Guns

Have you commented?

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Finally received press release emails from the NRA and the TSRA regarding Texas Park and Wildlife’s proposed change to permit hunting game animals with suppressor-equiped firearms.

The NRA’s release.

TSRA basically forwarded the NRA’s release.

All of this is the same stuff I covered last week, including how to comment (via email, or snail mail). A copy of the email I sent is in my prior posting.

If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes and comment now on the proposed rule. TPWC will make the decision at the March 28-29 meeting, so the sooner you comment the better.

Thank you for supporting common sense gun regulations (to borrow a phrase). 🙂

Emoji – pistol.tk is now mine

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

With iOS 5 came Emoji. Emoji is a Japanese term for the picture characters or emoticons used in Japanese messages. Yes, it’s emoticon-like, but there’s a wider range provided. What was significant in iOS 5 (and Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”) is bringing it formally into the OS due to the inclusion of Emoji in the Unicode 6.0 standard.

I discovered how to enable Emoji on my iPhone, I showed Wife and Daughter, and texting hasn’t been the same since. You can also get it on Lion.

The rest of this article might not make sense if you’re viewing it on a computer that can’t show Emoji.

Of course, the most amusing Emoji character is Unicode Character U+1F4A9, ‘PILE OF POO’. 💩 <– That little guy.

I’m not sure how he looks on other systems, but here on Apple-based OS’s, it’s not just a pile of poo, but it’s a pile of poo with a happy face. The Poo Man.

First, the artwork is amusing. Second, you have to realize there was an explicit decision made to include a character in the Unicode Standard that represented a pile of poo. Why? There was debate to include poo or not. There were justifications put forth as to why a character that represented a turd was important to put in there, and someone likely argued against its inclusion and put forth reasons for not including it in the standard. Then there were discussions as to what to name it. It’s not a lump, a mound, a group… it’s a pile. It’s not a turd, a shit, dung, no, it’s poo. This is now formalized: pile of poo. Imagine a group of people in suits sitting around a table debating all of these details. Isn’t technology wonderful? 🙂

The amusement was fine, but then I read on JWZ’s blog a little more about the pile of poo. Specifically, I saw the guys at Panic talking about the first Emoji domain: http://💩.la

Yes, Poopla. The guys at Panic have created the most important website in the world. 😉

Alas, the Laos TLD (.la) doesn’t support Emoji registrations any more. However, it seems the territory of Tokelau and their .tk TLD still allows emoji registrations.

And I couldn’t help myself.

I registered: 🔫.tk. That’s the Emoji “Pistol” character (Unicode: U+1F52B (U+D83D U+DD2B), UTF-8: F0 9F 94 AB), dot tk.

With so many Emoji already taken, I was surprised it was still available.But now it’s mine, for all my geeky amusement.

The M&P – starting to carry

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I believe the last entry I made about my M&P was this one, talking about accuracy issues.

Actually no, it was this one. 🙂

But both are important, if you care about backstory.

I ended up ordering sights from Dawson Precision. The rear sight is a Charger fixed rear, black, 0.125″ notch, serrated, item #018-190. Dawson says to match it up with their 0.180″ tall front. But in discussing things with my fellow KR Training instructors, that didn’t seem to wash by experiences and calculations. I ended up getting a fiber optic inserted front sight, 0.170″ tall x 0.100″ wide, item #021-039. So, a hundredth of an inch shorter. May not seem like much, but it matters.

Took me a little while to get them, since the Charger was on backorder. Then it was a matter of getting somewhere to install them. In the end I just took it to McBride’s and had their gunsmiths install it. First time I used them for smith work, and it went OK.

Unfortunately I’ve had no time to take it to the range to see how things perform, until this past Saturday. Was teaching at KR Training, so I knew I could get in a little range time. Alas, because I was teaching, it was truly just a little time. I didn’t have time to sit down and methodically poke at things, set up targets, shoot from distances with different ammos, and see how things performed. But I did get to shoot some, and Karl shot it too.

I mostly shot Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 grain +P. Shot shy of 100 rounds. Karl had his small steel range fully set up, so I just shot on that range. I had no problems hitting anything I aimed at, from 10 yards to 25+. There’s one “hostage target” that has a 6″ plate that flaps when you hit it, but it’s partially obscured so maybe 4″ or so is actually exposed. Backing up to 25 yards and even a little beyond? No problems hitting it over and over and over again. I switched to some of my practice ammo (my handloads) and there too had no problems hitting things.

At this point, I feel confident enough in the gun and the setup to begin carrying the gun, and so I did. All through classes that Saturday I carried it, and it stayed on my hip on the way home. The XD-9 Service is being put to rest — for now. But I’m still not 100% sold on the M&P.

First, I want to do some more methodical shooting with the gun on paper to see how the groups are behaving. How are things grouping? Where’s point of impact vs. point of aim? etc.

Second, I just need to keep shooting it to see how things go. Just need to collect more data over time in more shooting situations and contexts. Sure I’ve put what now? maybe 1000 rounds or so through the gun? That’s just not enough. It’s not so much confidence in the gun, but ensuring I can accept how the gun performs. If it’s grouping 3-4″ at 25 yards, is that acceptable enough for me, especially when my XD-9 with the factory barrel groups 2.5″ with my handloads? Just have to see how well I can live with the performance. And some may say why would I use the gun then? Well, there’s more to the M&P than just the accuracy. There’s some ergonomic issues that just aren’t as ideal with the XD as the M&P. There’s a lot of factors in play. Only time will tell for me.

But, at least I move along.

Safety FAIL

/ hsoi

*sigh*

“Don’t worry, it’s unloaded”. She didn’t get to hear it, but she was affected by it.

Around 12:30 p.m., the gun accidentally went off, according to the Sheriff’s Office, sending a bullet through the wall and into the head of Hannah Kelley, 20, — Bueller’s girlfriend and daughter of the church’s pastor, Tim Kelley. “It does appear this was a tragic accident,” said Cecilia Barreda, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

No, guns do not accidentally go off.

If anything, they negligently go off.

ST. PETERSBURG — Dustin Bueller wanted to see Moises Zambrana’s gun, according to authorities.

Bueller turns 21 next week and was thinking about buying one for himself, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

So after a Sunday morning service let out and parishioners were still milling about inside the Lealman church, he asked Zambrana, 48, to show him his Ruger 9mm.

The men took precautions. They walked away from the crowd in a recreation room at Grace Connection Church and into a closet. Zambrana removed the Ruger’s magazine, the Sheriff’s Office said, and started to explain the gun’s safety features.

But he forgot about the round in the chamber.

There’s nothing wrong with having a gun in church. There’s nothing wrong with showing the gun and talking about the gun. And yes, they opted to take some level of precautions (or did they? why go into a closet? I don’t see how that affords safety… maybe just keeps others from seeing what you’re doing). But they forgot at least two key things:

1. How to properly unload a semi-automatic handgun.

You first remove the magazine. You then pull the slide all the way back and LOCK it back. You then check the magazine well to ensure it is empty. You then check the chamber to ensure it is empty; check it visually, check it tactilely . In this case, you had multiple people in the room; have each of them check as well to verify, verify again, and re-verify yet again.

2. What a safe direction is.

Just because you didn’t see anyone doesn’t mean the direction is safe. Sheet rock, interior doors, none of these things will stop a handgun bullet, as they unfortunately found out. A safe direction considers where the bullet will come to rest — a location you may not be able to see. Click to read more about what is a safe direction.

And yes, we can probably guess a few other rules were violated, such as not keeping your finger off the trigger. I’d also wonder if they were treating the gun as a loaded gun or not — #1 on Col. Cooper’s rule list for a reason.

This is why we have safety rules, to avoid tragedy such as this. Above all things is to ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Even if every other rule gets violated, if pointed in a safe direction generally the worst you’ll deal with is ringing ears, a hole in the wall, and embarrassment.

I really don’t care how good of a shooter you are. I do care about your ability to handle a gun safely.

Observations from class – BP2/DPS1, with something for the ladies.

/ hsoi

This past Saturday was another round of classes at KR Training. We held Basic Pistol 2 and Defensive Pistol Skills 1.

I observed a lot of things in the classes, and many of my observations remain the same as always:

  • Slow down. It’s better to do something slower but correctly than fast and wrong. Yes ultimately you do want to go faster, but only if it’s correct. Work to be correct first, then speed will come.
    • This is especially important for people breaking a lifetime of bad habits. If you try to go fast, you will revert to old habits. If you revert to old habits, you just reinforce them instead of ingraining the new habits. Slow down, concentrate on applying the new skills, on building the new habits. It may take you thousands of repetitions to ingrain the new habit, but work to ingrain it.
    • To help with all of this, dry fire. Costs you little, gains you much, especially if you’re breaking old habits.
  • When you yell commands, you have to find your inner drill sergeant, then kick it up 150%. The commands must be yelled, long, and loud. And yes, you must practice this. You must have your script written and memorized, because ad libbing isn’t good. “Stop! Don’t Move!” is reasonable.
  • That support hand? (your left hand, if your right hand works the trigger). It’s called a support hand for good reason — it’s what supports the gun! It’s the prime player in recoil management. You need to grip with that hand hard. As Karl has taken to saying, it’s like Homer Simpson choking Bart. 🙂 And it’s not just crushing, it’s also ensuring some sort of downward torque — the pinky is in play, think about keeping that pinky held towards your chest… moving towards your chest… torquing your wrist in that (downward) direction. That helps counter the recoil that’s trying to torque the gun upwards — you’re applying a counter-force.
  • We can all use more work on fundamentals, be it grip, stance, or safety.

One last thing I want to comment on — for the ladies, and the men in their lives.

Ladies? If your man — husband, boyfriend, father, uncle, grandfather, whomever — wants to buy you a gun? That’s great. Just make sure the ONLY thing he does is finance it. Everything else needs to be up to you. Why? Because this gun is for you, not him, and so the gun needs to fit you.

One young lady arrived to class. I went to check her in. I asked her what gun she had. The exchange was something like this:

Lady: a .380

Me: OK. But what’s the make/model? Brand?

Lady: I don’t know.

Me: OK. Did you buy this gun?

Lady: No. My dad did.

Me: Did you go with him? Did you have any part in the purchase?

Lady: No.

O…K…. 🙂  That told me what I needed to know. I appreciate what her father is trying to do — I’m a father, I have a daughter, so I totally get it. The trouble was, it sounded like she had no involvement in getting the gun, so the gun was chosen for I don’t know what reason. The gun was a Bersa Thunder, and for some reason those are gaining a following as a “good gun for ladies”. I don’t know why, and after the experience I had yesterday I don’t think I’d recommend that gun for anyone. First, it has a double-action then single-action pull. Then it has a decocker. The sights are marginal. It has very low capacity, with a marginally acceptable caliber. Trying to get that gun to work was quite difficult. We struggled to get it working, and I tell you… trying to flip the decocker and safety around was truly a struggle, to a point of forcing risky gun handling merely to flip the lever. I’d like to hope THAT part of the gun may have just been that particular gun and not indicative of all Bersa Thunder’s. Nevertheless, there’s enough other things about the gun’s design that prevent me from recommending such a gun.

Getting back to the lady. Why was this a bad choice for her? Well, apart from the reasons why the gun itself was a bad choice, she had troubles with it. All the levers and mechanisms? It creates a complicated device and it was a lot of procedure to have to remember, on top of all the other things she was learning (tho she was smart and picked up on things pretty well). She also had trouble racking the slide. Eventually she got it running, but smaller guns tend to have tighter/stronger springs and are more difficult to manipulate than larger guns. I watched her first shots, from that long heavy double-action trigger press — they weren’t good. But when she just worked that short single-action trigger? By the end of class she was shooting pretty well. If she can get a better gun, she’s going to do quite well. What’s a better gun? The short answer is Smith & Wesson M&P, an XDm, or a Gen4 Glock. I’m specific on the last 2 because she did have smaller hands and would need the replaceable backstraps for the smaller grip.

There was another lady in class that had a tough situation too.

She brought a Sig. I don’t recall the exact model right now, but it was a small Sig, with a huge double-action trigger pull (long, heavy), and chambered in .40 S&W. The lady was petite, small hands, not a lot of hand strength. That gun was just wrong for her. She struggled to pull the trigger, then it recoiled hard and she could not control the gun. When we asked her about it, she said this was the gun in the safe that she would have to use if someone broke into their house. Basically, it was a “husband leftover”. This lady came with some friends and one had a .22 pistol. When the lady switched to the .22, she did MUCH better.

While it’s generally agreed upon that .22 LR isn’t the ideal self-defense caliber, I’d rather you have a .22 that you can shoot quickly and accurately vs. any gun you can’t handle, where you can’t hit the side of a barn or worse… you make unacceptable hits.

So what’s important in choosing a gun? Here’s a great guide that discusses the factors that actually matter in purchasing a gun. I love this paragraph:

Let’s put this in perspective. The whole point of shooting is to hit your intended target quickly. If you miss or you are too slow, the consequences could run from just wasting ammo to giving up a game animal, a prize at a shooting match, or your life. There’s no award for ‘had a big caliber’, ‘carried the lightest gun on the market’, or ‘had plenty of ammo in the gun’. You either hit or you don’t. Choosing the right equipment will get you to a higher level of skill in less time, and whether you only shoot 50 rounds every 4 years because the state requires it for your carry permit, or you shoot multiple days a week with dreams of winning the Nationals, equipment will make a difference for you.

“You either hit or you don’t”

When it gets down to it, it’s all about hitting. Make sure she has a gun that she can hit things with. It’s up to HER to find that gun that fits HER.

So gentlemen? Thank you for caring about the women in your life. Thank you for supporting them. Thank you for encouraging them to take steps to protect themselves. Thank you for involving them in the process. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to help them find what works best for them.

MidwayUSA – they’re one heck of a business

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“Hi, I’m Larry Potterfield with MidwayUSA. Thanks for your business.”

Familiar refrain?

I’m a customer of MidwayUSA, because they do have just about everything I need in the realm of gun-related business. While it was evident Larry Potterfield ran a good and growing business, I didn’t realize just how well he strived to run it.

Inc. magazine has an article on MidwayUSA and their quest to be the best-run business in America. (h/t Karl) It’s all about Baldrige.

Give it a read. It’s an interesting peek at how MidwayUSA runs its business. I’d love to work for a company like that; something for me to think about.

Hunting with suppressors in Texas – update

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Texas Park and Wildlife is considering changing the rule to allow hunting game animals with suppressors (silencers, in legal terms). Prior blogging about the proposal here.

The meeting was had, but I haven’t seen anything in particular yet about public comment — no grand announcement. But I went poking around and found this press release.

Regarding the proposed amendment allowing the use of silencers, the department has determined that there is no resource- or enforcement-related reason to prohibit the use of firearm silencers for the take of alligators, game animals or game birds, and therefore proposes to eliminate the current prohibition. The department notes that if the proposal is adopted, it will not relieve any person of the obligation to otherwise comply with any applicable state, federal, or local law governing the possession or use of firearm silencers.

Comments on the proposed rules may be submitted by phone or e-mail to Robert Macdonald (512) 389-4775; e-mail: robert.macdonald@tpwd.state.tx.us, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744.  Comments may also be submitted through the department’s Internet web site and at upcoming public meetings to be scheduled around the state.

I haven’t found anything on the website, but you can email robert.macdonald@tpwd.state.tx.us and express your support.

Keep it short and sweet, polite, professional.

A copy of my email:

Hello Mr. Macdonald.

Pursuant to the press release here:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20120130b&nrtype=all&nrspan=2012&nrsearch=

I am writing to comment on the proposed amendment to allow the use of silencers in the taking of alligators, game animals, and game birds.

I am in favor of eliminating the current prohibition.

Sound suppressing devices are useful in the preservation of one’s hearing. As well, suppressors help to reduce recoil. Both of these are advantages to hunters. I think about my children going hunting, and I certainly wish to do all I can to make it a pleasant and life-long endeavor for them. All that can be done to allow them to shoot better — reduction of recoil, reducing loud noise to minimize flinch, preservation of hearing — all serve to provide a better hunting experience, now and throughout their lives. Furthermore, these are advantages that can already be enjoyed by Texas hunters when hunting feral hogs, exotics, or other non-game animals. When it comes down to it, what difference is there between shooting an axis deer with a suppressor and shooting a whitetail deer without one? There’s no logical reason game animals should be excepted.

As a professional firearms instructor, I’m well-aware of the factors involved in shooting: issues of safety, long-term health impacts, and simply how to shoot well. Silencers go a long way towards helping people have a better and healthier shooting experience.

I encourage the department to eliminate the prohibition on the use of silencers in the taking of alligators, game animals, and game birds.

Thank you.

—
John C. Daub
<my email address> <my blog address>
NRA Patron Life Member
TSRA Life Member
NRA Certified Instructor
TX CHL Certified Instructor

Maybe I’ll switch to Gold Dot…

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When I started carrying my snub revolver, I spent some time trying to find out the best ammo for it. I performed some of my own research and trials, additional observations, and this was probably my last entry on the topic for some time.

Downrange.tv has an article discussing the Speer Gold Dot. I like Gold Dots. My “social” ammo is Gold Dot 9mm 124 grain +P which has a proven track record. It’s solid stuff.

What caught my eye in the DRTV article was this paragraph:

The issue load for NYPD officers carrying a .38 Special revolver is the Speer 135 grain +P Gold Dot hollow point. This load was developed by Speer at the request of the NYPD to mimic the excellent performance the NYPD has experienced with their 9mm duty load, the 124 grain +P Gold Dot HP.

I didn’t know that the .38 load was 1. made the request of NYPD, 2. that it was developed to mimic the performance of the 9mm 124 grain +P load.

Interesting.

Now note!  There are actually 2 Speer .38 Special +P loads: one has a 125 grain bullet, the other a 135 grain bullet. What we want here is the 135 grain version, which is made for “short barrels” (GDHP-SB).

When I was doing my own trials, I really wanted to go with the Gold Dots. However, data was showing that it didn’t have quite the peformance of a couple other loads, specifically the Remington R38S12 (.38 Special 158 grain +P LSWCHP, the fabled “FBI load”) and the Buffalo Bore 20C/20 (.38 Special standard pressure 158 grain soft lead semi-wadcutter). But you know… I just hate carrying lead bullets because… it’s lead! So I’ve always used either the R38S12 or the Buffalo Bore, but I always hated it because of the exposed lead. I wished the Gold Dot was a better performer.

But you know what’s changing my mind? All the tests and data I looked at was “contrived”. That is, it’s not real-world application. Ballistics gel is useful because it provides a close-enough medium that is consistent so we can have some sort of “apples to apples” comparison of load performance. And while it provides useful data, it doesn’t necessarily correlate to the real world. But if there’s such real-world data as 35,000 NYPD cops carrying that particular load and having real-world success with it well… that says something.

So yeah… maybe I’ll be switching my snub load to Gold Dot.

Who needs to be armed in a National Park?

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Who needs to be armed in a National Park?

Well, it was a good thing this 6-year-old’s father was. (h/t sshbiker)

A family was walking in Big Bend National Park when a mountain lion snuck up and pounced on the 6-year-old boy. Clamped down on his face. The father stabbed the mountain lion in the chest with his pocket knife and that caused the predator to break off the attack and run.

It’s rare that a mountain lion attacks a human, but a 6-year-old looks like food that won’t put up much of a fight (vs. a large man). With the drought and rough conditions here in Texas, critters are going further and taking more chances in their quest for food. The coyotes have been coming much closer to my house lately, and yes that concerns me.

Wild animals are just that: wild animals. To them, you are not a person, you are either something to be left alone, or prey. In fact, it really doesn’t matter if the predator has 2 legs or 4 legs, you are either something to be left alone, or prey. Being attacked may be rare, but when it happens what are you going to do to respond? Are you going to just panic and scream? Or are you going to be able to fight and win?

Good job, Dad.

It rubbed me the wrong way.

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Last night I read this article in the LA Times (h/t The Gun Wire) regarding Virginia working to repeal their “1 gun a month” restriction.

Some statements in it just rubbed me the wrong way.

Supporters of the bill, who included most of the Legislature’s Republicans as well as some Democrats from rural areas,

Some implied stereotyping?

“Virginia has had more than its share of horrific tragedies perpetrated by criminals with easy access to firearms,” said Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily was one of 25 people injured in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, which killed 35. “It’s a sad day when our legislators purposely make it easier for gun traffickers to do their dirty business.”

They aren’t making it easier for criminals to be criminals. They’re making it easier for law-abiding citizens. For you see, criminals, by definition, don’t obey the law. They’re already trafficking high numbers of guns and the change of this law doesn’t affect them. It does change things for the law-abiding, and allows them to buy more freely.

We don’t restrict people to buying one car a month, one knife a month, one bottle of alcohol a month. Heck, we have giant warehouse stores dedicated to people who wish to buy in huge quantities. What with drunk driving, what with obesity, why don’t we start limiting what else people can buy? Because these things can kill people too. The logic doesn’t stand.

I am convinced that this law had a significant impact in reducing gunrunning,” [Richard Cullen, a Republican and a former U.S. attorney in Virginia] said

Data please.

But the choice quote was the last one… and of course, positioning it as the last one was intentional on the part of the LA Times writer, so it’s the tone and impression the reader leaves the article with:

Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, a Democrat who opposes the bill, said allowing people to buy more than one handgun a month wouldn’t make Virginia any safer. Anyone who had bought a handgun a month under the current law would have amassed 240 guns during the law’s 20-year span.

If you need more than 240 handguns, then I would submit something’s wrong with you,” he said. “Something’s gone wrong in your life.”

It may not make Virginia any safer, but where will it make Virginia any more dangerous?

Just because someone CAN buy more than 1 a month doesn’t mean someone HAS to or will buy more than one a month, every month. Perhaps I win an elk hunting trip in Colorado but I don’t have a rifle suitable. I might want to buy 2 at one time so I can have a rifle and a backup. I’ve had a rifle fail on me in the field (well, the scope did) and I was happy to have a backup rifle. Why should it take me 2 months to make these purchases?

And if I want more than 240 handguns, why does that equate to a problem in my life? People have hobbies and collect large amounts of things all the time. Someone with less than 240 stamps or baseball cards or comic books doesn’t have much of a collection. But hey, thank you for your assumptions… I guess we can’t all be like you. Even if something has gone wrong in your life, is that any reason to deny a person?