Monthly Archives: October 2014

Free For All Friday 10-31-2014: That FN pistol…

five_seven_largeI wasn’t able to get my costume repaired (yes, repaired. long story) in time for Halloween. As a result, my hastily thrown together costume today is “Random Dude from The Walking Dead Before He Got Turned Into a Zombie”. It’s not even 8:30 and I’m so hopped up on Halloween candy that I’m sure I’m going to get mistaken for a tweaker.

The time change is this weekend as well. We get an extra hour of sleep the first day then what feels like an extra hour until our bodies get used to it. Fun fact: the number of heart attacks in this country goes well below average on the days following this particular time change. They go up following the change where we lose an hour. Sleep is important, kids, and keeping a consistent sleep schedule is good for your health.

With the time change comes two other important things:

  1. Change the batteries in your smoke alarms whether they need it or not. If you have a gun safe with a digital lock, change the battery on that as well.
  2. Take your guns out, clean them and lube them whether they need it or not.

Both are important maintenance guidelines. We have one question this week!

I heard a lot of fuss about the FN 57 and the 5.7 round. I’ve gone into some gun stores and gotten some less than friendly reactions. Others seem to think its the best thing since sliced bread. I spend a lot of time in the mountains with my kids and am looking at it as a good self defense weapon against cougars. Whats your take on it? Also, if not a 57 what should I be looking for to guard against animals that might be trouble in the mountains? -Daniel L.

It seems like the gun world is filled with polarizing subjects. Whether it’s 9mm vs .45 or revolver vs. semi-auto, gunners will passionately argue their chosen alliance until the cows come home…then leave…then come home again. There’s also a certain percentage that can safely referred to as “Luddites”. These are people that just automatically dislike any new technology or paradigms. I can’t really blame gun people for being that way because, when you think about it, we’re betting our lives on our guns. I personally wouldn’t want to bet on unproven technology in these kinds of cases. That being said, the only way for an unproven tech to become proven is for people to try it out.

The FN Five-seveN is one of those “unproven” techs that are surprisingly polarizing at the same time. I put quotes around “unproven” because there are already a few (40+) military & police organizations internationally that have adopted it successfully and they sing their praises of it constantly. It’s an almost entirely polymer pistol that shoots a very unique round: the 5.7×28. The philosophy of the round is a small bullet with a hefty amount of power behind it. The cartridge looks like a tiny AR-15 round and the bullet itself  is very similar in size to the 5.56 round.

People seem to either love it or hate it. The bright side is, there’s enough info on it to make good judgments concerning ideal usage. From a self-defense standpoint, this gun follows the same philosophy as the AR-15’s round: tiny bullet that tumbles when it hits. This creates a pretty nasty wound channel. What we’re looking for, however, is what amounts to a hunting round if you’re using it for that kind of defense. In that case, most people would say that a 5.56 or .223 is usable to hunt mountain lion but it’s on the low end and shot placement is important. Considering that the 5.7 isn’t a rifle round by any stretch, it’s not going to have the punch that a 5.56 has and might not give you the power necessary to down an attacking cougar. So, for self defense, I would go with a 5.7 in a heartbeat. When it comes to animal defense, I don’t know if I would go that direction. Data says it should work but I can’t help but feel like something a bit beefier would be preferable. Either a 9mm pistol or .357 revolver would be a safe, no question approach. If nothing else, the difficulty in finding ammo for the Five-seveN pistol is a big enough negative to move it down the list of potential gun purchases.

 


Thanks for the questions!

So do you have a question burning in your mind? We answer them every Friday so send them in! It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s arguably gun related we want to hear it! Head over to our Facebook or Twitter or Contact Page and send them in. See you next Friday!


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Recoil and Accuracy

2351001077_8606e51f7e_mThe #FreeForAllFriday thing we do every week is my absolute favorite thing I do for this site. Not only do I just love helping out readers by answering their questions but I love the challenge of it as well. Every now and then, I get a question that I really like and want to focus on a bit more. In this case, I got a question from Ann…at least I think it was Ann judging by the email address. She wanted to know “since you said that you would have felt recoil when the bullet is already 10-20 ft away from you, would it affect the accuracy of your shot?  Why or why not?”

This makes for a great followup article to our guide on recoil from a while back.

To recap a bit, recoil is the physical reaction to the action of the bullet leaving your gun’s barrel. Felt recoil, however, a term for how much of that recoil you actually experience. I stated in the article that, by the time you feel the recoil, the bullet is already well away from the gun itself. Logic would dictate that the recoil itself wouldn’t have any effect on accuracy then since the bullet is already well on its way.

Yes and no, as it turns out.

The recoil itself will actually have no effect on the bullet’s path. Recoil’s effect on you, however, can guarantee that you’ll never hit a target. You see, recoil is pretty traumatic on your hands and wrists. Physical limitations aside, it’s not damaging. Your body and reflexes, however, don’t know this. Your brain knows the recoil is coming. Your nerves know it’s coming. If you let your brain and nerves get the best of you, one big thing happens:

Flinching

You’re essentially anticipating the shot. You’ll tend to actually push/jerk the gun forward a bit knowing that the big push backward is coming. This is going to cause your shots to run 6 inches to a foot below where you’re aiming. While common among new shooters, the comforting thing is that this isn’t an amature problem. It doesn’t matter who it is or how long they’ve been shooting, people will always start flinching at some point or another. Take a look at Hickok45, for example. Every now and then he’ll get into a streak where he can’t hit anything. He has to stop and collect himself before he can hit anything again. This is because he’s started flinching.

The bright side is that the flinching can be tamed for the most part. Things like dry fire practice and just slowing things down at the range can get your body and mind prepared for the big bang. If you find your shots going low, slow it down and focus on your fundamentals again: slow and controlled trigger squeeeeeze.

So the solution, as it turns out, is the same solution to all the gun issues: get out there and practice! Thanks for the question, Ann!


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Free For All Friday 10-24-2014: Wet ammo, 22 pistols and bugout bags.

100955825_e9a937c2ca_mSo say you take a car to the dealership (for whatever reason) to get your brakes fixed. The job gets finished and you drive away. Less than a month later, things start acting funky. There are noises you’re not used to but you write them off as “my car is getting up in years” and figure you’ll mention them the next time you take it in. The noises get real bad and you take it in. The dealership shop person tell you that X and Y are shot on your car and it will be well over $1300 to fix. You don’t have that much money but you also know there’s a shop down the street that is legendary for being inexpensive so you take your car there for a second opinion. They tell you “yep, X and Y are bad and it looks like whomever installed your brakes last might have caused some damage that ultimately led to the failure of X and Y.” Bolts were stripped, work was shoddy, etc etc. He charges you $700 to fix X and Y but tells you that one of the front brakes are overly worn (due to issues with X and Y) and that I should take it back to the original place to warranty it out. Some Google-Fu shows you that multiple people have had the same experience at this dealership: brake job “coincidentally” leads to these parts failing shortly afterwards. The question then becomes: Do you take it back there and risk them screwing up the work you just had done (either by accident or out of spite) or do you just write them off and get the brakes replaced with a reputable mechanic who is likely to do it right and learn the lesson never to deal with the original place?

I comes down to what is more important: principle and money or end result. Principle is one thing and money is always an issue. The peace of mind in knowing that it’s a job well done versus worrying about every noise, rattle and squeak from that point on and having to risk constantly going back and fighting is another thing.

We have three questions this week!

I was canoeing a few weekends ago out in the middle of nowhere and the thought occurred to me. If I flip and fall into the lake with my pistol, would that render my ammo useless, or are cartridges sealed enough to withstand a quick dunk? -Corey M.

The bright side is, decent ammo is pretty rugged. I’ve stated numerous times that the ammo you carry daily in your gun should be the absolute best you can find. Never bet your life on bargain basement items. That being said, things happen. One tiny flaw in the casing could let moisture in. Still, there was a video I watched a while back where a person left a magazine’s worth of ammo soaking in water for 4 weeks then fired it. He was getting a failure about every 3rd round. All things considered, that’s not that bad. A good, 30 second or even couple minute dunk probably isn’t going to have the same results, especially if you’re able to get the magazine/ammo out and dry it quickly enough. At the same time, the moisture your body releases on a regular basis is far more corrosive (due to the salt content and such) than a quick dunk would be. Still, there are things that you should be aware of. Once your ammo has been submerged, there are four possible outcomes:

  1. It still fires – Yay! No problem!
  2. It doesn’t fire – Problem, but not a bad one. If it’s a full blown self defense emergency, follow your failure drills and get shooting again. Be very careful, however, because just because it doesn’t fire doesn’t mean it’s a dud. It could be a…
  3. Slow burn – This is a common issue with older ammo that’s been stored in a moist environment. The powder gets wet, but not soaked. If you were to pull the bullet and light the powder, it wouldn’t go off with a “foof!” like normal powder. It would be more like a sizzle. It would still build up necessary pressure eventually and fire. These are dangerous as heck. Military teaches that if you pull the trigger and nothing happens, wait at least 30 seconds before ejecting the round (In a gunfight, this would ideally be done behind cover). If you don’t and it is a slow burn, you run the risk of the bullet firing on the ground next to you rather than in the chamber where it’s supposed to be. If you’re using a revolver, the danger is even worse. Then you’ll have a bullet exploding on the side of the gun and that will ALWAYS destroy the gun and, more often than not, leads to some serious injury.
  4. Squib – No, I didn’t misspell the name of a certain kind of cephalopod. A squib is when a bullet goes off but doesn’t have enough power to make it out of the barrel. You wind up with a blockage which, in most cases, isn’t a huge deal. Pull the gun apart and, using a dowel rod or some other soft-ish implement, hammer the bullet the rest of the way out of the barrel. Always do it in the direction of “breech to bore”. Doing it in reverse runs the risk of damaging the rifling. Never…and I’m going to type this a couple more times to make sure it sinks in…NEVER NEVER NEVER continue firing if you think you have a squib. You will know when you have a squib because the gun will feel weak. If you’re shooting a 9mm, a squib will feel significantly lighter. Almost like a .22LR instead. If you ever feel that, stop shooting immediately and disassemble the gun to examine the barrel. Don’t look down the barrel of a loaded gun to check (safety rules!). Some people have had the thought of “oh, if I shoot another round it’ll just push the stuck one out”. Google Image Search is filled with pictures of the destroyed guns of people who had that thought. This is how injuries happen at the range.

Knowing how to recognize and deal with failures is an important thing to practice. Ultimately, don’t worry too much about a quick dunk. Still, get some snap caps or dummy rounds and practice your failure drills just in case.

Two quick questions. I love shooting 22lr and have experience with the Ruger 22/45 and do like that one. I found a new one online for $280, do you think this is a good deal for a Ruger? Also a S&W 22A is there for $230. Have you ever shot one before? Or any impressions you’ve heard from other people? -Kaj

The Ruger MarkIII is the defacto .22LR pistol and the 22/45 is one of its variations. It’s been around, in one way or another, for as long as Ruger has been around. The grip is made to mimic the famous 1911 pistol and, if you look at the .22LR shooting competitions, most of the competitors will have a tricked out Ruger as their gun. The S&W 22A is also a great alternative to the Ruger and is commonly used by people who want a .22LR pistol that isn’t a Ruger. The great and powerful Hickok45 has one of the S&W’s as his .22LR pistol of choice. That’s a heck of an endorsement for it, if you ask me. Were it my money, however, I’d most likely go with the Ruger simply due to the insane number of accessories available for them. More so for the Mark series, mind you, but a lot of parts are interchangeable as well.

As far as the prices go, it’s hard to say. Regional prices differ enough that it’s hard to say whether that’s a good deal or not. The bright side is we posted a great guide for finding out going rates of firearms here.

What items are most important in a bugout bag? -Fred S.

Things can go south real fast and being ready to evacuate shows great forethought. One of the most common things prepared people suggest is the “bugout bag”. This is a ready to go sack of items that you can just “grab and go” knowing it has the vast majority of your essential survival items in it. This frees up your mind to worry about other things that need worrying about in an emergency situation. While people all over the place have countless “checklists” for items that should go in a bag and those are far more detailed than anything I could put together here, my own personal research has shown me a few things to keep in mind when putting yours together.

First off, the bag itself is probably the most important but the most overlooked. Many people will just get a backpack from their local Walmart, stuff it full then say “I’ve got a bugout bag! I’m prepared now”. Those bags can barely stand up to a year of school kids using them much less the kind of abuse you would encounter in an emergency. You want a large, sturdy and comfortable back that won’t have you hating life if you have to wear it for hours at a time. Something like….a nice hiking backpack. These are strong and surprisingly lightweight. Not only that, they can hold a great deal of stuff and in a way that is easier on your back. Another thing is not only plenty of different ways to purify water but ways to transport it are equally as important. You don’t want to have to stop every few minutes to purify some water so being able to carry the water you’ve made safe is a huge plus. Also, multiple ways to start fires as well. You should have a couple of lighters, then a couple boxes of matches then finally a flint/tender of some kind. After that are your foods, clothing, navigation and such.

The ultimate guideline is to realize that, even though the fact you’re grabbing your bugout bag is considered by many to be the worst case scenario, it is far from the worst case scenario. Have backups for everything in your bag and even have a backup bag because the worst case is still FAR worse. Also, when looking at the various checklists and guides, keep in mind regional differences. A generic bag list might not have the stuff needed to survive if you lived in a desert area and a desert focused bag would leave you woefully unprepared in a swampy area. This is where having a grand scheme plan beyond just “having a bag” is very important. Knowing where you’re going to go and what you’re going to do will help you plan accordingly.


Thanks for the questions!

So do you have a question burning in your mind? We answer them every Friday so send them in! It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s arguably gun related we want to hear it! Head over to our Facebook or Twitter or Contact Page and send them in. See you next Friday!


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DDDDDDrop the Bass! (Calculating Bullet Drop)

chartA bullet’s path is not a straight line. I know most of you are saying “well, duh”. I think it’s safe to say that we all know a bullet will eventually hit the ground however the details concerning path of a fired bullet is not considered by most outside of the standard “know your target and what’s behind it” safety commandment. You know who does consider the path a bullet follows in great detail? Rifle shooters.

When you’re dealing with only a few yards, the drop of a bullet is negligible. Start traversing distances longer than 100 yards and bullet drop becomes a big deal. When you’re looking at shots near 1 mile, it’s not so much shooting the target as it is lobbing a bullet towards the target. The question is, how much do you lob said bullet? If only there was some way to know exactly or at least estimate how much you’re going to have to aim above the target so you can hopefully get that first shot on target.

The good news is, there is a way. The bad news is it involves some maths. Feel free to run screaming. I won’t blame you. As the great Jimmy Buffett once wrote: “Math Suks”. For those of you who wish to journey with me on a trigonometric adventure of algebraic bliss, buckle up.

First off, you’re going to need a bit of information before you start. The main one is going to be the muzzle velocity of the bullet. How do you figure that? Well, you could go spend some money on an chronograph and spend a great deal of time testing various ammo, recording the velocities and then averaging them and keeping them in a special journal. Personally, that sounds about as exciting to me as a root canal. The easier thing to do is to look up the ballistic information from your ammo’s manufacturer. All the major ones make the information available on their websites.

Then you’re going to need to know the bullet’s weight. This should be displayed prominently on the box/bag/case the ammo came in. It’ll usually say something like “[some number] grains”. Then, once you have all that information, plus a few standard items, you can plug the numbers into the following equation:

Bullet height H = Hi + V*sinΘ*t – ½g*t² 

where

  • V = muzzle velocity
  • Θ = angle above horizontal of the initial velocity
  • Hi = Initial height
  • t = time after firing, seconds
  • g = gravitational acceleration

Now, this is going to give you a range of values that you can then plot out on a graph and…uhm…at least I think that’s what happens. Hang on…

Ok, I don’t have a graphing calculator on me. Uhm. Oh wait, my smartphone might have…nope. Alright, you know what? As much as I love science and neat looking equations and stuff, there’s no real point to doing it this way. There are countless ballistics calculators that do all the grunt work for you and you just have to plug in a couple of easily obtained information. No maths necessary.

One of my favorite online calculators is over at Hornady. There’s also numerous apps available for your phone that can make the calculations as well. So let’s back up a bit and go through this way.

First off, one of the things that confused the heck out of me when I first saw a ballistics chart was how it showed the bullet travelling upwards first then eventually dropping. My brain, having studied physics and such for so long, said “that doesn’t look right”. You see, bullets start to drop the moment they leave the barrel. Gravity: it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law. Now, the velocity of the bullet lessens the effect on gravity but it certainly doesn’t reverse the effect and cause the bullet to rise. What causes that is the difference in height between the barrel and the (properly zeroed) scope. So it’s going to rise up to the point that the scope is zeroed then start to fall as would be expected. Essentially, you’re kind of lobbing the bullet towards your target instead of that laser straight shot we all envision.

So to use one of those calculators, you’re still going to need to know a few things before you start. There is, of course, the bullet grain and velocity. As stated before, this information is readily available online. Depending on the calculator, you might also need to know the “ballistic coefficient”. This is the ability of the round to overcome air resistance and, thanks to differences in bullet shape, is different for each bullet. Again, most manufacturers provide this number on their websites and sometimes the ammo boxes and it will be a number between 0.001 and 1.0. The last number we’ll need is the distance between the scope/sights and the barrel.

Plug those numbers into the calculator and you should be greeted with a table of numbers. Every calculator displays things a bit differently but ultimately, here is the information you’re going to find most valuable. At the range your scope is zeroed to, it’s going to have a 0 for the trajectory. This means that if your scope is zeroed at 100 yards, barring crosswind and such, your point of aim will be the point of impact. There is no bullet drop. Starting at regular intervals after that point, you’re going to see a negative trajectory. For example, say at 200 yards it shows a -4.2 for the trajectory. That means the bullet is going to drop 4.2 inches at that point. Eventually, you’re going to see a number that’s larger than you are tall. Unless you’re shooting off a cliff, that’s where the bullet is going to hit the ground.

Some calculators, like the Hornady calculator I mentioned, even shows you what adjustments you’ll have to make on your scope in order to get that “point of aim/point of impact” goodness at distances. I ran a .308 Win round through it using the ballistics data from the manufacturer. Let’s say I’m shooting at a target at 700 yards. According to the calculator, I would have make a 20.6 MOA adjustment to my scope in order to put the bullet on target. Knowing that number and how many “clicks” on your scope equates to 1 MOA, you can then set the scope accordingly. Handy information to be sure!

Keep in mind, the accuracy of the basic calculations is based off of certain “ideal” constants. Most calculators also have an advanced mode where you can enter in information like wind, altitude, temperature, and barometric pressure to really nail down some near exact numbers. The thing to ultimately remember is that these calculations, even if you enter all the information necessary, are still a “best case scenario”. They give you a starting point. It’s a relatively accurate starting point, mind you, but it’s still just a starting point. You still have to do your part. Nothing beats getting out there and shooting with this information so you can learn how your gun works compared to the calculations. In order words: get out there and practice.


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Free For All Friday 10-17-2014: 22LR Carry Guns, Silencers and Home Defense.

IMG_1519_3Halloween is coming up. This has got to be one of my favorite holidays. We nerds tend to go all out on Halloween as well. Heck, we’ll look for any excuse to dress up in costume. Usually it’s comic conventions or what have you. Regardless, we go a bit crazy. There will be pictures. As the Fourth Doctor once said “There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” Words to live by.

What is your opinion on a .22lr concealed carry gun? I want to get my wife a gun to carry but she struggles shooting a 9mm due to wrist injuries. I had said something to a friend about this and he thinks a .22lr is not enough power. He says at least a 380. What is your take on this? Thanks. -Chad M.

When it comes to this site, I try not to just regurgitate information from other sources. I test and research everything I do and adjust previous advice given whenever the need arises. In this case, I have to kinda go with the mainstream but not really…sort of. Some will say that the .22LR is useless for personal protection and that an attacker will just shrug it off if they get shot with it. Strange how no one saying that will ever volunteer to stand downrange and get shot with a .22LR so they can “just shrug it off” and prove their point. The fact of the matter is, there are countless examples of criminals shrugging off .45 ACPs and .357 Magnums and there are also countless stories of people getting dropped from a single .22LR round. That being said, a .22LR isn’t exactly an ideal round for personal defense. It’s one of those “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” type of scenarios. When it comes to defense with pistols, it’s all about shot placement, sure. A larger round is just going to increase your chances of doing the necessary damage if you put your shots in the right place. The big thing with .22LR isn’t so much its potential to do damage as it is their reliability in general. Rimfires, by their nature, are not very reliable designs and I wouldn’t want to bet my life on them.

I personally wouldn’t want to carry anything less than a .380 if for no other reason than they are inherently more reliable than a rimfire based round. For the recoil sensitive (which I very much am), if you go with a slightly heavier designed gun (like a SIG P238 or Colt Mustang), the recoil is negligible. Keep in mind, we’re talking about a pocket pistol here. Even the heaviest pocket pistol I’ve come across (Walther PPK) are still lighter than the vast majority of compact pistols and shouldn’t be an issue.

I had a friend ask me a question about suppressors this past weekend. Went something like “I am looking at buying my first suppressor, what can you tell me about using one can for multiple calibers?” -Chris’s Friend

With the prices and hoops you have to jump through, it makes sense to get the most bang for your buck. It is possible to use suppressors on multiple calibers and a lot of companies are even making modular suppressors that can be reconfigured for multiple calibers. The modular ones are, as you would expect, even more expensive and they are still limited as to what calibers they can be configured for. Your friend didn’t specify pistol or rifle but I’m going to quickly touch on both. In that realm of pistols, nothing suppresses like a .45 ACP. It’s already a subsonic round so you can pop a can on your gun and shoot anything though it. For smaller rounds, you’ll need to look for the subsonic versions to get the least bang for your buck (see what I did there?). You can put a .45 ACP suppressor on a 9mm pistol and still get some noise reduction but it won’t ever be as good as a purpose built 9mm suppressor. Putting a 9mm suppressor on a .45 will cause a problem that involves the words “catastrophic” and “failure” in that order. Also, don’t put a pistol suppressor on a rifle. The differences in pressure will also cause a big problem as well. The cheapest (legal) option if you have a bunch of guns to outfit are the serialized Oil Filter adapters from Cadiz Gun Works. These allow you to attach an automotive oil filter to your gun and they work just as well as the fancy suppressors. They’re under $100 but you’ll still have to pay the $200 federal tax stamp. The downside is that you might look a bit ridiculous with a FRAM filter at the end of your gun. Don’t forget that, regardless of which suppressor you go with, you’ll need to also get a threaded barrel and likely raised sights. Suppressors are large and can block the sights. Then again, you can always get decent at point shooting instead.

Currently I own a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun but am starting to feel like maybe I need to expand my choices against uninvited visitors.  So what’s the next step? It looks like many rifles fire .223 or other caliber ammunition that one doesn’t often see in a pistol.  My long ago experience firing a .45 revolver suggests that the recoil makes the safest place to be (at least to start with)  right in front of me.  So, what’s the logical progression (pistol, rifle, both) to increase my options, and what’s the importance of number of shots per option , the ability to share ammunition, and minimizing the likelihood of my acquisition(s) getting stolen? -Mark

Ask any military member and they’re likely to tell you that they were always taught that a pistol is what you use to get to your rifle. We can talk calibers all day long but a pistol isn’t going to do as much as a rifle or shotgun. The fact that you already have a shotgun means you’re off to a good start. Frankly, you could stick with just that and be well defended. Nothing wrong with wanting options, however. With that, I’d move to an AR-15 chambered in 5.56. For home defense, a shorter barrel is a better option for maneuverability reasons. Recent rulings by the BATF have stated that they’re perfectly fine with people shouldering AR-15 Pistols so there’s a really short option for you that doesn’t require jumping through the paperwork hoops for an SBR (“short barreled rifle” which requires a tax stamp). The 5.56 caliber will allow you to use both 5.56 and .223 rounds which increases your ammo availability. Even though both rounds are the same size, the 5.56 is a hotter round and can cause issues (those “catastrophic” and “failure” words again) when fired from a rifle chambered in .223. You can fire .223 from a 5.56 rifle all day long, however. That size is also a good size for defense as it’s not likely to wind up punching into the neighbor’s house. The .308 and 7.62 battle rifles and carbines have some serious penetration and could wind up going through an intruder, then your wall, then your neighbor’s wall and sometimes that neighbor’s neighbor’s wall. Likely? No. Possible? Very much so. Frankly, I wouldn’t want the liability.

Don’t rule out pistols though. There’s one BIG thing you can do with a pistol that you can’t do with a rifle or shotgun: tuck it in your belt (by way of an appropriate holster) then go shopping. I don’t want to get into an open carry discussion but there are just far more places you can carry a concealed pistol than a rifle or shotgun on your shoulder if not for legal reasons than just for convenience, really.

 


Thanks for the questions!

So do you have a question burning in your mind? We answer them every Friday so send them in! It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s arguably gun related we want to hear it! Head over to our Facebook or Twitter or Contact Page and send them in. See you next Friday!


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Free For All Friday 10-10-2014: Revolvers and stuff.

lcr1I was doing some thinking. That’s rarely a good thing but still. At the moment, I only have the budget for one big gun convention a year. For the last couple years the SHOT Show has been my show of choice. There were some things that bothered me a bit about it, however. It wasn’t the fact that it was in Vegas. Unlike most other people in my particular niche, I adore Vegas. It was more of the timing of the vendors. Here is one of the largest media events in the world and they don’t really reveal much. It seems that more stuff gets announced and unveiled at the NRA Annual Meeting each year than at SHOT. With that in mind, I’ve decided to give that show a chance instead. If it turns out to be a bust, I’ll head back to SHOT the following year but, considering the focus of this site, the workshops and such at NRAAM concerning firearm safety and training are much closer to the purview of this site’s subject matter.

“I read in several of your reviews that you are tired of reviewing revolvers cause you just pull the trigger and bang. But like I said before I’m new to handguns and looking to get one to carry now. Right now I have a .22 revolver and just use it for target shooting. But can you tell me what you think about the Beretta M9 and the Ruger LCR9mm? I do like revolvers because mine is so easy to clean, but for a carry gun I would like to go with a 9mm. From all that I have read there isn’t a lot of recoil and ammo is cheap. Maybe in the future I would look at a .38 special.” -Rob H.

Yep, revolvers are boring to review. There’s no spark. There’s no drama. They’re like the humble computer nerd of the gun world. Yes, they’ve got a lot of money, will worship their girlfriend and be 100% faithful to them but for some reason women still tend to lean towards the guys on probation with borderline psychopathic tendencies. Same thing here. Now, in relationships that stinks but in the gun world, that’s not exactly a bad thing. You want something dependable to defend yourself with. For reviews…well…like I said: boring. Let’s face it, they don’t typically put people that look like me on magazine covers and centerfolds.

Now, in the grand scheme of things, revolvers aren’t exactly any more dependable in the long run than a semi-auto pistol. Both can suffer failures. The difference being that failures on a revolver are almost always classified as “catastrophic”. On the other hand, revolvers are much more forgiving for bad technique and less than stellar maintenance. It truly is a “six in one, half a dozen in the other” type of scenario. For every strength one has, there are also weaknesses that the other doesn’t have. Revolver vs semi will be an argument raging to the end of time.

Personally, I love the Beretta M9 (or 92). Ask anyone in the military and they’ll likely tell you that there’s no better gun to qualify with. They are solid, fun, dependable and accurate as heck thanks to that 5 inch barrel. The only reason I don’t have one is because money and the fact that I already have a large number of 9mm pistols and justifying another one to Mrs. Noob would be near impossible at the moment.

Concerning the LCR, I like the LCR as a carry pistol. Full disclosure, however, I ultimately traded my LCR .38SP in for an LC9 semi. You specifically mentioned the LCR 9mm. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion but something in my brain just doesn’t like the idea of putting typically semi-auto calibers into a revolver. At the same time, with the exception of the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle, I’m not too sold on stereotypical revolver calibers in semi-autos.

One thing to keep in mind is that most specifically designed carry guns, regardless of caliber, are going to have far more felt recoil than their larger cousins. It’s just the nature of physics. If you have a Beretta M9 firing 9mm and a Ruger LC9 (also in 9mm), the Beretta is going to be a very comfortable shoot while the LC9 is going to be snappy and, frankly, a bit on the painful side. Same thing with the ultralight revolvers. Whether you put 9mm or .38 Special in them, they’re going to have some punch. That’s why I prefer semi-autos for carry. I hate recoil and I don’t mind carrying a heavier gun in order to tame it a bit.

Your mileage may vary.


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How Fluid Is Your Plan?

TARDIS1I have to apologize but the best way I can think of to start this article is with a quote from the Tenth Doctor: “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly….timey-wimey…stuff.”

What he’s basically saying is that reality isn’t always an A + B = C type of flow. The tiniest factors can influence things which makes outcomes rarely predictable. As a result, your life and plans should never follow an A + B = C type of response.

Let me change gears for a moment. This will all come back around, don’t worry. Just bear with me. I have a friend who has decided to become a “prepper”. He’s hoarding food and supplies and is building himself a bunker. He’s got a seed bank and all kinds of water purification devices and more. According to him, he’ll be ready for anything. So my first question to him was “what if you have to leave?” You see, his entire plan was based off of Disaster + Bunker = Safe. I pointed out to him that Mayport was a major target for nuclear attack. If some country decides to push a button, NE Florida would be lit up and the fallout would certainly reach to his place. His bunker wasn’t good for radiation and, although I’m not up to date on the effect of radiation on crops, I don’t know if I would trust eating food grown in conditions that required a radiation suit in order to harvest (if they’d even grow at all). Long story short: in all his planning he never once considered having to leave his fortress.

The same has to go for your defense plans. Is there more than one entrance to your house? What if you’re in your yard? What if they’re already in your house when you get home? What if your go to gun just doesn’t work?

As I said above, reality is wibbly wobbly. There is no possible way to come up with a single plan that can account specifically for every possible factor. The trick…and I’m not saying there is a trick but if there was it would be to try and come up with a master plan that is fluid in its execution. Try to figure out the most likely factors and then make sure it can adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

One of my big heroes, Alton Brown, had a philosophy when it came to kitchen goods: no unitaskers. If it can only be used for 1 single purpose, it had no business being in his kitchen. The only exception was a fire extinguisher, mind you. A similar philosophy would be a good start when it comes to survival supplies as well as defense. For example, shotguns are good for home defense as well as hunting and the same goes for certain semi-auto rifles. Storing all your guns in your bedroom may be convenient but it’s also an “eggs in one basket”. Storing guns all around your house in strategic locations, via small safes, is a tactically better option.

The same can go for concealed carry/personal defense options…kind of. Not so much versatility in the items themselves but in your EDC in general. Carrying a pistol is all well and good but do you really want that to be your only option? What if the threat is bad but in that grey area between “bad situation” and “my life was in danger”? Recent events have shown that things can get muddied very quickly. Carrying something as simple as pepper spray along with your pistol doubles your defense options and can potentially save you legal troubles after the fact.

One of the best things you can do is to test your plans. I’m not saying pay someone to break into your house or set fire to your neighborhood. I mean try to find holes in it. Don’t assume that “so and so will never happen”. Don’t rule out odd options either like “what if they’re dressed head to toe in super advanced bullet proof armor?” If you find a hole in your plan, look to see how things can be adapted to fill that hole.

In the end, it’s survival of the fittest out there. That doesn’t always mean those who can bench press a Volkswagen and run 30 mile marathons. Mental fitness, creativity and the ability to adapt are, by far, the most valuable assets you can have.

 


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Free For All Friday 10-3-2014: Rifle Caliber and a duck…

308_WinchesterOnly one question this week and I’m exhausted for various reasons so I don’t really have anything clever or insightful with which to start off this week’s post. With that being said, here’s a joke: A duck goes into a furniture store and says ‘got any duck food?’ The guy at the counter says, ‘sorry, we don’t sell duck food’. The little duck walks out. The next day, same duck, same guy. ‘Got any duck food?’ ‘Sorry little duck, I told you yesterday, no duck food here.’ The duck walks out. Next day, again, ‘got any duck food?’ The guy says ‘No! we don’t sell duck food! and if you come in here again I’m gonna nail your feet to the floor!’ The duck walks out. next day, duck walks in. ‘Got any nails? ‘ The guy says ‘what?… no’. Then the duck says ‘Got any duck food?’

On to the question!

“I own a .223 caliber S&W MP 15 and a Browning Medallion 300 Win Mag. I would like to know what is a rifle that would be somewhere in the middle for mostly Deer and Coyote, some say .270 some say 7mm and so on. I’m currently looking at a Winchester model 70 ultimate shadow hunter ss either in a 243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 270 Win, 308 Win or a 270 WSM. what do you suggest or should i be considering a different caliber?” -Ed W.

You’re in luck! For coyote, you can actually use your .223 for hunting them. If you don’t care about the pelt (or leaving recognizable parts in general) then the .300 Win Mag will work as well. For deer, the .300 will also work but it’s a little too much for that application. It would be much better suited for bear or elk. If it were my money, I’d be looking at the .308 Winchester. The .308 is kind of a Swiss Army knife round in that you can use it for most anything. It’s always great to go with a .308!

 


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