Post shooting proceedure

OK, all those years of carrying finally proved their worth after you have to defend yourself or your family against some lowlife intent on doing you harm. The hard part is over right, guess again. Now is when the courts get a hold of your life and get to make judgments on every microscopic thing you may or may not have did during the shooting.

In the video in the following link, Massad Ayoob talks about some important things to remember, say and do after a shooting when the police come on scene. Take his word on it, he knows his stuff. Ayoob is one of the foremost experts on most things related to self defense and police work and is a highly sought after consultant on these matters.

After a real shooting: A 5 point plan to remember

LCP vs. P-3AT

Went to the range recently with my bud Kevin and we got to compare our pocket pistols side by side. I own the Kel-Tec P-3AT and he owns the Ruger LCP. As the LCP is basically a copy of the Kel-Tec I thought it might be interesting to compare the two side-by-side.

Fight of the pocket rockets. Kel-Tec P-3AT (l) and Ruger LCP (r).

1. Fit and finish: LCP. No surprise there. The Ruger is just more of a refined design that the Kel-Tec and the final finish of the gun is just more pleasant. Just look at the two pictures above, the Ruger is obviously more polished and pleasing to the eye.

2. Features: LCP. Winner by virtue of its slide catch lever. As you can see by the pic above the catch allows the slide to be held open for inspection or range use. I had to use an orange chamber block on my Kel-Tec to show clear. Note that despite the latch the Ruger does not lock back on an empty clip, same with the Kel-Tec.

3. Firepower: Tie. Both fire the .380 ACP from 6 round magazines, no room for victory on either side there.

4. Innovation and Engineering: P-3AT. Funny thought, the P-3AT is just a .380 version of their .32 ACP P-32 pistol. As I state above, the LCP is just basically a copy of the P-3AT. No major innovations other than the slide catch. If they had been able to work in the slide locking to the rear on the last round, that would of probably of swung my opinion thier way. Also you need to take into consideration that the P-3AT has been around (even as the P-32) for a number of years with no major issues, while the LCP had a major safety recall to repair a potential ND issue with the drop safety.

5. Accessories: Tie (abet leaning toward the LCP). Pretty much any holster or other accessory made for one will either fit the other or have a companion product for the other. The slight lean toward the LCP is due to the fact that you can use P-3AT mags in the LCP, but LCP mags will not work in the P-3AT.

6. Ergonomics: LCP. Ruger wins another one here, the LCP just feels slightly better in the hand, probably due to the more refined gripping surfaces. Note though that as I pointed out in my original P-3AT review, those rough diamond points on the grip will ensure sure and positive grasping of the pistol from a pocket or in the hand. They just don't feel as nice as the smoother side plate and more refined texture of the LCP. Neither of the pistols are something you will want to shoot much more than 20 - 30 rounds at a time due to recoil and such.

7. Concealabilty: Tie. Dimensionally they are the same size. The P-3AT is lighter by an ounce but since both of them weight less than 10 ounces to begin with this is moot in my opinion.

8. Accuracy: LCP. After shooting both side-by-side I have to give the nod to the Ruger. I grouped both pistols about the same, but out of the box the sights for the Ruger put the rounds more to where I was aiming than the Kel-Tec. Keep in mind though that at the distances these pistols were designed to be used at, a few inches to the left or right of aim will matter little in most instances.

9. Price: P-3AT. Never in doubt on this one. The extra feature and fit and finish on the Ruger are going to cost you a premium over the Kel-Tec of anywhere from around $50 - $100 dollars.

10. Value: P-3AT. Sorry Kev, the Ruger is overall a nicer pistol, but for what it was designed to do the Kel-Tec does it well, did it first and can do it cheaper. I insert a magazine into it, load and then holster and pocket it. If I would need to draw and use it, it would be up close and personal where the nicer fit and slightly better accuracy would count for little.

For those keeping score, the LCP comes out ahead in this battle 4 to 3, with 3 ties between the two of them.

Honestly, you cannot go wrong with either of these pistols if used for their intended purpose. Availability of either is still a bit spotty so the choice of which one to buy may purely be driven by which one you may actually be able to find in stock (right now, Vance's in Columbus has the P-3ATs on sale for $239 - if they have any left in stock!). If I had to do it over again I probably would of spent the extra cash and gotten the Ruger, but when I found the P-3AT it was the first one I saw actually in stock in a while and had to jump on it. Again, either way you fall in on this you will have a very concealable pistol that will go with you whenever and wherever you need it.

Here's a vid of Kevin shooting the LCP just so I won't go a post without abusing YouTube..

The Leatherman" The little tool that could

I was at a campground in a cabin a few weekends ago when we discovered that there was no can opener to be found. What to do, what to do? Fortunately I was able to whip out my leatherman tool and "quickly" remedy the situation with the P-38ish can opener affixed to the tool handle. Voila, the goodness of a can of Bush's baked beans was accessible to all.

For a long time multipurpose tools were limited to your basic Swiss Army or Boy Scout variety. Then one day a young engineer named Tim Leatherman (that's him on the left) came up with a no brainer nobody had though of yet, " hey let me put some tools on the handles of a set of pliers and make it fold able so you could put it in your pocket". The rest is, as they say history. Now the market is flooded with these things made by just about everybody. To me though, they are all "Leathermans"

Thanks to the Leatherman our dinner was saved and we could peacefully toot around the campfire all evening.

The little tool has been a constant part of my EDC (every day carry) gear for many a year. EDC is a dedicated post in itself for another time but the gist is this, always carry the essential tools and items that you may need readily accessible at all time. The thing I really like about mine is the size. Compared to some of the gargantuan tools out their today, mine is very compact when stowed and the sturdy leather pouch for it is as compact as it is also attractive on my belt. In addition to the can opener there are the normal pliers and knife tools along with several screw driver blades and other small tools. Very helpful for adjusting something at the range or cutting box tape when needed. You never really know what it can do until you need it, and when you do you'll be glad it is so easy to carry that you have it.

My "classic" Leatherman that I probably bought at an Army PX some 15+ years ago.

I carry the "old" style Leatherman Tool (all that it is marked) that was made by Leatherman's company first before all of the "Xtreme" product labeling kicked in. You can't even find it mentioned on their web site. I mean really calling a pocket toll a "Wave", "Crunch", "Core", "Surge" or "Blast" is just marketing. They are all (save the "Crunch") a lot a like in that they are all based around a set of pliers that deploys kind of like a butterfly knife. The tools differ to a degree but the same basic premise remains.

In this pic you can see how small the Leatherman is when compacted.

This is the Leatherman (stainless, bottom) compared to a Gerber multitool that I got overseas as part of the RFI (rapid fielding initiative) program. I used the Leatherman and threw the Gerber in a duffel bag for my entire tour.

The Gerber next to the Leatherman in their respective pouches. Which one would you put on your belt?

Do yourself a favor and pick one up if you don't have one already. It is a good savior in time of trouble when you have nothing else to rely on. Your baked beans will thank you.

Welcome the newest member of the family, and say goodbye to a few friends

Trying to clear up some of the drafts I have left unfinished so please keep in mind that this post was originally supposed to be published before the SIGebration post last week.

OK, lets get this out of the way, the Bersa .380, the Taurus PT845 and the Hi-Point 4095 carbine have all been sold. A SIG Sauer P220 .45 ACP has been bought. There, done.

What? You just got the Taurus and told me how great of a pistol it was? True, but its no SIG. SIGs are known as some of the most reliable and rugged pistols in the world with a reputation far surpassing the Taurus brand. I think it it fair to say that this was definitely an upgrade to the Taurus.

But what about the magazine capacity issue, the SIG only holds 7 or 8 rounds, that's part of the reason you got the PT845? Again, true, but then it is also said that what can't be said with 8 rounds of .45 probably can't be said with 12 either. Besides, the desire for a de-cocking lever on the PT845 was directly linked to my eventual desire to get a SIG at some point.

In addition, there were other things about the Taurus that I thought I could overlook but they eventually got on my nerves a bit.

• The grip: The grip seemed a bit too big, even for my meat paws. I know it was a double stacked .45, but I have held other double stacked pistol in .45 and they didn't seem that big. Plus the plastic they used with the "aggressive" moldings never really caught on with me.
• Plastic hammer and safety: I mentioned this in my review, even though I am sure that its use is fine and will stand up to wear, I still feel better knowing I have actual metal for these components.

All in all, I would still recommend the Taurus PT845, but not before recommending their PT1911 as a .45 choice. It's a good pistol, but sometimes I think plastic needs to take a back seat to tradition, and the tradition in this country is for all metal .45 pistols.

I will miss the Bersa, it was a solid and dependable gun. I had hoped to keep it for my wife's eventual use, but alas, I don't ever see her having any interest in my hobbies. Since I bought the P-3AT I have not had a use for it as a .380 platform. I sold it to a gentlemen from Mansfield, Ohio who produced a CCW on the spot and cash. I still highly recommend this pistol if it fits a need that you may have for a backup or second pistol.

I have not mentioned the Hi-Point 4095 carbine much on this blog. It fires the .40 S&W round and is a bit ungainly on the eyes, but points and shoot well in use. It was one of my first purchases and served me well. Unfortunately it was more of a "niche" weapon in my collection, relegated to a "what if" roll here and there. With the cost of ammo going up I didn't fire it much when I could use those rounds to practice with a pistol that I would carry instead of use for sport. Again, I still recommend the Hi-Point brand if they have a product that meets your needs. James from Hellinahandbasket.net offers a free pistol and self-defense course to people in financially disadvantageous situations. Hi-Point products would meet most of their needs in my opinion at a reasonable cost (<$200 for their C-9 9mm pistol, taxes, a box of self defense ammo and 2 boxes of practice ammo).

Now these posts got out of sequence between starting on one blog and then never publishing the draft and starting another after but you already by now know about my SIG. I LOVE IT!! This pistol feels so good in the hand it is really hard to describe. Here's a bit more SIG lovin'.

Open carry of a firearm: legal, Open carry of her breasts: not so legal

OK, so I am going to push the PG-13 envelope of this blog a bit on this one.

A couple of days ago young woman named Cassidy and her friends take a walk down the street, she decides to go topless to make a statement of equality. Oh yeah, and she's packing a pistol openly on her hip. Long story short, she gets stopped by the police who don't seem to give a damn about the pistol but her breasts do draw some ire. Now I'm not going to say that I am some enlightened member of the Y chromosome club and look beyond a woman's physical appearance. I'm a guy, I still believe we are hardwired at some point to look. Hell if this had happened here in Columbus none of this would have been illegal, but you definitely would of heard about it on the news. Truth is, nobody goes topless anymore. Closest we got was a sting operation in a local public part where the police got some women to go their topless and get a guy to expose himself, I think he got away on entrapment. Anyway, lets take a look at the video..





OK, couple of things here.

Classic civil disobedience, she properly asked why she was being detained (knowing perfectly well why) and then peacefully went along with the arrest. Same tactic used during the civil rights era and women's movement. Some protesters think burning cars and breaking stuff is the way to get noticed. Trust me, this young lady will have more impact on this locally than any vandalism could of produced.

The police acted accordingly and with the proper amount of restraint. Given this is New Hampshire, possibly one of the most Libertarian of states it is probably not the first time these officers have had to deal with this type of situation. Even dealing with obviously confrontational responses to their attempts to de-escalate the situation they remained professional at all times like they should. Good for them. Interestingly she goes from carrying in the open to apparently not having a gun on at all when arrested. If New Hampshire police operate anything like Ohio cops they may have asked her to disarm and relinquish control of the firearm to them upon contact. Possibly she may have taken it off and handed to a friend when she saw she was going to interact with the police. Matter of fact now that I think about it, the police officers may not of known there was a firearm present at all.

If any officers read this I would appreciate maybe a short comment on how you would of acted in this situation assuming a gun was present. Since many of my readers may have CCW licenses I think it may be helpful for all involved if we were enlightened to your procedures as not to have any "incidents" should we meet while you are in your official capacity.

I'm not saying what this young lady did was right or wrong. Legally in that jurisdiction she was wrong and was willing to stand up for what she believed in knowing the consequences. Many Americans today are doing the same for many reasons including - you probably guessed this was coming - the 2nd Amendment. Maybe its time I took my turn in line to stand up for what I believe in. Anyone for a little open carry walk.....I guarantee you I will be clothed .

And yes Kevin, I stole the picture from your blog.

Ranger 3 gun challenge

Stole this from the Mad Ogre from a post at We The Armed.

M4, M9 (meh) and M203, HOOAH!

ONLY THE BOLD WEAR THE BLACK AND GOLD


RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!

Pimp Your Weapon

Your pimp hand is strong...or so you hope it is.

Found this link off of the We The Armed boards. Pretty cool app for a beta version. Here's the link..

Pimp My Gun (beta)


You basically customize a weapon using whatever you want. Want to see what a Magpul stock looks like on an M4, work away. Want to put a 1911 handgrip on an AK, sure go ahead. The more bling the more fun. Still some bugs in it, but again it a beta and the guy doing this doesn't appear to be making any money on it so take it for what it is. I used it to create a mock up of what I eventually want my M&P15 to look like. Check out my pimpin' below.

It will be mine, oh yes it will be mine....

Another SIG P220 opinion

The ever so popular Brigid over at Home on the Range was nice enough to stop by here and post a flattering comment on my last post regarding my SIG pistols. She also just posted an article on her beloved P220 here.

If you do not regularly read this ladies blog, shame on you. This blog expounds some of the same material that I try and comment on in a way the brings me to my knees in shame. Sometimes her stories of memories of her youth, family and events that have brought her to this point in her life are truly awe inspiring. Many times I have finished digesting a post of hers and literally been speechless about it. It is one thing to tell a story, another to bare your soul for the masses. And masses they are, I currently have 4 people following my blog on a regular basis - including my own account. Brigid has 217, not including the numerous "drive by reads" that she gets regularly. Where one of my posts may generate 5 or 6 comments if I am lucky, hers routinely draw 2o or more.

Another thing about her blog is that you are not constantly bombarded with firearm related articles. I know, almost heresy to say that but what she sometimes lacks in weapon talk is more than made up with her writing style. Sometimes a story about some distant memory of a fall morning in the woods that she describes is a nice diversion from the normal grind. And hey, she is apparently one hell of a cook because some of the recipes that she has posted are simply awesome!

She also brings the unique perspective as someone who is required to carry a weapon as part of her job. She works in the crime lab for a police agency in the Midwest and as such has a much more familiar frame to talk about daily carry as opposed to us Joe's who strap one on to and from out day jobs and on the weekends for a bit. Make no mistake, being in law enforcement does not automatically make you a weapons expert. The same can be applied to persons in the military, defense contracting and the like. I know of more than one or two soldiers that are totally a mess when it comes to weapons handling and application, they just shoot once a year to qualify (which in the Army is not that difficult, though adding a kneeling portion to the qual standards is going in the right direction) and then shove the weapon into the arms room for another 6 months. Matter of fact, most soldiers are better at cleaning their weapons than they are at shooting them! You are after all proficient in what you do most often. Back on point, Brigid does not fit this mold obviously. Otherwise I would not spend my time reading her stuff. She routinely has a post on here about range time and I would not want to challenge this lady to a shoot off on my best day!

There are a lot of us out here on the net blogging about firearms. And thank God for that. Unfortunately not everyone out here on the digital frontier expressing their views are doing so in a way that brings credibility to the 2A cause. Thankfully their are people out here, such as Brigid, that make up for the rest. Do yourself a favor and bookmark her site or follow her blog if you have a Google account. You'll be glad you did.

Its a SIGebration!

I posted a month or so back about a bad experience I had using Gunlistings.org to try and buy a SIG Sauer P220 pistol. Why the attempt turned out to be the wrong time, the drive to procure such a pistol remained. I already posted about getting the pistol and some of the reasons why I traded in my Taurus PT845. But why a SIG? I don't know really, they just hold some type of sway over me lately. I always really liked the feel of Greg's P220 when he owned it and wanted to have one myself I guess. Maybe it was the "to hell and back" reputation that SIG has built for itself or the way other SIG owners simply foam at the mouth while talking about their pistols that got me going. George "The Mad Ogre" Hill over at www.madogre.com makes no bones about his love of SIG weapons. When I asked his opinion of them he summed it up like a comparison somewhat like cars. A Chevy may get you where you want to go, but wouldn't you rather get their in a BMW. This is more accurate that it might seem as comparatively priced, a SIG is about the same price difference of lets say a Smith & Wesson as a BMW would be to a Chevy. Where I could pick up a S&W M&P .45 for around $500, a SIG P220 .45 will run upwards of $900 new. Any misgivings about price are usually put aside when you hold them and feel the general quality of their manufacture.

My SIG pistols, P239 .40 on the left and P220 .45 on the right.

I am not going to go into too much detail other than just saying SIG Sauer (formerly SIGARMS) is a Swiss/German manufacturer of among other things firearms. They have a US based operation out of Exeter, New Hampshire which overseas US operations and distribution. They are known for producing very high quality, abet pricey, firearms used by law enforcement and government agencies worldwide. As I stated above with the "to hell and back" comment, they are known for their extreme reliability and toughness. The Navy SEALs switched to P226 pistols when the M9's they were issued reportedly suffered catastrophic failures in the field. Those cowboys have faced off enough Injuns to know a thing or two about what is reliable and what works. I take that as a pretty strong endorsement.

An example of the "to hell and back" reliability of SIG pistols (btw even though they don't show the results, in the show the pistol still fired afterwards!)

Two of their trademark features are a rebounding hammer and decocking lever in lieu of a an external safety. The rebounding hammer utilizes as spring to move the hammer away from the firing pin after striking it to a safety notch from which it cannot move forward unless the trigger is fully depressed. The decocking lever does what its name implies and moves the hammer to the same safety notch without having to pull the trigger and manually ride the hammer forward, which can lead to negligent discharges if improperly done. Other things that set SIG pistols apart from the crowd are full length guide rails for the slide that run the length of the frame and exceptional craftsmanship that permeates Swiss and German manufacturing processes. When other companies were trying to rechamber their existing pistol designs for the .40 S&W round in the early 1990s and rush them on the market, SIG took its time and designed an entirely new pistol around the high pressure cartridge and thus was born the P229. Many of the early ones are still shooting today after thousands of rounds having being put down the barrels with little more than routine maintenance and cleaning. You may pay more for a SIG, but the residual value of these pistols far outlast their competition.

SIG P220 (top) and P239 (bottom). Notice the lack of a decocking lever on the P239 as it's a double action only (DAO) model designed for concealed carry and backup duty.

I did not buy new SIGs. The P220 I bought is a SIG CPO (certified pre-owned) pistol that had been factory reconditioned. I swear it is a new pistol and so has everybody who has looked at it. This thing is sweet shooting and "only" cost me $600. SIG takes these pistols, many former police trades, and puts them through a 5 point check to ensure that all parts meet factory spec. Any part found lacking will be replaced before it leaves the factory for its new owner. You get a "like new" pistol in many cases for what amounts to a used gun price. Pretty good deal if you ask me.

The SIG P220 .45 ACP pistol. Notice the decocking lever directly above the magazine release button and the slide lock behind it to the rear of the pistol, this is a classic SIG setup. Many first time shooters find it hard to adjust to this setup as the safety mechanism on most pistols is to the rear and slide latch above the trigger area.

The P220 only holds 7 or 8 rounds in its single stack mags so I was sure to pick up some extra so I have two 7 round mags and three 8 round mags for it. I also found a used Uncle Mike's Kydex paddle holster for it for $10 that works great!

The other SIG I picked up is a used P239 DAO in .40 S&W. It is a smaller pistol than the P220, still uses 7 round single stack mags so it is thinner than a double stack pistol. It is primarily issued as a back up or CCW weapon. It is a double action only (DAO) model which means I don't get a decocking lever with it. I sold my S&W 637 for it (more on that later) so I basically replaced a .38 double action pistol for one in .40 with 3 additional rounds and better accuracy. Compared to the .38, the trigger pull on this gun is about 10 pounds and smooth as butter. I can pull it without moving my sights much, and I am still getting used to it. I will get better with practice. As a CCW piece with no external safety it is just as well anyway. I got it for $400 and have been told that it was a good price for a SIG in its condition so I am happy with it as well (lets face it, SIGs make me happy). Like the P220, the P239 was a former law enforcement weapon, the box had a property tag for "State of Ohio Parks Dept" (whomever that is) and it even had a property receipt where the last owner turned it back in. Unlike the P220 it was not a CPO gun and it shows. It obviously has been "around the block" and has definite signs of wear. I did not notice it in the store but the slide rattles quite a bit without a mag inserted. A bit of googling and I found that this is common with 239s that have a couple of thousand rounds through them. People who have owned the pistol from round 1 to round 5,000 that have reported this say it has no impact on accuracy or reliability so I can live with it, especially as I bought it for a ranger/holster gun to begin with. It is about the same size as my M&P 40c with the exception that the handle is about 1 1/4 inch longer. With the magazine inserted, it fits just about perfect in my hand. I came with three 7 round mags. I have to buy a holster for it, probably a Versaclip from Custom Carry Concepts again once Rich gets off the road with his day job in September.

My SIG P239, formerly property of the State of Ohio. You can see obvious wear marks on the barrel in the ejection port area. Despite the wear, it still shoots as it should.

The P239 (left) and P220 (right) stripped down for comparison. Disassembly entails simply removing the magazine, locking the slide to the rear ensuring the weapon is clear, rotating the take down lever 90 degrees, and easing the slide off of the pistol. Notice that the 220 uses a double wound spring while the 239 has a flat recoil spring.

The P239 barrel (left) next to the barrel from the P220 (right). Other than the obvious size difference, you can notice the visible wear on the P239 barrel that did not go through the CPO inspection in contrast to the barrel from the P220 that did.

Shooting both of these pistols is very enjoyable. SIG quality lives up to its reputation on the firing line. Both shot good groupings although on both the shot placement is different from my point of aim. Both come with a "dot the i" type sight arrangement where you place a white dot on the front post on top of a white bar on the rear site to aim. I am still getting used to it. No biggie, I plan on getting Trijicon night sights on both of them shortly. Still, very, very happy from the first 1oo rounds through both. Recoil is very manageable with both pistols and the grip angle is about right for me.

My first 2 magazines with the P220, the two "flyers" at 7 o'clock are the first double action pulls from each mag. I am still getting used to them.

SIGititus: (def) A condition affecting firearm owners of SIG handguns in which the desire to own additional models and shoot them constantly overwhelms all other desires in the individual (see also Mosinitis).

Yeah, I got the bug now. Not a good prognosis either. I mean hell, I even got a hat! But don't cry for me and my affliction, together - and with the help of a local range - we can find a cure.

Yet more weapons show up at an Obama rally...

...and this time they brought an AR!



Not to turn this into a black/white issue, but you can obviously tell that the bearer of this AR (nicely equipped with a EOTech halo site) is an African-American gentleman. I remember during the Kostric incident last week how much the news media made about the extra security needed for our 44th President because he was the first black elected to the nations highest office. I have said before how the 2nd Amendment applies to ALL of us regardless of race, gender, political affiliation and what have you.

According to the report there were several weapons in the crowd, including other AR rifles. I love it how the media made a big deal about how Arizona has an "open carry law", big deal so does Ohio. If somebody carries here openly they are within the legal right to do so also, whoopie!

Anyway, I am sure this "bringing out the big guns" story will be heard for quite a bit.

Deputy shoots self in leg.. lessons learned

The Columbus Dispatch

Deputy sheriff accidentally shoots himself in the leg

Monday, August 17, 2009 7:15 AM

A Franklin County deputy sheriff accidentally shot himself yesterday morning at the Downtown county jail, deputies said.

The deputy, whom officials did not name, was trying to holster his gun when it fired about 6:45 a.m. The shot went through his right leg, and he was treated at Grant Medical Center.

I hope this is not a career ending event for this deputy, either due to physical injury or reputation. While not an everyday occurrence, incidents like this do happen unfortunately. We have all seen the video of the DEA officer shooting himself in a school classroom. Sometimes being in a profession or environment where weapons are commonly used or found builds a false sense of security or familiarity with them that can sometimes lead to these incidents. Sad but true. Anyone who has ever told you that they have never pulled the trigger when they didn't mean to has either lied to you or just not had their turn yet. Whether with or without ammo in the weapon, everyone will make this mistake at least once. The trick is learning how to deal with it.


Just in case you are the one person who hasn't seen this yet. I do not agree with his reasoning to remove his weapon in the first place when he could just as easily used inert training weapons as well.

Not a whole lot of detail here but I would venture to guess that one of two things happened:

1. A piece of clothing or equipment got in between the trigger and the holster during the holstering, causing the ND

2. The deputy had his finger on the trigger when holstering

Either way, the object in between the trigger and the holster will push on the trigger when the pistol is forced against the holster and cause it to discharge in a great number of weapons without external safeties such as the Glock and SIG which are commonly used in law enforcement.

The debate for and against external safeties is an on going debate. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that I am against most external safeties on pistols. I think external safeties, while useful, install bad habits and a false sense of security in novice shooters. I believe that the shooter is the primary safety and as long as the weapon can only be fired by a deliberate pull on the trigger, most situations can be handled safely with a weapon. No weapon is 100% safe when loaded and it is up to a trained operator to handle the weapon in such a way to mitigate any safety issues present. Now with some weapons, such as the 1911 platform, you cannot get away without using the safety to utilize it properly. Such as with weapons such as the Glock without external safeties, the main thing to remember this is proper training in the use and handling of the weapon is the key.

With this in mind, I would like to offer some basic advice when using holsters:

• Only use a holster that was made for your weapon.
• Practice using your holster until you are familiar with its use, how it rides and any retention mechanisms you will have to use.
• Never do a "blind" return to your holster when possible, always visually watch your pistol return to the holster to ensure that a piece of clothing or other object does not enter the trigger guard area.
• Practice proper weapon handling techniques with your pistol (using snap caps if possible) and get in the habit of keeping your finger out of the trigger guard unless shooting (one of the "big 4" firearm safety rules)

This all reminds me of a scene from the movie Blackhawk Down..

Steele: Sergeant, what's the meaning of this?
[Thinking he's talking about the unauthorized pig picking]
"Hoot": Just a little aerial target practice, sir. Didn't want to leave 'em behind.
Steele: I'm talking about your weapon, soldier. Now Delta or no-Delta, that's still a hot weapon. Your safety should be on at all times.
"Hoot": This is my safety, sir.
[He holds up his index finger and bends motions as if squeezing a trigger and then walks off]
Sanderson: Let it alone, sir. He hasn't eaten in a few days.

Sometimes I will admit...

...there is a need for gun control to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and idiots like this Darwin Award nominee in the following clip WARNING: THIS MAY BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME!!



Wow, I really don't know where to start with this..

..Stupid...irresponsible...irrational...dangerous...idiotic.. the words could just keep going.. This goes not only for the stupid shooter with the bull ring in his nose but also for all of his "friends" egging him on. Luckily for the bastard the round seems to have gone right through the meat of his upper arm and didn't hit a bone or artery. Wouldn't the joke of been on him it it nicked a bone and ricocheted into his side and got logged in his lung or liver. Now THAT would of been a learning video. I hoped after he sobered up or came down off his high that it hurt like hell. Of course anyone who would do this probably doesn't have a job anyway and we can all look forward to paying his medical bills with our taxes.

Unfortunately what his also does is give the anti-2A crowd some more ammo to use in the "we can't trust people with weapons" crowd. Come on people of the video, use your brains for a little more than a sponge for alcohol and THC for a minute. But hey, looking at that nice "FTW" prison style tat, you probably shouldn't of been able to own that gun anyway but as we know CRIMINALS DO NOT OBEY LAWS!

And for any of you kiddies out there thinking of playing the copycat game, let me tell you, bullets can do a lot more that what they did to the idiot in this particular video. If you want to read a story about a real life accidental shooting and its effects on the unintended victim read this. That should change your corrupt little minds.

And yet another video about William Kostric..

and here is his reaction to last nights Hardball interview



If this is such a big concern for the president may I suggest that the Secret Service make the following video mandatory day 1 briefing material for all incoming heads of state..



wow! I came up with a post that rips 3 vids off of YouTube, awesome creativeness, not!

Man legally carries a firearm to protest.... MSNBC jumps all over it like a fly on ....

Watch the video here

You know sometimes I really have to wonder if the media ever takes the time to research anything before they let fly.

Chris Matthews first takes off by introducing this guy as the person that carried a gun to a protest where the president was speaking. He then proceeds to ask who he voted for in the last election and if he questioned the legitimacy of Obama's birth status. What the hell? I thought that this interview would be about why he brought the gun.

OK, then right after those questions he slams the guy for bringing it asking why would he do that given the violent history of guns and the presidents of this country. Oh, I see, lets get the guy thinking in a different direction and then slam him in the face with those rapid fire attacks. When the interviewee, William Kostric, replies that he was exercising his 2nd Amendment rights Matthews replies (very aggressively) that he knows the laws - well Chris, why the hell are you asking the question again. He even then tries to provoke Kostric again with the line "why did you bring a god damn gun". Kostric keeps fairly good poise after that shot. I would of told Matthews to go pound sand up his MOTHTER'S ass and ended the interview.

Then Matthews tries to go after him by asking him to explain the history of people bringing guns presidential events, like Kostric should be some type of historic expert on this subject on the spot. Just for the record we have had 4 presidents killed by assassination by firearm (Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinely and Kennedy) and 2 others hit by gunfire but survive (Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan). President Roosevelt was such a bigger than life bad ass that he actually finished the speech he was given at the time of the assassination attempt before seeking medical attention. Remember, nobody - I mean nobody - ever messed with Teddy. In total there have been over 90 attempts, many from foreign entities and not US citizens. Even then, these events are the price our society pays for having the freedoms we enjoy to bear arms and not live under a repressive regime that outlaws weapons and hides it leaders behind castle walls.

Kostric then fires a big shot back stating that "we just made new history, I was there today, there was a peaceful rally, no one was injured, no one on our side was alarmed, people in New Hampshire are used to seeing firearms, no one from New Hampshire was alarmed. Maybe some of the people they had bussed in from Massachusetts were alarmed, but we aren't concerned about them." OOOH, BURN!

Matthews then calms down a bit (probably figuring this wasn't their stereotypical Billy Bob gun totin' rube that they think we all are) and starts asking some leading questions to Kosteric about his beliefs. Social Security: wrong, Medicaid: wrong, Federal reserve: wrong, income tax: wrong. Wonder what this is leading up to...ooh there it is.. the "therefore you brought a gun to a presidential meeting about health care." Kostric then repeats his rights to open carry in his state to which Matthews mutters something about his family members in the NRA blah, blah, blah. He again asks what was he trying to bring to the meeting with his gun and sign (the sign referenced Thomas Jefferson's statement about the tree of liberty needing to be watered by the blood of tyrants and patriots, nobody messed with TJ either in his day). Kostric answers back basically the only way he can, (this is my paraphrasing of what he states) he was trying to make a statement to the president that those on that side of the spectrum are still here and we still need to be considered.

God, I am so sick of watching Matthews try and slide one last shot in before he cuts away its getting hard to keep this going. Here goes, Matthews then, after a series of questions, asks Kostric, "if you are advocating violence what is the point of bringing a show of force to a demonstration" (sic) Kostric then proceeds to reinstate that he was exercising his rights. Matthews then asks him if 1,000 people had been armed if it would have been safer, "absolutely" is Kostric's answer.

First off, well done Mr. Kostric. You fended off a professional interviewer on his turf during what was obviously set up to be a slam dunk ambush. Good for you!! In the last presidency we saw waves of violent protests that were "democracy and freedom of speech in action", now a person cannot even exercise not only the 2nd Amendment rights but also the laws of their own state while also exercising their 1st amendment rights without being convicted in a court of public opinion without a trial. We got that trial in the court of the media today and I think a well deserved aquittal was won.

What we saw here was a failed attempt by the media to try and move public sentiment away from 2A rights. There logic always seems to find the same path.

If presidential assination = bad,
then person next to president with gun = bad,
then person owning gun = bad,
then gun ban = good.

To bad that theory in places like Chicago hasn't worked.

If store clerk being shot = bad,
then person bringing gun into store = bad,
then person owning gun =bad,
then gun ban = good
no legal handguns = increased homicide rate(?) - wow, how did that happen, oh yeah, criminals don't obey laws! (how many times do I need to point that out?)

For Matthews and all the others out there, I told you I would be watching you.....

Stupid pepper spray commercial

James over at Hell In A Handbasket talked a week ago about use of chem sprays. Here is a commercial from sometime in the 90's for a "Life Pager" that sprayed OC back when pagers were "all the rage". So many things wrong in this vid, lady when you spray the guy by your car and you have the kid with you please do not walk by him within arms reach and get into your car, RUN back to the store where there are people to help protect you. Also, why do all the criminals dress like they are out of a Police Academy movie? Seriously, nylon stockings on your head, really? There are right ways and wrong ways of using pepper or chem sprays, this shows mostly the bad ways.

My old friend/nemesis the M60 in rare form...

"rare" as in colored the same shade of red as a rare steak by the end of this clip! 1,500 rounds, wow!

Threw this on Facebook so I decided to share here as well.

Here's an idea for ya'....

My friend Kevin over at SuperFrikinAwsome Stuff recently had a post (now disappeared apparently) where he expressed the need for a new tattoo and was trying to get an idea formed of what he wanted.

Kev, search no more...

This is what happens when you take guns out of society...

...criminals will just move to a more available weapon type. Hence you see why they are termed criminals, meaning someone who willfully disregards and breaks the law.

If you didn't already know, handguns and most firearms are outlawed in Britain. Your garden variety criminal there has taken to using one of the oldest weapons to continue their mischief, the knife. Knife related crimes are up so much that an "anti stab" knife has been introduced to cut down on the instances of knife violence in that country. I may have mentioned before that how in Ohio our goofy law is written so that I am more legally safe to carry and use a handgun to defend myself that I posess a CCW for than to use a knife.

The following clip is a British PSA effort to alert "the chaps" of the dangers of carrying knives and what the uses of said blades may lead to. It is one of those "choose your own adventure" type presentations where you get to choose each subsequent part of the story. I just made every bad decision possible and ended up where they wanted you to be anyway. Interestingly it did not seem like the characters mother was arrested or charged by the police in the video for allowing ready access to the weapon. Boy, its just like leaving your gun safe open and available in your house. Now, if I left my safe open and somebody took a firearm and committed a murder, you would be damn sure that I would end up in court, in a civil suit if nothing else.

You know, if knife violence gets bad enough over there they may have to outlaw knives. Yeah, that will work. Knives are outlawed in prison and nobody ever gets stabbed there...

I love this video

gets funnier every time I see it.

Columbus Gun show

I traditionally do not attend gun shows. The last one I visited in Columbus left a bad taste in my mouth for several reasons and I generally try to avoid them. I made an exception this time and attended the Columbus Gun Show held at Veterans Memorial in Columbus, Ohio this weekend. In attendance with myself was my friend Chris from work and Kevin, aks Superfrikinawsome.



The attendance on Sunday was brisk with roughly 90% of available booths set up with goods. I brought my Taurus PT845 and Hi-Point 4095 carbine to sell (more on why in a later post). I quickly sold both and had time to shop around a bit. Some good stuff to be had. I was able to score some 8 round Sig P220 mags for $15 a piece and some bandoleer kits for 5.56 AR mags for $5 a kit. I also scored a forward grip for my new AR, sweet. Kevin got a sweet light for his AR and Chris got a collapsible baton to beat Crackhead Johnny over the head with if needed.

I even got a chance to talk to Rich from Buckeye Firearms Association and find out a bit more about what they have going on. Their current project of interest is a lawsuit against the City of Cleveland who are ticketing CCW holders in violation of state law due to a local ordnance. If you are a gun toting citizen of the Buckeye State you should look into joining this organization. Think of them as your locally focused NRA offshoot. I donated some green stuff to keep the fight going in the courts.

I will be going back.

Cha-ching! Hey! A good experience with Gunlistings.org!

After my last experience with the gunlistings.org service I was hesitant to try it again, especially since this time I was selling. It turned out OK this time! I sold my Bersa, which I basically removed use for once the Kel-Tec came home, to a guy from the Mansfield area for his wife. His name was Ron and was a gentleman through and through. I made mention in my add after some comments given to me here and on another forum to only trade with CCW holders, as we would of had to of passed a background check to have one. Worked like a charm. The first thing Ron did today when we met at a truck stop half way between our locations was to show me his CCW. I verified the picture was him and everything was hunky doory from that point forward. I even threw in half a box of .380 ammo since he never haggled over my asking price. Gotta love free enterprise, hope it lasts in this country

Now this is some darn good shootin' /Sweepin' the bubble

7 shots at an approaching target from a holster (while distracted) in under 3 seconds..and with a Sig to boot (drooling now)



This just proves that you need to know what your particular bubble is. Having a firearm on you to protect yourself is useless if you cannot deploy it properly in the reaction time you are given. When somebody is chest bumping you backward with their hands all over you definitely puts you at a disadvantage when drawing. I try to practice a last ditch draw method where I create space from a 0'distance "just in case"

I draw from the right side, so left handed persons are the opposite of course. This assumes a carry with an open top IWB/OWB holster at a 4 O'clock position.

1. First do your OADA (observe, assess, decide, act) to determine the threat level and response (assuming imminent deadly force present)
2. Step off line of the threat quickly by shifting your weight and moving your feet in the appropriate direction. This is wholly dependent on the threat. Someone with a gun in your face should be treated differently that someone a few feet away with a club. For now we are again assuming 0 feet of difference (chest bump)
3. at the same time of your shift, use your non dominant hand strike target in chest/stomach/throat/nose or any available target HARD while simultaneously shouting to distract him. Yea, it seems silly but going from the quiet victim to a raging tiger in their mind may gain you the split second you need for the next steps. Also if he has a weapon pointed at your this is the time to grab it, better lose a hand than a life.
4. Sep back with your right leg creating space between your hidden weapon and your attackers grasp and creating space to deploy the weapon.
5. Sweep back any clothing and draw your weapon, bring it up close to your body muzzle forward, elbow locked to your body with your arm pointing at the target.
6. Fire 2 rounds to center mass from this position, this should hopefully create some additional space between you and the target for the next step.
7. Bring the weapon up to eye level with a good 2 hand grip (if possible assuming the knife you may have grabbed for to distract him did not find cut you for example)
8. Quickly perform an OADA on the target to assume current threat, re-engage until target is not longer a threat.
9. Do a 5-10-25/360 sweep for additional threats.
10. Engage threats until no longer present.

I know this assumes a lot, especially that you are good enough to pull this off without taking one shot yourself, or that if the wolf in your face has a friend that they will just stand by while you punch and shoot their buddy without drawing their weapon.

I often practice this in my basement (minus the yelling) using a support beam as an improvised target dummy. Take it slow and don't rush your movements until you are comfortable. It is often said that "slow is steady, and steady is fast" - I think Mark Wahlberg used that line in Shooter.

Sometimes when talking to people I will mention a "360 sweep" meaning a situational awareness check of your surroundings. I used a training point from my last deployment to come up with the 5-10-25/360 sweep. In deployment we used 5/25 sweeps every time you stopped a vehicle to check 5 meters around your vehicle for IED's and then did the same thing out to 25 meters. I use 5-10-25/360 in this same context for sweeps as follows:

5 - sweep an area roughly 5 feet from you, this would cover people standing next to you or those able to lunge at you immediately.
10 - a 10 foot sweep that would preclude anyone just outside this range that you would have time to move away from to avoid.
25 - this area would include those persons who may be able to get to you before you draw your weapon while at a run, this is your reaction "bubble" I talked of before.
360 - sweep 360 degrees each time keeping your head "on a swivel" back and forth.

This type of sweep will identify immediate threats to you for OADA purposes. This should not be taken as an excuse not to do common sense sweeps of your environment at further ranges. If you are walking down the street and see a group of "ganstas" hanging out down the sidewalk or conducting some obviously nefarious business, avoid the confrontation well before your 25 foot bubble is broken.

Hey, this is just me talking here, if this makes sense and works for you by all means run with it. This is not meant to be taken as training advice "at large" and I assume no liability for its use in the real world. As with everything else in life, your mileage may vary. Each situation is different and will dictate a slightly different response. Be flexible to each situation, use the learned training you may have as a basis to work from, but be willing to adapt their application to each threat.

As Bruce Lee once said:

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a
cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you
put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend.”

OK, got some stuff for sale here....

If you live in Ohio I have some boom sticks for sale if you are interested, a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, a Mauser 98k and a Hi-Point 4095 carbine, contact info is in the adds.



Hi-Point 4095 add

Mosin and Mauser add

Slick AK reload

Anybody who asks will know I am an unabashed AK lover, its a simple and robust design, whats not to like. And despite what some pundits may claim, it is not as unergonomic as it may seem. I have seen this technique before for changing mags, while not quite as simple as an AR reload, it does the job and doesn't require the shooter to take his dominant hand off the grip or lose focus on the target.



Notice that this technique does require some dedicated practice in using your equipment. Make sure your personal SOP (standard operating procedure)for your gear dictates that mags are placed in the same place and position each time so you can instinctively use it as shown without fumbling through it.

Thanks to The Firearm Blog for this one, don't know why I haven't posted something like this before in defense of my beloved AK.

Been slacking off...

Haven't made the time in a few weeks to get something on here that was original. There are so many rehashed issues out there on the net regarding firearms and 2A its hard to come up with something fresh people may actually want to read. James over at Hellinahandbasket.net did an article on alternate defensive means. I started a draft article on the same thing back on 5/20 and never finished it off. Damn, scooped! I may just wring out a few more paragraphs on it and publish it "just because" and link back to his article so folks can compare ideas and theories for fun. James runs an excellent site (he is in the middle of transitioning to a new hosting service, some of his links and such may not be fully functional yet). If you are in the Columbus area, or even if not, its worth checking out his blog.