5 Gun Nuts New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time of the year! Where people make resolutions that they’ll fail to keep after about three weeks of the new year, but hey it’s worth it as a thought exercise, right? So here are 5 resolutions specifically for gun nuts to take into 2016 that will improve your life as a shooter, a person, and your chances to survive in a critical incident that is also dynamic.

gunsite four rules

1. Take at least one class from a reputable instructor
Even if you’re already good at shooting (you’re not) we can all stand to take some classes from quality instructors. I’ve used classes to tune up for the season, to learn new skills, and generally just improve myself as a shooter. So for 2016, I personally plan on taking at least one class, hopefully more than that time and resources allowing. Just remember: vet your instructor first! You don’t want to end up in a class where some fool with an AK shoots the dirt in front of your face.

2. Practice at least once a week
I know my serious USPSA guys will read “once a week” and laugh, because that’s hardly any practice time. But most people aren’t serious USPSA shooters, and spending 20-60 minutes a week working on skills like draws, reloads, and actual shooting is going to make a huge difference to a lot of people. Huge. So once you take that class and your mind is full of sweet, sticky information, put it to use and actual train on it. Dry fire. Hit the range and work on timed fundamentals. Get faster.

3. Be less fat
Awwww yiss you know this was coming. It wouldn’t be a Caleb Giddings post if I didn’t poke at that one special group we have among our number. You know who they are: the guy who’s “prepared” for a self-defense encounter but can’t run a block because he’s morbidly obese.

fatguy m14

Sorry bigun, but you’re way more likely to die from a heart attack than you are a gunfight. I’m not saying you have to do what I did over 2015 and lose 40 pounds and get under 12% bodyfat (humblebrag), but maybe do like…a pushup? Walk a mile? All I know is that fit people are harder to kill, and since our goal as self-defense minded people is to be harder to kill, well it seems like a good idea.

4. Say no to derp
Hey, you’ve got that one friend right? He doesn’t know anything about guns, but he’s decided he wants to buy one. Don’t let him go buy some 3rd world POS pistol when the Glock 19 and Smith & Wesson M&P exist. Say no to product derp, buy good guns. Quality products from reputable manufacturers are the way to go.

On the same note, say no to derp in all aspects of your shooting life. Don’t take derpy classes from derpy people, don’t buy silly holsters that do nothing for you, and stop buying gimmicky ammo. It’s not 1988 any more, Glaser Safety Slugs aren’t cool (unless you’re blowing up watermelons, then they’re totally awesome).

Lastly, I’d like to end on a positive note, so here’s number 5
5. Promote excellence in the community
This is actually really important to me, because it’s an area I could really stand to work on as well. We spend a lot of time calling out derp for what it is, and that’s fine. We do it because 1) it’s important to police ourselves, and 2) it makes dem pageviews roll. However, I think it’s even more valuable for us to promote excellence in our community. Do you see someone doing a good job of getting women into the shooting sports without pandering? Let people know about that guy! New training shop open up that offers sensible curriculum within their lane? Yes! A major brand launches a new product with accessories immediately available? Awesome.

In summary, let’s make 2016 an all-around more excellent year for the shooting community. Let’s shoot more, train better, get harder, police the fools, and be excellent to one another.

Also, I’m going to keep shooting budget 1911s this year because you people seem to love that.

16 Comments

  1. HELL YEAH we love budget 1911s! Why? because 1) We love 1911s. and 2) most of us can’t afford a Wilson Combat or similar quality 1911. Much like Mulder, we want to believe we can get a good one for under a grand.

    1. If you can’t afford a Ruger SR1911, you can’t afford a 1911.

      And when you can get a real Colt 1911 for about a grand, why bother with the junk?

      1. I got my Colt Combat commander for $600. you can find Colts for under $1000 if you don’t mind some scratches.

  2. Do you consider the CIA Canik TP9SA or TP9V2 a 3rd world POS? I dont, I’ve put a lot of wolf and tula ammo through my TP9SA without a hiccup. The gun has crap sights and shoots 3-5 inches high at 25 yards, but its great for high volume range work and it has a really good trigger for a $350 outbthe door price tag. What do you think?

    1. Amen to that, I have a Canik TP9v2 and it’s every bit as good as the Walther P99 which it’s a copy of. The mirror polish alone on the feed ramp speaks to it’s ISO 9000 rated quality. I’ve owned Llama’s, Astra’s and Rossi’s and all have proven to be reliable, durable and affordable firearms. Gun snobs are just showing off their ignorance IMHO.

  3. 3. Be less fat

    Start by discarding the official government advice on what to eat. The USDA MyPlateOfMetabolicSyndrome diet is directly responsible for the horrific trends in obesity, T2D (and probably T1D), heart disease, and probably 80% of non-infectious ailments. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been a disaster ever since McGovern’s committee spawned them, and no one, other than a handful of dissident doctors and bloggers, has been connecting the dots since.

    You don’t take government advice on firearms. Its advice on food is far less credible; upside down, really.

    You can lose weight fast, gain excellent health, and not be hungry, on a sane diet that is closer to ancestral. What does that look like? Broadly:
    • grain-free (especially wheat)
    • very low net carb (typically not full keto)
    • high specific fats
    • low inflammatory fats (the grain and seed oils)
    • remediate your microbiome
    • attend to common key micronutrient deficiencies
    • moderate protein (usually no change for most people)

    Any number of named and unnamed ancestral type diets can work wonders. I favor one, but because I now work for its blog, I’ll skip naming it or linking to it. Get seriously skeptical. Start looking around.

    Exercise is great, by the way, but is an exhausting and spectacularly inefficient way to lose weight per se.

    The only way to survive Obamacare is to not need it.

  4. It’s that time of the year! Where people make resolutions that they’ll fail to keep after about three weeks of the new year, but hey it’s worth it as a thought exercise, right?
    >

    4. Say no to derp
    Hey, you’ve got that one friend right? He doesn’t know anything about guns, but he’s decided he wants to buy one. Don’t let him go buy some 3rd world POS pistol when the Glock 19 and Smith & Wesson M&P exist. Say no to product derp, buy good guns. Quality products from reputable manufacturers are the way to go.
    >

    Also, I’m going to keep shooting budget 1911s this year because you people seem to love that.
    ………………………………….

    Well that was fast! Actually, I think it’s a new record. 🙂

  5. Nice resolutions.
    I would add one thing about practice. It’s difficult for many and impossible for some to critique themselves–to find issues that they may be ingraining and may be holding them back. If you’re capable of this activity, then recording practice (or matches) can be a good way to improve. If you don’t yet have this skill, then you’ll need some help.

  6. I am about tired of all the “get fit or you don’t deserve to defend yourself” tripe. Yep, I’m overweight. I also have a blown out shoulder, a spinal condition, arthritis and I’m old to boot. Nope, I can’t run a mile and around the block might be a challenge as well depending on how bad my asthma is that day.

    I haven’t been able to go “hand to hand” with an attacker since you were busy watching Barney or Sesame Street. That’s why I train with and carry a firearm. With a firearm I have a chance against an attacker who is probably 1/3rd my age and in better shape than I have ever been in. Someone who doesn’t spend 10+ hours a day making a living sitting behind s desk.

    Fat, old, out of shape or physically challenged (crippled would be the non-PC term) folk have just as much right to defend ourselves as anyone else. Yep, we are easier to kill. All the more reason for a tool that will help equalize the disparity of force that exists between us and would be attackers. All the more reason to spend time in sites like this to learn more.

    I am glad you lost a ton of weight and got in shape. I’m glad you are harder to kill than I am as a result. I pat you in the back for it. Now get over it and stop making fun of people who can’t, won’t, or don’t want to do the same.

    Thanks, and if you could get started on those TOS reports that’d be great.

    1. Shannon,

      Nowhere did I say that fat people don’t have a right to defend themselves. But thanks for getting asshurt about something I didn’t write because you’re sensitive.

      1. My apologies for putting words in your mouth (hopefully, they don’t cause you to gain weight and go over 12% body fat).

        Whether intentional or not there was a definite level of derision that was not appreciated.

        I enjoy the blog and the information provided and hope to continue to do so.

    2. re: I am about tired of all the “get fit or you don’t deserve to defend yourself” tripe.

      That wasn’t said here, but it is common from people who have fallen for the “eat less, move more” fraud.

      It’s about chemistry, and not character:
      http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2014/01/06/character-vs-chemistry/
      Part 1 of 6, but don’t fret, the man is a professional humorist.
      The subject is needlessly tragic, though, thanks to official policy.

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