6 Feb 2020

“When you concentrate on a closed door, you may miss the open one”

Mehmet Murat ildan

A physician student has asked me:

“You’ve admonished us all to be careful about naively substituting light ‘recreational’ guns for serious, military weapons.

However, here on the East Coast I must travel through many ‘restrictive’ places, where ‘scary-looking’ guns are not strictly legal for us ‘ordinary peons’ to possess.

For a travel-gun (in addition to my pistol), I’m looking at a Marlin 1894 CST lever-gun, chambered in 38Spl/357Mg. It looks ‘sporty,’ takes ammunition that is easy to find in most places, and it is short, light, and ‘handy.’”

My comment:

My advice with regard to choice of serious weapons applies only when you have a choice!

When choices are restricted, as illustrated above, we have to “get creative,” which is to say we must entertain compromises.

For example, revolvers and lever-guns have drawbacks, to be sure, but we must still be expert in their deployment and use, because we can’t predict what we may one day be compelled to use in our personal defense.

When I have the choice, I like to travel with an M4, XCR, FAL, PTR, POF, M1A, CX4, MCX, AK, M1 Carbine, et al, chambered for a caliber that will be easy to find.

When none of the aforementioned are available, then a lever-gun, even a bolt-gun, may have to do!

With the Marlin CST, the attached tube-magazine will have to be pre-charged, so that a quick manipulation of the lever will instantly render the gun ready to fire. When the magazine is empty to begin with, quickly charging it with individual rounds, while under stress, will be a task fraught with speed-bumps!

And, in case you’re wondering if there is a point lurking in all this:

Aside from voting and supporting freedom-loving politicians (a rare commodity), few of us have significant influence over political trends. In whatever place and predicament we find ourselves, we have to do what “represents our best interests.”

That is to say: Find a way to win!

Remember “Farnam’s First Rule of Tactics:”

Do the best you can!

/John