Massad Ayoob's Blog, page 122
January 25, 2014
RUGER AND S&W DUMP CALIFORNIA
Ruger and then Smith & Wesson have recently announced that they will no longer be selling much of their product lines in California, as Emily Miller notes in the Washington Times.
Microstamping is not only unproven and impractical; it’s abundantly clear that no good is likely to come of it.
Were the California legislators who made it law so blinded by moonbeams and butterflies they couldn’t see this coming? Or was their intent all along to say to the public, “You can only buy guns made to incorporate our stupid idea, and since no gun manufacturer will go along with it, well, you just can’t get that type of gun anymore” …?
Micro-stamping Firearms Will Not Reduce Crime
University of California at Davis Study – Backgrounder on Firearms Microstamping Technology
AFTE Journal – Backgrounder on Firearms Microstamping Technology
National Academy of Science Report
Study Funded by the California Policy Research Center
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January 20, 2014
MEMES
Looking through the relatively thin pickings of meaningful new gun designs in this year’s crop, I noticed that one I mentioned here, the Glock 42, a seven-shot .380 pistol, got a ton of comment on the internet. Much of that commentary was on the theme of “if I’m going to carry a gun that size, I’d want it in full power 9mm Parabellum, not a wussy .380 a/k/a 9mm Short.”
Let me make it clear: I’m not a .380 fan. In 40-plus years of studying gunfights – not just reading books, but personally debriefing survivors and going over autopsy reports – I’ve come to consider the .380 marginal if not sub-marginal as a defensive weapon. I’ve just seen too many cases of the bad guy sucking up bullet after .380 bullet in vital zones and still coming. But, I’ve also seen cases like the recent controversial Tampa shooting, in which a senior citizen dropped the man he shot with a single .380 to the chest. (I’ve seen one-shot stops with well-placed .22 bullets, too, but I don’t recommend a .22 for self-defense, either.)
If you go on the gun forums, you’ll find that a recurrent theme is “how much is enough to use for self-defense, and how much is too much?” And you’ll discover that there’s some ego investment in those discussions.
The meme seems to be, “If you carry more (more powerful ammo, more cartridges, even more guns) than I do, you’re paranoid. And if you carry less than I do, you’re a pathetic sheeple.”
Oh, good Lord…
First, if you’re carrying a seven-shot .380, you are better prepared to defend yourself against a homicidal armed criminal than a high 90th percentile of the population, who are carrying nothing at all which could realistically stop such an attack.
But, second, if that attack actually comes, you might wish you had something a little more than than a .380. The saying is: “You’ll never meet a gunfight survivor who says he wishes he’d had fewer, less powerful rounds.”
Having shot the new Glock 42 with more .380 rounds than most folks outside the Glock factory, I was impressed with its ease of operation, extremely mild “kick,” and accurate delivery of rapid fire. There are a helluva lot of people – petite females, the elderly, the disabled – who will shoot faster and straighter with this gun than with something more powerful. There, I think, is its market niche…wait a year or two, and see, but I expect it to become a best-seller.
Will I carry one? Probably not. Whenever a gun magazine asks me to test a .380, I feel like Ralph Nader test-driving a Corvair for Motor Trend. But as someone who trains others to shoot, I am going to see about buying my test sample to keep it on hand so students who don’t think or function as I do, can try it.
As I write this, I’m wearing a different Glock pistol. It’s much more powerful than a .380, and holds far more cartridges than the slim little G42, and I have a spare “high capacity” magazine on the opposite hip. That works for me, but I have to accept that some other people need something different to fit their abilities, their lifestyles, their dress codes.
God save us from BS memes. A center hit with a .380 beats a miss or even a peripheral hit with a .44 Magnum.
Something is better than nothing.
Discussion invited.
Firing one handed, I found recoil quite controllable with the new little Glock .380.
Note the best four of these 5 shots from benchrest at 25 yards. The one outlier may have been unnoticed human error. Sights have since been drifted for center hits. This is unusually good accuracy for pistols in this class.
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January 14, 2014
SIG INTRODUCES THE P320
Last summer, I got to sit down with SIG-SAUER CEO Ron Cohen and the engineers, and got to play with a prototype of their new striker-fired pistol. I promised them I wouldn’t discuss it in public until they announced it at the SHOT Show this week. Some in the business didn’t hold to that agreement. I did.
And, it has now been announced:
This is the first striker-fired SIG pistol, and is of course designed to compete with the hugely successful Glock and Smith & Wesson Military & Police semiautomatics. It’s built on the chassis of SIG’s familiar P250, and in fact the prototype we photographed six months ago is actually marked P250.
The P250 had growing pains, particularly in the area of the trigger bar. It had one of the smoothest double action only trigger pulls in the semiautomatic pistol industry and still does, but today’s market seems to want shorter trigger strokes, which the P320 certainly delivers. The widely copied Glock trigger safety – which SIG calls a “tabbed” trigger – will be only an option on the P320, since some folks don’t care for that design. The P320 will share the P250’s modular design, allowing quick changes of grip length and configuration, slide and barrel length, and caliber. Now, going back to the Dan Wesson revolver of decades ago, it turns out that quick-change barrels are not a big draw for American police and handgunners, but the feature is there for those who want it.
The early bugs seem to have been worked out of the P250 design…I liked what I saw of the P320 prototype in New Hampshire…and the P320 is going to be a handgun to keep an eye on. Congratulations to Ethan Lessard, SIG’s in-house genius who led the P320 design team.
Ethan Lessard, left, fills Mas in on new suppressors, the just-announced P320, and other matters SIG, August 2013, Exeter NH. Photo from forthcoming Second Edition of Gun Digest Book of SIG-SAUER.
Prototype P320, photographed in summer 2013. Note that frame is marked “P250.” Photo from forthcoming Second Edition of Gun Digest Book of SIG-SAUER.
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January 11, 2014
More new introductions that may tickle shooters’ fancy…
Burris brings out some interesting high-tech riflescopes geared for the hunting market. They call the series Veracity. Info here: .
I’ve been an enthusiastic advocate for active hearing protection for many years. It lets you hear small sounds while reducing loud sounds. They’re great for everything from hunting to building searches, and of course, very effective on the firing line. SportEar promises to be “unveiling the most innovative” such devices at the SHOT Show this coming week, so you might want to check out their website in a few days: http://sportear.com/ .
Finally, in the interest of transparency (chuckle), Taurus has announced a new snub-nose five-shot .38 Special revolver called The View. It derives its name from a clear sideplate on the right side of the frame, through which the mechanism can be clearly seen. Some are already deriding that as a gimmick, but I can see handgun instructors buying this gun just as a visual aid to better show how double action revolvers work. (Double check with your accountant, but my understanding is that any gun you buy to teach with as a firearms instructor is a business expense you can write off.) What a lot of people are missing about this gun is that at the weight Taurus has specified, it should be the lightest .38 Special revolver ever made. +P ammunition is not recommended. Barrel is much shorter than the classic two-inch length. The ejector rod is a mere stub. That would be a deal-breaker in terms of quick reloading, but a great many people who carry these guns don’t carry spare ammunition for them anyway, making that issue a lot less relevant. Information is here: http://www.taurususa.com/pdf/2014_taurus_catalog.pdf .
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January 8, 2014
DELICIOUS IRONY
A brief time out from discussion of new firearms for 2014, as we share this Breitbart report.
Sounds as if Illinois, our last state to get a provision for concealed carry handgun permits, applications for those permits are outpacing Obamacare signups…
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January 4, 2014
2 NEW GLOCKS FOR 2014
I was on my way to a Glock match, ironically enough, when I learned that Glock has ended its media embargo on their two new models, which I previously couldn’t talk about until the 6th per Non-Disclosure Agreement. Harris Publications got my short preview on them up on Saturday. When I viewed it (it may have been corrected by now) the video cut off in mid-sentence just when I was starting to discuss accuracy of the Glock 42 in .380. At a full 25 yards, this little pocket pistol kept Winchester 95 grain full metal jacket under four inches, and shot even tighter with Remington Golden Saber 102 grain hollow points. Buffalo Bore’s popular hard cast lead 100 grain load kept four out of five in four inches at 25 yards, a dimension widely considered to be “acceptable combat accuracy” with full size service pistols much larger than this wafer-thin, 13 or so ounce pocket pistol.
The 41 will compete with long-slide polymer frame .45s such as the Springfield XD(m). The long, thin slide gives the “wand-like” handling of the Glock 34 9mm and Glock 35 in .40 that have made them so popular in IDPA and USPSA competition, respectively, but with 13-1 rounds of .45 ACP. It put all shots under two inches at 25 yards with Remington 185 grain hollow point and Federal 230 grain +P.
Testing on this end, begun in December, will continue, but so far we’re happy with both and haven’t been able to make either pistol malfunction.
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NEW GUN SEASON
January is “new gun intro” season in the firearms industry, with the major trade show mid-month being the stage: SHOT, the Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade Show. I won’t be there this year (trial schedule conflict) but will try to keep you apprised of what I can find out remotely.
Some new introductions will be window dressing, such as Mossberg’s series of “Duck Commander” motif firearms, mostly shotguns with a couple of ARs thrown in. (Exactly what AR15s have to do with ducks escapes me, unless it’s suitability to amphibious operation, but…)
Some will be radical for their kind. Consider the Remington R51, a sleek 7+1-shot 9mm pistol with some elements of that company’s famous old Model 51 design, including flat super-thin profile. There are profound differences, of course: the new one is locked breech in design, and built for 9mm Luger +P, while the original was a .380. Pundits who’ve seen it are divided as to whether the design is “retro” or “ultra-modern.” I see it as some of both. The swooping, sculptured lines and overall shape remind me of what “futurists” who touched on guns half a century ago predicted pistols might look like today. (An interesting taste of that can be found here , though Asimov didn’t touch on firearms.) Price point is remarkably low, and I for one am looking forward to putting one of these new Remington pistols through its paces.
Since December, I’ve been working with a couple of guns I can’t talk about yet. The manufacturer is so serious about the “media embargo” going through to January 6 that I’ve had to have everyone on my test team sign non-disclosure agreements from the company. One is an especially interesting departure for the manufacturer in question, while the other is much more evolution than revolution, and all of us who are shooting them like them but can only hold our hands over our mouths and mutter, “Mmmff. Mmmff!” Will have more to say on these next week when the embargo lifts.
So far, advance press releases to us gun writers indicate a lot of minor and often cosmetic changes, but there’s always something that represents at least a small step forward, if not a giant leap. We’ll talk about the new stuff more this month as all of it unfolds.
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December 31, 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR
No wild New Year’s Eve parties for the old guy tonight. They were fun in days past, but at my age I could break a hip…
Hope it’s been a good year on your end. Has been on mine, for the most part. Survived a helicopter crash. Welcomed a fourth grandchild. Every case I was involved in had either a favorable resolution, or a postponement requested by an opposing side not eager to face losing. I’m hoping for the same in an attempted murder trial scheduled for mid-next month. Another year exactly the same, preferably minus near-death experiences, would suit me just fine.
Resolutions? No time for it at this time last year. Couple years ago, resolved not to buy any new guns, but instead work on the ones I had. Managed to actually hold to that through third quarter 2012. 2014? Will probably just “keep on keepin’ on.” Am currently more concerned about finding more ammo than finding new firearms for myself.
Have tested some new guns about to come out. Non-disclosure agreements require me to go no further on that, but will be able to share with you here in a week or three.
On gun owners’ civil rights issues, we can expect another contentious year.
On New Year’s Day, let’s not forget those in our lives who didn’t have a 2013 to be grateful for.
Just because I don’t have any resolutions, doesn’t mean you don’t. Feel free to share those – and your hopes and predictions for 2014 – here.
Happy New Year!
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December 28, 2013
‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE – SHOOTING!
When I wintered in the frozen wastelands, I always tried to shoot some qualifications out in the snow and cold and wind. When you carry a pistol for police duty or self-defense and you’re working in weather that would give Nanuk of the North the shivers, you want to know you can run the gun under those conditions. Gloves affect that. So does altered range of movement due to heavy clothing. And, for fun shooting, I could generally get to an indoor range, even if the nearest match was an hour or three away.
This year’s Holiday Season finds me in the Deep South. With my teaching schedule complete for 2013 and work schedule reduced to writing and legal stuff, Significant Other and I have been able to play catch-up after a year of missing match after match because we had training obligations elsewhere by the time the tournament dates were announced. I’ve discovered I’ve gotten rusty. So far this month:
Jacksonville, Florida: IDPA match. Nailed High Law Enforcement and First Master in Stock Service Pistol shooting a subcompact Glock 26 9mm, but got knocked down to second in that gun division by straight-shooting Expert Miguel Coles. Same venue, came in second again using the same pistol in a side match for little backup guns, a tenth of a second slower than Mark Few. Valdosta, GA IDPA Match: Won High LE, high geezer and the Stock Service Pistol division shooting a 9mm Timberwolf, Lone Wolf’s clone of the Glock 17, but came in second overall to John Strayer, who wielded a custom Springfield XDm 5.25 in Enhanced Service Pistol division. Valdosta again, combat shotgun match, came in second to that darn Strayer, both of us using the same slide-action Nighthawk Custom Remington 870 12 gauge against shooters with autoloaders. Valdosta another weekend for a steel match, with the little G26 capturing Compact class for me but finishing fourth overall behind Lee Ovaert, Lee Turner and Roy Backer. Shot a turkey shoot in McAlpin, Florida last week with the same 870; didn’t win a damn thing but had a ball. Finished my shooting year with an IDPA match in Live Oak, FL where the little G26 won me the Stock Service pistol division and the LE and geezer titles, but still left me in third overall behind That Darn Strayer who took ESP with his Springfield, and Dave “the Blaze” Blazek who captured Custom Defense Pistol division with a Les Baer .45.
That was more recreational shooting in a month than the Evil Princess and I were able to get in all summer, and we enjoyed it immensely. Each event was a chance to mingle with good Shooter Folk.
It reminded me I need to sharpen up some. I muttered to the Evil Princess after the last match, “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” She looked at me in mock horror and exclaimed, “I’m with a man who wants to be someone’s bride?”
That’s my sweetie. She always knows the right thing to say…kind of…
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December 24, 2013
THOUGHTS AT CHRISTMAS
Weather.com tells me that the place I almost went for Christmas has a temperature of one degree Fahrenheit at the moment, with a wind chill of fourteen below. Balmy compared to a friend’s place in Montana, where the “real-feel” was forty below zero yesterday. Having become a geezer for whom deep cold is actually painful now, my Christmas present to myself was spending it someplace warm.
“This season, we’re outdoors in shirts.
“There’s nothing to shovel, and nothing hurts!”
Will be touching bases on Christmas with friends less fortunate than we. One just lost his lovely wife of many years. Another will be in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery arising from complications following a severe heart attack. Any season for counting one’s blessings is a season to reach out to those in pain.
Whatever your belief system, whether Christmas is a religious touchstone for you or a secular cultural holiday, all on this end wish all on yours a Merry Christmas and a day of joy and peace.
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