Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Blast from the Past: Popular Police Speedloaders of the 1970s
School is in session if you want to learn about the historical evolution of revolver speedloaders. For the latest evolution of the concept, check out QuickLoad Revolver Speedloaders.
Cartridge of the Century: The .38 Smith & Wesson Special
For more good revolver lore, check out Tamara Keel’s brilliant history of the .38 special cartridge. I promise that there will be things in this article that you didn’t know. Read Part Two as well.
S6E4: Doing This One Thing Reduces by 70% Your Chances of Getting Shot
Thanks to Jacob and Riley for discussing the study I originally published in the journal “Firearms Instructor.”
You should also pick up some of their The CCI-PIQ Targets. I bought some and have used them for my last two practice sessions. I really like them.
Is Ankle Carry Still Relevant for Concealed Carry?
Caleb provides a good perspective on ankle holsters. I always carried a backup gun on my ankle as a patrol officer. If someone approached me while I was seated in the cruiser, I could have my hand on my ankle gun without anyone knowing.
A Brief History of AIWB
A succinct history of the evolution of appendix carry.
Safety Tips for Women Living in Cars: How To Make It Work
This article may not appeal to my general reader demographic, but I found some of the strategies to be intriguing.
Re-examination
I really like the idea of “improving your position” instead of passively “scanning” after a shooting. I also like Craig Douglas’ version of an after action scan that involves a hard movement in a 90- degree arc to change positions rather than staying rooted in place and looking behind you for additional threats.
When I teach this in my force on force classes, I have my students ask three questions after they shoot (at) a bad guy?
“Did I hit him and is he out of the fight?”
“Does he have any friends I need to shoot?”
“How can I better my position?”
This “bettering” could be getting cover from the bad guy. It could be running away. It could be preparing yourself for police intervention. There are almost always things the tactician can do to improve his position in some manner.
Blue Brief: Do Body Cameras Help or Hurt Police?
Interesting information.
Best CLP? Hoppe’s 9 vs Break Free CLP, Slip 2000, Ballistol, Frog Lube, Extreme Force, Clenzoil
Comparing common firearms lubricants.
How to Enjoy Wild Violets for Food and Medicine: A Simple Guide to an Edible Weed
Violets are one of my favorite wild edibles. I think the flowers taste like alfalfa sprouts. It was my favorite plant to show the inner city kids I once taught in my wilderness survival classes. They are easy to identify, taste decent, and the kids always liked that the flowers turned their spit blue.
A Range Medic’s Gear List for the Instructor and Student
I get lots of questions about medical gear lists. This is a good one. But I also postulate that if you don’t know what kind of gear you need to treat gunshot wounds, you probably need more training. A well trained person will know the gear they need to include in their kit.
On slightly different medical topics, read Capillary Refill Time: Theoretical but not sound and Types Of Tourniquets Guide.
6 Cases of an Armed Citizen Saving a Cop From a Bad Guy
Massad Ayoob discusses some cases where armed citizens have rescued cops in danger. If you like these types of stories, seek out Mas’ older book The Ayoob Files. The book provides complete narratives of more than a dozen defensive gun uses. It’s riveting reading and worth tracking down, even though it is no longer in print.
Are Gun Owners Thoughtful Risk Analysts? (Light Over Heat #17)
A brilliant analysis from Dr. Yamane. I look forward to having a couple “risky” craft cocktails with him when he visits my hometown next week.
John Browning’s Versatile .380 ACP
Everything you’d ever want to know about the .380 cartridge.
Trouble in Paradise: Issues with Federal’s 8 Pellet Flite Control (LE13300)
I’ve heard about this problem from a couple different sources. Pattern your loads!
The Mountain Gun
The fascinating evolution of the “Mountain Gun.”
How to Run a Lever Gun—the Right Way
Tips to more efficiently utilize your lever action rifle.
Why Fat Fighters Have Dangerous Hands | Gut of Death
This is an interesting discussion. I’ve had the pleasure of fighting people both as a lean dude and a fat dude. There is a difference. For the first 10 years of my police career, I weighed a lean 200 lbs. and ran around 10% body fat. I was a dedicated Crossfitter, both strong and aerobically fit. Later on, I decided I wanted to powerlift. I got my body weight up to 265 lbs. At that weight I was 16-17% body fat. My deadlift grew to 635 lbs and I could press 315 lbs over my head. I was incredibly strong, but I lacked mobility and endurance.
I fought people (for real) and trained martial arts at both weights. While at my heaviest, I couldn’t go five rounds in the boxing ring, but I could do things like pick people up and throw them through walls. There is an incredible difference between what happened when I grabbed someone at 265 than when I grabbed the same person at 200. The strength and mass was an incredible advantage in a fight…so long as the fight didn’t go longer than about a minute. Fortunately for me, all my fights on the street were over quickly and my lack of “gas” was never a factor.
While I liked having “fat guy” strength, it negatively affected my life in other areas. I couldn’t hike, mountain bike, run, or do other things I like to do.
You’ll have to decide what’s best for you. Don’t use this video as a justification to eat Twinkies all day and stay fat. Please note that even the “fat guys” in the video had incredible levels of skill and dedication. Merely being fat, without having lots of strength or skill does not help you win a fight.
Best Practices: Online Dating Safety
I agree with everything Melody says here except the “bring a friend” idea. As a dude who has been active in the dating market for more than 30 years, if a new date showed up with her friend on a first date, that would be an instant deal breaker.
Perhaps my experience dating in other countries jades my opinion.
It’s a super common scam in the developing world. A girl will bring a friend or relative to the first date just because they know the dude will end up paying for both of their meals/drinks. The girls are “date buddies” who professionally milk tourists out of their cash on a daily basis.
Brookings: violent crime increasing the most in high-crime neighborhoods
“In other words, “bad” neighborhoods have gotten a lot worse over the past two years, while many low-crime communities may not have seen a significant increase in violent crime at all.”
2034: A Novel of the Next World War
What I’m reading…
Russian Gov Seizes 130 Million Rounds of American Ammunition
A couple of topics you probably haven’t seen in the conventional media. You should also read Biden Imposes 30% Tax on Ammunition!
Home Invader Stopped With Less Lethal Tool
Are you prepared for a situation like this? The suspect looks obviously mentally ill to me. His strange actions, ataxia, and lack of clear speech is an indicator that he may be either crazy or on drugs. What happens when a crazy person/drug addict walks in your front door? The suspect here obviously didn’t need to be shot in this scenario and I applaud the homeowner for his restraint.
I’m not a big fan of the gun-shaped “pepper blaster” style of chemical irritant delivery systems. I’m worried that one will be mistaken by the suspect as a gun. That might cause the bad guy to escalate if he thought he might be getting shot. At close range, the higher velocity of those cartridges might cause irreversible damage to the eye tissue. Using a “less lethal” weapon that causes permanent blindness might not go over well in your civil or criminal trial.
Pay attention to John’s commence about maintaining distance from any potential criminals. People regularly want to close the distance between themselves and an adversary to wither intimidate the person or better see/hear what’s going on. Fight that urge.
I love pepper spray. I have a canister sitting right next to each of my apartment’s two entrances just for situations like this. And yes, please lock your damn doors!
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