Guns

Speak up or stay quiet?

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

While out buying the Buck Mark, I actually did visit a couple stores. I knew where I would buy, but I also knew they wouldn’t have some other things so make a round to a couple stores and pick up the bits and pieces as I go along.

So there I am. At the store, and it didn’t matter which store… the experiences were essentially the same. Looking through the case cases, or waiting my turn, or just walking the aisle. I hear people talking. Unfortunately most of what I hear isn’t good. I hear less than ideal advice, I hear incorrect suggestions, I hear well-intentioned but wrong direction. Much of it coming from the sales guys. I cringe, but I keep my mouth shut.

Then I’m at the counter. I ask to see a gun. Guy pulls a gun out of the case, doesn’t check it to ensure it’s unloaded. I lost count of how many times the sales guy covered me with the muzzle (I’d side step and take other measures to avoid the muzzle). I grant they take solace in their company policy that the guns in the glass cases should be unloaded, but that’s still no excuse to violate rule #1 (be it Jeff Cooper’s rule 1 or NRA’s rule 1). I say nothing, just keep my awareness up.

On my drive home, I think about the things I heard, the things I experienced. I think to myself, should I have said something? When a sales guy is giving bad advice to someone, or one customer says something to another that’s wrong… should I speak up? I feel I shouldn’t because it’s not my conversation, I shouldn’t be eavesdropping (I’m not trying to listen, but you just can’t help but hear their conversations). They didn’t ask my opinion, why would they want to hear mine, and who am I in their eyes that they should care and heed what I have to say? Then with safety violations, should I ask the sales person not to cover me? Would it matter, because if they’re violating the rules, how is chastising/correcting them going to improve anything? Should I tell the manager? Would that matter because if he tolerates the behavior now, what would my complaint change? Furthermore, there’s only so many gun stores in town and I don’t feel like becoming known as “that guy” and having a difficult time getting good service.

I want to say something because it’s hard for me to watch such things going on around me. But social graces and a rationalized feeling of “it’s not going to improve anything” keep me quiet.

Should I bother?

New addition to the fold

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Just got back from purchasing a Browning Buck Mark.

 

I’ve been wanting to buy a .22 semi-automatic pistol for various reasons, biggest of which is teaching. A firearm chambered in .22 LR is a great way to introduce people to shooting because it has almost no recoil, is fairly quiet, and is easy for almost anyone to operate. It’s a great way to start off. Of course, it’s great to stick with as well… it’s a lot of fun to shoot with one of these! I’ve been hum-hawing around, trying to figure out what to buy and finally settled on the Buck Mark.

You may notice I don’t have just a plain old Buck Mark… no… it’s got color accents! I know, this makes me less tacti-cool, but my daughter likes it so that’s good enough for me. 🙂 The reason I purchased this particular model? I called around to various stores to see if they had any Buck Marks in stock and if so what models. Of all the places I called, this was the only model in stock that did not have grips with finger grooves. Since this will be a trainer gun used by people with all sorts of hand sizes, finger grooves were not desired. Furthermore, this was the 2nd to least expensive of all the ones in stock (the least expensive was only $10 less but had finger grooves). Sure I could have bought another model, but why? I’d spend more money for the gun, then have to spend even more money to replace the grips. While the next model up did have a fiber optic front sight (which I would have liked), it was $50 more, and that’s almost the cost of 2 extra magazines (which I obtained as well). Besides, I kinda like the coloring. It’s a fun accent.

Just need to give it an initial cleaning, then gotta get some time to get to the range.

Updated: Can you dry fire a Buck Mark? I’ve been Googling and finding conflicting information regarding this, so I thought I’d call Browning and ask.

No, they do not recommend dry firing a Buck Mark, at least without something like a snap cap in place.

While I know that, in general, you shouldn’t dry fire a rimfire gun (on an empty chamber), there are some where this is OK (e.g. my Ruger 10/22, the manual explicitly says it’s OK to dry fire). So I wanted to know for sure one way or the other, gave Browning a call, and there we go. Don’t do it. 🙂

Fanny Packs

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Call them what you want: fanny packs, man purses, I’ve heard almost every possible name for them. 

I think they’re great.

When I was a small child I watched my Dad’s daily ritual of going to his dresser in the morning, going to this special multi-compartment tray, and from each compartment loading up his clothing: money in this pocket, wallet in that pocket, checkbook here, put on the watch, keys, and whatever other things he kept in his pocket. Then in the evening he’d return home and empty everything back into the tray. Just one of those things a man did. So of course, as I was growing up and started carrying things in my pockets, I did a similar sort of ritual, but no cool tray. However as I got older, I also got lazier and would often just leave everything in the pockets of my jeans, so when I woke up the next morning I could just pull the jeans back on (provided they were still clean enough) and ta da… dressed and prepped all in one shot! Efficiency is intelligent laziness.

Still, I didn’t always care for this because often I’d want to carry more things and didn’t have a place for them. Or I might want to carry things that I didn’t want to crush (e.g., in my younger days I smoked cigarettes and wouldn’t want the pack to get crushed). Or just the simple fact that sometimes it’s annoying to carry heavy and/or sharp objects in your pockets (e.g.,keys). What to do? I think it was on a trip to New York City during my years in undergrad. I was seeing a bunch of bands and noticed all the crew guys and band members all wore these bags around their waists. One of the guys expounded upon how convenient it was to use them, so I tried it myself. Sure enough, it was a great thing. The main reason? Convenience. You can carry all of your stuff. All of your stuff is in one place, so when you’re in a hurry to get out the door, you just grab the bag and go.

For many years I wore a fanny pack. I could keep my keys, wallet, Leatherman, mobile phone, loose change, lip balm, and whatever else maybe needed carrying at the time. Just grab and go. My children even became conditioned to the sound of the “click” of the joining of the clasps of my bag to mean “Dad’s leaving”. The only problem with most fanny packs is they are cheap, so I wore out many of them, often having to replace them every year. This was always tough because I had a few rules about the bags:

  1. It must be leather. Nylon? Sorry, but no. I don’t care much about fashion, but nylon… no.
  2. It must be black.
  3. When wearing it, you do not wear it over your untucked shirt. 

And it’s difficult to find a well-made fanny pack that fits at least the first two criteria, and has enough space and utility to be of worth. Basically, it’s tough to be cool wearing one of these, but you can work to minimize how dorky you look. 😉

 

Then I entered into the world of guns, and you discover that fanny packs can be useful for carrying a concealed handgun. Unfortunately, most purpose-built holster-fanny-packs, IMHO, suck. First, most are nylon (violates rule 1), but at least most are black (hey… it’s not tacti-cool if it’s not black, right?). Second, most don’t look like fanny packs. Most look like some sort of odd-shaped compartment strapped to your waist. Third, they can be huge. They have to be large enough to hold a handgun, and so they often end up being larger than a lot of traditional packs. This is exacerbated if you wish to have your pack hold more than just the gun (e.g., hold keys, wallet, etc.)… now the pack will be even larger, even heavier. Furthermore, they may have to do odd things to be able to support the weight of a handgun (and perhaps anything extra you carry), such as reinforcement (most fanny packs are not stiff), or maybe a strap on the back of the pack that can loop around your belt, but how many “social” fanny packs do this? I have just not been impressed with the holster-packs on the market.

That said, I don’t think a fanny pack holster is without merit. It does allow you a way to carry, especially if there isn’t any other way. For example, to go jogging, to go to the gym (i.e., a place where you may be changing clothing). Riding a motorcycle, you can keep it in a handy location that isn’t obscured by a riding jacket and is still somewhat on your person. Women can have a difficult time finding a concealed carry solution because their bodies are just built differently than men (IWB carry usually just isn’t possible); a fanny pack can provide a solution. Another nice part about a fanny pack vs. other methods of off-body carry (e.g., daytimer, handbag, etc.) is the fanny pack is and should remain strapped to your body, thus you are less likely to forget it or leave it somewhere. Perhaps most importantly, a fanny pack can provide urban camouflage.

If you carry concealed, you want to do your best to blend in. I live in Austin, Texas, and due to the hippie scene, fanny packs are fairly common. In fact, this is perhaps an argument to violate the “leather/nylon” rule because you can go to REI and pick up some fanny packs for other purposes and may be able to carry a small gun with you on a back-country hike, where carrying in a IWB holster may be possible but may be uncomfortable. I still think a purpose-built holster fanny pack has advantages (e.g., many have a means to hold the gun secure, they provide fast and “correct” draw access), but your situation may dictate differently. You have to choose what is right to serve your needs.

Some argue that wearing a fanny pack screams that you have a gun. Well, maybe to other gun folk, but apparently not to the majority of the public. Again, in a place like Austin, no one blinks at a fanny pack. Or if you’re in a location heavy with tourists, maybe that rainbow nylon pack is just right. Key thing is, blend in with your surroundings.

In the end, a fanny pack is not a bad thing. Yes, some people hate them with a vengeance, but I’m a practical person and fanny packs provide a practical solution. They carry whatever gear you deem important to carry and keep it handy.

Texas 30.06

/ hsoi

If you live in Texas and have a concealed handgun license, you know that 30.06 not only refers to a rifle caliber, but it also refers to a particular section of the Texas Penal code.

texas3006.com is an informal but helpful website for keeping track of places that post 30.06 signs.

Dry fire, do you do it?

/ hsoi / 7 Comments

So everyone goes on about the rising cost of ammo, the reluctance to shoot what little ammo you have, the difficulty in getting to the range, and whatever excuse possible. I don’t disagree… I don’t get to the range nearly as much as I want to either, and even shooting a .22 is getting expensive! However, that’s OK. Dry fire is a fantastic way to keep your chops up.

One great thing about dry fire is you can practice skills that you just can’t practice at the gun range. For instance, does your range let you draw from a holster? If not, that’s ok, you can do it as a part of your dry fire practice at home. Can you do movement drills at the range? If not, you can do it at home with dry fire.

Really, there’s no excuse not to dry fire.

When (not if) you dry fire, you must do it safely. Kathy Jackson has a great article on safety practice for dry fire. The biggest thing is to ensure a clear cut distinction between your dry fire session and the time before and after the session. That when you start, you verify the gun is unloaded and ensure a safe environment. While you practice, you practice uninterrupted and if for some reason you are interrupted you ensure when you pick up the gun again that you start practice all over again (i.e. verify the state of the gun). When practice is over, it’s over. Yes it might seem silly to recite aloud that the gun is unloaded, but there’s nothing silly about a negligent discharge. Frame your practice time appropriately.

I forget who said this, but one of the top shooters said something to the effect of for every live round you wish to fire at the range, you should do 10 dry fires. So if you want to go through 200 rounds at the range, you better dry fire 2000 “rounds” at home beforehand. You will be much better off, and the time and ammo you spend at the range will be time and ammo much better spent. Don’t believe me? Try it.

You can find lots of great dry fire training aids online. Some of my favorites:

Just about any shooting drill can be adapted for dry fire. Remember: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Strive to be correct, perfect, and smooth. Once you can do that at a given (slow) speed, speed it up by 10%. Practice the things you like, practice more the things you hate. Don’t focus on your mistakes and failures, envision your success.

If you carry a concealed handgun, you owe it to yourself to be the best you can be. Handgun skills are perishable, so you have to keep your chops up. Even if it’s nothing more than doing 10 draws and presentation from concealment, you can find the 5 minutes a day to do it. Someday, your life may depend on it.

I can has more 10/22’s?

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

I have a Ruger 10/22. It’s the basic carbine model, hardwood stock, nothing fancy. Threw an inexpensive 4x32mm scope on top of it, and off we go. It’s a fun little plinking rifle, and what the kids are cutting their teeth on. Still, after having the one, I’ve been dreaming about getting a few more. With the rising cost of ammo, shooting .22 gets more and more appealing every day.

Survival Rifle

It was an episode of Survivorman, I believe season 2 episode 3, Labrador. Les carries a .22 rifle with him as a survival tool. This is a useful tool as can hunt small game with it. What was nifty was how Les utilized the rifle itself to make a bit of a survival kit. For instance, he drilled some holes in the stock and inserted extra ammo. He also stored some cotton tinder and a magnesium striker, both for starting a fire. Basic, but useful.

I then came across this. I liked the wrapping of the 550 cord, which serves to not only protect the rifle but then provides you with rope, which is always a welcome thing. Furthermore, he hung a pouch off the side of the buttstock, into which you can store whatever, like small first aid kit.

So I’ve been thinking about making a survival rifle like this and what else I’d put into it. Some thoughts:

  • Compass. A map too, but that’d be case-by-case dependent.
  • Sun protection
  • Some means of insulating yourself, e.g. those emergency blankets
  • Knife/multitool
  • Flashlight, like a small LED and/or lithium-powered thing
  • First aid kit: bandages, tweezers, basic medicines
  • Whistle
  • Matches and/or striker, cotton tinder
  • Needle and thread, zip ties
  • Water and/or water purification
  • Nutrition? e.g. bouillon cubes, hard candy
  • Orange trash bag

These are just some thoughts. I haven’t sat down to seriously flesh this out yet, and even think if a Ruger 10/22 would be best. For instance, Chuck Hawks has an article on purpose-built survival rifles. Something like an AR-7 or Springfield M6. I don’t have much of a need for such a rifle, but I just find it an interesting exercise that I’ll probably do one of these days for the heck of it.

Target Shooter

As you look online for things about the 10/22, you’ll find rather a large aftermarket for it, which is one of the great things about this rifle. One thing you’ll quickly find is you can deck her out and spend far more money aftermarket than you ever spent on the base rifle in the first place. I’d like to try this. 🙂

Take for instance this Pittsburgh Steelers model. Or this special edition made for the USA Shooting team. 

I’d like to try taking a 10/22 as far as you could take it. Customize it, deck it out, spending a lot of time reading and researching on the RimfireCentral forums. Make it an awesome target shooting gun, highly accurate, the whole 11 yards.

Oldest would really like this too. He loves the look of the Boyds SS Evolution stocks.

Of course, this is going to be the hardest one to justify to the Wife. 😉

Trainer

Ever since I first bought the 10/22 and saw the wide variety of aftermarket parts you could get, plus going along with the wisdom of Appleseed (which I have yet to do), I wanted to make a trainer.

I could do the simple thing and keep the basic 10/22, slap on a sling, some TechSights, and off I go. But I figure if I’m really going to make a trainer, I might as well go for the gusto! For instance, make an AR-22.

This has an added advantage of not just being a trainer for me, but it’s a teacher for others.

 

So, the Ruger 10/22. Quite a versatile little rifle. I may never do these ideas (matter of time and money), but hopefully someday I will.

Astounding bullshit

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

From the NYT, an editorial on …. well… I guess how to spout (the same old) lies?

Gosh, I don’t even know where to begin. The whole thing is just full of misinformation.

This was a choice piece tho:

States routinely grant concealed carry licenses without proper background checks or training. Indeed, among the evidence Bush officials ignored in their haste to relax national park gun limits was the long list of violent crimes committed by dangerous people with state concealed carry licenses. Contrary to gun lobby claims, the evidence suggests that permitting concealed weapons drives up crime rather than decreasing it.

And your evidence is where? 

Actual empirical evidence (to the contrary) can be found here and here and here and here and here and here and if you really need more I can find it.

Furthermore, who wrote this editorial? If you’re going to open your yap at least have the guts to identify yourself and stand behind what you say.

Nebraska’s carry laws improving

/ hsoi

Just read this piece about some Nebraska state legislation regarding their concealed carry laws. This is a good sign, and I hope it goes through. Slowly but surely Nebraska’s laws will improve.