Gun & Prepping News #98

Some links that may be of interest: 

• "Priorities" by Massad Ayoob.  Some thoughts on the Idaho In-N-Out shooting. An excerpt:

There would have been four potential victims returning fire on him, but one was a former cop carrying a pistol with an empty chamber who was shot down by the murderer before he could rack a torpedo into the launch tube. Lesson: carry a gun that’s ready to shoot, and if you’re not comfortable with an autoloader in the chamber, consider a revolver. Another was a courageous young woman who picked up the pistol the killer had started with and dropped when it jammed, but couldn’t clear the malfunction and get the thing to work against its vicious original owner. Lesson: if you’re in a situation where a mass murderer is doing his thing, make sure you can get a picked-up gun up and running. These comments in no way denigrate the bravery of the citizen-rescuers mentioned.

• "The Wal-Mart Parking Lot Killing Legal Outcome"--The Tactical Professor.  You might have seen some news reports from June where a woman shot a man to death in a dispute over parking spot at a Walmart. The post cites a CBS article which lays out the basic facts:

    The woman involved in the June 30 shooting is Melissa Payne. The Broward State Attorney's Office released approximately 18 minutes of surveillance video showing the confrontation between her and Bart DiGuglielmo from multiple angles.

    The video begins with Payne and DiGuglielmo competing for the same parking space. Payne ultimately secured the spot, and DiGuglielmo parked elsewhere.

    According to prosecutors, DiGuglielmo later returned to the area where Payne was parked. Witnesses described him as visibly shaking and angry, and said Payne warned him multiple times not to approach her or her vehicle.

    Video footage shows Payne moving away for about 90 seconds as DiGuglielmo continued toward her. Payne eventually fired one shot, striking him in the abdomen. She immediately placed the gun on the roof of the car.

    DiGuglielmo later died.

In any event, authorities have declined to prosecute here based on Florida's stand your ground law. 

Reading the Memo and watching the video gave me a much different opinion of her retreat around the vehicles than I had previously. There was a much greater distance covered than just moving to the back of her vehicle. Given that she was neither a spring chicken nor a petite flower, she may well have retreated as much as she was physically capable of.

• Related: "THE “CAN-MAY-SHOULD-MUST” – 2.0 ?"--Modern Service Weapons.
• Interesting: "Beretta Introduces Shotgun-Based Turret System for Drone Defense"--American Rifleman. From the lede:

Beretta Defense Technologies has introduced the LIVET Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS)—an AI-driven turret system that can bring eight Benelli M4 Drone Guardian shotguns accurately to bear on incoming unfriendly drones. The platform addresses the growing concern over inexpensive unmanned aircraft systems on the modern battlefield.

The LIVET’s remote engagement capabilities and auto-tracking make it a formidable defense option for critical assets. Its AI system allows it to identify and lock onto targets autonomously. Radio and radar sensors can also be integrated, allowing it to receive coordinates from external devices and scan in the direction they detect potential threats. 

• "Which 100-Year-Old Hunting Rifle Performed Best?"--Guns & Ammo. This is the conclusion of a series that looked at some hunting rifles from the early 1900s. In this particular article, the author compares the performance of each (weight, accuracy, etc.) and ranks them. Summing up:

If I were in the market for one of these guns in 1925, as a typical hourly factory worker, and knew anything at all about the performance characteristics of some of these guns, I’d have a hard time looking past the 1893 Marlin or it’s competing Winchester Model 1894. I would also give a serious look at the Model 14 Remington and Savage 1899. I’d have a harder time justifying the Winchester 1907 from a cost and performance standpoint or the Model 8 Remington simply due to its cost. I would not eagerly buy a Winchester Model 54, either. It was a new and unknown bolt-­action and would have had to convince me of its advantages for the price. 

• ".38 Super: Best Semi-Auto Cartridge Ever"--Shooting Times. Some history of this cartridge together with advice for using it in competition and for handloading (which apparently is the best way to realize the potential of the cartridge and make sure to meet the necessary power factor required for some competitions). Although not mentioned in the article, it is my understanding that .38 Super is popular in Latin America because of the restrictions against owning firearms that shoot military cartridges such as the 9x19mm. 
• Speaking of handloading: "Hodgdon Lil' Gun .357 Magnum Load Data"--Shooting Times.  
• "Red Dot vs. Green Dot Optics: The Science Behind Which Is Best"--Handguns Magazine. The author concludes:

The good news is that for most shooters red dots continue to work very well, and red contrasts against a variety of backgrounds. Green dots may offer better visibility at lower power in bright conditions and sometimes don’t create the “sunburst” effect for shooters with astigmatisms, but green dots can be more difficult to see clearly against green backgrounds such as heavy foliage. Thanks to modern reflex sight technology, choosing between red and green dots is now largely a matter of personal taste. 

• "Do U.S. Riflemen Make Better Snipers? A British Point of View"--Guns & Ammo. Per the author, the answer is "yes" per one British sniper instructor because British recruits have no experience with firearms prior to enlistment while many American recruits will have been shooting and hunting since their youth. 
• "Galil ACE Gen 2 Review: Is This the Ultimate Survival Rifle?"--Rifle Shooter Magazine. And by "survival rifle" he means what you would grab in a Red Dawn scenario or post-apocalypse. 
• "Best Hearing Protection for Shooting (2026 Buyer's Guide)"--Handguns Magazine. A look at a handful of hearing protection products, as well as an explanation of why it is important, what is "hearing safe," and why the author argues you should "double up" on hearing protection. 
• "Hurricane Wind Arrival Time & Prep Deadline Tool"--Modern Survival Blog.  A tool embedded at the link. The author writes: "Enter your ZIP code, city or town, or use your current location below. This tool uses current NHC/NWS forecast data to show when 39+ and 58+ mph sustained winds could arrive, the 5-day probability of 39+, 58+, and 74+ mph winds, and an NHC-based prep deadline for your location."
• "Grow some winter squash this year"--Backwoods Home Magazine. 

    We can a lot of our summer crops but canned vegetables just don’t retain that fresh-picked flavor. So we use a variety of means in order to enjoy fresh vegetables year-round. By overwintering some crops in the garden (Swiss chard, kale, and spinach), growing microgreens inside, and growing crops that will store for long periods of time, we manage to keep a variety of fresh vegetables in our diet throughout the winter months.

    Winter squash is one vegetable that stores well so we grow a few different ones for use during the colder months. Stored correctly, some winter squash (Hopi Pale Grey, Blue Hubbard, and sometimes Butternuts) will keep until the next season’s crop is ready to harvest.

    Many vegetables and fruits prefer cooler temperatures for storage but not winter squash. I find that they keep better stored at room temperature. Winter squash come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They are beautiful to look at so you can store them in plain sight all over the house. Arrange them in a corner next to a potted plant, make a table display, fill a wire basket or old wooden box, put them in a child’s wagon, line them up on the fireplace mantle — you get the idea. 

• "GMRS Emergency Channel: What to Monitor During a Power Outage"--Modern Survival Blog. As the author explains, there is not dedicated emergency channel for GMRS. The author begins:

    If the power is out and cell service is starting to fail, GMRS Channel 20, 462.675 MHz, is one of the first channels worth monitoring. But don’t make the mistake of listening only there.

    Channel 20 has a long history as a traveler-assistance and calling channel. It is not an official FCC emergency channel today. Local GMRS repeaters, Channels 15 through 22, and even the lower shared FRS/GMRS channels may produce more useful traffic where you live. 

He also gives recommendations as to some radios.  

• "12 Early Warning Signs a Major Crisis Could Be Coming"--SHTF Preparedness.  A lot of these boil down to supply and distribution issues: (1) sudden shortages of supplies of food, medicine, fuel or household supplies; (2) rapid increases in food prices; (3) fuel supply instability; (4) warnings from banking and financial services such as increased volatility in financial markets, bank restrictions, or unusual economic policies; (5) increased political tensions; (6) disruptions in global shipping; (7) strains on electrical grids; (8) sudden government emergency measures; (9) large scale cybersecurity measures; (10) unusual consumer behavior; (11) disruptions in transportation networks; and (12) increasing frequency of emergencies. 

    To be blunt, by the time you notice many of these, it may already be too late. For instance, by the time the government enacts bank restrictions, it will be too late to pull your money out of the bank or make other arrangements. Generally, however, the well connected, wealthy people with have some forewarning. For instance, FerFal (I believe) recounted how before the Argentinean economic crises, there was a sudden jump in private jets leaving the country. Just before 9/11, there was an uptick in someone shorting airlines stocks. And probably numerous other examples.

    Also, by the time the mainstream media reports on something--if they ever do--it also may be too late. (For instance, how many of you heard of a Chinese reconnaissance satellite breaking up shortly after the Chinese supplied reconnaissance to Iran that led to the death of some American personnel). So you will want to try and find some off beat sources of news. For instance, for disruptions in global trade, I find the YouTube channel "What's Going On In Shipping" to be useful.   

    But it is because of our lack of access to vital information that we need to be prepared. We are not the ones that are going to get backroom calls from senior government officials, people in the know at large multinational banks or oil companies, or similar.