Some Misc. Firearms Stuff

With all the coronavirus news lately, I've been neglecting some of the gun articles and links I've come across, so here are some, in no particular order:

• Nice 3-D images of the Sten Mk. 2, an inexpensive submachine gun used by the British in World War II that was adequate enough to largely stymie submachine gun designs for the following 50 years. 
• "Deliberate Practice: Set Stretch Goals in Your Shooting Sessions"--American Rifleman. From the article:

     ... Drawing from research by Anders Ericsson, a cognitive psychologist who has extensively studied how leading experts acquired their skills, Duckworth presents the requirements for deliberate practice as: 

• A clearly defined stretch goal

• Full concentration and effort

• Immediate and informative feedback

• Repetition with reflection and refinement

So, to lead with a negative…. If you and your teammates or shooting buddies show up to the range with no plan, ‘shoot around’, are lax in refacing/replacing targetry, record nothing and quickly cycle through drills if something seems hard…. You are just shooting. You may be having a great range day, but you are not training as a champion would. 

      I see the four elements of deliberate practice as the legs on a table, each vital to building the capability desired. However, the one that I most often see lacking in serious shooters (or high-level units with respect to shooting) is having a clearly defined stretch goal. Some may have that clearly defined goal, but it is not really aspirational, challenging and a stretch to which they are committed over time. Others may have a challenging goal, but it is so poorly defined that it can’t be broken into specific steps, skills or sub-components to guide the journey and measure progress. 

• "Gun Manufacturing: Secrets of MIM"--NRA Family. The author relates:

     Metal Injection Molding (MIM) was developed in the 1980s as an improvement over conventional forms of metal casting. In this process, finely powdered metal particles are combined with a polymer binder, then injected into a heated mold. MIM offers several advantages to firearm manufacturers. First, it can produce a net part with a complex shape to close tolerances. Second, in most cases, a MIM part can be put into service without additional machining.

     Once the metal particles and polymer binder mixture has been injected into the heated mold, it's cooled. After cooling, the part is removed from the mold, then heated (sintered) in a vacuum furnace at a temperature over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat vaporizes the binding agent and fuses the metal particles together, creating a solid metal part having hte [sic] same mechanical properties as a part of wrought metal of the same type. ...

• "THE ULTIMATE FIREARMS INDUSTRY GUIDE: STATISTICS, TRENDS, AND DATA"--Minute Man Review. A visual and graphical look at firearms ownership and demographics, state-by-state concealed carry statistics, firearms manufacture and sales, and a lot more. Great resource for anyone researching firearms.
• For reloaders looking for a quick way to check overall case length, the new Stackable Case Gauge for 223 Rem by Armanov. It is a block milled to accept 10 cartridges at a time, and if the cartridges don't fit flush, you know something is wrong. You can also attach the blocks together. It's a neat idea, but at $35 per block, it seems a little pricey for what it does.
• "Is +P Ammunition Really Necessary?"--The Truth About Guns.  The author writes:

     When it comes to defensive ammunition, a lot of people opt for +P loads as a matter of course. It’s certainly not a bad idea on paper; many police departments and federal agencies carry +P or +P+ in their duty guns.

     The additional powder load nets an increase in velocity over standard rounds – though how much can actually vary – with the idea being that a jacketed hollow point round traveling at a faster speed will hit the target harder, penetrate deeper, and the extra “oomph” – due to the increase in hydraulic pressure on the bullet – results in more reliable and wider expansion.

     Naturally, the attributes of penetration and expansion are desired when it comes to a defensive pistol round.

     However, this comes at a cost. The first cost is in increased recoil. An overpressure round will exert a bit more felt recoil on the shooter (though some of us don’t mind too much) which can actually impede accuracy for some shooters.

     When a person doesn’t like to shoot a round they tend to flinch or tense up prior to squeezing the trigger, a common reason for pulling shots off point of aim. Use of +P also accelerates wear on the barrel, the frame and the recoil spring in a semi-automatic pistol, requiring service or replacement of parts sooner than would otherwise be needed.

I've seen enough testing videos of ammunition to notice that +P ammunition does not always equal greater velocity or performance (penetration and expansion). 

• "Medical EDC: Critical Gear You Should Carry"--Shooting Illustrated. From the article:

     ... There are three pertinent questions you must answer when choosing medical EDC gear loadout: 1) What type of injuries am I realistically expected to encounter, 2) to whom am I rendering care, and 3) what, realistically, can I expect to do about them?

      In a civilian environment, life-threatening extremity hemorrhage is rare. It is far more common in combat because of IED’s, and the combatants are wearing load-bearing equipment and ballistic armor that protects the torso; the limbs are vulnerable. In a civilian gunfight or mass shooting, most victims die of thoracic wounds or unsurvivable head shots.

• You can't stop the signal: "Coming Soon: The PolyPlinker 3D Printed 22 LR Upper From Deterrence Dispensed"--The Firearm Blog. Key point: "The intention was to create an aesthetically futuristic looking and fun plinking rifle using as many 3D printed parts as possible. The upper and lower receivers are entirely made from PETG plastic which is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin on the market – used in everything from clothing to plastic food containers and now – firearms."

• Related: "FOSSCAD: ECM Barrel Rifling Machine"--using electrochemical machining methods to essentially etch the rifling into the barrel. A 3-D printer is used to manufacture the blank that will hold the wiring in the correct location and twist pattern.

• Related: "DIY barrel rifling using salt water, electricity and a 3D printed jig"--The Firearm Blog.

• Related: "Rifling a Barrel in the Bathroom using Electrochemical Machining"--The Firearm Blog.

• "What to Do After You Shoot Someone in Self Defense"--Guns America. And, no, it is not “Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up,” although one of the missionaries I knew on my mission noted that that was the plan his father--a retired LAPD officer--intended to use. He had a backhoe and a large piece of remote property. Anyway, too many points to try and summarize, so check it out.
• You might shoot your eye out otherwise: "Why You (Yes, You) Need Basic Gun Training"--NRA Family. I am no fan of government mandated training in order to qualify to purchase a firearm. But, that being said, a new gun owner should try to find someone to at least show them the ropes. And, like any sport or physical activity, if you want to excel, you will need a "coach," so to speak. Anyway, one of the key points I saw in the article:

Can the potential student put five shots into a 4-inch circle, four times in a row, at 10 feet? That’s the standard for the NRA Basic Pistol class, and it’s a good way to help people understand that they probably need to improve their marksmanship skills.

• "Your Tactical Training Scenario- Three Difficult Disarms"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz goes through some examples based on actual events (with video surveillance footage) together with some comments and questions for each scenario. Takeaway thought:

       Weapon disarm training can’t be so doctrinaire. You must be able to adapt to the circumstances at hand, no matter what they are. All good disarm programs should contain three elements:

1) Gun deflections leading to a draw of your own weapon (whatever that is)

2) Gun deflections leading to empty hand physical attack

3) Gun takeaways

If your program doesn’t contain all three options, you are missing some critical elements in your training.

• I find it interesting the renewed interest in lever action rifles over the last decade and, in particular, the more recent efforts to modernize such rifles. One of the latest efforts: "Rossi R92 TRIPLE BLACK Lever Action Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. It features black furniture, top Picatinny rail, wrapped large-loop lever, threaded barrel, full-length magazine, peep sight, and is available in .38 Special/.357 Magnum or .44 Special/.44 Magnum.

• Related: "Chiappa WILDLANDS Series Lever Action Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. These also come with rear peep sight, top Picatinny rail, and threaded barrel. However, these are offered as take-down models. They offer an 1886 design firing the .45-70, or 1892 designs shooting .44 Magnum.

• A review of a classic: "S&W Model 638 Bodyguard"--Guns America. One of the advantages in mind with the Bodyguard is that is uses a shrouded hammer so that you have the option of cocking the hammer and shooting single action if you are presented with a longer shot. 
• "6.8 SPC vs 6.5 Grendel: What You Need To Know"--Big Game Hunting Blog. The author notes:

The 6.5 Grendel cartridge is also significantly more powerful than the .223 Remington. Not only that, but the cartridge is extremely versatile, so it functions well for long range shooting, varmint hunting, tactical, law enforcement, and big game hunting applications. 

The 6.8 is good for hunting at short to medium ranges, but offers the advantage that it retains its performance out of a 16-inch barrel, whereas the 6.5 really needs the longer (20-inch or more) barrels.

• "First Look: Bond Arms Rough Series Double-Barrel Handguns"--Shooting Illustrated. Bond Arms has come out with an inexpensive series of its derringer style pistols: under $300 unless you decide to go for the fancy wood grips. Currently being offered in .45 Colt/.410 Gauge, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, 9 mm, or .45 ACP. It isn't something I would consider for self-defense just because they weigh more than a snub-nose revolver or small auto pistol, but they go well as a backup to an SAA revolver.
• "Concealed Carry Corner: Is Competition Shooting A Good Training Tool?"--The Firearm Blog. You might as well ask, "is shooting at a stationary target a good training tool?" or "is dry fire a good training tool?" There is no single method of training or practice that is going to perfectly provide all the things you need for a deadly force encounter. Each has something to provide, however, and in the case of practical pistol shooting competition, it is learning to draw, shoot, move, and reload under pressure (albeit a time pressure). 
• "Tenicor Velo Glock Holster Review"--Primer Peak. An AIWB holster. The author relates:

The wedge on the gen 4 Velo, called the Body Contour, takes a longer distance to gain a similar amount of height to the previous generation. The wide and long contour uses nearly the entire length of the Velo to help distribute pressure. This results in virtually zero discomfort over time, almost entirely removing any potential hotspot. The Tenicor body contour may be the best wedge on an appendix holster on the market.