I Don't Know About You...

 ...but I do know that I need to make a trip to the range. I have both a shotgun & revolver I bought at auction back in late April, probably received them in early May and  have not shot them yet. The shotgun is a Savage Stevens Model 94C Hammered 12 gauge; it is a single shot. The revolver is a Ruger New Model Single Six Convertible, 22 LR & 22 WMR, in stainless steel. Both are in very nice condition and I am very happy about that because I bid on them without being able to check on their condition before bidding. I usually check at least a couple to a few days before the auction but my timing was off so I tried the day before the auction. That was no good and no go because they were too busy to do it at the auction house. That's okay by me because it was my bad as they say. 

Regardless of not being able to check, I wound up with two very nice firearms. As for the shotgun, I certainly did not buy it for anything like needing another shotgun, I think I have four of them right now, two Remington 870s, a Remington Model 10 and a Remington model 31. Those are more than enough for me, in fact I recently sold my Remington model 29. I bought this one thinking it would be a nice project gun on which I'd maybe touch up the bluing and refinish the wood stock. Right now, that is still the plan but I have no clue when I, THE Great Procrastinator will get around to it. Anyway here it is in pics:

 

 

As you can see it is in pretty good shape. I have almost half a mind to leave it as is but I also have just a bit more than half a mind to strip that ghastly dark finish off of the wood and replace it with one using tung oil and lots of rubbing it in; I am a fan of more natural looking wood and there is oft times beautiful wood grain under those old time dark finishes. I know many folks prefer the original finish and a good number of them think it almost sacrilegious to refinish an older gun like this but I have no qualms about doing so. After all, this is not some rare super expensive gun, I got it for a whopping total of about $130.00 or so and that includes shipping and an FFL fee.

 

As for the revolver, it is staying as is except maybe for me touching up the finish on the grips or replacing them with a better looking pair. Now, they do not look bad but there appears to be finish wear when seen up close & personal. That may only need a bit of polishing though. Here are some pics of it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I posted pics of these already but am just too lazy at 0545 hours of the morning to check. I got out of bed at 0350 or so and have not felt like jumping back under the covers, wide awake am I for some reason.

I bought these at auction, the same auction my son told me to bid on this for him, the this being a Glock 41 in 9mm. Here are some pics of it:

 

The Glock needs some repair, minor at that but repair nonetheless. Someone, an idiot I suppose, put an improperly sized pin into it as far as I can tell. It's the one above the trigger pin (its name eludes my little gray cells right now). It falls out when shot. No big deal if it is only the pin and not something internal. It will or should be an easy fix no matter what. I just hope Glock is again selling parts to the public. Apparently they had their own crisis during COVID and would not sell parts to the public for a while back then! If they are not selling parts, the pin may cost me about 10 times what it usually sells for from Glock.

 

As I said, I need a trip to the range. I was thinking only with the Savage Stevens & the Ruger but I guess with the Glock as well since my son gave it to me to fix being I used to be a Glock Armorer & Advanced Glock Armorer. I said used to be because I never recertified once my certification expired the last time which was the fourth certification or so for me over the years. I figured why waste the money to recertify with Glock @ of a few hundred dollars when they were not selling parts to the public. I guess when I get it fixed thought I should shoot it to make sure I got it right.

 

Anyway, as I said, I need a range trip. Maybe Friday, sounds good anyway.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

This Could Have Been The TV Where I Watched The Super Bowl Last Week...

...at least if I had watched that racist half time show. The only likely difference would have been the amount of shots fired at the television.

All the best,
GB

Ballseye's Firearms Training & Tactics - Some Observations of Bad Habits At The Range

While over the course of a few trips to a local range recently, I got to watching other people shoot. Nope, that is not why I went, I went to shoot but I also got to watch some others shoot. Of those of note, one of them was shooting a revolver, another a semi-auto pistol, and a couple of others were shooting 22 rifles. All of them (well one of the two shooting the 22 rifles anyhow, and the 22 pistol shooters) did things you should not do when shooting or examining guns.

I am not reporting on what they did in order to chastise them, I am dong it to save you some grief by pointing out what they did in the hope that you will avoid mimicking them. Let me start with the two guys shooting the 22 rifles. They were shooting safely, minding there own business, and doing nicely until they got curious. Now it was not the curiosity thing that got them doing anything wrong, it was probably a lack of manners or just lack of common sense where they fouled up. You see they came over to my shooting point and started to ask me about the Remington 870 shotgun my son and I were shooting. No problem since they waited for a break in the shooting, and were polite about it. Well almost no problem. As they were talking to me, one of them reaches out and picks up my shotgun. I remained calm and polite as I immediately explained that he should not be doing that without asking me for my permission to handle my firearms first. He put it down right away and all was well. The thing is, it is absolutely not alright to pick up someone else’s guns at a range or anywhere else without first obtaining there permission. Just don’t do it – it could get you yelled at, or could even result in something as extreme as you being shot.

The other things I saw happening were problems of a tactical/training nature, and are definitely things to avoid if you want to be the winner in a gunfight. One of them was, at least to me, so comical I almost burst out laughing. I mean it almost looked slapstick ala Charlie Chaplain and the Keystone Cops. I remained stoic though because I did not want to embarrass anyone. What was happening was that a pistol shooter was firing on a silhouette target and blasting away slow fire. No it was not the slow fire that was funny, but how the shooter was drawing his weapon. He appeared to get a decent grip on the holstered gun, then drew it, and as he drew the pointed it upward at about a 45 degree angle, pushed his arms out both forward and up at that angle to maximum extension, locked his elbows, then tilted his arms at the shoulder to raise the pistol even higher, then brought the pistol down to eye level to sight it (well actually dropped it a bit below eye level as do most shooters using this well outdated method of drawing and sighting in and then raised it back up a bit to eye level, then fired. All this drawing his pistol from a strong side hip holster. He then reholstered and started over again and repeated this over and over. I have not seen someone draw and aim in like that in years. I used to see it done often by old time shooters who shot revolvers, and who were trained in how to draw and shoot sometime, oh about in the stone age or at least 25 years ago or so. It seems to have been a method taught by police departments, federal agencies and the military, and was usually taught for one handed shooting though it carried over to two handed shooting. It was and is most obvious if the shooter was firing one handed.

So what is it about this method of drawing that I don’t like besides it looking funny to me. Well – it can get you killed. Anyone who draws and then sights-in in the manner I just described is using up valuable time that may mean winning or losing a gunfight. You see, when you draw from a strong side hip holster (the only type I recommend wearing) the best way to get your weapon on a target that is further than about 3 yards away is to punch it out at the target. I mean that almost literally too. By this method, as you begin to draw, already having acquired you grip, you pull the pistol up and out of the holster. This causes your arm and wrist to be bent at an awkward position but one necessary to effect the draw. As soon as the gun clears the holster though, you no longer need to maintain that awkward bends in wrist and arm, and you can point the muzzle toward your intended target. As you point the muzzle at the target, you immediately will notice that your arm and wrist are more relaxed and in more of a position to control the gun. So why ruin that better ability to control the gun by then contorting yourself into another position in which you have less control of the pistol? Instead of doing what the shooter above did, once the gun is clear of the holster, you should point the muzzle at the target, and then punch or push your arm out and up to eye level with one controlled continuous and smooth movement so long as the target/adversary is not close enough to attempt a takeaway.

Why not try it now and see how it feels. NO DO NOT USE A GUN. Place your hand at your side, with index finger extended like a gun barrel. Then pull up as if drawing from a strong side hip holster, when at the point where you think you have cleared your imaginary holster, point your index finger out at your imaginary target as if it were the gun barrel and push or punch your hand forward toward the target while smoothly raising the hand to eye level along with the movement of the punch. Have the left hand move to meet the right hand as doing so to acquire a two handed grip. Both hands are basically punching out and raising up in one fluid movement. Do not make it two separate moves - do not punch out your hands then raise up your hands. Do it all in one smooth motion so that as your hands are traveling toward the target they are also moving up at an angle to reach eyelevel or just under it when your hands are extended to shooting distance. You can also do this with just the shooting hand to practice one handed drawing and shooting. Once you get it, try it at the range with an unloaded weapon. When ready, try it with a loaded weapon with which you will actually shoot right after you draw and achieve you aiming hold using this method. Remember the trigger finger stays off of the trigger unless you intend to shoot and are actually ready to shoot. Do not draw from the holster with the finger on the trigger, only place the finger on the trigger when ready to fire.

If you have been doing it the wrong way as was the shooter whom I described above, well you will probably notice a few things right away. The movement is more natural the way I described, it gets you right on target faster and more accurately, it is easier to repeat over and over again with the same result and that is you being right on target, your shooting will probably improve.

Okay enough on that, now for the other bad habit I observed. I watched a revolver shooter who was shooting much the same as was the guy who was drawing incorrectly but who was also doing something else very wrong. It also happened to be another old school technique that was taught by many police departments and federal agencies, and probably in some branches of the military. Before I tell you what was being done wrong, allow me to say it was probably taught with neatness in mind. Now mind you, neatness is a good thing, but is not called for when you are shooting in a combat situation except maybe as to where you neatly put your bullets, and by that I mean on target.

What I saw though was neatness of another type and it had nothing to do with hitting your target, and could in fact prevent you from hitting it. You see, as the guy unloaded his revolver, he dropped the empty shell casings into his right hand. How did he do that. Well he activated the cylinder release with his right thumb while still maintaining a grip with his right hand. Then he pushed open the cylinder with the fingers on his left hand as he should have done. The he canted the muzzle upwards somewhat and took his left thumb and pressed on the ejector rod ejecting the spent shell casings. Instead of letting them fall to the ground as he was getting more ammo with his right hand (as he should have been doing to combat reload) he held his right hand cupped under the cylinder and allowed the spent casing to fall into his hand, then placed them into his pocket, then grabbed more rounds with his right hand and reloaded. How much faster would his reload have been had he allowed those shell casing to fall to the floor as he grabbed a speed loader, or even loose rounds, with his right hand. He wasted an awful lot of time - an awful lot of time in a gunfight could be a split second, and he wasted several of them – catching and placing those rounds in his pocket all for neatness.

Even if you only shoot competitively, you should unload and reload a revolver in the combat style in the event you are ever called upon to defend yourself with the revolver. It is a good habit to have, and you can always bend over and pick up the spent shell casings after you are done at the range, or after you win the gunfight – although it would be better to leave them there for the police in the aftermath of a gunfight. By the way, the same holds true for a semi-auto. Unless you are doing a tactical reload during a break in the action, you do not catch and retain a magazine that you are dropping from the magazine well. Instead you allow it to free fall to the ground, and as you are doing so your weak side or non-trigger finger hand should be reaching for, grabbing, then inserting a loaded magazine.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Tactics and Training - Selection of a Holster

When you carry a handgun, for defense purposes, you want need it to be readily accessible to you at virtually all times. Not only do you need it to be accessible to you, but you need it to be defensible by you, or in other words - it need be difficult for the bad guy to take it away from you by taking it out of your holster - it need be secure. It also has to be inherently safe to use. I find only one general type of holster fits the bill, and while I may be putting myself out in front of the firing line as far as the great gun gurus go, I will stand fast on that point once the shooting starts.

The type of holster about which I am speaking is a strong side hip holster with at least one retention device. Inside or outside the belt does not matter, that is so long as you can easily draw the weapon with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster) for firing, and you can easily re-holster the sidearm with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster), and then engage the retention device (if not automatic) with that same hand. So what does that mean in holster selection. Well first of all it means quality. Don't by a cheap nylon or leather holster and expect it to remain good as new after using it for awhile. Do buy a quality leather, nylon, or plastic holster made by a reliable manufacturer. The specific traits you want to look for in a holster are as follow:

1) Quality - stick with a good name brand of holster, one that is fair to higher priced. Don't go bargain basement shopping when your life may depend upon the quality of your holster.

2) Material - leather, or ballistic nylon, or plastic (possibly polymer). I prefer a leather holster. From what I have seen in based on holster I and others have used, a quality leather holster is king. Nylon is okay, but ones I have had always wear out before a good leather holster. Plastic holsters are the latest thing I guess, but I do not like em at all. They are noisy and can click on things when you are trying to move with stealth. They are also noisy on the draw, and you may just want to be quiet sometimes when you draw a gun. Some of them, even ones believed to be of the highest quality, have been shown to be easily torn from a belt. A leather holster, with proper construction, is something that will last many years. With proper belt loops it is almost impossible to take a gun away from a shooter by ripping off the holster. It needs some care as in cleaning, and conditioning over the years, but leather is well worth the small task of doing such. They are also repairable.

3) Design -

a) As I said, I prefer a strong side (right side if right handed, left side if left handed) hip holster. When you draw from a strong sided holster, with your regular shooting, or strong side hand, you do not cross your body in any manner, you do not cross a field of fire that need not be crossed with the muzzle of the gun; you pull it out, and if facing your adversary, you have it on target almost as soon as it clears the holster.

b) I also prefer it to have at least one retention device. The retention device that I prefer is a thumb break/snap (not Velcro), although I will readily admit there are other holsters that have more secure retention devices. My reasoning is this: I want the gun to remain in the holster is I run, jump, climb, fall, grapple and so on. I want something to prevent immediate removal by a bad guy who tries to take my gun from my holster, something that gives me enough time to make a defensive retention move, but not something that slows down my draw. This is a thumb break holster.

c) I want a holster that remains in an open position after I have drawn the firearm from it. In other words, I do not want a worn out old holster in which the slides sort of close, or collapse inward, once the gun is out of the holster; nor do I want a new holster that does the same thing. Cheap nylon holsters are notorious for this. My reasoning here is that I want to be able to re-holster my sidearm with one hand, and then secure it with the same hand. Why - well because it keeps the other hand free for close in defensive moves if needed; and another thing is that is one hand is disabled, you can still secure your weapon with the other hand. Now mind you, I do not want a loose fitting holster, I want one with a snug fit, that is form fitted to the model of gun I am carrying, but it must be one in which it is easy to re-holster one handed.

d) Angle of the holster - I want a holster that rides high on my hip/belt, and wherein the firearm sits in an almost perpendicular position to the ground when I am standing up erect on level ground. I do not want a holster that tilts to the front, or to the back. Such holsters are not as defensible during gun retention moves. I can also draw from just about any position in which I find myself with such a holster. This includes prone on my belly or back, lying on either side, standing, sitting (even while seat belted into a car), or standing on my head if need be.

e) Belt Loops - these should be large enough to accommodate the type of belt you will be wearing. In addition they must be strong enough to withstand the gun take away efforts of a really big guy who grabs the whole holster, with pistol in it, and then tries to tear it off of you. Don't think it can happen, well then think again. I have witnessed this more than once. While on this subject, think too of the belt on which you secure your holster. Use a good quality belt, nothing fancy, but one that is made well and strong, with a secure buckle.

f) Lined or Unlined - this is a question that arises only in regard to leather holsters as far as I am aware. I prefer lined holsters as they are easier on the finish of the gun, and they are a bit thicker than unlined holsters that would otherwise be the same. This extra thickness seemingly adds to the durability of the holster over the years, and helps keep the holster open when the gun is removed.

g) Trigger covering - any holster should cover the trigger and trigger guard when the gun in in the holster.

h) Open or Closed Bottom - I prefer an open bottom holster. This is mainly because I do not want foreign material building up inside a closed bottom holster which could eventually plug the muzzle. Things like dust and lint (lint is a bad little booger in winter months when you wear sweaters). I am the forgetful type at times, and while I usualy check my equipment, one thing I would likely be to forget is to see if a closed bottom holster had debris init each time I put it on. With my open bottom holtser, I see if it is clear each time I pick it up because light comes right on through. Just simpler, closer to foolproof.

Holsters such as shoulder rigs, ankle holsters, thigh holsters, all may have one or two advantages over a strong side hip holster. For example an ankle holster may be more easily concealed. A shoulder holster rig also may be more easily concealed, and a thigh holster may give you a speedier draw. The thing is, that each of them falls short in more than one way or another. Ankle holsters are very difficult from which to draw while running or even walking fast towards something like cover, they are also the lest defensible when it comes to weapons retention. How do you hold onto a gun in an ankle holster if someone grabs your leg and tries to take it away. Sure you may do it, but you are much less likely to retain it than would you be had the firearm been in a strong side hip holster. A shoulder holster rig can be a blessing, especially if traveling in a plane in those tight seats for an LEO. The thing is though, when you draw from a should holster, you telegraph that you are reaching for a weapon. You also are performing a cross draw, drawing from weak side, and bringing the gun across to the strong side. It is a slower draw than from strong side, and such a draw causes the muzzle to cover things it quite possibly should not be covering. As for a thigh holster, you know the ones I mean, the ones SWAT guys wear. They are just about useless from what I can tell except they add speed to the draw in most cases. The thing is though, they are not as defensible as is a strong side hip holster, and they apparently often cause guns to go flying. I have seen guns routinely come out of these (several brands) while LEOs were training in tactical shooting that required running. If you feel it start to go, and this often happens, chances are you likely will not reach it in time to retain it on your thigh. if you feel a hip holster open, the body often keeps the gun retained, and just putting your arm against your body can do the rest.

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The following paragraph was added on October 9, 2007: I did not mention carry in a pocket holster, but I will say here I do not like the form of carry because of how long it takes to draw, and how inaccesible is the firearm if you are in certain positions such as seated. Pocket carry without a holster is even less preferable than with one because of the potential for forgotten foreign objects in the pocket to interfere, jam or plug up the firearm, or to possibly even cause it to fire.

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There may be more that I will add later on, but for now that it is. Whether you carry openly or concealed, this is the type of holster I recommend. About the only consideration that I would go beyond on suggestion I made above is if you might want a holster with additional retention devices, or with a different retention method. Of course, whatever you get is up to you, take my opinion or leave it, it does not matter to me. Just do yourself a favor, carry safely and practically.

All the best,
Glenn B