Gun & Prepping News #57

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:  

•  "Red Dot vs. Iron Sights: Which is Better?"--Shooting Times. Richard Nance and James Tarr take different positions on whether you should have a red dot sight on a carry gun. But beyond the reasons each gives for his position, there are some shooting tips. For example, Tarr writes:

Struggling to find the dot? If you’re struggling to find the dot, it probably has to do with an improper grip or inconsistent presentation. The most common problem is the dot being above the optic window. Camming your support side wrist forward should bring the dot into view. Drawing the gun up high from the holster before driving it out to the target (picture an upside-down L) puts the dot in front of your eyes longer, so you can see it sooner. If you drive the gun out and there’s no dot, grip the pistol more tightly. This will likely bring the dot into view.   

• "Master the Basics"--Shooting Illustrated.  Steve Tarani goes over hold/control of the handgun, presentation and aligning the muzzle, and recovery. On the latter skill:

    Recovery is where the wheels often come off, even for shooters with copious rounds down range. The moment the gun recoils, everything the shooter just built—grip, hold, sight alignment, trigger control—must be sustainable without conscious thought. A higher-percentage success rate of that process is what separates a ‘safe shooter’ from a deployable one.

    The novice fights to find the shooting process; the professional follows it.

    Successful recovery means the muzzle finds its way back to the same visual index every single time, with the shooter already prepared for the next shot before the first one has fully settled.

    To build this, novices must isolate the pattern: lift, settle, return. At first it appears mechanical, even exaggerated, but repetition sculpts it into an efficient neural pathway. Once the pattern is reliable, speed develops naturally as a byproduct of efficiency.

    For the high-performance shooter, recovery drills become tests of consistency under compression—stringent par times, more technical targets and tighter accuracy requirements. The goal is identical at both ends of the spectrum: to make recovery a subconscious, competent and repeatable cycle that fails to collapse under pressure.

• "Pushing The Limits of Smaller Guns"--Shooting Illustrated. Claude Werner writes:

    As we learn to get a good sight picture and press the trigger smoothly, small guns such as the Ruger LCP Max or Glock G43 can be shot accurately at much further than just an arm’s length distance. We can practice such shooting with courses of fire that challenge our marksmanship at longer distances, with smaller targets, and shooting with one hand. While most defensive gun uses take place within seven yards, on a full-size target, and allow us to shoot with both hands, that’s not universally true. It’s worthwhile to have an understanding of how well you can shoot your pistol beyond a car length.

    This is a practice session of just under a box of ammo (47 rounds) that provides three different benchmarks for your ability. It includes shooting with one hand, shooting at a smaller target, and shooting at longer distances.  

• He has some more photographs at his blog post: "Pushing The Limits of Smaller Guns"--Tactical Professor.  

• "Ruger's New LCP Pistol Offers 'MAX' Protection"--Shooting Times. A review of the Ruger LCP Max with a manual safety as well as instructions on how to switch the magazine release from being for right handed shooters to left handed shooters. And this:

Some of you reading this might ask, “Why would I want a small .380 ACP pistol when I can have a slightly larger 9mm?” Shooting Times writer Layne Simpson wrote an entire article on that back in 2018. I encourage you to look up that report because it’s full of very good information, but I’ll condense it for you here. Size and weight, as in the size and weight of the gun. A .380 ACP pocket pistol is just about the smallest and lightest handgun that still shoots an acceptably potent round for self-defense. ... 

• "Blind Faith – A Low Light Drill by Mike Boyle"--Snub Noir. This is a drill to practice low light shooting, using steel targets (although the author indicates that paper targets can be substituted). "Two 6 round magazines or a fully loaded 6 shot revolver with a speedloader. The shooter will also need a hand held or weapon mounted light."
• "75Gr Hornady TAP On Deer"--Scattered Shots. The author had been deer hunting with a 5.56 using the 75gr TAP ammo, and shares photographs of how it performed on a body shot (and it did very well). 
• "Marlin 1894 Trapper 10mm Automatic Overview"--Field & Stream. Marlin's 1894 is the only lever action rifle (so far, anyway) offered in 10mm. The author tested velocity and accuracy at 100 yards with several loads. As expected, the Lever Evolution rounds offered by Hornady did better at range than other loads. However, the author concludes:

And that brings up the question of what the 10mm Trapper is for? Clearly, its deer and feral hog capable out to about 100 yards, but as a stand-alone purchase, a Trapper in 357 or 44 Magnum might make more sense. On the other hand, if you’re a 10mm guy and already have a 10mm revolver or pistol, I don’t know how you’ll be able to resist this handy little carbine. 

One of the concerns I have with semi-auto pistol ammo in carbine barrels is that the cartridges tend to peak in velocity at barrel lengths shorter than the length of barrel in a carbine. For instance, in this case, the 1894 Trapper reviewed in the foregoing article has a 16.1 inch barrel, but when you go to Ballistics By The Inch for 10mm, you will see that the across multiple loads, the maximum velocity is at 13" to 14". Loads like the .357 Mag. and .44 Mag really do take more advantage of the longer 16" or 18" barrels.  

• "Shotguns: How To Breach"--Shooting Illustrated. An excerpt:

    Eddie Penney is the CEO of Contingent Group, author of the great book, “Unafraid,” and a retired SEAL Team Six guy with seven deployments under his belt. He’s breached more than his share of doors, and inasmuch, advises the average, untrained, home defender that strong and repeated “mule kicks” to the door may be the best bet. He’s referring to the kicking style where you face opposite of the door, bend over and kick out and backward.

    But, he says that if a mule kick doesn’t work, a well-placed shot or shots from a shotgun will often open a door right up. He says the best way to open a locked door with a shotgun is not by shooting for the hinges, but for the bolt of the locking mechanism, where the bolt enters the door frame.

    “Go for the locking side,” said Penney. Then, he advises to jam the shotgun’s muzzle into the door jamb, where the door meets the frame, just above where you think the deadbolt should be. Angle the barrel down 45 degrees and toward the door at 45 degrees so the shot will strike the bolt where it enters the door frame. Angling the gun down and away will also minimize the chance of debris—spall—going into the room. Then use your shoulder nearest the door to shield your head as you look away. With the shotgun held firmly in place, pull the trigger.

    “Take a shot then try to push or kick the door open,” said Penney. If it still won’t open, your first shot probably made it easier to see where to better aim your next shot, so try it again. Plenty of times the bolt will be blown right out of the door, or the doorframe will be destroyed, allowing the door to freely swing open. 

The military and police typically will use special breaching rounds, but Penney indicated that if they didn't have the special rounds, they would use bird shot--the smaller the better.  

• "Best Long Range Cartridges"--The Firearm Blog.  By "long range," the author means 800 to 1,000 yards. As you would expect, the author believes that the best all round cartridge for long range shooting is the 6.5 Creedmoor. He considers the .308 to be the most versatile "because it's available everywhere, and because it has been available in so many military and civilian contexts for so long, there are lots of competition opportunities to use a .308." The best for the AR15 platform is the 6mm ARC. The best for hunting is the .300 Win Mag, according to the author. And the best big bore is the .338 Lapua. 
• "What is the Best Barrel Length for 6mm ARC?"--Ballistic Advantage Blog. If you do not know much about the 6mm ARC, it was a cartridge designed for the military to give long range capabilities to the AR 15 sized platform--it can stay supersonic out to 1,000 yards depending on the bullet and load. But as to this article, it's not an issue of which barrel length is the best, but what is the best length for different applications. The article indicates you should use a 24" barrel for long range shooting; 20" for hunting or target shooting; 18" for most military applications but is also suitable for hunting. Sixteen inches is the shortest they recommend without too badly compromising the cartridge's capabilities. 
• Related: "22 ARC vs 6mm ARC: What Sets Them Apart?"--AR15Parts.com. The 22 ARC is flatter shooting, but lacks the bullet weight to reach out as far as the 6mm ARC.
• Related: "6mm ARC Basics – What you Need to Know to Get Started"--AR Build Junkie. 
• Related: "Building A 6mm ARC Upper"--Shooting Illustrated.  
• "Best .308 Barrel Lengths: Is 16 Inches Too Short?"--Firearm News.  The author writes:

 In conclusion, yes you do indeed give up some velocity dropping from a 22- or 24-inch barrel to a 16-incher. However, it’s probably not as much as you would think. Is the trade-off worth it? Now, that is the important question. In the case of a lightweight carbine, which will be used inside 600 yards and primarily inside 300 yards, a 16-inch barrel makes a lot of sense. It is significantly shorter, handier, easier to maneuver and easier to get in and out of vehicles with. The shorter barrel is a real plus if you plan on mounting a sound suppressor. In the case of Ruger’s SFAR, it makes for a very quick handling package that is easy to carry over hill and dale.

• "The Priorities of Survival"--Revolver Guy.  The author was working on a presentation intended to "focus on a handful of law enforcement gunfights involving officers armed with revolvers, and identify some 'lessons learned' for armed citizens who are similarly equipped," and offers some thoughts to readers about Massad Ayoob's "Priorities of Survival" model,  akin to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in that the most basic and primary needs are at the base of a pyramid and moving up to more refined points. At the base of the Priorities of Survival pyramid is "mental awareness and preparation," then "tactics" above it; then "skill with equipment"; and, finally, at the top, "equipment". 
• "Dark Arts For Good Guys: Think Fast!"--Straight Forward In A Crooked World.  The author begins:

    There is a problem we (society in large) face in trying to thwart,fight,and kill the badmen of the world.

    As the "Good" we have concluded that there is unofficially mandated fair play and ethics into trying to fight off those who commit evil.

    When I teach on how to defend against mass shootings I tell my students that they have to get their head around shooting an attacker in the back. And turn the targets around for them to do so.

    Being in a prolonged gunfight with multiple attackers is not the same fight as with a home invader. You shooting a man in the back as he runs for the front door is at best manslaughter. Understanding that firing into the back of a gunman as he walks around executing people lying on the floor is called tactical advantage and justified. Just as it is for any S.W.A.T and HRT Sniper.

• "Tarp Shelter – A Comprehensive Guide to Building Your Own Survival Shelter"--Alpha Survivalist. A lengthy article on--you guessed it--making shelters from tarps. The author begins by noting that:

A tarp shelter is a versatile and affordable solution for camping and outdoor enthusiasts looking for a lightweight and easy-to-set-up shelter. Tarp shelters can be used in a variety of ways, from a simple overhead cover to a fully enclosed tent-like structure. With a little creativity and some basic knowledge of knots and rigging, you can create a comfortable and protective shelter that will keep you dry and comfortable in any weather.

He covers four types of tarp shelters, tips on selecting the right tarp, equipment/supplies you will need, anchoring techniques, tips on maximizing comfort and protection, etc.

•  "Different Fishing Setups You Should Know About"--SHTF Preparedness. Combinations of elements--floats, bobbers, weights, swivels, etc.--for (i) cast and retrieving, (ii) fishing off the bottom, and (iii) suspended bobber and bait fishing. 
• "15 Things You Should NOT Do When The SHTF"--Urban Survival Site. The author begins by pointing out:

    Plenty of attention is given to the things you should do when disaster strikes, but knowing what not to do when disaster strikes can be just as important. During a crisis, emotions run high, logic often takes a backseat, and panic can override even the best survival plan. One bad decision in those early moments can have serious consequences.

    That’s why it’s critical to mentally prepare yourself not just for action, but for inaction. Prepare yourself for the things you must resist doing, no matter how tempting they may be.

The first four things to NOT do are: (i) panic; (ii) stare at the TV; (iii) decline government aid; (iv) bug out to the woods. Read the whole thing. 

• "Selco: Are You TRULY Adaptable Enough to Leave Everything Behind to Survive?"--The Organic Prepper.  An excerpt:

    Many of us mix things here about survival, things that you have to have to survive, things that are important, less important, comfort vs. necessity and similar – it is a huge topic.

    But for this article, we need to understand that things are just like that – things. Yes, they make our life easier. But believe it or not, life is possible without many things. The final result here for many preppers is gonna be the fact that they might die, because they will value too much their physical preps, and they may fail to recognize the moment when they need to leave everything and run.

    It is very easy to fall into that trap – to start to value your preps so much, you collected those things so hard, you invest your money into food stash, into 10 different kinds of weapons, into a bug-out vehicle, into a cabin in the woods.

• "How Long Will a Buddy Heater Run on 1 lb & 20 lb Propane Tanks? (Run-Time Chart & Tips)"--Modern Survival Blog. The Mr Heater Buddy is one of the most popular propane heaters for emergency use, temporary heating of a garage or workshop, or even for taking camping. The author gives times for both the Buddy heater and the Big Buddy heater, and gives times for running at low, medium (for the Big Buddy) and high settings. For the Buddy heater, the run time on a 1 lb. bottle is between 2.4 to 5.4 hours; and using a 20-lbs. tank, it is between 41 and 92 hours. He has a lot more information on BTUs, the best use for the Buddy versus Big Buddy heaters, and how to hook them up to 20 lbs. tanks.