âMan plans, and God laughsâ
19 July 12 âMan plans, and God laughsâ In the last of his radio âFireside Chatsâ of 1940, FDR coined a new phrase, âArsenal of Democracy,â to describe the hysterical domestic military build-up, then going forward at a frenzied pace. War-fever had caught on! Hitlerâs precipitous invasion of Poland a year earlier, and his U-Boats […]
Wrong direction
16 July 12 âChance favors the prepared. Fortune, the bold. Providence, the audacious!â Weâre going in the wrong direction: Wars canât be successfully propagated exclusively with cantankerous, grumbling, Metamucil-swigging, easily-irritated codgers, so, as noted, we have to inject our years of experience directly into the blood of our current generation of heroic, young firebrands. âReadinessâ […]
Are we training, or just pretending?
15 July 12 At a Defensive Handgun/Urban Rifle Program recently, one of my students was a strapping, young Marine E6 with a nearly a decade of active service. His learning attitude was excellent. He was there on his own dime, and anxious to learn everything he could. As a Marine Infantry Officer (Ret), I am […]
USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat)
14 July 12 USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat) My good friend and colleague, Bob Jensen, is hosting a BBQ at his shop (Jensenâs) in Loveland, on 28 July 12 (Sat). Proceeds benefit our Wounded Warrior Program. As a USMC Infantry Officer (Ret), three-times wounded myself (Vietnam), I appreciate what Bob is doing, […]
Premium ARs
14 July 12 Iâve written recently about utility ARs, most of which currently retail at 1k to 1.5k. Windham, and a few others (Palmetto, Del-Ton) come in below $800.00. I donât have personal experience with all, but Windhamâs version seems very acceptable. Friends tell me the other two mentioned above are acceptable also. I like […]
Blown Primers, Revisited
14 July 12 At an Urban Rifle Course in CO last week, one of my Instructors brought a Doublestar AR, which ran fine until the second day. Ammunition was WW White-Box. During a live-fire drill, the rifleâs bolt-carrier stuck in its retracted position, within the buffer-tube. No amount of coaxing persuaded it to resume normal […]
Windham Weaponry
13 July 12 Windham Weaponry: I donât endorse products, but I do recommend some. Since I have no financial connection with any gun company, nor any ammunition company, Iâm free to say terrible things about any of them! Of all companies currently manufacturing utility ARs, or at least putting them together under their name, Iâve […]
DHS “study”
5 July 12 âTrue literature… is created, not by diligent and trustworthy officials, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels, and skepticsâ Zamyatin A curious âstudy,â funded by DHS, now labels all Americans who are âsuspicious of centralized federal authority,â or âreverent of individual libertyâ as terrorists! It is not surprising that such government-funded âstudies,â […]
From a friend in the System
2 July 12 From a friend in the System: âThe only real purpose of âFast and Furious,â now altogether discredited, was to fraudulently vilify honest American gun-owners and retailers, with, of course, all-too-enthusiastic cheerleading on the part of the Administrationâs media lackeys. Leftist politicians dependably single-out for punishment constituencies who do not support them politically. […]
Fearful âProtectors?â
1 July 12 Armed, US Border Patrol Agents are now being ordered by Janet N at DHS, and by proxy BHO himself, when encountering âactive shooters,â to: â… run away and hideâ â… call law enforcementâ Since there is no such thing as organized, political terrorism in Janetâs world, only âworkplace violence,â even police are […]
Excellent comments on Urban Rifle training
26 June 12 Excellent comments on Urban Rifle training, from a recent student: âCompetent, attentive instructors are essential. Critiques from instructors must be delivered immediately, politely, but with concern. When your instructor fails to notice misplaced fingers, poorly run triggers, and sloppiness in gun-handling, youâre not getting your moneyâs worth. It’s a simple fact that, […]
Comments from a friend and long-time LEO in a neighboring state
25 June 12 Comments from a friend and long-time LEO in a neighboring state: âWith regard to your previous Quip, we are assuredly seeing the trend here. Our local gun-shop looks as if it is going out of business, because display cases are mostly bare. During ânormalâ times, there are at least sixty handguns on […]
Comments from left-handers
22 June 12 Comments from left-handers: âLet me say to lefties what you, being right-handed, may not. As a left-handed person, I must comment that âleft-handedâ versions of nearly anything are patently ridiculous. This is especially true with guns. Lefties must learn to use all tools that are, or will likely be, available to them. […]
When the âcureâ is worse than the âdisease”
22 June 12 When the âcureâ is worse than the âdisease:â Over the last two days, we conducted an Urban Rifle Course at the famous Cor-Bon Academy in Sturgis, SD. A student brought a Stag Arms âleft-handedâ gas-piston AR. Unfortunately, it is only partially left-handed. It is, in fact, a mixture of left-handed and right-handed […]
More comments on AR parts/accessories, from an AR Armorer
18 June 12 More comments on AR parts/accessories, from an AR Armorer: âBeware! There are a lot of crap AR parts out there. Most top-tier manufacturers donât themselves make every part that goes into rifles they sell. They have to buy parts from vendors, and, as noted, the parts-market is a minefield right now! Even […]
AR âBattery Assistâ Device
18 June 12 Magpul, and several other companies, are currently marketing a âBattery Assistâ Device for ARs. It is an aftermarket add-on that is touted to make reloading the AR faster and easier than is the case with the rifle in its original configuration. It is a small appliance that attaches to the rifleâs bolt-lock […]
âYouâre Expendable?â
14 June 12 âYouâre Expendable?â Comments on womenâs security planning, from a colleague: âAs you noted in your last Quip, many of our female students, and some males too, envision their roles in this life, and within their family, as strictly supportive and non-assertive. Many thus find what weâre teaching to be in conflict with […]
Deliberately shooting to âwound,â or âdisable,â rather than âkillâ
12 June 12 Deliberately shooting to âwound,â or âdisable,â rather than âkillâ Reasonable idea? At a Defensive Pistol Class last weekend, one of my students, a lovely young wife, pregnant with her first child, asked about the idea of using her pistol to âwoundâ a home-invasion suspect, rather than shoot him in a way that […]
Ominous trends
11 June 12 We conducted a Defensive Handgun Course last weekend here in CO. We worked with a group of students, most of whom were buying pistols and simultaneously applying for CCW permits, for the first time. We had XD/Mâs, along with Glocks, and one S&W SD9/VE. S&Wâs âV-Seriesâ is a price-point pistol, half-way between […]
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6 June 12 âEditorial content? Thatâs the stuff we cram between ads!â Roy Thompson, British Journalist On yesterdayâs recall election in WI, from a friend in Madison, WI: âHilarious watching TV news last night! Local stations preempted network shows to present all the âdramaâ of the recall. Editorial boards here are, of course, made up […]