Tragically, a 2 year old girl was shot by her 5 year old brother recently. The child was apparently "playing" with the firearm, and the mother allegedly knew it was being "played" with but did not think it was loaded.
Unfortunately, many people feel that the company that produces the rifle, and markets them to parents who want to introduce their child to shooting, is being viciously attacked and as a result has apparently pulled it's website.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/company-selling-my-first-rifle-deletes-website-after-5-year
I do not feel the company or it's marketing strategy is at fault here. The blame falls directly on the parent's.
1) the rifle should have been locked up when not being used
2) the child and the parents should have bee firmly grounded in gun safety; specifically the three NRA rules.
3) ammo should not have been present or available to the child.
These firearms are not "made" for a child, in the sense that a toy is made for children, and no child can purchase these rifles.
The Crickett and others like it are built so that parents can introduce shooting and responsible gun handling to younger children who could not SAFELY handle an adult sized firearm.
Unfortunately, no one seems to have taught the parents how to safely and responsibly handle firearms. Their negligence, ignorance, and stupidity killed this girl, not the company that produces the gun. 1000's of children shoot these firearms every year, and enjoy the skills they develop in doing so.
I sell the following, the Crickett, The TC hotshot, and the Mossberg bantam .410 shotgun and will continue to do so. If your kid is not ready for a gun, don't buy one. If you are not prepared to safely instruct them in the use of firearms, I teach a firearms home safety course here.
Bottom line MANY parents know squat about safe gun handling. Get training. Be safe. The gun in the hands of your child is YOUR responsibility.
If your kid is a raging sugar-driven demon and uncontrollable, recognize that he/she is not ready. I will not sell you the gun if I see that your kid is out of control.
Always supervise your kids and only handle firearms when you are ready to use them.
Remember the rules:
ALWAYS point the gun in a safe direction.
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
never point it at anything you do not wish to destroy
every gun is loaded
always be sure of your target and what is beyond
Keep firearms and ammunition out of the hands of unauthorized persons. (unsupervised KIDS)
Keep your guns locked up if you have kids. Keep the ammo stored in a separate location, locked up.
BE BLOODY WELL RESPONSIBLE, PEOPLE!
NEW DURACOAT two Winchesters and a Remington
I just finished the last gun tonight. I have had this firearm for 25 years; it is an old Wingmaster and has been my deer gun in the past.
Scope is a Nikon (true) 1x
The Winchesters are project guns. I was trying to break away from the common all black, parkerized look and do something different.
All are 12 Gauge.
The Winchesters have lengthened forcing cones and Vang Comp front sights, with Mesa rails, and XO Rear sights.
Scope is a Nikon (true) 1x
The Winchesters are project guns. I was trying to break away from the common all black, parkerized look and do something different.
All are 12 Gauge.
The Winchesters have lengthened forcing cones and Vang Comp front sights, with Mesa rails, and XO Rear sights.
WHY ????
Here is a link to a news story:
Father shoots son in PA.
Why? How did it happen?
Seems the man took two guns into a gun store to sell them. When he came out to his truck, he put one in the back and began to enter the truck while holding the other gun. He was going to put the gun in the console. In the process he shoots his 7 year old son dead.
He was holding the gun as he entered the truck. HOLDING THE GUN.
I will BET that the dumb-ass had his finger on the trigger. Most of the people who come into my shop who examine guns have their fingers on the trigger.
Apparently he took the magazine out of the gun but failed to check the chamber.
Details are sketchy but......
IF the gun was shown to the clerk at the gun store, why wasn't it checked by the clerk to see if it was loaded before it was examined? Why wasn't it double checked by the owner after he took the gun. Why was a loaded gun pointed directly at the chest of a 7 year old boy? How was the firing mechanism of the gun activated?
Why did that kid have to die?
ALWAYS point the gun in a safe direction
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
ALWAYS keep the gun un-loaded until ready to use
Father shoots son in PA.
Why? How did it happen?
Seems the man took two guns into a gun store to sell them. When he came out to his truck, he put one in the back and began to enter the truck while holding the other gun. He was going to put the gun in the console. In the process he shoots his 7 year old son dead.
He was holding the gun as he entered the truck. HOLDING THE GUN.
I will BET that the dumb-ass had his finger on the trigger. Most of the people who come into my shop who examine guns have their fingers on the trigger.
Apparently he took the magazine out of the gun but failed to check the chamber.
Details are sketchy but......
IF the gun was shown to the clerk at the gun store, why wasn't it checked by the clerk to see if it was loaded before it was examined? Why wasn't it double checked by the owner after he took the gun. Why was a loaded gun pointed directly at the chest of a 7 year old boy? How was the firing mechanism of the gun activated?
Why did that kid have to die?
ALWAYS point the gun in a safe direction
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
ALWAYS keep the gun un-loaded until ready to use
FARADAY CAGES and EMP Solar Flares etc.
If you are even marginally involved in prepping, you are going to run into the letters EMP sooner or later. What is an EMP? The letters stand for electro magnetic pulse. EMP's can destroy power grids, micro-electronics, batteries, car computers, power transformers, and more. An EMP can be generated in three ways:
A) High Altitude nuclear explosions
B) explosively pumped flux compression generator (EPFCG)
C) Solar flares
To evaluate the dangers inherent in each method I'll break them down into:
1) Can it happen?
2) Has it happened?
3) Is it likely to happen?
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects?
5) Will the effect be localized or global?
A) high altitude nuclear explosions
B) explosively pumped flux compression generator (EPFCG)
1) Can it happen? Yes, they exist. Even outside of movies!
2) Has it happened? Yes. The Soviets developed them in the 50's for test purposes. The USA has used them.
3) Is it likely to happen? Doubtful. They are laboratory apparatus, are pumped by conventional explosives, and from what I am reading, seem to be powerful but limited in application.
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects? Short. Laboratory use.
5) Will the effect be localized or global? Localized. Large areas not affected.
Note: there are do-it-yourself pulse generators advertised on the web. IF they work, you could conceivably destroy an enemy's cell phone, car or computer.
C) solar flares
1) Can it happen? Yes
2) Has it happened? Yes
3) Is it likely to happen? Flares large enough to cause disasters are few and far between. Solar flares follow an 11 year cycle with the maximum activity of the last cycle occurring one year ago. So far the largest flare was also the first to be observed. See the 1859 flare.
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects? It depends on the strength of the pulse, geological factors, and the amount of infrastructure involved.
5) Will the effect be localized or global? Once again it depends on the strength of the flare. The 1859 flare had global effects. Most of those that have occurred since had localized effects. The geomagnetic storm in 1989 affected several satellites for a few hours, knocked out the quebec power grid for around 9 hours. It must be noted that part of the reason the grid went down was because of the geologic structures under the province of Quebec.
The effects of solar flares do not manifest instantaneously. The energies from most solar discharges take 2-3 days to reach earth.
Since 1995 all solar storms are monitored. There are no surprises. A flare large enough to be harmful, would be detected and warnings could be issued. It is unlikely that we would be caught by surprise.
There are three separate pulses in an EMP. Assuming a pulse or flare were of sufficient power to cause damage the three phases are:
E1 - Very Fast electromagnetic field.
E2 - Slower, up to 1 second duration, of gamma rays, and neutrons.
E3 - Very slow. An effect where the Earth's magnetic field is moved aside by the pulse.
Note: all three effects are manifested in solar flares and nuclear devices.
The bottom line. it is unlikely that a solar flare will do enough damage to warrant extreme preparations.
Let's assume that we need to protect ourselves from an EMP? What measures do we need to take.
You have to put sensitive materials in a Faraday Cage
A Faraday cage is a sealed metal box which is lined with sealed insulation. The outside of the box has to be grounded, and you would put sensitive electronic devices inside.
You don't have to buy them, you can make your own. Some info on homemade FC's are here.
A) High Altitude nuclear explosions
B) explosively pumped flux compression generator (EPFCG)
C) Solar flares
To evaluate the dangers inherent in each method I'll break them down into:
1) Can it happen?
2) Has it happened?
3) Is it likely to happen?
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects?
5) Will the effect be localized or global?
A) high altitude nuclear explosions
1) Can it happen? Yes, in the event of a nuclear detonation, the component pulses of an EMP can be generated.
2) Has it happened? Yes, the United States and Soviet Union both tested high altitude nuclear devices specifically to determine the effects of the EMP. This testing was done long before the profusion of micro-electronic devices that are everywhere in our world today. The yields of the devices ranged from several hundred Kilotons to 1.4 Megatons.
3) Is it likely to happen? While it is possible an atmospheric nuclear detonation is much less probable than it was 50 years ago. My personal thought is that, if, another nation attacks us with an EMP, we will be at war, and will have many other concerns besides insulating our cell phones. It could happen but is not likely, and is certainly not currently an option for 3rd world terrorists.
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects? Yes. The effects would be especially severe if several devices were detonated simultaneously. However I would stress again that an EMP from a nuclear device will probably not happen.
5) Will the effect be localized or global? Most likely localized. It would take dozens of high altitude detonations to have a global effect.
B) explosively pumped flux compression generator (EPFCG)
1) Can it happen? Yes, they exist. Even outside of movies!
2) Has it happened? Yes. The Soviets developed them in the 50's for test purposes. The USA has used them.
3) Is it likely to happen? Doubtful. They are laboratory apparatus, are pumped by conventional explosives, and from what I am reading, seem to be powerful but limited in application.
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects? Short. Laboratory use.
5) Will the effect be localized or global? Localized. Large areas not affected.
Note: there are do-it-yourself pulse generators advertised on the web. IF they work, you could conceivably destroy an enemy's cell phone, car or computer.
C) solar flares
2) Has it happened? Yes
3) Is it likely to happen? Flares large enough to cause disasters are few and far between. Solar flares follow an 11 year cycle with the maximum activity of the last cycle occurring one year ago. So far the largest flare was also the first to be observed. See the 1859 flare.
4) Will such a pulse have short or long-term effects? It depends on the strength of the pulse, geological factors, and the amount of infrastructure involved.
5) Will the effect be localized or global? Once again it depends on the strength of the flare. The 1859 flare had global effects. Most of those that have occurred since had localized effects. The geomagnetic storm in 1989 affected several satellites for a few hours, knocked out the quebec power grid for around 9 hours. It must be noted that part of the reason the grid went down was because of the geologic structures under the province of Quebec.
The effects of solar flares do not manifest instantaneously. The energies from most solar discharges take 2-3 days to reach earth.
Since 1995 all solar storms are monitored. There are no surprises. A flare large enough to be harmful, would be detected and warnings could be issued. It is unlikely that we would be caught by surprise.
There are three separate pulses in an EMP. Assuming a pulse or flare were of sufficient power to cause damage the three phases are:
E1 - Very Fast electromagnetic field.
E2 - Slower, up to 1 second duration, of gamma rays, and neutrons.
E3 - Very slow. An effect where the Earth's magnetic field is moved aside by the pulse.
Note: all three effects are manifested in solar flares and nuclear devices.
The bottom line. it is unlikely that a solar flare will do enough damage to warrant extreme preparations.
Let's assume that we need to protect ourselves from an EMP? What measures do we need to take.
You have to put sensitive materials in a Faraday Cage
A Faraday cage is a sealed metal box which is lined with sealed insulation. The outside of the box has to be grounded, and you would put sensitive electronic devices inside.
You don't have to buy them, you can make your own. Some info on homemade FC's are here.
DEFENSIVE PISTOL TRAINING and SHOOTING
I made a suggestion to a FaceBook friend the other day about getting training in defensive shooting. The response was that she had "shot enough guns" as a kid to be able to hit a target.
In my classes I often have students who claim to be shooters who get tired before they have fired all of their 125 rounds of qualifying ammo. Many recreational, weekend shooters don't shoot this much at one time.
One guy came into my shop and confidently informed me that he was a "shooter" and had no bad habits. He had two.
What is the problem here? Is there even a problem?
Here is the thing. Training for an activity, whether in a classroom or on your own, is usually quite different from dabbling in the activity for partial self-gratification. Which you choose could depend on your own desire to improve your personal best, to compete with other people, and your own self-discipline.
Neither (training or dabbling) is subjectively better than either. It all depends on what you want. However, don't make the mistake of confusing the two.
One version of the typical weekend shooter takes a couple of guns out to whatever range they use, puts up some targets and fires maybe 20-50 rounds through each. How many rounds often depends on the cost of the ammo. Ammo can be expensive so shooters limit what they buy and limit the number of rounds they shoot.
Another weekend shooter buys as much of the cheapest ammunition they can buy, takes it out and fires it off with no thought to skill set, or improvement. They just go out to blow off as much ammo as possible. Nothing wrong with this but it is not training.
So what IS training? Training is a repetitive physical and mental exercise that is followed on a regular basis. You can do this on your own or in a classroom.
The following is an example of self-training.
My fellow blogger MetalXWorksDivas, started shooting a year or so ago. She took my CCW class to get a basic idea of what was involved. She is a natural shooter. Excellent accuracy right from the beginning. Accuracy however, wasn't enough. There is more to shooting than just being able to take deliberate aim and hit a target, just as there is more to swimming than just a dog-paddle.
What was next for her was to take two more classes. Another state's CCW, and a gun safety class for women i.e. MORE training.
Then she found a local indoor range, bought a year's membership, and started shooting every week. Around 100 rounds of 9mm per session. This range features an IDPA match every Thursday and she signed up. Now she is regularly firing around 200 rounds a week. I built her a shotgun, set up an AK-47 for her, now she is shooting in carbine and shotgun matches. She isn't in the classroom, but because these matches are repetitive and force a person to keep shooting and analyze their mistakes, I would never argue that this wasn't training. She has fun, she learns from this, and she improves her skills all the time.
What stops the average weekend shooter from training? Cost is an issue, but it is also mind set; what the shooter thinks they should be accomplishing. Most American shooters are obsessed with the long range shot as being the one that demonstrates their skills. Many shooters see this as being the only way to demonstrate their skills. With a handgun, deliberate shots at 25 yards that hit a bullseye or a pop can is considered Good Shooting. I won't argue this, but this this teaches you nothing about defensive shooting, and unless you are competing in 25 yard matches nothing about target shooting. It only demonstrates that you can hit a target.
One of the wonderful things about the shooting sports is the instant feedback one gets from their activity. Most weekend shooters set an immediate goal of as-many-rounds-as-it-takes-to-hit-the-target. Once this goal is reached, the sights are adjusted, the box of ammo is empty, they are done. They feel accomplished, walk away. Nothing wrong with this, all shooters do these things, but it isn't training. It is self-gratification.
If you are going to learn to shoot defensively you need to go beyond most CCW classes. Set up a training program for yourself like the Diva did, or enroll in a shooting class. There are lots of them out there for whatever type of shooting you may wish to do. Defensive pistol, Sniper, Long-range rifle, Tactical Rifle, Shotgun. There are plenty of classes out there which allow you to improve your skills.
In my classes I often have students who claim to be shooters who get tired before they have fired all of their 125 rounds of qualifying ammo. Many recreational, weekend shooters don't shoot this much at one time.
One guy came into my shop and confidently informed me that he was a "shooter" and had no bad habits. He had two.
What is the problem here? Is there even a problem?
Here is the thing. Training for an activity, whether in a classroom or on your own, is usually quite different from dabbling in the activity for partial self-gratification. Which you choose could depend on your own desire to improve your personal best, to compete with other people, and your own self-discipline.Neither (training or dabbling) is subjectively better than either. It all depends on what you want. However, don't make the mistake of confusing the two.
One version of the typical weekend shooter takes a couple of guns out to whatever range they use, puts up some targets and fires maybe 20-50 rounds through each. How many rounds often depends on the cost of the ammo. Ammo can be expensive so shooters limit what they buy and limit the number of rounds they shoot.
Another weekend shooter buys as much of the cheapest ammunition they can buy, takes it out and fires it off with no thought to skill set, or improvement. They just go out to blow off as much ammo as possible. Nothing wrong with this but it is not training.
So what IS training? Training is a repetitive physical and mental exercise that is followed on a regular basis. You can do this on your own or in a classroom.
The following is an example of self-training.
My fellow blogger MetalXWorksDivas, started shooting a year or so ago. She took my CCW class to get a basic idea of what was involved. She is a natural shooter. Excellent accuracy right from the beginning. Accuracy however, wasn't enough. There is more to shooting than just being able to take deliberate aim and hit a target, just as there is more to swimming than just a dog-paddle.
What was next for her was to take two more classes. Another state's CCW, and a gun safety class for women i.e. MORE training.
Then she found a local indoor range, bought a year's membership, and started shooting every week. Around 100 rounds of 9mm per session. This range features an IDPA match every Thursday and she signed up. Now she is regularly firing around 200 rounds a week. I built her a shotgun, set up an AK-47 for her, now she is shooting in carbine and shotgun matches. She isn't in the classroom, but because these matches are repetitive and force a person to keep shooting and analyze their mistakes, I would never argue that this wasn't training. She has fun, she learns from this, and she improves her skills all the time.
What stops the average weekend shooter from training? Cost is an issue, but it is also mind set; what the shooter thinks they should be accomplishing. Most American shooters are obsessed with the long range shot as being the one that demonstrates their skills. Many shooters see this as being the only way to demonstrate their skills. With a handgun, deliberate shots at 25 yards that hit a bullseye or a pop can is considered Good Shooting. I won't argue this, but this this teaches you nothing about defensive shooting, and unless you are competing in 25 yard matches nothing about target shooting. It only demonstrates that you can hit a target.
One of the wonderful things about the shooting sports is the instant feedback one gets from their activity. Most weekend shooters set an immediate goal of as-many-rounds-as-it-takes-to-hit-the-target. Once this goal is reached, the sights are adjusted, the box of ammo is empty, they are done. They feel accomplished, walk away. Nothing wrong with this, all shooters do these things, but it isn't training. It is self-gratification.
If you are going to learn to shoot defensively you need to go beyond most CCW classes. Set up a training program for yourself like the Diva did, or enroll in a shooting class. There are lots of them out there for whatever type of shooting you may wish to do. Defensive pistol, Sniper, Long-range rifle, Tactical Rifle, Shotgun. There are plenty of classes out there which allow you to improve your skills. COMMENTS NOW ON!!!
Well, I goofed. I did not have comments turned on!
They now are.
Sorry sorry sorry.
THX, THE MGT
They now are.
Sorry sorry sorry.
THX, THE MGT
Guns For the Zombie Apocalypse and Preppers
There are a number of debates about zombie guns. There are several FaceBook and other forums devoted to these selections. Many of the participants in these have many opinions. Unfortunately, most of the guns they would select would be wrong for the task. Some of the firearms I have seen selected are the following:
1) Machine guns (any caliber)
2) Flame throwers
3) Grenades
4) Shotguns
5) Desert Eagle - .50 action express
6) High powered rifles (.223/5.56 - .308 and up)
These selections would be inappropriate for the following reasons:
1) Zombies do not "wound" and do not stop in the same way human combatants do. Humans have a psychological pre-disposition to stop fighting when they know they are wounded, and when they feel pain. Zombies are mindless creatures who have no psychology, and who can only be stopped by a shot to the head or brainstem. Forget anything you ever heard or think you know about "stopping power".
2) Zombies (fast movers or walkers) are attracted to loud sounds. Any loud report or multiple reports from a high caliber rifle, machine gun, handgun, or a shotgun will bring the hordes down on you.
3) Most people will not survive a siege, in a fixed location. Sound may not be a problem, but food will. Once they find you, they will not stop until they are all eliminated. More will show up and you will be surrounded. Most people will starve to death if they are hemmed in.
4) Machine guns, shotguns, big handguns make lots of noise and the psychological factor of having one will not matter. Body shots that would stop a human attacker, will not work with a shotgun, the hail of bullets that mowed down troops in WW1 will not stop zombies. If they are head shots, these firearms will work (remember they are LOUD) but most humans will fail to use them that way. Humans wielding shotguns for defense are predisposed to use body shots. I m,san it works in the movies, right?
5) Grenades and flame throwers will not stop a zombie. Period. All of the reasons listed above apply.
Forget the "Last Person in The World" (LPITW) scenario. That attitude will cripple you mentally and get you eaten. This is an attitude fostered by the movies, and adopted by many preppers.
The "bug-in" scenario (siege mentality) will eventually have to give way to a bug-out once the food is gone. When you bug-out, what gun will you take? A couple of factors influence my decision.
1) Ammo carrying capacity. Shotgun ammo is heavy, bulky and you can't carry much of it. Large caliber rifles are heavy, and the ammo takes up lots of room. There is no way you could carry 1000 rounds of ammo, supplies, and a firearm. Oh and, both are NOISY.
Armalite upper, POF lower SBR with GemTech Quick-detach suppressor. Scope is Nikon 2-8x AR223
Close quarters sight is Leupold Delta Point
2) .223/5.56 NATO firearms and ammo. The guns are usually light and you can carry several hundred rounds in magazines. In a siege these would probably work, but on foot, in a survival bug-out, still too heavy and noisy. AR-15's are difficult to suppress, and 200 rounds is just not enough. You need to be able to carry 500-1000 rounds on your back. The caveat here is that 5.56 will be easy to come by. It is everywhere.
3) A suppressed .22LR using subsonic ammo is probably one of the better choices. No noise. 1000 rounds would be easy to carry. Ammo of any kind would be easy to get. (note: subsonic applies to any bullet that leaves the muzzle of a firearm at under 1080 feet per second)
$) 5.7x28 FN. More powerful that a .22, more deterrent against human predators, ammo is light. I could easily carry 500 rounds in a backpack. The draw back here is that ammo is not common and sometimes is hard-to-get, even now. Guns are light and can be compact. A suppressed 5.7 is about as loud as an unsurpassed .22LR.
Two 5.7's, One 12 inch SBR with GemTech suppressor
A 6 inch SBR with a Bowers Suppressor, close up shows Leupold Tactical Prismatic sight
6) Heavy sniper rifles are impractical on a long term bug-out. There are no key personnel to be taken out at long ranges here. Guns are heavy, ammo is heavy.
I was watching an episode of "The Walking Dead" season two where the protagonist is trapped in a high school gym, on top of the bleachers, with a shotgun. He had about 50 zombies trying to get him and a buddy. IF these macho fools had had a .22 rifle, they could have dropped every zombie, very calmly and efficiently and never would they have attracted more attention, and had ammo to spare! 12 gauge shotguns make for better television though.
What does any of this have to do with real life prepping?
The Center for Disease Control recommends that we all prep for the zombie apocalypse. Simply because it is a humorous way to get people to actually prepare.
All preppers seem to be firearms and self defense aware. However most of the same principles above, apply to real life prepping.
Forget trying to be the LPITW. You won't be. There will be other people trying to survive. There may even be hordes. If you have to bug-out, you don't want to attract attention. You are not the military and are not trying to engage other LPITW's.
1) Machine guns (any caliber)
2) Flame throwers
3) Grenades
4) Shotguns
5) Desert Eagle - .50 action express
6) High powered rifles (.223/5.56 - .308 and up)
These selections would be inappropriate for the following reasons:
1) Zombies do not "wound" and do not stop in the same way human combatants do. Humans have a psychological pre-disposition to stop fighting when they know they are wounded, and when they feel pain. Zombies are mindless creatures who have no psychology, and who can only be stopped by a shot to the head or brainstem. Forget anything you ever heard or think you know about "stopping power".
2) Zombies (fast movers or walkers) are attracted to loud sounds. Any loud report or multiple reports from a high caliber rifle, machine gun, handgun, or a shotgun will bring the hordes down on you.
3) Most people will not survive a siege, in a fixed location. Sound may not be a problem, but food will. Once they find you, they will not stop until they are all eliminated. More will show up and you will be surrounded. Most people will starve to death if they are hemmed in.
4) Machine guns, shotguns, big handguns make lots of noise and the psychological factor of having one will not matter. Body shots that would stop a human attacker, will not work with a shotgun, the hail of bullets that mowed down troops in WW1 will not stop zombies. If they are head shots, these firearms will work (remember they are LOUD) but most humans will fail to use them that way. Humans wielding shotguns for defense are predisposed to use body shots. I m,san it works in the movies, right?
5) Grenades and flame throwers will not stop a zombie. Period. All of the reasons listed above apply.
Forget the "Last Person in The World" (LPITW) scenario. That attitude will cripple you mentally and get you eaten. This is an attitude fostered by the movies, and adopted by many preppers.
The "bug-in" scenario (siege mentality) will eventually have to give way to a bug-out once the food is gone. When you bug-out, what gun will you take? A couple of factors influence my decision.
1) Ammo carrying capacity. Shotgun ammo is heavy, bulky and you can't carry much of it. Large caliber rifles are heavy, and the ammo takes up lots of room. There is no way you could carry 1000 rounds of ammo, supplies, and a firearm. Oh and, both are NOISY.
Close quarters sight is Leupold Delta Point
2) .223/5.56 NATO firearms and ammo. The guns are usually light and you can carry several hundred rounds in magazines. In a siege these would probably work, but on foot, in a survival bug-out, still too heavy and noisy. AR-15's are difficult to suppress, and 200 rounds is just not enough. You need to be able to carry 500-1000 rounds on your back. The caveat here is that 5.56 will be easy to come by. It is everywhere.
3) A suppressed .22LR using subsonic ammo is probably one of the better choices. No noise. 1000 rounds would be easy to carry. Ammo of any kind would be easy to get. (note: subsonic applies to any bullet that leaves the muzzle of a firearm at under 1080 feet per second)
$) 5.7x28 FN. More powerful that a .22, more deterrent against human predators, ammo is light. I could easily carry 500 rounds in a backpack. The draw back here is that ammo is not common and sometimes is hard-to-get, even now. Guns are light and can be compact. A suppressed 5.7 is about as loud as an unsurpassed .22LR.
Two 5.7's, One 12 inch SBR with GemTech suppressor
A 6 inch SBR with a Bowers Suppressor, close up shows Leupold Tactical Prismatic sight
I was watching an episode of "The Walking Dead" season two where the protagonist is trapped in a high school gym, on top of the bleachers, with a shotgun. He had about 50 zombies trying to get him and a buddy. IF these macho fools had had a .22 rifle, they could have dropped every zombie, very calmly and efficiently and never would they have attracted more attention, and had ammo to spare! 12 gauge shotguns make for better television though.
What does any of this have to do with real life prepping?
The Center for Disease Control recommends that we all prep for the zombie apocalypse. Simply because it is a humorous way to get people to actually prepare.
All preppers seem to be firearms and self defense aware. However most of the same principles above, apply to real life prepping.
Forget trying to be the LPITW. You won't be. There will be other people trying to survive. There may even be hordes. If you have to bug-out, you don't want to attract attention. You are not the military and are not trying to engage other LPITW's.
Doomsday Preppers
I'VE BEEN watching Doomsday Preppers on disk, from NatGeo for the past few days. I don't have cable, DTV or any other media services so I always buy disk sets to see things I am interested in.
I'll start by saying that while I am not a "prepper" to the extent that these people are, I do believe in being prepared. Some parts of Cambridge, OH just went without power for 10 days and national disasters do happen. You need some food put back and a way to get water. It can't hurt, and it isn't that expensive. You can start stocking up on food every time you go shopping. Just buy a few extra cans. The 1 lb packs of dry beans are cheap; get a few of those each time. Ignore expiration dates.
Do you need weapons? If you live in or near a big city, and you have food and water, in the event of a disaster you might need them. NPR had a report on Katrina/NOLA where they stated that people who ran generators became targets for predators as anyone with a generator had food, and power. That is your call.
ANYWAY because I watch these things (no television/cable here) on disk, I see them uninterrupted with no commercials. I noticed some trends. Random observations and personal opinions follow.
1) maybe 40% of the preppers use the term "Shit hits the fan", over and over in each episode. Probably because it gets repeated on all the disaster blogs they read. This kind of reductive slogan sets off alarms for me implying that this is not original thought.
2) the top disasters that they expect seem to be electro-magnetic pulses, economic chaos and related ills, and magnetic pole reversal. a couple of people mentioned 2012. Economic problems I can see as valid. It has happened before in a nicer, less populous world, and could happen again. EMP? not likely. If a foreign power detonates a nuke in our upper atmosphere, our problems are likely to be greater than a power grid failure and dead ignition systems on vehicles. Magnetic pole shift, super volcanoes, or any of the crap that was showcased in the movie 2012 is not worth worrying about. One woman started prepping because of a dream she had.
3) one guy shot his thumb off because of unsafe gun handling techniques @@. One woman is running shooting classes. She has obviously had minimum training. One couple bought their first handguns and after an hour at a range thought they were experts. If you want firearms, get training. Understand the safety rules, and understand that having a gun does not make you an un-assailable Rambo.
4) around 20-30% are going to rely on the good will of the community for support in a disaster. Depends on the community I guess.
5) a really large % say they are planning on helping people who need it, with their preps. This is interesting. My opinion? Some people are genuinely altruistic but with some, there is something unspoken. The undercurrent is that, yeah I will share with you if you obey my rules. You have to be a like minded person to be in my "club". One guy, who was probably in his 50's has a squad of 20-somethings he is training to be his personal retinue. A couple of them are cute females. I suspect a hidden agenda either in expectation of the future, or something going on right now.
Let's say you have enough food put by to feed 10 of your friends for 2 years. What happens when the food runs out? What are your expectations? Some people hoard seeds expecting to raise food. How many of these people think past the limits of their current prep?
6) some of them (in my mind) are putting way too much money into tech gadgets with an eye toward long term survival. I think this might be a problem. Mechanical and electrical systems fail all the time.
7) this is a fantasy show. A very small % of these people are typical wage earners, and most of those who are, are having to sacrifice large parts of their incomes to start and maintain their preps. Many of the other people seem to have lots of money to invest in this with land purchases, under-ground bunkers, years and years of food supplies etc.
8) some spouses (and children) are either not interested in their partner/parent's activities, are hostile to one degree or another, or are "victims" of the prepper spouse. One guy pretty much came out and said that he would leave his wife and one kid behind if they refused to get in his survival hole.
9) many of these people were from Utah. Mormons are usually preppers.
10) many of these people feel the need to evangelize and "convert" their neighbors to the prepper lifestyle. I think this is less out of concern than confirmation that they are right.
So what is my point? I guess I am trying to show some of the idiosyncrasies of the various people who were the focus of the episodes.
There is nothing wrong with prepping. The CDC recommends you prep for 72 hour emergencies, and have a bug out bag. I firmly believe that everyone should be ready for tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, and associated civil unrest. How you do this is up to you. How extreme you are in your preps (bunkers, food and ammo supply, family emergency drills) is up to up to you.
Could we get smacked by an asteroid? Sure. Will we? Lowwww probability.
(speaking of asteroids, one of the best fiction books about the end of civilization as we know it, is Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle. the lesson I took from this book is that in a disaster, if it can go wrong, it will. all the preps in the world will not help you if random chance goes against you.)
I would suggest you check your motives and really think about why you are doing this. Are you spending all your disposable income on preps based on the information you get from disaster blogs and doomsday reports? Is the sky really falling? Why are you so convinced that doomsday is around the corner? Are the sources you use peer-reviewed and accurate, or is it just blogs and/or the Bible?
At the end of each episode, the narrator critiques the reasons given for the prep. EMP, solar flares, pole shift, volcanoes, economic collapse, etc. are all very low probability events.
If you have the money, hell, prep like there IS no tomorrow. Everyone needs a hobby. If I had the money, I'd build that under ground bunker, just for something to do. Shrugs. as in all things,
YMMV
Cleaning Your CCW Firearm
The firearm you carry needs to be cleaned an maintained, just like any other mechanical device. However, daily general maintenance is a bit different from ordinary guns.
Concealed firearms get carried more than they are fired. This is not always the case but in general, true.
If you take it to the range and bang off a few 100 rounds, hey, just clean it per instructions found elsewhere.
If you are just wearing it or otherwise concealing it, some tips:
You will need a can of "air" generally sold for computers to clean off keyboards etc. and some light oil of any brand. (i use Rem oil because i have it in the shop).
1) Over oiling a gun is never a good idea, especially for a carry gun. The oil, can and will stain your clothes, and it will attract dirt.
2) After a few weeks in the holster, your carry gun will have lint, dust, spider webs and who knows what-all in it's mechanism.
Sooooo (assuming the bore is already clean and THE GUN IS UNLOADED)
a) Blow off all the dust with the canned air. include the action of the gun not just the outside. Make sure the extractor recess (if you have one) is free of built up dirt.
b) Lightly oil all bearing surfaces, slides, cylinder pins, crane pivots, etc. It is not generally necessary to soak the inside of the action every time you clean and NEVER over lube the chamber(s) of your gun.
c) Use the computer air to blast ALL excess lube off, inside and out, especially any you sprayed into the action. Direct the air toward a paper towel.
d) Wipe off any excess lube with a paper towel which will also put a thin coat of preservative on the outside.
e) Run a patch with some oil on it down the bore and wipe out the excess.
Your carry gun is now free of spiders, lubed, and ready to go!
Safe Shooting!
Concealed firearms get carried more than they are fired. This is not always the case but in general, true.
If you take it to the range and bang off a few 100 rounds, hey, just clean it per instructions found elsewhere.
If you are just wearing it or otherwise concealing it, some tips:
You will need a can of "air" generally sold for computers to clean off keyboards etc. and some light oil of any brand. (i use Rem oil because i have it in the shop).
1) Over oiling a gun is never a good idea, especially for a carry gun. The oil, can and will stain your clothes, and it will attract dirt.
2) After a few weeks in the holster, your carry gun will have lint, dust, spider webs and who knows what-all in it's mechanism.
Sooooo (assuming the bore is already clean and THE GUN IS UNLOADED)
a) Blow off all the dust with the canned air. include the action of the gun not just the outside. Make sure the extractor recess (if you have one) is free of built up dirt.
b) Lightly oil all bearing surfaces, slides, cylinder pins, crane pivots, etc. It is not generally necessary to soak the inside of the action every time you clean and NEVER over lube the chamber(s) of your gun.
c) Use the computer air to blast ALL excess lube off, inside and out, especially any you sprayed into the action. Direct the air toward a paper towel.
d) Wipe off any excess lube with a paper towel which will also put a thin coat of preservative on the outside.
e) Run a patch with some oil on it down the bore and wipe out the excess.
Your carry gun is now free of spiders, lubed, and ready to go!
Safe Shooting!
T-POST TARGETS
This is a great idea that I use myself. I have several prototypes of these on my own range and they work really well. You use your own T-Post and the target slips on the topMaterial is 3/8 inch hot-rolled mild steel, and will stop, without deformation, any pistol up to a hot-load 10mm (includes .45 ACP).
Be sure and angle the T-Post when you drive it in so the bullets deflect downwards.
I can't guarantee that these would not deform or warp a bit if you shoot rifled slugs, .44 mag, .454, or .500 S&W at them.
DEFINITELY NOT for rifle calibers, EVER.
$40.00 @
TRIGGER CONTROL and Bad Habits
I've been in the gun business for over five years now, teaching CCW in Ohio and buying and selling.
There are several bad habits that I see constantly. I'd like to address them here.
1) 98% of the information you get from the movies, and incorporate into your personal defense, and/or general shooting discipline, IS WRONG.
This is across the board. If you have not been taking training, have not been told other wise and are just a general weekend shooter, you have bad habits and I don't even need to see you shoot to know this.
Bad Habits you may have:
a) Chopping down on the targets. This is dangerous, and wastes time. If you have an accident while the gun is pointed up, you send the bullet somewhere you didn't want to.
I'm convinced that this bad habit comes from two sources. One is that it was a traditional posture for deliberate, one-handed slow fire target shooting. Two, it is a hold over from the old cowboy movies.
Most of the time i think it is the movies.
b) Bowling with the gun. Swinging the gun up from a low ready position like a bowling ball. This wastes time and is dangerous in that a bullet could ricochet up if you have an accident.
The solution? Always point the firearm in the direction of the target. Keep the gun level at all times. If you are at the range, you want the bullet to go downrange, and only downrange. If it is a Bad Guy who wants to damage you, why would you point the gun in the air, or at the ground ever?
c) Cup and saucer hand grip. This comes out of the movies. None of the pros that I know use or teach this. For a good example, watch the Black Widow in the Avengers movie. Then google IDPA or one of the competitive shooting schools and see what the shooters use.
d) Weaver Stance. There may be someone still teaching this, but not anyone i know.
e) And last, but certainly not least, TRIGGER DISCIPLINE! Most of the people who come in my shop or attend my training have the extremely bad and downright dangerous habit of keeping their finger on or near the trigger.
This link addresses the problem and the solution further. Trigger Discipline with Greg Elfritz.
http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/trigger-finger-positioning-hand-clenches-and-accidental-discharges
Be safe people.
There are several bad habits that I see constantly. I'd like to address them here.
1) 98% of the information you get from the movies, and incorporate into your personal defense, and/or general shooting discipline, IS WRONG.
This is across the board. If you have not been taking training, have not been told other wise and are just a general weekend shooter, you have bad habits and I don't even need to see you shoot to know this.
Bad Habits you may have:
a) Chopping down on the targets. This is dangerous, and wastes time. If you have an accident while the gun is pointed up, you send the bullet somewhere you didn't want to.
I'm convinced that this bad habit comes from two sources. One is that it was a traditional posture for deliberate, one-handed slow fire target shooting. Two, it is a hold over from the old cowboy movies.
Most of the time i think it is the movies.
b) Bowling with the gun. Swinging the gun up from a low ready position like a bowling ball. This wastes time and is dangerous in that a bullet could ricochet up if you have an accident.
The solution? Always point the firearm in the direction of the target. Keep the gun level at all times. If you are at the range, you want the bullet to go downrange, and only downrange. If it is a Bad Guy who wants to damage you, why would you point the gun in the air, or at the ground ever?
c) Cup and saucer hand grip. This comes out of the movies. None of the pros that I know use or teach this. For a good example, watch the Black Widow in the Avengers movie. Then google IDPA or one of the competitive shooting schools and see what the shooters use.
d) Weaver Stance. There may be someone still teaching this, but not anyone i know.
e) And last, but certainly not least, TRIGGER DISCIPLINE! Most of the people who come in my shop or attend my training have the extremely bad and downright dangerous habit of keeping their finger on or near the trigger.
This link addresses the problem and the solution further. Trigger Discipline with Greg Elfritz.
http://www.activeresponsetraining.net/trigger-finger-positioning-hand-clenches-and-accidental-discharges
Be safe people.
MOSSBERG 500 ZOMBIE SHOTGUN
Been a while. Hey all. Here are some pics of a Mossberg 500 that i did up as a zombie shooter.
Unique to this gun is a "snake-skin" effect that I developed and added to the heat shield.
I also added a CAA fore end, and Hogue butt-stock to round out the package.
and you have a gun that will make you SMILE!
Unique to this gun is a "snake-skin" effect that I developed and added to the heat shield.
I also added a CAA fore end, and Hogue butt-stock to round out the package.
A few zombie touches...................... 
and you have a gun that will make you SMILE!
Another Camo Coating
Here is the latest coating-job I have done. Base color brown. I think it turned out well.
This is a mid-sized shot. A viewer can start to see the three dimensional overlap of the colors. I have 5 colors in this.
This detail gives a better idea. Note that I break the gun down into component parts to do this; nothing is painted all at once.
Here it is in the grass. The break up is very good.
I also threaded the muzzle for the brake.
Duracoat hand-applied camo patterns available from $90.00 to $450.00 depending on coverage and dis-assembly time.
.50 AE Desert Eagle problems
I finished up the shooting part of a class today. After we were done with the class part I brought a gun out that i had wanted to try.
"Vera". (Holster is a custom order from Kramer Leather)
Why Vera? If you have watched the series "Firefly" you would understand. One of the characters introduces vera as his "favorite gun". Well "Vera" is not my favorite now, but at one time she was.
Why Vera? If you have watched the series "Firefly" you would understand. One of the characters introduces vera as his "favorite gun". Well "Vera" is not my favorite now, but at one time she was.
This is a tiger stripe .50 Action Express, Magnum Research, Desert Eagle. (preferred gun of movie pimps, matrix agents, gangsters, and crazy ohio gun shop owners, everywhere)
While Magnum Research lists this in their catalog and wholesalers list it in their inventory, it is the only one with tiger stripes that i have ever seen and so far, i have never seen a re-listing.
I ordinarily would never have purchased this as I'm not a fan of the gun. They are difficult to grip, and one needs a medium, to large size hand to do so. The thing weighs 5 lbs unloaded and recoil is on the bottom end of severe (as handguns go). I only have two other handguns that are more brutal than this one.
The thing that sold me was the tiger striping. The finish is done in titanium nitride which is very hard (something like rockwell 90 i think) which has some advantages.
I had some problems with this gun and that is the reason for this blog.
1) The magazines lose spring tension if you keep them loaded. I did a google for this problem and found out it is a common issue; lots of people seem to experience this. The lack of tension prevents the slide lock from activating on the final shot.
I think I fixed this.
I took the magazine apart and the spring stuck out at an angle not parallel to the body of the mag. One end of the spring was attached to the follower, and the angle of this attachment forced the spring out at this angle. As a result, the spring rubbed against the mag body and created to much friction in operation.
My fix was to bend the end of the spring in the follower which left the spring parallel with the mag body and therefore, less friction.
I also do not leave the magazines loaded now. This seems to have remedied the problem. If your spring seems to be weak, just stretch it out a bit.
2) The slide occasionally failed to return to battery when firing. I think this is a simple problem of limp-wristing the gun. Keep those carpals locked and there should be no problem.
A Shotgun For Friend
A friend of mine has recently and avidly been enjoying the shooting sports. She decided she wanted to shoot in shot gun competition so i told her i would build her a gun. She wanted it to be lavender, and I suggested the B&W flames. So here it is:
I like the Winchester 1200/1300 platform and when ever I can get a good deal on one, I buy it. Then I strip the parts and modify as needed. I like the Winchester because it is light, there are a reasonable number of aftermarket parts, and the actions are slippery smooth.
The first step is to shorten the barrel (18.5"), chuck in my lathe and ream the muzzle for a rem-choke tube. I then flip it around and lengthen the forcing cone in the chamber. Lengthening the forcing cone reduces the perceived recoil impulse.
After these operations, I thread the reamed barrel for the choke, insert the choke, and drill the compensator holes. Again, these holes reduce felt recoil, and prevent muzzle rise. I soldered a front sight and went on to other things.
I selected a magazine extension (2 shots), a recoil reducing comp stock, and an extension clamp with a small tactical rail. I added a rear sight and a short rail (for a red dot sight should she want one.
I had completely stripped the gun and proceeded to abrasive blast selected parts. A Base coat of white was applied to the receiver, and the two coats of purple on top of that. I cut a stencil for the flames.
of course when you have a gun as nice looking as this, one must accessorize....
Some of the things I do around here....
One of my services at Metal X Works, is coating guns with DuraCoat. DuraCoat is an epoxy type paint that provides a durable, colorful alternative to other gun finishes.
Recently i have been executing my own style of camouflage patterns on several firearms. Here are a couple of them
The first is a Savage varmint rifle in .308 caliber:
I use hand-cut stencils and airbrush the color in overlapping patterns with varying degrees of transparency.
The next is a personal firearm (more about this one later); an AR15 i built into a short-barreled-rifle. I added some features after the initial pics which show up in the details. (mag-pul girl, and punisher magazine release) The suppressor is a Gem-tech with a Bowers silicone cover.
More to follow....
Recently i have been executing my own style of camouflage patterns on several firearms. Here are a couple of them
The first is a Savage varmint rifle in .308 caliber:
I use hand-cut stencils and airbrush the color in overlapping patterns with varying degrees of transparency.
The next is a personal firearm (more about this one later); an AR15 i built into a short-barreled-rifle. I added some features after the initial pics which show up in the details. (mag-pul girl, and punisher magazine release) The suppressor is a Gem-tech with a Bowers silicone cover.
More to follow....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)