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...

But Your Honor! Part 2

I'm not one to ignore the potential of other people's ideas. Terry Pitman's list of the five elements needed to survive the self-defense legal challenges is interesting. Imminent danger, agree? They are: 1) Innocent: not the initial aggressor, 2) Imminence: the threats must be happening now or immediately about to happen , 3) Proportionality: the force you use must not be greater than the force used against you, 4) Avoidance: do you live in a stand your ground state or a duty to retreat state, 5) Reasonable: your actions and decisions must be both subjectively and objectively reasonable. Number 1, Innocence, was covered in a previous posting. Let's talk about number 2, Imminence. I find it interesting that imminence and avoidance are linked. Avoidance is a great option and I'll have some ideas later. I...

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...

But Your Honor! Part 4

Number 4) Avoidance: Do you live in a stand your ground state or a duty to retreat state? Not every retreat has to be as disastrous as Napoleon's from Moscow Let me suggest, that avoidance starts with some folksy wisdom. Don't go stupid places. Don't associate with stupid people, and don't play stupid games. Avoiding these situations will go a long way to preventing serious life changing events. Don't let ego involve you with things you don't need to be. Anytime you can avoid violence, you are ahead of the game. Your family will not see you as their champion if you shoot someone. Your co-worker will not rally around you. You yourself, assuming you’re a normal, moral person, will have issues. Tactically, the battle you don't have to fight is a battle won. Duty to retreat. Some states have that restriction. But most of us forget the conditional phrase that goes with it: if you ca...

The Cardboard Whisperer

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

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