Author: RI Red

Dunno. What do you want to know? Lawyer, shooter, boater, aviator, etc.

Guns are dangerous, ‘mkay?

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I’m going to do a piece or two on beginner guns, but even before that, gun dangerousness. Yes, guns are dangerous. They are intended to be so. That is their original design principle. So, “gun safety” is a bit misleading.

A gun is a force projector. It is the evolutionary result of throwing stones, throwing spears, shooting arrows. It is designed to inflict potentially lethal force against other beings, human and otherwise. All the other uses of guns, plinking, target shooting, trap/skeet, all are secondary to the basic purpose of a firearm. With that in mind, let’s examine how we can control that force.

First, “The Four Rules”. When followed religiously, they ensure that the projection of that force does not result in unintended results.

  1. Every gun is loaded. Treat every gun that way.
  2. Do not let the barrel of the gun “cover” (point at) anything you are not willing to destroy.
  3. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you are on target and ready to shoot.
  4. Know what your target is. And what’s beyond it.

Discussion:

  1. When handling any firearm, if you treat it as if loaded, you won’t do stupid unloaded gun stuff – looking down the barrel, waving it around, doing quick draws. How many times have you heard, “But I didn’t know it was loaded!”
  2. This means always pointing your firearm in a safe direction. Good example – if you are on the firing line and your gun is pointed toward the ground, is it a safe direction? Maybe. But next time, take a look at where your feet are. Is your gun covering your toes? Another example – some shotgunners have special shoes made with a leather piece on their toe so that they can rest the barrel there between shots. AYFKM? Even shooting bird shot, a negligent discharge will go right through that resting point.
  3. As every veteran heard in basic training, “Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!” Literally, do not let your finger come in contact with the trigger until you are pointing at the target and you are beginning the trigger press. This is sometimes hard to do in practice. Think, most every gun is designed to be comfortably held in the hand and the trigger finger naturally wants to go inside the trigger guard. This is why you really do not want to try to catch a gun if you drop it. Yep, you caught it and it didn’t get dinged or dirty. Nope, you caught it perfectly and contacted the trigger just enough to set it off.
  4. Sure, you know you pinned a target to the tree. Have you considered what happens if you miss? Or if the bullet is not stopped by it? Where will that bullet end up. OK, is that a deer or Farmer John’s red heifer? Do you know that a little itty bitty .22 round can travel 1500 – 2000 yards? That would be over a mile if you haven’t done the math. So make sure that so,etching will backstop your round.

Thinking about it, if you follow these rules, you will likely never have a negligent discharge. Nope, there are no “accidental” discharges.

When I shoot with someone I have never shot with before, I always go over The Four Rules. If they know anything about shooting, they never complain.

Next up, Guns for Beginners. BTW, beginners never set hands on a gun with me until they repeat and explain The Four Rules to me.

Speaking of being triggered.

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My Ruger Precision Rimfire .22 came from the factory with a decent trigger. A bit heavy on the pull for my liking.

I think it’s time for Timney!

Purty, ain’t she? Easy install, almost a drop-in.

Nice flat trigger.

Finished product.

And how about that trigger pull weight?

And ammo comparison between the Christensen Ranger and the RPR:

PDG, I’d say.

Fleeting thoughts

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Plenty of Kat napping lately, but not much recording.

And, oh, yeah. From yesterday, an observation. The slower moving 140 merely ripped through the target, while the faster moving 140 and 147 punched neat holes.

Yep. Cordless, long-distance hole punch.

And just for yucks, yesterday reorganizing my loading bench, I pulled out this:

Many happy hours.

Back to the range with 6.5 Creedmoor

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I talked to a couple shooting buddies at the club on barrel life for the 6.5. Both said that the first signs they noticed were a slow decrease in velocity, and the groups started spreading out. Over the last five years, my muzzle velocity has decreased from about 2650 to about 2500 fps with 140 grain bullets.
So, today’s project was to up my normal load of Hodgdon 4350 from 39 to 41 grains (that seems to be a standard load for many). DISCLAIMER! Don’t use anything I say here as safe or accurate! This is my rifle, my loads and my experience. Always start out 10% less using anyone’s recipe! This is the Interwebs, ya know.

I also wanted to recheck loads for 147 g. bullets. Back during the last ammo shortage, it was all I could get for awhile. Back then, my rifle didn’t like it as much as 140’s, but I’ve got some and was thinking about wind carrying ability at long range. So, I brought some of those.

First, the obligatory range pic.

And some results.

My rifle still prefers the 140 g Hornady ELD-M going a bit slower, at least at 100 yards. You can see that, after my fouling shot (F), the next five rounds were .422”. The faster 140 came in at .848” with a flyer. And the 147 was .878”.

I’ll take all three to the upper range to see if the heavier ones work better at distance.

And, in the meantime, remember:

Effectiveness and energy

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Let’s look at an initial comparison between .380 ACP, 9 mm Luger, and .357 Sig.

Federal 95 grain FMJ .380 being fired from a 3.75” barrel at 980 fps – 203 foot-pounds of energy.

Federal 115 grain FMJ 9 mm being fired from a 4” barrel at 1180 FPS – 355 foot-pounds of energy.

Federal 125 grain FMJ .357 Sig being fired from a 4.5” barrel at 1350 FPS – 506 foot-pounds of energy.

There’s a good article over at TheGunZone.com from May 2024 that stresses that foot-pounds is not the be all and end all. Bullet design, expansion, shot placement and bullet weight all are equally as important. As a general comparison, it does give some idea of effectiveness, though. With the above numbers, the comparison is just as you would expect.

So let’s assume that each bullet is designed properly – I’d say shot placement is the most important. Can I quickly shoot each at Tueller Drill distance of 7 yards with a two-hand grip and make the hits count? Can I do it shooting dominant hand alone? Let’s take a look:

Looks like both the Max 9 and the LCP group around 2”, while the G32 spreads out a bit.

What’s the takeaway, then? For a tiny mouse gun the LCP shoots accurately enough (although in a sudden unexpected defensive gun use situation, I’d bet that grappling distance is more likely than 7 yards. I think Heinlein described it as “bad breath” distance). Proper bullet design, expansion and 200 foot-pounds of energy should be ok.

Same thing with the Max 9, but twice as many rounds and more foot-pounds.

The Glock? If I am knowingly going into a firefight, lots of bullets and lots of energy.
But the final consideration is “which one am I likely to have with me all of the time?”

In real life, I’m a belt and suspenders guy. The LCP is with me always. One of the other two is usually with me as well, depending on season, clothing and perceived threat level. So the answer to the initial question, “How compact is compact?”, is, in my case, small enough to carry concealed.

I’d need to put some height and weight on to carry a 1911 daily. Maybe take a look at the legendary .45 ACP soon.

Compact comparisons

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Let’s look at the tech stuff first:

Glock 32. 13 rounds. 4.02” barrel. Unloaded weight* 24.34 oz. OAL 7.36”. 5.04” height. 1.26” width.

Ruger Max 9. 12 rounds. 3.2” barrel. Unloaded weight 18.4 oz. OAL 6”. 4.52” height. .95” width.

Ruger LCP. 6 Rounds. 2.75” barrel. Unloaded weight 9.6 oz. OAL 5.16”. 3.6” height. .82” width.

(* Yes, I hate unloaded weight – not very useful except as a comparison point. Loaded, the G32 comes in at 30.34 oz. and will definitely be a factor in comfortable carrying consideration.)

Yes, some significant size differences. Take a look:

And capacity:

How about concealability?

The G32 is in an IWB holster, the Max 9 in a pocket holster, and the LCP is in a wallet holster. Much has been written about concealed carry, and it is very much an individual choice. IWBs are uncomfortable to me. Being in the frozen north, I can carry pretty much any handgun I want in an OWB holster underneath a jacket. I do that for both the G32 and the Max 9. But the tiny LCP in its wallet holster fits inside my back pocket, or a cargo pants pocket, or a jacket pocket. And it just does not print, other than being shaped like a wallet.

What it comes down to is the ease and comfort that will encourage you to carry every day. With the LCP, I do.

We’ll take a look at more variables tomorrow, as well as effectiveness of the round. I mean, I can carry a literal peashooter very comfortably, but it won’t do the self defense thing. Is the short little .380 ACP adequate to the task of being my EDC? And can I hit anything with it?