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Updated: 6 days 22 hours ago

.40 S&W: The Perfect Middle Ground, Part 2

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 16:00

By LC Judas

This is the second installment (part one is here) of my .40 dissertation and I’d like to address the hot-button issue of what contributes to the .40 caliber round so often being the butt of jokes. As in “.40 S&W means .40 Short and Weak.” Like that. Let’s look at what the round actually does after it comes out of the gun . . .

Ballistically, given the choices of most law-enforcement agencies as far as sidearm calibers, the .40 is going to suffer one way or the other depending on what you’re looking for. It’s typically only faster than the .45, and only heavier than the 9mm and .357SIG bullets. So the .40 doesn’t really shine in any one area. And

Can You Spot the Sniper?

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 15:00

German artist Simon Menner has shot – er – photographed snipers doing what snipers do. You can see a few more at theguardian.com‘s post or all of them at Menner’s site. It would be nice to know which service’s snipers Menner used for his project, but neither The Guardian or the artist spills that info. Can you spot the shooter?

Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Unidentified Chicago Cop

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 14:00

In yet another example of exemplary gun-handling – not to mention stellar emergency preparedness – an (always) un-named Chicago Police Depart,emt sarge had a mishap with his service revolver Monday morning. “The gun went off around 9:40 p.m. Monday in the Chicago Alternative Policing (CAPS) office at the district station at 18th and State streets,” chicagotribune.com reports. “No one was injured, but officers noticed a trickle of water from the first-floor ceiling that turned into a gushing stream. The downpour ruined computers and desks, but a damage estimate wasn’t immediately available” . . .

Workers for the City W

ShootingTheBull410: GLOCK 42 vs. Buffalo Bore JHPs

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 13:00

By ShootingTheBull410

This is the second of my three-part series on evaluating the terminal performance capabilities of the GLOCK 42. In Part 1, I determined that the G42 (when using the ammo that won my .380 Ammo Quest) delivers enough penetration and expansion to meet the FBI minimum penetration threshold for ammo performance. The GLOCK 42′s longer barrel meant that the ammo expanded more and penetrated a little less than it did from the 2.8” barrel of a Taurus TCP. But the overall penetration was still in excess of the 12″ minimum requirement . . .

In my original .380 Ammo Quest, I found there were several types of ammo

Former Supreme Court Justice: Amend the Second Amendment

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 12:00

 

“The liveliest (and oldest) former member of the U.S. Supreme Court is at it again. John Paul Stevens, 93, served on the highest court in the land for an impressive 35 years, from 1975 until his retirement in June 2010,” Paul Barrett writes at BloombergBusinessweek. “Known for his bow ties, brilliant legal mind, and striking transfor

Two Takes on Two-to-One Gun Control Defeat in New Hampshire

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 11:00

Two articles in two local papers provide two takes on the two-to-one vote that defeated “universal background checks” or private sales ban in New Hampshire last week. Depending on whether you read seacoastonline or the unionleader.com, the bill went down to defeat because of confusing parliamentary wrangling (the house is controlled by Democrats 215-177) or because the Democrats wanted the bill to go down, but didn’t want their names attached to its defeat . . .

From seacoastonline:

HB 1589 would have required most private sellers to conduct background checks through federally licensed dealers, using a system already in place for dealer sales.
Breaking the law would have been a misdemeanor charge

Gun Hero of the Day: Keith Morgan, West Virginia Citizens Defense League President

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 10:00

I’ve been there done that: gone up against gun control advocates on live TV. It’s like herding cats. Nasty demented cats. Keith Morgan, president of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, did a fantastic job of it last year, defending Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. More than that, he shot down the interviewer’s rhetorical tricks. I’m not sure that this kind of interchange convinces fence-straddlers of the righteousness of the gun rights cause. But this one sure gave me some major league warm fuzzies, and for that I am truly thankful. Kudos, Mr. Morgan. You kept your cool and nailed it.

TTAG Exclusive: Kirsten Joy Weiss Is Out of Sight(s)

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 09:00

One of the best things about watching Kirsten Joy Weiss’ videos: clocking the Pennsylvania marksman’s mastery of shooting basics. I never get tired of that moment when KJW goes bone-on-bone with her support arm’s elbow, exhales and hunkers down. Aside from her obvious physical charms, there’s something endlessly fascinating about watching Kirsten focus her mind on the shot – to the complete an utter exclusion of everything else – and then, when the time’s right, send the lead. When the deed is done, I get the feeling KJW’s more surprised by the result than any of her fans. Surprised and pleased. Really pleased. Delighted. Which is why watching these ever-improving precision shooting videos makes me feel both really old and really young. Go figure.

Quote of the Day: But This Time Will Be Different Edition

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 08:00

“Gun registration, let alone confiscation has, always and everywhere, fallen into that “unenforceable” category. We saw the same phenomenon with Prohibition, and we’ve also seen it with drugs. To insist, now, that Connecticut authorities try to chase down “scores of thousands” of gun owners (using background check records that don’t actually prove they still own the forbidden firearms) displays wild ignorance of the limits of government power. It also expresses disgusting deference to authority at the expense of any respect for liberty—an immature morality that sees no good beyond obedience to rules. And, it’s sheer lunacy.” – J.D. Tucille, reason.com

Daily Digest: Rule #4 Violation Edition

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 21:00

“We sometimes think our duty is to make everyone safe. It’s to preserve liberty. It’s not to make a society that’s absolutely safe.” That from Idaho state Sen. Jim Rice (above), speaking on the passage of a bill that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Idaho. The bill was voted out of the Senate Tuesday 25-10. The bill now goes to the House, where a similar bill passed in 2011, only to fail in the Senate. The current bill is expected to pass, and Gov. Butch Otter has pledged to sign the bill when it reaches his desk. The previous bill failed. . .

in the Senate due to concerns about a lack of training and access by students who had been drinking. The new bill addresses those concerns by limiting carry to only retired law enforcement [natch!] and holders of Idaho’s enha

Appeal or not to Appeal: That is the Question

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 20:00

Immediately after the the historic Ninth Circuit ruling that the second amendment right to bear arms extended outside of the home, it was reported that an appeal to an en banc panel of all 11 justices might be in the works. Securityinfowatch.com quotes Bob Egelko of  the San Francisco Chronicle as reporting, “James Chapin, the San Diego deputy county counsel who defended the permit system, said the county will ask the full appeals court for a rehearing before an 11-judge panel.” It appears that Mr. Egelko either misunderstood Mr. Chapin, or that Mr. Chapin changed his mind . . .

The LA Times reported that:

Officials in San Diego County said they may seek a rehearing before a larger 9th Circuit panel,

A

The Most Fail in the First Sentence of an Anti-Gun Editorial In the History of the World Ever

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 18:00

 

Normally, I’d have served up this tidbit as a Quote of the Day. But the first sentence of the LA Times editorial Gun control made harder in California is so full o’ fail I couldn’t leave to our Armed Intelligentsia to pull it to pieces. I wanted in like a shivering Schnauzer pawing at the door of a warm house. Here’s the lead in question: “Even if you accept the notion that the 2nd Amendment confers an individual right to bear arms — a proposition we wish the Supreme Court had rejected — states should be able to place reasonable restrictions on that right in the interests of public safety.” I promise I’l

Print Your Own Guns at Home? Not Likely

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 17:00

By Steve Sacco

I have a friend. Not just any friend, but an “internet friend.” We met on a stock market message board about 15 years ago, and he (I presume he’s not lying, and is, in fact, male) and I have discussed stocks, technology, and all kinds of topics ever since. I’ve enjoyed our chats immensely, and one of the things I’ve learned is that, unlike my friend, I’m terrible at trading stocks. I’ve also learned that I’m pretty good at nosing out technology trends – as is he. For many years now, the subject of 3-D printing technology has come up in our conversations . . .

Long ago, we both agreed that it would be amazing and, if you’ll pardon the expression, game-changing. Sadly, I never took action on that, and actually bought any 3-D company stocks, but that’s another story.

Don’t worry, this turns “gun” right about now.

The

Small-Handed UK Officers Sue Over Failed Firearms Test

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 16:00

“TWO ‘petite’ women police officers [not shown] failed a firearms test because the guns they were given were too big for them to fire with their small hands,” dailyexpress.co.uk reports. And so Victoria Wheatley and Rachael Giles filed a discrimination suit against the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. And won. And why not? “They have such ‘small hands’ they could not reach the trigger of the Glock 17 pistols they were asked to fire to pass an annual check. They also complained that . . .

protective helmets and kneepads were too large and a wooden barricade they had

Bear Pursuits

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 15:00

 

By Andy Spencer

My ears were still ringing from the report of my Tikka T3 30-06, as my Dad and I huddled under a soaring Sitka spruce on the edge of the Tuxecan Passage. I’d just shot the largest, most vicious predator of my life and now he wanted to go poke it with a stick. “Are you nuts? It’s not even been three minutes.” He was next to me leaning forward with his elbows’ on a downed spruce trunk, peering through binoculars where we’d last seen the bear running. Though it had disappeared, he was positive my shot was true. He started to get up to go look for blood, and then it roared . . .

I don’t have any brothers. Hunting in Alaska had long been a dream of mine, but actually doing it alone didn’t seem practical, safe or all that much fun. I was lamenting this fact one Christmas Eve to my mother, in that half-complaining half-joking way you can sometimes find yourse

Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Detroit Mom Wields “Assautl Rifle” Edition

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 14:00

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Can Can Concealment Contest Winners Revealed!

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 13:00

In the end, we left the nearly impossible task of picking the three winners in our Can Can Concealment give-away contest to the people at Can Can. The task was just too daunting. We’d received over 100 entries from women all over the country. And heaters? We saw them all, from little pink wheel guns to big bad Barretts. And some

NJ: Only “Smart Guns” for Sale in 2017

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 12:00

Yesterday, I blogged the Washington Post’s love letter to smart gun technology (i.e. guns that won’t fire unless a computer chip recognizes the owner’s fingerprint or palm print). I missed this: “New Jersey passed a hotly contested law in 2002 requiring that only smart guns be sold in the state within three years of a smart gun being sold anywhere in the country.” Guess what? A smart gun is now for sale in California (‘na

Brit Military Docs Shoot Pigs to Practice Surgery. In Denmark

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 11:00

“The images appear to show the live animals strung up as targets moments before being shot during a course at Nato’s training facilities in Jaegerspris, Denmark,” dailyexpress.co.uk reports. “The pigs are shot by marksmen to replicate battlefield wounds so military medical staff including British Army doctors can train in emergency surgery. The so-called Operation Danish Bacon has been described as ‘impossible to justify medically, ethically and educationally’ by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said.” Outed by the animal lovers, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) did their best . . .

A spokeswoman for the MOD said: “Our military surgeons undert

New From Winchester: AA TrAAcker 12 and 20 Gauge Sporting Loads

Wed, 02/19/2014 - 10:00

I’m a decent clays shooter. I won’t win any trap or clays tournaments, but I hold my own. Still, I can’t help but think that I’d be a better shooter today if I’d had something like Winchester’s AA TrAAcker shells back when I was learning to shoot a smoothbore. East Alton first released their new loads with the whirligig wads last year. If you’re not familiar, the wizards of Winchester have devised a wad that actually follows your shot string so you can see where you’re missing. That’s a great training aid and something that’s difficult for new shooters (and a lot of old ones) to figure out. Now Winchester has expanded the line to sporting clays loads in 12 and 20 gauge. The best part is, they’re relatively reasonably priced. At about

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