Thursday, March 30, 2006

Buying that first gun.

Working full time with and around guns I have noticed that people rely a lot on the internet, gun rag magazines and their friends for advice. While all of these are a good beginning source don't let them be the sole determining aspect of your purchase.

Determine the specific use you want the firearm for: personal protection, target, recreation/plinking. Then decide the caliber requirements, 9MM should be the smallest primary gun caliber for personal protection, .22 make good target pistols and are widely used for plinking. The ammunition is inexpensive and can be obtained at almost any gun store.

Semi-automatic or revolver? For plinking and target shoting it will end up as a personal preference. As for personal protection I recommend a good semi-automatic. Todays quality (Glock, SIG, HK) semi-auto pistols are as relaible as any thing going. The extra magazine capacity is a plus and reloading is easier and faster than a revolver.

Next thing to do is go to your local gun range and rent various types of handguns to try. In the Atlanta area Ed's Guns and Tackle (http://www.edsguns.com/) has a variety of the most popular handguns and rent them rather inexpensively, if you buy one from them the day you rent one they will even wave the rental fee, range fee and give you $25.00 more in range credit.

After you have chosen your new gun get some training. It is very important to start out in the right direction. I know most of us growing up in the south had someone show us how to shoot a gun. That doesn't mean it was exactly the right way, new laws and liability issues have risen since then. You will enjoy your new gun and get more form it if you learn the right way.

It always amazes me that one will spend $550.00 for a new gun and not invest a 5th of that in good sound training. They will then turen and purchase a $15.00 holster, a flappy old belt and no spare magazine carrier to go with it. Your gun and your life is worth how much???

Yes your support gear is just as important as the gun. The ultimate weapon is the brain use it wisely . As the old carpenters say "measure twice and cut once".

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Smith and Wesson Revolvers Broken????

N.C. wants Smith & Wesson to replace faulty revolvers
The Associated Press
Mar 18, 2006


Faced with problems ranging from misfires to barrels breaking off, the state has asked gun maker Smith & Wesson to replace hundreds of sidearms carried by probation and corrections officers.

None of the revolvers have failed in the line of duty, and for now, the department is keeping the guns in service. But in testing, about one in four revolvers didn't fire when the trigger was pulled. In some cases, the barrel of some models broke off when the gun was fired.

"In one sense it's funny," said Chief Deputy Correction Secretary Dan Stieneke. "In another, it's alarming."

So far, the state Correction Department has asked the Massachusetts-based gun maker to replace only 500 Model 64 revolvers bought in 2004, though there have also been problems with two other models. But officials could wind up asking Smith & Wesson to provide replacements for all 5,000 of the department's revolvers.

At a meeting last month at a shooting range in Smithfield, Smith & Wesson representative got a live demonstration of the problems. During test firing of about three dozen revolvers, four misfired, meaning nothing happened when the trigger was pulled. The barrel also broke off a different model when it was fired, something that has happened 14 times in practice firings since 2003.

"On the one hand, statistically (the revolvers' performance) is not bad, but it's just the safety issue," Stieneke said. "That kind of failure gets people's attention."

Officials at Springfield, Mass.-based Smith & Wesson, one of the world's largest gun makers, did not return repeated calls seeking comment.

For at least two decades, state prison officials have used Smith & Wesson revolvers. They are assigned to probation officers and correction officers who work outside of prison walls, patrolling perimeters and escorting inmates. The guns are not carried by officers who work inside prisons, where there is too great a risk of inmates getting a gun.

The guns cost about $320 each, meaning it would cost the state more than $1.5 million to replace them all. That doesn't include the cost of buying new ammunition, holsters and other accessories, plus retraining officers to use a new model of gun.

"We're at a point where if we have to make a quick switch, it's going to cost millions of dollars, and it's going to take a lot of training and effort to get back up to speed," Stieneke said.

Many law enforcement agencies have moved away from revolvers in recent years, switching to semiautomatic pistols, something Stieneke is considering.


www.newsobserver.com/158/v-print/story/419536.html

Saturday, March 25, 2006

XS Sights


XS BIG DOT SIGHT SYSTEM REVIEW

Recently at the Rangemaster Indoor Tactical Conference I had the opportunity to talk to Dave Biggers the V.P. Sales & Marketing guy for this company and he sent me a pair of the big dot sights for a G19 and a SIG P226 to try out and let new shooters use as their first sighting system.

Instillation was basically a no brainier, instructions were clear and easy to follow and I experienced no difficulty in doing it. The next thing I did was read the instructions on how to align the front sight with the rear V. at different distances. It seemed pretty simple and logical.

So today after an IDPA Match I stuck around to give them a whirl on the G19. Starting off at 3 yards it was very simple. Remember these are not bull’s-eye sights; they are made for fast acquisition and getting off fast shots in a hurry. At 15 yards and in you simply cover the determined point of impact with the big dot. Drop the big white dot down to the top of the rear v and press. Great accurate hits, as a matter of fact one ragged hole of a five shot group. The sights were easy and fast to acquire and align.


Moving on back to about 10 yards it was still very easy to acquire and align the sights. Groups were not as tight but still more than adequate for self defense. Fast five shot groups consistently ran in the 2 inch size or less. Remember now this is out of the holster and on target shooting. No long waits to get a super sight picture.

When I got back to the 20 yard line was when I first started noticing a difference. I had to slow down a bit to get good hits. Instead of covering the target I had to bring the front sight down so that the called point of impact was on the top of the front sight rather than covered. The slower hits were due to me being unfamiliar to the sights but got a bit faster as I shot. I am also sure it will improve as I work with them more. I was able to put only about 100 rounds with the sights today but will definitely be shooting them more to determine there applicability.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Security: Power To The People

Security: Power To The People (by John Robb)

The myth of American omnipotence fell in the Iraqi desert, laid low by an agile new enemy. We have a chance now to rethink the systems that protected us in the past. It's one we cannot miss.



The next decade holds mind-bending promise for American business. Globalization is prying open vast new markets. Technology is plowing ahead, fueling--and transforming--entire industries, creating services we never thought possible. Clever people worldwide are capitalizing every which way. But because globalization and technology are morally neutral forces, they can also drive change of a different sort. We saw this very clearly on September 11 and are seeing it now in Iraq and in conflicts around the world. In short, despite the aura of limitless possibility, our lives are evolving in ways we can control only if we recognize the new landscape. It's time to take an unblinking look.

We have entered the age of the faceless, agile enemy. From London to Madrid and Nigeria to Russia, stateless terrorist groups have emerged to score blow after blow against us. Driven by cultural fragmentation, schooled in the most sophisticated technologies, and fueled by transnational crime, these groups are forcing corporations and individuals to develop new ways of defending themselves. The end result of this struggle will be a new, more resilient approach to national security, one built not around the state but around private citizens and companies. That new system will change how we live and work--for the better, in many ways--but the road getting there may seem long at times.

Open-Source Warfare
The conflict in Iraq has foreshadowed the future of global security in much the same way that the Spanish Civil War prefigured World War II. Unlike previous insurgencies, the one in Iraq is comprised of 75 to 100 small, diverse, and autonomous groups of zealots, patriots, and criminals alike. These groups, of course, have access to the same tools we do--from satellite phones to engineering degrees--and use them every bit as well. But their single most important asset is their organizational structure, an open-source community network very similar to what we now see in the software industry. It is an extremely innovative structure, sadly, and results in decision-making cycles much shorter than those of the U.S. military. Indeed, because the insurgents in Iraq lack a recognizable center of gravity--a leadership structure or an ideology--they are nearly immune to the application of conventional military force. Like Microsoft, the software superpower, the United States hasn't found its match in a competitor similar to itself, but rather in a loose, self-tuning network.
The second insight Iraq gives us is that the convergence of international crime and terrorism will provide ample fuel and a global platform for these new enemies. Al Qaeda's attack on Madrid, for example, was funded by the sale of the drug Ecstasy. And Moisés Naím, in his new book, Illicit, details how globalization has fostered the development of a huge criminal economy that boasts a technologically leveraged global supply chain (like Wal-Mart's) and can handle everything from human trafficking (Eastern Europe) to illicit drugs (Asia and South America), pirated goods (Southeast Asia), arms (Central Asia), and money laundering (everywhere). Naím puts the value of that economy at between $2 trillion and $3 trillion a year. He says it is expanding at seven times the rate of legitimate world trade.
This terrorist-criminal symbiosis becomes even more powerful when considered next to the most disturbing sign coming out of Iraq: The terrorists have developed the ability to fight nation-states strategically--without weapons of mass destruction. This new method is called "systems disruption," a simple way of attacking the critical networks (electricity, oil, gas, water, communications, and transportation) that underpin modern life. Such disruptions are designed to erode the target state's legitimacy, to drive it to failure by keeping it from providing the services it must deliver in order to command the allegiance of its citizens. Over the past two years, attacks on the oil and electricity networks in Iraq have reduced and held delivery of these critical services below prewar levels, with a disastrous effect on the country, its people, and its economy.
The early examples of systems disruption in Iraq and elsewhere are ominous. If these techniques are even lightly applied to the fragile electrical and oil-gas systems in Russia, Saudi Arabia, or anywhere in the target-rich West, we could see a rapid onset of economic and political chaos unmatched since the advent of blitzkrieg. (India's January arrest of militants with explosives in Hyderabad suggests that the country's high-tech industry could be a new target.) It's even worse when we consider the asymmetry of the economics involved: One small attack on an oil pipeline in southeast Iraq, conducted for an estimated $2,000, cost the Iraqi government more than $500 million in lost oil revenues. That is a return on investment of 25,000,000%.
Now that the tipping point has been reached, the rise of global virtual states--with their thriving criminal economies, innovative networks, and hyperefficient war craft--will rapidly undermine public confidence in our national-security systems. In fact, this process has already begun. We've seen disruption of our oil supply in Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Colombia; the market's fear of more contributes mightily to the current high prices. But as those disruptions continue, the damage will spill over into the very structure of our society. Our profligate Defense Department, reeling from its inability to defend our borders on September 11 or to pacify even a small country like Iraq, will increasingly be seen as obsolete. The myth of the American superpower will be exposed as such.
Then, inevitably, there will be a series of attacks on U.S. soil. The first casualty of these will be another institution, the ultrabureaucratic Department of Homeland Security, which, despite its new extra-legal surveillance powers, will prove unable to isolate and defuse the threats against us. (Its one big idea for keeping the global insurgency at bay--building a fence between Mexico and the United States, proposed in a recent congressional immigration bill--will prove as effective as the Maginot Line and the Great Wall of China.)
But the metaphorical targets of September 11 are largely behind us. The strikes of the future will be strategic, pinpointing the systems we rely on, and they will leave entire sections of the country without energy and communications for protracted periods. But the frustration and economic pain that result will have a curious side effect: They will spur development of an entirely new, decentralized security system, one that devolves power and responsibility to a mix of private companies, individuals, and local governments. This structure is already visible in the legions of private contractors in Iraq, as well as in New York's amazingly effective counterterrorist intelligence unit. But as we look out to 2016, the long-term implications are clearer.
Security will become a function of where you live and whom you work for, much as health care is allocated already. Wealthy individuals and multinational corporations will be the first to bail out of our collective system, opting instead to hire private military companies, such as Blackwater and Triple Canopy, to protect their homes and facilities and establish a protective perimeter around daily life. Parallel transportation networks--evolving out of the time-share aircraft companies such as
Warren Buffett's NetJets--will cater to this group, leapfrogging its members from one secure, well-appointed lily pad to the next. Members of the middle class will follow, taking matters into their own hands by forming suburban collectives to share the costs of security--as they do now with education--and shore up delivery of critical services. These "armored suburbs" will deploy and maintain backup generators and communications links; they will be patrolled by civilian police auxiliaries that have received corporate training and boast their own state-of-the-art emergency-response systems. As for those without the means to build their own defense, they will have to make do with the remains of the national system. They will gravitate to America's cities, where they will be subject to ubiquitous surveillance and marginal or nonexistent services. For the poor, there will be no other refuge.
Until, that is, the next wave of adaptive innovation takes hold. For all of these changes may prove to be exactly the kind of creative destruction we need to move beyond the current, failed state of affairs. By 2016 and beyond, real long-term solutions will emerge. Cities, most acutely affected by the new disruptions, will move fastest to become self-reliant, drawing from a wellspring of new ideas the market will put forward. These will range from building-based solar systems from firms such as Energy Innovations to privatized disaster and counterterrorist responses. We will also see the emergence of packaged software that combines real-time information (the status of first-responder units and facilities) with interactive content (information from citizens) and rich sources of data (satellite maps). Corporate communications monopolies will crumble as cities build their own emergency wireless networks using simple products from companies such as Proxim.
Self-Reliance
By 2016, we may see the trials of the previous decade as progress in disguise. The grassroots security effort will do more than just insulate our gas lines and high schools. It will also spur positive social change: So-called green systems will quickly shed their tree-hugger status and be seen as vital components of our economic and personal security. Even those civilian police auxiliaries could turn out to be a good thing in the long run: Their proliferation--and the technology they'll adopt--will lead to major reductions in crime.
Some towns and cities will go even further. In an effort to bar the door against expanding criminal networks, certain communities will move to regulate, tax, and control everything from illegal immigration to illicit drugs, despite federal pressure to do otherwise. A newly vigilant and networked public will push for much greater levels of transparency in government and corporate operations, using the Internet to expose, publish, and patch potential security flaws. Over time, this new transparency, and the wider participation it entails, will lead to radical improvements in government and corporate efficiency.
On the national level, we'll see a withering of the security apparatus, but quite possibly a flowering in other areas. Energy independence and the obsolescence of conventional war with other countries will reduce tensions between the United States and the rest of the world. The end of oil will also force corrupt states, now propped up by energy income, to make the reforms they need to be accepted internationally, improving life for their people.
Perhaps the most important global shift will be the rise of grassroots action and cross-connected communities. Like the Internet, these new networks will develop slowly at first. After a period of exponential growth, however, they will quickly become all but ubiquitous--and astonishingly powerful, perhaps as powerful as the networks arrayed against us. And so we will all become security consultants, taking an active role in deciding how it is bought, structured, and applied. That's a great responsibility and, with luck, an enormous opportunity. Choose wisely.


John Robb was a mission commander for a "black" counterterrorism unit that worked with Delta Force and Seal Team 6 before becoming the first Internet analyst at Forrester Research and a key architect in the rise of Web logs and RSS. He is writing a book on the logic of terrorism.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Choosing a Defensive Handgun

“CHOSING A DEVENSIVE HANDGUN”

There are as many varied opinions on how to choose a handgun for defensive/personal combative purposes as there are on whose got the best major league ball team. I suggest that before the process even begins that you get your mind in the fight then move on to a weapon.

In saying that lets look at what a defensive handgun needs do or be capable of doing. It has to be as close as to 100 percent reliable as mechanically possible, it has to deliver a projectile of sufficient weight and speed to penetrate deep enough to reach vital organs, and it has to contain as many rounds of ammunition as you can get. Now it must also properly fit your hand, have only as much recoil as you can control and shoot well, ammunition needs to be widely available, and accurate enough to hit an 8 inch paper plate at 25 meters.

There are many great pistols on the market today, some are old reliable designs and some are new and un-proven. I urge you to go to a range rent different pistols and try them out. Some of the brands I recommend are Sig Sauer, Glock, Beretta as well as Heckler and Koch. These four brands have over the years proven them selves time and time again in personal and military combat. You will find people out there that will tell you that this gun or that gun is the best; most of this is pure personal speculation or experience.

I do not advocate anyone specific gun, each one that you pick up will have their own little peculiarities that will have to be over come. Anyone that says they do not, well reach over and press the delete key on them. It just isn’t true because everyone has different size hands, sensitivity to recoil, body shape and personal levels of income. As far as safety in the different manufactures; well safety is ultimately your responsibility, your willingness to seek appropriate training and develop a safe attitude. Stupidity and carelessness is rampid!!!

The following pistols that I recommend are listed due to personal experience/observation. They are not listed in any specific order.

Glock- mid level priced, extremely reliable and comes in an assortment of calibers and sizes. I personally choose the Glock 19 or Glock 17. Utterly reliable with no external levers to manipulate in order to shoot, holds plenty of ammunition, and light weight polymer frame construction.

Sig Sauer – A little more expensive and requires a bit more training to operate under pressure. It has a de-cocker on it so getting used to it takes a bit more training. The Sig P228/P229/P226 is my choices due to availability in an array of calibers and reliability. The new guns have a stainless steel slide and usually an aluminum alloy frame and are pretty light weight.

Beretta- Again available in a variety of calibers and reliable. I chose the M9 or 92F Series. They have proven themselves worthy in law enforcement and military service (current U.S. issue for our military).

Heckler and Koch- a little bit more cost involved here and I am not sure why but I do like the HK Compact guns for personal carry. They are a well made gun! I do not choose the full size pistols due to their size and bulk just personal opinion there.

As for caliber, well this will sure raise a few eye brows. I carry all 9MM guns for the following reasons.

Ammunition availability and cost ($87.00 per 1000 compared to $190.00 per 1000 for 40 or .357 SIG and $220.00 per 1000 for 45 ACP). This allows me to shoot more often and stay trained. 9MM is available almost any where.

Low recoil allows me to shoot faster and more accurately and reduce wear on my guns.

Magazine capacity is high; usually 15 to 17 rounds in the gun and 20 and 32 round magazines are available.

Shot placement is more important than making big holes.

If you can and want to shoot bigger bullets nothing wrong with that.

For training or simply more information on defensive shooting please feel free to visit the web site WWW.FIREARMZ.NET or email ken@firearmz.net.

NEWSLETTER - UPCOMING EVENTS

MAY 2006
5th 2006 AK 47 Class with Paul Gomez

This fast paced class concentrates on the use of semi-automatic versions of the Avtomat Kalashnikova in the close range arena typical of civilian defensive scenarios. The emphasis is on quick threat engagement from the standing position, plus the use of alternate firing positions for taking advantage of cover. Topics covered include tactical ready positions, weapon retention, transitioning to a handgun, semi-auto speed shooting, and engagement of single and multiple targets at distances from muzzle contact to 100 meters.
Taught by Paul Gomez, Urban AK is the class for every person who owns an AK variant and is interested in its effective and responsible use.
This class is designed exclusively for long arms of the AK design. Only AK variants are acceptable for this class. Contact the instructor for clarification if you are in doubt regarding the suitability of your gun.
Cost is $175.00 (½ deposit required)500 rounds of rifle ammo200 rounds of pistol ammo
To register send deposit to:Paul GomezC/O FirearmzP.O. Box 344Temple, Ga. 30179

May 6 and 7, 2006 www.opstraining.com
TACTICAL DYNAMICSby Andy Stanford
Registrations being accepted for Options For Personal Security (Andy Stanford and Paul Gomez) on May 6th and 7th for Tactical Dynamics Class. The class description and cost is listed below.

Time-tested skills required to prevail in common real world scenarios.
Without a thorough grounding in tactics, shooting skills are often largely irrelevant. Most people don't plan to fail, they fail to plan! In actual violent confrontations, marksmanship and gun handling skill are only part of the solution. This fast paced 2-day course gives you a veritable play book of highly effective home, street, vehicle, and team tactics, and provides the practice required to ingrain them. Both live-fire and force-on-force exercises provide plenty of repetition at the proven principles and procedures taught, with movement and communication stressed throughout. Topics include stealth and dynamic structure clearing, firing from inside and around a vehicle, coordination with partners and teammates, and wounded shooter techniques. Students will gain a SWAT-level understanding of these and other critical subjects. This course can also be tailored to focus on one or more particular areas, for instance team and/or vehicle tactics.
Ammunition Requirement: 1000
Tuition: $335.00Register by calling OPS toll free phone number 1-877-636-4677

JULY, 2006
15th and 16th Tom Givens Range Masters Combative Pistol I at Little River.
WWW.RANGEMASTER.COM

This is an intensive weekend course that covers all of the essential skills involved in fighting with a handgun. There is an all day session Saturday and Sunday, plus an evening session on Saturday.
Topics covered in this course will include:
Rapid presentation from concealed carry
Effective gun handling techniques, designed to work under stress
Rapid reloading techniques
Movement skills, including effectively engaging targets on the move
Disability drills, including drawing and reloading with one hand
Precision shooting at mid-ranges
Effective scanning techniques, locating additional threats
Low light firing techniques, both with/without a flashlight
Proper defensive mindset and more.
Expect to fire about 800-1000 rounds of ammunition.
You will need a good handgun, holster, belt, and magazine pouch, at least three magazines, a ball cap and concealment garment (vest, jacket, windbreaker, etc), eye and ear protection, and rain gear (we train rain or shine). A cooler with soft drinks and snacks is a very good idea.
You will need a quality handgun and gear. It is a good idea to bring a second gun just like your primary, in case something breaks on your primary gun. Please bring good quality ammunition. You will shoot better, your gun will function better, and you will learn faster.
Your primary instructor will be Tom Givens, of Rangemaster. Tom’s credentials can be viewed under Staff Qualifications. He will be assisted by other Rangemaster staff.
Tuition is $325.00. Call 901-370-5600 to enroll by credit card or mail check to Rangemaster, 2611 S. Mendenhall, Memphis, Tn, 38115.

A deposit of $100.00 will hold a space, balance due 15 days before class.

NEWSLETTER February 1, 2006

SERVICE GUN MAINTENANCE

We see articles all the time about how tough guns are. Service guns especially are built generally tough how ever that does not excuse a good maintenance schedule.

At minimum once a month the gun needs to be field stripped, degreased and re-lubricated. If we shoot our service pistol we need to clean it. This is the tool that we stake our life on and taking care of it is a must. It does not take very long if you follow a few tips that has worked for me over the years.

Items needed:
Mil-Comm Cleaner Degreaser
Mil-Comm Grease
Mil-Comm Oil
Old Tooth Brush
Brake Cleaner
Q-Tips
Bore Snake for the appropriate caliber
Clean cotton cloth or paper towels

Ensure you have no ammunition in the gun or in the room. SAFETY!!!
Field strip the gun, using Mil-Comm Cleaner Degreaser and an old tooth brush scrub the slide thoroughly, ensuring that all grease, oil, and dirt are loosened. Take the can of brake cleaner (go out side) and spray the entire slide until it is totally degreased ( brake cleaner also displaces moisture really well). The brake cleaner will evaporate rapidly and you will have a squeaky clean slide. Perform the same steps on the frame and action. As for the barrel I use the Mil-Comm Cleaner Degreaser to scrub the out side of the barrel, then I use the bore snake, after dropping the little weight thru the barrel I will place my foot on it holding it firmly to the floor, the other end has a loop in it that I put a finger in, grasping the barrel I vigorously run the barrel up and down the bore snake a few times and it comes very clean.

As for lubrication I place a small dab of the Mil-Comm Grease on a clean surface, taking a Q-Tip I smear a slight (by slight I mean just so it is looking wet) coat on all worn surfaces I can get to. Including the slide and frame rails, and barrel where wear is showing. I then use the Mil-Comm Oil to place a small drop on all moving parts I cannot get the grease too.

Before any reassembly be sure to check all screws, springs, levers and any other components that could be broken or worn severely.

DRY FIRING

Let’s talk about dry firing. Can dry firing damage my gun? If you are talking about rim fire guns I would say that you need to purchase a snap cap. As for modern center fire defensive hand guns dry firing MAY after many, many, many dry fires cause a spring or firing pin to break. The benefits of dry firing FAR out weigh a broken spring or firing pin.

Think about what we are getting when we dry fire. The idea of hand guns is to align the front and rear sight, press the trigger straight to the rear with the minimum amount of movement possible. How many experience low right or left shots, high or low center, left or right center? Chances are this is from jerking, pushing, and milking and poor trigger control. When you we have small explosion 18 inches in front of our face it is hard to detect these errors. However if we are dry firing (without that explosion) we are much more likely to pick up the sight moving during the trigger press, then we do a little bit of analyzing and we will find our problem.