Some links that may be of interest:
- "Why Does the .44 Special Keep Hanging On?"--American Rifleman. With Lipsey releasing a Nightguard revolver in .44 Special, the author decided to look into why this cartridge refuses to die, including the following:
Like the .45 Colt, the .44 Special launches large-caliber bullets at moderate velocities. This provides suitable levels of bullet energy at typical handgun distances. This round has been used successfully to harvest medium-sized game, including whitetail deer and hogs, along with smaller game at closer ranges of around 75 yards or less. Although it would not be correct to call the .44 Special a "soft-shooting" round, it can yield desirable results without the muzzle flash, noise and wrist-snapping levels of recoil associated with magnum cartridges.
These shooting characteristics have also led to the .44 Special finding its way into various snub-nosed carry guns. Over the years, the .44 Special has proven to be an effective defensive option. And because this round operates at slightly lower pressures (15,500 psi) than the .38 Special (17,000 psi), it has been paired with smaller, lighter models, like the Charter Arms Bulldog, along with medium-frame configurations including the Ruger GP100 and, of course, the Smith & Wesson Model 396.
- "America’s Lever Revolution"--American Rifleman. The lever action rifle is a uniquely American weapon--it was invented and refined in the United States, and saw much wider use in the United States than anywhere else. The article goes over the history of this style of action before ending with a note on its renewed popularity.
- And speaking of the renewed popularity of the lever action: "Henry’s Lever Action Supreme Rifle (LASR): Old Meets New"--The Truth About Guns. The key features is that it uses detachable box magazines (with the author noting that Magpul magazines work best), it uses an internal hammer with a tang mounted safety, it has a threaded and free-floated barrel, and adjustable trigger. It is available in .223/5.56mm, .300 Blk, and .450 Bushmaster.
- Some more firearm history: "The Blunderbuss: Roar of the High Seas"--NRA Blog. An excerpt:
Boasting a short stock, the blunderbuss was a hybrid of a pistol and a carbine, often hip-fired due to its short length and powerful recoil, comparable to a modern shotgun. The blunderbuss fired a cache of lead balls propelled by a large powder charge, though users, whether by necessity or imagination, could and often did fill the firearm with anything that would fit and cause damage when fired, including nails, rocks, glass, or “bundle shot,” a series of metal rods packed together that, when blasted from the bore, effectively became tiny spears. Needless to say, the more crudely fashioned projectiles were not good for the integrity of the barrel, but in the heat of battle, served as dangerous implements. Blunderbusses were also used for crowd control or clearing the decks, as the mere sight of the gun in hand served as a deterrent to potential challengers.
Blunderbusses could also be found affixed to ship’s railing or gunwales via a mounting swivel, becoming an improvised boat gun to clear decks when approaching alongside another vessel. The gun’s flared muzzle made it easier to load in the chaos of battle, particularly in some of the more precarious places aboard ships, such as rigging and water-slicked decks rocking port and starboard.
Blunderbusses appeared in the 17th century, seeing use up until about 1840. The height of the blunderbuss coincides with the “Golden Age of Piracy” in the mid-1700s, ....
- "The Fire Control Sequence: 3 Steps to Perfect Round Placement"--American Rifleman. The author lists the three steps as follows:
- "Step one: draw out from your holster like your life depends on it."
- "Step two is visual verification."
- "The third and final step is the trigger press without disturbing alignment."
As to step two, take note:
Step two is visual verification. Using either irons or a dot, you have a very short time to call the shot. If it’s good, then move on to step three. If not, you will need to make micro-corrections. Micro corrections are needed because of any unnecessary input into the gun on the way out or at the very top of your drawstroke. Input and corrections cost time.
[snip]
Step two depends on if you are shooting irons or optics. If irons, it’s a focal-plane shift from hard-target focus back to the front sight, or at least to the front of the muzzle. If you're using a carry optic, you stay target-focused and remain simply aware of the dot.
Either way, you don’t have all day. You only have time for rapid verification. If you do not have alignment, you will need to make time-consuming micro-adjustments.
Another factor that might require corrections is if the gun doesn't naturally point for you. Perhaps you can train your way out of it, perhaps not.
... I’ve shot both the Weaver and the isosceles, and I do not believe the isosceles is a good stance for real-life combat situations, any more than a trap stance is good training for driven grouse or that firing a .458 off a bench prepares you for buffalo in the long grass. Certainly, it is not as natural and flexible as the Weaver, no matter how many IPSC hot-shots have used it to win matches.
Before Jack Weaver came along, handgunners had tried various methods of two-handed shooting. Weaver ingeniously took the age-old human “prepare to fight” position and adapted it. The Weaver is, essentially, the stance used by boxers. It is also the stance used by top wingshooters on wild birds. A right-handed shooter stands with the left foot forward, feet about 18 inches apart, body angled, weight on the balls of the feet, but mostly on the forward foot. The shooter is leaning into it, eyes focused like a wolf on a caribou.
This boxing stance is the most natural human fighting position. Modern attempts to discredit it as being “outdated” have proven misguided, as witness an aging Floyd Mayweather’s almost laughable demolition of MMA Conor McGregor last August.
The isosceles is praised as a “rigid platform,” but in most tactical situations rigidity is not nearly as useful as flexibility. You never know what you’ll be faced with. You might be carrying a child on one arm and have to shoot one-handed. You could be on the ground, shooting under a car, or having to shoot around the corner of a building. Once you learn the Weaver stance, you can adapt its principles to almost any situation.
The primary advantage to the isosceles is when wearing body armor as it presents the strike face squarely at the target. Mass Ayoob has noted, however, that if you are in an isosceles stance and have to twist the torso, it will convert to a Weaver stance.
And speaking of Mass Ayoob, here is an article he wrote on "Basic Two-Handed Shooting Stances" covering the Weaver, isosceles, and Chapman (aka, modified Weaver) stances, including how to stand and hold the gun for each, and the pros and cons of each.
MOLLE (pronounced as Molly) stands for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Introduced by the U.S. military in the late 1990s, it replaced the older ALICE system and fundamentally changed how soldiers and operators carry gear. MOLLE is not a single product. It is the entire load-bearing ecosystem, encompassing plate carriers, tactical vests, magazine pouches, dump pouches, utility pouches, backpacks, and every other modular accessory that attaches to a PALS-equipped surface.
And:
PALS, or the Pouch Attachment Ladder System, is a grid of webbing that allows MOLLE-compatible gear to be attached to any MOLLE-equipped surface. Often confused with MOLLE itself, PALS is the framework or infrastructure behind the modularity of MOLLE gear. The horizontal rows of stitched webbing you see on backpacks, plate carriers, chest rigs, and other tactical gear are the PALS system.
The SurviveX Large First Aid Kit is primarily focused on general wound care. It is stocked with medical supplies for treating cuts, scrapes, wounds, lacerations, burns, blisters, and fractures (bandages, gauze, splints, burn gel, antibiotic ointment among others) rather than ailments needing internal medication. It is a kit you can keep in your home, vehicle, as well bring with you on camping or hiking trips. It contains 200+ items (in the Large version) enough for general care for around 3–6 people.
The kit sells for $120 on Amazon. So why get this instead of a commercial kit intended for businesses or schools? There are seems to be three things that stood out in the review: (i) the bag into which it fits has Molle attachments allowing it to be secured to a pack or the attaching devices you can purchase for vehicles; (ii) it's wound treatment goes beyond the basic gauze and adhesive bandages found in most kits to include actual medical shears and zip stitch wound closures; (iii) it included additional items needed for outdoors such as a splint, survival whistle, and glow sticks. The downsides, mentioned in the article, is that "it does not include pain relief medications, allergy medicines, or stomach aids, or tourniquet" or any clotting agents. In other words, you will still need to add items or carry a separate trauma kit; as well as any medications you want to carry.
Is it the best deal? That is something you will have to answer yourself. For instance, you can get almost everything in the SurviveX kit in another kit that costs only $53, then add a SAM splint for $15. The bag isn't as good as the SurviveX, but if you are going to be carrying it in another bag, it probably won't make a difference.
The reviewer's conclusions, however, is that "[t]he SurviveX Large First Aid Kit is an excellent investment for anyone serious about upgrading their first aid supplies. For an apartment dweller, it’s like a 'mini-ER' in a small footprint that won’t clutter your living space. If you’re tired of digging through a chaotic mess of loose gauze and adhesive bandages that no longer stick, this kit is a worthwhile purchase."
