Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:
- "CMP Unveils NEW PRODUCTION M1 Garand Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. The rifles will be available in .308 and .30-06. The article cautions that because it is a faithful reproduction, you will need to only use ammo approved for Garand rifles rather than the full-power loads intended for hunting. The price is $1,900 plus $40 shipping according to the article. The CMP is currently taking pre-orders at this link. I opened up the pre-order form, and it appears that the orders will be shipped to an FFL rather than your door, but that also means that you don't have to go through a couple of hoops that you normally would have needed in the past to order an original M1 Garand.
- "NEW SKS Folding Stock from HUSH Holsters"--The Truth About Guns. It looks like it copies the factory folding stock that Ruger produced for Mini-14. Prices vary from $200 to $320, and probably depend on the material (both polymer and wood are available).
- "The Return Of The Taurus 58"--American Rifleman. Notwithstanding the author's ignorance of the roots of this handgun, it is a copy of the Beretta 84 in .380, although this model features a 15 round magazine while the 84 used a 13-round magazine (but, I would note, the Beretta 80X uses a 15-round magazine). When I handled an 80X a few months ago, one of the things I found off-putting was the rail that had been added--it was just extra bulk and threw off the balance of the weapon, and just offered more surfaces to catch on your clothing. This Taurus 58 does not have a rail. On the other hand, it also doesn't have a replaceable front sight or the ability to mount an optic. But the real story here is not necessarily the handgun, but this comment by the author: "The trend of ever-shrinking .380 ACP handguns has reversed as of late, with more manufacturers acknowledging that 'mid-size' .380s are low-recoil and just plain easier to shoot."
- "Henry Reigns Supreme: The AR-15 Mag-Fed LASR: Lever Action Supreme Rifle"--Recoil Magazine (warning: sound automatically plays). A lever action rifle in 5.56 or .300 BLK that uses standard PMags and has a threaded barrel. As the author notes, such a rifle would make a good suppressor host. This looks like a simpler design than some of the others that have come onto the market. According to the review, the MSRP is $1299.
- "Century Arm’s AP53: An Affordable Roller-Locked 5.56"--Recoil Magazine (warning: sound automatically plays). This appears to only be offered in a pistol configuration, but appears to otherwise be a copy of the HK53 (a short barrel--8"--version of the HK33). The biggest issue that the reviewer had was that it ships using an MP5 handguard which is too short, potentially resulting in a burn if you touch the hot trunnion. The reviewer recommended getting a genuine handguard for the HK53. MSRP is listed in the review as $1,800.
- "Off-Body Carry: Falco Holsters Concealed Gun Bags"--The Firearm Blog. For the civilian defender whose normal clothing is not an oversized, untucked T-shirt or Hawaiian shirt, carrying in a fanny pack or some sort of sling bag can make a lot of sense. The article briefly reviews a leg bag (I guess when your drop leg holster is just not quite large and bulky enough), a shoulder bag/day pack, and a sling bag.
- "Best Zero For Your Red Dot Pistol: 10 vs 15 vs 25"--Ammo Land. According to the author's tests, the 10-yard zero is great for close up self-defense situations while the 25-yard works well for competition where you may need to take longer shots. The 15-yard is at a sweet spot in the middle making it easy to take the close range shots, but also works well enough at longer ranges.
- "The Demi-Practical Event"--Tactical Professor. A practical course of fire based on the Practical Event portion of the Bianchi cup, using two targets. The author explains the differences he made:
Since shooting a pistol at 50 yards would be soul crushing to most shooters, the Event I created is called the Demi-Practical, demi- meaning half https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demi-. The 50 yard stage is eliminated and the other distances are halved. This gives us a 36 round Event shot at 5 yards, 7 yards, and 12 yards. The Support hand shooting is changed to Primary hand only shooting with a time change to 6 seconds since there is no hand transfer. All shooting is done from the Standing position.
Since the AP1 is not a common target commercially, I substituted the IDPA target. Points down scoring works fine as a practical marksmanship metric. Par timing makes it easier to administer and score.
Because the course of fire never goes above 6 rounds for any particular stage and no reloading under the clock, it is revolver friendly.
- "Should You Use a Weapon Light on a Concealed Carry Pistol?"--Ammo Land. The author says not only "yes" but suggest that if you don't you are acting irresponsibly. I don't have a problem with weapon mounted lights (WMLs) generally: my "nightstand" (i.e., home defense) pistol has a light and I have lights on my defensive rifles. But the characteristics of a concealed carry pistol--small (or smallish), light weight, and easily drawn from underneath clothing or from a pocket--militates against adding the additional bulk and weight of a weapon light. And while the author is correct that most violent encounters happen in low light, Tom Givens (who tracks his students armed force encounters) has also noted that "in the 60 plus defensive shootings his students have been involved in, the lighting (or lack of lighting) was a factor in the outcome in exactly ZERO cases." And the other reasons the Ammo Land author mentions for using a WML--identifying a target and blinding an attacker--are probably better and more safely accomplished with a hand-held light. Using a weapon mounted light to determine "whether that silhouette is a threat—or your drunk neighbor looking for his dog" can potentially land you in trouble with the law for brandishing or assault.
- A couple from Sheriff Jim Wilson:
- "What Will You Do?"--Shooting Illustrated. The gist of the article is that gun fights are over quickly (Wilson notes that the gunfight at the OK Corral was over in 30 seconds). Will you have time to react? Will you have time to get to your handgun? How do you train? He has a couple of suggestions:
- "I would also suggest that split times or speed reloads are not nearly so important as being able to make a smooth draw stroke and deliver two quick shots to the vital zone."
- "It might be a good idea to change the way you dress in order to be able to get your hands on that gun more quickly."
- "Do The Unexpected"--Shooting Illustrated. Key point:
- "Editor’s Notebook: The Software Component"--Tactical Wire. The author begins: "It’s not just about guns, OC or other gadgets – and it’s not just about taking 'hands-on' training. While physical skill and the appropriate tools are important, there’s more. It’s getting your mind right." To do that, he suggests attending a presentation by "someone who’s knowledgeable about staying alive in unfriendly places" or reading a book. In the latter category:
I have a pair of texts I keep side-by-side. One is Defensive Living: Preserving Your Personal Safety through Awareness, Attitude and Armed Action – written by friends Dave Spaulding and Ed Lovette. The other is Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper. These small volumes comprise the extent of knowledge about that software component.
That’s a bit of a bold statement, but it’s not hyperbole; while some readers have complained about one or the other “lacking detail,” the point is that it is about getting your mind right. If you do the work, the detail fills in. This happens through practical application – doing it every day, making it a habit.
You have plenty of habits, you must know how to form them.
Being verbose won’t help.
- Defensive shooting fail: "Bizarre fight sees tenant shoot dead landscaper hired by his landlord to trim his trees"--Daily Mail. Basic story is that the landlord sent a landscaper to do some work at the property the tenant was renting, the tenant became upset and shot the landscaper. There is nothing in the news article to suggest that the shooting was justified.
- "Machetes to be banned from sale in Victoria in the wake of Northland Shopping Centre brawl"--ABC.net.au. And by "machete," they mean "a cutting-edge knife with a blade of about or more than 20 centimetres [7.8 inches] long — but does not include knives primarily used in kitchens." You can tell that the politician pushing this has never worked an honest day in her life:
Premier Jacinta Allan on Monday announced the sale of machetes would be banned from Wednesday, ahead of a legislated ban on possession of machetes which comes into effect on September 1.
"These knives are dangerous weapons, they have no place on our streets anywhere and that is why I will introduce as many laws [as it takes] to get these dangerous knives off the streets," she said.
I was just using a machete this past weekend to cut down some tall grass on my property. They have a place. Perhaps it is, instead, the gangs of feral "youths" that don't have a place on Australia's streets.
RE: "Best" zero distance for your handgun....a cardinal rule of AR-15s is "measure your sight offset" with whatever the primary sighting system may be. Since sight offset is a greater factor at shorter distances, this entails shooting at incrementally closer distances, all the way down to 3 yards, and the wiser shooters at least know the heights of the bullet's ballistic arc at significant points between 25 yards and the zero distance and have thought about what 'hold under" might be appropriate at various distances.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, no one seems to consider doing the same thing with handguns, probably because most handgun shooters so rarely shoot at targets much beyond 10 yards and marksmanship much beyond that is questionable, the value of doing so at distances out to 50 yards (or farther) is not considered.
I think with standard iron sights it was never an issue because there was minimal distance between the bore and the height of the sights and, as you point out, the distances are generally so short. But with some of these red dots and/or taller sights to use with suppressors I could see it being an issue. The offset with lasers was certainly enough to worry about if you needed a precise shot.
DeleteNew production M1's? With a .308 option?
ReplyDeleteThat's tempting.
That's what I was thinking.
Delete