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Gun & Prepping News #104

 Some links that may be of interest: 

• "Smith & Wesson Announces Acquisition of Savage Arms"--The Firearm Blog.  Not sure what I think about this because my fear is that S&W (or more accurately, its investors and managers) will not do anything to improve Savage, but just suck it dry. 
• "Don’t Become a Fudd: A How-To Guide" by Tamara Keel at Recoil. Keel has essentially redefined "Fudd" to mean a firearm Luddite unwilling to let go of yesteryear's technology. I have to agree with one of the comments, which pointed out that it was originally used to denote the gun owners who thought that the Second Amendment only applied to traditional hunting arms and were willing to throw other gun owners under the bus. The archetype of this was the once popular shooting and hunting writer, Jim Zumbo, who threw his career away after penning a rant in 2007 against hunters using AR style rifles in hunting camps, going so far as to call them "terrorist" rifles. I also question the point of Keel's article. Is she suggesting that those who enjoy Cowboy Action Shooting somehow lesser gunowners? Or those who focus on using black powder firearms? 
• I guess per Keel this must be an article for Fudds: "Colt Python Is Back: Should You Buy New or Vintage?"--Guns America. Basically it comes down to whether you want one for shooting or one for its collectors value. If the former, buy a new Python; and if not, buy one of the original Pythons. An excerpt:

    Calling the new revolver a “copy” of the old Python misses the point. The new gun is better understood as Colt taking the old Python’s visual identity and shooting personality, then rebuilding the mechanical package around manufacturing methods that did not exist when the original was introduced in 1955.

    Colt added roughly 30 percent more steel around the top-strap area and simplified the action considerably. Several assemblies in the original became single modern components, cutting friction points and making consistent production possible without the extraordinary amount of hand fitting that helped make old Pythons both wonderful and expensive.

    Does that mean the new trigger is worse because somebody with a stone and a lifetime of experience did not personally whisper encouragement to every engagement surface? Not necessarily. Reviews of the revived Python have repeatedly found exceptionally smooth double-action pulls and crisp single-action breaks. Some experienced shooters actually prefer the consistency of the modern action.

    That does not make the guns the same. A 1960s Royal Blue Python is a mechanical artifact from a particular era of American gunmaking. A 2026 Python is a modern production revolver built to be used. Pick your flavor of romance. 

• "300 Blackout vs. 300 HAMR"--Field & Stream. From the lede:

Up until the introduction of the 300 Blackout, the only mini 0.30-caliber cartridge anyone was shooting out of an AR15, or mini bolt-action rifle, was the 7.62×39 Russian. Unfortunately, as wonderful as the 300 Blackout was for subsonic shooting, it could not compete with the 7.62×39 in terms of performance. This left those wanting to hunt big game with an AR15 or mini bolt-action rifle looking for a cartridge that could compete with the century-old 30-30 Winchester. Wilson Combat filled that need with the 300 HAMR, but a lot of shooters are unfamiliar with it or don’t know how it differs from the 300 Blackout. We’re going to clear that up. 

• "Machine Gun Theory and Doctrine"--The Firearm Blog. I wish this article actually covered the theory and doctrine of using machine guns, but it doesn't. However, it does have some history about the adoption of the machine gun, particularly focusing on Russia and the Soviet Union. 
• From the same author: "The Soviet AK-74 Inspiration"--The Firearm Blog. The Soviets were impressed enough with the performance of the M16 and its .223 cartridge in Vietnam, that they developed their own small caliber round and adopted it as their standard infantry round. 
• "Taurus Gives the TX22 a New Twist With a Folding Brace Option"--The Truth About Guns.  The author begins:

    I’ve said before that the Taurus TX22 is one of my favorite .22 pistols, and it may well be my favorite of all time. The ergonomics are excellent, it has great magazine capacity, and mine has happily digested pretty much any .22 LR ammunition I’ve stuffed into it. It’s also a great suppressor host, which is always a plus in my book. Mine is an early model, though, from before Taurus started offering optics-ready slides. The latest addition to the TX22 lineup addresses that and adds another interesting feature to the mix.

    Taurus just announced the Brace-Ready TX22, which combines the updated TX22 platform with the option of a Strike Industries FSA Lite folding stabilizing brace. It’s an interesting combination that looks like it could make an already fun pistol even more entertaining at the range.

You're not limited to the Strike Industries brace, however, as the pistol's attachment point is a Pic rail, so you should be able to mount other braces or stocks. It also comes ready to mount an optic. I also understand that there are forced reset trigger mechanisms available for this pistol. 

• Another review: "Taurus TX22 Braced Review: The TX22 With a Folding Brace"--Guns America.

• Liberals are a plague on humanity: "San Diego County Sues 3D Filament Manufacturer Over 'Ghost Guns'."--The Firearm Blog. The article reports that "San Diego County is suing Polymaker, a producer of 3D filament material. The county says Polymaker is purposefully selling its material to California residents, enabling them to make so-called “ghost guns” through 3D printing processes." Maybe they will next be suing companies that sell files or screwdrivers. 
• "Gladwell Says Better Trauma Care Masks America’s Homicide Toll"--The Truth About Guns. The author relates:

    Malcolm Gladwell has a theory about why gun control isn’t a bigger political issue in America, and it has nothing to do with the guns themselves. It has to do with the doctors.

    In a wide-ranging Time magazine interview with Belinda Luscombe promoting his new book, The American Way of Killing (out Sept. 29), Gladwell argued that the skill of modern trauma surgeons is quietly holding down the murder statistics that would otherwise drive public outrage.

Gladwell suggests that "if you froze the quality of medical care at 1960 levels, the United States would see roughly 75,000 homicides a year. Instead, the actual figure sits around 12,000." I'm sure that good trauma care does depress the number of shootings that result in death, but Gladwell is exaggerating the estimates to support his position:

 Gladwell’s statistic isn’t invented, but it’s stretched to the top of the range. The original source is a 2002 study in Homicide Studies by Anthony Harris, Stephen Thomas, Gene Fisher and David Hirsch — Murder & Medicine: The Lethality of Criminal Assault 1960-1999 — which the DOJ’s own Office of Justice Programs library hosts. That study concluded that without medical advances, the U.S. would see “45,000 to 70,000 homicides a year instead of an actual 15,000 to 20,000.” A 45,000-to-70,000 range. Gladwell rounds up past the ceiling to 75,000 in the interview and to “75 to 80,000” in his podcast telling. The underlying academic finding is real. The specific figure he cites in interviews isn’t quite what the paper said.

But given that 250,000 people die each year in the United States due to medical negligence, perhaps Gladwell should be arguing for more outrage against doctors and hospitals.

• "Chestnuts and Various Nuts Compared"--The Survival Gardner. An excerpt:

    The American chestnut tree used to dominate the forests of the Eastern United States before the introduction of the chestnut blight that destroyed almost every single tree. Though we haven’t found a good American chestnut that will survive here yet, if one is discovered, we’ll plant as many as we can.

    For now, the Dunstan (which has some American genes) and the Chinese chestnut do great, even if they are tiny trees compared to the towering American chestnuts of the past.

    Chestnuts don’t need perfect soil and thrive in zones 5-9, and can probably be zone-pushed into zone 4 as well with a decent microclimate.  

RPG Saturday: Mongoose Traveller Character Creation

Traveller is a role playing game that was first released in 1977 but has been updated over the years. I posted a review of the original game earlier this year, and followed it up with a look at the most recent version of the game published by Mongoose Publishing. The video below discusses character creation using the Mongoose rules. There is also an online tool for the Mongoose character creation: "Mongoose Traveller 2e Character Creator" at DJV's Web Pages.

 VIDEO: "Traveller: Part 2 - Character Creation"
Seth Skorkowsky (40 min.)

The Problem With PCCs Isn't The Concept, But The Government

(Note: This is a significantly updated version of a post I made several years ago). 

 

Pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) are the Rodney Dangerfield of firearms: they get no respect. The primary complaint seems to be that they are the size of the rifle, but lack the stopping power of a true rifle round. For instance, just a few days ago I had referenced an article, "Pistol vs Rifle Cartridges: There is a Difference" from Shoot On, which asked why you would use a pistol to stop a threat if you had a rifle available. Lucky Gunner has made the same point with regard to PCCs:

 

But if you’ve already decided to use a long gun, why would you get one chambered for the weaker cartridge of a pistol? Pistol caliber carbines are the worst of both worlds. They are feeble and anemic like pistols but carry the size penalty of a rifle. 

 

Back in 2017, when Nathanial F. still wrote for The Firearm Blog, he also argued that PCCs did not make any sense except as a range toy. And Warrior Poet Society released a video and article in 2022 going over the pros and cons of PCCs, and mostly finding cons. 

 

    When you look at these articles, the primary arguments against PCCs are that they don't solve a problem in a world filled with ARs because they lack the range, accuracy, ability to penetrate body armor, and terminal ballistics of a defensive rifle. (And, other than the body armor issues, you see the same arguments against using them for hunting unless you are simply going to use them for pest control).  

    What is being described in the article are the arguments on why submachine guns disappeared from military armories after the advent of small caliber select fire rifles in 5.56 (or 5.45 for the Soviets/Russians). But that such weapons are largely unneeded on the battlefield, even taking into account urban warfare, does not mean that they are unneeded or obsolete for the civilian at self-defense distances. In reality, the problem with the modern PCC for self protection isn't a result of anemic cartridges, but that government regulation has stuck us in an environment where the potential advantages have been outlawed and so we are instead stuck with pistol caliber weapons in a rifle body and with a rifle length barrel. 

    This isn't necessarily a detriment for all PCCs. Cartridges like the .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, etc., are in a whole different category from rimless pistol cartridges. If you look at the data collected from the Ballistics-By-The-Inch project, you will notice that these rimmed revolver cartridges not only benefit from longer barrels, but their velocities continue to show appreciable gains in velocity all of the way out to 18-inch barrels. For instance, a .357 Magnum load of Federal 125 gr. JHP has a gain in muzzle velocity of 932 fps between a 2 inch and 9 inch barrel. Going from 9 to 17 inch, we see a gain of 145 fps. And from 17 to 18 inches, we see another gain of 46 fps. I've seen other tests that have shown a .357 Magnum out of a 16-inch barrel is comparable to a .30 Carbine, and a .44 Magnum can be a good deer round out of a carbine. In short, then, I believe that the lever action pistol caliber carbines in .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum are practical.

    The same cannot be said for pistol cartridges intended for semi-auto pistols. Their velocities tend to plateau at the 8 to 10 inch mark and there is relatively little increase past that point. For instance, taking Federal 124 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP as an example, you will see a gain in velocity between 2 and 9 inches of 312 fps. From 9 to 11 inches, there is 0 gain in velocity. From 9 to 17 inches, there is only a gain of 38 fps. At 18 inches, the velocity drops 19 fps, erasing half of the gain from 9 to 17 inches! In fact, all but two Cor-Bon loads saw declines in velocity between 17 and 18 inch barrels. Federal 155 gr. Hydra-Shok JHP in .40 S&W shows a similar pattern. From 2 to 9 inches, you see an increase in muzzle velocity of 325 fps. From 9 inches to 17 inches, we see a gain of only 37 fps, and from 17 to 18 inches, we see only a 9 fps gain--most other loadings actually show a decline in muzzle velocity. 10 mm fares only a little better. Looking at the Federal 180 gr. Hydra-Shok load, we see a gain of 338 between 2 and 9 inches. From 9 to 17 inches, we see a gain of only 30 fps. From 17 to 18 inches, there is still a slight gain in this loading, 23 fps, but most of the other loadings show a decline in muzzle velocity. In short, the PCC firing a rimless cartridge like 9mm or .45 ACP will not show much increase in performance beyond an 8-inch barrel and so a 16-inch barrel is useless, or worse than useless because it adds unnecessary length and weight. 

 

    Conversely, with such short barrels, ballistics and reliability of the gas system become questionable with a 5.56 system. The Small Arms Defense Journal published a piece in 2023 entitled: "Barrel Length Studies in 5.56mm NATO Weapons" by Jason M. Wong. A couple points that are notable. First, he points out:

 

Short barreled gas operated weapons, of which the AR-15/M4 platform is of interest, pose increasing reliability errors with decreasing barrel length.  The prime reason is that as the barrel is shortened, there is decreased dwell time of the projectile in the bore after passing the gas port.  This makes timing more difficult, and adding muzzle accessories (such as a sound suppressor) will cause serious reliability issues, such as faster cycling. ...

Second, as to terminal ballistics, he explains: "To generate a lethal wound channel, the M855 projectile must have a velocity of at least 2,500 ft/sec on impact with the target.  Below that critical velocity, the M855 bullet simply drills a 1/4 inch hole in the target, which too frequently is not lethal unless it passes through a vital structure. ... The critical velocity of 2,500 ft/sec was in a barrel between 9 and 10 inches in length, which further shows the folly of considering a 7-inch barrel for this cartridge." In short, then, when talking about short barrelled weapons, you potentially lose the ballistic advantage offered by the rifle round; and probably much of the reliability as well, which brings us back to the PCC. 

 

    The real reason that we do not see more value from PCC weapons is because of government restrictions. Historically the PCC provided one or both of the following: 

1. It had a stock making it better for shooting at longer range, whether as a weapon built around a stock, or by being able to attach a stock to a pistol (and while such weapons probably did not see a lot of use in the West, that wasn't true in the wars in China in the early 20th Century due to Western embargoes on importing submachine guns).  
2. Allowed for automatic fire in a size smaller than a machine gun or select fire "battle rifle". And, with a stock attached, made such automatic fire fairly controllable at anti-personnel distances. In this respect, I am particularly thinking of the submachine gun. And in the latter regard, because they could make use of a simple blow back, open bolt mechanism, they could be made in a smaller form factor than most combat rifles, even assault rifles.

    Government regulation has consistently outlawed most of the characteristics that made PCCs valuable. The restrictions on short-barreled rifles essentially quashed any development of standard style pistols to which stocks could be affixed or production of short barrelled carbines (although the availability of pistol braces changed that situation somewhat). 

    Similarly, the passage of the National Firearms Act, which was intended to prevent civilians from being able to stand up to their government, has all but removed automatic weapons from civilian hands; and since no new weapons can be sold, it has effectively destroyed any development of new or better designs. While modern military doctrine largely eschews using automatic fire from combat rifles (essentially taking the "assault" out of "assault rifle"), in a civilian context, a small machine pistol or submachine gun would be a viable alternative to a shotgun, only shooting more effective projectiles than your standard 00 Buck. A point brought up by Timothy J. Mullin in his book, The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun.

    Finally, at the apogee of submachine gun and machine pistol development, manufacturers were able to develop some very small form factors such as we see with the Sterling submachine gun, or the Uzi submachine gun:

British Sterling Submachine Gun

This Dutch soldier appears to be using an Uzi or Mini-Uzi submachine gun.

But because of the prohibition on open-bolt designs, we typically see much larger weapons than is actually necessary for pistol caliber designs.

    Now I'm not saying that the answer is to go back to the Uzi or Sterling, or even open bolt designs. My point is that, but for anti-gun laws and regulations, we would have updated designs using more modern materials and capable of mounting optics and lights. And, in fact, with the development and popularity of pistol braces, we have started to see such developments. Hopefully, with some of the changes to enforcement of the NFA and a favorable judicial decision on forced-reset-triggers, we will see even more innovation. Because I do believe there is a legitimate argument for civilians having a stocked, light weight, short barreled, rapid-fire carbine shooting something with less recoil, flash, and sound than a rifle round or shotgun. 

VIDEO: Don't Pop Up From Behind Cover

Shouldn't be so close to the car, either.

 VIDEO: "Don't Pop Over Cover" -- Compose (25 sec.)

Anniversary of Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing

Today is the 43rd anniversary of Hezbollah's 1983 truck bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut when the U.S. foolishly tried to keep a peacekeeping force in the city after the Israeli invasion. Per Wikipedia, "[t]he attack killed 307 people: 241 U.S. and 58 French military personnel, six civilians and both the attackers." The explosives were supplied by Iran and the driver of the truck carrying the bomb was Iranian. We should have launched military strikes against Iran at the time, but I guess better late than never. The incident also illustrates the stupidity of not having loaded weapons as both the guards' rifles and the crew served weapons overlooking the approach were unloaded per guidelines issued to the Marines. 

Of Course: "Iwo Jima Statue’s Beheader Is an Illegal Alien"

The man who took a sledgehammer to the Iwo Jima Memorial statue outside the Marine basic at Quantico, Va., has been identified as Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, and he is an illegal alien and former DACA recipient whose legal status expired this year. The article relates: 

Melugin explained, “Per federal sources, Soriano illegally crossed into the U.S. in December 1999. He was granted DACA by the Obama administration in 2014 and had it extended for years, most recently by the Biden admin in 2024, but he lost his DACA status in August of this year when it wasn’t renewed by the Trump administration.” 

Life In A Diverse Country

 From the New York Post: "Heroic South African dad kills armed carjacker in gunfight with gang as he shields daughter from bullets." There is a video also showing the interior of the car and the father shielding his daughter with his body as he returns fire on the five gang members. One was killed by a shot to the head and four fled the scene. 

    Wild video showed the dad unleashing a volley of shots at the thieves who had seemingly eyed an opportunity to wreak havoc on his family just four days after moving into their Pinetown, South Africa home.

    The dad – identified as Sidney Hill – pulled out of his driveway late on Oct. 9 when he suddenly came under fire from two armed men who had jumped out of the back of a Renault Kiger.

    He then whipped out his gun from his waistband and retaliated – all while protecting his terrified daughter sitting next to him, the video shows.

    During the shootout, some 27 shots rang out in just 14 seconds — with one hitting one of the gang in the head, killing him. 

Another Milestone In The French Civil War

The Daily Mail reports that a man armed with a WWII-era Sten submachine gun drove through a Muslim neighborhood shooting at people. The article further relates:

    The gunman seemed intent on ‘causing as many casualties as possible’, according to Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh, who described the rampage as ‘racist [and] probably Islamophobic’.

    Gunshots were reported at several locations including a playground as the attacker attempted to ‘cause carnage’, Mr Rabeh added.

    A man of African origin aged 26 was killed while a 12-year-old girl was seriously wounded after being shot eight times. Two men, aged 29 and 49, have been taken to hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries.

    Mayor of La Verriere, Nicolas Dainville, said the suspect was of a ‘European type’ while France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken up the case as a suspected terrorist incident.

    They are investigating whether the acts targeted the ‘real or supposed race, ethnicity, nationality or religion’ of the victims.

    During his arrest, Kevin T ‘made no secret... [that] he was there to kill people he considered to be of foreign origin,’ according to local MP Laurent Mazaury.  

Latest Gov UFO Dump: Mysterious Black Triangles

The latest UFO dumps from the government include accounts of fast moving black triangle shaped craft. From the New York Post: "Mysterious black triangle objects speeding up to 1,800 miles per hour without vapor trails were spotted over secret US military bases on at least three separate occasions over the past year, a newly declassified tranche of government files on UFOs revealed Friday." That is about Mach 2.3. The article continues:

    The triangle sightings raised concerns both for the advanced technology they appeared to use and for the location  — over top secret sites where the US government tests new technology. The exact location and dates of the sightings were redacted for security reasons. 

    Sketches released by the government show the black, triangle-shaped object over a mountainous area. No photos were provided.  

Significantly, "The mysterious triangles made no sounds, showed no exhaust gases and, when scanned with a thermal device, gave off a consistent heat signal — unlike an airplane or drone, which would register at a higher signal around certain spots, like its engine." 

    The Daily Mail reports on other items in the information dump, including allegations that the government did recover bodies from a crash UFO.  From the article:

    The report made public on Friday included testimony from a military officer, whose name was redacted, who claimed he was present at the famous Roswell UFO incident in 1947 and was shown the spacecraft in a hangar known as 'Building 84.'

[snip]

    The officer is believed to be Roswell Army Air Force Base Public Information Officer Walter G Haut, who confirmed that the US had recovered an egg-shaped craft and multiple dead bodies from a New Mexico crash site in early July of that year.

    'I am convinced that what I personally observed was some type of craft and its crew from outer space,' the witness said in a statement given in 2002 and kept secret by the Pentagon.

    The officer added that this wreckage and the aliens were taken to a guarded hangar where he was allowed to see the craft, described as being roughly 12 to 15 feet long and six feet wide with a metallic surface.

    It had no windows, wings, tail or landing gear, and was composed of a strange metal foil described as 'paper thin yet extremely strong.'

    The bodies were placed under a canvas tarpaulin, but the witness report revealed their heads were larger than normal and they were about the same size as a ten-year-old child, standing approximately four feet in height.