Guns

Grab bag of gun stuff

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

A couple months ago I walked into a local gun store just to check it out. I actually was shopping for a .22 pistol but ended up walking out with a new AR-15. Why? Why not. It was there. It’s a Bushmaster, which isn’t my #1 choice, but these days beggars can’t be choosers.

Until last night I kept the rifle locked up. I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep it. After much thought I opted to keep it, so last night I broke it out, gave it a cleaning and lubrication, and packed up my range bag so I could head to the range in the morning to get her broken in and zeroed in. So what follows here are a bunch of random thoughts and experiences from it all.

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My State Representative’s action on HB 410

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

I received a (snail mail) letter in the mail today from my Texas State Representative, Valinda Bolton. It was a brief letter:

Dear Mr. Daub:

I want to thank you for contacting me and sharing your thoughts on House Bill 410 [relating to the requirement under certain circumstances that a license holder display the person’s license to carry a concealed handgun].

I wanted to let you know that I was happy to vote in favor of this bill when it came before the House this past Friday. Thank you for giving me your input on this important bill; it is the active involvement of citizens like you that helps me come to an informed decision on legislation.

Again, thank you for taking the time to let me know your opinions. Please feel free to contact me with any further concerns or ideas you may have.

Sincerely,

Valinda Bolton

So a (likely) boilerplate thank you letter, but it was welcome to get such a follow-up. Furthermore, it was welcome to see that she voted in favor of this bill.

Of course, I’d like to see her helping HB 1893 move along, but we already know how she feels on that one. I guess this is how she earns her “C” grade from the NRA.

The “Triangle of Death”

/ hsoi

An article at the Force Science News about the “triangle of death.” The triangle of death is the part of a white t-shirt that peeks out from behind a button-down shirt or vest, unbuttoned at the top (below the neck/chin). Looks like a triangle, and the article demonstrates that it makes for a great target. Good if it’s the bad-guy you’re shooting at, bad if it’s you wearing the triangle.

What happens is, especially in a low-light situation, the triangle stands out. When you’re in a pressure situation your eyes scan and have to take in massive amounts of information in limited time, so you tend to process what stands out and/or what your eyes/brain tends to focus on. So, especially in a low-light situation, a little peek of white against an otherwise dark background (e.g. police uniform) is going to stand out, be zeroed in on, and likely become a point of aim.

I’ve seen this myself in FoF scenarios or even just pressure-stages (e.g. timed events) against realistic targets. All too often where do rounds hit? in the hand. The hand is holding a gun, pointed at you, you’re shooting back, your eyes focus on the gun, and you end up shooting at the gun.

Lessons to learn? When it comes to shooting, you’ll have to train yourself to better pick up on cues and indicators and shoot what you’re supposed to shoot instead of what your eyes may get drawn to. When it comes to what to wear, blend in with your surroundings, which may mean in a low-light situation that you wear more subdued clothing.

How American…

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Government can’t get the land it wants, so it’ll condemn it to get it. 

“We always prefer to get that land from a willing seller. And sometimes you can just not come to an agreement on certain things,” park service spokesman Phil Sheridan said.

We can’t get what we want by proper means, so we’ll be sore loser crybabies about it and force you to give it up.

Wow. What a great memorial to those people that died. </sarcasm>

Selling the XD(m)

/ hsoi

Caleb links to 5 videos where top shooter Rob Leatham shills for the Springfield XD(m).(Rob is sponsored by Springfield, thus). They’re good videos and really showcase the XD(m).

I can’t justify spending the money right now, but there’s no question if I needed to replace my Springer Precision customized Springfield XD-9 that I would replace it with a Springfield XD(m) in 9mm… and of course, send it to Springer Precision for customization. I’ve gotten to shoot a couple XD(m)’s and it’s great. The new features of the XD(m) (vs. the XD) are sound, not just hype.

I’m posting this because people frequent my blog looking for advice on choosing a gun or about 9mm handguns, or what the “best handgun” is. Certainly this is a matter of opinion and who knows, someday my opinion could change. But for now, I love my customized XD and would only replace it with an XD(m) (also customized).

BJ Norris’ Blog

/ hsoi

Came acros the blog of BJ Norris. BJ is a competition shooter, having won both a World and National Steel Challenge SteelMaster title, and shooting amazingly well in a lot of other competitions. You can read all about it in his blog. He’s also got some video of himself and others shooting competitions and wow… I need more practice.

And he’s a Texas boy. 🙂

Is Hand Placement Important?

/ hsoi

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? 

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The Ammo Oracle

/ hsoi

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.

Texas to follow Montana’s lead?

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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

/ hsoi

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.