Glock 17 2nd Generation - Retro Remodel

From our friend @ Bowie Tactical:

G-17 with frame textured and cut to G-19 length, milling for RDS (RM07) and BUIS done. More to do but getting closer!!!

But the .22 Has Killed.....

More people than ALL other calibers combined!!!!!!


No, it has not.

This is one of my favorite misunderstandings to to hype, regurgitation, and lack of reading comprehension and maybe just a bit of gun shop know-it-alls.

So we've see this claim, I will use the most recently seen version.

"Some years ago, I ran across a DOJ study that concluded .22LR ammo has killed more people in the USA than any other caliber(s)."

That DOJ study can be found HERE in this 1989 study which states:

"Probably more people in this country have been killed by .22 rimfires than all other calibers combined, which, based on body count, would compel the use of .22’s for self-defense. The more important question, which is sadly seldom asked, is what did the individual do when hit?"

"Probably" does not equal "conclusion."

"Probably" as defined by Websters:

: insofar as seems reasonably true, factual, or to be expected : without much doubt probably

happy> probably rain>

But is the statement above reasonably true? 

Now granted this is not 1989 and we have some new studies, most recently Greg Ellifritz's An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power  which has some pretty interesting data on the little .22 in that of the handgun calibers, it had the 2nd highest percentage of hits resulting in a fatality and the 3rd lowest rate of incapacitation. 

.22 is third lowest in incapacitation

.22 is 2nd highest (of the handguns) in terms of fatality.

 Seems kind of paradoxical, doesn't it?

I asked Greg about this and he told me pretty much what I expected to hear:

I think the two may be somewhat related...It's a small bullet, it doesn't incapacitate well. I 'm guessing that many of the people who were hit with it (even seriously) didn't know they were hit. They didn't immediately go to the hospital for treatment. By the time they recognized they had a problem, it was too late and they died.
Many of the people shot were criminals. They don't want to go to the hospital with a gunshot wound. They see a little .22 hole in their skin and they say "that ain't shit" as they slowly bleed to death internally.
One other factor to consider is that the .22 is outside lubricated. It picks up all kinds of crap as it goes down the barrel and through clothing. It carries all that crap into the wound. The death rates from infection are likely higher with it than with other bullets.

 Lets look at some other data we have, the original source of this claim comes from 1989, in 1995 we had this paper, Guns Used in Crime which contains these tidbits of info regarding caliber:

• Surveys of inmates show that they prefer concealable, large caliber guns. Juvenile offenders appear to be more likely to possess guns than adults.

• Studies of the guns used in homicides show that large caliber revolvers are the most frequent type of gun used in homicides, but the number of large caliber semiautomatic guns used in murders is increasing.

• Research by Wright and Rossi in the 1980's found that most criminals prefer guns that are easily concealable, large caliber, and well made. Their studies also found that the handguns used by the felons interviewed were similar to the handguns available to the general public, except that the criminals preferred larger caliber guns.

 

 In this other document, Homicide Trends in the United States 1980-2008 we have the following point to consider:

Data in this report are from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR), unless otherwise noted. The SHR Program of the FBI collects yearly supplementary homicide data regarding homicides committed in the

United States. Statistics in this report detail homicide trends by age, sex, and race, including homicides of children under age 5 and of persons age 65 or older. It examines the relationship between the victim and the

offender, particularly in cases of intimate and family homicide. Th e report also examines multiple victim and offender homicides, circumstances surrounding the death, justifiable homicides, law enforcement offi cers

killed, homicides cleared, and homicide trends by city size and weapon use.

 These data may differ slightly from previously published versions because of updates to the data file, changes to the imputation methods used, and refinements in the analyses. (See Methodology for more information on the imputation methods used in this report.) In addition, analyses presented here include data from 1980 through 2008 only. This modification was made, in part, to reflect revisions in the SHR in 1980

 If you look at the FBI's coding of the SHR data you find the following*:

Column 14.	Weapon Used:
	Data Element 13 (Type Weapon/Force Involved)—the weapon code numbers are the same for both NIBRS and Summary.  When NIBRS codes 11-15 include a suffix of A = automatic, disregard the suffix in the conversion process.
	11 - Firearm (type not stated)
	12 - Handgun
	13 - Rifle
	14 - Shotgun
	15 - Other firearm
	20 - Knife/cutting instrument
	30 - Blunt object
	40 - Personal weapons
	50 - Poison
	60 - Explosives
	65 - Fire/incendiary device
	70 - Drugs/narcotics/sleeping pills

 Aside from some other mumbojumbo therein, you won't see any mention of caliber in that report. As such, I would wager that the statement in the report initially quoted has no supporting data.*It is possibly that before 1980 caliber was listed, but I have not yet been able to confirm if it was or was not.

Greg's study is geographically limited, but it stands to reason that the results would average out.

So what does all this mean? I don't think it comes up with anything too concrete other than that when you look at the ratios of what guns are used in crimes, what guns criminals prefer, the fatality stats shown above I think it's on the level to say that while the .22 can certainly kill, it is not "responsible" for more deaths than "all the other calibers" combined, but hey...I could be wrong.

In a pinch I would much rather carry a .22 than nothing, but thankfully I can manage to carry larger.

Chamber Empty Carry and Perfect Storm Scenarios

In the concealed carry world, we talk about different scenarios where one may find themselves drawing a firearm and defending themselves. Everything from home invasions, robberies, active shooter scenarios, multiple attackers, single attackers, female attackers and everything in between.


There are two distinct types of scenarios that are kind of dangerous to the mental physique of a concealed carrier. Those two are the Kobayashi Maru, AKA the un-winnable scenario (taken from Star Trek 2, the Wrath of Khan) and what I call the "Perfect Storm" scenario.


In the perfect storm scenario, every possible thing goes in favor of the defending party.


A "good" scenario needs to be somewhere in the middle, you should think about and plan for things going wrong and totally not the way that we would "want" it to go. Why? Stuff happens. Sure, the desired outcome is being victorious, but if all you think about is the perfect storm, you don't take into account a lot of variables that can effect a victorious outcome.


We would all like to think that on any given day that we may be called to draw and God forbid use our firearm that we will have crystal clear situational awareness, see the threat approaching from 20 yards away with a red neon sign indicating evil intent, have all the time in the world to sweep a concealment garment out of the way, draw the pistol, step into the text book stance of our liking, and aim in at the target ensuring proper sight alignment, sight picture and start tactical breathing all by the time the threat reaches that magic number of 21' so we can dispense a text-book Mozambique and save the day!



That's probably not the way it's going to happen.



The day that you end up needed to draw your pistol and fight for your life will probably be the day that your dog died, your wife left you for your best friend, you just found out that you're getting fired from your job and your favorite team is not going to the Super Bowl this year.


You're going to have things on your mind, you may see the guy approaching but so what, this day can't get any worse, maybe you even think "Man I wish this guy would try something so I could kick his ass!" and while you're day dreaming, playing THAT scenario out with a grin on your face the dude is now inside your space and straight jacks you in the jaw and THEN you're trying to go for your gun etc.


So where am I going with this? Some of the individuals in the "Carry Community" take these things this into account: what if I don't see it coming, what if I'm injured, what if I'm out numbered, what if.... lack of good lighting, clear threat indicators, etc. We think about things from the worst possible angle, not the best. Lets be honest, if we even have to draw our gun, any hopes of an easy way out of this situation has all ready gone up in smoke and we've just won the lottery of shitty luck, and it's probably not going to get any better.


But if there's one group of people that seem to glance over this it's the "Chamber Empty" or Condition 3 Crowd. Condition Three, or C3 is the weapons condition code for loaded magazine in the firearm, but the chamber is empty requiring manual preparation of the firearm (Most often manually cycling the slide) before the gun can be used.


The most common means of getting the firearm ready for action is to use the support hand to manipulate the slide. That's pretty easy, after all that's pretty much what a lot of people do to load the gun in the first place or it's what many do when facilitating a slide lock or emergency reload.


The main-stay of most C3 carriers regarding this is that "it only takes a second (on a static range, at a non moving target, in optimal conditions) to get the slide moving and chamber a cartridge."


I speculate that many have never tried this with gloves on or in the rain with wet hands, or better yet on their back with their support hand keeping an attacker at bay. Never mind the fact that they are relying on an appendage that may not be available when in need to operate that gun. What if the first indication of an attack is a ball bat striking your support side elbow? What if the threat is pretty close, lets give it the ideal Tueller range of 7 yards and your attacker rushes you and now you're trying to get off the X. When you start rapidly moving your hands tend to travel in opposite directions. You can fumble the loading process by short stroking the slide and now have a JAMMED gun.


If the stats are to be believed, an average gunfight is supposed to be 3yards, 3-5 shots, and be over in 3-5 seconds. Do you want one third of that time (assuming all the ideal conditions have been met) spent trying to get your gun ready to shoot back?


If you are responding with lethal force, you are all ready behind the power curve, you are even further handicapped with a firearm in that is not ready to be fired.


I can understand many that are new to carry or maybe even shooting in general to be....concerned with Condition One (C1-- loaded magazine inserted, cartridge in chamber, firearm on safe (if equipped with one)). For the most part that will wear off with time as training is obtained and the shooter's comfort level increases. But there are some that should know better than to cling to C3 carry as as a "safer" method of carry. Their claim is that there is no possible chance of negligent discharge. While that is true, there's also a lesser chance of an INTENTIONAL discharge.


Provided that proper equipment and gun handling is being used, a firearm carried C1 is just as "safe" as a firearm being carried C3.


Just today I read the following from two members of a gun forum:





Um No. I practice racking with left hand as I get on target. Pretty fast after all these years. No write [right] or wrong here. I just do it the same EVERY time.

AND


Most of the time I don't carry with one in the chamber either, as I posted quite a while ago. Some people don't realize exactly how quickly you can chamber a round if they don't practice it much, if at all. Don't have to worry about ND/AD at all (as long as we treat them like they are loaded every time), if a bg (or even a child) somehow gets your gun it will not fire without racking the slide, no bullet setback. There's a lot more benefits too but I don't have time to list them atm. As long as you practice, it makes no difference how you carry, anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't practiced it enough.


Regarding the first statement, if this chambering process is done the same "every time" how will this process be effected when it CAN'T be done the same way as practiced? What about the possibility of fending off an attacker while drawing a firearm? Lets take the human threat aspect out of this, as much as the concealed carry loves "dog topics," I hate them but lets go there for a second.


What if you're being mauled by that viscous poodle from down the street and your support hand or "weak hand" is now an effective chew toy that managed to keep the dog from latching to your throat? How will you chamber a round then?


Now, I don't put a whole lot of weight into this being something that everyone needs to worry about. There are lots of other possibilities and what ifs and it doesn't take a big imagination to create possible scenarios that would hamper one's ability to defend themselves with an unloaded gun.


I did ask the author of the first statement what he would do should he suffer an injury such as a broken arm, sprained wrist, or shoulder injury and he replied with something along the lines of if aliens removed his arm in his sleep that he would carry with a round in the chamber. Do you really think he's taking carry seriously if he can't even factor in real life injuries? All that time spent doing one way of loading that gun with his support hand is one fall off a ladder, one slip on an icy drive, or one sports injury away from being completely irrelevant.


In the event that the support hand is tied up, many will advocate a rear sight that will facilitate one handed racking of the slide. The idea is not relegated solely to the C3 crowd. It's "tactical" to be able to do this and I will admit that most of my guns have this capability. It's mainly done for malfunction clearing should the support hand be injured, etc. Doing this on the draw can be problematic depending on mode of carry and location. It can add excessive movement to a draw stroke. Remember that 1 second time to chamber a round being 1/3 of a gun fight? That one second grows to 1.5, to 2 seconds pretty quick when the process becomes more complicated. Using the rear sight of a pistol to cycle the slide will depend on a lot of variables going right to do it under stress. That rear sight isn't very large and you need an object or surface to use in conjunction with that rear sight.


Regarding the second, italicized statement, I think that the reason that every single professional instructor out there advocates carrying with a round in the chamber is that they have "practiced" enough to see the huge disadvantages and training gaps associated with carrying a firearm C3 for self defense. I would think that if some TRAINING were added to supplement the "practice" and a little more knowledge be learned about how sudden a situation can develop, fight continuum, getting off the "X" and close quarters defense etc. that attitude might change.


I'm very big on solidarity regarding weapons functionality. I don't want to have a draw stroke process that is different or X, Y, and Z. Getting your gun out of the holster and into play should should be A+B=C, not solve for X.

I really hate it when...

I'm trying to research a gun and all I get are a bunch of nit-wits talking about Call of Duty.

Update: Semi-Auto, AR-Like .308s

In an update to THIS post, there are two more options that I've been looking at over the last couple of days.

The DPMS "Recon" .308

And the Armalite AR10A

Difference between the Armalite AR10 and 10A is that the 10A will accept PMags etc.

Between the two guns, I like how the "Recon" comes equipped from the factory, but it only carries a 3 year warranty while the Armalite has a Limited Lifetime warranty. Guess which warranty I favor?

I'm wondering what kind of deal I can snag one of the Armalites, if I can find a dealer willing to order me one for cost, I think I'll get one and just outfit as desired.


Another rifle that hit the market this year that I was looking at with a sideways glance was the Bushmaster .308 MOE, but that's a ONE year...and 10 day...thanks guys, that's just super considerate of you warranty...I've been kind of sour with Bushmaster over their mishandling of the ACR.


Looking at all the variables, I'll probably be spending my money with Armalite as I just can't justify the cost of a LWRC, LMT, etc. If I was looking to attend a carbine class or get into 3-gun with this rifle it might be a different story, but for some occasional plinking, maybe a hog hunt here and there in the future, I think the Armalite 16" with some upgrades will do just fine.

If Colt would get off their arse and get some SP901s out that might still be a contender, but it's been well over a year since they were released @ the 2011 Shot Show and no one's getting them yet. There are AR10As and DPMS "Recon" models all ready in the hands of users. Colt, I'd really like to buy one, but a gun in the hand beats one on order.

 The FN Scar 17S is still of interest as well. The only draw back is the proprietary magazine.

3-Gun Match - Boone, Iowa June 23rd

There's going to be a 3-Gun match @ the Boone Sportsman's Club on Saturday, June 23rd. The final details have not been posted yet but I will post them here once they're available.

Update on the PT1911s....

Or more appropriately why I don't like Taurus Products.

Both guns have been gutted, cleaned, reassembled and have passed the basic operational checks.

Some things of note on the guns, is that as I expected, the overall fit and finish were pretty rough, overall the aluminum framed .45ACP model wasn't too bad in that department. I guess my biggest grip on that is the fitment of the thumb safety, it's not done to well and appears to be scraping the frame, I can't guarantee that as I don't know the history of the gun. The grip panels on the gun as I received it were trapping the thumb safety stop lever on the right side when the grip screws were properly tightened down and made engaging / disengaging the safety harder/mushy from the drag on the panel. I had an extra pair of Mi-Tac grip panels laying around and replaced them for the user until he can replace them with something else.

Both guns have full length guide rods of the two piece variety, but thread together near the rear end of the rod and offer no ability to unscrew from outside the the gun like most typical two-piece guide rods. Why manufacturers insist on including these in builds is beyond me. They are a pain to deal with in some applications, come apart while firing in other applications, or add more tools for field stripping.

Mag catches / release in both guns were of the extended type, and a common issue I see in a lot of guns with extended mag releases is that the internal surface of the mag catch is not blended to the contours of the mag well with the magazine release pressed in which can result in the mag release trapping the magazine in place when pressed down hard.

While I had the guns apart I used some Flitz on the trigger bows and the Series 80 firing pin components and that cleaned up the trigger a pretty good amount, it's definitely more crisp than it was originally.

Colt Series 80 Firing Pin Mechanism

The only other issue I really saw with the .45 was that the extractor showed signs of "clocking" but after poking and prodding on it a little it may not be an issue.

The checkering on both guns, which is machine cut was not very nice with the lower edge of the checkering extending down to the very bottom of the gun and made for some sharp edges.

That pretty much sums it up for the .45, the 9mm variant which was stainless over stainless is a different story.

Getting Ready To Go Glock....

So about two years ago, I bought my wife a 4th Gen Glock 19 as she wanted something smaller, lighter, and higher capacity than her 1911. While @ TDI for Handguns I-III she discovered that the 4th Gen G19, even in it's "smallest" configuration was still to large for her. One of the instructors let her borrow a Bowie Tactical Concepts Signature Series Limited Edition Glock 19 (#11 of 50) and she really, really liked it. She decided that during our return to TDI for Partner Tactics that she would drop off her G19 for Dave to do his magic on.

While there I got to shoot some of David's other work, including the S&W M&P 9mm that may have been the cover gun for the 2011Custom Combat Handguns magazine....I know I'm a geek but that makes me kind of giddy...

I also got to shoot a Glock 17 that had been Bowie'd, no optic, no grip reduction but did have the grip texturing, good sights and probably the one of the best Glock triggers I've felt.

I've always been big on the wife and I having the same platform for carry, not to mention it will make the 33rd magazines in the glove box work for both of us...so I'm going to be going Glock.

I'm currently seeking a 3rd Generation Glock 17 to send in to Bowie for work, I'll detail the work later when I complete the work order.


Oh yeah, my HKP30S is still in Ohio awaiting some upgrades as well.

Pearls of Wisdom From The Greatest Generation Part 1

Pearls of Wisdom From The Greatest Generation Part 1


-Select quotes from “Shooting to Live” –


Fairbairn and Sykes

I am utterly amazed that I have not read this piece before now, I’ve seen it mentioned many times over, have seen it available when shopping for other books but have never pulled the trigger on it so to speak until know. The following is just a list of quotes from the book that jumped out at me for a variety of reasons.

“It must not be inferred on that account that we in any way decry the sport of target shooting. On the contrary, we admire the high degree of skill for which it calls and which we personally cannot emulate.”

…
“Target shooting has its place and we have no quarrel with it. There probably will quarrel, however, when we go on to say that beyond helping to teach care in the handling of fire-arm, target shooting is of no value whatever whatever in learning the use of the pistol as a weapon of combat. The two things are as different from each other as chalk from cheese, and what has been learned from target shooting is best unlearned if proficiency is desired in the use of the pistol under actual fighting conditions.”

Now don't get me wrong here, my reason for quoting this piece of text is not to bash competition shooting in general, during the time when this work was being written USPSA and IDPA were non-existent. Bull's-eye was the pistol sport of the day,  but that being said we still need to reflect on the matter of USPSA and IDPA as well as what commonly passes for training as related to the carrying of arms in this country.

I think we all need a little reminder every now and then that USPSA and IDPA are no substitute for attending proper training when it comes to fighting with a handgun. This is should also reinforce the known that the basic marksmanship class that many take to meet training requirements is just not good enough. I'm very happy to see the widely available training. I think Fairbairn and Sykes would be pleased with the many programs available today.

“…you may find that you have to shoot from some awkward position, not necessarily even while on your feet. There is no exaggeration in this analysis of fighting conditions. Here we have a set of circumstances which in every respect are absolutely different from those encountered in target shooting. Do they not call for absolutely different methods of training?"

Weaver, Iso, Modern Iso, whatever your favorite flavor is, if you sudenly find yourself going for your gun, and incorporate any kind of movement, you're not going to be in your favorite stance. One of the things that I do like about IDPA etc. is that some match directors like to get some unorthodox shooting "positions" in there. 

"To answer this question, we much consider the essential points which emerge from our analysis. They appear to be three in number, and we should set them out in the following order: -

1: Extreme speed, both in drawing and firing
2: Instinctive, as opposed to deliberate aim.
3: Practice under circumstances which approximate as nearly as possible to actual fighting conditions.

Instinctive aiming, the second essential, is an entirely logical consequence to the extreme speed to which we attach so much importance. That is so for the simple reason that there is no time for any of the customary aids to accuracy. If reliance on those aids has become habitual, so much the worse for you if you are shooting to live. There is no time, for instance, to put yourself into some special stance to align the sights of the pistol, and any attempt to do so places you at the mercy of quicker opponent."

 This will be touched on a little more in depth in my review of the Point Shooting Progressions Course I recently attended but some things covered therein and some things seen as something that needs to be addressed in training regarding to close range encounters. Again on the training aspect, I hope this information reaches those that think they're NRA Basic Pistol Course is all they need in terms of firearms training. Don't get me wrong, the Basic Course is fine for teaching fundamentals etc. but it's incredibly lacking in regards to defensive use of the pistol.

"We cannot claim that the system produces nail-driving marksmanship, but that is not what we look for. We want the ability to hit with extreme speed man-sized targets at very short ranges under the difficult circumstances which have been outlined all ready. Nail-driving marksmanship will not cope with such conditions."

I can't say I agree or disagree on this. Again, in the PSP course we worked on a lot of things that I had done in other training classes, such as the Langdon Tactical Inc, Advanced Tactical Pistol Course, some drills / exercises were almost identical expect that we were using sighted fire in one and "point shooting" in another. I would say that I had more accurate hits in the Langdon class, but more hits in the PSP class, and they were not what I would call inaccurate. While we did a LOT of moving in the Langdon class, we did FASTER moving in the PSP course but the lack of waiting for perfect sight alignment / sight picture allowed for a lot more shots on target resulting in more hits, and while they weren't all in the "down zero"

There's a saying attributed to Bill Jordan:

"Speed is fine, accuracy is final."

Where this falls into play...at this moment I'm not quite sure what the correct balance of speed vs. accuracy is. I've been trying to improve my ratio of both speed and accuracy and as of right now I think I have to go with getting good hits and with more time and practice the speed will improve.

"In this training system nothing is permitted to interfere with the development of speed. For that reason we have steadily set our faces against competitions or rewards of any kind. The instant that competitions, with the accompanying medals, badges, etc., are introduced, men will try to shoot deliberately, whether consciously or not, and we find our object is being defeated."

 Man, did this one strike home or what? When you look at the history of the Leather Slappers, USPSA, IDPA, or any kind of scored system...it's impossible to refute the above quote. I got in to IDPA for the "practice" aspect of it and to have a better avenue to apply what I've learned in training and I find myself trying to shoot more for score and competition and I know I'm not the only one. At the end of last season I was pretty determined to leave the game aspect of it behind and I will try to hold myself to that and not care where I place.

The Keith Borders Incident: Why I Love This as a Reference

First and foremost, I regret the taking of any life as I do feel that life is sacred, I feel for the wounded officer for having to take a life, I feel for Mettinger family and all those involved.


But I love this story.  I've referenced this article in two sepearate posts:

An End to the Caliber Debate?
Sometimes "Center of mass" Just Isn't Good Enough...

And I want to take a little more time to address why I find this article so worth hanging onto and discussing any time I can.

It contradicts everything about "average gun fights"

Yes, this is a story about a law enforcement officer, but is it too hard to think of a scenario where this could be you against a felon inside your home with your family that is armed with a shotgun?

From the failure of the .45ACP with six (6) center mass hits (and a severed foot), to the amount of ammo expended, to the fact that a pistol beat a long gun, to the fact that an officer almost had to draw his back up gun, this story smacks down every thing that is erroneously regurgitated by the masses regarding training, prepardness, mindset, and equipment.

"Two shots from a .45 center mass will take a person out of the fight"
WRONG! This guy took 6 hits to the chest and had his foot taken off, AND NO he was not "on drugs"

"But the average gun fight is 3-5 shots"
 TOO BAD! While covering and suppressive fire are seldom found in civilian shootings, it's not a far fetch to admit that it may be required. As gang activity continues to increase and the "issues with Mexico" continue to spill over who knows what some may encounter.

"I don't need to carry a spare mag, let alone two."
THINK AGAIN! This officer was carrying a Glock 21, it has a capacity of 13+1, he almost expended ALL of the ammo for his duty gun and was looking to pull his back up, a revolver holding five (5) cartridges.  He fired 39 times and scored 10 hits, 7 of those hits were to vital areas.

"If the bad guy has a long gun and all you have is a pistol, you're done for" 
NOT IF YOU HAVE THE WILL, AND THE SKILL TO SURVIVE. (a whole lot of luck also goes a long way)

"The basic class I took six years ago was more than enough" 
FIREARMS TRAINING IS NOT A ONE TIME DEAL! 

Firearms Training
Officer Borders credits his firearms training for much of his success. He scored 10 hits out of 39 rounds fired, for a hit ratio of 26 percent, and seven of his hits were to vital areas. Although a 26 percent hit ratio is only about average for a police shooting, Borders' accuracy was far better than his hit ratio seems to indicate. Besides the fact that Mettinger was often more than 20 yards away, never closer than eight yards, and moving or behind good cover for most of the gunfight, Borders also expended a large number of rounds in his successful effort to keep Mettinger from reaching the 00 buckshot stored in the back of the garage. In addition, Borders had to deal with the blood flowing into his eyes, which distracted him, blurred his vision and forced him to pause several times to wipe it away. Under the circumstances, Officer Borders' accuracy was exceptional and that kind of proficiency cannot be achieved without good training.

Did your eight hour NRA Basic Pistol Class prepare you for this? Did the on-line class you took even teach you how to shoot? How long ago was that class? Have you ever drawn from your concealed holster and fired a single shot? Have you ever performed a reload from a magazine carrier on your belt? When the gunsmoke is filling the air and people are screaming, you're not going to have a range bag on a nice tidy bench for your to fish through at your leisure.

Training is paramount.

It is also important to note that Borders is a person who is never content with just being good enough. Rather than settle for the firearms training provided by his department, as good as it was, he trained on his own as often as possible. In addition, he practiced not only his basic shooting skills, but advanced skills as well, like the ricochet shots that served him so well in this case. This is typical of winners. They recognize that police work is a serious business that exposes its practitioners to violent people in desperate situations. Rather than be frightened by that fact, they plan for the day when it may happen by training as hard and as often as possible.

Some key points from the summary of the article:

• Trust your instincts when you detect potential danger signs, and always put safety first. 
• Consider carrying a third spare magazine and a backup gun in case you're ever involved in an extended gunfight involving the expenditure of an unusually large number of rounds. Backup guns can also be invaluable in a wide variety of other situations. Every officer should carry one.*
• Gunshot wounds are seldom fatal. If you are shot, ignore the wound and focus on winning instead.**
•  Besides developing the skills needed to effectively counter threats, training also instills the self-confidence needed to win. Train often, and train hard. 

*I do not carry three magazines, and have on occasion carried a secondary firearm, at least one spare magazine should be the bare minimum for a "civilian" conealed (or open) carrier. For any LE that may be reading, up your mags to at least three, if your agency allows back up guns (BUGs), carry one of thsoe as well.

**This works both ways, both Mettinger and Borders were hit and continued to stay in the fight. Do not expect one, two, or even three rounds to stop an attacker. I'd rather be surprised after the fact that it only took two or three than standing there in bewilderment that two didn't do the job.

 

In closing, "The Average Gun Fight Is..." If you're in a gun fight, the law of averages is all ready against you. The argument of the average gun fight being 7 yards or less, 3-5 shots and over in 3-5 seconds is just that, average. If you want your capabilities to be "average", you're not looking at this self defense thing the right way. Do you really want to be prepard for the "average" situation when defending your life, or do you want to be prepared for an above average situation?

Five Favotite Blogs.

Thanks to A Girl and Her Gun I've been roped into a "shout out" type deal thingy... Not that I mind.

"Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award
3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs. "

My five favorites under 200?



Corn, beans, spent brass, an empty page and a deadline: Frank James' blog. His book "Effective Handgun Defense" was the first book I read related to concealed carry and it's been a great learning experience ever since. My copy of that book was handed over to another new carrier that I met while living in VA.

10-8 Performance: If you're into 1911s (and M&Ps), it's a must.

Rational Gun: Another prior service Jar-head that enjoys firearms and training.

Weapons Related: Always a good dose of humor and wit...

Guns & Coffee : My 2nd Favorite Cheese-head blogger.

Sometimes "Center of mass" Just Isn't Good Enough...

There's a discussion going on about XS sights, and while that topic can get kind of laborious, what I am finding interesting in this debate is that a lot of people are just regurgitating the "center mass" chant.

Well guess what, sometimes center mass just isn't good enough.

Mettinger absorbed nine rounds from Borders' .45—six of which hit him in the torso and two more of which literally severed his right foot—without any significant effect on his fighting ability. This would have been remarkable even if Officer Borders had been firing marginally effective rounds, but he was using .45 caliber Gold Dot ammunition, which is considered by many to be the best man-stopper on the market.
...
He stopped next to his cruiser's back fender, squatted there briefly as he took another deep breath and then brought the gun up to fire. His vision narrowed until he could see nothing but Mettinger's anger-laden face and his sights resting on the bridge of the man's nose. He fired, sending the big .45 caliber slug through Mettinger's left eye and deep into his brain, dropping him instantly.

Sometimes, you might just have to aim...

Laugh of the day....

"...any product covered under an unlimited lifetime warranty will see more warranty work than any item covered under a limited coverage limited time warranty.... it makes sense to use it if you have it and conversely you cant use what you dont have ."

Said as a justification as to why most people I know that work in gun shops see more Taurus products being sent back for repair than any other brand. Sorry pal, the reason a product sees more warranty work is BECAUSE IT KEEPS BREAKING, that is what most sensible people I know call a clue.

Never mind that most of these guns are not even 3 years old when they break, and are more commonly returned within the first few hundred rounds.

One member of a forum put together this brief list...

"I've responded to a couple of Taurus threads recently, and I was asked to start a new thread that would likely become a sticky....

My dislike of Taurus is no secret. Honestly, if someone GAVE me a new Taurus, I would not keep it . One only need look at many guns on the store shelves. The quality on many of them is horrendous. One only also need look on the various forums. A high percentage of them have problems straight out of the box, or on the first range trip.

I realize that human nature is to complain instead of praise... But, the % of complaints (on all the various gun forums) about Taurus against other brands of guns doesn't even compare. And the stories of dealing with their customer service are maddening. Sometimes they send guns back MULTIPLE times without doing ANYTHING. I've seen some threads go for 18 months, where a person goes thru the Taurus "experience" in getting their gun fixed. It's just ridiculous...

I didn't start saving Taurus threads until a few months ago - so, unfortunately, I don't have some of the more depressing stories I have read. But here are a few:

Taurus Customer Service (TCP 738))

Taurus Buyer Be Warned - Glock Talk

Taurus public defender.....back from the factory and another issue... - Topic Powered by Social Strata

Taurus Disappointment - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus 709 slim fail. help me find a new 9mm carry pistol. - AR15.COM

Another 709 slim fails.. - AR15.COM

Taurus semi-auto Quality Control going to crap? - Glock Talk

Taurus 709- Problems - THR

Bought a Taurus M44, took it home, broken right out of the box! - XDTalk Forums - Your XD/XD(m) Information Source!

Taurus Buyer Be Warned - THR

Taurus Quality: Objective Opinions...? - TheFiringLine Forums

Just bought a Taurus 85 and Im having a problem - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus Run-Around - TheFiringLine Forums

taurus repair turnaround time?? anyone.. - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus 709 Slim....FTEs galore!...help!! - XDTalk Forums - Your XD/XD(m) Information Source!

Taurus Frustration and Venting

Not a good showing for the Taurus 709 Slim. - TheFiringLine Forums

My Taurus 709 slim review... - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus Warranty Work? - XDTalk Forums - Your XD/XD(m) Information Source!

Are realy Taurus gun not reliable? - TheFiringLine Forums

Here We Go Again Taurus - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus Question - TheFiringLine Forums

Taurus 738 - TheFiringLine Forums

 http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=63479

http://www.handgunforum.net/taurus/26744-taurus-changed-my-mind.html"

Yeah, these all saw service due to the lifetime of the gun warranty.

Kimber has offically lost their stinkin' mind....

A Colt Mustang / Sig 238 knock-off @ $1400 (w/ Crimson trace laser grips) / $1100 (without laser grips)

Kimber Micro CDP


Hey guys, ummm maybe you should try and fix the Solo first? A Sig 238 in Kimber clothing? What could possibly go wrong?




Yes, that was a rhetorical question..

Guns & Coffee: Mossberg HerpDerp SPX

Agreed.

Guns & Coffee: Mossberg HerpDerp SPX: I mean levergun SPX... Let's put it this way; I like the handguard, I can see the usefulness of rails on any rifle.  Personally, I don't want them on my lever rifles, but hey. On the other hand, the rest of your gun looks like you drug it through the Tapco booth with a shit magnet on the ass-end. Stop it.

New Iowa Gun Forum: Iowa Shooters

http://iowashooters.proboards.com

Stop in and check it out.

Seriously Ruger? Seriously?

Now don't get me wrong, some of the zombie movies/books are a guilty pleasure of mine, not to the extent that I'm going to buy any of this goofy crap but if I were to choose a gun on it's Zombie Killing ability, a pocket Kel-tec Ruger .380 would NOT be my first choice of firearms.

Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke it: A Tough Year for Gun Control’s Brady Campaign

I generally don't wish ill will to any particular sect, gender, club or creed, but if there's on group I'd like to see smacked down with a rolled up issue of The 1st Freedom, it's the Brady Campaign.

 

 A Tough Year for Gun Control’s Brady Campaign

More bad news for Brady: Collating their scorecards with FBI violent crime shows that right-to-carry (RTC) states — where law-abiding citizens have broader rights to carry a concealed handgun — are becoming safer over time, compared to Brady’s “safest” states, which don’t give citizens such rights. (The graph below displays states’ average violent crime rates by RTC status, with the percentage difference in green.) As of 2010, RTC states were 35.0% safer than non-RTC states, and had a 41.9% lower murder rate, too:

Brady gave RTC states an average scorecard value of 9.0 in 2010, while non-RTC states averaged 51.3. According to Brady, non-RTC states are safer because they enforce more gun control laws such as firearm registration, waiting periods of up to 10 days before you can pick up the gun you already bought, and bans on magazines containing over 10 rounds of ammunition. In Brady’s imaginary world, the above violent crime values would be reversed.

Savvy analysts will rightfully note the above correlations aren’t necessarily significant, and that’s the point: Brady claims that guns cause violence, yet they are unable to cite one comprehensive, significant dataset to corroborate their claims. Instead, they select factoids to support their propaganda, all rendered invalid upon examining the entire source data.
This is why the Brady Campaign is losing credibility, influence, and revenues. By the end of 2009 — the latest year for which data are publicly available — Brady’s total net assets were negative $564,123. Between 2006 and 2009, Brady’s total revenues dropped from $4,636,210 to $4,004,014, including investment income and royalties.

Truth in Advertising?

I actually posted this elsewhere about a year two years ago, why I never posted it here I don't know....I came across something on Kel-Tec's website regarding one of their folding carbines and it got me thinking of this post:

Is there any?

So in another thread I read about how Springfield Amory isn't even "the real Springfield Armory" or something along those lines...No kidding tell me something I don't know. Sure they boast "The oldest name in American Firearms" and that's true, it is the oldest NAME. Hell, they tell you right on the website that they purchased the rights to the name and that the original armory was closed. Anyone doing any real amount of research will find that out in 10 minutes on the website.

Lets take a look at Smith & Wesson's Military and Police line. Tell me, what Military is currently using these guns?

How about Taurus "Putting terrorists on notice" HOW? Are they sending them bills? If Taurus is putting terrorists on notice, I'm going to get that Federal reciprocity bill passed with Obama's signature. Or how about all the custom features that they put into the PT1911? Half of those are standard these days by almost every manufacturer worth their salt. "Standard features worth over $2100 on a custom gun" Yet I didn't even pay half that for my Les Baer TRS and don't even try to compare the two, I'll laugh myself to death.

How about Sig Sauer? "To hell and back reliability" Is anyone expecting Sig to take a trip down below for hi temp testing?

How about FN's "Built for them. Built for you" ad? If anyone hasn't noticed, what's being built for them, isn't being built for us.

Don't even get me going on any ad that has the words "Special Forces" or "Tactical" in it, I don't care how tactical your gun is, if you don't know how to shoot, that picatinny light rail and threaded barrel aren't going to do squat for you.

How about Kimber? "CDP pistols are powerfull, accurate, and absolutely dependable" ...after that little 500 round break in...if you're lucky. "The choice of America's Best" except for almost every police dept. there is and rumor has it that Marine Force Recon was not as thrilled with the Warrior models as Kimber made them out to be.

How about Stag Arms? "Stag carbines have fast become the bar by which all others are measured" Afraid not, that is STILL Colt and if you actual look at "The chart" you'll find the Stag is not that top of the line and not what I would use to measure all others against.

I like this one...

Ruger "The AR platform redefined" this is regarding the SR556, OK did they just miss every other piston driven AR on the market?

Or how about "Excellence at an affordable price" That's from Nighthawk Custom referring to their GRP and GRP recon....$2350 and $2550 respectively.

I'd keep going, but it's getting late. The bottom line is don't believe everything you read, take some time, start a thread, ask some questions, even use the search feature if you're feeling real dangerous, just do some research and don't get butt-hurt when you find out that those silly ads in the gun magazines aren't really true.

New addition:

So what did I see on Kel-Tec's website?

How about this for a good laugh:

The "Delta" model rifles are intended as a personal weapon for non-infantry military personnel, special operations, SWAT law enforcement, and civilians in high risk environments. The SU-16D is especially suited for low intensity urban combat...

 Yeah, I bet that when SEAL Team 6 took that holiday to Pakistan they were all toting Kel-Tec SU16Ds. Har dee har har... Designed for Special Ops my foot.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

For those that haven't seen this yet, this is a pretty good read from Greg Ellifritz who readers of this blog should know from the TDI After Action Reviews posted elsewhere.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power