1 July 06
Details from the Johannesburg, SA shooting last week, in which a number of police officers were murdered:
“They stormed the building where the gang was hiding.. Officers were armed with Z88s (Beretta 92 copy, built under license). The criminal gang was armed with Kalashnikovs.
R5 patrol rifles are theoretically available, but they are kept in an armory and are not assigned to individual officers. The check-out process is monotonous and takes forever. Patrol rifles are rarely maintained, and no one ever knows how the sights are set. As a result, officers don’t trust them, so they spend their entire useful life gathering dust in the arms room. Ammunition is tediously booked out also, with the result that live-fire practice is unheard of.
… and then we are astonished when our officers are unable to use them effectively!”
Comment: These cops are the latest casualties of SA’s restrictive gun policy, a policy that insidiously infiltrates into even police and military cultures. In fact, the only place restrictive gun policy has apparently made scant inroads is the criminal culture. Imagine that! I’m sure leftist politicians and bureaucrats everywhere are astounded.
/John
2 July 06
Blackhawk “Battle Bag”
I’m currently using a “Battle Bag,” by Blackhawk. It’s the size of a briefcase, and is designed to fulfill the role of a “Go Bag.” Cleverly designed, there is room for several IBDs, several MREs, a couple of bottles of water, pistol, magazines, holster, et al. For “grab-and-go” emergencies, it is just the ticket! Call them at 800 694 5263.
/John
2 July 06
As always, pertinent comments from my friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, on the subject of Go-Bags:
“One of my graduates recently joined a community emergency response group. Written orders state that go-bags (they use that term too) ‘may not contain candles, weapons, or drugs without a prescription.’
Taking it as read, we spoke with an MD friend, who wrote this prescription:
‘Rx for Emergency Call-out:
G19
PRN
Unlimited refills’
(PRN roughly translates to, ‘use as necessary’)”
Comment: … when we must play their game!
/John
5 July 06
Some good advice on frangible 223, from a friend who uses a lot of it:
“Stay away from iron-based frangible, such as Remington’s ‘Disintegrator.’ Iron residue stays hot for a LONG time after impact, and has started several range fires. Copper/polyester projectiles are light and require a hot loading in order to reliably cycle the action on most autoloading rifles. The invariable result is a fast bullet that surely disintegrates upon impact, but is still going fast enough to generate momentary impact temperatures high enough to melt steel and thus leave pock marks.
The best frangible 223 bullets are copper/tin. Density close to lead, and the bullets are hard enough to successfully crimp to the case. We recommend nothing faster than 2,800 f/s. Stay below that, you should see no damage on high-quality steel targets.”
Comment: The best frangible 223 is still going to be far less satisfactory than conventional bullets, even in training. I don’t like it, but, when compelled to use it, I’ll opt for the best performer available.
/John
5 July 06
On “Frankenguns,” from a friend and well-known riflesmith:
“Many don’t know that the M4 requires a different front sight housing than does the old style. The correct front sight housing will have an “F” stamped in it. Correct M4 front sight housing will be a nominal 1.970″ from the top of the barrel to the flat between the sight ears.
An M4, put together with an ‘old’ barrel (and sight housing) will invariably shoot high, way beyond the ability of sights to correct. Many print four inches or more above the point of aim at twenty-five meters!
Those with ‘Frankenguns’ (cobbled together from whatever parts can be found, scrounged or bought cheap at a gun show) should be on the lookout for this. Most M4s that consistently print high have the wrong front-sight housing. Plug that same barrel into a standard upper, and it will probably zero just fine.”
Comment: We see “Frankenguns” in courses. Few work well! As they come form the factory, ARs are far from perfect, but at least most manufacturers have some idea of what it takes to produce a serous, utility rifle. Many scanty-documented updates have come and gone in the forty years the AR-15 has been around, as noted above. Best advice is acquire a factory rifle and then train yourself around it. Learn to use it “as is,” keeping modifications to a minimum.
/John
5 July 06
Cor-Bon DPX and car doors:
At a pistol course last weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot up several expendable vehicles we had on the range, expressly for that purpose. We used the vehicles (a late-model Jeep and a late-model Honda) as props during several tactical exercises, and then we shot them with various rounds in order to give students first-hand knowledge and experience with the issue of vehicle penetration.
As a general statement, high-performance pistol bullets, at typical pistol velocities, are disappointing on car doors, failing to penetrate most of the time. In fact, even most 223 rifle bullets don’t do much better in this regard than do pistol bullets. Car glass, particularly when struck at shallow angles, is also rarely penetrated, and, when it is, the path of the bullet is radically altered, sometimes by almost ninety degrees!
That foregoing generalization was largely confirmed by our experience last weekend. Car doors are, or course, not homogeneous, and bullets do occasionally sail through, but, while most penetrate the outer skin, the vast majority fail to punch through the inner layer and carry on into the car itself.
It was my intention to compare 45ACP DPX (160gr), which I carry in my Detonics 9-11-01 (1911) with other, quality, high-performance pistol ammunition. We shot car doors from all sides, but the most relevant test, in my opinion, was when we shot into the door at a thirty-degree angle, as would be the case when I would shoot at someone who is using the partially-open door for cover.
Results were dramatic! With this angled-impact test, most high-performance hollowpoint pistol bullets penetrated through-and-through less than ten-percent of the time. Even when they did, upon exiting they were badly mangled and had lost much of their weight. What exited was actually just the biggest piece!
DPX, on the other hand, penetrated over eighty percent of the time, and the bullet stayed in one piece in nearly every case.
This experience confirmed my decision to carry DPX in all pistol calibers I normally carry, including 380Auto, 9mm, 40S&W, 357SIG, 45GAP, and 45ACP. (1) It expands reliably in soft tissue, even after penetrating heavy clothing. (2) It is not deflected by car glass, even during angular penetration. (3) And, it punches through car doors vastly more reliably than does nearly any other pistol bullet. Highly recommended!
/John
6 July 06
Nervous Students:
I make it a habit of gently, informally probing the motivation of my students, and I’ve detected a trend lately, a trend that is not unique to my school: Students tell me they’re seeking our instruction because they’re “nervous.” We haven’t seen so many simultaneous, worldwide hotspots in many decades. My students, particularly those getting involved with serious guns and the ontogenesis of purposeful shooting skills for the first time in their otherwise etiolated lives, tell me that they want, they desperately want, some capacity for “independent action,” an issue that scarcely crossed their collective minds, until recently.
It may be mostly a symptom of natural, societal maturation, yet I hear it over and over. “I’m scared,” “I’m worried,” and “I don’t want to be helpless any more” are typical refrains, as we all wrestle with the persistent, jittery, but unmistakable perception that world history is plummeting headlong into another Great Dark Age!
Other institutions are experiencing similar phenomena. Churches that, in the process of pursuing fashionable trends, had compromised the most, are the very ones that are now shrinking the fastest! “Gun control,” as a political issue has, once again, become an unmentionable topic. With only a few, notable exceptions, Democrats and Republicans alike refuse to discuss it openly. They both fear a public that has grown weary of being told they are too stupid to own guns. That fraudulent refrain may have scored points, at least among the naive, when the future looked bright. It falls on apprehensive and uncharitable ears now!
I’m not in the crystal-ball business, but I think there is good reason for the chilling motivation that sends students to us for the first time, people who wouldn’t have dreamed of it as little as a year ago. They’re scared! Right now, we’re all a little scared.
“God and soldiers we adore,
In time of peril, not before!
Danger past, all things righted,
God’s forgotten, soldiers slighted.”
/John
7 July 06
GUNS & WARRIORS – DTI QUIPS, VOLUME 1 is now available. It contains all John Farnam’s Quips, from 1998 through 2002. Quips are organized by subject into 34 chapters, ranging from ammunition, gun handling, pistol, rifle and shotgun selection and reliability, hunting, officer involved shootings, to historical essays. An extensive index makes it easy to find what you are looking for in its 616 pages.
Price is $30.00 and includes shipping and handling. Order online, at DTIPubs.com, or directly by phone at 303 443 9817
Guns & Warriors
DTI Quips, Volume 1
By John S Farnam
616 pages
Publication year: 2006
ISBN: 0-9659422-5-2
Trade Paperback
DTI Publications Inc
PO Bx 18746
Boulder CO 80308
303 443 9817
/John
8 July 06
The deadly “Hesitant-Reload,” from a friend and student currently in Country:
“John, we’ve lost several troopers over here to the ‘Hesitant-Reload Syndrome.” This represents a flaw in our current training, and we try to correct it when guys arrive, but sometimes there is no time before they find themselves in active fighting.
When troopers reload their rifles, many commit the twin, deadly mistakes: They (1) stop and look down at their rifle, and (2) thrust their rifle’s muzzle in the air in an attempt to gain access to the magazine well. Insurgent sharpshooters are waiting for them to do just that!
So long as they are in motion and/or using cover skillfully, our troopers make difficult targets, but, as you say in your courses, ‘It’s a reload, not a recess!’ Many troopers act as if they get to relax and stop paying attention to what is going on around them when a reload becomes necessary, instead of staying in motion and being actively engaged visually, WHILE they are reloading. We have to constantly remind them to stay in motion and/or reload behind cover. Hesitating in the open to reload is suicide!
The second issue is thrusting muzzles into the air. ‘Muzzle down!’ is a constant refrain around here, but new troopers often forget. Even when you are taking full advantage of the relative safety provided by good cover, a rifle barrel protruding into space is an all-too conspicuous flag and lets the enemy know exactly where you are and, often, what you are doing. When the vertical, protruding barrel subsequently tilts forward, enemy sharpshooters know you’ve reloaded and are about to fire over the wall. They just put their crosshairs where your head is likely to appear and wait. They’re usually right on the money!
Tell your Marine and Army students about this. You must fight THROUGH your reload, staying in motion and using cover. Keep the enemy guessing! He should never be sure of exactly where you are or what you’re doing or are about to do. Keep your muzzle down, always!”
Comment: This is sage, and hard-earned, advice from one who is in a position to know. Let us all take note, while we still can!
/John
8 July 06
It works both ways! This, from a friend and colleague who has just returned from an overseas tour:
“Amen, Brother! In Iraq, I habitually watched to see which way the muzzle, typically elevated, went when the insurgent moved. I couldn’t see him, but I always knew in which direction he was headed. When the muzzle stopped and tilted forward, I focused in. I killed two via shots to the head, just as you described. I’d been following their movement behind a wall by the six inches of barrel poking up. When their heads appeared, exactly where and when expected, I was always ready. They never finished their prayer!”
Comment: Hope they’re enjoying the seventy-two virgins!
/John
10 July 06
Coincidence, or something more sinister?
In a booklet of advice to South African farmers, who were targeted for extermination by the ANC during the Apartheid era (and continuing today, now that the ANC IS the government!), one stanza reads, “Don’t con yourself into thinking you’re too insignificant to be targeted.” A Soviet infantry manual, dating from the 1930s, puts it this way, “Don’t touch anything unnecessarily. Beware of pretty girls in dance halls, bicycles, revolvers, uniforms, dead horses, and men lying on roads. They are not there accidentally!”
“Paranoia” is a mental disorder, characterized by irrational belief in delusory threats. Taking reasonable precautions in an effort to protect oneself against known, active threats, endemic to Planet Earth, is not a manifestation of paranoia, although the shallow and naive always identify it as such, usually in an effort to convince themselves more than to convince you.
I’ve been asked more than once, “Since you go armed and keep guns in your home in a high state of readiness, may I assume you have no faith in the police department?” I customarily reply, “Because you keep a fire extinguisher in your home, may I assume you have no faith in the fire department?” When it comes to protecting my life, the only one I’ll ever have, I leave little to chance, and I’m not about to believe that someone else cares about me more than I do. In the end, we’re all dead anyway, but it’s a tough and dangerous world in the interim, and, while some day, I’m confident my body will succumb to bacterial attack, I’m determined that it not succumb to criminal attack between then and now. I consider my life too precious for that!
As professional gunmen therefore, we have to be cynical, shrewd, and wary, while at the same time being appreciative, inquisitive, and caring, taking full advantage of all this life has to offer. Only fools sit on the sidelines. On the other hand, only fools con themselves or allow themselves to be conned by others, and only fools permit fear to drive them to inaction, and maybe crazy (paranoid?) too!
“When young, I worried about making mistakes. When old, I wish I’d made more!”
/John
14 July 06
S&W M&P AR-15
We just completed a Patrol Rifle Course with a Sheriff’s Department here in Colorado. They have seven, brand-new S&W M&P AR-15s (223), three of which were equipped with EOTechs. After several hundred rounds of hard, strenuous use, all worked perfectly. The system is well accepted and well liked by deputies. Along with their new M&P Pistol, S&W has a sound system here. S&W is back!
/John
14 July 06
20ga Buckshot
On the recommendation of our good friend and colleague, Marty Topper, I got a supply of Federal Premium 20ga 3″ #2 Buckshot rounds. This ammunition is designed to deliver tight patterns, extending the usual range of 20ga buckshot (fifteen meters) to twenty-five meters. It delivers in spades!
Shooting next to 12ga shotguns with 00 Buckshot, Vicki’s 20ga Mossberg pump with this new Federal ammunition hit with comparable force, spinning Safe Direction’s Rotating Targets handily. For those with 20ga shotguns, this is the way to go. Highly recommended!
/John
17 July 06
Comments from a frustrated friend who owns an indoor gun range:
“… invariably the ones with chronic gun problems are Frankengun owners, who have stuffed their guns chock-full of after-market parts and endless accessories. I want to reach across the counter and grab them by their scrawny necks, while screaming:
WHEN YOU HAVE RELIABLE IGNITION AND FUNCTIONING, DON’T “FIX” IT. LEAVE IT ALONE!”
Comment: Again, we only deal with serious guns for serious purposes. Thus, “recreational” guns, like “recreational” food, don’t interest me, nor do I have patience with those who keep getting the two mixed in with each other!
/John
17 July 06
At recent Urban Rifle courses, we’ve encountered several AR-15s equipped with the after-market “Accu-Wedge,” a wad of rubber that is jammed between the lower and upper receivers. It is supposed to improve accuracy. What it does mostly is preclude the gun from functioning normally!
The extremely limited effective range of the 223 cartridge does not justify any “accuracy enhancements,” any more than such things would be advisable on an M1 Carbine. Making believe your rifle is something it is not is, at once, injudicious and delusional!
/John
17 July 06
On fighting, from a security specialist in TX:
“As I was making rounds last night, I noticing a disheveled customer on the main floor. He was yelling incoherently at our DJ. It was obvious this person was both intoxicated, and geared up for a fight.
I confronted him with my usual, ‘House security, sir. Is there a problem here?’ He straightaway responded with a fusillade of vile curses as he, apparently losing interest in the DJ, began moving aggressively toward me. His fists were clenched.
When close enough, I precipitously struck him in the chest with a double palm-heel. The blow took him by surprise. It knocked the wind out of him and sent him stumbling backward. Seizing the initiative, I closed the distance, swept him to the floor, and, after tense moments of serious wrestling, managed to get him cuffed. When I caught my breath, I summoned my uniformed guards. During the entire affair, which lasted only a few seconds, among all the other patrons, no one offered to assist or even call for help. That is what we’ve come to expect here!
When things go south, as was the case here, usually within seconds, one must be able to quickly size up the situation, make a plan, and then act at the critical moment. Minds chronically filled with ‘clog and clutter’ are seldom able to transition to action soon enough. Sometimes, that clutter is actually generated by too many choices!
Even when fairly clanking with weapons, from guns to impact tools, one still needs be well versed in plain-vanilla fighting, seamlessly escalating and de-escalating as circumstances dictate. The ‘ultimate advantage’ is not this weapon or that, this caliber or that. It is clear thinking and the ability to move from thought to action directly and smoothly. The notion that, to be successful, one must be equipped with this or that weapon is self-deception and constitutes little more than an excuse to lose. I’ve seen many such losers, all with too much faith in their equipment and too little in themselves!
(1) Mind and Spirit, (2) Technical Superiority, (3) Icy Determination, and (4) Superiority of Purpose, all combine to bring forth personal victory. The rest is just commentary!”
/John
18 July 06
I just got off the phone with a good friend who is Rangemaster with a large, metro PD in the Midwest. The topic was rifles in beat cars, used by patrol officers.
His department is equipped with Beretta Storm/CX4 Carbines in 9mm, and they are delighted with them! What he likes most is the fact that the Carbine shoots the same ammunition as his department pistols, and both weapons use the same magazine! Practice is pleasant, and officers, even small ones, consider recoil and muzzle blast eminently manageable. Their qualification course requires reasonable accuracy out to fifty meters, and the little Beretta Carbine delivers in spades. Several carbines assigned to the range have now logged in excess of 20,000 rounds. On several, maintenance has been minimal, including deliberately not lubricating them (as a test). Even so, there have been extremely few stoppages, all corrected on the spot. So far, they’ve broken one extractor.
I now have my own copy of the CX4, in 40S&W, and I’ll be using it over the next few months. I must say it is short, handy, and light, easy to maneuver, even inside of a car. The cross-bolt safety button may be an issue with left-handers. I’ll get a reading from by left-handed students as to how big an issue it actually is.
Beretta may have something here! Get hold of my friend Craig Turner at Beretta at 321 777 5453. He has all the details. More later.
/John
19 July 06
As we were concluding an Advanced Urban Rifle Program in WY last weekend, one of my students was having a terrible time passing our test, which required him to switch shoulders as he engaged multiple, steel targets. I consider the ability to shoot rifles “left-handed” a critical skill. In the end, he was unable to pass, despite heroic effort. He is Jewish, and his personal lineament was wounded, though he hid it well.
During our closing ceremony, he asked to briefly speak to all of us. Permission was, of course, instantly granted. He indicated that his family had come to this Country from Russia several generations ago, like so many, fleeing religious persecution. Innumerable Jewish families never made it! He told us about the “knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night,” which portended the murder of so many. He went on to say that his ancestors, the few who survived and the many who didn’t, were mostly unarmed and, more to the point, had no practical weapons skills. They, like so many other betrayed innocents, were defenseless and helpless when remorselessly murdered, some by nationalized gangsters, but most be the government itself.
“Since in America,” he went on, “my family and I have made it a personal mantra to be well armed, well skilled, and fundamentally unapologetic about refusing to be victims of criminal violence. The ‘knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night’ may be coming for all of us, and maybe sooner than any of us imagine possible. I may have missed here this afternoon during my test, but I won’t miss then, nor will I hesitate!”
Tears flowed down his cheeks as his voice trailed off. The rest of us stood in silence as we were all reminded that moment of what this Country stands for. America is a shining beacon, a ray of hope to billions who live in virtual slavery and whose lives are routinely and casually snuffed out at the insouciant whim of thoughtless potentates.
In ancient times, each warrior was known by the unique design on his shield. During close-quarter fighting, it became virtually impossible to know friend from foe without an intimate knowledge of shield designs. For example, all shields carried by Spartan Hopolites bore the Greek symbol Lambda, (^) or “L,” which stood for Laconia, the area in southern Greece where, in the Tenth Century BC, their ancestors (and ours!) had settled and founded the city-state of Sparta.
Derived from the Semitic letter, “Lamedh” (ox-goad), lambda is the eleventh letter in the Hellenic Alphabet and the basis for our letter “L.” Originally a picture-symbol for scales, the letter eventually took on the abstract meaning of “balance.” Lacedaemonians (Spartans) painted upper-case Lambdas on their shields, symbolizing not only their fierce unity but also their belief that the demands of the state must never interfere with the freedom and independence of the individual citizen. Thus, it is, even today, the upper-case lambda ( ^ ) that is painted as chevrons on our armored vehicles, representing warriors who balance duty with honor and freedom.
Let us never forget that we Americans bear the onus of our proud, Western Heritage, so nobly earned in 480 BC at the pass of Thermopylae by King Leonidas and his Army of three-hundred Spartans. Because of their bravery, audacity, and determination, and that of many others in generations since, the “knock-on-the-door-in-the-middle-of-the-night” has not been part of our lives, at least not yet!
/John
19 July 2006
Observation from a friend in SA:
“Last week, we shot in the middle of a typical Cape Town winter rain. This place is not known as the ‘Cape of Storms’ for nothing! We all got soaked.
Water had no effect on the operation of our CZs, but it did on Glocks. Glock magazines, when soaked, hang in the weapon. My shooting partner, who usually dumps used mags out as fast as I can blink, had to manually rip mags out in order to reload. Nearly all other Glock shooters experienced the same problem. This is the wettest it has ever been while we have been shooting, and it is the first time I have noticed water having this effect on Glock magazines. It is, of course, no problem for those of us who have trained properly, but it confused quite a few.”
Lesson: Our training routines must address situations like these, which, though rare, like sand traps at the golf course, lie in wait to ensnare the unwary.
/John
24 July 06
On Wet Glocks, from a friend who is an engineer:
“All polymers absorb moisture and expand as a result, to one degree or another. In fact, plastic pellets used in molding, must go through a dryer to remove moisture before being melted, lest they burst like popcorn .
I’ll bet rain-induced expansion, combined with suction, made those South-African Glock magazines stick in the magazine well to a greater degree than expected.”
/John
25 July 05
Excellent analysis of the current situation in the Mideast, from an observer and friend in SA:
“When in the Navy years ago, I witnessed a bar fight in downtown Olongapo (Philippines) that still haunts my dreams. The fight was between a big oaf of a Marine and a soft-spoken, slightly-built Latino sailor from my ship.
All evening, the Marine, an obvious career bully, had been doing his best to pick a fight with one of us and finally set his sights on this diminutive shipmate of mine, obviously figuring him an easy victim. When my friend repeatedly refused to be goaded into a fight, the Marine sucker punched him from behind, knocking him to the floor. I figured this event would signal the start of a general brawl that would involve everyone present, but it was not to be.
My shipmate got up, signaled all of us to stay where we were, and then turned to face the Marine. Then we all watched in astonishment as, employing a series of lightening jabs and upper cuts, our sailor instantly backed the astonished Marine into a corner. This young lad, we found out later, had spent his youth boxing at a gym in the Bronx.
The Marine was altogether outclassed. Each lightening punch opened a nasty cut on the Marine’s amazed face, and he was powerless to deflect them. By the time he had been backed completely into the corner, he was blubbering pathetically for someone to step in and ‘stop the fight.’ His lips were both badly split, several teeth were chipped, and his entire battered face had already begun to swell. Blood was trickling down his brows from a dozen cuts.
None of us moved nor said anything. The only sound was the sickening, bibulous staccato of fists impacting on facial bones. Finally, the Marine’s pleading turned to screams, shrill, womanly shrieks, and still remorseless punches pummeled him relentlessly. Several of us, including me, who thought it had gone far enough, took tentative steps forward in an attempt to break it up, but hands reached out and held us back.
Our Latino sailor had a plan, and only now did it become obvious. Prior to each blow, our sailor begun chanting a soft cadence: ‘Admit you were wrong; say you’re sorry, so it can be heard by all of us.’ He had been repeating it from the start, but the rest of us only became aware when the requiem barroom cheers died down.
The hapless Marine continued to wail, futilely attempting to block carefully-timed punches that were cutting his head and face to tatters. But, he refused to say that he was wrong. Even in his delirium, he believed that someone would step in and stop the fight before he was compelled to admit defeat. I’m sure that strategy had served him well in the past and had allowed him to continue his career as a bully.
Finally, in a lamentation of agony, the Marine screamed ‘I give up!’ Instantly, our sailor backed away. For this slow-witted Marine, I’ve no doubt that this was a life-changing experience. His days of bullying came to an abrupt and ignominious end that night!
I’m sure you’ve already guessed why I shared this painful story. I’m not particularly proud to have been witness to such a bloody spectacle, and the sound of that Marine’s woman-like shrieks will haunt
me to my grave. But, I learned something that day, something that Israel had better learn for itself if it is ever to rid itself of its tormentor:
Hezbollah terrorists must be allowed to be beaten so badly that every civilized nation will stand in horror, wanting desperately to step in and stop the carnage, but readily conceding that the fight will only truly be over when one side gives up and unequivocally admits defeat. Just as every person who had ever stepped in and rescued a bully, before the fight was truly over, helped enable the cowardly brute I saw that evening so long ago in the Philippines, every well-intentioned power that has stepped in and negotiated a premature cease-fire on behalf of a malignant aggressor has materially contributed in the creation of the monsters we see around us today.
President Lahoud of Lebanon, a dependable Hezbollah supporter and ally of Syria, has been shrieking non-stop to the UN Security Council in order to persuade them to force Israel into a untimely cease fire. His clear agenda is the same one use by barroom bullies worldwide: (1) Pick a fight with an eligible victim. (2) When you discover you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, persuade the gaggle of spineless weenies at the UN and their namby-pamby counterparts in the USA and Western Europe to knuckle under to ceaseless demands for a cease-fire. (3) Once your foolish opponent agrees to a cease-fire, pay no attention to any promises you made in order to get the fighting stopped. (4) Use the artificial peace to rearm and start your attacks anew. (5) Repeat as necessary, and never worry a whit about naive politicians ever catching on to your scam. (6) Continue to insist that you are perfect, incapable of error, and are doing the Will of God.
All you have to do is wait it out. Eventually the world will become weary and sickened at what is being done to your soldiers and civilian population. They will force a truce. Once a truce is called, you can promptly resume your intransigence, and even declare victory, as your naive opponent leaves the field of battle.
In recent history, this tactic has never failed. You can read all about it in ‘Aggression for Dummies!’
As much as it may sicken the world to stand by and watch it happen, strong hands need to hold back the naive, short-sighted, and weak-hearted and let the fight continue until one side finally admits to unambiguous defeat. Premature, artificial cease-fires only insure that the war will go on forever!”
Comment: Doug Macarthur is often quoted as saying “There is no substitute for victory!,” unmitigated, unconditional, incontrovertible, VICTORY! Unfinished wars, the province of gutless politicians, have been a plague upon world history since the end of WWII. Wars that fizzle out inconclusively always reignite months or years later. Bullies know the routine well.
When will we learn?
/John
25 July 06
Belgium going the same way as SA and the UK, from a friend and student who lives there:
“Five weeks ago, a murder was committed in Belgium. The perpetrator used a rifle whose sale did not require a permit. As a consequence, the gun bill that has been pending here for the last ten years was suddenly voted into law in three days! The atmosphere in the Parliament was tense, and there was huge pressure from the Minister of Justice to vote for this bill. Among our weenie politicians (like yours), nobody dared vote against it.
From now on:
All guns owned by citizens require a permit, issued by the central government at their whim. Permits can be arbitrarily denied and, for all practical purposes, there is no recourse. ‘Legitimate motive’ now must be listed, which includes hunting and competition, but self-protection is specifically excluded. Anyone who even mentions that subject will be automatically denied (How dare you think your life is worth protecting!).
Old permits are no longer valid. All must be turned in, and new ones applied for, requiring the payment of new fees. The process must be repeated every five years, including a rejustification of the motives for owning firearms.
Permit holders must take an ‘examination’ by an ‘approved’ doctor, who must certify that the person is mentally competent to own firearms. This cannot be done by any doctor, but only one from a list of gun-haters imposed by the Minister of Justice.
No right of inheritance. Even legally-owned firearms must be turned into the government upon the death of the owner.
We are appealing, but you know how that goes!”
Comment: Legislation like this is always rammed through with an emotional catalyst. So long as logic and common sense can be suspended, politicians can deceive a naive public into believing that the denial of the capacity for independent action, by some magic conjuration, protects them from criminals.
You can be sure, politicians, their families, friends, and big contributors have been specifically exempted. While they seize guns from hapless peons, they heavily arm themselves! Hypocrisy?
/John
26 July 06
Another dreary, media leftist published an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, entitled, “How New, Deadly Pocket knives Became a $1 Billion Business.” The article sensationalizes this non-issue by stating, “These knives are faster than a switchblade, yet still legal!” It also makes vague reference to a mysterious “FBI bulletin” that cites an “emerging threat” (we apparently don’t get to know to whom) posed by knives. The author continues, “… laws across the US are a mishmash because (legislators) really don’t know anything about knives”.
Now, that part is actually true! Legislators know precious little about anything, nor do they make any effort to educate themselves, but that never dissuades them from doing their best to regulate us, and everything we own and use, to death.
Happily, in most parts of the Country, knives are essentially unregulated. Even laws prohibiting this or that kind or size of knife are largely unenforced, and, with a little imagination, one can pretty much get and carry any kind of knife he wants, laws and regulations on the subject notwithstanding.
But, of course, the paranoid media, as always looking desperately for something of which they can be frightened, suddenly sees knives as a “new” menace, knives that have been in the hands of Americans since long before any of them were born! Not content to merely advocate the elimination of the private ownership of guns, the media, evidently considering that battle mostly won, has now turned their fickle attention to blades. And, as with anti-gun hysteria, they offer no facts, no legitimately persuasive contestation, just shallow, emotional trumpery, hoping to frighten their readership into suspending common sense.
They are a disgrace to their profession and deserve to be shunned.
/John
31 July 06
On the S&W M&P Pistol and its irritating magazine safety, from a friend and well-known pistolsmith:
“The M&P’s magazine disconnect, as it turns out, can just be taken out. No need to clip or pin it back and out of action. The lever is mounted on a cross pin and cams the trigger bar away from the sear. When the entire part is simply removed, the trigger bar will stay in contact with the sear, and the pistol will operate as if it were never there!”
For those who, like me, consider “magazine safeties” on serious pistols a death trap, there appears now to be an easy way of getting rid of it on the otherwise excellent M&P. My copy came without a magazine safety, but most M&Ps found on retail shelves have one installed.
/John
31 July 06
Beretta’s PX4 Pistol:
Here is another excellent, serious pistol! I’ve had the opportunity to carry for the past several weeks the Beretta PX4 Storm in 40S&W. It went through a thorough workout last weekend during a Three-Gun Course we did in NM.
The PX4 is a light, polymer-frame, compact autoloader, designed for concealed carry. Gregg Garrett at Comp-Tac made me a C-Tac/IWB holster for it, and it carries concealed just fine. Like S&W’s M&P, it features interchangeable grip panels, and all three sizes come with each pistol. My copy has the “Constant-Action” trigger, which is the only variation I recommend. It is hammer-fired, but self-decoking and has no manual decocking lever. The trigger pull is short, similar to SIG’s DAK system. My 229/DAK is a constant, six pounds. Beretta’s PX4/Constant Action is nearly identical, but eight pounds.
The PX4 uses a rotary-barrel action. To lock and unlock, the barrel rotates instead of tilting. Size and weight is the same at the M&P, SIG’s 229, H&K’s P2000, and the G23. It comes apart almost exactly like a Glock, except that it does not need to be dry-fired before field stripping. There are no small parts, and it can’t be put back together incorrectly. Externally, the PX4 is smooth and devoid of sharp edges and corners. It is a working gun, designed to spend its life in a holster. It has no magazine safety, nor “loaded-chamber indicator,” thank Heaven!
Much more compact and carryable than Beretta’s 92-series, the PX4, I believe, will now displace older Beretta models.
I ran several hundred rounds of randomly mixed, badly-corroded, junk ammunition through my copy of the PX4. It gobbled it all up with nary a hiccup. On one occasion, the pistol was dropped in the dust, picked up, and immediately fired. It continued to run just fine. I’m carrying it now, loaded with Cor-Bon/DPX. In 40S&P, the PX4 is a fifteen-shooter, and magazines are metal and, alas, designed in Beretta’s thumb-busting tradition!
Like S&W, I think Beretta now has a genuinely useable and carryable, serious pistol. Reliable, durable, and accurate, the PX4 is good to go. Beretta is coming back!
/John
