Guns

A couple things I’m tired of

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

If I may vent for a moment….

You start to hear or see something over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and eventually it wears on you. I was reading this article at the Christian Science Monitor and I saw the words yet again….

Gun lobby

That it’s all about the NRA, the gun lobby, and they’re all pro-death and pro-baby killing. As if it’s just this single lobbiest organization that’s causing all of the death and evil in the world. I grant, it’s one big gorilla in the room and they are rather powerful. Do you know why they’re powerful?

Because the NRA is made up of citizens. Citizens that donate time, money, and effort to make things happen. This isn’t some sort of slacktivism where you can put a magnet on your car’s bumper or sign up for a Facebook page and make you feel good about yourself. No, the NRA has power because they are a representative organization. They represent millions of US citizens. That’s why they’re a force. Next time you want to bitch about the NRA and the “gun lobby” realize that what’s really behind that are millions of Americans. It’s not a fear to cross the gun lobby, it’s a fear to cross millions of (voting) citizens. In 1994, it wasn’t a triumph of the gun lobby, it was a large swath of America letting their voices be heard through their vote. 

It’s not a matter of crossing the gun lobby or not… it’s not a matter of being afraid of the gun lobby or not… it’s the citizens, that vote, that get active in the political process, that care about infringements upon themselves, their rights, and their lives. Don’t tread on us.

 

But now I turn to this same group and say… can we please stop the abuse of the word “tactical”? I’m shopping for some gear and everything is tactical. There’s tactical polo shirts (huh?), tactical bottle openers, tactical butt floss, tactical bacon (OK, that’s actually kinda cool and funny). You start seeing the word “tactical” used in places where it doesn’t apply… but it makes it tacti-cool to use the word, right?

More ballistics data

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Courtesy of Steve at The Firearms Blog I see that the Ballistics By the Inch guys have added more data: .327 Magnum, 10mm Auto, and .41 Magnum.

This is oddly relevant to me. While I am looking for a snub-nosed revolver, I have also given thought to a more powerful handgun, like something you could hunt with (e.g. a revolver in .44 magnum or .460 S&W or the like). I’ve also thought that a semi-auto in 10mm such as a Glock 20 (tho I don’t like Glocks, and I know there are others out there) would be a useful carry piece for those times out in the woods when you could run across 2 or 4 legged predators. As well, at the range yesterday I got to talking with another gentleman on the rifle line about my search for a snubby and he brought up the .327 Magnum. I’ve seen the commercials for the load and certainly it intrigued me. The fact it’s a bit of a “vanity caliber” I’m not sure about (I’d feel better if I were an established reloader), but still it’s worth looking at.

So anyway, that the ballistics data was updated and for some calibers I’m looking at was rather welcome.

If one thinks, he will be taken by his thoughts.

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

If one thinks, he will be taken by his thoughts.

–Takuan Soho

I subscribe to Brian Enos’ Maku mozo! mailing list. This was today’s quote.

It struck me because of my morning range experience. I’ve discussed this in other places on my blog when I talk about guns or martial arts or mindset, that when you think about something well… you’re thinking about that something and it consumes your thoughts and probably your actions too. This is neither good nor bad in and of itself, but what it causes you to do could be judged to be good or bad. This morning at the range I didn’t think about speed, I didn’t think to not think about speed (which is ultimately still thinking about speed). I did think about being smooth. Thus, I was smooth. When I assessed my performance and then thought about speed, I realized I wasn’t too bad with my speed but moreover I was shooting accurately and consistently (well, 25 yards needs work). If I allowed myself to be taken by thoughts of speed, that’s how I would have focused my shooting and that would not have lead me to the results I wanted. Instead, I allowed myself to be taken by thoughts of smoothness, and that lead me to the results I wanted.

Takuan’s words aren’t good or bad, it’s what I choose to do with my thoughts and even if I choose to think at all.

Smart guns aren’t so smart

/ hsoi

Tam is usually full of snark, but this was a surprisingly snark-free and reason-filled posting from her (not that her postings aren’t reason-filled, just usually a healthy dose of snark goes with it). Anyway, here’s her posting about smart guns. The choice quote:

But if you look at a firearm as a piece of emergency equipment, then Authorized User technology is a no-go. A cop’s partner may need to use her gun; my roommate may need to use mine. It needs to work right the first time, every time. It cannot malfunction or, if it does so, it must “fail-dangerous“, in such a way as to leave me the ability to use the gun to defend myself, even if the Authorized User function no longer works.

Look at it this way: Would you put fingerprint recognition sensors on a fire extinguisher? How about a biometric sensor on a reserve parachute? No, you wouldn’t, because it needs to be as easy as possible for anybody to operate, even under duress and in harsh environmental conditions.

Cops and military don’t want this technology because they know the dangers of it. So why should we allow it or even force it upon the rest of the citizenry? It won’t stop bad guys from doing bad things, only good people from doing good. Why do this? And please don’t tell me it’s for the children.

Range report

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I haven’t been to the range on my own accord in a while. Darn this ammo situation. Making up for it with dry fire, but dry fire doesn’t simulate recoil and other things (like reacquiring sight picture). So I went with the point of not just “shootin'” but ensuring there was solid purpose to every round downrange. Really, every practice session should be like that, but some times it’s just fun to throw lead. That said, it was off to the Lone Star Gun Range.

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“Survival” Rifles

/ hsoi

James Rummel posts about a survival rifle, a Browning .22 take-down. It’s pretty cool.

I’ve mentioned before about making a survival-style rifle out of a Ruger 10/22, but there are some purpose-built ones.

There is the AR-7, which is now being made by Henry Repeating Arms. Nice article here. Now, in my take on a “survival” rifle the intent was for the rifle to be the kit: the rifle is whole but the buttstock has a hole into which you can stuff things, then you could strap or wrap things around the rifle. The AR-7’s approach is for the rifle to break down into something very small, which you could then pack away into your backpack. Everything breaks down, without tools, and stores in the buttstock, which I understand to be waterproof and will float (tho I’ve read varying reports on this; maybe Henry’s resolved it in newer versions?). Accuracy and ammo feeding tend to be questionable, but this isn’t a match gun… it’s meant to help you get some food or maybe even be a last-ditch defensive weapon if you’re in a survival situation. Conceptually it’s appealing to me, but I’d have to really try one out before I could make a decision. Thankfully they’re not that expensive.

There’s the Springfield M6 Scout, (more here and here is a great entry). The appeal of this is that it can fire ammo like .22 Hornet or .410 shotshells. That has a lot of appeal because you could take birds or even larger game.

Marlin’s Papoose is another offering, and I read a lot of praise for it. It breaks down, the bolt holds open on the last shot (important on a rimfire so you don’t end up dry firing after firing your last shot if you weren’t counting your shots).

Each offering takes a similar approach, but also addresses different issues. Which is right all depends upon your needs.

Updated: A few days ago I was at McBrides and they had an AR-7 on a rack. I picked it up and whoa…. that stock is kinda crappy. Not so much on the holding to your shoulder part, but in terms of the lid, for storage. It felt cheap. I could easily flex it a tiny bit and make the cap “crack off” such that any moisture would come in. It also felt like one not-so-good whack and the stock would crack or otherwise break. I was not impressed.

What prompted me to updated this was seeing this article. I will say that it was extremely lightweight, was listed at $190 so it’s nothing to really cry over. And it certainly breaks down in a manner than none of the others do. It’s the sort of thing where the concept seems really good, but the deployment could still use some improvement.

Media bias? or ignorance?

/ hsoi

Some AR-15 uppers and ammo were found in a dumpster in Austin. Howard Nemerov provides some analysis of how the local Austin media covered the story.

I’m pretty sure it was someone dumping stolen goods… but man, I can’t help but shed a tear at the wasted goods, especially that ammo. 🙂

TSRA Highpower Rifle Championship

/ hsoi

Courtesy of SayUncle and Robert’s Blackfork blog we have some pictures from the Texas State Rifle Association’s Highpower Rifle Championship. The winner. More pictures.

Notice all the rifles they’re shooting? No sporting purpose to them, of course.

The cost of rules violations

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If you follow Jeff Cooper’s rules, it violates 1 and 2, maybe 3. If you follow the NRA rules, it violates 1, maybe 2, and probably 3. Either way, Mas Ayoob shows us what happens when you violate the rules.

Note: Mas’ article has some pictures, which aren’t that pleasant to look at… not too bad but bad enough… hopefully it’ll burn the image into your head and reinforce the importance of following the rules.

Alternative workout clothing

/ hsoi

When you have your workout, you probably have some sort of designated workout gear. Maybe it’s a t-shirt and sweatpants or shorts. Maybe it’s a dobok/gi. Whatever it is, we usually work out in such clothing because it’s purpose-built for the activity. Maybe there’s a formal uniform aspect. There’s strength of fibers (e.g. if you grapple and throw you don’t need the gear to rip). It should be roomy and comfortable so it doesn’t bind or constrict but not so loose as to flap around. It should wick away sweat. All sorts of things that help make for an ideal workout.

If your workout is for practicing self-defense, what are the chances you’ll be wearing that ideal workout gear during an attack? I’d say next to zero.

From time to time your workout should be performed in your normal street clothing. Consider what you wear on a normal basis and wear that, then work out. Maybe you wear a suit 90% of the time, so work out in a suit. If you don’t want to ruin your expensive good suits, try to find a “beater” suit at a store somewhere, something that’s inexpensive and you can sweat in, but again it should be representative of your daily wear. From time to time, switch to some other clothing. I usually wear jeans and a t-shirt or a button-down shirt, untucked. But sometimes I have to tuck in, so that makes a difference. Sometimes I wear shorts. Sometimes I wear a suit. Try these all out. The point is, get used to moving in that clothing so it doesn’t feel strange.

Another good reason for doing this? Find out if your wardrobe is a help or a hindrance. Maybe those pants are too tight and you cannot kick. Maybe the suit jacket is cut wrong and it’s tough to throw punches. Maybe the clothing and/or your carry location inhibits a good draw of your concealed handgun. There may also be advantages. Maybe you’ll discover that jacket conceals things better. Maybe you’ll learn that belt is a handy makeshift restraint. These are all things worth figuring out.

When you mix up your workout routine, try mixing up the attire as well. Make sure everything you’ve got works for you.