Semper Fidelis

Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

----------------------------------------------

This is not just for the Marines.

This is for everyone who has laid down their life for all of us.

Every man and woman who gave their all to protect the rights we hold dear.

Never forget them. Honor their memories. Proudly fly the flag they fought for.

Keep the faith.

GMTA, Range Report

I got up this morning, and proceeded with my usual routine. Ablutions, food, beverage, switch on the internet, and catch up with the world.

As I was settling on the couch, it struck me how far we've really progressed in the last ten or fifteen years.

Fifteen years ago, I was accessing BBSes (remember those?) by dialup, on a lightning-fast 14.4kbps modem. Occasionally mom would let me use the "internet" at her office and I'd peruse what little there was of the "world wide web" using Netscape. Thirteen years ago, we got dial-up internet, on a 56kbps modem. At the end of that summer, I moved to a college dormitory, and plugged in my 200MHz PowerMac to the dorm network. Holy high-speed, Batman! Speeds have done nothing but increase as time goes by.

Fifteen years ago, dad got his first cell phone - a bag phone, actually. Coverage was poor, quality was mediocre on a good day, and plans were measured in tens of minutes per month. Twelve years ago I got my first phone. Coverage was still poor and pre-paid phones were nearly a buck a minute. Eleven years ago I got a non-pre-paid phone. 120 minutes a month, voicemail was extra, and there was no such thing as texting. Since then, plans cost about the same, but coverage is nearly universal, minutes have increased by an order of magnitude, texting is universal...

And now, they're combined. That's what really struck me. I opened my phone, tapped the "Mobile Hotspot" button, and waited a few seconds for that to connect. Then I opened my laptop and browsed the internet - by wireless, via my cell phone - at speeds comparable to that dorm network.

Then, tonight before work, I saw this post from JayG. GMTA.


In other doings, I finally got my father to the range last weekend. I've been trying to go shooting with him for a while now. He's not a gunny, by any means, but he's comfortable with them. He's also a pretty fair shot, if out of practice. (He qualified Expert-Rifle in basic back in the 60's, on the M14.)

I wasn't sure what he'd want to shoot, so I took an assortment: 1911, 5946, Mod. 67, 642, 22/45, SA Dragoon, AR, and MkII. We got to the range, set up target stands at 10 and 25 yards, and I started opening cases. I let him choose.

He reached for the 1911 right away, and picked it up with a bit of a faraway look in his eyes. He hefted it, and aimed it down the range, then lowered it and looked at it again. He looked at me and said, "You know, I always took one of these camping with the Scouts in Alaska."

"I know. I figured it would be familiar."

"It's been 40 years since I shot one of these... it feels right, but ... I don't remember the details."

We went through the manual of arms, and he dry-fired it a few times, then I handed him a magazine. He popped it in, and asked, "Which target should I use?"

"Whichever one you feel like."

He brought the gun up, and he went for the 25-yard target. His stance was so-so, and his grip was horrible (he started with a teacup, then went to the movie-classic wrist-brace), but the shots were true. He dropped the mag when it was empty and turned to me with a smile. "Can I go check my target?"

We made sure the guys at the other end of the line were cold, then went down and looked. Slow and steady, and he had put all seven shots into the 12" target.

Back to the line, and he fired another magazine from the 1911, after a few pointers on grip. I showed him high-thumbs, and he tried it - but reverted back to his teacup pretty quickly. I didn't correct him again.

He tried the rest of the pistols, and he made it clear that he preferred the single-actions. Don't get me wrong; he hit what he aimed for with every gun he picked up, but he liked the 22/45 and the 1911 the most. Can't say as I blame him.

I spent some time with the rifles, and the AR started malfunctioning (feed issues; need to oil things!), but he stuck with pistols, and mostly the 1911.

I spent more time watching him than shooting, and it struck me as I watched him ... Dad isn't as young as he was. The last time he shot a 1911 was in 1970, when he still wore OD green and a staff sergeant's chevrons. His beard is mostly white, and his hands are starting to show a few knots and spots.

He remarked on the way home that he wants to get to the range again - sooner rather than later. Maybe I can convince him to get his own pistol permit. He picked up that 1911 like it was an old friend, and I'd love to get him one of his own.

A Man's Home...

... or in this case, a woman's home, is her castle.

I was chatting with a friend online earlier this evening, and she excused herself to answer the door.

A few minutes later she came back, rather flustered... apparently an urban yoot had knocked on the door and given her a shtick about selling magazines for the troops (after making some inappropriate suggestions regarding her and a fondness for "dark meat"). She said he was now in the kitchen... yet she was chatting with me?? I asked about that and it turns out her boyfriend/housemate was with this fellow in the kitchen, so at least he wasn't unsupervised in her home.

I made a rather pointed suggestion that she escort this young man OUT. Pronto. A few minutes later, her boyfriend did just that... and NOW she was shaken. In her own (paraphrased) words, "I don't even know how he got in, he just ... was. I'm from $URBANAREA, I know better! What if he was casing us? What if Boyfriend wasn't home??"

I suggested she make a quick check that purse/cell phone/wallet/ipod/keys were all in the correct locations - they were. Next suggestion was that she consider owning and learning to use a gun. (I've taken her shooting once, several years ago. It was bitter cold and we only shot one round of trap before calling it quits.) In fact, it was mentioned that she could drive herself to Dick's, or Walmart, and have a shotgun at home tonight. I'd take her to the range ASAP for some familiarization.

She declined, for now - but the seed has been planted. She's a petite woman, so I pointed her to either a Mossberg 500/505 20ga youth model, or a Remington 870 20ga youth model. Either one is an excellent choice, and the youth models have the tremendous advantage of being much more compact than the standard 12ga models (~37" OAL as compared to 46" OAL).

So, gun nuttery aside, how did this fellow end up in her kitchen?

Simple: he's a con man. Short for "confidence man", it's someone who gains the trust of the intended victim and then uses that trust to his own advantage. It may simply be smooth talk, or a sob story. In this case, I'm betting that the guy in question didn't wait for an invitation to enter when she opened the door. He just started talking and advancing into her personal space, and as she backed up a step, he kept going. Repeat...

Most people have a pretty clear idea of personal space. It varies from person to person, but you know where your limits are. If someone intrudes on our personal space, most of us will adjust our own position to one of comfort. Out in public, that's fine. No need to be confrontational without good cause...

In the home, however, your personal space begins anywhere you want it to, and you don't have to yield an inch to anyone. In her case, it should have begun at the front door... but she didn't press the issue. It's worth getting in the habit of opening the door with one foot wedged behind it. It will prevent an easy push-past, and if you do need to slam the door shut, you're already most of the way there. It also prevents someone from seeing too much of your house - like the home theatre setup, rack of DVDs/movies, Hummel figurines, big gun case... Or the pistol tucked on your hip.

"Mi casa, su casa." Hell no. Mi casa, mi casa.

Get a gun. Learn how to use it. Be aware of your surroundings.

Another round on the sale block...

Still looking to move my Bersa, but have decided to get out of .380 entirely.

Bersa Thunder .380, satin nickel finish, round count ~140
Box and key for integrated lock
Two factory magazines - one stainless, one blue
Two right-hand holsters:
- Desantis TuckThisII (IWB with integrated mag pouch)
- JMG Holsters IWB 7.0 (leather tuckable IWB)
Two full and one partial 100-round box of Winchester 95gr FMJ (~260 total)
One full box (25 rounds) Hornady Critical Defense
Full set of like-new reloading dies w/ shell holder - Redding Carbide
As much of the once-fired .380 as I can find in the box o' brass.

Trade interests:
S&W Third-gen autos in 9mm or .45 (special preference for DAOs and TSWs)
Ban-compliant AR uppers
Bolt-action .223 (Savage especially)
M&P9/9L
XD9
642/442
Optics
What have you?

On other forums: $500 shipped FFL-FFL, $450 FTF NY
Special for blog readers only: $475 shipped, $425 FTF NY


(No, the 642 is not included.)


(1lb 6oz, 7+1 of .380)


If you are interested, email me. Zercool at gmail.

Women With Guns

MrsZ and I hit the range tonight so she could reacquaint herself with the options. This time around, it was the semi-autos. I gathered up the 1911, the 5946, the Thunder .380, and the 22/45 (it ALWAYS goes to the range)... Bag full of ammo and magazines, and off we went.

Set up targets at about 10yd, and dove right in.

First: for those on #GBC who suggested I needed to slow the hell down with the 5946 ... you were absolutely right. If I consciously squeeze through the trigger I can keep a respectable group; as soon as I start trying to rapid-fire it, the shots start stringing down and left. Further practice is indicated, but the problem has been correctly identified.

MrsZ shot a few magazines from each gun, as did I. She continues to impress me - she's slow and steady and plenty accurate with nearly everything she picks up. This morning she made mention of going to one of the NRA "Women on Target" sessions with a friend, which I absolutely support.

One of the hardest things I see for women shooters is the male dominance of the sports and industry. Don't get me wrong, booth babes are fun to look at, but I find the print ads (from Kahr in particular - thin is sexy!) to be ... insulting. Sell me the gun, not a chick in a negligee.

Ignoring that tangent, I can usually count on one hand the number of female shooters at any event I've been to - IDPA, informal trap, Appleseed, etc. I can count on one hand the number of women I've seen in the gun shop other than MrsZ. Guns are sized to fit the "average American male"; many women have hands or arms that are too small for those average size grips and stocks. I'm lucky: the LOP of an off-the-shelf 870 fits me just about perfectly, and my hands are large enough to handle *most* handgun grips with ease.

Of course, manufacturers are catching on to the relatively untapped market of women shooters - by molding their grips in pink plastic instead of black/green/gray. It's a start, I guess, but doesn't address the original issue of *size*. In long guns, it's easy: either cut down an adult stock, or simply purchase a "youth model" to begin with. Handguns? Not so easy. 1911s are perhaps the easiest to adjust to a smaller hand: slim grip panels and a shortened trigger can knock a significant portion off the trigger reach. Revolvers can have the grips changed, but beyond a certain point (i.e., once you've reached the backstrap) it's impossible to shorten the trigger reach.

There's plenty of good information out there for women who want to read it - The Cornered Cat is the standard first reference. There's plenty of BAD information too - a quick peek through ArfCom, THR, TFL, NES, etc, will reveal lots of, "What gun for my girlfriend/fiancee/wife/mother/daughter?" threads. Many of the answers will default to "S&W J-frame", or "Glock" without ever asking for more details.

A J-frame isn't a bad gun, at all. I carry one and would readily trust my life to it. It's a tough gun to shoot well. The grips are small and the trigger reach is short. If she's willing to practice with it, then by all means, a J-frame is a good choice. If practice is less likely, a steel K-frame might make a lot more sense.

A Glock (or any other full-frame semi-auto) is a crap shoot. Some of them will fit well, some won't. The only way to find that out is to hold them, and if possible, try them... and that's where we get back to the male dominance problem.

As an example, at the range tonight, after we'd been there about forty-five minutes with the range to ourselves, another member wheeled in. He's an older fellow, and I've run into him there before. Very nice guy, and knows his shooting. Also likes to talk. A lot. (We made our excuses and packed up to leave after about 30 minutes of suddenly-very-intermittent shooting.) However, among the various tidbits he shared with us, several of them started with, "She ought to..." or, "She should try..." She (and I!) ought to make ourselves scarce!

Which brings us all the way back to "Women on Target" and similar events. (Appleseed Project does a couple women-only shoots each year as well.) By removing the (stereo)typical male shooter from the equation, women can learn about guns without feeling like they're asking dumb questions. (You know, dumb questions, like, "What's the difference between single-action and double-action?" "Dumb questions" that a fair number of male shooters also can't answer but won't ask because they'd rather be ignorant than inquisitive.)

It also gives the shooters a chance to learn a bit about themselves - without fear of mockery for not caring for a hard-recoiling gun, or for doing the brass-in-the-bra dance (about 1:05), or having to worry about a jackass handing her a DEagle .50 without a warning...

I appreciate the answers I got to my recent post about a bedside gun. Seems a 12ga loaded with #00 buck is a popular choice (and rightfully so). For the time being, MrsZ has decided she's comfortable with the 5946, so that'll remain where it is, and I'll accelerate my intention of putting on some Trijicon three-dots. A 9mm may not the BEST gun for defending the home, but it beats a mean look and a shrill scream by a long shot.

(Ladies who shoot - and I'm look at you, Tam, and you, Jigsaw, and you, Breda, and you, Roberta, and Okie, and Dixie, and Lissa, and Christina, and Snarky, and anyone else who reads this - your input is not only welcome, it's desired. If I'm being a male chauvinist pug (like a pig, but canine) for thinking women-only shooting clinics are a good thing, please, tell me - and then tell me why!)