Guns

Using deadly force doesn’t always lead to more beer and TV time.

/ hsoi

A man witnesses a robbery and attempts to use his gun to shoot out the tires of the getaway car. Gets thrown in jail for it.

I hate to say it but, yes he was in the wrong.

If you shoot a gun at someone, you are using deadly force. These guys were obviously fleeing, they were not posing a threat to this man or his life (as far as I can tell from the reported story), there’s no reason the gun should have been drawn and fired. Truly if he was in fear of his life that’s one thing, but all signs are pointing to him not being in fear of his life — he even admits he just did it in an attempt to detain the robbers for police.

Witter said he advises other people to think twice before they step in to stop a crime.

“I guess the message is don’t do anything and let stuff like this just happen and just let it go, I guess,” Witter said.

Not necessarily. I’ll harken back to the maxim from the Insights Training guys: “do whatever it takes to maximize your beer and TV time.”  If your life is in danger, defending it is likely to increase your ability to enjoy beer and TV. If two guys ripped off some iPhones from a store that isn’t your store and are running away, while I commend your desire to not let crap like that happen, getting involved is unlikely to increase your ability to enjoy beer and TV. Yes it sucks that assholes like that exist in this world, but until that asshole is going to directly infringe upon my life I just have to learn to let it go (and ensure my insurance is paid up).

Shooting the snub with the T-Grip

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Finally got to shoot my S&W 442 snub revolver with the Tyler T-Grip.

Shooting it is more pleasant than without the T-Grip, that’s for sure. The gun moved less in my hand, so there wasn’t as much slamming into the webbing of my hand as just with the Hip Grips on. But it still hurt more than with the Pachmayr Compac grips. With the Pachmayr’s you feel nothing. With the Hip and T’s you feel something. With just the Hip’s you feel a lot. At least, for me and my hands.

I shot some Remington UMC… I forget exactly what, but I think they’re 130 grain .38 Special (not +P) FMJ’s. Wasn’t too bad, shot 25 rounds and was still doing fine, but I figure 100 rounds would probably be enough. I did shoot 15 rounds of the R38S12 (Remington 158 grain .38 Special +P LSWCHP) and that was enough. The webbing of my hand was sore for a few hours afterwards.

So… the setup isn’t a bad one. If I keep up with this Werner carry system, I’d practice using my own .38 reloads so I don’t beat the heck out of my hand while still getting some decent practice in. But certainly I’d need to shoot some carry loads now and then so I don’t forget what it’s like.

I like the form factor of this system because of the hook and the carry options that provides. I also like how this keeps the overall profile of the gun low and slim while still providing a reasonable grip on the gun. I’m going to look for some way to adjust the back edge of the gun… not the overall backstrap, just up near the top where the webbing of my thumb is, to see about helping the “bite” in that area. Not sure what to do, have to think about it.

The metal detectors are in.

/ hsoi

So it starts. Metal detectors have been installed and X-ray machines are coming to the Texas State Capitol building.

And there’s a special line just for CHL holders.

I’m glad to know I could still walk into the capitol building. I don’t like that I get singled out and everyone now knows “hey, that dude’s got a gun”… kinda defeats the whole purpose of concealed carry. Granted I’m blogging about the fact, but it’s a contextual thing of walking into the building. Some sheep are going to see me walk through that special gate and get scared of me.

Of course, anyone that knows what it takes to legally obtain a handgun and then obtain a CHL and keep it? Then you’ll probably be happy to see such folk walk through the gate. But again, most sheep don’t know… but maybe they’ll be willing to click the above link and find out.

Mark Casey, a Katy engineer who was touring with his family, called the checkpoint policy “bizarre.”

“I would hope our officials feel safer in a building where only they are allowed to carry guns,” he said. “If terrorists and criminals with guns can’t get in, why does anyone need one in here?”

Why should only “our officials” be allowed to be armed? Why should the general citizenry be forced to be disarmed, in general, but also in this specific circumstance of participating in the legislative process?

And it’s not just a matter of getting into that premises. What about getting to that premises? Most violent crimes occur on sidewalks, parking lots, parking garages. If I was coming to the capitol building I’d have to leave my home, get in my car, drive downtown, park somewhere, walk to the building, do my business, then reverse the steps to go home. Anywhere along that route something ugly has the potential to happen. Am I to only have a means to defend myself in certain places but not others? So what should I do? Leave the gun in my car? That’s a prime way criminals obtain guns. Do you want to see that happen? Better to keep my firearm under my watch and control.

But the following I question:

A number of lobbyists who come and go at the Capitol several times each day — and who have been grousing about the checkpoints for months — say they plan to get concealed handgun permits so they can go through the express lane and save time. They said they do not plan to carry a weapon.

All the work they’ll have to do to get a CHL, just to avoid a few seconds at a checkpoint. It’s my understanding the CHL will be checked at the checkpoint to ensure it’s still valid, which I’m sure is going to take a couple of minutes to do. Is that really a time-saver?  Please, if you think the policy and procedure is inefficient, work to improve it. Getting a CHL just because you think it puts you in the fast lane really isn’t the right way to solve the problem.

Shooting Skeet

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

I have now shot skeet twice in my life. 🙂

The first time I shot skeet was also the first time I shot a real firearm (i.e. something powered by gunpowder, not CO2 or spring-air). It was a family vacation and my Dad took me skeet shooting. I forget how old I was, maybe 10? 13? Shot a 20 gauge shotgun. I don’t even remember how well I did, but I just remember that yeah… I got to shoot a real gun, and it was fun!

This past weekend was one of Wife’s side of the family’s reunions. One of Wife’s aunt’s shoots skeet competitively. I don’t recall how it all works, but she was showing us a pin she earned because she’s in the top 20 in the US in her class. She’s good. Since I’m not a shotgun guy at all, I asked if while we were out there for the reunion if she could take me and anyone else interested and go shoot some skeet. Have her teach me how to do it, since I just don’t know. She agreed, and off we went.

Aunt-in-law, shooting skeet and showing me how it's done.

At the range was her trainer and shooting buddy. A couple other family members came along as well. We shot 3 games, and I received good instruction on every shot: where to hold, where to look, how this clay is going to fly. For a true first time shooting skeet? I did better than I thought. Of course, the goal I set for myself was 1. have fun, 2. break one clay. So, I didn’t set the bar too high. 😉  But I actually broke a decent number of clays (truly, more than I expected I would), and certainly had a blast. And getting to see Wife’s aunt shoot? Yeah, she’s good and so is her trainer/shooting buddy.

A few things I learned:

  • I cannot shoot that Mossberg 500 bantam. I mean, I can shoot it, but it’s not ideal for me. It’s a youth-sized gun. I brought it because I thought Daughter might want to come out and shoot too, but she was more interested in the swimming pool at the hotel. 🙂  The stock is shorter, the curvature of the grip is more acute, it’s just meant for a smaller person. Then with my big shooting glasses on, I succeeded in slamming my right thumb knuckle into the glasses a few times and now I have a nice shiner under my right eye. 🙂  I’ve shot this shotgun in the past without problem, but didn’t have those big glasses on. After the first round, I was able to borrow an adult-sized 12 gauge (a gorgeous Beretta over-under), and now I just have a sore shoulder.
  • When you shoot skeet, of course you must lead the clay. A lot of it is just shooting more, learning the timing, the rhythm, and how much lead each clay out of each house at each position. Well, when I thought about leading, I would lead and I would break the clay. When I tried to just have a “zen mind” and not think about anything, I would revert to all my handgun and rifle shooting, where you generally want to shoot at the target, no leading. So, that’s something to work on.
  • I did get the hang of the basics, so really it’d just be a matter of shooting more to ingrain it all. I’m certainly open to more! I also wouldn’t mind trying out trap.
  • It’s a lot more pleasant to pick up a couple big plastic shotgun shell hulls off the ground than hundreds of little brass 9mm cases. 🙂

Had a blast. In fact, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I knew I’d have fun, but gosh… it makes me want to do more shotgun shooting. In fact, I have recently had some changing thoughts on shotguns, but I’ll write on that later.

The next day I returned the favor to aunt-in-law. She’s a shotgun person, I’m a handgun person. She’s been looking at getting a handgun (personal protection and all that), so I let her shoot my carry gun and gave her some basic instruction.

It was a good weekend.

Having second thoughts…

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

So I bought that Wilson 6.8 SPC upper. I zeroed it and loved the performance. Then I took it on a harvest/hunt and it didn’t perform, but I think THAT was due to something else (e.g. the scope got knocked out of whack).

Since then, I haven’t shot it. Mostly because I haven’t had time.

But I also haven’t shot it because, since that harvest, I’ve wondered if it was really a worthwhile purchase for me.

Yes, I love what 6.8 SPC brings to the table. There’s a lot of awesome stuff about it, it’s a purpose-designed caliber, and it’s a caliber I’d love to see succeed. I mean, if the military went 6.8 SPC whole-hog over 5.56×45, that’d be HUGE!  But what can 6.8 SPC do that .308 Win can’t do, apart from weight/capacity of the round? In all areas of ballistics, the .308 Win beats the 6.8 SPC. The big thing with 6.8 is it has almost .308 ballistics and performance (note: almost) but the round is lighter and smaller thus can fit into 5.56/.223 AR-15/M-4/M-16 form rifles and you can carry more “rounds per ounce” than .308/7.62×51. Plus of course you can use AR-15 “stuff” (lowers, grips, stocks, rails, triggers, etc.). That’s a great selling point, don’t get me wrong… but for my needs and purposes, do I really need it?

Maybe I was just too enamored with the round and had an itch to scratch — blinded by lust, you could say. I know what the pivotal moment was for me that got me rethinking *my* use of 6.8: hitting that water buffalo clean with 168 grains of .30 caliber Barnes Triple Shock at 2500 fps… DRT. I can still see the whole bullet impact on that buffalo plain as day in my head — it’s quite a testimonial. Could the 6.8 have done that? I don’t know. Probably, but it says to me that the .308 certainly does the job on bigger critters (duh!); I know my guide that day was skeptical if the light (tho admittedly fast) .277″ bullet would work. And what with .308/7.62×51 being so standard and so popular, and with 6.8 still being a (growing) niche… with my desire to not have massive caliber-spread… well… it makes me wonder if I should keep the 6.8 upper or not. I always wanted to standardize my library on well-founded calibers, and 6.8 deviated from that standard. But I also admit, while 6.8 SPC is nowhere near the standardized caliber as 9mm, 5.56×45, or 7.62×51, it’s certainly growing in popularity and is far from totally obscure.

The reason I got the 6.8 was for the kids, for hunting. 6.8 is certainly sufficient for anything here in Texas. But you know what I did? I didn’t let the kids try the .308 rifle first. I know they cannot handle my .308 bolt action, it’s just too long and thus “front-heavy” for them (we’ve tried it, dry at home). But if we’re sitting in a blind, is that going to matter that much? I should see how well they can handle the .308 on a bench… I betcha they can, especially given how awesome the recoil pad is on that rifle. Or of course, I could get a compact rifle in .308 for a lot less than the 6.8 upper cost me… and then I wouldn’t have to have 2 sets of ammo. Of course, the same argument could be made the other way: we both carry 6.8’s into the field and thus share ammo.

So, I’m doing some serious reconsideration and thinking about selling my 6.8 upper. Not decided on it yet, but thinking about it. Feel free to convince me to keep it, or to sell it. 🙂  I guess the questions are: what purpose does it serve (for me)? is it a unique purpose, or does it provide redundancy? What event would make it the rifle I’d grab over all other choices?

M-4’s don’t cut it (but we knew that)

/ hsoi

ABC reports how the M-4 doesn’t cut it in Afghanistan.

Old news to gun folk, but it’s nice to see the mainstream media picking it up.

For those that don’t know, the 5.56x45mm round fired by the M-4/M-16 just doesn’t have effective stopping power past 300 meters. Out in Afghanistan, it’s hills and mountains… you may be engaging out to 600-800 meters. So that’s why things like the M-14’s are getting pulled out of the closet and more M-110’s are being deployed.

One thing alluded to in the article:

A possible compromise would be an interim-caliber round combining the best characteristics of the 5.56mm and 7.62mm cartridges, Tamilio said.

Well, isn’t this what the 6.8 Remington SPC was developed for?!?!

Guns in America – A Special Report

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Via TXGunGeek, that student project? It’s now up.

Check it out. It’s well produced.

There’s one video:

the guy doing the talking is TXGunGeek. The “acting” you see is from the recently held AT-7 class. I recognize most of the faces. 🙂

From open children to open carry

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

It’s raining.

For whatever reason, that’s caused more ducks than usual to congregate around our house. More ducks means more distractions for the kids. 😉  Plus, one mother mallard has 6 chicks (hatched probably just a few days ago), so the cute is irresistible.

The kids were outside tending to the ducks. I was in my office working. Wife was in the kitchen. Kids come back in the house to tell us that an Austin Police Officer drove up, rolled down his window, asked them if they were where they were supposed to be, “We’re homeschooled.”, “Alright.” and off he drove. Will it amount to anything? I don’t know, but I doubt it. We did have another talk with the kids about how to handle such situations. But what got me was what I found myself saying.

You see, Wife was saying how one of our homeschooling mentors always avoided such issues by running her errands after normal school hours. I can understand. We’re doing nothing wrong, we’re doing nothing illegal, but we are doing something that most people aren’t familiar with and “breaks the norm” of what’s expected… thus it has potential to cause trouble and bring headaches and hassles into our lives. So mentor’s approach was to just avoid it because she didn’t want to hassle. Wife doesn’t do that, we don’t lock the kids away and only bring them out when children are supposed to be brought out, but certainly Wife prefers to avoid the hassle.

I found myself saying that no, we can’t do that; we can’t avoid the hassle. Not saying we should flaunt it and invite it, but that if the hassle comes, it comes. What we’re doing is fine, legal, normal; it may not be mainstream, but how are people ever going to get used to it, acknowledge it, accept it, and not flinch or find it strange if we always keep it hidden away? If we always work to avoid the hassle, no one will ever see or know. How does that help or improve the situation? If anything, it could serve to make the situation seem worse because it’s being hidden away and not just openly done.

And I found myself thinking about Open Carry.

It may not be mainstream today, but how else are you going to get it to be mainstream unless you make it so? To hide it away isn’t going to help. Look at any sort of “civil rights” be it homeschooling or gay rights or women’s rights or various ethnic groups. You don’t get to sit at the front of the bus by always hiding at the back of it (by force or by choice).

Still trying to figure out how I stand on open carry, but this little experience certainly has influenced me a bit.

I was inspired to write this due to a comment made by Linoge on Uncle’s website. Thanx, Linoge.

The story of a few orders

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

A few product order stories to catch up on.

.38 Ammo

On October 1, 2009 I submitted an order to MidwayUSA for 10 boxes of R38S12, the Remington .38 Special +P 158 grain LHP… the so-called “FBI Load”.

Today, I received an email from MidwayUSA notifying me there was product for order. Eh? That only happens for general ordering, but I have a backorder. I called and asked and they received enough to fill all the remaining back orders then with some left over for general sale. So, in theory my back order is being processed as we speak and I should have it by next week. I am counting my chickens prematurely, because I have no confirmation of actual order processing. But I’ll trust the girl on the phone.

So 7.5 months to wait for this product. Never had a backorder that long in my life. 🙂  It got to a point where I opted against cancelled the backorder purely because I wanted to see how long it would be until it was filled. Now I know.

Blue Guns

So, the saga of the BlueGuns continues.

I did manage to get the botched order shipped back. They received, and it took about a week to process, then a few days to ship back. When I received them well… I still wasn’t happy.

All 6 XD-9 magazines did have proper latch holes in them now, but one still did not drop free and another still had the “blistered” look to it. I could tell these were the exact same two they originally sent, just cleaned up a bit. While I don’t blame them for not wanting to make a whole other magazine, they could have at least ensured the one fully worked. The blistered one does appear to be cosmetic, but how do I know that? It just seems bad enough like sooner or later it’s going to split.

The XD-45 magazines I have only looked at. They do look like XD-45 magazines, which is a good start. But as I’ve not been able to get together yet with anyone that owns an XD-45 (including the guys I did this order for), I haven’t been able to test them.

The 2 AR-15 magazines? They are better but still not right. If you let the bolt slam home, that’s enough to cause one of them to just drop free.

I’m really disappointed. You’d think given the hell and hassle that they’ve had to go through dealing with this order they would have gotten it right the second time around so they didn’t have to deal with it again. But alas, no. No, I haven’t contacted RINGS about this yet because I wanted to make a single phone call… I’m waiting until I see the guys with the 45’s so we can see if they work or not, so it may be another week or two.

But to be honest, I don’t even want to call them. I’m fed up and tired of it. What can they say to me at this point? And can I trust them? The one XD-9 mag that doesn’t drop free can probably be fixed with a little selective Dremeling, and the one that doesn’t look so pretty can be lived with. The AR mags tho really cheese me off… they’re expensive.

I will call them once I can confirm the 45’s working or not. Part of me wants them to make things right, but part of me is also just tired of it and wants to just return the products and get my money back. They seem nice enough on the phone and all, but there’s just no excuse for this.