January 2011
January 31, 2011 -- Jesus and Firearms...My son told me the other day that he was in a discussion with a friend about Christians and self-defense. His friend believes that Christians are to be pacifists, and not resist the physical assaults of criminals. Apparently there are a lot of people being taught in their churches that "turn the other cheek" means to let criminals have their way with you. People fail to understand that Jesus was talking about how to handle personal offenses: a slap, a minor injustice, an inconvenience, and so on. He was not addressing criminal assault in that verse. However, He DID speak of preparing for criminal violence in Luke 22:36..."He said to them, But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." The word for "sword" here designates the common short sword of the Roman soldier. It was a weapon, not a pocket knife. Jesus thought it so important for His disciples to be armed that He instructed them to sell their clothing to raise the necessary cash. Obviously Jesus was not encouraging His disciples to be men of violence. But He WAS encouraging them, even ordering them, to be able to defend themselves against criminals. The modern day equivalent of the short sword is the handgun. I believe it is a good Bible interpretation/application to think that in our contemporary situation Jesus would encourage you and me to be armed with firearms.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."I'm not sure that either allegorically, or even metaphorically, I would justify the use of guns from those Biblical passages. To me the Creator of the universe might be very sad at how humans are trashing the planet and each other; and a lot of that trashing is with guns. But make no mistake: We
need guns because of the sorry state of our affairs. Things could be very different if other passages of the Bible were followed, too."
A Comment from Del..."I would say I myself am a non-violent person, as are most good people. But... when I hear a person say that they could never shoot/kill someone, I say to them: Even if you are willing to give up your own life and leave your family alone, what if it is your wife or 10 (or whatever year old) daughter that is being raped and tortured. Is it OK to allow that to happen if by being armed you could have prevented it? I don't think so. If any religion says that the lives of the innocent should be forfeit to the dregs of humanity, it is time to find a new religion. I don't believe that's what God would want to happen."
January 30, 2011 -- The Last Conversion Kit...I have found a .357 SIG barrel for my Kel-Tec P-40, and sometime this week it will be winging its way to my home. It may very well be the last brand new kit in existence, for Kel-Tec stopped making these over a dozen years ago. The kit has a .357 barrel, and a P-40 slide. If you have a P-11, you can put on the new slide and barrel, and change your P-11 into a P-357. You could also get hold of a P-40 barrel, and then your P-11 could become a P-40 (the P-11 and P-40 grips were the same, except for the identifying P-40 or P-11 stamped into the grip.) I may get a P-11 (still being made and very popular) just to round out my Kel-Tec collection. The .357 SIG round is interesting because it has a 40 caliber cartridge necked down to fit a 9mm bullet. This makes for slick feeding into the chamber, and also a very fast muzzle velocity. It will be a handful in the little P-40.
Click here to send your comment...
January 29, 2011 -- How Many Guns Does One Person Need?...Notice I used the word "need" and not "want." I think it is fine to build up a large gun collection, if you have the cash. It's a fun and satisfying hobby, much like collecting stamps, or working on old cars. But how many guns does a person NEED? There are many people who say you don't need ANY guns at all. This is short-sighted pacifist nonsense. We live in a dangerous world. I'm not paranoid. But I know that there are people out there who won't mind killing a stranger for a few bucks, or even for no reason at all. (I try to stay away from bad neighborhoods and situations.) Someone quipped "I carry a .45 because I can't carry a policeman." And "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away." I also believe that Americans MUST own guns to preserve the Bill of Rights. People gave their lives in order that we might have the Bill of Rights, and it is a fact of history that from time to time the blood of patriots and tyrants must be shed in order to MAINTAIN freedom. So, how many guns does one patriotic citizen need? First, you need a .22 rifle or a shotgun. The ammo for either is cheap. A .22 is good for honing your marksmanship skills without breaking the bank. Some people will say you need BOTH a .22 and a shotgun. Maybe, but in a pinch I think one or the other will do the trick. If you ever need to put meat on the table, either is ideal for shooting small game within 50 yards. Either can be used for home defense too. I prefer semi-auto over a pump SG or bolt-action .22. Second, you need an every day carry pistol. Caliber and size is up to you, but choose something you can carry on your person 24/7. Third, you need a scoped hunting rifle in case the need arises for killing deer-sized prey at a distance. It should be accurate at 300 yards, and YOU should be as accurate as your rifle. So: how many guns does one person need? My answer is: three. I still need the 300 yard hunting rifle, and I'm looking. I realize that opinions differ widely about this subject, and your comments or objections are welcome!
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."That's a very good question and "need" could be very subjective; but still, three or four guns would be my answer too. Without getting into specifics of the gun uses (all guns can be used interchangeably to kill albeit with varying degrees of success), it would seem that a minimalist would need a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun in the basic starter kit. A military style weapon (AK-47, etc.) would be my fourth choice in the need department. After that, the sky is the limit and its all good! :-)"
January 28, 2011 -- People Like to Shoot in Germany...I was just reading an old article about shooting clays in Munich, and thought I would say just a short word about shooting in Germany, and my Munich connection. Of course, gun ownership in Germany is quite different from what we do in most parts of the USA. Some Americans think that Europeans have little interest in guns, or that there are so many regulations as to totally prevent people from learning to shoot. That turns out not to be the case. In Germany for example there are hundreds of Schützenvereine, or shooting clubs. Membership includes training with air guns and then firearms. After a year, new members are allowed to apply for a weapons permit, which entitles them to buy and keep guns at home, although not to carry them in public. There are about 20 million guns held legally in Germany, mostly at home. Germany's biggest shooting organisation, the Marksmen's Association, has 1.45 million members. Germany's gun lobby is composed mostly of staunch supporters of Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic party. My daughter lived in Munich for about three years. I went to visit twice, and fell in love with Munich, and I am trying to learn to speak German. I developed a website to help myself: ilovemunich.net
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from D.v.Streit..."Hi, great site! Let me add this one: 10 Million legal guns here, not 20, and government admits 20 million illegal ones (how do they know?) Best regards from cold Bavaria, D."
January 27, 2011 -- Prayer Breakfast Revolver...My church had a men's prayer breakfast yesterday morning, and we had a good time of Christian fellowship around the bacon and eggs. We read Psalm One together, and prayed for each other. There are a bunch of "gun nuts" at my church (I use the term affectionately), and one brought his new S&W 500 revolver to "show and tell." He is planning to carry it with him as a back-up gun when he goes hunting for wild hogs. Nice gun! All stainless steel, a really nice single action trigger, about 1 pound I think. The steel sights are good, too. From Wikipedia: "The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is a five-shot, double-action revolver...firing the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge. It is built on S&W's largest frame, the X-Frame, and (Dirty Harry style) it is the 'most powerful production revolver in the world today.' It can fire a bullet weighing 350 gr at 1975 feet per second, generating a muzzle energy of over 3,030 foot-pounds force....Any of the available bullet weights can be relied on to take game at a range in excess of 200 yards." I enjoyed handling it, and trying the trigger. A very nice revolver, but certainly NOT a mousegun. My friend finished his class and paperwork for his handgun carry permit last week, and he is now waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I don't think he will try to "concealed carry" this monster!
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."Hand-cannon or elephant gun, this is the real antithesis of a mousegun and
all I can think of is Wow! You must have some really big hogs in Tennessee."
A Comment from M.F..."The .500 S&W mag with some Glasers (which magnums maybe all I'd recommend them for) would bring a new definition to one-stop-shot. That is, if you don't miss, 'cause they probably will get four shots to your one. Also you better not value hearing if other people are there, because I believe your ears may be temporarily ringing. I believe I'll stick to a 1911, or my go-to, a Ruger LCP."
January 26, 2011 -- Recoil Springs...This might be classified as "more information for beginners." If you have purchased a semi-auto handgun of whatever make: GLOCK, Kel-Tec, Ruger, Beretta, whatever, I hope you will have taken courage to take it apart. It's fun to see what makes a gun tick; and you should also "field strip" your gun to check for hidden faults, and to make sure it is well lubricated, before you try it out at the range. I know that there are some people who take their gun shooting right out of the box, but that is an unwise thing to do. There's an old saying: "There are no careless old electricians." Why not? Because if they were careless, they are electrocuted and dead by now. It's also true for gun owners. Guns are dangerous devices, able to maim and kill the unwary. So, when you first buy a gun, spend some time doing a basic disassembly (field strip). Look for things that appear damaged. Clean and lightly oil the parts. Make sure the barrel is not obstructed. It's not only safer, your gun will shoot better, too. One part you will notice inside your gun is the recoil spring. Depending on the design of your gun, it may look similar to any of the four springs in the little photo. It's very important! When you shoot your gun, the power of the cartridge will rocket the slide back toward the rear of your gun. The recoil spring forcibly returns the slide to its original position, and on the way back the slide picks up a cartridge from the top of the magazine, and throws it into the chamber of the barrel; and your gun is now ready to shoot again. The strength of the spring is finely calculated to work with the mass of the slide of your particular gun, and the power of the cartridge. If the spring is too weak or too strong, your gun may malfunction. And some springs are very strong. People who have weak hands often have difficulty "racking the slide" of a semi-auto pistol. It's a good thing to try out before purchasing your pistol.
Click here to send your comment...
January 25, 2011 -- Gun Control By Unelected Bureaucrats...According to David Codrea on his blog, the BATF is about to release new gun control regulations. This is a method of gun control that will by-pass Congress and any other legislative body: Federal, State or local. Apparently we are about to see another ban on magazines that can hold more than ten rounds; and a new regulation to require FFLs (Gun stores) to do twice as much paper work, and more reporting to the BATF, even on simple .22 rifles. The importation of Saiga 12 shotguns will be made illegal. I'm no expert on the BATF, but I can see that the gun-control crowd is trying for more power, even though their ideas and many of their heroes in Congress have been removed by the votes of the free citizens of the United States. But the will of the people be hanged, I guess. We will now have gun control by un-elected bureaucrats, appointed by a Liberal anti-gun President. How do you boil a frog? You start out with just making the water warm, then a little warmer, then gradually turn up the heat. Before he knows what happened, the poor frog is dead. How do you implement the destruction of 2nd Amendment rights? The same way. A little here, a little there, and pretty soon all those rights are gone. The BATF wants to outlaw the Saiga 12 shotgun. Why? Because "it has no sporting purpose." Maybe so. But where in the 2nd Amendment does it say that Americans may only possess firearms for sporting purposes? There's a far more vital reason to possess firearms, and government by bureaucrats who ignore the voters pushes us closer to that scenario.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from B. O..."The BATFE's unconstitutional and unregulated antics are precisely why the 2nd amendment was penned in the first place. Notice how it went from the Bureau of Prohibition, to the ATU (Alcohol Tax Unit), then they added Tobacco and it became the ATTD (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division), next Firearms was added and it became the ATF ((Bureau of) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), next they the put the B in for Bureau and it was the BATF (Bureau of, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), next they added Explosives to become BATFE (Bureau of, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives); and the latest, but probably not the last, they are into Narcotics, but they haven't added the N yet - (BATFEN). I wonder what they will dream up to regulate next? They may make it through the alphabet before it all ends--at least they seem to be starting to spell something...!"
A Comment from Bob..."A recent poll indicated that most Americans (over 50%) favor some sort of gun control, but of course the Bill of Rights are not affected by current popularity. However, when the 2nd Amendment was written, black powder, single-shot muzzle loaders were the guns of the day, and not AK-47s and GLOCKS with 33-round magazines. The slippery slope has been sliding towards more guns and not fewer. I think there is some fear-mongering going on that will cause a few to buy Saiga 12 shotguns and 33-round GLOCK magazines; but the frog will jump out of the water before any meaningful gun-grabber regulations are enacted."
January 24, 2011 -- TV Show I Might Like to See...I don't watch a lot of television, but every now and then I hear about a show I think I might like to watch. One such is "Justified," from FX. I have seen some YouTube videos that look interesting, and found this review somewhere: "Justified is based on the character Raylan Givens, a southern-bred U.S. Marshal created by modern-day frontier novelist Elmore Leonard. Timothy Olyphant...effectively plays the quiet man of action: After a mishap in Miami, Givens is sent back to his native Kentucky half as punishment, half to set him straight. When it comes to dispensing justice, Givens' style is stern with a flair for judiciousness: He lets his targets know that it's okay with him if they try to run, but reminds them that in the end he'll put a bullet in their hearts...The real draws of Justified are its bad guys. Goggins, best known for his role as Shane Vendrell in FX's The Shield, transforms himself into looney-tunes hothead Boyd Crowder, the leader of a group of brazen, bank-robbing, Nazi-supporting hicks...But instead of being a fountain of racist slurs and left-handed salutes, Goggins plays Boyd as a very human, Bible-quoting man who almost seems to believe the gibberish he uses to justify his rocket-launching mayhem." There are some interesting "gun-fighting" scenes in the YouTube trailers. Might be worth watching. Any of you see it? Is it good? Or a waste of time? Let me know what you think.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."Although cable TV isn't in my budget, I have seen the first season of Justified which is on dvd, and it is very entertaining. Timothy Olyphant will remind you of Clint Eastwood in appearance and voice. I will probably have to wait until the 2nd season is over before continuing to follow the
story line on dvd. The show rates 4 stars to me, but then I enjoy many R rated movies that might not be suitable for younger or more sensitive viewers."
January 23, 2011 -- Concerning Semi-Auto Magazines...The photo to the left shows a magazine for the Smith & Wesson 4006 pistol, which shoots 40S&W cartridges. When Kel-Tec created their P-40, they designed the gun to receive the S&W magazine. But the KT P-40 has a short grip, so the 4006 magazine sticks out the bottom about 1.5 inches. Kel-Tec hired Mec-Gar to make special mags for the P-40, which fit flush with the bottom of the grip. The S&W mags can be bought used/excellent condition from "Cheaper Than Dirt" for less than $8 each, which is a real bargain. They don't fit flush, so you wouldn't normally want to carry your P-40 that way, but the S&W mags are good for range work. Magazines lie at the heart of what makes a semi-auto pistol "tick." There are two parts to a magazine that are crucial: the feed lips at the top of the magazine, and the spring inside the magazine. If the feed lips are shaped wrong, or are too close together, or too far apart, the cartridge will not feed directly into the chamber, and you will get a jam. If the spring inside the magazine is too weak, then it may push the next round up too slowly to get properly picked up by the returning slide, and again jam on its way into the barrel's chamber. If you are having problems with a semi-auto pistol, there's a very good chance that you can fix your pistol by making adjustments to the magazine feed lips, or by installing a stronger spring inside the magazine. The Wolff company is particularly well-known as a source for pistol springs.
Click here to send your comment...
January 22, 2011 -- Semi-auto Handguns vs Revolvers...Today, a little information for people who are new to firearms---There are basically two kinds of handguns: semi-autos and revolvers. Anyone who ever watched a Western movie can recognize a revolver. Wyatt Earp, Matt Dillon, Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger all used revolvers. The round cylinder holds (usually) six cartridges (making it a "six-shooter"), and it revolves every time the trigger is pulled, moving another cartridge to line up with the barrel in front, and the hammer behind. The old Sam Spade type hard-boiled private eyes of the film noir movies usually had revolvers, too (usually small short-barreled "snub-nose" .38 caliber). The revolver is still very popular, but might be considered old-fashioned, compared to the semi-auto hand gun. The USA military handgun of choice for the past 40 years has been the Beretta M9, a 9mm semi-auto. Hanging around even longer than that is the US Army 1911 .45 caliber pistol designed by John M. Browning. This grand old semi-auto pistol is 100 years old, and still very popular today with both military and civilians. Both are large "full-sized" guns. The most famous semi-auto today may be the GLOCK, because of it's reliability, simplicity and durability. GLOCKS come in all sizes and calibers, from sub-compact to full-sized. The GLOCK is also popular because it is not very expensive. The GLOCK is the AK-47 of the handgun world: Pull the trigger, and 999 times out of 1000, it WILL fire. Which is "better," revolver or semi-auto? There is no "better." Generally speaking, revolvers are more reliable than semi-autos. Generally speaking, semi-autos can hold more rounds than revolvers. Both come in all sizes, from very small to very large. Some are cheap, some are expensive. I think the gun owner should enjoy owning and shooting both kinds of handguns.
Click here to send your comment...
January 21, 2011 -- More About Gun Safety...It is worth remembering that some people are not able to walk and chew gum at the same time. (I don't say this to be insulting, just to state the truth.) For example, yesterday my sister and her fiancee came to visit, and I was showing them my Kimber .45. Of course, before handing it to them I dropped the magazine and checked the chamber to make sure it was empty. Neither of them are "gun people," but I assumed that they would handle the Kimber carefully. Wrong assumption! Charlie did OK. But my sister, whenever she would take her eyes off the gun, and look at us to say something, immediately lost awareness about where the gun was pointing. It's like there was a dis-connect between her hands and her ability to speak. So of course Charlie and I had the gun pointed at us several times, even though we told her to watch what she was doing. My point is simply this: if you are showing a firearm to a friend who is not into guns, be very, very careful. Don't assume that the person will handle a gun safely, even if you explain the four safety laws before you give them the gun. Always make DOUBLE sure the gun is empty and safe before you let them handle it. They don't mean any harm, but some people cannot talk, and keep control of their hands at the same time. Come to think of it, I wouldn't let these folks drive me somewhere in their car either. Having a conversation might be quite distracting to them.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from S.B..."If you go to gun shows, you will see the same thing. In addition, though, you will see people walking around with pistols to sell and they have their finger on the trigger! We need more gun safety education!"
A Comment from Bob..."Because guns are so common it's easy to assume people have basic knowledge about safe gun handling, similar to everyone knowing about safe driving practices. After all, there are more guns in American than there are cars. But not so, and as S.B. noted, even purported gun enthusiasts may be careless about proper gun handling."
January 20, 2011 -- Like New Kel-Tec P-40...Today I traded with a fellow Chattanoogan for his Kel-Tec P-40. (I traded away my Marlin 30/30 rifle.) Those who love rifles will say he got the better of the deal. But I like small guns, and the P-40 has been out of production for about a dozen years. It is highly prized by Kel-Tec fans. Not only that, but this P-40 is truly LNIB (Like New In the Box). My friend bought if from a guy who had installed a belt clip on it, and not done the pin attaching correctly. The result was a general mess up of the entire pistol. So, my friend had no joy with it, and sent it back to Kel-Tec for repairs. They did a complete rebuild on it: new barrel, new slide, new pins, new internal parts, etc. etc. So, even though it came out of the Kel-Tec factory a dozen years ago, as of November 2010 it became practically a brand new gun. It MAY actually be the most well preserved P-40 on the face of the planet. So, mousegunner that I am, I'm really happy to have this nice P-40 in exchange for my Marlin. My friend is happy with the Marlin, because he has carpal tunnel syndrome in his arms and hands, and can't really handle the P-40's double-action-only trigger. He gave me 40 rounds of assorted 40S&W ammo, and I gave him 80 rounds of Winchester 30/30 ammo, so it was a happy trade all around.
Click here to send your comment...
January 19, 2011 -- Guns As Family Heirlooms...My father was neither a hunter, nor at all interested in guns. We had no guns in our house, as I grew up. When my grandfather died, my grandmother gave me his .22 rifle. I had no appreciation then of firearms, and I sold it for $10, to buy a bus ticket back to college. Even worse than no appreciation of firearms, I was a foolish wooden-headed boy with no conception of how important it was to honor the gift of my grandfather's rifle. I never trained my own children to enjoy and use firearms, because I myself took up the firearms "hobby," and became conscious of the importance of the 2nd amendment late in life, after my children were grown up and gone. Now I'm wondering what will happen to my firearms when I pass away. Neither of my children are interested in either shooting or hunting, nor my wife. Sometime ten or so years from now I believe I will have to find someone to leave them to, who will appreciate them, and put them to good use. Which is OK, but I can't help wishing I had learned about these things when I was young, and that I myself had been a better father.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment From M.F..."I consider myself lucky to have known at an early age how important a gift from a family member is and how important it is to cherish that gift. I have a bowie knife from Russia, valuable coins, and other things given by my grandad I would never sell and mean more than anything. In fact I wore this same necklace everyday since it was given to me by my dad. I also consider myself lucky for growing up with guns since birth (first shot 6 years old .308 rifle) now that I'm getting married and about to start a family ill instill the same love of family in my kids."
Comment from Bob..."I read somewhere that life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. For me, looking back I have many regrets and one or two that may be inconsolable. My story is similar to yours, except that instead of guns I have a wall of books about sailing, and a stack of unused boat building plans that will all fade into nothingness in time. The only things I have from my grandfather are a middle name and some DNA, it's his memories that continue to live on in me; and if those memories were good that's all that really matters."
A Comment from P.W...."It may not be too late! Why not consider giving your children one of your guns and ask them, if nothing else, to keep it stored away [with no ammunition] as a memento from you, as opposed to a memory. When God calls you home, those guns will already have a home; and their influence might salvage the rest of your collection. It would always be available if any should decide to investigate them as a hobby or a means of self-defense. They could also be there if guns become difficult to obtain, or if they become necessary. Times change, and attitudes change. It may be that you could occasionally invite them to go to the range with you and shoot their gun together. One day they just might take you up on it!"
January 18, 2011 -- Your Church May Oppose Your Right to Keep and Bear Arms...There is a depressing news article about the Roman Catholic Church, released a few days ago. The RC Church wants to eliminate the private ownership of handguns. Now, it is not my intention here to pick on the RC Church, because I happen to know that there are also large Protestant denominations which take the same position. They do not want YOU to have a firearm. I'm depressed to think that our spiritual leaders are ready to dismantle the Bill of Rights; especially when I remember that the spiritual leadership in the early days of the United States took up arms to fight for Independence. Who more than pastors, priests and rabbis should understand that the tyranny of a State always begins with the State disarming the people? And it then continues with murder and sometimes genocide. If you are a Christian, I hope you will not be a Pacifist. If your pastor and your denomination want to disarm YOU, are you sure you are supporting the right church?
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from A Reader in Iowa..."I have been catholic for 69+ years and would not/will not allow the church or any other 'group' take away my 2nd Amendment rights."
A Comment from G.D.... "We go to a Non denominational church that supports gun rights. A group from our church even took the handgun permit course together. Great site! I am a 5' woman with a mouse gun and proud!!"
January 17, 2011 -- How to Clean Your Pistol...I was reading a gun magazine that came in the mail last week, and on the last page there was a great article about how to clean a pistol. I thought I might make my own little observations about cleaning. The author's primary thought was: you don't need to do a detailed cleaning very often. I agree with him. (Note: this does not apply to rifles shooting military surplus ammo, which is corrosive. Nor does it apply to "smoke poles," which can get all crudded up with powder residue.) For modern pistols, you really don't need to get obsessive over cleaning, except for the gun you carry every day. THAT gun ought to be clean, and properly lubricated, so you know that you can count on it when needed, God forbid. For those of you who may be kind of new to guns, here's how you clean a semi-auto pistol...
A Comment from Bob..."Excellent cleaning advice; and for myself I use nitrile gloves and Q-tips. 10s of Q-tips are piled up when I'm through cleaning, as I find them really, really useful to get into all those nooks and crannies."
January 16, 2011 -- There's a Kel-Tec P-40 On the Way...I recently chanced upon a fellow who is interested in trading me his LNIB Kel-Tec P-40 for my excellent condition Marlin 30/30 rifle. He says the P-40 recoil is more than he wants to deal with, and mousegunner that I am, I'd rather have the P-40 than the rifle. The P-40 is very similar in size to the Kahr PM40, and the GLOCK 27. At 15.6 oz The KT weighs a mere .2 oz less than the PM9, but over two oz less than the GLOCK. The Kahr flush-fit magazine holds 5, the P-40 mag holds 9, as does the GLOCK. The P-40 is a mere .06 inches wider than the Kahr, but it is .2 inches narrower than the GLOCK. In other words, if you want a genuine sub-compact 40S&W firearm, the Kel-Tec hangs right in there with the high-class models. The GLOCK definitely has a lighter/better trigger, but the Kel-Tec trigger is a safety device all by itself. I've had a P-40 before, and I know it takes a purposeful pull to fire the gun. (You can read about my P-40 with .357 SIG barrel here.) Kel-Tec quit making the P-40 about a decade ago, supposedly because so many people were limp-wristing the gun. It wouldn't fire right for them, so they sent it back, and Kel-Tec couldn't find anything to fix. People griped about the recoil, too; but in my opinion, that's largely a matter of perception, and what a person is used to. Anyway, I'm looking forward to having my second P-40 next week, and I hope to hold onto this one. I'll do a photo essay when I get time.
Click here to send your comment...
January 15, 2011 -- Searching for the Elusive J.A. 32 (Jimenez Arms)...Jimezez Arms (along with Cobra) is the heir of the old Jennings, Davis, Bryco firearms empire. Lots of people love to throw bricks at these guns, and sometimes they are called "Saturday Night Specials." That term (SNS) originally meant a cheap gun chose for murder. Use it and toss it after you have done the crime. But there is a real fan club of collectors for these guns, and they have a very nice Forum, which I frequent from time to time. The fact of the matter is, in the smaller calibers, these guns are quite reliable, safe, easy to carry, and fun to collect and shoot. (In my opinion, 9mm is too heavy a caliber for the Jimenez design.) I have owned several, and am now looking for the Jimenez J.A. 32 (.32 ACP). It is exactly the same size as the J.A. 380, but fires the smaller caliber, thus being more pleasant to shoot, and less likely to suffer excessive stress and strain on the zamak material of the firearm. The size of the J.A. 32 is almost identical to the Taurus TCP (.380 caliber), but the JA weighs 19 oz vs the 10 oz of the TCP. Which again, makes it a more pleasant gun to shoot. The J.A. 32 is not mentioned on the Jimenez website, but you can find them for sale on Gunbroker.com. My local pawn shop carries the .380, .22 and .25 caliber Jimenez guns, and I'm hoping to see a .32 someday.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."Although the J.A. 32 isn't mentioned at the website there was a J.A. 22 that really caught my eye. This is a very small automatic and even at 13 ozs. would be quite manageable carrying concealed. Maybe the local pawn shops here will have that model. One thing I didn't like about the J.A. 22 and maybe the J.A. 32 is the same, was that it is single-action only, and would have to be carried cocked and locked which is kind of scary. The other heir to the JDB empire, Cobra, appears to be thriving. I have a Cobra .22Mag derringer, and wouldn't be reluctant to own their 9mm Patriot."
January 14, 2011 -- That's What I Like About the South...Phil Harris used to sing that song, and he mentions candied yams, the Southern drawl, etc. What he forgot to mention was the freedom to buy and sell firearms. To a person who likes to collect guns, and/or shoot them, that's one of the great things about the South. Here in Chattanooga we have a guns classified section in the local news paper, and there are regularly some great deals. For example this week I see someone has an FN49 battle rifle, made in Belgium, for $650. (That's one in the photo above.) That's a great deal for a great rifle (shoots 8mm ammo, and is like an SKS on steroids). I also see a GLOCK 17 with night sights for $400, and a 9mm Norinco (probably a Tokarev copy) for $295 with extra mags and ammo. You see some oddball listings, too, which tickle your curiosity. Someone is offering a Kel-Tec F-11 for $250. That's funny, because Kel-Tec makes a P11 and a PF9, but no F-11. I wonder which one it really is? That's one more thing to like about the South. It's perfectly legal and acceptable for individuals to buy and sell guns between themselves, with zero government interference. Good old Tennessee!
Click here to send your comment...
January 13, 2011 -- Can Politicians Think?...New York Republican Rep. Peter King: "It is imperative that we do all that we can to give law enforcement the tools they need to ensure the safety of New Yorkers, and prevent an attack before it happens," King said during a press conference with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (on Jan 12). "That is why, as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Illegal Guns, I will be introducing legislation that would make it illegal to knowingly carry a gun within 1,000 feet of certain high-profile government officials." Who are these "certain high-profile government officials?" How high up must you get to be "high profile?" Is it only Federal officials? How about State governors? How about mayors of big cities? Where is the cut off size? Bloomberg of New York of course would qualify. And why confine it to government officials? What about movie stars? Or pastors of mega-churches? Or wealthy people? And if these really VIP people travel to free States, where people with permits carry guns, does that mean that we all have to run away when we see the VIPs coming? And what if we don't recognize them, and they don't have a sign "VIP" on them? How will we know to run away or not? This is obviously a silly and unenforceable law that will not make anyone any safer. And this guy is the chairman of the HSC?! He probably approved the intimate pat-downs at the airports, too. I can only hope this guy won't get re-elected.
Click here to send your comment...
January 12, 2011 -- Mousegunner Joins the Caliber War...Ever since some genius smart-alec invented the first bullet, self-defense enthusiasts have been debating, arguing and wrangling (usually in a good-natured way) over the "knock-down-power" of this or that caliber bullet. My personal opinion is that "bigger is better, but smaller isn't bad either." Obviously a .45 bullet is wider than a .32 bullet, so it makes a hole that is .13 inch bigger. In case you haven't noticed, .13 inch isn't much to write home about! What about penetration? In other words, how deep is the hole that is made? Those who do experiments with ballistic gelatin and wet newspapers have discovered that there isn't much difference in this dimension either. A .45 caliber full metal jacket (FMJ) 230 grain bullet traveling 850 feet per second (fps) will penetrate about the same distance as an FMJ 71 grain .32 caliber bullet-maybe 10 inches, give or take, depending on what brand ammo you use, and "luck." So, if the hole is about the same diameter, and the depth penetrated is about the same, what difference does it make if you are shooting .45 or .32? The important thing is "shot placement." A .45 through the leg will hurt. A .32 through the heart will kill. So the moral of the story is: shoot carefully for adequate self-defense. If you can carry a .45, with faster and better expanding bullets, then by all means do so. It WILL be more effective. But if you can't carry a large gun, and a .32 is the gun you can easily have with you 24/7, then don't feel you are carrying a mere "pop gun." Those little bullets won't just bounce off. The .32 FMJ round will do the trick, if the shots are placed well.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."I agree bigger is better and with Clint Smith's quote "No gun is too big to fight with or too small to carry". The foot pounds of energy created by a .45 on impact is huge compared to smaller caliber bullets and the size of the hole a .45 makes is twice as big as a .32 and four times as big as a .22 making the bleed-out much faster, assuming a central nervous system miss. But I've opted to carry the smaller caliber for much the same reason military officers usually carry smaller weapons; because things have to go terribly awry before the officers engage."
January 11, 1011 -- Criminalizing Targets and Crosshairs...Congressman Bob Brady (D-PA) has decided to make it illegal to put crosshairs on a map like Sarah Palin's PAC did. He says he's introducing legislation to make it a federal crime "for a person to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a Member of Congress or federal official." Brady maintains loudly that this has nothing to do with free speech. You can make any symbols you want, and say anything you want, EXCEPT what Congress decides you can't draw or print or say. What kind of free speech is that? Why protect only federal officials? I believe it is already illegal to make a picture of a federal official, and put crosshairs on it, and use it for target practice, or as a poster. One of our founding fathers said, "I may totally disagree with what you say, and think it is abominable, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." And when we were kids we had our own version: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I think Brady's new proposed law is just one more chop at the tree of liberty. Also, living in this "politically correct Brave New World," as we do, I can easily imagine the foolishness that will follow. My annuity company will have to dis-continue "target funds." Sales people will have to cease from setting targets for sales. Churches will have to get rid of those round symbols with crosses inside, looks too much like crosshairs. Some poor Kindergarten child will make a doodle of a target, scare a silly teacher to death, and get hand-cuffed and carted off to jail. Target department stores will have to change their logo! Lots of targets in that store! Even the poor Target dog mascot may get fired! Folks, let's not allow fearful congress-critters to dismantle the Bill of Rights in a foolish attempt to prevent acts of criminals and terrorists. Those who give up their freedoms in order to obtain security end up with less freedom, and no greater security. It's always been that way around the world. Don't let it happen here. Are we the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE? Or are we the land of the nanny smothered, and the home of the fearful?
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."I think there is a vast difference between using a target symbol and a gun-sight symbol. You can use a target for a bean bag game or for a sales contest in your business, but a gun-sight conjures up a whole new mindset. Incendiary language is prohibited now (yelling fire in a movie theater) and we are becoming a politically correct society along with the rest of Western civilization. I'm not saying I agree with it, it's just the world we live in. The word "nigger" is being removed from the novel "Huckleberry Finn," and you hadn't better draw a picture of the Prophet Muhammad, so maybe we should restrict gun-sight pictures to ads selling guns."
January 10, 2011 -- Taurus PT-22...We have two "big-box" gun stores in Chattanooga: Academy Sports, and Sportsman's Warehouse. Both of them carry a fairly large selection of handguns and rifles. We also have Dick's Sporting Goods, but Dicks has only a few shotguns and rifles, and no handguns. WalMart in Hixson is about as good as Dick's. Academy is especially good at putting large advertising sections in the paper on Sunday morning, and I always like to see what's on sale. Yesterday they were advertising the well-known Taurus PT-22 for $199. The PT-22 is a copy of Beretta's "Bobcat" .22 pistol. I have owned a Bobcat, but never a PT-22. I traded away my Bobcat a long time ago, and I think I might like to try one of these little Taurus 22s. (The PT-22 weighs 12.5 ounces). The magazine holds eight rounds. The trigger is double action only, and I read on the internet that it is a fairly heavy pull. I also read that the PT-22 is picky about ammo, but that's true for many guns. (After all, it's not a GLOCK!) The barrel tips up for loading one in the chamber, making it un-necessary to ever rack the slide to load a cartridge. Honestly, I've read so much that is bad on the internet that I don't expect it to be a great gun, but I'm curious, and would like to try one out for myself. $199 isn't all that much to risk! I understand that the pistol is also manufacturered in .25 ACP, but I haven't seen the PT-25 available around here.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Del..."I have a PT-22 and I love it. It has to have high velocity ammo, but it has fired every single time without fail. The only problem I ever had was when I put too many rounds in the mag. It's only supposed to have 8 rounds plus one in the chamber....Proud to be from AZ, but sad that some nut took advantage of the no-permit concealed carry. I have my permit and will continue to renew it in the hope that I can somehow make a difference if someone tries this again."
A Comment from Pat..."I got one for a fathers day gift, it did have a few issues at first, but it eats any ammo I put in it. I shoot CCI minimags mostly, and it seems to shoot everytime. I sent the gun in to Taurus to have the issues I had resolved, and under the lifetime warranty it was fixed and sent back at no cost to me."
A Comment from Mark..."I had three, and they've all worked perfectly. But as with everything there are lemons sometimes."
A Comment From Bob..."Haven't owned a Bobcat, so from shooting experience I can't compare it to my
older PT-22 (it pre-dates the built-in safety lock) but operationally the PT-22 is a double action only, while the Bobcat switches to single action after the first shot. There may be quality differences as well. Size-wise the PT-22 has a fat handgrip, much thicker than say the TCP which I do own. The fat grip is a noticeable problem for me both handling and carrying, so this gun lives in my truck. Also, my PT-22 must be cleaned after firing a box or two or it will jam and fail to eject cases. This could just be the age and wear and tear on mine, as I bought it used. The PT-22 is cheap enough that I'm waiting for the PT-22PLY to become available. It's only 10.5 ounces, and if the grip is not so fat I'll buy one. I will guess that if you don't like a Bobcat you probably won't like a PT-22 which is a lesser clone."
January 9, 2011 -- Six Killed, Twelve Wounded, in Arizona Yesterday...Here's a rather full account of the latest news. The shooter was 22 years old, with a history of "instability." We will know more about him later. He is in custody, because he was re-loading when tackled by bystanders, and did not have enough time to kill himself, as these guys usually do. We express our sincere sympathy to the families of those who were shot. This was not an assassination. It was either pure craziness, or terrorism. He was shooting everyone in sight, even children. Another likely motive is anti-Semitism. the shooter loved Hitler and "Mein Kampf," and was associated with an anti-Semitic white-supremicist group, and the lady congresswoman he shot was Jewish, as was her aide. This is a terrible traumatic event, and we are so sorry it happened. I suppose there will be calls now for strict gun control, taking all guns out of the hands of civilians. That won't help, and probably won't fly, even in the face of this event. Arizona is one of three States in which it is legal for civilians to carry handguns without State permits. It is a pro-gun State and likely to stay that way. People who hate guns need to realize that it was not the fault of good gun-owners that this shooting happened. It was the fault of the crazed shooter. I would also venture to go so far as to put some of the blame on this young man's parents, friends and associates. If we see someone who is "unstable" and talking nonsense, as this fellow seems to have been doing, it then becomes our duty to take steps to see that he is not allowed to have firearms. I am flat-out supportive of our 2nd Amendment rights. But I can see where it might be wise to require firearms training and at least cursory examination of a person's mental health history, before allowing that person to purchase and possess firearms. But even that won't prevent some nut from going off and doing despicable things. It IS a shame that there weren't some police or armed civilians near the shooting, who might have been able to take down the shooter before he was able to shoot so many people.
Click here to send your comment...
Comment from Bob..."Tragedy of course. My only thought is that the deranged nut-case of a cowardly gunman was subdued by two unarmed heroes who charged him in between reloads. And this happened in Arizona, a state with the most liberal gun laws in the country, perhaps the world. So I'm left wondering if armed
citizens can really save lives or reduce crime or were the armed running for their lives just like everybody else and only the heroes, armed or unarmed, stayed behind to deal with matters..."
January 8, 2011 -- Something About Blogs...These last few months I have added my daily "Observations" to this website, so I guess you could say mouseguns.com has joined the "blogosphere." Comments here are very restricted. Every comment turned in is actually an email to me. Nothing gets posted "automatically" by some robot blog program. I won't allow for spam. Also, mouseguns.com is strictly not-for-profit. I have NO paid ads PERIOD. Sometimes I will make a free graphic "ad" for somebody, because I think they provide a good service, or have a good website. But I accept no money from anyone at all, and I intend to keep it that way. I maintain a list of blogs here, too. You can see the "blogs" button to the right, and you can click on it to see the blogs I look at. I add to this list, and take away from time to time. I see some of my "bloggers" have gotten several months behind, and I will dump them from my list. If you have a good GUN-CENTERED blog that's not on the list, let me know about it, and I will check it out. It's got to be gun related, and I'm not much into politics. In the meantime, thanks for reading my Observations. (By the way, I picked up another 400 rounds of ammo today. Are YOU stocked up?)
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."You are to be commended for not only creating, developing and maintaining your Mouseguns Site but for making it available, commercial free, to all gun enthusiasts! Quick story: over the years I had collected hundreds of gun-related links in my Favorites Menu, and had haphazardly organized them into half-a-dozen folders, but finding a specific link was so unwieldy I'd often just start from scratch with Google search. Now I've deleted all of my links except for two: Mouseguns and USCCA! Unless I'm researching something to buy or learn about I may temporarily save a link, but otherwise everything
I want to find starts with your site, Mouseguns, because its so comprehensive. Thank you again!"
January 7, 2011 -- Aaron Zelman died on December 21..."Zelman, Aaron S. December 21, 2010, age 64 years, of Erin, WI. Beloved husband of Nancy Zelman (nee Soderlund). Dear father of Erik and Jeremy Zelman. Further survived by other relatives and friends. Funeral services 11:00 AM Friday, December 24, 2010 at Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue, 2909 W. Mequon Rd., Mequon. Memorials to JPFO, P.O. Box 270143, Hartford, WI 53027 or Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue are appreciated." All of us who cherish our 2nd Amendment rights should be familiar with Aaron Zelman and his organization: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Jews of all people should be committed to owning guns, and self-defense. Unfortunately this is often not the case. But Mr. Zelman and his organization did a lot of good. I contribute to JPFO, and have a lapel pin to prove it. Anyway, please take a moment, and go to the blog of Debbie Schlussel, and read about Mr. Zelman.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."My condolences to the Zelman family and friends. The motto "Never Again" was born from unbelievable atrocities Jews suffered in the Holocaust. To me the most troubling part of the Holocaust history is the acquiescence and collaboration from so many "good people" during that period because it
reminds me of what was done to Indians and slaves here in America. Yeah, the 2nd Amendment rocks!"
January 6, 2011 (Epiphany) -- The Taurus TCP 738 Pistol...Being the "mousegunner" that I am, this is another little pistol that tickles my fancy. It is similar in size and weight to the Kel-Tec 380 and the Ruger LCP. I give Kudos to Kel-Tec for being first and least expensive with the pocket-size .380. And Kel-Tec may even be "best," depending on your point of view. However, there is no denying that Smith & Wesson, Ruger and Taurus have put quite a bit of polish and style on the old Kel-Tec design. The Taurus TCP has gotten good reviews, too. The February 2010 issue of the NRA's "American Rifleman" featured the TCP on the cover, and noted that the TCP has a lighter trigger and comes with a belt-clip carry case. My January 2011 "Gun Tests" magazine came in the mail yesterday, and compared the TCP with the Smith & Wesson Bodyguard, and the Diamondback 380. Gun Tests favored the S&W as the Cadillac of the trio, but gave a grade of A- to the Taurus TCP, the only gun to come with an extra magazine. They also noticed the large trigger guard on the TCP. I'm planning to add a TCP to my collection some day. It's not expensive, just a little more than the Kel-Tec P3AT, about the same as the Ruger LCP, and quite a bit cheaper than the S&W Bodyguard.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."The TCP is my everyday carry and it comes replete with 'finger slap.' Hats off to the boys at GUN TESTS who noted 'the gun tended to rotate upward in our hands, hitting the lower edge of our trigger finger...distracting and uncomfortable.' Also, the 'extra-large' trigger guard frequently noted has to be a design illusion or non-usable finger space. Other than that, its all good. These little pocket .380s (with Kel-Tec leading the pack) are the pure essence of a mousegun."
January 5, 2011 -- Holstering a Pocket Gun...I remember reading on a gun forum many years ago that eventually every handgun owner will end up with a drawer-full of holsters that he doesn't like and doesn't use. I KNOW he was right, because I now have such a drawer. But there is an advantage here for those who pocket carry a small pistol: your drawer won't be as full as if you were carrying a gun on your hip. If you carry OWB (outside waist band) or IWB (inside waist band) you have literally hundreds of choices. But if you pocket carry, your choices are drastically reduced. I have tried a suede leather IWB holster with the clip removed; I have tried hard leather rectangular holsters; I have tried little nylon holsters with sticky surfaces; I have tried going without a holster altogether, or just placing a nylon shield between my gun and my pocket. But the best holster I have ever found, and I keep going back to it, is a simple little zippered gun rug that Kel-Tec used to ship with their P3AT. (Why they call this little ballistic nylon case a "rug" I have no idea.) It hides the outline of the gun. It adds very little to the thickness of what's in your pocket. It is easy to draw from. It's soft and won't stab your leg uncomfortably I have bought several, and I may buy a few more, because they do wear out and get wrinkled up after awhile. This little gun rug works for all the .380 pocket pistols, and it also works very well with Kel-Tec's PF9, and the GLOCK 26/27. I suggest you give it a try.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."I don't even dignify my holster castaways with a drawer, just toss them into a big plastic bag. There is only one pocket holster that has worked for me but I haven't tried the Kel-Tec yet. The one that works is an all leather one that is stiff and super thin. It was made for carrying a Bond derringer in your pocket but quickly ended up in my castaway bag because that gun is too heavy and bulky for pocket carrying. But lo and behold, while rummaging through the "bag" I discovered that this holster works great for my TCP .380. I had to cut a little piece off but it really works and doesn't add any noticeable bulk to your pocket. But in the winter an easier way for me to carry is with one of those holster t-shirts and they never end up in the "bag" because they're still a t-shirt."
January 4, 2011 -- An Interesting Shotgun...I am not really a shotgun kind of guy. In fact I don't presently own a shotgun. I once had a Remington 870, and it was fine, but it just didn't fit me. I have a banged up left shoulder, and it's hard for me to run a pump. But today I stumbled over some photos and description of a new Kel-Tec shotgun. Yup, Kel-Tec! That's unusual all by itself! And being Kel-Tec, their shotgun is really off the wall. It is a lightweight, 12-gauge 14-round, bullpup pump-operated shotgun. There are two seven round magazines, and you can switch from magazine to magazine with a little switch between shots, if you want to. You could load one side with birdshot, and the other side with slugs, for example. This thing looks like it came from a Sci-Fi movie, too. And the short bullpup configuration, and pistol grip, make it look like something I could actually hold and work. It may not be available for awhile, but I will keep an eye on developments. With 14 rounds of ammo, and a convenient shortness, it looks like an ideal home-defense weapon.
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."This is one tough looking shotgun and I'll bet it will have a sky-high price tag if it ever goes into production. One thing I've often wondered about is the fascination of the pump shotgun with the police, hunters and Hollywood. What's wrong with an automatic shotgun? It could be made with a double action only trigger, if safety concerns were at issue. But even then, it would still be much faster to double action only with an automatic than to rack the slide with a pump action. In Hollywood there is frequently this scene showing the good-guy pointing a 12 ga. shotgun at a bad guy while they
banter back and forth, then the good-guy racks the slide chambering a round to emphasize how serious he is! I would think that having a 12 ga. shotgun pointed at you at close range, that it would be natural to believe it was already loaded and if that didn't get compliance, nothing would."
January 3, 2011 -- My Kimber .45...It was my good fortune several years ago to be given a Kimber Team Match II .45 ACP 1911 style handgun by a good friend of mine. I was really surprised. It wasn't my birthday, or Christmas, or any such thing. But there, out of the blue, he gave me this Kimber. It's still practically brand new, since I've only shot about 100 rounds of FMJ through it. There were no failures of any kind, and it is really accurate. The 1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The United States bought around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during those years. The 1911 style pistol is wildly popular today in the civilian world, and there are dozens of manufacturers. Kimber is one of the leading makers, and Kimber pistols are considered to be "top of the line." The Team Match II was commissioned by the U.S.A. Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team to train for Olympic competition. The MSRP is over $1500.00. I never could have afforded to buy this pistol. How neat that someone just gave it to me! Thanks, friend!
Click here to send your comment...
January 2, 2011 -- Kel-Tec 22 Mag Carbine Coming Soon!... Save your dollars, because Kel-Tec will "soon" start producing and selling a 22 magnum high-capacity semi-auto carbine! This may not excite you, but it does me. And I don't know how soon it will be available, but Oleg Volk, photographer for Kel-Tec is giving everyone a sneak peek at a prototype (click on the photo to the left). Rifles in .22 mag are few in number, and especially hard to find in a semi-auto format. Kel-Tec's RMR-30 will hold thirty rounds, in a double-stack magazine in the grip, similar to the .22 mag pistol they are now selling, the PMR-30. Ruger used to make a .22 mag semi-auto 10/22 rifle, but no longer. Remington makes their 597 in both .22lr and .22WMR. Volquartson makes a pricey .22 magnum rifle. Kel-Tec's price point is usually low, so I'm hoping for something affordable. The .22 magnum cartridge (also called the WMR) is a lot more powerful than a .22lr, so this would be a really nice 50 to 125 yard varmint rifle (assuming it is accurate). High capacity mags, fairly powerful cartridge, light weight and affordable. It will be sort of the "poor man's AR-15."
Click here to send your comment...
A Comment from Bob..."I enjoy shooting .22 Mags out of my derringer and although the ballistics aren't much different than a .22 LR, the Mags are real loud and spit fire. When rumors about Kel-Tec developing a .22 Mag pistol first started several years ago I was very interested believing it would be something
like their P3AT. But alas, it turned out to be a hunting and target pistol. I read where the ballistics of the pistol were about equivalent to the ballistics of a .22 LR rifle. Not being a hunter and considering likely civilian self defense ranges I think the new .22 Mag carbine will have very
minimal advantages over .22 LR or pistol caliber carbines."
A Comment from Tim..."I am waiting for the pmr 30, but if you look at the ballistics of the 22 mag out of a rifle it is impressive, given the relatively inexpensive cost of 22 mag and the small size: A lot better than a .22lr, and still good for a self defense carbine, especially in a low threat environment. Let's go Kel-Tec, before the gun banners do their thing again!!!"
January 1, 2011 -- Jeff Cooper's Color Code...It has been a long time since I have read anything about the "awareness" color code, invented by the late Col. Jeff Cooper, and we need to be reminded about it often. It has to do with your mental state of alertness, especially if you are carrying a firearm.
A Comment from Bob..."A good refresher article to start the new year off and I've even seen an expanded color code that included black but not by Jeff Cooper. For me personally, however, I've contracted it to just yellow and red taking Thoreau's advice to "Simplify, simplify". Will I be able to rise to the
occasion should the unthinkable happen? I don't really know but in the meantime it is comforting to feel the cold metal in my pocket."