Gun & Prepping News #26

 Some articles that have caught my attention:

• First up, Greg Ellifritz at Active Response Training has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump. Some of the articles that in particular caught my attention included: a good article for prepping for apartment dwellers, including some really good ideas as to water and food storage; a piece from Matt Bracken on "duplexed" AR magazines, why you want a pair and how to make your own; an article from Mass Ayoob with quite a bit of details about a home invasion robbery in 2014 with a lot of good lessons for the home defender; and an Organic Prepper article on "Modern OPSEC and Thirdworldization." 

    The latter article notes that as the Great Depression wore on, the wealthy started to tone down their ostentatious shows of wealth--locking up jewelry instead of flaunting it,  putting away the mink coats, and parking the wildly expensive cars in remote barns--to avoid being a target. The article doesn't delve into this issue, but the U.S. was probably the closest to a revolution as it had been since its inception, with a wave of food riots and protests. The wealthy not only tempered their show of wealth, but Congress passed the National Firearms Act to make sure the populace would be incapable of any serious revolution. In any event, the article presumes that we will be facing similar issues as a result of ever increasing wealth disparity and declining economic fortunes. 

    I just read a piece at the New York Post today entitled "Bill Gates says AI will replace doctors, teachers within 10 years — and claims humans won’t be needed ‘for most things’," which is just another way of saying that within 10 years a whole lot of people will be out of jobs. 

• Some firearm history: "Covert Commando: Reviewing the Famous De Lisle Suppressed Carbine"--Guns & Ammo. This was a .45 ACP carbine based off the bolt-action Enfield rifle action, with an integrally suppressed barrel. Apparently a reproduction is being manufactured by U.S. Armament Manufacturing in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. 
• "Why Is 9 mm So Popular With USPSA Competitors?"--Shooting Sports USA.  He gives three reasons: (i) the increase in the number of divisions scored minor; (ii) the popularity of optics, particularly with younger shooters who may have little or no experience with traditional iron sights; and (iii) 9mm is less expensive and easier to obtain. 
• Earlier this month, I had published a short piece with links to articles on terminal ballistics, and included an illustration of places to target on the skull. Jon Low had emailed me to point out that the head might not be the best place to aim for various reasons, including that a pistol bullet might not penetrate (this actually was something occurred in the home invasion article of Mass Ayoob that Ellifritz linked to in this week's Weekend Knowledge Dump). Jon's email got me thinking, so I did some more digging and came across this article: "Thinking Twice About the Head Shot"--SWAT Magazine. Among other things, it covers the three methods of incapacitation, noting:

    The third mechanism is injury to the brain. This will almost always result in instant incapacitation if the brain itself is penetrated and damaged. It is a much larger target than the cervical spine. It is armored, but the thickness of the skull varies by location.

    And nearly every gun magazine article I’ve read—and most instructors— get the fundamentals wrong.

So what's the problem? The primary is what the author calls the "Myth of the Medulla": that you must strike the medulla for a "no reflex" shot where the person instantly drops like a sack of potatoes without being able to do more. But as the author relates:

I have searched the medical literature back to 1900 looking at gunshot wounds that penetrated the skull and did not result in immediate incapacitation. They are quite rare and typically involve underpowered handgun rounds or truly miraculous suicide attempts with a rifle. These rare cases involve a bullet that damages the edges of the brain (usually the frontal or temporal lobe) or that passes between the two hemispheres of the brain.

Moreover, he recommends trying to target the medulla, in any event, because it is small and, commensurate with its importance, enclosed in the most heavily armored portion of the skull. 

    The thickest, toughest bones of the skull are those near the eyes and around the base of the brain. A round aimed at middle face is directed at the part of the skull that is the most difficult to penetrate. With a full-frontal shot, those bones can readily deflect projectiles, especially handgun rounds.

    This is also exactly where most have been taught to aim: the triangle formed by the eyes joined to the nose. The brainstem is narrow and also changes position every time the head moves and turns, just like the cervical spinal cord. If you aim at the nose when the head is turned even slightly to the side, the straight-line path will miss the medulla and brainstem.

So where to aim if shooting for the brain? The author recommends a location that offers a large target and thinner bone: 

    Assuming a full-frontal assailant, you should aim just between and above the eyes.

    From the side (assailant looking directly to your left or right), aim just above the top of the ear. For other positions, you’ll need to mentally rotate this model, thinking about the position of the brain as the head turns. The key is getting the bullet to penetrate the skull and enter the brain, not the precise brain structure that is damaged.

    Having seen the brim of a baseball cap deflect pistol and rifle rounds— and even 12-gauge slugs—keep in mind that bone and other objects may deflect a perfectly aimed shot. The brain must be penetrated and damaged for the shot to be effective.

    Louis Awerbuck excels at making his students think about the orientation of the threat and how this changes where you need to aim. This is also true with the head.

    If the threat is looking directly at you but upward, aiming at the nose will put the bullet’s intended path through the center of the brain. If the threat is looking downward, aiming for the upper forehead would be more appropriate.

• Related: "The Head-Shot Triad"--SWAT Magazine.  
• Related: "“Just Shoot ‘Em In The Face” … Let’s talk about this!!"--James Williams, Tactical Anatomy Systems. From the article:

    So, back to the statement in the title to this blog entry. Can we just casually shoot the homicide bomber in the face and call it good? By now, I expect you know the answer to that.

    To illustrate my point, I’ll give you a real life example: I once had a guy come into my ER who had been shot by police. Four times. All four police bullets (40 S&W caliber) hit this guy in the head, so that means he had taken four “head shots”, but was still actively fighting police and had actually returned fire after receiving these wounds. Two of those shots were in the so-called “T-zone”, as it is called by some internet gunfighting “experts”.  

    This case illustrates the folly of thinking that any/all “head shots” are equal… there is a huge potential for variance in outcomes!  Again: if your pistol bullets do not transect the brainstem, your homicide bomber may still be able to kill you.

    Part of the problem with taking “head shots” is that the shape and structure of the bones of the human skull are designed (or have evolved, if you prefer) to very efficiently protect the brain. The density of the bones and the curvature of the surface work very well to deflect any missile that comes at the skull unless the angle of incidence is very close to perpendicular to the skull’s surface. Pistol bullets striking the human head at angles less than 65-75 degrees will penetrate the skin/scalp, but will often just glance off the hard, smooth bone of the skull, tunneling under the skin to exit several inches from the entry wound without penetrating the skull. This is well-documented in the trauma literature, and it’s exactly what happened with the guy I saw in my ER with 4 bullet holes in his noggin.

    The other part of the problem is that if you don’t know where the brainstem is, your chances of hitting it are really, really poor. Think about it: in frontal anatomic presentation, the human head has a target area of about 325-400 cm2. The brainstem has a target area of about 25 cm2. If you think you can hit the brainstem by randomly shooting the head, your chance of hitting it is about 6-7%.

    Even if we round up to be generous and say your odds are 10%, that means that your chances of being blown to smithereens by a homicide bomber in that scenario are 90%. 

• Related: "Precision Shooting Relevance"--Arctic Specter. The author begins:

    I’m no brain surgeon.  A guy shot through the head with a .308 round should be dead.  Especially dead when a quarter of his skull is missing and some funky looking stuff is seeping through the ragged remains of his head wrap.  Though, as I stood next to this life less looking body while watching members of my platoon search for a 2nd guy’s tracks and blood trail and the company clerk throwing up behind me, it came very shortly as a shocking surprise just how much the body intends to live despite injuries that occur. 

    The man, whom our sniper team had placed a round slightly off center of his dome, lay so still and lifeless that everyone had completely disregarded him.  That was until I stopped to soak in the scene about two feet to the side of him.  Without warning, this man kicked his arm and leg straight up into the air and scared the fuck out of me.  The company clerk threw up again.  He lowered his appendages back down, kicked up once more, lowered again, and then began to snore.  Of course, I called for the corpsman and our LT, cause it was some freaky shit.  Doc said the dude was done; there was nothing he was going to be able to do to fix the brain soup coming out of his skull.  The LT still wanted to try and treat him.  Meanwhile I’m just sitting there like, “Let me pump a burst into him and put him out for good”.  Doc won.  He was eventually picked up by a local ambulance and taken to the town’s morgue.  Doc later explained to me what had happened in terms my dumb grunt mind could grasp.  Since the bullet didn’t go through the medulla oblongata or the brain stem, his autonomic responses didn’t turn off.  Part of the guy’s brain was still trying to tell him to breath, to bleed, and to move (reflex).  

    Why is this important?  Just another story about how some Iraqi dirtbag got shot, right?  He still wound up dead, yes, but what happens if that man had a hostage?  Or a detonation device?  Yeah, you kill him, but who and what does he take with him if he can still twitch the fuck out?  That’s where a simple anatomy lesson and some precision shooting can make the difference.  

• "Concealed Carry: Revolvers I Depend On"--The Truth About Guns. An excerpt:

    The revolver has advantages in certain critical areas. As one example a short barrel revolver doesn’t offer much leverage for a gun grabber who grasps the barrel during a struggle. The handle however offers a good gripping surface.

    One of my Lieutenants a very experienced officer carefully honed the sides of his ramp front sight as sharp as possible in case of a gun grab. Others had a thin gold line set into the revolver sight at a carefully arrived at hold over spot for long range fire. We qualified at fifty yards in those days.

    An officer using a Combat Masterpiece, Combat Magnum, or Highway Patrolman was often a very good shot at long range. Another advantage is that the revolver may be pressed into an adversary’s body and fired repeatably without jamming.

    A revolver may be fired from inside a coat pocket. (Those guys in the popular press don’t tell you that your knuckles will be singed but then I don’t recommend a tactic I have not tried.) The martial ability of the revolver cannot be overrated.

    A revolvers smooth rolling action helps control recoil well as the break is a surprise you don’t anticipate recoil. I am not saying the revolver always trumps an automatic, but the revolver has clear advantages in some situations.

• "22 Short VS 22LR"--Wideners Blog. Of course, the .22 LR outclasses the .22 Short in power, versatility, and accuracy. And by dint of its popularity, it is less expensive than .22 Short (when you can find the latter). The only reason given by the author for selecting the .22 Short over the .22 LR is "if you’re aiming for a more subdued shooting experience, the .22 Short might be your best choice. Its quieter report and mild recoil are ideal for introducing beginners to shooting fundamentals or for when you want a laid-back plinking session." One thing I've noticed with the .22 Short and even the .22 Long versus the .22 Long Rifle is that while the latter will generally punch right through a steel can without moving it much, the .22 Short and .22 Long tend to actually punch those cans around a bit. So if you want to use old soup or vegetable cans as reactive targets, the .22 Long or .22 Short are the better choices. 
• "General Preparedness Discussion--9MAR2025"--Mountain Guerilla.  Some thoughts on short term preparedness. An excerpt on why you want a couple weeks worth of supplies on hand:

Given human nature, and the ever-American quest to “make a buck,” price-gouging is not only the be expected, but has been witnessed in the near past, even absent scarcity.1 Any kind of localized disaster will almost certainly see severe deleterious impacts on many families, from an economic perspective. Not having to deal with “scalper” prices on essential survival items like foodstuffs, can keep those impacts from being ruinous. Recent history has illustrated that, even in the most calamitous localized disasters, the worst of the emergency—at least to the point of outside assistance beginning to arrive—is largely past within about two weeks. That doesn’t mean everything is back to normal, and peaches and rainbows, it just means additional assistance is generally available by that time. Having a plan to subsist for that two weeks—aside from the obvious black swan events like your house being buried in a mudslide, or a tornado flattening your apartment complex, or a wildfire actually turning your house, specifically, into a pile of cinders and ash—will allow you not only the ability to survive without ruination, but will also often provide the psychological and physical security buffer to allow you to be useful to your friends, family, and neighbors. 

But he also warns that storing more of what you normally eat may not work, such as storing items that require a lot of water to prepare (noodles, anyone?); and your standard kitchen utensils may not be safe to use over an open fire or on a Coleman stove. So you need to review what you have and see if it all works together. Anyway, tips on putting together a survival pantry as well as thoughts on food hygiene, so be sure to read the whole thing.

• "Brussels asks EU citizens to put together a 72-hour emergency kit to face crises"--EuroNews. From the article:

    The EU wants every member state to develop a 72-hour survival kit for citizens to face any new crisis that might emerge as part of its Preparedness Union Strategy which also calls for more stockpiling of essential supplies and for improved civilian-military cooperation.

    The strategy unveiled on Wednesday by the European Commission includes a list of 30 concrete actions it says EU member states need to take to boost their preparedness against potential future crises ranging from natural disasters and industrial accidents to attacks by malicious actors in the cyber or military domains. 

* * *

    One of the key areas identified is the need to enhance population preparedness with the Commission urging member states to ensure citizens have an emergency kit that allows them to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours in the event they are cut off from essential supplies.

    Several member states already have such guidelines with varying timeframes. France, for instance, calls for a 72-hour survival kit that includes food, water, medicines, a portable radio, a flashlight, spare batteries, chargers, cash, copies of important documents including medical prescriptions, spare keys, warm clothes and basic tools such as utility knives. 

 

War is coming. There is some clique of elites that have decided that a war with Russia is an imperative and it will happen no matter what the peasants think.

• "Off-Body Everyday Carry"--Shooting Illustrated. EDC survival gear brings to mind pocket knives and flashlights stuffed into pockets, paracord watchbands, and perhaps some other kit stuffed here or there. The author of this piece suggests a small pack or bag--like a fanny pack or a small sling bag to create "The Modern Urban Survival Kit, or MUSK for short." He begins with the a bag--for the author, this was the Elite Survival Systems Sentinel bag. The kit he mentions includes mundane items like earbuds, charging cords, and a portable battery pack; as well as a first-aid kit, "some pain relievers, antidiarrheal meds and some antacid for non-emergency medical situations" and a tourniquet. While shelter might not be needed--the kit assumes you are in an urban environment--"[a]dd in enough cash in your MUSK to get a decent hotel room in your zip code, and you’re set for the next 24 hours. Sudden torrential rain storms are a thing, though, as are blizzards, so having a small disposable rain poncho or a mylar emergency blanket is a good idea."
• And for your car: "The Ultimate Vehicle Survival Kit for Road Trips"--Outdoor Life (via Get Pocket).  The article recommends carrying a basic tool kit and a phone charger; extra water; several flashlights and extra batteries; flares and reflectors (the flares can be used to start a fire in addition to signaling/warning); jumper cables (I would probably substitute a battery jumper as I've had occasions where a smaller car didn't have the juice to start a larger truck); extra food; a tow strap; basic shelter items and/or blankets; a flat tire kit; and a first aid kit.
• "Your old DVDs are suffering disc rot — Warner Bros. will replace them: ‘They curdle like milk’"--New York Post.  While Sony states that DVDs can last up to 100 years if properly cared for, "WBHE, the home movie distribution arm of Warner Bros. Discovery, acknowledged in a statement to movie news and reviews site JoBlo that many of their DVDs manufactured between 2006 and 2008 are prematurely failing." Warner will replace failing DVDs, provided that they still have the films available. Otherwise, you will get a different title.
• Canary in the coal mine? "The snacking recession: Why Americans are buying fewer treats"--Axios. The leading point from this piece is that Americans are spending less on snacking foods with, for instance, General Mills reporting a 5% decline in net sales this past quarter, with other companies reporting similar declines in snack food sales. But the article continues with comments from Dollar General and Walmart CEOs that they are seeing an increasing number of customers running out of money even for essentials before the month is through. And General Mills has even seen a decline in sales of dog treats.