Free for All Fridays

Free For All Friday 12-12-2014: AR Scopes, Revolvers, and more!

We’ve got a lot of questions this week so I’m going to skip my usual rambling opening and go right into it!

Total noob question: understanding how to pick the correct scope for an AR-15 – Brett S.

It comes down to a couple of things. If you’re planning on using your AR more like a rifle with long range shots exclusively and you’re not really into the whole “tactical” thing, a traditional rifle scope is your best option. I’d still throw on a couple of angle mounted iron sights just in case. If, instead, you want the gun for self defense and close quarters/dynamic targets will be what you’re aiming at then a red dot sight is what you should be looking through. In this case, I’d also recommend some iron sights but, depending on the red dot you choose, you might be able to co-witness them. Finally, there is an intermediate kind of sight if you might be bouncing a bit between both uses. That would be the ACOG sight. It’s kind of a Goldilocks thing that can handle close range stuff well along with things that are a bit farther out. I wouldn’t use an ACOG if you’re looking beyond 100 yards but that’s just me. I know people that can hit 500 yards and beyond with iron sights but for us mortals, you’re going to want to go with the sight/scope that most fits your desired use.

I just saw (I’m a newbie, too) that the Taurus Judge revolver can shoot .410 shotgun shells. I’ve fired a shotgun, and they’ve got quite a kick. What’s it like shooting shotgun shells from a revolver? Is it even practical? And what applications would it have? I mean, why would you want to, other than to speed up your carpal tunnel progress. – Mike H.

One one hand, the .410 is kind of the .22LR of the shotgun world. It’s super light recoiling and light-ish on power, relatively speaking. It’s still a freaking shotgun shell, however. Saying a shotgun shell has “light recoil” is like saying “compared to a sledge hammer, a ball-peen hammer to the skull only hurts a little”. When you’re shooting a shotgun shell from a shotgun, you have the weight of the gun and many other factors helping tame that recoil a bit. Throw that shotgun shell into a comparatively light pistol frame and you’re really going to know when you’ve fired that gun. The recoil is…lively…to say the least.

From a practical standpoint, it’s really not. Again, you have to keep in mind that it’s still a gun and it’s still going to do the job it needs to do. It’s not a bad gun either. There are just other options available that I would recommend over it, especially when it comes to first guns and such. One of the biggest problems I have with it is the fact that a .410 (and any other round meant for a long barreled gun **cough** .22LR **cough**) needs a long barrel to get up to ideal speed. The moment it leaves the barrel is starts slowing down. With the snubnose of the Judge, it loses a great deal of its lethality. The only option is to use a slightly longer barrel which makes it harder to carry or pump some more powder into the shell which doesn’t help the recoil.

I don’t want to knock the gun because I love it when companies think outside of the box but if it were it my money, I’d spend it on a traditional revolver or a semi-auto for your self defense weapon.

Dry fire systems and techniques -Kurt S.

Personally, I adore the LaserLyte training options. I have spent a great deal of time using mine and I have noticed a big difference when I actually go to the range as a result. I cannot recommend them enough. As far as technique, we’ve got an in-depth guide coming up but the short of it is: practice your dry fire exactly as you would practice at the range.

Hey Noob!, I know you are not a fan of carrying revolvers. I understand all the reasons why. However, if someone decided to carry one anyway, do know of a holster that would work well? for perhaps a .38 special or a .357. Thanks as always! -Skylar R.

Before I get the revolver fan club descending upon me with torches and pitchforks, let me just say: I’ve got no problems with revolvers and I have recommended them to many people. I just personally prefer small semi-auto pistols for my own carry. I have lots of friends that are revolvers. My cousin is a revolver. I even dated a revolver in college.

As far as holsters go, you can’t go wrong with the traditional leather style. Galco makes some of the best leather holsters and they have them styled for a wide variety of guns. If you’re wanting a bit more modern material, Dragon Holsters, Crossbreed and many others make some incredible Kydex/leather combos.

Better first hand gun, a Glock .45 or M&P Shield -Paolo C.

One of my big rules of thumb is to never have a carry gun as your first gun. Even a great one like the Shield takes a toll on your hands at the range. That means people typically won’t practice with them as much so they don’t wind up getting the fundamentals they need. So based off that, I would personally go with the Glock for your first handgun. You’ll be able to spend far more time practicing with it and, once you have the techniques down pat, you can get the Shield for your daily carry.

From experience, however, it’s not that difficult to use the Glock as a daily carry either. You’d be surprised how easy it is to carry a full sized pistol.

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 12-5-2014: Shooting Low and Flame Wars…

When I launched this site three years ago, it went live with a handful of guides and some articles that, in looking back, make me cringe a bit to read. After about three months…and I don’t remember exactly which article it was…. after I posted it I had the following thought: “I am now completely out of ideas.” Then, the next week, I posted another article and again I said “That’s the last one I’m going to be able to write. I have no more ideas.” For three years I’ve been panicking and telling myself that every time I post an article. My biggest fear at the moment is that some day, I’ll be right.

Thank goodness for Free For All Friday!

I just got back from the range. I have a S&W 9sdvue. 9mm. Both my son and I shot it. We both had the same experience, when we aimed high, or above the target, we hit it square. Otherwise, it was always low. It seems to both of us that the sights were off. The gun shot consistently that way. By comparison, when we shot our Ruger 100, we were on target all the time. Is it really our grip/shooting or could the sights really be off on the gun? If it is the sights, how do I fix it? -Skylar R.

Every gun’s ergonomics are different and it is entirely possible that a gun just doesn’t jive with your body’s set up and I’ve experienced it myself. There have been a couple guns that I just had trouble shooting. It has been said that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Blaming the gun should always be the “whatever is left” option.

Any time someone is shooting low, I first examine their trigger technique. Jerking the trigger is a guaranteed way to shoot below point of aim. The triggers on semi-auto pistols can be a bit funky so it’s easy to start jerking them and not even realize it. Barring that, I’d look into getting a laser bore sight. There are universal ones available that you put in via the barrel. Follow the instructions, turn on the laser then aim and see if the sights line up with the dot. Keep in mind, most pistols are sighted few quite a few feet away (15-25 yards) so there might me a couple inch difference depending on where you’re aiming. If it lines up, it’s technique and you should re-examine the first tip. If it doesn’t line up, time to get your sights adjusted. Depending on your sights, you can either do it yourself or you’ll need to take it to a gunsmith.

What are your thoughts on the great platform debate for carry? Striker fired vs. double action vs. single action autos. -Steve G.

Ah, the great striker/double/single debate. Few questions have caused more forum fights and gun range arguments. To invoke this question is to bring fire and destruction upon the land. It was only a matter of time before it got asked here. Well, I guess it’s time we answered it. Hey Look! Something distracting!

Oh…you’re still here? That didn’t work, huh? Ok, well let’s do this.

All kidding aside, the best answer to this question isn’t as exciting or complicated as the flame wars would have you believe. The best one for carry is whichever one you have practiced with the most. See? I told you it was going to be a let down. There are equal amounts of arguments for and against each one. It is a perpetual stalemate. Logic would say that if there is no clear answer for one trait, look to other traits of a gun. At that point the best thing to look for is a gun you’re comfortable with. Every person is different and every situation is different. What may not be ideal for the most part may be a person’s only choice. When it comes to each, they all work fine given the majority of situations out there. There also isn’t one gun that can take care of all situations. When you tally things up, they’re all neck and neck.

Thanks for the questions!

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Free For All Friday 11-28-2014: Some catching up to do…

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I’ve eaten an absurd amount of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Having this much time off of work has also messed up my internal clock. Amazing how quickly that can happen. Spent all day thinking it was Sunday. I think I even wrote Sunday’s date on the paperwork when I picked up my car from the shop this afternoon. Whoops. Hopefully that detail isn’t too important to them….

We’ve got some questions from this week and some from last week which I missed because I was sick…

I was wondering what your opinion is on the Heritage Rough Rider 22 single action revolver. I love single action revolvers and this one is always advertised at a cheap price. -Kaj F.

I haven’t had the chance to shoot this particular one myself. I have heard some different things about them. First off, as with any low priced gun, the manufacturer has to save money somewhere. Sometimes QA on guns in this price range can be lacking so there is a chance you will have to make a warranty call on it. Also, the break-in period might be a bit more pronounced from what I’m hearing. I see people saying consistently that it will shoot horribly for about 200-300 rounds then all of a sudden start shooting like a whole different gun in terms of accuracy and consistency. If this were a .38 or a .44 revolver, that would be a bit pricey but this is a .22 and you can do 200+ rounds in a single range day without breaking the bank. Once the gun is broken it, it’s a good and reliable range toy that should last a while.

Bonus fun: find yourself so .22 Short rounds for it. A revolver and certain lever action rifles are the only things that really shoot them but they are so much fun to play with at the range. It’s almost like you’re shooting a pellet gun at that point (ear and eye protection still required, mind you).

I’m looking at getting a shotgun for Christmas as my first gun. I’ve heard good things about both the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. -Katie

I’ve been trying to get a hold of both guns for review but so far Remington and Mossberg haven’t returned my calls. In the meantime, I can safely say that either gun will serve you well and be sturdy enough to hand down to family members for generations to come. Both shotties are the defacto answers by gun people whenever someone asks “which pump action should I get?” Both are fantastic guns and legendary in their own right so recommending one over the other is near impossible. Picking one over the other, however, is easy as can be because they do have unique shapes.

What I would recommend is to go to a store and handle them both. See which one feels the most comfortable to you and go with that one. When quality concerns aren’t a factor, comfort is all it comes down to.

I am looking at a Smith & Wesson Model 36, no dash. Circa mid 60’s. It’s a .38. In my research, I found a few places that said that it may not be safe to shoot +P ammo in this gun anymore. Since the gun was made in the 60’s and ammo is stronger now, there might be a problem if I shoot +p ammo. What do you think? -Skylar R.

It’s kind of hard to say. Smith & Wesson’s official word seems to be that it wasn’t rated for +P ammo so that should be the end of it. It’s still an all steel revolver and they haven’t changed the design much since it was introduced in 1950. That being said I’ve seen as many people saying that +P is fine as I’ve seen saying not to use it. Under most circumstances, logic would say it would be fine to use some +P loads in it but maybe not tons of them at the range all the time. With it being that old, however, you have no idea exactly how well it’s been treated and maintained over the years. Poor treatment could really weaken a gun. What it really comes down to is: How much do you value the gun and your shooting hand?

Concerning revolvers, are there differences, such as grip technique, between shooting a snub nose and one with a 4 or 5 inch barrel? Any other differences I should know about? -Mike H.

None what-so-ever. The technique is the same between a tiny J-frame revolver as it would be with a .50 Desert Eagle. As with any gun, you just want to watch your thumb placement. It’s especially important with revolvers. That gap between the front of the cylinder and the barrel is very dangerous. Gasses escape from that gap and can injure you even with a “light” round like .38 special.

The biggest difference between a snub nose and a longer barrel are going to be accuracy and, of course, recoil. The longer barrel will give you a longer sight radius which will make it easier to bullseye the target. The longer barrel will also give you more weight which will tame the felt recoil significantly. Those little snub noses can be downright painful to shoot for too long.

Thanks for the questions!

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Free For All Friday 11-7-2014: Get a bit competitive…

As you may have heard, but Noobvember is here and just getting warmed up. There’s another big event happening this month that you should take notice of: Movember. If you’re a male…and considering the results of my analytics of my site there’s a good chance you are…you should pay attention to this. Prostate cancer is a unique illness among men and it’s one that, if detected early, has a very good survival rate. The “early” detection window is small, however. The Movember movement seeks to raise money for prostate cancer research and raise awareness about it in general. This is done by people pledging not to shave during the month of November and grow a glorious mustache. If you would like to join in the mustache goodness and join Team GunNoob, head over to http://MOBRO.CO/gunnoob and get started!

We had one question this week:

Hey Noob, let me start by saying I am not looking to participate in competitions. Honestly even if i wanted to, I am a very long way away from anything of that sort. However, I am interested in the different shooting sports themselves. So my question is, how do you watch these events and find news about them? Are they on TV or is there some online presence where you can check them out? Beyond the program “Top Shot” on the history channel, I don’t know much about the different big shooters or regular competitions (or the rules that come with them), but I would like to learn and watch them if possible. Any suggestions? Thanks! -JD

I wish I had better news for you on this one. For the most part, shooting competitions haven’t really gotten the memo that this is the year 2014 and it’s very simple to broadcast things online. If you’re not wanting to stream live, it gets even easier. As such, their offerings are a bit lacking. They post highlight reels on occasion but, beyond that, the offerings are lacking to say the least.

The good news is that there’s a good chance you’re going to find competitions relatively nearby, whether official or unofficial. I can tell you from experience that visiting them live is far more fun than just watching them online or on TV even if it’s just a local competition. Check the events page on the main governing bodies for schedules and locations and check the calendars on local shooting clubs and ranges to see what’s happening in your area.

As far as the rules themselves, IDPA and USPSA have slightly different rules from each other. There are great resources on their site. For a great, high level look check out Julie Golob’s book “Shoot!” (reviewed on GN here). She gives a rundown on just about every type of pro shooting out there and is a great read even if you never plan on participating.

On that note, I would highly recommend giving it a shot (no pun intended). For the unofficial competitions and such, it doesn’t usually cost you more than a couple boxes of ammo and possibly a small entry fee (which usually is the same as the range fee and covers your range fee). It’s a lot of fun and, if nothing else, gives you a good test of your abilities. It’s a heck of a rush too.

Thanks for the questions!

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

I 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:

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.
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!

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

So 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:

It still fires – Yay! No problem!
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…
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.
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!

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

Halloween 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!

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

I 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.

Thanks for the questions!

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

Only 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!

Thanks for the questions!

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Free For All Friday 9-26-2014: Ankles, Gun Fit and Shooting with a Cane…

I worked for a couple of Dot-Bombs back in the day. For those not familiar with the term, there was a big industry growth in the 90’s where tech and internet companies were given absurd amounts of investment money to come out with stupid websites that never had important words like “profit” appear in their business plans. A large percentage of these “dot-coms” went belly up in hilarious ways which earned the name “dot-bomb”. Once such company I worked for was one of the first completely online banks. It had no branches or ATMs and was about 10 years too early. Even those who were knowledgeable about the internet at the time didn’t trust the internet (and the smart people today still don’t) and didn’t like the idea of putting all their money in with a digital bank.

Anyway, you know that phrase “just enough knowledge to be dangerous”? This place had an amazing in-house datacenter (the “datacenter” is where all the servers sit). They spared no expense and this thing was so well put together that they should have taken a photo, framed it and sold it as a work of art. As such, anytime any of the reps wanted to impress potential investors, they would give them a tour of the datacenter because even to an untrained person, it was that spectacular. Now, one day while I was there, the VP of marketing was giving a tour to some bigwigs who showed up in a Bentley. At some point prior to this tour, who knows how long ago, this VP was either told or overheard at network administrator talking about “hot swap drives”. A hot swappable drive means that, after going through a certain (and very specific) process, a failed drive can be removed and replaced without powering down the server or losing the data. In an attempt to impress these Bentley driving checkbooks, the VP said something to the effect of “and you can even remove the drives while the computer is running” and before anyone could stop him, yanked the main drive out of the most important server in the room.

Now, a while back I spoke of disaster planning and how there comes a point where you have to stop because there’s no way to plan for every eventuality. In this case, no one ever figured that someone would just yank the main drive out of the most important server in the room. Keep in mind, there are quite a few steps one must do before one can “safely” remove a hot swappable drive. Failure to do so can have disastrous and permanently damaging results to the drive and the server itself. The network went down. It went down hard. The website flat out stopped. Everyone in the office stopped being able to work. The main server was fried. Network alarms were going off left and right and the beeper (yes, beepers) on every netadmins’ belt was flashing with the code “911” as even the automated notification system knew the apocalypse had just happened. Due to some events there were also hilarious in hindsight, there were no spare parts available (genius management decision of “let’s either sell off or repurpose these spare parts sitting around because it’s a waste of money to not use them). All in all, it was well over 12 hours before the minimal skeleton of the network came back online and a couple of days before it was back to 100%. The 40+ year old VP wasn’t fired but he left the CEO’s office crying that day and there were only 4 people who were ever allowed to be inside the datacenter ever again. Even the CEO barred himself from being able to enter, as a precaution. The IT budget was also doubled to implement a failover site in another state so that if this place got flattened the site wouldn’t go down. Why do I tell this story? Because I think it’s hilarious and there are multiple lessons to be learned from it. Someday I’ll tell you the story about when the know it all manager spilled his coffee on a $200,000+ stack of servers. Fun times.

Oh wait, it’s Friday. There are questions…

I want to get an ankle holster for my derringer. What do you recommend. I pocket carry my primary gun. -Fred S.

Full disclosure: I would never recommend ankle carry or a derringer for your primary defense. The “something is better than nothing” rule always applies, of course, but neither of those two options are idea for your main defense choice. As a backup to use in case your main gun breaks? That’s a whole other story. Brand-wise, Galco makes some of the best ankle holsters out there and you can get them for a variety of guns. I’ve seen them for sale at Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shops and, of course, online.

How to tell if a firearm ‘fits’ or not. -Kurt S.

First and foremost, comfort is key. Can you grip is securely? Can you reach the controls without having to twist your hand into some crazy configuration (a small amount of adjustment of grip to reach the controls is perfectly fine)? Gun companies spend a lot of money on ergonomics and such so many guns are going to feel good. The difference in hand size and shape, however, means that some guns are going to feel noticeably better in your hand. Finally, take a look at the gun’s natural point. Having a gun whose aim matches up with your body’s aim is a huge advantage. We did an article on just this subject a while back. Check it out here for more details.

Got any advice for concealed carry while physically disabled? My wife recently had her second surgery to correct a broken foot from 9 years ago. Neither surgery helped much and she is now forced to walk with a cane, which seems like a major obstacle for CC. Any suggestions? -Mike H.

The good news is, requiring a cane isn’t the end of the world. The bad news is, it’s going to require a bit more work. In the interest of conserving text, I’m going to continue under the assumption that your wife (or anyone else reading this with a similar problem) is right handed. If you’re left handed, just reverse the stuff. The first requirement is that you get proficient with shooting one handed. That’s not as hard as it sounds. You won’t be able to fire as quickly, mind you, but with a little work you’ll quickly build up the strength to deal with it. Having a lighter gun or one with a smaller round (which means less recoil) makes a big difference in accuracy here. That’s the first bit of practice you’ll need.

Secondly, doctors recommend you use a cane on the same side as the good leg. With that in mind, if you’re right handed and you’ve hurt your right leg, that’s not as much of an issue as your left hand will be the one holding the cane. If that’s the case, simply learning to draw and fire one handed is your only worry. If, on the other hand, you are right handed and you’ve hurt your left leg, things get a bit funkier. This means that your strong hand is going to be occupied holding the cane. Now you’re going to have to shoot with your weak hand. The bright side is, this isn’t nearly as bad as you would expect. Pretend you’re learning from the first time again and start off slowly then work your way up. Let your body and mind get comfortable with the new configuration. After a couple of hours, you should be arguably comfortable. After a couple more range trips, you should be at your normal skill. Then it’s time to start drawing and firing with your weak hand. It goes without saying that dry fire practice is infinitely beneficial in this situation and will only help you get that comfort level faster.

Also, it helps to seek out guns that are ambidextrous friendly. Some guns have full time ambi-controls and others let you swap the location most (if not all) of your controls.

Thanks for the questions!

Image licensed under GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons

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