gun control

Gotcha!

Posted on by Caleb

If you take the time to roll around the Brady Campaign’s website, or if you’ve ever had the misfortune to talk to one of their members, I’m sure you’ve heard or read the statement they’re fond of tossing around about how “a majority of Americans” favor “tougher gun laws”.

Unfortunately, like so many of their other statements, it is just not true.

A recent Zogby International poll question conducted for Associated Television News found that 66% of the American voting public in a recent poll of 1,020 Americans from August 8-11, 2007 (margin of error of +/- 3.1%) rejects the notion that new gun control laws are needed.

Shockingly enough for the gun grabbers, most of this sample of Americans actually believe that we have enough gun laws on the books, and we should probably just enforce the existing laws!

Truly shocking.
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Uncategorized

25 ACP Terminal Ballistics

Posted on by Caleb

It’s been too long since I fed the fans that originally came here because of a link from Mouseguns.com (which is still one of my better traffic referrers).

I found a cool link whilst bouncing about the internets for the terminal ballistics of the puny .25 ACP. Some guy shot a bunch of .25 ACP rounds into water jugs and recorded his results, which seem pretty cool. Again, not scientific tests per se, but the data is interesting; and best yet he doesn’t draw any “conclusions” he just puts his data out there for you to read.

It does seem to back up Fits‘ belief in the Speer Gold Dot as a good round out of a .25 ACP. Not only did it expand a little bit, but the penetration wasn’t too shabby. It also just adds more data to my belief that Glasers from a mousegun are a silly-assed idea.
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Uncategorized

.25 ACP vs. .22 LR

Posted on by Caleb

I do believe that this is the “eternal mousegun debate”, that is if you’ve decided to carry a popgun that starts with a “2”, which should you choose, the .22 LR or the .25 ACP? You’ll sometimes here people saying that the .22 LR produces superior ballistics to the .25 ACP, so you should carry that. That statement is only partially true.

The .22 LR does produce superior ballistics to the .25 ACP, when you fire the .22 out of a pistol with a four inch barrel. From a 2-3 inch barrel like you’ll find on most teeny mouseguns, the .22 LR actually produces very similar ballistics to the .25 ACP. If you look at this article on the topic of .22 vs. .25 and compare the ballistics from the Baby Browning to those of the .22 mini revolver, you’ll see that they’re remarkably the same.

This article from the Firearms Tactical Institute tests various .22 LR ammo in ballistics gel for penetration. I’m not asking you to agree with their conclusions, but their data is interesting. The only .22 LR round that “outperforms” the .25 in terms of muzzle velocity is the CCI Stinger, which should be noted still failed to expand at those muzzle velocities. You can decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

The most important factor in a defensive pistol is its ability to go “bang” every time you press the trigger. The reliability factor does create something of a problem for the .22 LR mouseguns; the rimmed cartridge and the occasional lack of attention to detail that is sometimes paid to .22 ammo are big strikes against carrying it in your teeny defensive gun. Additionally, the rimfire ignition system is less reliable than a centerfire ignition system; the .25 ACP is a centerfire cartridge. On the issue of reliability, the .25 ACP wins easily.

Personally, if I were to carry a small semi-automatic pistol for self defense, I would probably go with a .25 ACP. Although (in the past) I’ve carried a Walther P22, a few recent issues with CCI Stingers being poorly loaded or having other ammo related failures have caused me to retire the P22 to “fun gun only”. For the P22 haters, don’t take that to mean that I don’t love my P22 any more, because the issues were strictly ammo related. However, when a “quality” round like a CCI Stinger is having issues, it made me question the logic behind carrying a .22 LR.

When it gets down to it, the debate about which is a better manstopper is no debate at all. They’re about the same, and both calibers are going to make little dinky holes in an assailant. For me, the deciding factor would have to be reliability, and that would make me pick a .25 ACP.
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gun control

A mixture of good and bad

Posted on by Caleb

I have mixed feelings about this case coming out of Wyoming, regarding Wyoming’s process for restoring gun rights to people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.

As my regulars know, people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence are barred at the federal level from owning firearms, however, each state has the right to expunge convictions from a person’s record.

Now, the genesis of my mixed feelings follows thusly: the BATF said to Wyoming “we don’t like your process, you can’t do that”; to which Wyoming said “screw you”. Unfortunately, the initial judge found in the favor of the BATF, which pisses me off to no end.

The following quoted section sums up nicely how I feel about the BATF vs. Wyoming issue:

“The BATF is attempting to administratively undo what Congress has legislatively done,” the AG’s brief states. “The BATF simply does not agree, on a policy basis, with the Wyoming Legislature’s decision and has self-appointed itself the omnipotent role of deciding who should, and should not, possess firearms.”

I agree wholeheartedly with the state of Wyoming in this case, and I believe that they have every right to use their own internal processes which do not violate federal law to restore gun rights to whomever they damn well please. The fact that the BATF is essentially trying to make law by executive fiat really gets me angry. That’s the job of Congress, and holy cow, guess what? They already made a law that covers this issue.

So, on the one hand, I’m not a big fan of the BATF, and the fact that the state of Wyoming is trying to stick it to them makes me very happy. On the other hand, I absolutely despise people who have been convicted of domestic violence. Honestly, to me, people who beat their wives/children are some of the lowest orders of scum that ooze about on this earth.

Wyoming says that they scrutinize every case wherein someone convicted of domestic violence applies to have their firearms rights restored. If they really truly do, then I have no problem with this program. However, it is my hope and fervent prayer that they don’t let some psycho slip through the cracks in the system.

In short; I do hope they win their appeal. It’s my opinion that the individual states have the right to overturn and expunge convictions of whomever they please; and that the BATF has absolutely no business whatsoever telling the states which laws they can and cannot have.
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Update: Uncle talks about it

ammo

More on Glaser Safety Slugs

Posted on by Caleb

In the three part series I wrote on Home Security, I very briefly mentioned Glaser Safety Slugs as a possible option for a round that won’t over penetrate interior walls. In the intervening time, I’ve actually done some research on the Glaser Safety Slug line of products, an interesting product of which was my discovery of this thread on The High Road.

In the thread, the poster fired a round of Glaser through a simulated interior wall and into a block of ballistic gel. What makes the result interesting is that on impact with the wall, the Glaser “closed up” – the jacket folded over the ballistic tip which prevented the explosive fragmentation of the round on impact.

I would be very interested if someone did further testing on this issue. Since one round is not a scientific sample, and actually barely counts as evidence; I’d like to see a much larger sample size, as well as a test of the performance through other types of barriers, such as a 2×4, heavy clothing, etc.

The problem with a test of that kind is that it would be expensive. 6 9mm +p rounds run 12 bucks from Midway USA, .38 Specials are the same price, and a pack of six .357 Magnum rounds runs $12.50. That means if I wanted to load the magazine of my Taurus Pt92 to full capacity (17+1), I’d have to buy $36 worth of ammo. And that’s just one magazine.

Were I to be fully honest, I would confess a certain fascination with Glasers. Some people absolutely swear by them, and others think they’re just another crappy novelty round. I think I will buy a six-pack or two, shoot them at some stuff, and we’ll see. If they’re accurate and controllable in rapid fire, I could see myself carrying them.
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gun control

In the wake of brutal triple homicide

Posted on by Caleb

New Jersey Gov. Corzine has proposed a bunch of measures that probably won’t do anything to stop crime. The measures proposed by the City of Newark include:

_ a city ordinance requiring the registration of all firearms in Newark and penalize gun owners who don’t report when their guns are lost or stolen

_ a separate ordinance regulating gun retailers by controlling where they are located and working with them to help identify illegal purchasers, known as straw buyers.

_ a law requiring anyone convicted of a crime involving a gun to register with the city.

_ the formation of a special court in Newark to expedite cases involving gun violence

The only one of those that I think could actually be effective in reducing gun crime would be the last one, the formation of a special court. Of course, that would mean actually punishing people who commit crimes with firearms, instead of letting them out of prison after 2 years.

While I was reading, another part of the story caught my eye, and that’s actually what I’d like to focus on. Regarding the murderous scumbag that perpetrated this crime:

28-year-old illegal immigrant Jose Carranza. (emphasis mine – ed.)

This guy has been in the hands of law enforcement twice earlier this year. Neither of those run-ins with law enforcement resulted in his summary deportation. This is the kind of stuff that makes me angry. When mayors and governors are talking about “cracking down” and “getting tough” on crime – and they’re not even bothering to enforce the laws we already have on the books.

Gov. Corzine, Mayor Booker; if you really wanted to prevent crime like this from occurring, you would enact measures to enforce your existing laws. When you arrest scumbags like Carranza, you don’t let them “slip through the cracks” of the system. Instead of writing a bunch of laws that will just make life more annoying for your law-abiding citizens, why don’t you open your eyes to the fact that the it was already illegal for Carranza to have a gun, and that didn’t stop him.

The paragraph above is largely rhetorical. I know that they wouldn’t actually want to enforce their laws – so instead they’re just going to have some more gun control, because gosh-darn-it, we have got to stop those law-abiding citizens from having guns.
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self defense/shooting

Mousegun vs. Magnum

Posted on by Caleb

Winner: Mousegun.

Mr. Wetzel reached under his counter, pulled out a Kel-Tec semiautomatic and fired two shots into Mr. Crawford’s (Mr. Crawford being the deceased badguy – ed.) chest at point-blank range.

Now, in all actuality this isn’t so much a win for mouseguns as it is a win for initiative. When the clerk plugged the badguy, he was able to retrieve his firearm and open fire because the crook wasn’t really paying attention. Despite the fact (or perhaps because of) that the crook had the drop on Mr. Wetzel, the badguy made the choice to allow the clerk to get his hands under the counter, ostensibly to “get more cigarettes”.

Mr. Wetzel used a mousegun exactly as it was intended: point blank into your assailant’s breadbasket.

From a tactical standpoint, there is one kernel of wisdom I want to focus on. From the clerk’s point of view: If presented with the opportunity, seize the initiative. When the badguy allowed Mr. Wetzel’s hands out of his sight, he lost control of the situation, and in so doing lost the initiative.

Action is faster than reaction – when you have the initiative you force an assailant to react to you, instead of the other way around. The clerk in this case was able to effectively take the initiative away from his attacker, and solve the situation in a timely manner.
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humor

I’ll interrupt your OODA loop, baby.

Posted on by Caleb

The other day, instead of saying “oh-oh-dee-ay loop”; someone I was talking to actually said “ooo-dah loop”.

While I think that the OODA loop has a valuable place in combat tactics, actually pronouncing it “ooo-dah” really makes it difficult for me to take the speaker seriously.

Say it. Say “ooo-dah” and try to not laugh.
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Uncategorized

EPIRBs save lives

Posted on by Caleb

At least they would if there was an actual emergency.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t an actual emergency,” Gigliette said. “It’s very good to know these EPIRBs work and the importance of registering it in your vessel’s name.”

During my summer TAD on USCGC Diligence when I was a much younger warthog, I remember one of the Chief Petty Officers on Dilly saying the line “EPIRBs save lives” to a tour group that was onboard the cutter at the time.

In case you’re wondering, EPIRB stands for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. It’s most common use with which I am familiar is an emergency signaling device in a maritime emergency. As you can see from the article, the Coast Guard is quite diligent in tracking EPIRBs when they receive a signal.

I have no sarcasm for this post, but if you own a boat that you take out on either of the oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Great Lakes, invest in an EPIRB. “Better to have it and not need it…”
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ammo/shooting

Ammo stockpile

Posted on by Caleb

Due (in part) to the rising costs of ammo, I have heard a lot of people talking about stockpiling, or how much ammo they keep on hand, etc. I usually keep around 1600 rounds in the house – I have a system set up that determines how much ammo I keep, based on what firearms I own and how often I shoot them.

Right now, based on the system I’ve set up, I should have a minimum of 1,670 rounds of ammo, if all the different calibers are at their appropriate levels. Now, for the non-gun people, I’m aware that 1600 rounds seems like a lot, but it’s really not. Especially when compared to some people.

The criteria I use for determining how much ammo of a specific caliber I keep is as follows.

For firearms chambered for .22 Long Rifle, I keep 200 rounds per gun on hand. Since I have 4 guns that shoot .22 LR, that equals 800 rounds.

Firearms chambered in .22 Magnum have 150 rounds per gun on hand, so that equals 300 rounds, as I have 2 .22 Magnums.

I have some guns chambered for calibers that I don’t shoot very often, usually these are my C&R guns, or guns that chamber rounds that are relatively expensive. In this category you’ll find my .32 ACP, my .45 ACP, and my .45 Colt. For those guns, I keep 50, 50, and 20, respectively, per gun in my inventory. Since I only have one gun chambered for each of those calibers, the sum total of my “low volume” calibers is 120 rounds.

Finally, I have my high volume calibers, which are 9mm and .38/.357. I shoot these more than other calibers, I keep 150 rounds per gun on hand for those.

As you can see, my “stockpile” is heavily slanted towards rimfire ammo. I tend to shoot rimfires more than anything, because they’re a lot of fun, and not expensive to shoot. To some people, 1600 may seem like an obscene amount of ammunition – to other people it probably doesn’t seem like nearly enough. Your mileage may vary, of course.
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