What I’ve Learned About Guns (Part I - Survival)

Laugh. Don’t take any of this too seriously. When you feel like it, jump right in and tell us what you know to be different. Here comes a five part series on what I’ve learned over the past four decades. There is no 'one' authority on guns … or we’d all own the book, wouldn’t we?

• Minor pet peeve before we get into the weeds.

Single Action describes the operation of a firearm where the trigger is squeezed to fire a previously cocked weapon. There are typically two (or more) separate “actions” required to fire a weapon in Single Action mode.

Double Action Only, or DAO, describes the operation of a firearm where the trigger is squeezed and causes the weapon (1) to cock and (2) to fire. Yep … one motion to get two done.

If these definitions have never confused you, you’re probably too stupid to operate a firearm. Just close this thread right now and move back to the Aliens and UFOs Forum. I’d like to pistol whip the idiot who thunk that up.

• The fewer moving parts … the greater chance the gun will go bang when you pull the trigger.

This too would seem like common sense to most. But, many people consider bullets moving parts, and when you run out of them, well …

• Simplicity is to your advantage/disadvantage for people who aren’t intimately familiar with shooting … and your choice of firearms.

When cooler or wet weather permits, I carry a wheel-gun and a semi-auto. It’s doubtful I’ll pass either off to somebody I don’t know and trust implicitly. The New York re-load, following deafening noise, is the effect I’ve considered. I’m not even worried about counting the first five rounds, just 'surprising' the guy who thinks everything is going his way.

There are four people I know to whom I would confidently pass one of my guns in 'a bad' situation. Surprisingly, not one member of my family is amongst them (though my son is coming along nicely). I’m well past the point of fixing that for the wife (shame on me). I’ll be working on my daughter once she graduates from college and I see her maturity level set-in properly. The three of ‘em shoot like experts. It’s the mindset that vexes me.

I know I am at a distinct disadvantage should someone take a gun off me. I don’t do safeties and that means they wouldn’t have to look away from me to figure out the function. I consider this an extremely low risk, for many reasons I won’t go into it here.

• Limp Wristing - An auto (semi or full) requires a certain amount of resistance to its recoil in order for the slide to reciprocate, eject, and properly chamber another round.

Limp wristing is common among shooters who infrequently transition between revolvers and semi-autos. Beware … this will get you dead real quick in complicated situations. In others, they have a naturally weak grip. They’re hard to work with and doing so effectively requires following a set of standards not considered common.

I gave up my Glock 17 for this very reason (my son loves it) and I’m leery of most 9mms as a result. I’ve got a workaround for this coming up in Part III. It doesn’t work for me (yet), but it probably would for 99% of everyone who reads these threads.

• Oh yeah … the cops.

When the cops are already at your door … just quit. You’ve already lost. Give up. Concede. There’s no re-set button. You’re going to jail or you’re going to forfeit your life. Ugly either way, but better to be alive and whole (I’m pretty sure).

Yeah ... there are a couple of ways I know of to get out of such confrontation. If you’ve read this far and you don’t know for yourself, you’ll never put them into practice. Even if I took the time to spell them out, your time would ultimately be better spent reading the police ‘success’ stories we all comment on in the Posse Comitatus Forum.

One thing I've learned is that a person's choices of firearm, caliber, action, etc. should always be based on personal experience and trial through rigorous hands on practice. If you can shoot more accurately with a smaller caliber use that. If your more confident in your skills with a revolver than a semi-auto go with it. Choose whatever makes you most proficient, accurate and reliable in a self defense situation because that's all that matters. Anyone who tells you differently is a know it all blowhard.

a reply to: duaneology

Choose whatever makes you most proficient, accurate and reliable in a self defense situation because that's all that matters. Anyone who tells you differently is a know it all blowhard.

Well said!! I'm gonna get there. Maybe not as direct, but direct gets through sometimes where niceties fail to impact.

What was the purpose of single - double action definition then never mentioning them again. Just a leading to get to throw in a 'stupid person' line?

a reply to: Snarl

S&F as always...

My pet peeve... is in the way most survival writers talk about the best guns to have... are all fricken antiques!

M1A1, M1 Carbine, AR15, AK47, FinFal

Geese Louse those weapon designs are 60, 70 years old now... For god's sake this is the 21st century ...
I mean I like antiques too... hang em on the wall to look at... but when it comes to survival ... are you going to go for the old cap and ball or a Sig P320?

originally posted by: HardCorps
a reply to: Snarl

S&F as always...

My pet peeve... is in the way most survival writers talk about the best guns to have... are all fricken antiques!

M1A1, M1 Carbine, AR15, AK47, FinFal

Actually,
The best weapon is the one you are most proficient in.
I've been using the m-16/ar-15 platform for about 30 years. Carried one nearly every day for about 10 of those years.
There are newer, higher performance weapons out there but due to my extensive experience with this particular weapon, it's the one I am best with.

The best one for you won't necessarily be the best one for someone else.
If you take it in context it makes more sense.

My usual carry handgun is a Taurus 38 5 shot revolver. 5 shots is plenty in my opinion cuz I'm on defense not offense. I don't want to hang around and shoot it out.
after the shtf, I'll carry more firepower.

Just stating my opinion here as I agree with your assessment.

Jams are the enemy when in a fire fight. So one has to make a choice between more ammo as in a clip loaded pistol compared to less rounds but absolutely no chance of jamming with a revolver.
Pros and cons as clip loaded are better in some cases others not again my opinion.

a reply to: HardCorps

pah - give me a lee-enfeild mk4 or mauser k series - both rechambered to 7.62 NATO ?

a reply to: MGaddafi
My pet peeve is when people say clip when they mean mag. Other than that I agree with everything said by all so far

a reply to: badgerprints
That's the reason there are hundreds of companies selling upgrades for the AR.. upper and lower Receivers sight's stocks barrels triggers... to bring it up to date!

Look I carried an M16A2 with a 203 40mm Grande launcher... Gotta Love the 40mm when it comes time to kick a and take names

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: HardCorps

pah - give me a lee-enfeild mk4 or mauser k series - both rechambered to 7.62 NATO ?

See, You have proven my point for me...

The only way to make those fricken antiques usable is to have them updated, rebuilt, rechambered to a more modern round.

a reply to: badgerprints

exactly

I would chose the L1A1 [ british licenced FN-FAL ]

because I know that I know what to do with it

originally posted by: HardCorps
a reply to: Snarl

S&F as always...

My pet peeve... is in the way most survival writers talk about the best guns to have... are all fricken antiques!

M1A1, M1 Carbine, AR15, AK47, FinFal

Geese Louse those weapon designs are 60, 70 years old now... For god's sake this is the 21st century ...
I mean I like antiques too... hang em on the wall to look at... but when it comes to survival ... are you going to go for the old cap and ball or a Sig P320?

Many believe that firearms were made to a higher standard in the past than they are today so they gravitate towards the "antiques". There is often also large quantities of cheap surplus ammunition for some of these guns which makes them appealing.

Personally I prefer the newer technology of the higher end gun manufacturers for self defense. But I also own some old milsurp rifles just for nostalgia and fun.

a reply to: HardCorps

Personally, I agree. One thing...unless Im gonna do my own reloading (not likely in SHTF scenario)...Im gonna go with a caliber that when I run out in a SHTF scenario and things are hard to find...that I can get more.

IE: Standard cal. rounds (and not the recently popular 40s, 10s, .380s)

*I carry a 45 ACP, and have a 9mm as well. (and I hope that when my supplies run out those will be easier to find)

But...thats just me.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

"When your supplies run out"???

Just how many gunfights do you forsee yourself getting into in an emergency situation?

a reply to: duaneology

You know what he means. In a mad max or walking dead scenario, you will need a gun that fires common ammo(22,9mm, 45, 12 ga, .308, etc). The type of ammo you'll most likely come across scavenging.
Granted, that will almost definitely not happen in our lifetimes or ever but some feel like we owe it to ourselves and our families to be prepared for the worst

a reply to: riffraff

The funny thing is that a Walking Dead or Mad Max scenario could quite easily be survived without firing a single bullet. The characters in those shows do things that are completely lacking in common sense, logic or reason.

My unsolicited advice, don't base your survival planning on what dumb people do.

originally posted by: duaneology
a reply to: riffraff

The funny thing is that a Walking Dead or Mad Max scenario could quite easily be survived without firing a single bullet. The characters in those shows do things that are completely lacking in common sense, logic or reason.

My unsolicited advice, don't base your survival planning on what dumb people do.

A lot of people just don't feel safe without their guns. Never understood it myself but to each their own.

originally posted by: HardCorps
a reply to: badgerprints
That's the reason there are hundreds of companies selling upgrades for the AR.. upper and lower Receivers sight's stocks barrels triggers... to bring it up to date!

Look I carried an M16A2 with a 203 40mm Grande launcher... Gotta Love the 40mm when it comes time to kick a and take names

Yeah,
The 203 was a blast.

I have an M&P with stock sights, hand guard and buttstock.
It's the same as my first M16 in basic training.

Zero bling. Just business.

I can still hit 300 yard targets consistently with iron sites.
They never fog up, get out of focus or run out of batteries.

originally posted by: Snarl

• The fewer moving parts … the greater chance the gun will go bang when you pull the trigger.

This too would seem like common sense to most. But, many people consider bullets moving parts, and when you run out of them, well …

• Simplicity is to your advantage/disadvantage for people who aren’t intimately familiar with shooting … and your choice of firearms.

This is why I don't like the Beretta PX4 storm.