Replacing The Mainspring Housing On A 1911 Pistol

 

(Source)

    Although the original Model 1911 pistol was very good, it was not perfect. After the military's experience in conflicts in Haiti and World War I, the Army had identified certain deficiencies in the pistol, mostly having to do with ergonomics. For instance, there were complaints and problems with hammer bite: the hammer striking and lacerating the shooter's hand when the weapon cycled in recoil. This was corrected by using a hammer with a shorter hammer spur and a slightly longer beaver tail on the grip safety. Soldiers with smaller hands had issues with reaching the trigger which were addressed with a making a trigger cut in the frame behind the trigger and shortening the trigger. And there were accuracy problems discovered to be the result of most soldiers aiming too low when grasping the firearm, which was remedied by replacing the flat main spring housing (which was the lower half of the backstrap) with an arched mainspring housing that forced the pistol up and made for a more natural point of aim when point shooting. This improved pistol was designated the Model 1911A1 which entered service in 1926. 

    You can see the differences in the photograph above which shows the Model 1911 and Model 1911A1.

    The 1911A1 went on to become one of the longest serving military sidearms and helped the 1911 design become one of the most prolific designs in history, as well as one of the most faithfully copied. While certain tweaks have been made to the design such as use dovetailed sights instead of the milled front sight and Colt introduced some "improvements" to the safety in its Model 70 and 80 pistols (and I put "improvements" in quotes because some don't believe they were improvements at all), the basic design hasn't changed much. Most changes you will see in modern pistols are different materials (i.e., using stainless steel), larger safety levers and/or ambidextrous safety levers, upward swept beaver tails on the grip safety, and omitting the lanyard loop. All minor in the full scheme of things.

    Strangely, however, is that many manufacturers have reverted to using the flat mainspring housing. My understanding is that this supposedly gives the shooter a stronger grip on the pistol. The consequence, however, is that it also does away with the famous natural pointing of the handgun. With the arched mainspring house, if you grasp the handgun and simply extend your hand like you were pointing at something, the sights will pretty much be on target. With the flat mainspring housing, if you do the same, the firearm will be pointing low--sometimes significantly lower. That is why the Army made the change in the first place.

Image 1: The Remington 1911 R1

    In 2011, Remington released their Model 1911 R1 (instead of A1, get it?) pictured above. The R1, as it was subsequently referred to, eventually was released in various models with some of the many improvements desired by competition and defensive shooters, but this first model was intended as an homage to the older 1911 and 1911A1 designs, as was it being released 100 years after the introduction of the original Colt pistol. 

    But it wasn't an exact reproduction, and in fact was a mix of features from various 1911 models introduced over the past 100 years. Internally, the main difference is that the firearm apparently uses a Colt 80 series firing pin safety (see also here). The materials and manufacturing was more modern (or cheaper, depending on your point of view): the American Rifleman noted that the receiver is an investment casting, and most of the small parts are either metal injection molded (MIM) or investment cast, but the barrel, bushing, and trigger are made of stainless steel.

    Externally, the weapon was a bit of hodgepodge mix of 1911 and 1911A1 features with a couple modern upgrades. The modern upgrades include a dovetailed front sight and a set of larger, 3-dot sights, as well as a slightly larger ejection port. It incorporates the shorter trigger, the trigger cut, shorter hammer spur, and longer beaver tail of the 1911A1. However, the grip panels are walnut and cut with the double diamond design of the original 1911 and, significant to the subject of this article, it makes use of the flat mainspring housing of the original 1911.

    There are two reasons that I hate the flat mainspring housing on this pistol. First, as I described above, it messes with the aiming. I suppose that if I were a competitive shooter putting in hundreds of hours of practice per year, I could learn to aim differently and cock the pistol up. But I'm not a competitive shooter, and I like shooting other handguns, and learning to shoot a 1911 with a flat mainspring housing would mess with my aim with other pistols. 

    The other reason is that the flat mainspring housing puts my hand in contact with the pointy corners at the lower rear of the frame/grip which is uncomfortable.

    Having some experience with shooting 1911 handguns with the arched mainspring housing, I knew what was the problem and decided to correct it. Unfortunately, whether it is because the flat housing is now much more popular than the arched style (because everyone wants to do what the competitive shooters are doing) or because of the ongoing supply chain issues or some combination, arched mainspring housings are scarce, especially if you want a steel version. Most manufacturers and sellers seemed to be out of stock or simply did not carry them. However, I finally came across one from Ed Brown for $44.95 plus another $14.95 for shipping. I had found a couple sellers with much less expensive options but I was worried about the quality, which is why I sprang for the more expensive option from Ed Brown.

Image 2: The new arched mainspring housing

    The photograph above shows the mainspring housing. As you can see, it was nicely finished. Although the photograph doesn't show it, the housing I purchased came with the serrations on the back (instead of checkering) that matched the standard Government model. 

    Replacement was straightforward and does not require that you disassemble the firearm. The most difficult part of the process is reinstalling the pins as you must do so with the mainspring under tension. The video below walks you through the process. And this link takes you to a parts diagram which will help with the terminology.

VIDEO: "Brownells - Installing a main spring housing/mag well on a 1911" (2 min.)

    As I noted, you do not need to disassemble the firearm, including removing the grip panels as shown in the video, unless you are going to clamp the frame into a vise to work on it. I removed the magazine, although I don't know if it would have interfered with the work. 

    The tools I used are shown below:

Image 3: Some of the tools and parts

Image 4: Bar clamp

    In addition to the tools shown above, I made use of an armorers block at one point. 

    The gray colored punch was used to push out the transverse mainspring housing pin at the lower corner of the frame that holds the mainspring housing into place. I was able to start the pin out just by simple force. However, the mainspring housing pin retainer which fits at the base of the mainspring juts slightly into the hole for the pin and keeps it in place, so I wound up resting the edge on the armorer's block and using the mallet to tap on the punch to remove the pin. It doesn't take much force--light taps are all you need. Note that the pin is rounded on the right side and has a dimple on the left. The dimple is to accept a punch or tool and the pin should be removed by putting the punch on the left side and pushing through and out of the right side.

    At this point, you can slide the mainspring housing out of the frame.

    The next step is to remove the mainspring which is held in place with a small pin--the mainspring cap pin--that runs from front to back through the upper corner of the mainspring housing. Keep in mind that the mainspring is under tension, so be sure to have a thumb over the mainspring to keep it from flying off into space. What I did was to slightly compress the spring using the screw driver bit (which was the right diameter and length for what I needed) and bar clamp. 

    Basically, I put the tip of the screwdriver bit into the depression at the top of the mainspring cap, and then positioned the bar clamp so I could use it to apply pressure against the bit on one end and the bottom of the housing on the other in order to compress the main spring slightly. I then was able to use the small black punch to push out the mainspring cap pin--it pretty much just fell out with the punch just getting it started. This pin should be pushed out by pressing on what would be the outside (rear) of the mainspring housing toward the inside (front).

    At this point, you should be able to (carefully) remove the mainspring. At the top of the mainspring is the mainspring cap. At the bottom should be the mainspring housing pin retainer. The retainer did not come out when I removed the mainspring so I had to tap the mainspring housing on my bench to get it come out.

    You can see the mainspring cap, mainspring, and mainspring housing pin retainer at the bottom of Image 3, above.

    The next step is to transfer the mainspring cap, mainspring, and mainspring housing pin retainer to the new mainspring housing. 

    To install the mainspring cap pin--the small pin that holds the mainspring in place inside the housing--you need to compress the mainspring. To do this, I again used the screwdriver bit and bar clamp to compress the spring. Then I inserted the pin, keeping in mind to insert it from the front to the rear of the mainspring housing (my pin looked like it was slightly flared on the inside). Release the compression and the pin will stay in place. 

    Next, slide the new housing into place. There are tongues and matching grooves on the housing and the frame, so the orientation is not an issue. However, be sure that the hammer strut fits into the depression at the top of the mainspring cap. I simply tilted the firearm back slightly so the strut tilted into the correct position. As you slide the mainspring housing into place, also make sure that the grip safety is depressed as the bottom edge fits behind the mainspring housing.

    The difficult part is reinserting the mainspring housing pin at the bottom back corner. I tried using the bar clamp, but just couldn't get it to work. I finally just made sure to push up strongly on the bottom of the housing with my thumb with my fingers wrapped over the top of the slide while watching the hole until it looked like I could slip in the pin. Once the pin was in far enough to engage the mainspring housing retainer, I could relax my grip and finish the operation using a plastic punch and a couple taps from the mallet. I used the plastic punch so I had something that was larger diameter than the pin so I could make sure it was pressed flush, and to not mar the finish. Note that the mainspring housing pin is round on one end (the right side of the handgun) and has a dimple on the other (the left side of the handgun) so you want to install it from left to right with the rounded end going into the hole and pushed through to the other side.

    All done.

Image 5: Finished job. You can also see the plastic punch I used to finish pressing the mainspring housing pin into place.

    With the arched mainspring housing the pistol points much more naturally and I don't have the corners of the pistol's frame digging into my hand. Well worth the $60 and time to install the new housing. 

The Docent's Memo (Sept. 26, 2022)

VIDEO: "Ruger LC Carbine Review"--Paul Harrell (27 min.)

There are a number of people interested in having a common caliber for both a handgun and a long arm. Typically, however, the only cartridges where there is a significant gain in performance moving from handgun to longarm have come with the magnum revolver cartridges like the .357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum. In 9 mm, for instance, you typically only gain about 150 to 200 fps velocity moving from a 4-inch barrel to a 16-inch barrel. Same for the .40 S&W. The .45 ACP varies much more depending on the ammunition, but it can be less of a difference. Conversely, with a .357 Magnum, you can see a 500 fps difference between using a 4-inch barrel and a 16-inch barrel. .44 Magnum is not quite so dramatic, but a 400 fps difference seems typical of the loads tested at Ballistics-By-The-Inch. So the 400 fps difference that Harrell saw is notable. In addition, the Ruger pistol and the carbine both use the same magazine, which further enhances the cross compatibility between the two weapons. Of course, as Harrell points out, the 5.7 is well below the power of the 5.56. But if you are not hunting big game, this pistol/long arm combination might be worth looking into.

• FYI: "New Orleans overtakes St. Louis to become the MURDER CAPITAL of America: Homicide rate up 141% from 2019 and carjackings rise 210% - as city's police staffing drops to lowest level in modern history."
• Be sure to check out Greg Ellifritz's most recent Weekend Knowledge Dump. Some articles of note: an article giving a medical perspective on ammunition and lethality as well as the author's own thoughts; a guide to camouflage against thermal imaging (including tips on using a GI casualty blanket when stationary); one debunking myths on using a shotgun together with advice on what works; a look at the "New York reload"; and one dealing with a failure to extract in a handgun. There are more and they are all good. Just a closing thought from the Gietzen interview. The author discussed this issue of bullet lethality with medical colleagues and came away with this:

    The general (and predictable) consensus was that the most common CCW calibers see the most action. They all agreed that, from a medical perspective, there was no noticeable or real-world difference between .380 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and 40-caliber.

    The only major standout was .45 ACP, where it resulted in about twice the fatality rate as the others, even to extremities.

    Very little relevant information was available on .22 LR, .25 ACP or larger rounds like the .44 Magnum, simply because these are rarer selections for concealed carry.

    There was no positive correlation with death based on bullet type used. Said another way, again from this medical perspective, hollow-points aren’t any more effective in practical applications than a FMJ. ...

Although not completely clear from the article, it appears that the author's complaint about hollow-point bullets is that the cavity frequently becomes clog, reducing or eliminating expansion. He, therefore, gives a nod to the Honeybadger bullet because it does not need to expand. In Ellifritz's comments, though, he bluntly states to ignore what the author says about the Honeybadger bullets. "In my testing," he continues, "those don’t do any more damage than full metal jacket rounds." 

    I also want to put in my 2 cents on hollow-point versus full-metal jacket. First of all, a properly designed full metal jacket not only will make a bigger hole due to expansion, but it will produce petals or fragments that will cut tissue rather than just push it out of the way. In fact, one of the complaints from trauma surgeons about the Black Talon rounds when they were first introduced (they being one of the first of the modern hollow-point designs in the wake of the Miami shootout) was that the petals tended to lacerate more and leave fragments that made it more difficult for the surgeons to patch holes. 

    Second of all, many years of experience summed up in law enforcement statistics have shown that hollow-points are, overall, more effective at stopping an attacker than round-nose bullets (lead or FMJ). Of course, there are going to be variances between individual incidents, meaning that you can find exceptions, but the exceptions do not prove the rule.

    Part of the issue that may be influencing the doctors' observations is that they are probably seeing more people shot with smaller carry style handguns where expansion may be limited. It is well documented and understood that bullets must be travelling at or above certain velocities (1,200 fps is generally given although with modern defensive bullets, the velocity threshold is more like 1,000 fps) to reliably expand. Some popular CCW cartridges don't reach those velocities (e.g., the .380 or .38 Special). Others, such as most commercially loaded 9mm, may only reach those velocities out of a duty sized handgun with a 4-inch barrel, but not out of a compact or sub-compact sized weapon or at longer distances. In addition, since the author is located in Michigan, she is going to see more cases where the victims were wearing heavier clothing due to the cooler weather than someone in, say, California or Florida, would see. 

• "Safety Tips For Female Runners"--Guns Magazine Podcast (38 min.). A discussion with Amy Robbins of Alexo Athletica. While this is aimed at a female audience, most of the information is equally applicable to men. One piece of advice that struck me because I liked the wording was the direction to "minimize your distractions" when you go on a run (or walk). Robbins talks about how woman want concealed carry to be comfortable and simple, but that applies just as equally to men. I can already hear like a distant echo Clint Smith's famous rejoinder that “carrying a gun is not supposed to be comfortable; it's supposed to be comforting." But if your goal is an armed society where most everyone is carrying a firearm, it better be comfortable, or at least not so uncomfortable that you constantly leave the weapon behind. 
• Related: "Comforting, Not Comfortable? Testing the Elite Survival Systems Marathon GunPack"--Gun Culture 2.0.  A hydration belt system designed for a pocket sized pistol.
• "The Two Types of Human Predators" by Jo Deering.  Deering summarizes the description of resource predators (those that just want something from you) and process predators (those that like committing violence) from Rory Miller's book, Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unexpected. As Deering describes, resource predators just want something from you (a wallet or purse, a car, etc.) and will generally let you go if you give it to them. 

    Process predators are far more dangerous. They commit violence because they like violence. These are the sociopaths who commit torture, most types of murder, rape and other heinous acts of what we call “senseless violence.” A process predator doesn’t want a physical item from you. He wants to hurt you because he gets off on hurting people. This is not transactional, and you can’t just give the process predator what he wants to make him change his mind. Violence is baked into the equation. It’s the whole point.

    A key clue that you’re facing a process predator is that he needs time and privacy to carry out his violent plans, and so he will attempt to move you to a different location if the current location isn’t private enough. In the case of a home invasion, if the invaders don’t immediately demand money or other goods or start searching the house for them, it’s almost certain that their intent is to spend a lot of time causing you physical pain in the privacy of your own home. These are process predators. This is why we often advise women to draw a hard line at allowing themselves to be taken anywhere by someone they’re afraid of. He only wants to move you because the current location doesn’t give him enough time or privacy to do what he wants to do to you. Do not go.

    You cannot reason with a process predator or give him what he wants in the hope that he’ll go away. Your only options are to run or to fight your way out. If you can escape, or if you’re still in a place public enough that causing a scene will draw a crowd, do it. If you can’t run, fight. Fight with everything you have and take any risk you must. No price is too high, because staying static is going to cost you everything.

As with any closely situated groups, there is going to be some overlap between the two. Perhaps the process predator will decide that the time and location is right to murder or rape and indulge himself (or herself) accordingly. Or, as the article mentions, a process predator might decide to kill to cover his or her tracks or because you have done something (or not done something) to which they respond violently. You need to understand that most violent criminals will come from some sort of "honor" culture where "respect" or not losing face is very important, and will respond violently if you don't sufficiently "respect" them. It is also becoming apparent that the BLM rioting and anti-white propaganda is having its effect and some minority criminals seem to be acting extra violent toward white and Asian victims. 

• White knighting: "Grandfather of 11 steps in to help woman during armed robbery." So this 73 old man decided to involve himself in the car-jacking of a young woman and quickly found himself over his head. The younger robber pistol whipped the old man, kicked him to the ground and still stole the truck. The old man is lucky he wasn't shot. 
• Not unexpected: "New data has corroborated what we have been reporting since 2020: The trend toward micro 9 mm pistols is here to stay, with 25 percent of semi-automatic pistols being shipped to distributed in 2022 being micro nines. This information comes from a report delivered by the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers’ (NASGW) data aggregation arm, SCOPE." People who carry a concealed weapon want something small and convenient to carry. The micro 9s combine small with a respectable self-defense cartridge.
• "Winchester’s .350 Legend: A Multi-Purpose AR-15 Round?" by B. Gil Horman. This cartridge was originally introduced as a hunting round to take advantage of states that allowed using straight wall cartridges for hunting in areas previously reserved to shotguns:

... but in 2021, Winchester expanded its Defender line of self defense rifle ammunition to include the .350 Legend. This load is specifically designed for modern sporting rifles with a nickel-plated cartridge case and a 160-grain bonded jacketed hollow point. It has a listed velocity of 2,170 f.p.s. for 1,673-ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy when fired from a carbine-length 16" barrel. ...

• "Winchester Model 70-35 Air Rifle: Big-Bore Bliss" by Mark Fike. A review of this .35 caliber air rifle from Winchester. It sounds like 100 yards is likely your maximum hunting range with this rifle and caliber. Fike writes:

    This rifle was blissful to shoot right out of the box! The trigger is incredibly smooth and crisp—hands-down the best air rifle trigger I have ever pulled.

    As for report, the rifle cracks less than a .22, but it is loud enough that if you live near someone they are going to wonder what you are doing, no doubt. (As always, eye and ear protection are required!) Cocking the rifle is easy. Fully chambering the pellet takes a firm push on the side lever, but nothing over the top by any means.

• "Negligent Discharge: 4 Most Likely Shooter Mistakes" by Frank Melloni. The four situations that Melloni describes are: (i) loading a semi-auto shotgun by dropping a shell through the ejection port and letting the bolt go home with your finger on the trigger; (ii) retracting the slide on a semi-auto while closing your hand tight for a tighter grip (while allowing your finger to contract on the trigger); (iii) tripping while carrying a loaded hunting rifle and inadvertently tightening your hand (including a finger on the trigger); and (iv) cocking a revolver and letting the hammer slip (while having a finger on the trigger if using a modern revolver with a transfer bar system). 

    Looking at the four scenarios closely, you'll notice a common thread; the shooters all interacted with the trigger. This means that the same solution can be applied to each: Keep your fingers away from the bang switch unless you intend to fire. While this sounds simple, it's essential to know that your trigger finger has a natural tendency to rest on the trigger. This is because gun manufacturers know that you can't see this area of the gun when you assume a shooting position. Therefore, most designs put your finger directly in line with the trigger when you pick up a firearm. In short, even if you've never touched a gun before, you already have a "bad habit."

    You might have also noticed that I never mentioned: "engaging a mechanical safety" in the preceding text. This is because that is not always an option, nor is it guaranteed to work. The best mechanical safety extends from the palm of your hand, it’s called a trigger finger, and it should be your primary. The best internal safety is between your ears. Focus on the task at hand, don’t get complacent and maintain good trigger-finger discipline … it’s a habit for life.

• "Shoulder Holsters – Part 1" by Darryl Bolke, American Cop. As long time readers of this blog are aware, I'm rather favorable toward shoulder holsters and their close kin, the chest holster. The author of this piece goes over the history of the shoulder holster, focusing on holster maker Mike Taurisano who developed the modern style of balanced holster where the firearm on one side was balanced by extra magazine of the other, as well as a couple of lawmen that favored shoulder holsters: San Francisco Homicide Detective Dave Toschi (the inspiration for the Dirty Harry and Bullitt movie characters), and lawman Frank Hamer (who helped take down Bonnie and Clyde). He also discusses why he thinks they fell out of favor:

    I had a discussion on this subject with arguably one of the most experienced people in the country in carrying firearms in very non-permissive overseas environments.

    The discussion looked at two very distinct factors. The first is the change in dress style where “dressing like a grown-up” is no longer required in many areas of society as it once was. Instead of daily wear, suits are now considered more formal attire. A collared shirt and khakis replaced them as business attire. Modern climate controls have made winter jackets something that is removed in the workplace. When suits or blazers are worn, they are often removed indoors instead of when you reach certain temperatures. The change to less structured and less-traditional dress styles makes holsters that require a proper cover garment limited in their practical use.

    The other issue that sounded the death knell is how firearms training is conducted and range rules.

    Shoulder holsters were deemed “unsafe” by many sports shooting organizations. This decision filtered down to most ranges and training facilities that banned shoulder holsters and other solid carry options. Rather than spending time and effort to figure out a way to conduct safe and efficient training to use various shoulder holsters, it was easier to ban them.

    This problem was compounded by the proliferation of some terrible and unsafe designs often made with cheap synthetic materials that cannot retain a firearm properly. The designs of these sub-standard holsters created safety hazards.

• "Skill Set: The Cost of Training" by Tiger McKee. Places like Gunsite and Thunder Ranch are going to run one or two mortgage payments for a multiday class, not including the cost of acquiring 1,000 rounds of ammunition, travel, food, lodging, etc. Individual instructors, even at the local level, can easily run several hundred dollars not including the costs of ammunition and travel. 
• "The Wide, Wild World of Reactive Targets" by Brent Wheat. What do you get when you mix a mannequin head, a bag of boiled noodles in red dyed water, a .308 and a bunch of squeamish cops? A story to tell your grandkids.
• "Knife Defense Techniques For Armed Citizens." A review of one of Greg Ellifritz's knife defense classes published in Shooting Illustrated.

VIDEO: "Preparing for Disaster"--Suspicious Observers (20 min.)

Starts with how billionaires and celebrities are prepping, as well as more general information as to prepping for the next micro-nova. 

• "Off-gridders take energy needs into their own hands"--BBC. From the article:

    In a world where energy supplies can seem increasingly at risk, one couple living in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada, have taken matters into their own hands.

    Katie Erickson and Greg Mooney are building their dream home - and it's off-grid.

    Their goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible and so have installed solar panels, batteries and a back-up generator.

    "We see no shortage of natural disasters in our area," says Mr Mooney, mentioning storms and wildfires as examples. "Whenever there's power outages in our community nearby, we're always fine," Ms Erickson adds.

    A 2,100 watt solar energy system is large enough to keep a small freezer, fridge, washing machine and laptops running, they say, adding that they hope to triple or quadruple their solar-generating capacity in the future.

But take note of this: "During the winter, the pair rely on a small gas generator when there is too much cloud around."

• "Vitamins D and K — way more important than you thought"--Backwoods Home Magazine. As the article discusses, Vitamin D is important for proper bone and teeth development and health while Vitamin D deficiencies are associated with arteriosclerosis, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers such as cancers of the breast, prostate, colon, and ovaries, and some types of asthma and depression. The author also notes that "vitamin K works with vitamin D to ensure proper development of teeth and bones. It’s also important to heart health and brain functions. It has further been shown that vitamin K reduces inflammation and helps to produce collagen to maintain the health of the body’s connective tissues." The article goes into quite a bit of detail on the two nutrients, sources of the vitamin, how much we need, and much more.
• "Benzodiazepines: Prepping for When the Meds Run Out"--Organic Prepper. Benzodiazepines are often prescribed for anxiety and sleep disorders, and include such medications as alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), clonazepam (Klonopin), and temazepam (Restoril). Although these drugs are not addictive, people using them can and do develop dependencies and it can be difficult or even dangerous to suddenly withdraw from using them. Obviously, in a SHTF event, you or a loved one might suddenly find yourself without these medications. The article discusses some of the difficulties of weaning someone off these medications, the signs of withdrawal, and links to some more detailed sources of information for benzodiazepine withdrawal. 
• "How To Wash Clothes Without Electricity /Off-Grid"--Modern Survival Blog. As the author describes, you need three things to wash clothes: (i) soap, (ii) water, and (iii) agitation, and you can get by without the soap if you must. The author then quickly reviews some products to produce agitation including the old time favorite, the washboard. Finally the author discusses drying clothes including using a wringer and hanging them from clotheslines. 
• "How to Break Through a Locked Door in an Emergency"--The Prepper Journal. The author introduces his topic:

    In a disaster scenario involving the need to escape danger or quickly gain access to a locked room, contacting a locksmith is not going to be an option. In some situations, it may be necessary to compel opportunity to present itself.

    Incorrect technique here could prove costly. There are distinct methods for door breaching and lacking a clear understanding of them could be your downfall. Whether it’s a scenario of fight or flight or paramedics rescuing a drug overdose who locked themselves into a bathroom, good technique could make or break the situation by saving valuable minutes.

Although he discusses how to break open a door without tools--i.e., by kicking near the lock--that isn't going to work against reinforced commercial doors. Anyway, the author goes over assessing the door to figure out the best way to breach it, how to breach with a kick, and how to breach using tools. An excerpt:

If the door swings towards you, you have your work cut out. The best point to attack is going to be the hinges. You can start by looking to remove the hinge pins, but a well-designed exterior door will sport non-removable hinge pins. In this case, you’ll have to use the fork end of a crowbar to shear the hinges off entirely. This can be accomplished by wedging the fork over the hinges one at a time and then hammering the other end of the bar with something. This will take several minutes but it’s about your only option when the door swings this way.

• "The Do’s And Dont’s Of Urban Exploring: How To Not Get Arrested" by Michael D'Angona, Skillset Magazine. Some of the tips might be useful if you are having to scavenge or reconnoiter. 
• "How to Clean a Leather Belt (and virtually all other leather products)"--Willowhaven Outdoors. Since some steps or products might be different depending on the type of leather or tanning, the author goes over identifying the type, then discusses some steps on how to clean (he recommends against saddle soap for most applications because it can soften leather), and then how to condition the leather, including some recommended products.
• Who says prepping and survival can't be fun: "Freak Out Your Friends with These 13 Scary Campfire Stories." They link to some pretty good stories. 

VIDEO: "China’s Mortgage Protest Grows"--China Uncensored (12 min.)

China's real estate crises worsens.

• Seemingly little things can spark revolutions: "Female demonstrators in Iran tear off their hijabs, cut their hair and battle officers in protest after woman died having been attacked by ‘morality police’ for not wearing the veil." 

    The protests are the most serious Iran has seen for years, and the first challenge to the regime mostly led by Iranian women.

    Video emerged of protestors overwhelming police, with one protestor knocking over one morality officer after jump-kicking him to the ground.

    Another clip showed protestors tearing down the images of supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his predecessor, leaders who took control of the country after its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    At least three people have died in the demonstrations, but the violence did not deter protestors who shouted out slogans against the country's clerical leadership. 

    Police were overwhelmed as anti-government demonstrations spread to the Iranian cities of Tehran, Mashaad, Hamedan, Tabriz, Arak, Rasht, Qazvin, Zanjan, and Ilam.

Per the article, other grievances are being aired, including the impoverishment caused by Iran's military spending and sanctions.

• More: "Protesters set fires in the street in Tehran during fifth night of unrest following death of woman who was attacked by 'morality police' for not wearing the veil - as women in Turkey protest outside embassy holding locks of their hair." 
• Never underestimate the power of spite: "Russian military rains down terrifying barrage of incendiary shells on a Ukrainian village days after it was recaptured by Kyiv's troops."
• Speaking of Russia, they apparently are serious about arresting their demographic decline: "Russia to Make 'Childfree' Propaganda Illegal." From the lede: "A draft law has been submitted to the Russian State Legislative Assembly (the Duma) to prohibited any information that promotes voluntary rejection of childbirth from spreading among the minors." It won't work, but it is notable that they are at least trying. 
• Mass shootings only ever happen in the United States: "Gunman with a swastika shirt and 'Columbine' key chain kills at least 15 including 11 children in Russian school shooting rampage before turning the gun on himself as terrified students jumped from windows."
• "TUCKER CARLSON: We're looking at a war on the population." This seems to be the important part, talking about why our so-called leaders seem to have abandoned law enforcement:

So, the reason they're doing this is because they didn't like the demographic breakdown of the people who were getting arrested for crimes. Period. "This can't be happening." Therefore, they're just going to redefine it away. It was ideologically inconvenient for them. So, the solution is to just legalize murder and kidnappings and trespassing and at the same time, you are not allowed to notice that an awful lot of these cases appear to be (it's hard to know and you never want to think it), but they appear to be motivated by racial animus. They do. That's just true. Again, no one wants to think that, but there are so many videos of it. Consider the horrific attack, really an attempted murder on a student at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, really recently beaten and nearly killed in a bathroom at school. What did he do wrong exactly? We don't know. We can only guess. 

 

That situation involved a white kid being kicked and beaten by black teens.

• Related: "How Blatant Anti-White Racism Won Acceptance in Elite America."

    In a 2021 lecture at Yale University titled “The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind,” psychiatrist Aruna Khilanani described her “fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step, like I did the world a favor.”

    Around the same time, a scholarly article in a peer-reviewed academic journal described “whiteness” as “a malignant, parasitic-like condition to which ‘white’ people have a particular susceptibility.” The author, Donald Moss, had also presented his paper as a continuing education course for licensed therapists who would presumably treat patients with this condition. The paper advises: “There is not yet a permanent cure.”

    This is a sampling of the new racism that is gaining purchase in American society even as its advocates relentlessly punish speech they deem harmful and threatening to people of color. It parallels the acceptance of anti-male rhetoric that casts masculinity as “predatory” and “toxic,” or just casually demeans males as oafish and clueless, which allows the Washington Post to give a megaphone to Northeastern University professor Suzanna Danuta Walters to ask: “Why can’t we hate men?” (Her conclusion: We can and we should.)

    The escalation of this inflammatory rhetoric is reaching the highest levels of American society, as when President Biden insinuated in a fiery campaign speech last week that Donald Trump supporters are “white supremacists” and when he maligned conservative mask skeptics last year for “Neanderthal thinking." 

    What strikes a casual observer is that such language would be instantly denounced if it targeted racial minorities or other protected groups. Just as remarkable is that this new rhetoric is not coming from dropouts and loners at society’s margins; it is being advanced by successful professionals who have scaled the heights of respectability and are given a platform on social media and in prestigious cultural outlets.

• "Vitriol over Queen Elizabeth II shows many left-wingers just hate white people" by Christopher Tremoglie, Washington Examiner.

    It's been an eventful month in race relations. First, there was the latest hate crime hoax at Brigham Young University, which all evidence suggests was concocted by a player desirous of attention. Then, there were the utterly despicable comments by two American professors about Queen Elizabeth II's death.

    The professors, both black, took to social media to disparage Queen Elizabeth II. Uju Anya, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, displayed her bigotry by wishing the queen suffered an excruciatingly painful death in a tweet on Sept. 8. This was followed by a tweet from Zoe Samudzi, a Zimbabwean American who teaches photography at the Rhode Island School of Design. Samudzi tweeted that she would "dance on the graves of every member of the royal family."

    Neither professor suffered any consequences — a privilege that most likely would not have been afforded if the professors were white and the deceased monarch black.

    Their sentiments on the queen were shared by many on the Left. Others commented that the queen was an example of white supremacy, white privilege, or whatever concocted ism, phobia, or other social justice, victimization suffix you'd like to pick out of the dictionary. Such people have such a warped sense of reality that they will readily demonize anyone of European heritage who was connected to colonialism or imperialism yet always ignore the hundreds, if not thousands, of years of identical acts committed by people of African, Middle Eastern, Native American, and Asian heritage in building empires, oppressing other races, and colonizing faraway places.

    Their flimsy worldview depends on the idea that history began in 1492 and that the first group of people ever to come along and develop a conscience about such activities — namely, Europeans — are the only ones who should ever be held accountable for it.

• "'Men - this is not for you': The Air Force Academy is now promoting a fellowship that BANS 'cisgender' men and only wants candidates from gender minorities and women."

    The United States Air Force Academy recently circulated promotional information among its cadets for the Brooke Owens Fellowship, which specifically bans 'cisgender men' from applying.

    The email sent on September 14, encourages cadets to apply to the program, which states: 'If you are a cisgender woman, a transgender woman, non-binary, agender, bigender, two-spirit, demigender, genderfluid, genderqueer, or another form of gender minority, this program is for you.

    'If you are a cisgender man, this program isn’t for you...but we encourage you to check out our spinoff programs, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program.'

• Related: "Unexpectedly, the USAF Finds Itself With a Critical Shortage of Pilots While It Says It Has Too Many White Officers." I think the headline should have been "... At The Same Time It Says It Has Too Many White Officers." As the author points out, the USAF's chief of recruiting, Major General Ed Thoma, complained in 2020 that the Air Force had too many white men in its cockpits and indicated that the Air Force would be focusing on recruiting more women and POC. The author adds:

The USAF has responded to the challenge by eliminating prior flight training as a “plus” on pilot selection. They found that such training favored applicants who could afford private flight lessons. It has also announced that it intends to reduce the number of white officers from 80% to 67.5%. 

 

• From Ricochet Blog: "Europe Going Dark Physically and Spiritually." Europe is going physically dark due to their embrace of the false religion of environmentalism and climate change which requires them to sacrifice their first world standard of living (note: not applicable in all locations, such as China or India). As for spiritual darkness, the author writes:

    I wonder if the fact that Christian Europe, which has been withering for some time, is now seeing and feeling the consequences of turning away from God and embracing the new secular, post-modern, technocratic systems. Along with the barren ground, some of which used to be holy ground, the faith of many has grown cold, drying up, and turning to dust. The abandonment of the faith has forced the closures of many churches and monasteries in recent years, turning them into secular spaces of work and amusement. The following article warned of this decline in 2015. Enter 2022. Seven years after that warning, a devastating drought, following a major pandemic, and now a serious energy crisis.

    Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Naftali Bendavid describes empty churches that entrepreneurs and city officials have repurposed as skateboard parks, gymnastic training arenas, museums, supermarkets, gyms, and even bars. But it’s a trend that can’t continue indefinitely. These rapidly emptying church buildings, though, are only a symbol of Europe’s true spiritual decline.

    The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary predicts that five years from now, the number of Christians in Western Europe will have fallen by almost 23 percent since 1970. And actual attendance is abysmal, with less than 2 percent of the population darkening the door of a church on a regular basis in Britain, France, or Germany.

    According to the European Values Study reported by The Christian Post, half of the population in many areas of Europe never attend religious services. And Germany, a country with one-quarter the population of the United States, is home to 10 times as many atheists. (Europe’s Abandoned Churches a Warning for America.)

    In seven years, Western Civilization has wholeheartedly embraced the new Woke Agenda, with its multi-genderism, and replaced worshiping God with worshiping Self and Planet Earth. The world has openly and boldly rejected our Creator, so is Creation now rejecting us? Devastating drought, fires, food shortages, mass censorship, war, strange viruses, and energy shortages seem to be encompassing Europe and other countries at a rapid rate, causing tremendous suffering and hardship that we have not even begun to realize.

In Germany, some Catholic bishops have decided to embrace the spiritual and moral decline: "German Synodal Way approves text calling homosexual acts ‘not sinful’ and ‘not intrinsically evil’." Of the 56 bishops in attendance, (71%) voted in favor of the text that proposes a change to Church teaching on homosexuality. Per the article, "[t]he document is meant to be submitted to Pope Francis and into the worldwide synodal process." Among other changes, the German synod urges that "'homosexual acts' need to be removed from the list of 'principal sins against chastity.'"  I think that these bishops will find that it would have been better for them that a millstone were hanged about their necks, and that they were drowned in the depth of the sea, than they have ever signed on to this perversion of the Lord's commandments.

• Nothing to see here; move along. "Denmark ENDS Covid vaccinations for almost everyone under 50."
• Well, this explains why Marvel Comics is whole magnitudes more woke than even Disney:

    ... For instance, Isaac Perlmutter, the current chairman of Marvel Entertainment who served on Marvel Comics’ board of directors until 1995, grew up in 1948-occupied Palestine (or modern-day Israel) and served in the Israeli military during the 1967 Six-Day War. Avi Arad, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment, also grew up in modern-day Israel and served in the Israeli army during the Six-Day War.

    Along with his wife, Laura, Perlmutter oversees a foundation that contributes to several pro-Israel causes such as the Anti-Defamation League, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the America-Israel Friendship League, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County in Florida, and the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation has also supported the Hebrew University and Israel’s Technion Institute of Technology.

• Speaking of being anti-Western and anti-Christian: "New Jersey schools must teach middle schoolers about anal sex, pregnancy options or risk 'disciplinary action'." All the protesting in the world is not going to change how these administrators and politicians behave because they don't think, they emote. They are, to borrow from Anonymous Conservative's r/K model, rabbits that only understand pleasure and fear. And right now they fear other leftists more than they fear the electorate. 
• The AP reports on some diversity and inclusion: "‘Out of control’ STD situation prompts call for changes." The article notes that "Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts." Also:

    New syphilis infections plummeted in the U.S. starting in the 1940s when antibiotics became widely available. They fell to their lowest ever by 1998, when fewer than 7,000 new cases were reported nationwide. The CDC was so encouraged by the progress it launched a plan to eliminate syphilis in the U.S.

    But by 2002 cases began rising again, largely among gay and bisexual men, and they kept going. In late 2013, CDC ended its elimination campaign in the face of limited funding and escalating cases, which that year surpassed 17,000.

    By 2020 cases had reached nearly 41,700 and they spiked even further last year, to more than 52,000.

    The rate of cases has been rising, too, hitting about 16 per 100,000 people last year. That’s the highest in three decades.

    Rates are highest in men who have sex with men, and among Black and Hispanic Americans and Native Americans. While the rate for women is lower than it is for men, officials noted that it’s has been rising more dramatically — up about 50% last year.

More analysis here. 

• Speaking of diversity and inclusion: "Twilio announces 11% of employees will lose jobs in ‘Anti-Racist’ layoffs." The layoffs were, per the company, made through an "anti-racist" and "anti-oppression lens". 

“As you all know, we are committed to becoming an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression company,” [CEO] Lawson wrote. “Layoffs like this can have a more pronounced impact on marginalized communities, so we were particularly focused on ensuring our layoffs – while a business necessity today – were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens.”

I can't help but notice that this seems to be an example of "get-woke, go-broke". The article ends: "In the past year, Twilio shares have declined in value by over 78%."

• More diversity, equity and inclusion: "Pentagon launches probe into woke female diversity officer after her tweets about white people with 'CAUdacity' and asking where she can 'get a break from white nonsense for a while'." The "nonsense" she was referencing was a suggestion that black people could also be racist.
• Let's Go Brandon: "Biden's border crisis breaks another annual record - with a month to spare! Two MILLION migrants arrested at the Mexico border in one year for the first time in history."
• This encapsulates Obama and his wife in one headline: "Obamas Park in Handicapped Spot For Two Hours While Dining at Trendy Sushi Restaurant in Los Angeles."
• She dindu nuttin' wrong: "Basketball coach who fell for BYU-Duke race hoax stands by decision to cancel games." 

    A college women’s basketball coach who fell for a hoax about a black volleyball player being called the “N-word” and canceled two games against Brigham Young University as a result does not regret her decision.

    “I continue to stand by my position,” University of South Carolina’s Dawn Staley said, according to a media statement sent to The College Fix by the university’s women’s basketball contact Diana Koval.

    Staley said she had “vetted” the accusations from Duke’s Rachel Richardson that the player had been called the “N-word” in August during a game against BYU and as a result canceled games in 2022 and 2023 against the university.

    A thorough investigation from the Mormon university that included interviews with more than 50 people and a review of video from the game yielded no suspects. A special needs individual who had been labeled as the racist by Duke’s volleyball team has been unbanned from games and issued an apology form [sic] BYU.

• He dindu nuttin' wrong: "'He was railroaded.' Mother of Eliza Fletcher's accused rapist and killer Cleotha Abston says she is standing by her son and insists is a 'good person' - as his 2021 rape victim reveals details of his brutal attack."
• Speaking of dindus: "Shocking moment brazen brutes ransack Philadelphia Wawa store as they toss goods into the air, cackle and one TWERKS on a counter."
• "China’s Chip Industry Is Doomed" writes Lawrence Person at his Battleswarm Blog. Basically, the U.S. is moving to restrict the export of chip manufacturing technology to China, specifically focusing on KLA Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied Materials Inc., which Person asserts supplies equipment to anyone and everyone that manufactures chips. And there is no way for China to make up the loss. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), a partially Chinese state-owned company claims it can manufacture chips using a 7 nm process, but Person indicates that it probably can only do 14 nm reliably. He also describes how Chinese corruption has hamstrung any past attempts to strengthen its ability to manufacture chips. In short:

Without a continued stream of machines, spare parts and technical know-how from those five semiconductor giants, China’s semiconductor industry is doomed. China’s domestic semiconductor equipment industry is essentially garbage, and they’re so far behind in so many areas that they can’t even steal their way to parity. The knowledge gulf is just too vast.

• Related: "Apple starts manufacturing iPhone 14 in INDIA as the tech giant looks to reduce its reliance on China." The article mentions that although Apple has produced iPhone in India prior to this, it was always older models. This marks the first time that Apple is producing its newest phone product there. Nevertheless, the article also points out that only 5% of production is being moved to India, with most of the rest still staying in China. Although the article discusses supply chain problems in China, it also cites the Indian Prime Minister as suggesting that locating manufacturing in India may assist Apple in selling products in India, so this might just be a sop to the Indians in order for Apple to expand sales in that country.
• Heh! Lawfare works both ways: "Fifth Circuit Rejects First Amendment Challenge to Texas Social Media Common Carrier Law." The nutshell version: Texas passed a law that prohibits large social media platforms from censoring speech based on the viewpoint of its speaker. An industry group sought to challenge the law on First Amendment grounds, essentially arguing that their members' right to free speech included the right to ban other people's speech. The Fifth Circuit's response was that it doesn't work that way. Notable comments from the Court:

    The implications of the platforms' argument are staggering. On the platforms' view, email providers, mobile phone companies, and banks could cancel the accounts of anyone who sends an email, makes a phone call, or spends money in support of a disfavored political party, candidate, or business. What's worse, the platforms argue that a business can acquire a dominant market position by holding itself out as open to everyone—as Twitter did in championing itself as "the free speech wing of the free speech party." Then, having cemented itself as the monopolist of "the modern public square," Packingham v. North Carolina (2017), Twitter unapologetically argues that it could turn around and ban all pro-LGBT speech for no other reason than its employees want to pick on members of that community, Oral Arg. at 22:39–22:52.

    Today we reject the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say. Because the district court held otherwise, we reverse its injunction and remand for further proceedings.

On the other hand, you can't handle the truth: "Joe Biden demands end to 'special immunity' for social media platforms who allow the spread of hate as he promises to fight the 'venom and violence' of white supremacy." 

• Related: "FBI insiders say White supremacy threat overblown as Biden opens summit about racists, extremists." An excerpt:

    Current and former FBI agents tell The Washington Times that the perceived threat has become overblown under the administration. They say bureau analysts and top officials are pressuring FBI agents to create domestic terrorist cases and tag people as White supremacists to meet internal metrics.




    “The demand for White supremacy” coming from FBI headquarters “vastly outstrips the supply of White supremacy,” said one agent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We have more people assigned to investigate White supremacists than we can actually find.”

• "Vast Space to develop artificial-gravity space station." Vast Space is a Southern California startup founded by cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb with plans to develop space stations in low earth orbit that use "spin gravity" to create the illusion of gravity. "Since other companies [cough, cough, Space X] are helping to reduce launch costs, McCaleb thinks the next important step will be creating large structures where people can live and work in space."

Currently, the company has about 20 employees, including Kyle Dedmon, former SpaceX vice president for construction and facilities; Tom Hayford, a systems engineer who has worked for Relativity Space and SpaceX; Molly McCormick, a former SpaceX human factors engineer and Honeybee Robotics program manager; and Colin Smith, a former SpaceX propulsion engineer. In addition, former SpaceX vice president Hans Koenigsmann is advising the company.

I'd recently read from another source that Space X believes it can get transport costs down to $10/kilo using its Starship rocket. Long ago I had read that the key point that space industry becomes economically feasible is at $1,000/pound, and we are now contemplating prices around 1/20th of that. 

• "Mystery as HUNDREDS of endangered whales strand themselves on a remote Australian beach for a SECOND day - and eerie timing of the tragedy is shocking." The article calls it a mystery, although there is the claim it was due to "warmer temperatures". The more likely explanation, not discussed in the article, is the shift and weakening of the earth's magnetic field.
• "The mystery ancient toys puzzling archaeologists." This article from the BBC delves into the trouble archeologists have had with considering children and determining whether objects that have been found are toys or serve some other purpose. It initially focuses on a whiligig (aka buzzer and a bunch other names: see this video)--that classic toy using a disk with two holes and some string that spins as you pull on the strings. But it also addresses finds that could be rattles, dolls, and so on. But the real story is how archeologists have traditionally treated children as small adults rather than recognizing that they played and were allowed to play. 
• "Do we really live longer than our ancestors?" Another from the BBC and addressing the difference between life expectancy and longevity. One of the electives I took in college was an introduction to archeology course where I got into a debate with the professor because he asserted (wrongly) that our increased life expectancy was proof of evolution because he believed that it showed that we lived longer. I pointed out that we didn't have longer life spans, just that more of us lived longer, and this was largely due to better diets and modern medicine. He stuck to his position and the class obviously sided with him (he was, after all, the professor!). Fortunately, we were tested anonymously so I still got my "A" from the course.

    My professor's confusion over life expectancy (i.e., an average lifespan) versus longevity is not uncommon. Thus, when we read that the average person lived to 30 or 35 in ancient societies, it doesn't mean that 30 or 35 was elderly, but that a lot of people died (of injuries or illnesses, not old age) when young. It really does mean something when you live in an era when a quarter or third of children would die before they were 5 years of age and a great many others perished due to illnesses or injuries before they reached 40. The article relates:

    If one’s thirties were a decrepit old age, ancient writers and politicians don’t seem to have got the message. In the early 7th Century BC, the Greek poet Hesiod wrote that a man should marry “when you are not much less than 30, and not much more”. Meanwhile, ancient Rome’s ‘cursus honorum’ – the sequence of political offices that an ambitious young man would undertake – didn’t even allow a young man to stand for his first office, that of quaestor, until the age of 30 (under Emperor Augustus, this was later lowered to 25; Augustus himself died at 75). To be consul, you had to be 43 – eight years older than the US’s minimum age limit of 35 to hold a presidency.

    In the 1st Century, Pliny devoted an entire chapter of The Natural History to people who lived longest. Among them he lists the consul M Valerius Corvinos (100 years), Cicero’s wife Terentia (103), a woman named Clodia (115 – and who had 15 children along the way), and the actress Lucceia who performed on stage at 100 years old.

    Then there are tombstone inscriptions and grave epigrams, such as this one for a woman who died in Alexandria in the 3rd Century BC. “She was 80 years old, but able to weave a delicate weft with the shrill shuttle”, the epigram reads admiringly.

 Also:

    Back in 1994 a study looked at every man entered into the Oxford Classical Dictionary who lived in ancient Greece or Rome. Their ages of death were compared to men listed in the more recent Chambers Biographical Dictionary.

    Of 397 ancients in total, 99 died violently by murder, suicide or in battle. Of the remaining 298, those born before 100BC lived to a median age of 72 years. Those born after 100BC lived to a median age of 66. (The authors speculate that the prevalence of dangerous lead plumbing may have led to this apparent shortening of life).

    The median of those who died between 1850 and 1949? Seventy-one years old – just one year less than their pre-100BC cohort.

    Of course, there were some obvious problems with this sample. One is that it was men-only. Another is that all of the men were illustrious enough to be remembered. All we can really take away from this is that privileged, accomplished men have, on average, lived to about the same age throughout history – as long as they weren’t killed first, that is.

More:

    The data gets better later in human history once governments begin to keep careful records of births, marriages and deaths – at first, particularly of nobles.

    Those records show that child mortality remained high. But if a man got to the age of 21 and didn’t die by accident, violence or poison, he could be expected to live almost as long as men today: from 1200 to 1745, 21-year-olds would reach an average age of anywhere between 62 and 70 years – except for the 14th Century, when the bubonic plague cut life expectancy to a paltry 45.

And:

    Surely, by the soot-ridden era of Charles Dickens, life was unhealthy and short for nearly everyone? Still no. As researchers Judith Rowbotham, now at the University of Plymouth, and Paul Clayton, of Oxford Brookes University, write, “once the dangerous childhood years were passed… life expectancy in the mid-Victorian period was not markedly different from what it is today”. A five-year-old girl would live to 73; a boy, to 75.

    Not only are these numbers comparable to our own, they may be even better. Members of today’s working-class (a more accurate comparison) live to around 72 years for men and 76 years for women.