was about 4 rounds, the high end was 11. Eleven. So a good guy might be dead today if he was arbitrarily limited, and a bad guy would still be out there doing bad things.

Furthermore, if the legislation understands that capacity matters — because they’re making an exception for law enforcement — why are We The People being subject to this? Are we not as deserving of the ability to protect ourselves and our family? Do they consider us incapable of being responsible and being able to stop evil?  The acts of one lunatic and we need to cripple the millions of other law-abiding citizens?

Once again, Suzanna Gratia-Hupp said it best:

 

How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual… as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of.

 

 

Compromise

/ hsoi

This is no different than someone proposing the right to freedom of association should be limited to those groups that pass a sporting purpose test and be restricted to ten people or less. After all you only need five people for a basketball team and ten people can make a baseball team. If you want to associate in groups larger than if can only mean you want to form an angry mob and riot. You don’t need to associate in larger groups than ten, right?

– Joe Huffman

11 tips for smart concealed carry

/ hsoi

Over at Straight Forward in a Crooked World, Matthew published a great article with 11 tips for smart concealed carry.

Go read the article to get the full G2. Here’s my comments on each point (and you’ll have to read the article to understand the context):

  1. Bottom line is to set goals to help you improve, and work on them.
  2. Everyone cares about home-defense so, have you measured off your home? Do you know how long the longest shot could be? Do you know how long typical shots could be (e.g. across this room, down this hall, etc.)? If the answer is no, go measure.
  3. Vertically between the tracheal notch and xyphoid process, horizontally between the nipples. Or, make a triangle from notch to nipple to nipple to notch. When you line up your handgun iron sights, you can make a line with the top of the sights and the armpits.
  4. What he said.
  5. Minor bit of disagreement here. Overall I agree with him tho.
    1. Slide locks don’t always work (thumbs can and do get in the way).
    2. If you do know the gun is unloaded or otherwise not-operable, do get it back in operation as quickly as possible.
    3. Never holster an unloaded gun. When you go to holster, do reload before you reholster; and of course, only reholster if you are sure you don’t need the gun any more.
  6. If nothing else, having dummy rounds is good for practice. Helps you practice reloads, malfunctions, ball & dummy drill, etc.
  7. Springs are cheap, replace them. Downloading by one (or two in larger cap mags, like 30-round AR mags) is a good guidelines.
  8. Amen.
  9. Amen. I like Comp-Tac.
  10. A-fucking-men. This is probably THE most important point of the entire article.
  11. I’ve been struggling to find a better wallet… the leather on my current one has stretched too far.