Wilder: How The Globalist Elites Are Using Our Virtues Against Us

 John Wilder recently posted this article: "How The GloboLeft Uses Your Virtue Against You And Why It’s Killing The West." He points out:

     ... Our culture is one that’s based on guilt, rather than shame, so being just comes from within.

    Shame comes from without.  In a shame-based culture (which describes most third world cultures) the idea is that cheating an old widow in Iowa out of her family fortune is acceptable unless you get caught.  It’s clever, and they feel guilt only in being caught.  Ever see any video of a foreigner getting caught doing something wrong on video?

    I know you have.

    What happens is that the shame kicks in.  They can’t and don’t feel guilt over doing evil, only shame for getting caught doing evil.  This explains why India looks like India and Nigeria looks like Nigeria.  Good actions aren’t valued.

But as he discusses, the very virtues that made the West so great is also manipulated by our enemies. It is guilt--particularly guilt over our success--that lies behind so many liberal projects to destroy the West. To the liberal mind, Africa and the rest of the third world is poor because of something white people did, so we must assuage that guilt by importing them, letting them take our jobs, ignore their tribalism, and commit crimes without serious repercussions. As John explains:

    Like Western Civilization, though, cultures that have a large focus on just outcomes are susceptible to propaganda that plays on cultural guilt.  Ever wonder why GloboLeftists pimped the 1619 Project?  Like the entire Civil Rights movement, it was based on creating guilt in people who had committed no crime or offense.

    And it was effective.

    On white people.  But it wouldn’t be on them.

    I think that there still exists a strong fear on the part of white people to say, “Hey, I’d rather live among other white people.”  It sounds scary to them.  Yet, those same people wouldn’t bat an eye if black people wanted their own dorms that excluded whites.

    It’s guilt.  Our virtues have been weaponized against us.  It’s so effective that even British people feel guilt over slavery, even when they effectively ended the international trade in slaves.  Those who do this are, like Epictetus said, using every trick to be Beautiful to try to hide their true ugliness.

    If the shame culture remains a minority in the West, they will work to destroy the white European culture. For example, Anonymous Conservative linked to this article today indicating that "Zelensky Announces Plan to Replace Millions of White Ukrainians with African Migrants." (He apparently takes "never again" quite seriously). 

    And while they may play along with the liberals for a while because the liberals will support more of their kind invading a country, ultimately they will achieve sufficient numbers to elect their own politicians, at which point their tribal nature will resurface. For instance, Instapundit linked to his article from the Small Dead Animals blog, "Diversity Was Their Strength," reporting on Nate Erskine-Smith, a Canadian Member of Parliament who just lost his seat to Ahsanul Hafiz, a Bangladeshi-born business owner who owns 30 Domino’s Pizza franchises. Erskine-Smith probably thought that importing aliens would guarantee his elections indefinitely and is now learning for the first time that immigration has consequences. 

Gun & Prepping News #80

Some links that may be of interest:

• "Are Sub-Machine Guns Really Becoming a Thing of the Past?"--Shooting News Weekly. This is a short excerpt of an article from The Telegraph (which is, unfortunately, behind a paywall). The article appears to address the issue from a military perspective--particularly main line units. But it really comes down to how you define "submachine gun". Because an argument could be made that personal defense weapons (PDWs) for the military are submachine guns. And if it weren't for federal laws on automatic weapons, the strong interest in pistol caliber carbines suggests to me that many civilians would opt for a submachine gun if they could afford them. The lack of range which the article cites as a reason they have fallen out of use with the military is of little consequence to the civilian defender faced with short distances inside a house or business. 
• "Three-Dot Sights Suck and This is Why . . ."--Shooting News Weekly.  I'm not convinced. The theory advanced by the author is that the dots on the rear sight momentarily draw your attention from the front sight and might be confusing. He appears to be arguing for nothing on the rear sight. Perhaps there is some merit to his argument when shooting in daylight, but it is a different story when using tritium in very dim light. 

Chris Baker at Lucky Gunner addressed this same issue in an article entitled "Three-Dot Pistol Sights: Just Say No." He does not push for getting rid of all three-dot systems, "just the miserable little non-illuminated white-on-black 3-dot sights that come stock with almost every new handgun." Why?

 

    The main issue that I have with white three-dot sights is a lack of contrast. All three dots are the same color, and they’re usually about the same size, too. There’s too much competing for my attention.

    This isn’t good for quick sight acquisition or sight tracking during rapid fire. I want some visual aid to help my eyes distinguish that front sight from the rear. Ideally, that means a front sight with some kind of bright, contrasting color to help it stand out.

 

[snip]

 

    ... When I’m pulling the trigger five times per second on a rapid fire string, my eyes need as much help as they can get to see what’s going on. Following the front sight because “it’s in the middle” is a whole lot easier when it doesn’t look identical to the rear sights. In fact, plain black sights would even be preferable to the dots. If they all look the same, they’re more of a distraction than anything. 

 

His recommendation: "Personally, I prefer a two-dot setup with a bright fluorescent front sight and a small dot in the middle of the rear sight notch." But, he adds: "Three dot sights are just fine as long as there is contrast and something that will stand out in low light."

• "Fifty Years Of Pyrodex"--The Firearm Blog. The author begins:

Silly as it might seem, the world of muzzleloaders is constantly upgrading and changing to new technologies (similar to the world of bowhunting—try to figure that one out). But one thing has stayed constant over the past five decades. Pyrodex, the black powder substitute that many front-stuffer shooters prefer for its convenience, is celebrating 50 years on the market.

 The rest of the article discusses the history of Pyrodex. 

• "ATF Rolls Back Biden-Era Gun Rules in Sweeping 34-Policy Shift"--Guns America. The article mentions:

 Among the most notable moves:

•     Rescinding the “Engaged in the Business” rule
•     Rolling back the pistol brace rule
•     Eliminating certain record retention requirements
•     Clarifying what constitutes a “willful” violation of federal law
•     Removing CLEO notification requirements for NFA purchases

• "The Stenzel Industries SAK-21: A Uniquely American AK"--American Rifleman.  An AK for the 21st Century:

While maintaining some basic design features and aesthetics of the Kalashnikov, the SAK-21 makes significant departures. Its receiver is machined out of billet aluminum with a steel trunnion insert, and it has a user-changeable barrel. This design allows for cartridge conversion by swapping out the barrel, bolt and magazine. While currently offered in 7.62x39 mm, there are plans to add 5.56 NATO and other chambering options in the future. Its two-lug rotating bolt that operates in a carrier mimics the AK, but Stenzel has opted to go with a short-stroke gas piston operating system for softer felt recoil and better accuracy. The system is adjustable and tunable for optimized use with suppressors.  

The rifle looks good but out of my price range: it has an MSRP of $4,000. 

• "Ruger LCP MAX Gets Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip Treatment"--The Firearms Blog.  

Ruger has teamed up with Magpul to deliver a new variant of the LCP MAX chambered in .380 Auto, this time wearing Magpul's Enhanced Handgun Grip (EHG). The collaboration brings a purpose-built grip module to one of the smallest and lightest pocket pistols on the market, wrapping it in a package that Ruger says improves control and shootability without growing the platform's footprint.

• "Review: Diamondback 9 mm SDR"--American Rifleman.  The author explains why offer a snub-nosed revolver in 9mm:

As of today, the 9 mm semi-automatic-pistol cartridge is among the most commonly used calibers in the U.S. and worldwide. This contributes to practice-grade and defensive ammunition being readily available and more affordable than some calibers. In fact, shooting a wheelgun chambered in 9 mm can save revolver aficionados money, as 9 mm practice ammo currently costs less than similar .38 Spl. loads.

• "Why Your Holster Retention Feels Too Tight or Too Loose"--Guerilla Tactical.  This article focuses on Kydex holsters. The author notes:

Holster retention can make or break your concealed carry setup, especially in apparel like athletic shorts. If it’s too tight, your draw becomes slow, inconsistent, and frustrating; not to mention it can cause wear on your firearm’s finish. If your holster retention is too loose, your firearm may not stay secure—creating a serious safety concern, especially in a situation where you need to be able to draw comfortably.  

 

He then discusses tips on why your holster retention might be too tight or too loose and tips on adjusting it. 

• "Concealed Carry Corner: Should You Carry The Same Position Every Time?"--The Firearm Blog.  Here is the issue:

There are a number of people who think you should carry the same handgun in the same position no matter what. Others think it's important to be flexible and carry various guns in various positions. Both arguments have their valid points, but what's best?  

For those that believe that you should carry in the same position all the time, I have a one word response: winter.  

• "Skills All Preppers Should Be Learning Today Before Something Devastating Happens"--The Late Prepper. The author lists categories of skills (medicine without a doctor; food from the land not a store; water; mechanical and trade skills; fire, shelter, and navigation; grid down communication) and list several skills for each. For instance, "medicine without a doctor" lists wound care, infection and fever, respiratory illness, and pain management; while the food from the land includes foraging, gardening, hunting, fishing, trapping, and food preservation. I know very bright people that are good at anything they put their hands to and pick up skills quickly. Most of us are not like that. But we can try to learn a bit about each general category and have some basic books and tools, while doing a deep dive into several of the others. For instance, for "medicine without a doctor" we can take a first aid class or two, store and become knowledgeable on how to use a first aid kit and trauma kit, as well as common over the counter medications; and some will take a deep dive in procuring and using antibiotics, or herbal remedies, or advanced medical skills. For the food category, the outdoorsman can learn hunting, fishing and foraging; the gardener can learn to preserve what they grow. 
• "Bugging Out Is the Last Option, So Prepare to Bug In for as Long as Possible"--The Late Prepper. A good article outlining the benefits to bugging in when possible versus bugging out to parts unknown (with the "bugging out" essentially becoming a refugee). The advantages to bugging in basically come down to already having shelter and the resources you have stocked up versus limited resources and not knowing where you will lay your head. 
• "Hunting Boot 101"--American Hunter. A deep dive into hunting boots--different boots for different environments, some brands and materials the author recommends. 
• "Protein Powder as a Survival Food: Is it Any Good?"--Modern Survival Online.  Short take: "Yes, protein powder is a pretty good survival food. It’s an easy and convenient way to carry plenty of easily digested protein and calories with you, and is versatile enough to be prepared and drunk as is or mixed in with other foods. It isn’t, though, nutritionally complete."
• "Roasting coffee on a wood stove"--Backwoods Home Magazine.  I don't drink coffee but some of you may find this useful. The author remarks:

     If you’re just looking for a hot cup of caffeine, instant coffee is the most practical option for storage; it lasts for decades. But if you love a rich cup of coffee and are concerned about the possibility of being without electricity, buy a small manual coffee grinder, an inexpensive pour-over coffee maker, and a selection of green coffee beans.

    Why green coffee beans? They can be purchased online for about half the price of roasted designer coffee beans. They store for at least a year, and if they’re kept cool and dry they can last three years or more.

    Even if there is no electricity, the beans can be roasted on a wood stove. All you need is a cast-iron skillet, a heat-resistant utensil for stirring, a hot wood stove, and a little patience. Be prepared for some smoke. It helps to have a heat-powered stove fan or an open window while roasting.

•  "Mother Nature’s Best Home Remedies"--Homesteading Magazine. The author lists 10 medicinal plants to grow including Great Burdock, Marsh Mallow, and Aloe Vera. The article also includes 10 weeds that have medicinal purposes. 

RPG Saturday: Traveller: 2300

    Traveller: 2300 is a science-fiction roleplaying game from Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1986. As the title suggests, it is intended to take place in 2300 A.D. As such, most of the technology is based on reasonable assumptions of what might be developed in the next few hundred years with the exception of including a faster-than-light (FTL) drive system (because you need someway to get the characters between different star systems without it taking centuries to travel). 

    The background to this game is based off the setting for the Twilight: 2000 game which I blogged about last week--a WWIII breaking out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in 1995. In the aftermath of the war and subsequent recovery, the large powers--the U.S., Russia, and China--broke apart with a concomitant reduction in power. France, on the other hand, saw its star rise again. Thus, by 2300 explored space is split into three main "arms"--the French, the Chinese, and the American. 

    The problem this created is that GDW already had a popular science fiction game called Traveller but the background and FTL technology was very different from Traveller:2300. There was also the issue that a lot of people felt cheated because they bought the game thinking it was a prequel to Traveller, not a sequel to Twilight:2000. GDW quickly (1988) came out with a new edition that made some needed updates to the rules, added aliens and a more blatant militarized setting, and renamed the game to just 2300 AD. But probably because of the initial confusion, it didn't do very well. Seems like there is a marketing lesson in there.

    The boxed set came with two rule books--a Player's Manual and a Referee's Manual (48 and 49 pages each, respectively)--a local star map (to about 50 light years from Earth), a near star list, a booklet with various forms used in the game, and a short introductory adventure called "The Tricolor's Shadow," and a set of dice. 

    The Player's Manual contains a historical and political background for the setting, an overview of technology and the interstellar colonies, the nations of Earth and their respective colonies, rules on character generation, rules and information about the equipment, weapons, and vehicles available to the characters, as well as information on using the near star map.

    The Referee's Manual has some background about life on the interstellar frontier, before setting out the basic rules on tasks and task resolution, combat and combat resolution, star travel, space combat, listings of ships, world generation and mapping, non-player characters, and animal encounters.  

     The basic rule mechanic is role 1d10 with a success on a 7 or higher for routine tasks; but easier or harder tasks are multiples of 4 lower or higher, respectively. A natural role of 0 is always a failure. "Assets"--skills, attributes, etc.--can act as positive modifiers. Failure result in consulting the failure table. 

    Basic combat is handled with essentially the same procedure, but with some special rules for combat with firearms, melee combat, or involving vehicles. For instance, the procedure for firearms can depend on whether you are engaged in aimed fire or area fire. There are also special rules when moving and for using cover. Misses with weapons using exploding rounds (including hand grenades) results in a deviation where it strikes. And indirect fire has its own rules as well. 

     There are also different types of damages depending on the weapon: normal, blunt, and stun. The amount of damage depends on the hit location and can be a "kill", a "serious wound," or a "light wound." And yet, depending on the power of the weapon, you must still roll for specific weapon effects. To be honest, though, when playing the game, my friends and I would just assign a number of points of damage for each of the three results and give up the complexity of figuring out the various results. 

    Even though I bought this in my last year or high school, I didn't actually play it until much later after I was married and had kids and had a few friends that would get together every couple of weeks for game. I liked the idea of a near future type setting, although I developed my own background and different political situation. 

    As I mentioned above, other than the FTL drive, the technology envisioned is all something that is similar to what we have now or logical progression from current technologies. Although there are some laser small arms, the majority of small arms are firearms using caseless ammo. There is no antigravity. There is no artificial gravity: spacecraft have to rely on spin gravity. Although a few worlds have space elevators, rockets are still used to get items to orbit. Most spacecraft, if they have weapons, used missiles. 

    When I got around to the creating a background, I tweaked it a bit by adding more biotechnology (which allowed an uplifted species), Gauss weapons, drones and artificial life forms, a different history and political setting, and introduced ruins of an advanced alien civilization for the characters to find. Although the game is really intended to revolve around the characters being involved in quasi-military type adventures, I preferred something leaning more toward mysteries and exploration. 

     According to Wikipedia, the setting was revived under the name 2320 AD as a setting for the Traveller20 game. Most recently, Mongoose Publishing, which has been publishing an updated set of rules for the Traveller roleplaying game came out with an 2300 AD supplement. I thought it disappointing. Others must have as well, because Mongoose came out with a greatly expanded supplement, but for $99 plus shipping, I decided I wasn't that interested. 

     I couldn't find a good video review of the original Traveller: 2300 game from 1986. The short video about it is really just a look at what comes in the boxed set. But I found a more detailed overview of the 2300 AD version that came out in 1988. 

 VIDEO: "Role Playing Games - Traveller 2300"
The Dusted Game Shelf (7 min.)

 

 VIDEO: "Traveller 2300ad (GDW 1988) | Retro RPG"
RPGGamer (23 min.) 

The UFO Videos Released By The War Department

Most of the video is of small ball shaped objects or things, showing up white (i.e., hot) in thermal. The more interesting shapes are saved for the last 7 or 8 minutes of the video. Interestingly, quite a few of the objects show a faint tail behind them like smoke or mirage, although whether it is heated air (my theory) or an artifact of the video (e.g., the object was so hot that the sensor showing a bit of afterglow, sort of like dragging a magnet across a CRT) is beyond my knowledge. 

But the Pentagon released more than just these videos, but also a bunch of documents. A couple articles that go over some highlights:

• "US military aircraft encountered ‘super-hot’ orb during nighttime search mission near government site, Pentagon’s UFO files reveal"--New York Post. 
• "'Super-hot' orbs chased US fighter jets in terrifying close encounter reported in UFO files"--Daily Mail. An excerpt:

    One heavily redacted FBI report described a senior US intelligence officer recounting a nighttime mission in a remote mountain range near a classified government site.

    According to the report, intelligence personnel, federal agents and helicopter crews were dispatched after local staff repeatedly reported seeing strange glowing 'orbs' and hearing loud 'thuds' near the mountains.

    But when the team arrived, they allegedly encountered swarms of highly maneuverable objects that appeared extremely hot on thermal cameras despite flying through the darkness.

    The report stated that the unidentified orbs easily outran military helicopters before later pursuing fighter aircraft called in to intercept them.

    At one point during the encounter, a co-pilot aboard the lead helicopter reportedly watched one orb split into two separate objects before another object suddenly 'emerged' from the formation and shot away at high speed.

    Another section of the FBI records detailed alleged encounters with mysterious crewmen said to be between three and a half and four feet tall, 'wearing what appear to be space suits and helmets,' who reportedly exited unidentified flying objects.

    Using night-vision goggles and FLIR thermal cameras, the 2025 intelligence team spotted the first 'super-hot' glowing orb hovering near the ground around 10pm local time.

    The intelligence officer revealed that the UFO moved extremely fast before splitting into two objects. Pilots reported that it was too quick for the helicopters to chase.

    Roughly 16 minutes later, a large swarm of lights which was described as containing 'too many to count' appeared and flew around in all directions, mostly heading south.

    Within ten minutes of this gathering, multiple groups of the bright orbs began to emit light in all directions. The report described the objects as oval-shaped and orange with a white or yellow center.

    The orb swarm then 'flared up' or brightened one at a time in a horizontal line, stayed stationary for ten to 15 seconds, then 'flared down' or dimmed in reverse order and disappeared.

    The agent told the FBI that this happened several times; sometimes with two orbs and other times with four or six, and sometimes with the UFOs forming up in a triangle formation.

    Some orbs appeared very close to the helicopter, getting within ten feet, while others hovered directly over the squadron of military training aircraft sent to assist the intelligence team.

    When the five fighter jets arrived, the orbs seemed to break away from the helicopters and pursued the jets at high speed.

  

 VIDEO: "WATCH ALL of the UFO Videos Released by the Pentagon"
New York Post (35 min.)

VIDEO: Why Chamber Loading Hurts Your Pistol

 Chamber loading is where you drop or push a cartridge into the chamber and then release the slide. Most people probably do this to avoid having to chamber a round from a full magazine, then remove the magazine and load a new round into the magazine to top it off--in other words, due to laziness.

It is not an issue on some semi-auto pistols, but most semi-auto pistols--including all those using a Browning type action--use a controlled feed design: it is designed so the as the cartridge is pushed off the top of the magazine by the slide and into the chamber, the rear of the cartridge moves from a slanted angle to a horizontal position, and the rim slides in behind the extractor claw. Letting the slide slam onto a cartridge already in the chamber means that the extractor is forced over the rim which can cause wear and tear or even break the extractor.   

VIDEO: "How Chamber Loading Hurts Your Handgun"
Paul W. (4 min.)

Weekend Reading #55

Some longer and more involved reading for the weekend:

•  First up is the most recent newsletter from Defensive Pistolcraft. Jon Low includes a thoughtful quote from Joe Shahoud:

     Here's something nobody tells you about defensive shooting . . .  The range is lying to you.  Not on purpose.  But every time you show up, plant your feet, take your stance, and run your drills in perfect sequence, your brain is quietly building a false sense of security.  It's cataloging all that repetition and whispering "you've got this" when the reality is that real defensive scenarios don't care about your routine, your comfort zone, or how clean your draw looked on a Tuesday afternoon. 

      Real threats are chaotic.  They're fast.  They close distance before your brain has even finished processing what's happening.  And the shooter who freezes isn't always the one who doesn't know how to shoot.  Sometimes it's the one who only knows how to shoot when everything feels controlled.  

     That gap between "I can shoot" and "I can defend myself under pressure" is a big one.  Most people don't find out how big until it's too late to do anything about it.  

    Jon recounted a class he assisted with training where they used a variety of balloons--some were targets and some represented innocents (bystanders, family members, etc.). There were real consequences to shoot an innocent--they had to sit out the rest of the shooting drills. Just ctrl-F and search for "balloon" and you should find it. 

    I liked this excerpt from an Tim Larkin:

... A man full of adrenaline can ignore pain.  He can push through burning muscles, absorb strikes that would stop someone else cold, override discomfort entirely.  But he cannot override a mechanically broken structure.  A shattered knee does not hold weight.  It doesn't matter how many fights he's survived.  A crushed throat does not breathe.  It doesn't matter how angry he is.  An overloaded carotid shuts the brain off like a light switch.  It doesn't care what he bench presses.  That distinction.  Pain versus Injury.  That is what changes everything.   

 And another from Larkin:

      I don't use a shot timer in the classes that I teach.  Because I don't teach that type of class.  I tell my students that we are going to do everything slowly and correctly.  It is then up to them to practice on their own to develop the ability to do the task quickly.  Speed will come automatically with practice.  Just as starting your car and driving out of the parking space can be done quickly, because you've done it so many times.  

I sometimes wonder when I see videos of various classes and read of the high round counts, whether the class is less about instruction and more about practice. Class is for teaching, and your range sessions, dry fire, etc., is for practice.  In the same vein, Jon writes:

     In classical (normal) chess, the chess clock is not to force you to play fast.  It is to prevent you from winning by forcing your opponent to die of old age. 

      Similarly, the shot timer should not be used to force you to shoot faster, faster than you can see, faster than you can think.  Rather, the par time beep is to prevent you from dithering.  To encourage you to be decisive.  

     Subtle, but important.  Most training and practice is done in the mind, not the body.  Getting your attitude right.  Getting your mindset right.  

     Taking classes to learn the correct fundamentals is essential.  But once you know what you're supposed to do, dry practice and visualization are by far the best methods to perfect and engrain skills.  The report and recoil of live fire are gross distractions, that cause all kinds of autonomic nervous system responses.  Best to avoid the distraction, and dry practice or visualize in your bedroom after waking up and before going to sleep.  That's what world class Olympic athletes do.  It will work for you.   

Jon has some more tips on using the shot timer, as well as tons more links and commentary, so read the whole thing. 

• Greg Ellifritz has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump at his Active Response Training blog.  A few links that stood out:
• An article from Empty Cases on the speed loads and why you are probably better off moving to cover if you run out of ammo over attempting an immediate reload. Greg also comments that you are better spending your practice time becoming more proficient on hitting your targets than practicing speed reloads.
• A couple articles explaining the recent rule changes coming from the ATF.
• An interview with Steve “Yeti” Fisher on AR magazines. Because he wants magazines that work with a wide range of bullet weights, he recommends the Gen 3 Magpuls or  D&H/”Hartford” (NHMTG) metal magazines. He also relates that he likes using the shorter 20 round magazines when shooting prone or off a bipod or bag. He also uses 20 round magazines as a means to separate his heavier bullets weights (in the 20 rounders) from the lighter bullet weights (in the 30 rounders), or when he is operating the AR out of a bag (because it easier to get in or out without it catching on stuff).
•  A guide on lubing Glock pistols.

And a lot more, so be sure to check it out.

• While you are at Active Response Training, also check out Greg's article on "'Mass Shootings' versus Active Killer Attacks." Mass shootings, Greg explains, generally happen when gang bangers start killing each other. Because they will not be specifically targeting you, your biggest risk is taking a bullet by accident or mistake. You primary goal is to get out of the way of the shooters and get away from the scene. Active shooters, however, generally operate alone and their goal is a high body count. 
• From Outdoor Life: "'Why You Shoot Your Uncle for an Elk?' There Was a Time When Hunting Was Much More Dangerous" by Jack O'Connor. The article is a reprint of a 1973 article, but the editors comment: "Hunting accidents were much more common in the mid-century — before the advent of mandatory hunter safety courses. Hunting is now a relatively safe sport." From what I've read, hunting is actually one of the safest sports--far safer than most school sports. In any event, the article is why someone on a hunt might mistake another hunter as a legitimate game target. An excerpt:

    I have been shot at only once. That was many years ago in the high plateau country of central Arizona. Deer and turkey seasons both were open. I was pussyfooting along through the yellow pines and Gambel oaks on one side of a canyon, hoping to see a bunch of turkeys before they saw me. It was about 8 a.m. on a bright sunny day, but the air had been cold during the night and the frost on the grass was just beginning to melt. I saw a good deal of fresh turkey sign, and I thought the birds would probably be feeding in the sun to get last night’s cold out of their bones.

    Across the canyon at a distance of 300 yards or so I had from time to time seen another hunter. I had looked at him once with a funny little French binocular I had at the time. He was wearing a pair of blue bib overalls, a green sweater, and a blue stocking cap.

    Suddenly I heard the crack-boom of a bullet fired in my direction — the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier followed by the boom that is the report of the rifle. That bullet passed within prob-ably 15 or 20 feet of me. I shouted. Across the canyon I could see the other hunter kneeling and aiming at me. I let out another yell and threw myself behind a log on the ground. Again I heard the crack-boom as the bullet came my way.

    I crawled around to one end of the log and peeked. The hunter was still on one knee with his rifle trained toward my log. My life was in jeopardy, and yelling had done no good. I had to take radical action. I switched off the safety of my .30/06 and fired a shot close enough to the hunter to make him aware of my presence. He leaped to his feet and ran.

    Later in the day I ran into him. 

    “Ah,” I said. “You’re the guy who took a pot-shot at me this morning. What in the hell did you think I was?”

    At first he denied shooting at me, but then he admitted that he had shot at a turkey across a canyon and was very much astonished when the turkey shot back. How a tall guy in a 10-gallon hat and a red-plaid shirt resembled a turkey was something he was a bit vague about. 

A fellow student I knew in my university days related a similar story from an elk hunt. He had crested a hill when some hunters started shooting at him from a road down below. He put an end to that by putting a round from his rifle into the side of their pickup truck. They quickly jumped into their truck and took off. 

VIDEO: Is Carrying A 5-Shot Snub Nose "Stupid"?

The author lays out a strong case for why the 5-shot snub nosed revolver is a good concealed carry choice for him. 

 VIDEO: "Why I Still Carry a 5-Shot Revolver in 2026"
Ratmothy (20 min.)

Some Firearms Are "Just Because"

A recently came across a video from Paul Harrell from about seven years ago comparing the Walther PPK/S against the Bersa Thunder .380. About 3/4 of the way through the video, as he was doing his wrap up, Paul related an incident where he had gone with a friend to a gun show to help him select a pistol. His friend was looking for a PPK (not the /S model) and specifically one in .32 ACP. Paul convinced him to purchase one in .380 because it was going to be a better choice for self defense. As he relates, this was a mistake on his part:

Now Joe did want to get a good gun that could be called upon if he needed it; but what I didn't understand, and this was a big mistake on my part, is that what he really wanted was to be able to say that he has James Bond's gun. (This would have been back just after the Roger Moore days when he still had a PPK in caliber 32 ACP). Because it was important to Joe to be able to say something like Walther PPK caliber 7.65 millimeter or however the line goes; and although that kind of thing is totally irrelevant to some of us it is very important to some people to say they have Dirty Harry's gun or as I heard somebody say once this is just like the gun they use on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea or in some cases being able to say they've James Bond's gun.  

Shortly after that, following some recommended links at Massad Ayoob's blog at the Backwoods Home Magazine site, I happened across an article he had written in 2013 entitled "Just Because." In it, Ayoob started out:

    I generally recommend that people buy guns the way they’d buy power tools, or automobiles, or homes. Assess your needs, analyze your budget, correlate it all with your ability to utilize the thing you’re buying, and you’ll probably be happy with your purchase and get a lot of productive use out of it.

    It’s the logical thing. Unfortunately, we humans are not always creatures of logic. Sometimes, we are creatures of emotion, and anyone who has dealt with emotion-driven arguments that are without logic — oh, most of the “gun control” arguments, for example — know the downside of that. But emotion isn’t always a bad thing.

From there, he went on to describe certain firearms he has, and sometimes wears on his belt, because of nostalgia, sentiment, or because it was a "grail gun"--something he'd always wanted and finally had the means to get. Or, as the title put it, firearms selected and used "just because" rather than pure logic.

    I too have a few firearms that I purchased just because. I've written before that the reason I purchased a Beretta 84 was not because I researched it and decided it would make a great concealed carry gun--I had never even picked one up before I purchased one--but because one was prominently displayed on the cover of one of my favorite roleplaying games when I was a teenager: TSR's Top Secret. Because of that, it was, to me, the quintessential "spy" gun--even more so than the Walther PPK. So when surplus models started coming into the country for low prices, I snatched one up. That it turned out to be a very nice carry gun was just an added bonus. 

VIDEO: Review of the Taurus Deputy Single Action Revolver

This video looks at the features of the Taurus Deputy single action revolver (there is a separate shooting review video). As you can tell from the thumb nail photo, this revolver is modeled after the Colt SAA revolver, even offering the "4 click" hammer cock. The main feature that sets this revolver apart from others is that if comes with two cylinders: a .38 Special/.357 Magnum cylinder and a 9mm cylinder. Given that 9mm is easier to find and often less expensive, it is a nice option. The other nice feature of this revolver, in my mind, is that it uses a transfer bar safety system so it is safe to carry a fully loaded cylinder with the hammer down. 

 VIDEO: "This Revolver Shoots 3 Different Calibers | Taurus Deputy Review"
Hook & Barrel Magazine (5 min.)

VIDEO: .380 - Does An Extra Inch Of Barrel Matter?

Short answer: Yes. Yes it does.

Longer answer: Well, you will have to watch the video for that. The author compares three pistols with varying barrel lengths: the 2.75" Kimber Micro .380, the 3.25" Glock G42, and the 3.81" Beretta 84, shooting Federal 95 grain FMJ and Hornady 90 grain Critical Defense. The half inch difference between the Kimber and the Glock was negligible but the longer barrel of the Beretta made a significant difference versus the Kimber and Glock: 60 fps faster with the Winchester ammo and 80 and 60 fps faster than the Kimber and Glock, respectively, using the Hornady. 

VIDEO: "380acp - Does an Extra Inch of Barrel Length Matter?"
The Bacon Nation (13 min.)