Tactical Talk

I always wanted a Walther P38. Part of that came from being one of the iconic guns often seen in 'Man From U.N.C.L.E. ' The major part was that it was the first practical double/single action pistol. That’s pretty cool when you think about it. Here is a partial list of double/single action handguns including Beretta , Sig Sauer, CZ75, and HK we have today. But the P38 was the first, and its influence spread far. The double-action trigger and new breech-lock system were just two of its innovations. Our two heros with Walthers, but Solo seems to have some weird birdcage on his. "Without the P38, the development of military handguns would doubtless be much different," from Gene Gangarosa P.38 Automatic Pistol Carl Walther Waffenfabrik developed it. Yes, the same company that developed James Bond's weapon, the PP and PPK. Sadly, these are no longer in production. There are several features I ...

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...

Zero Land

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...

Basic 16: Safety Rules

Gun safety isn't anything new. I recently saw a cartoon from a 1935 newspaper that addressed the issue. The three major NRA rules are: 1) Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction 2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3) Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use And the zeroth order rule: All guns are always loaded until you personally check them. These rules were codified by Col. Jeff Cooper in the 1970's. When my wife and I used to teach, she taught the rules in reverse order. 3) Keep your gun unloaded until you need it. But if it's already loaded, 2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until it's time to shoot. But if your finger is on the trigger, what ultimately saves us is, 1) Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction. The Zeroth order rule is the basis for a safe and functioning gun ...

The Cardboard Whisperer

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

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