Month: May 2013

You can call this HOLY CRAP accuracy.

In an IBS 600-yard Benchrest match today at the Piedmont range (Rutherfordton, NC), Forum member Rodney Wagner shot a 0.349″ five-shot group at 600 yards.

via Amazing! Wagner Shoots 0.349″ (50-2X) Group at 600 Yards « Daily Bulletin.

That is pretty much millisecond of angle. I am happy if I shoot week of angle at 100 yards.

Ammo Panic Buy Might Still Be Going Strong.

Caught this on Reddit:
0ammopanicJPGIf you want to put a simple number to it, that makes over 13,000 rounds sold per minute with this company alone. Not even Homeland Security can compete against that.

And can you imagine the fit of sheer horror if Ladd & Josh ever find out how fast and how much ammo is flowing to the hands of us “Insurrectionists”?

Yeah, that made me smile too 🙂

The ZOMG Gun Show Loophole and other asserted lies debunked by… The Government.

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs of the Bureau of Justice Statistics released this little jewel called Firearm Violence, 1993-2011. Apparently most of the Major Media Conglomerates did not get the email and neither did the Usual Gun Control groups.

Here are some of the Highlights (their word, not mine, italics mine):

  • Firearm-related homicides declined 39%, from 18,253 in1993 to 11,101 in 2011. (Unimpossible! Murders are going up. It is the Wild West!)
  • In 2004, among state prison inmates who possessed a gunat the time of offense, less than 2% bought their firearm at a flea market or gun show and 40% obtained their firearm from an illegal source. (There goes the Gun Show Loophole)
  • About 70% to 80% of firearm homicides and 90% of nonfatal firearm victimizations were committed with a handgun from 1993 to 2011. (But what about the Eeevil Assault Weapons?)
I am gonna take my time and digest the stats as it is not my forte. But it does make for an interesting reading. Make sure to download the report and pass it along to your friends, specially those who might be leaning towards the dark side.
Thanks to Robert The K. for the file.

 

USPSA People are almost human!

Save the money on paying off that Jumbo-tron operator, proposals can also work well on the shooting rage. This proposal was actually well thought out with use of several steel targets. Anyway, no spoiler alerts, just enjoy the vid

via Shooting Range Proposal – Journal – mynameisfoxtrot.

Just a little IDPA barb to my fellow USPSA shooters. Click on the link and enjoy the video. Even I have to admit it was sweet as hell. 🙂

Real Life Shooting: It ain’t Dancing With The Stars (Graphic Content)

The following is a video of a shooting between Miami-Dade narcotics detectives and a resident of a marijuana growhouse. There is two camera angles in this embed, the second beginning at 7:43. My opinions are just that and I am not a tactical guru nor I stayed at the Holiday Inn last night. Grain of salt recommended.

We are used to see highly choreographed shootings in TV and the movies, but Real Life is just plain ugly and Murphy is her Significant Other.

Starting with the imperfect timing of the shooter getting in the car and out of the view of the first officer coming toward the house’s driveway. One second…half a second difference and the guy would have seen and taken care possibly without violence.

The first officer missing the guy inside the car. It could have been tunnel vision, a play in light, shadows and reflection on a late July afternoon (The house is facing west as per the shadows in the video,) possible tinting in the car’s glass or a combination of all. Who knows? We cannot predict all the circumstances and we just get to ride them sometimes.

Officers’ reaction at the Individual coming out of the car were just about under 4 seconds from detection to firearm deployed as they were not looking at the car and they were distracted making the arrest of the second individual. Not a criticism but simply how much time it requires to absorb, process & act from an unexpected target even when there must be enough adrenalin already running in the systems.

“No plan survives the first shot” pretty much should explain the rest of the video. The officer closest to the house seeks shelter somewhere after being hit three times in the abdomen which might explain the less than tacticool stance at the end and the three shots to the ground. I don’t care who you are, having a bullet impacting in you will trigger certain “Get me the @#$&! outta here” basic instincts and the according behavior. “In the shootout Detective John Saavedra, 34, was struck below his bullet proof vest; twice in the abdomen and once in the thigh. He was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and rushed into surgery.” CBS Miami.

The second officer was trying to control the second individual, once the shooting started made a dash for cover behind the car, withdrew his weapon and joined the exchange. His momma raised no fools and he is not getting paid to die unnecessarily. Far from me to say anything against his tactics.

The third officer (closest to the street) had the great advantage of the tree in between him and the shooter. Now there is a lesson here: Cover works for both parties, especially if there is only one cover to share. The officer smartly uses the tree to shield himself from the shooter as he engages him and retreats to better cover. I like the footwork.

And now the Shooter. I can’t tell if he came out of the truck shooting but I’d say no from the lack of immediate reaction from the officers. As we know, he managed to get “good” hits on one officer and he used cover but not properly. In the video we see two possible wounds in the torso: one on his left side and possibly one in middle of the chest by what the blood on his back is showing (or maybe the shot came from Detective John Saavedra as the shooter’s back was turned to where he was hiding.) The way he started to favor his right leg may indicate that he got shot there (IDPA Shooters: 100% of the lower body behind cover, remember? His procedural was much longer than three seconds) and then came the head shot. According to the movies, the shooter was supposed to be dead at least twice yet he lasted a long time before he joined the cruise to Hades. “Pistol calibers are inefficient” was one if the first lessons I learned from a couple of instructors that dealt in reality and not Hollywood drama.  We carry sidearms because they are lighter and easier to conceal than a rifle or shotgun but we must never forget we are trading efficiency for comfort (and no prison time in most localities.) Even the Mighty .45 is not a good stopper no mater what the faithful say as that was the caliber of shooter’s weapon.

And to close this post, I wonder how many shots were taken by each individual officer. I am willing to bet that at least some of them went over the stipulated NY Safe Act seven rounds and probably more than ten also.

If anybody has a copy of the video or knows where to download one, let me know. This one as teaching moment is a keeper.