3 Nov 08
Current retail front, from a friend who owns a big gun store in the Midwest:
âWe are experiencing a feeding frenzy here! We’re selling guns as fast as our staff can run cash registers and complete paperwork. Yesterday expended our stock of Kalashnikovs, and today we ran out of ARs. We have virtually nothing remaining in stock.
We’ve even run out of G17s! In the gun business, running out of G17s is like a bar running out of Jim Beam! At this pace, the pipelineâs capacity is measured in only a day or two.â
Comment: Who are not already âset upâ are going to have great difficulty from this point
forward.
/John
3 Nov 08
On tomorrowâs election, from friends in PA:
âThere is an willful and calculated effort on the part of those in the USA who reject the Constitution-defined, Anglo-American Political Model, and rather embrace the Franco/German/Soviet mantra (that believes citizens exist only to serve government) to subjugate, and ultimately asphyxiate all species of individual freedom. Disrespect of the history of Western Civilization in general, and US History in particular, is their MO.
Throughout American history there have been examples of suppositional national peril that have caused the electorate to put in place officials who were foolishly enamored with F/G/S constructs:
In response to threats of war with France, John Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. His son, John Quincy Adams, became naively enamored with early renderings of Communism. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and arbitrarily jailed elected legislators in order to prevent them from voting against him. Woodrow Wilson believed the Constitution was an outdated document that frustrated great men, such as (of course) himself, from wielding the unlimited power they so richly deserved. FDR casually imprisoned thousands of American citizens, based solely on race. Jimmy Carter emasculated America in the face of the Soviet Union.
Each time, however, the American People subsequently chose to right the situation, resulting in restoration of individual freedom.
America is the home of exceptional men, hopelessly wedded to liberty. Such men defiantly reject the F/G/S model that suggests that some men, by birth or acquired position, are inherently superior to others and should thus reign and enslave, rather than serve.
Ignorance is a natural state. Each of us is ignorant of much more than what little we know. Stupidity, on the other hand, requires dedication, education, and constant maintenance. Still, Churchill pointed out that Americans can always be relied upon to do the right thing, after trying everything else!â
Comment: World history is, once again, taking an accelerated, sinister turn. The American experiment, the last, great hope for mankind, may answer these challenges with boldness and audacity and go on to new victories and new accomplishments, or it may not! In this world, civilizations come and go. There are no guarantees and no âdivine protection.â Nations with a naive and self-indulgent death-wish are rarely disappointed. The dustbin of history still has plenty of room!
/John
6 Nov 08
We are entering a dark time. Paraphrasing Jefferson, critical of Old World:
European tradition dictates that citizens cannot be restrained within the limits of order and justice, except by barbarous, arbitrary force, wielded over them by âauthoritiesâ who are accountable to no one. Hence, kings, dukes, barons, priests, and an army of appointed bureaucrats. They deem it necessary to keep citizens gasping for breath, through poverty, terror, harassment, dependency, and ignorance, and to confiscate, as from bees, so much of their earnings, that incessant labor shall be necessary to obtain a sufficient surplus only to scarcely sustain a scanty and miserable existence. These âtaxesâ they then freely apply to themselves in order to maintain their privileged and conspicuously consumptive lifestyles in splendor and idleness, to fascinate the eyes of the ignorant, and excite in them an abased adoration and perpetually inebriated submission, as to an aggregation of gods!
It appears we are returning to the Old World!
/John
6 Nov 08
Equipment issues, from a friend and Trainer in SA:
âAt a Defensive Handgun Course in Cape Town last week, a female student joined us with her G19, Comp-Tac IWB holster, and other quality accessories. Everything she owned was high-end!
As we taught the Class how to draw the pistol from concealment, she kept drawing the holster along with the gun! That is, the holster was coming out of her pants with the pistol still in it. The problem was with her belt. Although the right width for the holster, it was too thin for a good grasp by the holster’s clips.
.
We ended up getting her a different belt. This one was hefty enough, and of the correct dimensions, to work in harmony with the holster.
Her problems promptly disappeared!â
Lesson: As Doc Gunn is fond of saying, all your emergency equipment is part of a âHappy Family.â When members of the Happy Family do not âplay nicely together,â discord erupts, and no one is happy!
Pay attention to all aspects of your equipment, including belt, holster, magazine carrier, pistol, et al. It all must work together well! In fact, the whole rig should be regarded as an integrated System.
/John
8 Nov 08
Feeding frenzy continues:
Reports from every corner of the Nation unite in confirming that Americans are acquiring guns and ammunition at a rate that shatters all previous records. Weâve never seen anything like it!
Here in CO, our Stateâs automated buyer-confirmation system, normally able to approve purchases in seconds, is now so constipated that buyers have to return the next day to take legal possession of their new guns. I personally watched a single buyer spend over twelve thousand dollars in twenty minutes at a local retailer, buying literally every military rifle and pistol he could get his hands on. Another, in a single purchase, took possession of over a hundred thirty-round, AR-15 magazines, cleaning out the storeâs entire inventory!
A number of friends have called me and asked what kind of military rifle they should buy. I advise them that theyâve already waited too long, but to get whatever they can, as soon as they can!
Again, from Confucius:
âA superior man, when resting in safety, forgets not that peril is ever present. When in a state of security, he forgets not that ruin is only a breath away. When all is orderly, he forgets not that chaos ever hovers over him.
Thus, his state and clans are preserved.â
Exciting times are here- even at the gate!
/John
9 Nov 08
âCivilian Security Force?â
In a frightening display of personal dishonesty, the very day after the election, BHO radically changed his Web Page to reflect a chilling anti-gun stance, a position kept carefully hidden during the campaign.
Imagine that!
He has also restated his call for the formation of his heavily-armed, but ill-defined âCivilian Security Force,â loyal, apparently, only to him personally.
Roman Emperor Tiberius (14BC-37AD), infinitely more interested in coercing political opponents than in public service, imposed onerous anti-arms edicts upon Roman citizens, in order to make them less outwardly resistant to his tyranny. He had his Legions, but he raised another, separate armed force, the Praetorian Guard, which was always quartered in the City. The cover-story was that Praetorians served as body-guards for the Emperor, but their real purpose was to harass and terrorize (disarmed) citizens. âHitler Youth,â centuries later in Nazi Germany, would serve the same purpose, as would Maoâs âRed Guardâ in Communist China.
Economic and political calamity are never a result of free citizens being armed. Disaster is the predictable result of weak and corrupt political authorities. While the State is well and righteously governed, officials have nothing to fear from armed citizens.
With BHOâs already demonstrated duplicity, significant personal risk will attach to all political activity. The Party currently in power will have scant tolerance for those who speak out against them.
Weâre in for a bumpy ride!
/John
9 Nov 08
Jack Hays at Enchanted Rock, near San Antonio, Texas, fall of 1841:
In stories of Texas Rangers, few names are mentioned more often, and with more reverence, than that of John (Jack) C Hays. Jack, unlike Davie Crockett, Daniel Boone, Wyatt Earp, Bill Hickok, et al, has been mostly spared modern-day media exploitation, but his mighty and gallant deeds are the stuff of genuine heroism and deserve recognition and study by us, his spiritual descendants.
Growing up in Tennessee in the early Nineteenth Century, Jack, orphaned at the age of fifteen, quickly took charge of his young life and trained for a career as a surveyor. However, news of the heroic stand by stalwart settlers at the Alamo inspired Hays to immigrate to the new and wild Republic of Texas.
His plans for a career as a modest rancher were continuously punctuated by violent encounters with local Indians and disenfranchised Mexicans. In the process, Hays became a hard-bitten and savvy frontiersman, a crack shot, a surefooted, fearsome fighter, and an inspired small-unit leader. In fact, he gradually waxed into something of a local legend. As with all legendary figures, some of his exploits were doubtless embellished and exaggerated. Still, his reputation was eminently deserved, and his humble attempts to settle down and stave off destiny were doomed to failure!
Unable to resist the call to adventure, Hays soon enlisted in a company of Texas Rangers near San Antonio, a profession known for its high casualty rate! His trenchant fascination with Indian culture and military tactics slowly elevated him to the status of resident-expert on effective Indian-fighting, particularly against the dreaded Comanches! In the wake of the stunningly-successful Battle of Plum Creek on 12 Aug 1840, in which Haysâ knowledge of Indian Tactics provided the winning edge, Hays was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Local Comanches, organized into loosely-adhesive, far-roaming, offence-oriented bands, specialized in stealing horses and raiding isolated settlements. They were cunning, audacious, deadly warriors and, always mounted, not afraid to charge en-masse, even while suffering heavy casualties, when there was even a small chance of overwhelming their foe. They were preeminent in Texas, having driven out just about all other Indian tribes.
In the 1840s, most Texas Indians were armed with traditional weapons (bows, tomahawks, and blades), having little interest in muzzle-loading, mostly flint-lock, rifles used by white settlers. Rifles outdistanced bows, of course, but their rate of fire was slow (relative to a bow), and reloading was awkward and tedious.
The introduction of Colt revolvers into the mix tilted odds in favor of settlers, and revolutionized tactics. A repeating firearm, even a five-shooter, represented a vast reserve of firepower for the revolver-armed individual. The obvious advantage this represented was not lost on Rangers! Hays and nearly all of his contemporaries, routinely carried two. At close range, astonished Indians now ran into a literal buzz-saw of bullets, and many otherwise-successful Indian charges were thus effectively repulsed, with crippling casualties. A despondent Comanche chief was quoted as saying , âEvery Ranger now has as many shots as I have fingers on my two hands. Iâve already lost half my warriors…â
Hays, and his Company of Rangers, became extraordinarily successful, vengeful Indian fighters, relentlessly pursuing bands of Comanche, fearlessly counterattacking when assaulted, and routinely besting Comanches at their own game. Residents of San Antonio considered him the consummate hero/protector.
In the fall of 1841, Hays, escorting a party of surveyors, was camped at Crabtree Creek at the foot of âEnchanted Rock,â so named by local Indians, because alternating heating and cooling with the coming of night and day caused strange, creaking sounds to episodically emanate from the pink-granite monolith. On a whim, Hays decided to climb, by himself, to the top of the Rock in order to experience the view. He was armed, as always, with his rifle and two revolvers, along with a large Bowie Knife.
Hays made it all the way to the top, but, on the way back down, he spotted a party of Comanche who were actively stalking him. He returned to the summit and ensconced himself between two ledges, the best defensive position available. To his dismay, Hays discovered that he had lost his powder horn, making it impossible for him to reload his rifle or his pistols. He realized he was thus limited to eleven shots!
Hays determined from chatter that the Indians knew whom he was. They were thus inordinately cautious, and that was their undoing! Instead of charging all at once, which would have probably been successful, individual Comanche warriors crept toward Jack slowly. When they finally got up the nerve to assault Jackâs position, they did so individually, and were then individually gunned down, one by one. The military term is: âdefeat-in-detail.â
When his ammunition supply was exhausted, Hays took on what remained of the war party with his deadly Bowie. By then, the balance of Indians were demoralized and disorganized. They quickly fell victim to Jackâs knife-fighting artistry! More Comanche would doubtless have joined in and finished Jack off, but his shooting had alerted his comrades, and they came to his rescue, driving off what remained of the war party.
Jack had, once more, escaped certain death by keeping his head and finding a way to win.
During the subsequent War with Mexico, Hays was every bit as much of a hero as he had been fighting Indians, and his charmed life continued. Sometime during all this adventure, Hays found time to get married and father six children. In the great tragedy of his life, Haysâ children all died in infancy, with the exception of two.
In his forties, Hays migrated, with his family, to California, became Sheriff in San Francisco, made some smart land deals, and became wealthy! He died of natural causes at the age of sixty-six in California in 1883.
Back in Texas, âHays Countyâ was named in his honor.
Comment: Most of our brave and mighty antecedents died young, and with few material possessions to show for their lives. Hays was an exception.
âA man who rides all alone
… and all that heâll ever own,
is just a badge and a gun,
and heâs known as,
The Lawmanâ
Rest in peace, Partner. Rest in peace.
/John
13 Nov 08
Hunting with the XCR!
I just completed a wonderful Hunting Adventure with several colleagues at a Preserve in the Midwest. I used my Micro-Aimpoint-equipped RA/XCR in 7.62X39 and Cor-Bon DPX ammunition, an extremely deadly combination, as it turns out!
Others in our party used mostly 308 bolt-guns. One used a compound bow, with astonishing proficiency!
I shot a Dall Sheep and a Fallow Deer with my XCR. A colleague also used my rifle to take down a large, wild pig.
I hit the Dall Sheep at seventy-five meters and at a downward angle. He was in profile and was hit on the point of the shoulder, as is my preference. He dropped in his tracks, never taking even one more step! I saw him fall while still looking through my Aimpoint. Barnes bullet went through-and-through, blowing out a two-inch exit wound. He weighed one-hundred pounds. My congratulatory guide commented on how rapidly he dropped!
The Fallow Deer was also one-hundred pounds, and I took him out as part of a culling operation, as he had been injured and needed to be âretired.â He surprised us by appearing where we werenât expecting him! When I finally got a shot, he was in profile at 125m, and it was overcast and late in the afternoon. Light was fading, and I had to quickly turn down the Aimpoint by one notch, as the dot was too bright. It felt like a good shot, but I saw him step forward and behind a tree after it broke, and I was not at all sure I had made a substantial hit.
My worries, as turns out, were unnecessary! He, too, was hit solidly on the point of the shoulder and only took that one step forward before dropping dead. I was thrilled and gratified with the accuracy and usability of my XCR, as well as the profound effectiveness of DPX ammunition!
My colleague then used my XCR to shoot a pig as the animal was crossing the trail twenty meters in front of him. It was a snap-shot! The Aimpoint made it possible for Dan to get on him fast, and the bullet hit low on the chest, shredding the pigâs ventricles. It also went through-and-through. The pig ran ten meters and then rolled another ten, but was already DRT when he came to a rest.
Having now hunted with both calibers, it is my conclusion that the DPX round in 7.62X39 is at least as effective as the DPX 6.8mmSPC, probably slightly more!
I love hunting with my military rifles, as it gives me an opportunity to actually use them in an
active circumstance. It is a recommended activity!
One bothersome note: Another colleague used a 308 âSteyr-Scoutâ bolt-gun, for which he had paid nearly $3,000.00. It gave him nothing but trouble!
He had a shot at a pig at relatively close range. As he pressed the trigger, the rifle went âclickâ instead of âbang!â He quickly pushed the bold handle up and down, re-cocking the striker, and immediately pressed again, only to hear another exasperating âclick!â
The pig ran, but he got another shot at it seconds later. This time, he cycled the bolt completely, ejecting the recalcitrant round and chambering fresh one, having concluded he had been dealing with a dud. However, for all his trouble, he was, once again, greeted with only a frustrating âclick.â
He then changed magazines, cycled the bolt again, and continued the pursuit. He got another opportunity ten minutes later, at the same pig. This time, the rifle functioned normally, and he was able to make a fatal hit. However, he indicated to me that he was going to get rid of the rifle as soon as he got home, having lost all faith in it.
Neither I, nor he, were able to provide any kind of explanation for what happened, except that the strength of the hammer-fall on this particular rifle is, for some grotesque reason, adjustable. But, I mention the foregoing, because this is the fourth Steyr Scout Iâve seen in action, having seen three others in Urban Rifle Courses. Without exception, all have been troublesome! None have run well.
I donât know what all the issues are, but I surely wonât own a copy any time soon. I have no time for temperamental equipment!
/John
14 Nov 08
Carry a Gun?
âPolice Protectionâ is an contradiction of terms! Police rarely stop crimes from taking place. Rather, we spend most of our time investigating offences, after the damage has been done, and after innocent victims have been permanently disabled/disfigured or murdered.
Accordingly, I carry a gun, because I’m too young to be murdered, and too old to suffer crippling injury at the hands of violent criminals.
Thus:
I don’t go armed, because I harbor a secret desire to kill people, any more than I wear a seat belt while driving, because I have some compulsive desire to become involved in traffic accidents!
I don’t carry a gun, so that I can scare people. I carry a gun, because the world is a scary
place!
I don’t carry a gun as a delusional response to imaginary threats. I carry a gun, so that I can deal effectively with real threats!
I don’t carry a gun, because I’m evil. I carry a gun, because Iâve already seen more evil than I ever wanted to!
I don’t carry a gun, because I hate government. I carry a gun, because Iâve seen how woefully limited and impotent all governments are!
I don’t carry a gun, because I’m angry. I carry a gun, so that I wonât have to spend the rest of
my shortened life being angry with myself for being naively unprepared.
I don’t carry a gun, because I want to become involved in a lethal confrontation. I carry a gun, because I want to die of old age, surrounded by family, in my own bed, not alone and hemorrhaging on some dirty street.
I don’t carry a gun, because I’m a Cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die (of old age) and go to Heaven, I want to be a Cowboy!
I don’t carry a gun, because it makes me feel like a man. I carry a gun because real men know how to take care of themselves, and the ones they love. Real men know when to take a stand, and they do so without apology!
I don’t carry a gun because I âfeel inadequate.â I carry a gun, because, when unarmed and facing three brutish thugs, I am inadequate!
I don’t carry a gun, because I love guns. I carry a gun, because I love life!
At some point, all of us will have to wager our lives on the outcome of a single event. There are some things worth risking everything to save; some things, without which, there will no longer be anything to live for! At that moment, you either boldly step up to the plate, or slink away in disgrace.
Either way, youâll never have another chance!
Last Days of ancient Rome:
âHew down the Bridge, Sir Consul,
With all the speed ye may:
I, with two more to help me,
will hold the foe at bay
In yon straight path, a thousand
May well be stopped by three
Now, who will stand, at either hand,
And hold this Bridge with me?â
/John
15 Nov 08
Laser Devices Weapon Light
I’ve been using a LaserMax on my SA/XD, and I like it, as the unit fits completely within the pistol itself. However, when I transitioned to the XD/M, I discovered that LaserMax doesn’t make a unit for it, at least not yet.
My Publisher, Bob Brown, then turned my on to a CA company called Laser Devices. Laser Devices makes, among other things, a laser/flashlight combination that easily and readily fits onto the rail system of any pistol or rifle. The light is 120 lumens, and the laser is also bright. It’s called the “Blast 2”
I’ve been using my copy for several months now, both on my XD/M and on my RA/XCR. It is light, compact, easy to use, and extremely rugged. At night, it stays mounted on my bedroom pistol. In the morning, I take it off, holster the pistol, and go about my day. It is mounted, or removed, in an instant. The unit itself then goes in my vest pocket.
This is a valuable accessory that I recommend, as it provides the user with several critical capabilities! I know there are other brands that are similar, but this Blast 2 has a lot going for it.
Get hold of Joe Holtz at Laser Devices at 800 235 2162. Web Page is laserdevices.com
/John
18 Nov 08
âRock-Bottom,â Humanityâs Savior!
Most of us, during our awkward trek through this life, have taken a wrong turn, spun out of control, and ended up flat on our face, having hit ârock-bottom.â Some of us slow learners have clumsily arrived at rock-bottom more than once!
âRock-bottomâ is an important place, a wonderful place, because it is not until we hit rock-bottom that many of us finally, sincerely repent, admit to ourselves that weâve been going in the wrong direction, yes, finally admit that weâve been stupid (and arrogantly so), swallow our cretinous pride, and begin to turn our lives around. Without rock-bottom assuredly, no-shit, being there, many of us would never learn anything! Yes, rock-bottom runs a cruel, pitiless school, but a cocksure fool will learn in no other, and most of us are fools at least some of the time!
Accordingly, anything that gets between stupidity and rock-bottom only delays bona-fide repentance, only postpones the inevitable, and ultimately makes learning all that much slower and more painful. When youâre going to hit it, you need to hit it, full force, and without delay, nor cushioning, lest the lesson be lost on you, and youâll thus have to go through it all over again!
This is why âbailouts,â in any form, be they public or private, are a crime against humanity! Bailouts hurt most the ones that are supposed to help, because they assure the lesson will not be learned, and those âhelpedâ are thus doomed to repeat their mistakes, ad infinitum.
All of us, for our own good, need to experience the full, logical consequences of our own vanity, foolishness, stupidity, and arrogance. Welcome to Planet Earth!
Bailouts harm everyone! They reward folly and punish prudence. With degrading ignominy, they convert otherwise-upright citizens and business into pathetic, groveling beggars. Any way you want to look at it, when you come to the government, or any other entity, with tin cup in hand, a beggar is what you are, all you are, and (if youâre not careful) all youâre ever going to be!
Politicians who advocate bailouts are sleazy con-men who care only about manufacturing an army of unproductive, dependant, perpetually adolescent losers, who are never allowed to grow up, and whom they can coerce and manipulate, purchasing their votes like so many beans.
Put another way, bailouts are designed to promote slavery, and they succeed splendidly, every time!
âThe ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools!â
Herbert Spencer, 1891
/John
20 Nov 08
The next layer!
The feeding-frenzy at gun retailers goes on, unabated! The only problem retailers are now having is replacing depleted inventory. Every manufacturer and distributor is deep into backorder. XCRs, FALs, M1As, PTR91s, SIG556s, Kalashnikovs, and ARs are all sold out. 223 and 308 ammunition is sold out. Magazines are sold out. Glocks, XDs, M&Ps, and most other serious pistols are sold out. Harried distributors are making only cautious promises. Items most in demand are 223 ammunition, 30-round magazines, and any rifle that takes both!
Who donât now own one of the above now will have to wait months for a new one, or seriously scrounge for a used one. And, you neednât ask for a discount! Your ammunition supply is also going to be hard to find and expensive when you do.
But, what weâre experiencing now is just the beginning! Current panic buying is mostly on the part of those of us who already own guns and who have been closely following gun-politics. There is an another layer, and enormous one, right behind them, who are just now waking up! These are the folks whoâve never owned a gun, but have been âthinking about itâ most of their lives. The story of pandemic panic-buying is just now reaching their ears, as it âbecomes newsâ and subsequently breaks through in the main-stream media.
As ominous anti-gun hints continue to emanate from the emerging BHO Administration, this next layer will, at long last, awaken and begin flooding gun retailers. Over the years, theyâve been lied to by the media, who has assured them that âguns are everywhereâ and that acquiring one or two âcouldnât be easier.â
Are they in for an obnoxious surprise! For the foreseeable future, the only âselectionâ theyâre going to see at gun retailers has already been intensely picked-over. High-demand guns will continued to depart the store the same day the come in. And, few of these folks have any idea of the convoluted paperwork jungle theyâll be required to negotiate in order to legally purchase even one gun, particularly in IL, CA, MD, RI, NJ, NY and a few other states where gun purchasing and ownership is literally smothered in copious, interminable âregulations.â
There is no ârecessionâ in the gun/ammunition business! The feeding-frenzy is far from over.
/John
21 Nov 08
From friend and colleague, Alex Robinson, of Robinson Arms in UT:
âWe are swamped, but we anticipated it.
So, we’re only six weeks out, and delivering many orders in as little as four weeks.
Our biggest problem right now is finding enough staff to answer phones and e -mail!â
Robinson Arms
PO Bx 16776
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801 355 0401
www.robarm.com
/John
24 Nov 08
Thirty-Round, Steel, AR-15 (223) Magazines:
Safe Direction, at least for now, has a good supply of new, Fusil/USA, heat-treated, steel (one-piece body) thirty- round magazines for ARs, XCRs, and SIG/556s. These rugged magazines have proven to be durable and reliable in all the above rifles during our training Classes.
Recommended!
Steve Camp
Safe Direction, LLC
PO Bx 1249
Addison, IL 60101
877 357 4570
630 628 3178
630 543 0524 (Fax)
steve@safedirection.com
/John
25 Nov 08
Ammunition news from friends at Cor-Bon:
The only FMJ rifle ammunition that Cor-Bon currently makes is 223, and it is in great demand, as is all 223. They ship a lot of it to ammotogo.com!
There is much hoarding going on! Evidence of this is that most current orders are for whole cases, not just a few boxes.
Most in demand high-performance rifle ammunition is, 223, 30M1 Carbine, 308, and 7.62X39, all in DPX. 6.8mmSPC has a modest following, but brass is hard to get. 5.45X39 has the same problem, so much so that a DPX round in that caliber is not yet in production.
In high-performance pistol ammunition:
9mm 115 HP is still top seller
9mm 115 DPX is second
45ACP DPX is third
38Spl DPX is fourth
380Auto DPX is fifth
40S&W DPX is popular with police departments, but retail sales are way behind 9mm. Likewise, 357SIG has a consistent police following, but commercial sales are slow. 45GAP, in fact, is restricted almost exclusively to police sales.
Cor-Bon is now producing an 80gr, non-+P, 9mm DPX round, mostly for use in the Rohrbaugh Pistol. Iâm getting some for my copy!
Cor-Bon is a mid-size ammunition manufacturer and is thus able to be more responsive to demand and market trends than are bigger companies. This became evident when the State of California recently restricted the use of lead bullets for hunting in some areas. Cor-Bon responded by producing DPX loads is a host of commercial rifle calibers, including some obscure ones. Demand for all of it in CA has since been explosive.
Iâd call that good timing!
/John
25 Nov 08
DSA Update:
Friends at DSA tell me their current backlog on FALs and ARs is running fourteen to eighteen weeks.
FAL magazines, however, are currently in stock and shipping. DSA will be making and marketing their own FAL magazines (manufactured in USA) , beginning next year.
Most popular FAL variation is the SA58TACP (Para-Tactical). It is short and features a collapsible stock. It used to be called the “Congo Model.” My copy makes a wonderful car-gun!
DSAâs excellent AR-15 is currently the only AR that comes with a D-Ring already installed. Also recommended!
DSAâs âSTGâ line of FALs are manufactured with mostly used parts, but are perfectly serviceable, and wait-time is relatively short. For those who need a solid, serviceable FAL right now, this represents a good option.
Most rifles are built to fill individual orders. Retailers are generally out of stock right now, and there is no standing inventory at the factory.
Of all military rifles currently available, the FAL is probably the most difficult to manufacture. That being the case, I doubt that DSA will have significant competition any time soon!
Call Nicole at DSA at 847 277 7258
/John
25 Nov 08
News from Krebs:
If you want a Kalashnikov, Krebs is the place to go! Wait-time for most guns is currently eight to fourteen weeks.
My friends there tell me their rifle most in demand is the KTR (Krebs Tactical Rifle). It is a short, classic Kalashnikov in 7.62X39, with a left-hand, manual safety-lever, collapsible stock, and rail on the top for mounting optics. Sharp corners and edges are all rounded off. I makes a top-drawer car-gun. Recommended!
Magazines are in good supply.
Kalashnikovs are occasionally available in 223 and 308, but availability is spotty.
Call Roger at R-guns at 847 428 3569, or Brian at Krebs directly at 847 487 7776
/John
26 Nov 08
News from PTR91 Inc:
Formally known as JLD, Inc, folks at PTR91, Inc bought H&Kâs entire factory in Portugal that produced the HK91 and G3, after NATO went to the 223 round. They loaded all the machines, dies, and accouterments on a ship and brought them to Connecticut! Theyâve been producing their version of the HK91 (308) during the past few years. I have a copy, and it is wonderful, every bit as good as the original.
Right now, as you can imagine, they are at least twelve weeks backlogged. Their entire standing inventory was cleaned out in a matter of days at the beginning of the month!
Most popular items are:
PTR91F, eighteen-inch battle rifle, fixed stock (âFâ is for âflash-hiderâ)
PTR91KF, sixteen-inch battle rifle, fixed stock (âKâ is for âkurz,â or âshortâ)
Most popular of all is the:
PTR91KFM4, sixteen-inch battle rifle, w/M4 (collapsible) stock
All can be had with rails for mounting of optics.
Magazines are in good supply at the factory
Call Iver at 860 676 1776, ext 304
/John
26 Nov 08
Latest from Sabre Defense:
Until 2002, a company called Remo Defense made 50BMG barrels for the Pentagon. Business declined under the Clinton Administration. That year, a new owner came in with a wad of cash and revived the company, changing the name to Sabre Defense, and tooling up the company to make AR-15s. Ever since, Sabreâs reputation has been stellar!
Today, they are backlogged twenty to forty weeks, as no decline is product quality is tolerated by the owner!
Sabre has a sophisticated machine shop and manufacturers much of the rifle in-house in Nashville, TN, but they, like everyone else, are still dependant upon venders for receiver forgings, and they can be produced only so fast.
Most popular model is the M5Tactical, a sixteen-inch battle rifle with a mid-length gas system, rail, and the wonderful Magpul collapsible stock.
Call Dave Power at 615 333 0077
/John
26 Nov 08
How about an M1 Carbine?
Friends at Kahr tell me they have the same situation with their M1 Carbines as most manufacturers have with AR-15s. However, the Carbines are in slightly better supply, as current backlog is less than four weeks.
The AOM130 is the Saginaw, MI, GI, walnut-stocked original.
The AOM150 is the original Paratrooper Model, with stiff-wire stock and equally uncomfortable rear vertical-grip.
The AOM160 is the 130 with a modern, Choate folding stock. Not âauthentic,â like the 150, but surely more useable. It is intended for serious users, rather than nostalgia-buffs!
Magazines are in good supply, as are accessories like bayonets, bayonet lugs, and magazine carriers.
When combined with Cor-Bon DPX ammunition, the M1 Carbine is an excellent car-gun/patrol-rifle. Range is less than that of a 223, but penetration is adequate, and recoil/noise are extremely mild.
For personal defense, it is hard to beat, and retail price is will below 1K. My copy runs and runs!
Call Art M at 508 795 3919
/John
27 Nov 08
International travel?
In view of terrorist incidents in India going on right now, let me reiterate my advice on international travel:
1) Donât! All but critical off-shore travel should be immediately suspended. Westerners, particularly Americans, are extremely vulnerable to attack right now, and are being specifically targeted by terrorists.
2) Donât stay in âtourist hotels.â Donât even stay in that part of town. Likewise, donât dine in restaurants, nor hang out in bars, that cater to foreign tourists. To be especially avoided are tour buses and tourist âgroups.â Instead, make some local friends, and then impose on them!
3) Eat the local food. It wonât kill you!
4) Work on being invisible. Do your best to blend in with locals. Donât âstand outâ
5) Get personally acquainted with the RSO (Regional Security Officer) at the American Embassy. He is the one who will be on top of local security issues and can provide you with solid advice.
6) When you get wind of a significant increase in local terrorist activity, or of an impending terrorist attack, drop whatever youâre doing and get on the next flight out of there!
The security situation, as it applies to international travel, will not improve any time soon. To the contrary, it will almost certainly get worse. For example, the detonation of an above-ground nuclear device, anywhere in the world (an event that is probably inevitable within the next few years), will instantly ground most international flights and simultaneously seal most international borders, indefinitely. If youâre off-shore at the time, it may be months before you can get back to CONUS.
Best advice, for the present, is to stay within US borders. Even here, weâre likely to have more than our share of excitement!
Be prepared.
Have a plan.
Be armed.
Be ready for the fight of your life!
/John
28 Nov 08
Some additional sage advice on international travel, from several colleagues, who travel even more than I do:
1) Grow a beard, and let your hair grow longer than usual. Looking a little disheveled, even seedy, helps with invisibility. Looking too scrubbed and well-groomed identifies you as a Westerner. Remember, shaving was a custom introduced to the world by the Romans. Most of the rest of the world never picked up on it!
Likewise, donât use perfume/cologne. Your smell will give you away, as will American tobacco products.
2) Wear cheap, generic watches. Leave expensive watches at home. To be particularly avoided are military-style watches.
3) Clothing needs to look well-worn. Shoes too! Wear hiking boots, not Western-style sneakers.
4) Carry a small rucksack with a ballistic panel inserted. These panels are available from Safe
Direction.
5) In the rucksack, have at least two, small knives, well-secreted in separate locations. Also, several IBDs and a tourniquet, a small GPS, with the location of the US Embassy, hospitals, and the airport programmed in, several MREs, a water bottle or two, and several hundred feet of rope or at least para-cord.
Keep in mind that your GPS will only give you the most direct route. It doesnât know about dangerous areas/âbad neighborhoodsâ that need to be avoided. You thus cannot have blind trust in your GSP, nor anything else for that matter!
6) Carry an emergency cache of American Dollars, Euros, Pounds.
7) Make sure friends and family know your literary, including flight-numbers, local contacts, and phone numbers. When you disappear, they will at least know where to start looking for you!
8) Register overseas travel with the US State Department. It enables local embassies and consulate offices to contact you when trouble develops. Travel Registration Page: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx
9) Make a color-copy of your passport, and keep it in a separate location. It will make it infinity easier to get a replacement, when necessary.
10) Be prepared to remain sconced-up, maybe for as long as a week. When stuck in a hotel room, immediately fill the bathtub with water. Use bed-sheets to make bandages, ropes.
Most importantly, you must realize that you will be on your own. You may escape the
initial venue only to encounter several more perimeters before you can evade the aggregate incident.
Local police will be completely overwhelmed, instantly. Few tactical teams, even in the USA, are remotely prepared to handle a coordinated, multi-location incident like the one developing right now in India. They are trained to confront and contain barricaded individuals, usually associated with domestic incidents, one at a time. Precious very few have even a concept of a protracted, military-style engagement by dedicated, well-trained and equipped actors who came to die, while murdering as many innocent people as they possibly can.
One obvious AQ mandate is that teams of terrorists are to produce the highest casualty count possible. The higher the body-count, the more publicity they get. They will thus predictably murder/maim everyone they get near. Westerners are specifically targeted, but they are there generate a pile of bodies, and no one is likely to be spared.
The events we are currently witnessing in India may well be duplicated within CONUS! Foreign travel, even to Mexico and Canada, carries with it great hazard, but today, even travel within CONUS is far from risk-free!
/John
29 Nov 08
SIGâs situation:
Friends at SIG tell me they are currently backlogged twelve weeks on their excellent 556 Rifle. The tilted-rotating-barrel rear sight, for which the 550/551 was famous is now available for the 556. Front sight needs to be installed. Rear sight just plunks on the rail. My copy is already so equipped!
The rifle is also available with SIGâs version of the Micro/Aimpoint non-magnifying optic, called the âRed Dotâ sight. When next to each other, I canât tell them apart!
SIGâs P250 Pistol is starting to claim market share, with much interest from the Federal System. The ingenious, modular 250 System is destined to displace most of SIGâs current pistol lineup, in all calibers, with the possible exception of 380Auto. With different frame sizes, grip thickness, caliber, and slide length, hundreds of combinations are possible, making it possible to custom-fit nearly everyone within an organization with essentially the same pistol!
Like SIGâs current DAK, the 250’s trigger is smooth and short. The pistol has no manual decocking lever, as the universal conclusion among all pistol manufacturers is that manual decocking levers are slowly fading away. Most law-enforcement consumers no longer have any interest in them.
SIGâs long-standing reputation for quality continues to insure their prominent place in the minds of serious consumers, like me.
/John
