Tactical Talk

One of the things I like to do is check my rifle zero several times a year because things change. It may have been a new lot of ammunition, or maybe when I checked the scope retention screws something shifted. More likely I've changed. Different trigger pull, different breathing, all kinds of reasons. It's a 100 yards from my mat to the two black squares When I used to shoot bullseye, we used to say, "The gun shoots better than I do." And frankly, that’s the truth. But if the gun isn't functioning right, if the ammunition isn't feeding right, or you think your sights are off, your scores and accuracy go to hell. Just the other day, my friend was shooting a high-end gun, but his reloads had bulges and defects. Nothing ran well for him. He'll be able to fix that, but in the meantime, uncertainty has crept into his mind. And until he can convince himself everything is right, he'll have troubles. When I do my part, the gun..w...

Editorial: Guns in books

So, you want to be a paperback writer? Great! I've got a little something for all the writers out there. If you've been to the range in the last month or follow my blog, I'm not going to say anything new. Go cut the grass or have drink with friends. Nothing here for you. But if you’re a writer, established with publishing houses or just trying to get noticed, this is for you. Sit back and let's have some fun. Firearms are often misused by your characters. Sometimes it's how you are driving your story, but when they make a glaring mistake, you go down a notch with those of us who know better. From the amazing team of Preston and Child we read, "-popped the clip from the gun." That tells us the character has a semiautomatic handgun. Clip is the wrong term, it should be magazine, but it’s a tiny "oops" and we'll ignore it. Especially in light of this: "Empty. That left him only two shots in the chamber…thirteen roun...

.50BMG vs Rubber fuel Tanks

Ever wonder why vehicles aren’t more susceptible to fire from a few stray rounds of .50 BMG? Surely a couple of .50s will have fuel spraying around everywhere looking for an ignition point. The answer is self-sealing fuel tanks. The tanks are a rubber/fabric composite and insoluble to the fuel used, except for one layer which swells when exposed to gasoline or other fuels. The swelling polymer plugs the hole. The next question is how fast do they seal? Again having even a little fuel spraying around a hot engine is a formula for disaster. I found this video at www.robbietanks.com/multimedia/videos . Select the one called .50 cal tumbled Robertson Improved HMMWV Tank or Improved LAV Tank. What I think is really cool is the bullet exits the tank backwards and sideways. I expected the .50 to just drill its way through the tank and exit point first. A .50 cal BMG leaving sideways… Talk about wound channel!!! As ...

Ricochet

Of the three pistol ranges I have available to me, one is my favorite and I prefer to do all my shooting there. The area is well bermed, open and airy with early morning and late afternoon shade. What’s especially attractive about the range is the backstop is mostly mudstone and at least 40 feet tall. The green stuff on the backstop isn't the top; it's what's growing out the side of it. Mudstone is relatively soft. Soft compared to granite that is, but not as soft as mounded dirt. Bullets, from .22LR to .30 caliber rifle hit the stone, damage it and are in turn deformed, robbing the bounce back of substantial amounts of energy. This makes for relatively safe shooting, but even considering this we require eye (and ear) protection. Pistol bullet marks in soft mudstone. The marks are shallow but wide craters. Mushroomed .45 ACP. Most of the mass is still present. However, we recently brought out some st...

The Cardboard Whisperer

Stay....Stay.....Easy boy!...

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