The Firing Line

What Is The Best Handgun For Personal Defense?

2011-09-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

I think the best choice for a novice, or a non-enthusiast who doesn’t spend a lot of time shooting is a double action revolver in .357, like S&W model #686 or Ruger model GP 100. They are inherently simpler and safer to learn to handle and shoot effectively. A four inch .357, will permit the use of lighter .38 Special loads, and it’s barrel is a practical compromise between ease of shooting and ease of carry.

If you are "mechanically inclined" and plan to spend some time at the range getting familiar with shooting, I'd get a 9mm semi auto, probably either a Glock 19, Springfield XD-9, or S&W M&P 9mm.

Why a semi-auto? You want to CCDW, and you live in a sketchy area, and a gun battle is a reality. Because of that, I suggest the higher capacity of the double-stack 9mm, holding 16+ bullets. Otherwise, I'd recommend a revolver, for its simplicity and shorter learning curve, but then you are limited (in general) to six shots.

The three semi-autos I mentioned are all like a revolver in that you just pull the trigger to shoot them: the safety is on the trigger. Keep them holstered at all times, until you are ready to shoot.

I might recommend a .40 or .45 caliber version of the same 3 pistols, but if you don't like or want to deal with a lot of recoil, then stay away from large caliber. The 9mm will be slimmer, for better concealment. WIth modern high velocity "+P" jacketed hollow point bullets, 9mm is plenty effective, with much less recoil.

Just my opinion. Go to any large gun store and ask to handle a wide variety of pistols. Fit and feel is also very important. The one that fits your hand the best and just feels right, may be the one for you. All 5 of the pistols I mentioned will be extremely reliable right out of the box, and will set you back between 500 and 600 bucks.

The German View of Islam

2010-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist. A German's View on Islam

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 40 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China’s huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering Sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'? History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:

* Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. * Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

*

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts--the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just ignores it is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and pass this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.

E-Mail This Link to your Friends: http://usfirearmstraining.blogspot.com/2010/08/german-view-of-islam.html

The Myth Of The Honorable Illegal Immigrant

2010-05-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

By Joseph R. Bolin

Would you be able to tell the difference between a routine pizza delivery and a Bomb threat? Many folks wouldnt be able to distinguish the difference between normal activity and a potentially deadly threat. This is especially true in the crowded streets of our largest cities, where mass casualties would surely be the outcome of even a small attack. Remember 911?

The main reason terrorists don’t conduct attacks is that in small towns locals would usually notice anything out of place. The potential for falure is high and the potential impact low.

Simply put, terrorists are for the most part seeking attention and their aim is to maximize the destrutive potential of an attack. You can’t do much damage out in the country where armed citizens are free to act as a strong deterrant.

With new and tougher immigration laws such as the ones recently inacted in Arizona, illegals are becoming extremely nervous. It has always been my opinion that if illegals are willing to break the law to be in this country; who in their right mind thinks they will begin to obey our other laws after theyre here. Nearly none of these illegals would pass the rigourous criminal background checks built into the legal immigration system. The myth of the honorable illegal is just that, a myth. We need to secure our borders now!

All that aside, Terrorism is really the biggest reason we need to secure our borders. Terrorists at present have a wide open door through our southern borders. It’s like dropping the soap and pointing our collective backsides south. While the Mexicans get most of the press many nationalities of illegals enter through our Northern and Southern borders every day; and Mexican nationals are only a part of those illegals. Invisable and undocumented foreign nationals are the biggest threat to our national security we have yet known and it’s going to get worse until we take serious steps to identify who is in our back yard.

Without definitive action from our government, we as law abiding citizens are the only real defense our country has, and the backbone of that defense is the second amendment. It is our right to own and bear arms. Given a scenario of being confronted by armed terorists or angry illegals, it is imperative that individuals and groups be prepared to respond quickly and decisivly. The lives of our loved ones depend on what we do today. God Bless Arizona. To learn what you can do to be prepared visit http://www.usfirearmestraining.net/

Five Ways To Blend Marksmanship And Reality-Based Training

2010-03-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Point Shooting vs. Sighted Fire. I believe that we can’t get bogged into these arguments. For as much value as there is to be derived from certain IPSC- and IDPA-type drills, they can be problematic too. As much as we want to inspire our students at U.S. Firearms Training to do more, we have to realize that many people are never going to be interested enough to practice or train on their own. We also know that when it comes to physical fitness and personal pride, some people will never care as much about themselves as we would hope they would.

So, what would I recommend? Big Al Fugate and I used to talk about the possibly misplaced emphasis on marksmanship and technique. We would look at some of the “skills” that were being taught and we saw that they worked fine on the range and in qualifications, but such proficiencies often seemed to not be of help to the average user on the street. Steve Woods, in his typical direct fashion, used to tell me that he felt we were training figure skaters when we should have been developing hockey players. He was right.

My belief then (and now) when it comes to reality-based training is to look to the kind of training that has become so important and so successful in other areas of firearms instruction: real life, force-on-force, scenario-based, and reality-based training. We know it’s important to employ real people and real devices to simulate the real world. Why, then, are we so reluctant to make that the focus of our efforts in firearms training?

I would suggest something like this as the starting point. Try to balance the need for conventional “qualification” (something many of you will never be able to change due to board- or state-level requirements beyond your control) and the need to actually prepare your people to fight with the gun.

1) Teach the mechanical operation of the weapon
A. Loading, unloading, simple/unified stoppage drill(s)

B. Operation of safeties and de-cocking levers if applicable

2) If necessary, teach to the qualification course
3) If not required, then I would recommend something along the following lines:

A. Single shot drills on a single target to learn sighting basics and trigger control

i. Student is responsible for keeping the gun loaded and ready to employ

ii. Sometimes require a reload to make a point and/or gauge proficiency

B. Multiple shot drills (Not Just Double Taps) on a single target to advance the employment of basic techniques

C. Successful single target engagement drills (standing, turning, maybe moving, with and without the use of cover)

from three to perhaps 10 yards

D. Successful multiple target engagement drills (standing, turning, maybe moving, with and without the use of

cover) from three to perhaps 10 yards

E. Note that the drills in b., c., and d., (above) should be run both “from” and “from outside” of the holster