Archive for the 'Firearms' Category

Source.

Relaxing Israel’s restrictive gun license laws has long been championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, as well as some libertarian-leaning right-wing politicians, but it is an issue that has not gained much traction, despite occasional reports of high-level discussions on the issue.

Gun control in Israel is relatively strict, and firearm licenses are generally only granted to those who can show a need for extra security in their line of work or daily life. Meaning, one of the key criteria for a private citizen to receive permission to own a gun is where they live.

That could now change, says Rabbi Raz Blizovsky, 32, of Katzrin, an activist who has been part of grassroots discussions around personal arms.

“People are changing their opinion, and now there is more awareness,” he told The Times of Israel. It doesn’t make sense, he said, that someone in Tel Aviv cannot get a pistol, but someone in the Golan can. “There are terror attacks in both places,” he stressed.

[ … ]

On Sunday morning, one day after the Hamas assault began, Blizovsky started several WhatsApp communities for those who wish to have easier access to personal weapons. They have drawn some 4,000 members in 24 hours. An online petition he created, in order to press the government on the issue, garnered some 8,000 signatures in the same timeframe.

If more people had access to personal firearms, the horrific scenes coming out of the Gaza-adjacent communities could have been averted, he opined. Many people have contacted him in recent days who wish they could get a weapon, he said, including members of the Druze community, many of whom served in the IDF in combat positions, but then after their service, are not able to qualify for a license.

Free men don’t ask permission.  Governments don’t oppose and prevent gun ownership because they care about the people.  They do so because they’re afraid of the people.

And it’s too little, too late.  You get guns and ammunition BEFORE this sort of thing happens, not in response to it.

When “interest” becomes demand and the people ignore their government, things will change.

There should be no such thing as permitting or licensure of firearms anywhere on earth.

Source.

Gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson hosted a grand opening of its new Tennessee headquarters Saturday after moving from its longtime home in Massachusetts to a more gun-friendly state.

The company built a new 650,000-square feet headquarters in Maryville, Tennessee, as part of a $125 million relocation plan announced in 2021. Tours were offered at the new facility on Saturday.

The gunmaker had been located in Springfield, Massachusetts, since the mid-19th century, but company officials have said legislative proposals in that state would prohibit them from manufacturing certain weapons. Massachusetts is known to have some of the country’s strictest gun laws.

Smith & Wesson President and CEO Mark Smith spoke at the event Saturday, which drew a large crowd to the new facility, The Daily Times reported.

“From where I stand, the next 170 years of Smith & Wesson are looking pretty good,” Smith said. “It is something special here in Tennessee.”

He cited a welcoming regulatory environment and close collaboration with the Tennessee state government as a crucial piece of the plan to relocate. The company has said the new facility would create hundreds of jobs.

Well good, but I hope they’re not leaving business folks and engineers in Massachusetts.  Move everything.

Now, leave that stupid Hillary Hole key lock for your revolvers behind.

In celebration, Jerry had some stuff to do.  I suspect it was his 9mm wheel gun he’s so fond of.

Congratulations, NRA World Champion @Jerry_Miculek! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 @Smith_WessonInc pic.twitter.com/AUrB7l2GFp

— NRA (@NRA) October 8, 2023

From a reader, Red State.

After 123 years, the immortal Colt-Browning 1911 pistol has finally left U.S. military service. This is after a long history without parallel in the annals of American arms, a history that began well before the Great War.

… after 123 years, the U.S. Marine Corps, the last service still using the 1911, has traded them in.

That’s a shame.  I know that MARSOC was the last group to use the 1911.

I wouldn’t want to enter a gun fight with the Sig M18 or any other Sig, but that’s just me.

When choosing a handgun, I choose primarily for purposes of ergonomics, weight distribution and tactile feel of the trigger.  If you can’t hit anything, nothing else matters.

I’m not certain that every shotgun needs to be patterned.  If you purchase a shotgun of the same make and model, using the same choke, it’s likely that your pattern will be the same.

However, it’s enough fun to shoot shotguns that why not?  It’s an excuse for another trip to the range.

Shooting Illustrated.

Dry firing is one of those controversial subjects upon which everyone seems to have an opinion. I am a big proponent of dry firing handguns and rifles, particularly when using my Wall Drill to improve. It also helps sustain trigger control and sight alignment as a collective rather than a separate effort. Dry firing against a wall keeps the eye on the front sight through the pull of the trigger, which maintains follow-through, allowing detection and correction of deficiencies in the foundational skills of shot delivery.

With the exception of rimfire revolvers and revolvers with the firing pin mounted on the hammer, I see no hard and fast reason that snap caps are needed to dry-fire your revolvers. That said, there is certainly nothing wrong with using them in either of your revolvers just to be on the safe side. If you want a second opinion, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of your firearms and see what it has to say. I suspect the manufacturer will agree with my suggestion, but there is always the chance it will have a different perspective. I would support the manufacturer’s opinion in that manufacturers usually know more about their products than individuals not in their employ.

Although snap caps and dummy rounds are often lumped into the same category, they are slightly different in nature.

Dummy rounds are available in different colors and can be made of metal or plastic in the external dimensions of a specific cartridge. Typically, they have a solid base or occasionally a hollow opening where the primer pocket would be located.

A subset of a dummy round is the action-proving cartridge, which is loaded to the external dimensions and weight of live ammunition, but is without propellant and is visually identifiable from live ammunition. Its purpose is to validate proper feeding, chambering, extracting and ejecting of ammunition through a semi-automatic firearm.

Dummy rounds are also used as a diagnostic tool when interspersed with live ammo in a shooter’s magazine to detect deficiencies in shot release. When the shooter pulls the trigger on a dummy round, the gun should not move any more than it did prior to pulling the trigger. If additional movement of the gun is experienced, there is work to be done to improve shooting performance.

Snap caps differ from dummy rounds in that they have a rubber or spring-loaded mechanism located in the base of the cartridge to cushion the impact of the
firing pin when the trigger is pulled.

A snap cap provides something for the firing pin to contact, like the primer in a live cartridge. In fact, the snap cap is intended to replicate what the firing pin experiences when firing live ammunition.

This is important in older firearms, especially shotguns, because without something like a primer to impact when the trigger is pulled, something must absorb the energy generated by the released spring tension powering the firing pin. This could be internal metal parts or springs, all of which will fatigue over multiple impacts. This fatigue often leads to broken parts and failure of the gun to function properly.

Older firearms, especially shotguns, should be stored with snap caps in place, enabling the springs driving the firing pins to be relaxed by pulling the trigger(s) prior to being put away. Think of it in this manner: The firing pin is designed to impact a primer, which stops its forward movement when firing a gun. The snap cap provides the same feature in stopping the firing pin with the addition of a little “give,” similar to indenting a primer.

In addition, snap caps are generally brightly colored to distinguish them from live ammo, which helps to maintain the separation of live ammunition and the gun especially during storage and dry-fire exercises.

It is always good to have a few snap caps of the appropriate caliber or gauge in your range bag for dry-firing or storage purposes. Such a simple piece of gear can really help take your training to the next level.

I have to say, I won’t drop the hammer on a rimfire revolver or semi-auto handgun without ammunition being chambered.  But as long as the firing pin isn’t banging on anything, I have never worried about that with either a rifle or shotgun.

I also won’t drop the hammer on an AR-15 while the upper is off of the lower (for obvious reasons).  Grab it and gently let it fall.

Comments or observations?

This looks like fun.

Reddit/Firearms.

Here is an another video.

I see that some folks recommend the LM choke for quail.  I’ve used the IC choke with some success.  Any experience out there with choked for quail?

Eddie Hall had the world dead lift record when in 2016 he became the first man to lift more than 1100 pounds (1102 pounds).  He was bested in 2020 by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson who lifted 501 kg (1,104.5 lb). This is entertaining to watch.