Gunflight by Flashlight

I've been thinking a lot about fighting at night lately. Its certainly much different than fighting by day. I want to do some low light training. I'm going to see if I can get some other interested persons in my gunclub to join me in some extremely early morning IDPA style practice with a flashlight and a handgun. No score card, but just running through a stage or two with said flashlight and handgun in the inky black Tennessee darkness. Could be fun, too!

20/20 needs a 30-30 to the face.

A few days ago, I heard that this week's 20-20 was going to be about guns. Specifically, the piece was titled "If I Only Had a Gun". Being the self-destructive masochist that I am, I went to ABC's website and found some of the segments from this show online. I've only watched two of them. However, I can only find that it is merely more of the yellow journalism that we have come to expect from the Media.

The clip I'll be bitching about was of an experiment about the folly of armed self-defense involving 6 college kids. ABC went out and selected 6 volunteers from colleges. Then they took them and gave them a course on handling and shooting handguns with a police instructor. They claimed that the course was more in-depth than most state CCW courses. The guns were modified to shoot paint cartridges. After receiving this training, they were set in a real life self-defense situation. They concealed their modified glock 17s in On-the-WaistBand holsters, and covered with a large bulky jersey type shirt. They also were armored against the paint rounds. Then one by one they sat in a classroom, not knowing when the SD situation would happen, but told it would happen later in the day. The other people in the classroom are 'cops or other people working for ABC to replicate the chaos of real people in real crisis'. Then at a random time, the shooter bursts into the room opening fire with his own paint firing handgun. In each case the CCW student fails miserably. Only one making any hit against the attacker. One of these students claims to have at least 100 hours of firearms experience. He fails to even unholster his pistol and is taken down 'execution style'. Oh, one thing I forgot the mention. The shooter is the very same instructor that trained these kids. A nicely stacked deck, ABC. Masterful work. Hamfist, smoked to perfection.

So how about they play a different game? How about the kids trade places with the cop? But wait, I don't think I could trust him not to throw it on purpose. How about, the kids go verses kids? Only on the absolute worst case scenarios would the shooter be a professional like a firearms instructor, or other similarly extremely proficient firearm user. In the best of circumstances you can't expect rookie kids to do well against such an opponent. We just aren't seeing any shooters with that level of skills and experience. A veteran cop is going react much differently than a scared guy with a few dozen hours at the range with a 9mm. Why not use just a random beat cop as the shooter? Or perhaps someone who is NOT a professional? You know. Like in most shootings. Why not use some folks that have had their CCW permits for some time too? Let them carry what and how they're most comfortable with. There's a reason while full sized handguns are less popular for CCW. Why not a babyglock? Thats much more reasonable and a very common choice for CCW. OWB might not work so well, but IWB might do better. With an open jacket, even seated, IWB can be easily accessed. Then there's pocket, cross draw, you name it!

ABC just stacked the deck to make the result that they wanted happen. It was expected, but it was just horrible to watch. Yellow bastards.

Just found an excellent(much better than mine) post on this very subject!

http://sensiblyprogressive.blogspot.com/2009/04/abc-anti-gun-hatchet-job-on-2020.html

The .380 acp! 101 years old and going strong!

Since the rise of Concealed Carry laws in the 1990's, .380 acp has been enjoying an resurgence in popularity. Ruger just produced their Kel-tec look-a-like, the LCP this past year. Walther has redesigned their popular P22, in a larger size to accommodate this century old caliber dubbing the new polymer framed pistol the PK380. Even Sig has gotten into the swing of things. Pictures of new Sig p238, a virtual clone of the Colt Mustang, have been plastered all over forums and blogs since the last ShotShow.

The .380 acp or 9x17 Kurz(short) (as it is often known in Europe), was found in the magazines of many compact pistols favored by police and military in the early 1900's. It was to Europeans what the .38 Special was to the United States. It is not a powerful cartridge. It was designed to be used in blowback semiautomatic handguns. The blowback system uses a frame mounted barrel, and only uses springs to retard the effects of recoil on the slide and return the slide to the ready position. This system is very simple and cheap, but limits the power of cartridges that can be used. At its best is only roughly on the same power level as standard pressure .38 Special. The .380 is considered by most to be the dead minimum cartridge for serious defensive work. Despite this, a plethora of handguns were chambered in it. Its small size, low recoil, and ability to be chambered in the early 1900's smallest fighting handguns made for great success. Its position as a dominant military and police caliber was gradually encroached and supplanted by the more powerful 9x19 parabelum cartridge.

The .380 acp has enjoyed a lot of resurgence after the CCW laws started passing in the 90's. Both new and classic designs have done very well. New technology has worked to make .380s smaller and lighter to satiate the massive public demand for lightweight, easily concealable handguns. However, many of the same technological inroads have started to apply to more powerful calibers. 9x19mm started to gain serious ground with subcompact and compact designs like the Glock 36 and 19, Kahr's pm and pk lines, and even tiny allow 1911s from various companies. However, despite the power and cost advantage 9x19mm holds, the .380 isn't slowing down. Why choose a less powerful .380 when there are 9mm's in the same size factor? Cost, weight, and ergonomics.

Cost: .380 is definitely less powerful, even in +P versions. However, that lack of power is not a weakness in all areas. That lower pressure cartridge does not need the same level of structural strength in a pistol that a 9x19mm will. Aluminum alloy and plastic can be used more liberally, and are easy materials work with in comparison to steel. Also, the recoil operation need not be as complex. A 9mm in the same size may need much more complex operation.

Weight: Once again, less and lighter weaker materials can be used in your average .380. With the lower recoil, it can still be effective as a weapon at this lower weight.

Ergonomics: I can hold and use a full size pistol like a sig 226 without troubles, but my wife can barely use it in single action. Many CCW holders are women. Not all of the male holders have big man-hands. Double stack compacts and subcompacts are fine, if you can comfortably use it and conceal it. I can think of a few single stack compact and subcompact handguns of decent quality and modern manufacture in 9mm para off the top of my head. The Kahr 9 series(TP9. T9, CW9, K9,P9,MK9,PM9.), the Sig-Sauer p239, taurus PT709, Sky CXP-1, Kel-tec pPF-9. The Taurus hasn't even hit the shelves yet. I can name off only a few of double stack .380s. The Beretta Cheetah 84, cz-83, Taurus 138 millium, Taurus 58, Taurus 93, Bersa thunder 13rd, and the Glock 25 & 28(neither of which are sold to the American public). I can name a lot of single stack .380s. Their numbers seem to be growing. Also single stack designs tend to be flatter, and conceal a bit better. Especially in the butt. Heh.

The .380 is going to keep going strong until the big names in the 9mm business decide to make some handguns in similar sizes that work well. The .380 killer needs to be 20oz or less, single-stack, and at a $400 or less price point.

Why a revolver?

I carry a revolver. A J-frame .38special. It has only 5 shots, but I trust it. Why? I've had 3 semi-auto pistols that regularly jammed. My first handgun, a Star Model B Super, was repaired by smith to work perfectly. My second handgun, was a EAA Witness polymer in .40 S&W. It jammed like a fiend. 300rds down the pipe and still jams. When I decided to get my CCW, I bought a keltec p-32. It had a problem with light strikes. I needed a pocket carry handgun for CCW. I ended up handling a S&W j-frame snub. It fit perfectly, and it was light weight. I've put nearly 400rds through it without a single problem or malfunction. I trust it. Its only got 5 shots, but it hasn't failed me once. Every semi-auto I've owned has either stovepiped or jammed at least once. Even my beloved Makarov. I know that its only 5rds, but I trust it. It will shoot those 5rds regardless if I hit or miss. Whether there are 10 attackers or just 1. If it fails me when I need it, I am dead regardless if it was a semi-auto or a revolver.

I am not opposed to semi-auto pistols. I carry them on occasion. I want to find some that I like and would carry more. I love all guns. I just think that they're all useful in their own way. I think a person armed with a revolver is not exactly something to sneeze at. Some folks will and do, and they do so at their peril. We all stand more of a chance of dying of a puny .22lr than we do any caliber bigger.

What would the World Do?

If we have to fight against our own government to restore our liberties, what will the rest of the world do? Will they stand by and watch what happens? Will they be too concerned with their own unrest? Will the UN send peace keepers to help the federal government? Or perhaps will the more militant countries take a chance and jump us?

The Desert Turkey

I'm really sick of seeing Desert Eagles in the movies, on TV, in video games, and in books. How many kids have wanted a 'Deagle' so they can pwn zombies or counter terrorists and look awesome doing it? I do not really want to know. It would depress the hell out of me.

The truth is the Desert Eagle is one of the LAST 'weapons' I would want to own for impending zombie hordes, civil unrest, home defense, every day carry, concealed carry, and/or nazis. It should be one of the last ones YOU want either!

The Desert Eagle is a semi-automatic gas operated pistol designed by Magnum Research. Its Wikipedia article is available if anyone is interested in specifics. It is designed to fire high caliber and magnum cartridges. It can be found in .357 Remington Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Remington Magnum, and .50 Action Express.

First off, most of these calibers are rimmed. The .357,.41, and .44 were all designed around use in a revolver rather than a semi-automatic. The protruding rims are not designed for use in a vertical magazine. They have done very well in horizontal magazines such as on lever action rifles. However, inside a vertical magazine there is the possibility for the rims to catch on one other, causing a rimlock jam. The .50 Action Express is rimless as most automatic cartridges.

The size of the cartridges causes another set of problems. The cartridges are all very long. At 33mm for the .357 and only slightly under that for the rest, these cartridges' cases are longer than a loaded 10mm auto or a .45 acp. Having been designed for use in a revolver's cylinder, length was not so much issue. However, in a grip magazine its longer than most people can comfortably can hold.

The next problem is ergonomic. All of these calibers of Desert Eagle are single stack magazines. The capacity is limited to single digits. A mere 7rds for the .50AE version. Despite this, the grips are still massive. They are as wide as many double stack automatics and considerably longer. Considering the problems folks with smaller hands have with Berettas and Glocks, the Desert Eagle is downright unfriendly. Next, the weight of a Desert Eagle is monstrous. At 4lbs 2.5 oz. its heavy enough to break open doors or crush small children. Well, at least its nearly as heavy as the classic m1-carbine! It weights 50% more than a classic steel framed 1911 and nearly double the weight of many modern alloy and polymer framed handguns.

Reliability is going to be a major issue. Care must be taken to select the proper ammunition if the rimmed cartridge versions are used. Revolvers can take just about any shape of bullet and fire reliably. Lead, semi-wadcutter, full metal jacket, jacketed soft point, hollow point or whatever will fit in the hole will work. Automatics are not so forgiving. They must smoothly slide from magazine into the chamber. Anything that might hang is a risk even in the best of autos. If that wasn't enough, the rounds must be powerful enough to engage the slide to go fully back. Revolvers never had to worry about this, so some .44 mag you find in some drawer might be a light load, when your Desert Eagle needs a full house load! The gas system is also unusual and will need watching. Its complex, and will need cleaning.

Cost is another issue that demands attention. The DE starts out at $1,300 USD for any model. Depending on options, it can escalate beyond $2,000. Wait, it gets worse! I think anyone wanting a combat pistol, needs to think about having at least 50rds in magazines and or speed loaders(including in side the pistol) rounding up. For the .357's 9rd mags thats 6 magazines. .41 and .44 mag get 8rd mags so 7. The .50 AE needs 8 magazines to be ready to go. CDNNInvestments has these magazines for any caliber marked for $38.99. We can deduct one from the count for the single magazine that would come with these monsters. $233.94, $272.93, and $311.92 plus shipping! And ammunition? Good lord.

For a minimum of 100rds of quality defensive ammunition we hit up AmmoEngine. For the .50 AE its Hornady HPs, for $1.26 at shot. So $126.00 for quality ammo. Well how about for training? $1.25 per round.

The .44 magnum is much more reasonable. Its only 56 cents per round for the cheap Jacketed Hollow Point. If it works out for you. If you want better like the Speer Gold Dot, expect around $25 a box of 20. For training its FMJ, its .56 cents a round again from Magtech.

The .41 magnum doesn't have a big following, nor do I think they actually make the DE in this caliber anymore, but its still out there. Winchester silvertips will run you $1.14 per shot. Making the 100rds rounds of HPs pricey. The cheapest load for plinking with this semi-auto might be another JHP from Ammo direct for only 63 cents a round.

.357 magnum really has the advantage here. Its less expensive than the others as its wildly used still for self-defense. At a mere .38 cents per round of training ammo its much cheaper to shoot more. Quality defensive rounds are less than double that per round. And theres a lot to choose from! Sadly, the DE cannot take .38special like a .357 revolver can.

The Desert Eagle is not a military weapon, its a big loud TOY. It has a niche in sport shooting, and some utility in hunting. If you want a powerful fighting handgun, either go with a tradition double action revolver or a semi-automatic in one of the more common higher powered automatic calibers such as 10mm auto or .45 super.

The .357 version would be the 'best' choice the shortbus group due to its larger magazine size and the commonness of .357mag. But is it worth it? Why not spend less on the gun, and more on the ammunition and equipment? Why not a nice revolver? Like the 8shot Smith & Wesson 627 line! The subject of my next post.

Edit: I think Turkey is a better word than sparrow.

In Competition with the Cops!

While toiling endlessly for the good of my Dark Corporate Masters, a customer service page sent me scurrying over to Sporting Goods as the usual stocker was at lunch. A passing cashier told me a policeman was wanting some ammunition. I slipped behind the counter and asked what he needed. He just asked me what all handgun ammo we had. That is kinda unusual, usually we get asked. I told him what we had .25 acp, .357 sig, 9mm, .40 S&W, 44 remington magnum, and 45 ACP. Thats just all we have left. He asked specifically for .38 special repeatedly, but I had personally bought that out days before. He even asked for .357 magnum. So he asked to see a box of the .44 mag and then he asked for all 8x100rd boxes of 9x19mm we had left. He didn't ask for any .40 S&W, which is the caliber of Kentucky Law Enforcement. He told me that "We can't find this stuff anywhere."

Judging by the purchasing, its for qualifying with their Back Up Guns. I assume that their .40 S&W is bought in bulk through direct contracts. But for the personal weapons that cops like to keep around just in case, they're buying it from Walmart like everyone else. While its all fine and dandy that police want to qualify to the minimum required standards, it also means that they're in direct competition with us civilians for an already scarce resource.


As far as walmart's stock goes... We carry 3 different brands of handgun ammuniton. Winchester, CCI Blaser, and Remington. I very roughly estimate that when fully stocked a SuperCenter will have over 6,000 rds of 9mm alone, and usually more. An additional thousand can be neatly stored under the counter, and even more in the strong room in the back. Now consider that .45 acp, .40 S&W, and .38 special are terribly far behind the 9mm. Now we have hardly anything left.

Shooting Again! FINALLY

I haven't been out shooting since the great ice storms hit Kentucky back at the end of January. The range located in a state run park is out of commission due to the massive amount of trees down throughout the park. There simply isn't the money or manpower to restore that range any time soon. Rangeless, I've been trying to join a private gun club down in Tennessee.

The application system is a bit arduous, but the facilities are excellent and the people seem really nice. My only real complaint so far, is that I am not allowed on site unless I am either there for an event or with a full member. I found this out the hard way. The president claimed there was no foul and let me shoot anyway, but he seemed annoyed. He ran though the list of requirements again 'to make sure we were on the same page'. The way he looked through it made me wonder if he was looking for the very thing he told me. As if to prove that I had just been careless or forgetful in my reading of the process. I have to wonder if this will effect my attempts to join.

My anti-social tendencies scream to me to just give up and wait for my quiet public range to reopen. One of the reasons I am trying to join, is to get resocialized. Having worked the midnight shifts so long, I feel like some dog that just not used to people, and doesn't know how to act with them.

On to the good part, I got to put 100rds of .38 special through my revolvers. My GP-100 is an easy to shoot but a bit harder to line up than the S&W model 15. The 15 has a red ramp front sight and adjustable white outline rear sights. The GP is just all gray, with fixed sights and its plain gray front sight. The tiny jframe was of course hardest to shoot, so I shot it the most. It my EDC CCW, I need to be able to use it better. Overall, I think I'm getting better. I do enjoy the revolvers a lot. Getting good at loading 2 at once. The HKS speedloader for the GP... It leaves a lot to be desired. I need to try the Safariland type.

Cowards and Hospital Beds

My wife and I just got back in yesterday afternoon after spending a few days in the hospital sitting with my grandmother. My grandfather had a mild heart attack and then surgery to fix it up. He's already up and moving, but my grandmother had a fall the day of the surgery and is now bedridden. They're pretty old folks. Nearly 89 years old for my grandmother and 85 for my grandfather, a world war 2 veteran. Sadly, my grandmother is now well under the affects of dementia. My wife and I spent an entire 8 hours just trying to keep her in her bed during the course of a night trying to get home to her mother who has been dead for over 50 years. It was impossible and very sad. She's been in decline for several years and this is largely expected. My grandfather has taken care of her and well during this decline, but now he can't do it by himself and needs care for her nearly 24/7. The heart attack may have been brought on by his use of ladders and repeat trips with said ladders back and forth from his shop. He has kept his health all his life. Despite diabetes and other health problems he's more fit than many 20 year his junior. Will there be anyone left like this after the ww2 vets are all gone?

While I was trying to iron out care details with my grandfather and my mother, the shit hit the fan in Alabama! A cowardly shithole went on a brutal shooting spree that ended with his suicide. I'm conflicted with how my first thought about this was not one of concern for the people and families damaged by this coward, but rather how this event would affect my rights to defend myself with the best weapons available. Worrying about the eventual knee-jerk first, and the people last, is just not how I want to be a good human. But I can't help it. I blame the sissy-bitches in power. Well shit. I just learned that a gunman killed and/or shot 10 students in Germany. There's a lot of gun control there. I expect a knee jerk total disarmament for their citizens shortly. Lovely. This has not been a good week.

Bad Doggie! No Donut!

Over on the waronguns blog, I found this article about a police dog attacking an innocent man taking out the trash. It ran 2 blocks from its handler and viciously attacked a man following him into the bed of a truck to continue its assault. I try to imagine myself in that situation. What would I do? If a random dog attacked, I would shoot it. If that failed, I keep a very vicious little claw knife and I'd be doing my damnedest to slice that dog a new asshole. But trying to save my own life would be dangerous in such a case. What if the cop shot me? What if I went to jail for assaulting and murdering an officer? Furry as they may be, hurting a police dog will land you extra time in jail or extra punishment. They are officers and thus above us.
This idea that officers are superior to civilians... Its wretched. Anything done to them, will net you extra punishment. They are not superior to us! They work for us! They should treat us with dignity and respect as ANY service industry worker is expected. They should not get away with so much. Local cops will take what they want from late night gas station service marts. These stations usually have a deal to provide coffee and certain snacks to any cop that comes in. But instead of limiting themselves legally they will take beef jerky, cookies, and pretty much anything else they want. Its their right as our Overseers? Okay... So you want to give the Police these superior rights and trust them above the normal citizen? Ok. Then give us something to work with. Double the punishment for Law Enforcement personnel for doing something that betrays the public's trust. When a cop uses his badge to force sex out of a woman, he must be punished twice as much as a normal rapist. When a judge sends children to detention for money, he should be rotting in jail for the entire time he illegally sentenced those children to. If a drug cop lies to get a warrant, murders an old woman lawfully defending her home, and then plants drugs on the premises to try to hide their crime. They should never see the light of day. If they are going to get these special privileges they must truly PAY for their misbehavior.