Gun & Prepping News #95

Some links that may be of interest: 

• No. "Shot Placement: Is the Pelvic Girdle Really the Best Self-Defense Solution?"--Shooting News Weekly. An excerpt:

    However, for the sake of argument, let’s accept that a handgun bullet does indeed fracture the critical bone structure of the deadly human animal and they lose the ability to run, walk, or even stand. Keep in mind that the stated reason for the pelvic girdle shot was a failure to stop from impacts to the torso area. 

    That puts us in the Type 3 physiological stop attacker category, an attacker who’s not psychologically inclined to surrender. If said attacker is armed only with a melee weapon — a machete, bat, or kitchen knife — they can no longer get to their victim(s). If they have a distance weapon — a rifle or handgun, even from the ground — they’re still deadly threats to any target they can see. This is akin to blowing the track off of a T-80 tank with an AT4. The tank can no longer maneuver, but the turret with that big gun can still take aim at you.  

The author notes that there are times where you will be forced by circumstances to shoot the attacker in the groin or pelvic area. "However, we also train to break contact, create distance and then get our guns back up to the TT area in order to rinse, lather, and repeat as necessary to force the attacker to stop trying to kill us. We don’t just shoot them in the balls and then retire for the day."

Related:

•  "Pelvic Shooting, the Best Worst Option"--Moderno Blog. The author discusses the medical aspects of pelvic shooting but concludes that "[t]he pelvis is on the bottom of my list of priority targets unless the situation puts it at the top, which I think is how it should be looked at when we consider the facts." Those situations that put it on top? "when it's the only part of the bad guy you can see (extreme angle shooting), the initial rounds in extreme close quarters such as a hip fire situation, or when fire to the chest is ineffective and a head shot is not possible."
• See also my post from 2013, "The Pelvic Shot".  

• "Sling Manipulation for Home Defense: Making Slings Work Around Corners"--Ammo Land. From the article: 

    A rifle sling is often treated as little more than a carrying strap. For a gun owner relying on a rifle, shotgun or pistol caliber carbine for home defense, that is a mistake.

    A properly set-up sling helps retain the rifle, frees a hand when necessary, and gives the shooter more control in hallways, doorways, and other confined spaces. A poorly adjusted sling can bind the rifle, slow a shoulder transition, or leave the gun swinging around when the shooter needs both hands.

    In a recent training video, Travis Haley of Haley Strategic demonstrates how sling configuration affects shoulder transitions, body exposure around corners, and the shooter’s ability to keep a rifle in action after an injury. Haley discusses those techniques primarily through the lens of close-quarters operations, but several of the underlying lessons have direct value for civilian gun owners who keep a carbine for home defense.  

The article goes on to relate the main points from the video and discusses more about sling options, so be sure to read the whole thing.  

• If you've been wondering if you can take advantage of the recent decision declaring certain portions of the NFA unconstitutional: "NSSF Explains Who Can Actually Use the New NFA Injunction"--Guns America. 
• Getting into the DA/SA debate:
• "DA/SA: Not the Best Choice for Newer Shooters"--Civilian Gunfighter.  The key part:

The other major issue with DA/SA pistols is the fact that the user must practice the two different trigger presses.  That DA first shot, in a self-defense scenario, will probably be the most important shot the user takes.  As Paul Howe said in that article linked above, many shooters of DA/SA pistols throw away that first shot.  The two different trigger presses also means that the user must be able to transition from the one press (DA) to the other (SA) seamlessly.  Many shooters cannot do so.

•  On the other hand.... "Striker-Fired vs Double-Action/Single-Action Pistols: Which is the Best?"--Firearm News. 

    ... The above instances are accurately called negligent discharges, but most striker-fired pistols are like the Glock in that they have no manual safety. The only external physical safety they have is the lever on the trigger, or in the case of the S&W M&P, the safety lever is the pivoting hinged trigger. This prevents the gun from being fired unless the trigger is pulled. 

     The only problem with that? If something gets wedged inside the trigger guard of your striker-fired pistol, the gun is going to go bang. This doesn’t get talked about a lot, but there have been a huge number of true accidental discharges involving striker-fired pistols because foreign objects find their way inside the trigger guard. These objects range from leather straps on thumb-break holsters to drawstrings of windbreakers activating the trigger. Some ADs involved people just forgetting to move their finger fully out of the way as they re-holster. Or people stuff small CCW-sized striker-fired guns inside bags or purses to bounce around, something gets wedged inside the trigger guard, and … .

    What does this have to do with DA/SA pistols? The double action trigger pull on DA/SA pistols acts as an additional safety on the pistol. How many of the ADs and NDs in the above paragraph wouldn’t have occurred if the person was using a DA/SA pistol will never be known, but I’m guessing an accurate guess would be most of them. Appendix carry is hugely popular right now, and while I am not a big fan, I know a lot of people are. I also know for a fact that some of those people will only carry a DA/SA pistol in an appendix holster, to reduce the chances of incurring a SIFV (self-initiated field vasectomy). They’re called “family jewels” because they are both valuable and irreplaceable.

Of course, this passive safety of a DA trigger pull only works if you remember to decock the hammer before holstering or putting the weapon down. For most Glock users, you can also get the Striker Control Device from Langdon Tactical which can aid in preventing accidental discharges when holstering or drawing the weapon.  

• "Charter Arms Walker… A Pound Of Protection"--The Truth About Guns. The article gives a history of Charter Arms before moving on to the review of the Walker--an 8-shot .22 LR revolver weighing 15 ounces and with an MSRP of $462 according to the article. It also mentions that the Walker is offered in other calibers including .22 Magnum.
• "HK G3 Clone Review: PTR-91 Brings the Cold War Back"--Guns America. From the article:

    You might ask yourself why the H&K G3 matters. Here in the U.S., we sometimes have AR myopia and forget there are other rifle designs besides the AR. The G3 is one of those designs, and once you get outside the AR bubble, its influence is impossible to ignore. Over 70 countries equipped their forces with a G3, and some 8 million G3s have been produced to date. The rifle has been in service since 1959 and is still very active in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

    The G3 has made its presence known in conflicts since the 1960s. The design is modular, easy to manufacture with a stamped steel receiver, and reliable, so much so that other HK weapons morphed from the G3, including the MP5, HK33, and an arsenal of others. At the heart of it all is a roller-delayed blowback action. If you want to continue the Cold War shooting experience, then the H&K G3 is next on your list. These are the rifles to shoot. Let’s start with the Heckler & Koch G3. 

See also my 2018 post, "Survival Weapons: The CETME/G-3/HK 91."

• "Fudd Friday: Your Allegedly Outdated Shotguns Are Still Usable"--The Firearm Blog. An argument that older shotguns that are limited to 3" or 2.75" shells, with fixed chokes, can still be used for hunting. Really, it should only be an issue with those hunting waterfowl as that is where the long range and non-lead shot (which can damage older shotgun barrels) comes into play. For upland birds, old shotguns are fine. 
• "New D910 L Light Bearing Kydex Chest Holster from FALCO"--The Truth About Guns. They have over 160 lights and laser modules that can be selected. 
• "Warning that mammoth nationwide blackout could last 18 MONTHS as power grid's appalling weak spots exposed"--Daily Mail. From the lede:

    The United States is at risk of a nationwide blackout that could last 18 months, according to the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

    Jon Wellinghoff became aware of the alleged vulnerability after a shooting at a Pacific Gas and Electric Company's San Jose substation, according to the The New York Times Magazine.

    He conducted a power flow analysis that modeled the large-scale effects of knocking out the most critical substation in each of America's three power grids: the Western, Eastern and Texas interconnections. He said this led him to discover just how easy it would be to cripple America's power supply. 

• "Trauma Kit List: Essential First Aid Gear for Severe Bleeding"--Modern Survival Blog.  Here is the list:

• Nitrile gloves
• Quality tourniquet
• Hemostatic gauze
• Compressed or plain packing gauze
• Pressure dressing
• Trauma shears
• Vented chest seal
• Medical tape
• Emergency blanket

The author goes on to discuss each of the items, so be sure to read the whole thing. He also discusses the difference between a trauma kit and a regular first aid kit. He adds:

    There is always another medical gadget you could put in a trauma bag.

    I would rather have a smaller kit containing equipment I understand than a large tactical medical pouch filled with things I have never practiced using.

    The ACS Stop the Bleed program teaches three very practical skills: applying direct pressure, packing a wound, and applying a tourniquet. Red Cross first aid training is another good option.

    I would stop the civilian trauma kit at that level rather than adding advanced airway equipment, decompression needles, or other gear intended for people with appropriate medical training.

    Practice with your equipment before an emergency. 

• "Farmers' Almanac releases winter weather predictions warning millions to brace for heavy snow"--Daily Mail. 

    The Farmers' Almanac made its official Winter 2026-2027 predictions this month, calling for a season full of coastal storms and snow in the Northwest and bitter cold and snow in the Midwest and Northern Plains.

    Overall, 150 million people across 29 states, from Maine to Montana, in the northern half of the US are expected to experience periods of snow and freezing temperatures between December 2026 and March 2027.

     The West, Northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes are predicted to see 'fast-moving clippers, sudden cold snaps and brief snowy periods.'

    In the Northeast, a so-called 'complicated' winter forecast is unfolding, with the 200-year-old publication predicting coastal areas receiving more rain or mixed sleet and ice.

    However, inland areas, such as Pennsylvania, western New York and parts of New England, could get several rounds of heavy wet snow, especially in January and February. 

• "New tech adds phone tracking to license plate readers, associating devices with identifiable cars"--The Conversation. 

SignalTrace, a system marketed by the security company Leonardo, is designed to work alongside automatic license plate readers. The company says it can recognize groups of consumer devices that regularly move together, then associate them with license plate records and time-stamped locations. The pattern can then be searched even when a police investigator does not know the plate number.