No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.2.5/284 - Release Date: 3/17/2006
S&W Revolver Failures: The North Carolina Department of Correction has
been experiencing significant problems with S&W revolvers manufactured
since 2004. (It looks as though people who need to purchase new
revolvers may need to choose between Ruger and Taurus.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/419477.html
---
Glock Perfection?: There is an interesting discussion of ammunition and
spring issues in .40-caliber Glocks on Evan Marshall's forums.
Registration and login may be required to view the linked page.
http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11118
---
From The Firearms Coalition:
Milwaukee Hotels Sold Out for NRA Weekend
A full two months before the NRA Annual Meeting of Members in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin (May 19 - 22), and there is no room at the inn. The Milwaukee
Convention and Visitors Bureau blames the shortage of rooms on the fact
that besides the NRA convention, two area colleges are holding
graduation ceremonies in the city on that weekend.
Whatever the reason, NRA members who wish to attend the Milwaukee
meetings are going to be hard pressed to find a room for even one night,
much less the entire weekend. Attendees and exhibitors who do not have a
confirmed reservation at this time are likely to find themselves
commuting from lodgings an hour or more away from the convention site.
We have seen no notice from NRA informing members about the problem. One
would have thought NRA would have received a guarantee of a minimum
number of rooms available for the weekend back when they originally
booked the convention into Milwaukee three years ago. How do you bring
30 to 40-thousand people into a city that has no hotel rooms available?
If you are hoping to attend the convention, I would urge you to make
what reservations you can immediately and contact NRA to find out what
assistance they might be providing. To this point, their web site is
virtually no help at all.
If you live within 100 miles of Milwaukee this SNAFU could be an
opportunity for you to enjoy a less crowded convention.
If you are planning to go to Milwaukee, please plan to attend the Neal
Knox Associates "Secret Meeting" on Friday night. The "Secret Meeting"
is a long-standing tradition at NRA conventions and we hope to see you
there. We will be laying out our plans for actually getting some
business done during the pep-rally they call a "Members Meeting" on
Saturday. It will be a great opportunity for you to meet us and your
fellow members of the Second Amendment Hard Corps. Details about time
and location will be forthcoming.
Please forward this alert to everyone on your list who might have an
interest in attending the Milwaukee convention, especially anyone you
know in Northwestern Illinois or Wisconsin.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Jeff Knox
Director of Operations
The Firearms Coalition
********************************************
The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates,
representing the collective voices of thousands of grassroots
organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of
firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain
Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a
contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108.
********************************************
---
From John Farnam:
13 Mar 06
Comments on the M9 sterile carry, from a Naval officer, forward deployed:
"I'm a naval officer, assigned to a ship in Forward Deployed Forces.
Last week, I took part in standard, Navy 'training' and qualification on
the M9. The one item clearly at the top of the training agenda (at
least the one in print) was the curious act of 'safing' the pistol after
every target engagement, and never holstering an 'unsafe' weapon.
While drawing their pistols, most sailors were utterly unable to
disengage the safety/decocking lever with only the strong-side hand.
So, they were compelled to complete a depressing mixture of bunglesome,
two-handed maneuvers, as the weapon was being drawn, in order to make it
ready to fire. We could all plainly see that these awkward and
precarious techniques resulted in absurdly slow first shots, as well as
hands sweeping in front of muzzles and, in a few cases, dropped pistols!
There was scant attention devoted to fighting fundamentals, like rapid
decocking/re-enabling, keeping the trigger finger in register while
moving, and moving laterally, off the line of force, while drawing and
reloading. In fact, moving while drawing or reloading constituted a
'safety violation.'
However, it will probably interest you that there was one positive
development, which indicated to me that competent training may be trying
to rear its head. At the conclusion of the session, the Chief Gunner's
Mate explained, with an unmistakable wink, that holsters we're issued
have a tendency to inadvertently disengage the 'safety,' and, because of
the design of the retention mechanism, it's nearly impossible to
visually confirm the position of the safety/decocking lever while the
pistol is holstered. 'Heck,' he continued, 'a spot of Em-New (black
dye, used to touch up worn spots on emblems) on that red dot, and no
one would be able to tell that your safety/decocking lever is up.'
'Nor,' he muttered softly, 'would anyone care!'
In addition, there is a surprising and refreshing willingness, though
little is actually said one way or another, to allow pistols to be
holstered and carried with a round chambered, at least on the range.
And, all our in-port, deck watches now carry condition-one (loaded) M9s,
often with the decocking lever 'up' in those darned holsters.
We're not ignorant, John. We read your Quips! We're just inhibited by
dreary edicts from up the food chain, which we all now know to be
foolish and unenlightened. So, keep up the good work with those
Marines. Things are changing!"
Comment: Hallelujah!
/John
(The safety lever on the Beretta 92/96 is not particularly difficult to
move to the off-safe position, with average-size male hands, if you
shoot with your thumbs forward - the process of sliding your gun-hand
thumb forward will move the lever up or just ensure that it is up. LASD
used to teach doing that while the gun was still in the holster, in the
process of acquiring the firing grip, as many deputies did not have
large enough hands to do it once the firing grip was acquired.)
13 Mar 06
Advice from a local gun retailer:
"Stock up on 45ACP! I routinely order from four, major suppliers. I've
been told that 5K is all I can get with any one order. That amount
usually doesn't last me more than a few days. Pentagon is grabbing up
the rest. Pretty much the same situation with 223. Get a supply while
you can!"
Comment: Exact specifications on the new military pistol are still not
completely clear, but caliber has been established, and there is
apparently no further debate on this subject. It will be 45ACP! The
Pentagon is ordering ammunition accordingly, and the government's own
ammunition-producing facilities have been nearly all commissioned. The
one plant remaining, Lake City, can't begin to supply all the small-arms
ammunition currently needed, so the Pentagon is leaning on private
producers, domestic and foreign, to make up for the shortfall. The wise
among the rest of us should take the hint!
/John
(Probably the most ubiquitous handgun chambering in the world is 9x19mm
- a good reason to own at least one pistol in that caliber. In parts of
the US, such as along the southern border, .40 S&W has a tendency to
spill over from law-enforcement channels.)
14 Mar 06
On Wal-Mart, from one of my colleagues:
"Taking you advice from yesterday, I went down to my local Wal-Mart this
morning in order to stock up on 45ACP ammunition. At the sporting-goods
department, the first salesperson, of course, didn't have the key to
open the dreaded 'ammunition cabinet,' so he had to summon forth, from
the depths, the 'Ammunition Manager." The ammunition manager asked me
what kind of ammo I wanted, and I said, '45ACP.'
He pointedly replied, 'We don't have 45ACP.' That pronouncement
surprised me, as there was a large display of 45ACP ammunition clearly
visible behind the glass front of the ammunition cabinet. He continued,
'All we have is 45 Auto.' I said, 'I'll take the 45 Auto.' 'Okay,' he
warned, 'but you know 45 Auto won't work in 45ACP guns.' 'I really
appreciate that piece of sage advice, Sonny, but I'll take the 45 Auto
anyway.'"
Comment: When it comes to important details, sales people at big
retailers are not particularly helpful, as they lack any specific
interest in what they're selling. Ammunition is best purchased at a
legitimate gunshop, where you might actually encounter someone who knows
what he is doing!
/John
(Alternatively, particularly if you live in an area where Wal-Mart may
be the only game in town, you could just try not being a smartass. While
I am not a big fan of Wal-Mart, when I needed large amounts of FMJ ammo
in a couple of calibers for an IALEFI conference, I found the personnel
at Wal-Mart very willing to order it for me in case quantities, after I
explained why I needed such a large supply. What would it have cost to
explain that "ACP" is the abbreviation for "Automatic Colt Pistol" and
that the ammunition manufacturer seems to prefer calling it ".45 Auto"?
In my experience, I have encountered at least as much ignorance behind
the counter in gun shops and at shooting ranges.)
14 Mar 06
77gr 223, from Black Hills:
With the military's current high consumption of Black Hills 77gr 223
round, it has been nearly impossible to find commercially. The 77gr
bullet represents an improvement over the 55gr Hardball round we've use
for years, and it represents a quantum improvement over the 62gr
"penetrator" round that has turned in such a dismal performance since
its introduction.
"Black Hills 5.56mm 77gr HP" is currently available, in quantity, from
Jensen's in Loveland, CO. Good time to stock up! I don't know of
anywhere else it is available.
The other round I recommend in 223 is Cor-Bon's 53gr DPX. Best ordered
directly from Cor-Bon.
Bob Jensen
Jensen's
246 E 4th St
Loveland, CO 80538
970 663 5994
Peter R Pi
Cor-Bon
PO Bx 369
Sturgis, SD 57785
800 626 7266
800 923 2666 (Fax)
/John
(The 77 gr. round is a good alternative for military use, in guns with
the Mil-Spec 1-in-7" twist barrels. There are several good
law-enforcement rounds that also perform well in these fast-twist barrels.)
15 Mar 06
This is from a friend and colleague who is an emergency room surgeon at
a busy hospital. As unhappy as it is, we all need to hear and understand
this:
"The modern, American response to disasters is to throw scads of
tax-payer dollars at them, until they drop off the front page. In the
aftermath, politicians will predictably drown the issue in public money,
all the time knowing it is futile, even counter-productive, but they do
it in order to appear to be 'doing something,' so they can stay in
power. When their efforts fail, they blame others. However, this curious
'system' works, to the degree that it does, only when we have to deal
with just one disaster at a time. When we have to deal with a
widespread, pernicious pandemic and/or nationwide, simultaneous
terrorist attacks, our system will overload and bog down almost
immediately. Mutual aid will be unavailable when neighboring
jurisdictions are,
themselves, overwhelmed.
For example, my hospital currently has the resources to admit, and care
for, one, demented, eighty-four-year old, in order to treat her
pneumonia (for the third time this month), along with a couple of
car-wreck victims with broken noses. Multiply casualties (real ones this
time) by only a factor of five, and we'll be utterly unable to handle
them. Our resources will be speedily depleted, and, when supplies can't
be replenished, because the entire transportation and communications
systems are paralyzed, our ability to effectively treat casualties will
rapidly be diminished to the point of impotence. When, in addition, all
hospitals in our area are likewise jammed full of sick, wounded, and
dying and are understaffed, because most doctors and nurses will,
themselves, be afflicted. Our 'health care system' will cease to be
functional
in any meaningful way. Anarchy will soon break out, because the police
will be no better off than we are!
In truth, when the pandemic and/or invasion strikes, our fragile
threshold will be passed almost instantly. Thereafter, we will all live
or die, based upon our level of personal preparedness and our ability
to render competent care and protection to ourselves and to each other."
Comment: We had a dress rehearsal of all this in LA and MS just a few
months ago! All of the forgoing actually happened, despite naive
assurances that it would not. Those faired best who had planned in
advance and were personally prepared. Dependant, naive grasseaters, who
foolishly believed that some government agency would "take care of
them," faired poorly. Politicians love nothing better than to put us
all out of THEIR misery!
We are entering a period of world history that future historians will
describe as "exciting," and the excitement is just beginning!
/John
16 Mar 06
On what works and what doesn't, from a friend and one of our instructors in
SA:
"We presented a Defensive Handgun Course in Capetown over the weekend.
Most students showed up with G17s and G19s. We had a single G34 and one
G21. All performed boringly well. The only other make of gun we had on
course was H&K P7. Worked 100%.
Students fired one thousand rounds each. Ammo availability has become a
huge problem here in the Democratic People's Republic of South Africa.
All 9mm ammo we used was Russian, steel-case, sub-gun ammo, made by
Barnaul. This stuff is hot, but reliable. In most of the African
Continent, it's all you can get in quantity. Your pistol had better be
able to stand up to steel cases and hot loads, designed for submachine
guns. Glocks had no problem with it. Lesser guns might have.
One women struggled getting her G19 drawn out of a locally-made, kydex
paddle. I quickly converted her to Comp-Tac/C-Tac. Her draw problems
instantly vanished! In fact, most serious students here use Gregg's
holsters. All worked 100%.
Most students carried Surefire 6Ps, and all worked just fine, but
everyone was astounded by my Blackhawk Gladius, particularly the strobe
feature. They'll sell a ton of them here if they can get them imported.
I was dismayed by the low percentage of students who routinely carry OC
and blades. I tried to persuade them all of the importance of these
weapons. By the end of the Course, I had sold a bunch of Cold Steel
folders! We like Cold Steel knives, because they don't break, and they
cut strongly. Africa is no place for wimpy gear!
Good people here are persevering as well as we can."
Comment: Once again, we here in the USA often fail to appreciate how
good we have it. My friend confirms that tough gear and tough people go
together. Tough people will always find a way to win!
/John
17 Mar 06
On steel-case pistol ammunition, from a friend and colleague:
"We just finished a three-day Police Pistol Course. Each student fired
2,500 rounds. Two officers showed up with Wolf 40S&W ammunition. Their
department didn't want to 'spend a lot of money on ammunition!'
It was brutal and painful to watch their guns break, right before our
eyes. First, came numerous, minor malfunctions. Then came the serious
malfunctions. Finally, their pistols just broke. The first was a
Beretta 92F. At 1000 rounds, the extractor claw sheared right off. At
2000 rounds, the Glock finally broke its extractor too. The good news
was that we had a Glock Armorer there, and the Glock was back up and
running within a few minutes. The Beretta shooter, unfortunately, had a
long, round-trip home, on day two, in order to retrieve a replacement
pistol.
We did the math: The cost difference between 5,000 rounds of 40S&W Wolf
and generic, white-box. It came out to $200.00, which, I am sure, seems
like pennies to these gentlemen now.
Like you, we strongly recommend against using steel-case ammunition in
Western firearms. Some listen. Some don't!"
Comment: Western firearms are all designed around brass-case
ammunition. Feed them steel at your peril!
/John
(Contrast this report with the prior one from South Africa. I would err
on the side of caution and avoid steel-case ammo in anything not
designed and manufactured in the former Soviet bloc. The Soviets used
steel for cases and bullet jackets and cores because Iosif Djugashvili,
whose adopted name of "Stalin" is the Russian word for "steel," was so
fixated on developing the Soviet steel industry that mining of lead and
copper was neglected during his lifetime.)
17 Mar 06
Good suggestion, from a friend and colleague:
In the age of pernicious blood-borne pathogens, I have become less and
less enthusiastic about using a knife as a secondary/back-up weapon.
So, I have converted over to carrying a blackjack (sap) as my fall-back.
Here in GA, carrying a suitable, fighting knife (fixed-bladed or folder)
is no less illegal than is carrying a small, impact weapon. Knife
statutes are detailed and restrictive. When saps are mentioned in the
same statute, language is ambiguous and vague. So, there is no legal
disadvantage to carrying a sap, and tactical advantages of impact
weapons have been obvious to me for decades. Saps are capable of ending
fights instantly. A quick strike under the jaw will knock cold most
people with a single application. Strikes to limbs and torso will
dissuade all but the most desperate.
When you cut or stab someone with a blade, the resulting wound will
constitute 'serious bodily injury' just about anywhere. Conversely, a
strike with a sap rarely causes heavy (external) bleeding, and, as we
all know, oftentimes you have tell someone they've been cut. I don't
know of anyone who has been nailed with a sap who has required verbal
reinforcement to be aware of it!
Last Sunday, a trainer put on a 'Blackjack and Sap' class for us here in
Atlanta. He carries a sap on a daily basis, and he has developed sound
doctrine and methodology for their use. At the end of the day, I had
even more respect for these wonderful tools. I'm carrying one now, as
part of my everyday kit.
While many police officers are proscribed from carrying saps, this is
one of the those areas where we private citizens actually have more
latitude to choose an appropriate self-defense tool."
Comment: Saps may be experiencing a renaissance! They have a lot going
for them, as we can see! It's only blatant misuse that caused their
acceptance in the police community to decline in the first place.
/John
(The above is the opinion of one person, reflecting the laws of one
state. In California, for example, merely carrying a sap or baton of any
sort is a felony. In the time that I spent with LASD, it was only the
occasional older deputy whom I ever saw carrying a sap; most of the
younger ones were using the sap pocket, just above the knee and behind
the seam of the uniform pants, to carry Streamlight Stingers. I have
friends in Arizona who carry expandable batons but that's not an offense
in this state - even if the thing is concealed it is still covered by a
Concealed Weapon Permit.)
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
