Mixed Drill

Well I'm done with my CCW course, and I actually enjoyed myself, which is surprising considering I've already done it once before (I let mine expire without renewing it)

So, given I was just in training, I wanted to talk about it, and about some basic tactical concept in general.

The first day we started out with some basics about handguns, maintenance, proper procedures etc... All of the shooters in my class (all five of us) had semi-autos with us (3 1911's and 2 beretta 92's actually); but we went over revolvers quite a bit as well. We had three experienced shooters (including myself) in the class, but the other two students were gun novices; so the gun basics were pretty useful to them at least, and honestly, I never get tired of talking about guns, or sharing my experiences, and netierh were the other two 1911 guys.

In the middle of the day, we moved into ammunition selection. First we talked a bit about ammo, then we watched an hour long video with (now retired Col.) Dr. Martin Fackler; almost certainly the worlds foremost expert on wound ballistics. The video was more than a bit out of date; being made in '87 the physics and biology haven't changed, but the construction of a lot of bullets has. In the last 18 years, the quality and construction of factory ammunition, especially expanding ammunition such as hollowpoints; has improved GREATLY. Other than that though, their basic recommendations were sound.

Here's a combination of the videos, and my own recommendations on ammo selection

• Shot placement is far more important than ammunition selection
• Permanent wound cavity size is the most important factor in causing neutralizing wounds
• Penetration is the most important single factor in creating a large permanent wound cavity
• Bullet weight is the most important single factor in penetration (presuming sufficient velocity)
  
• Bullet diameter is the second biggest factor in creating a large permanent wound cavity
  
• Use the biggest bullet you can, because it will create the largest permanent wound cavity
• Expanding bullets can be good because they will create a larger permanent wound cavity if they expand; but don't depend on expansion, because frequently expanding bullets don't
• Even if an expanding bullet doesnt expand, so long as it doesn't disintegrate and maintains penetration, it will perform no worse than a non-expanding bullet; so assuming your weapon is reliable with expanding ammo, it's generally a better choice.
  
• Velocity is relatively unimportant, except as it aids in penetration (or expansion). The large temporary cavity caused by high velocity rounds isn't irrelevant, but it isn't a reliable mechanism for causing neutralizing wounds from pistols (major caliber rifles are a different story), because the shock created is within the limit of most tissues ability to absorb it; you are far better off depending on penetration, and diameter to create a large permanent wound cavity.

The afternoon of day 1 was spent going over the laws that apply to firearms in this state. Most importantly we went through the doctrines and laws surrounding justification of the use of force.

This is a pretty critical discussion, not just for people who will carry concealed, but really everyone (even people who don't own guns), because you never know when you will need to defend yourself. In Arizona the fundamental principle of the law is pretty simple:

You are justified in using lethal force, or the threat of lethal force, to defend yourself or others; against a present, immediate, and credible threat to life, as you percieve it. There is no direct statutary duty to retreat, and the castle doctrine applies; however the reasonable man doctrine also applies so you'd better be damned sure you are justified in shooting; which brings up the next bit.

While the principle is clear, it gets more complicated in practice; and we spent a lot of time talking about when you might be justified, and when you would not be; as well as discussing the crimes you are legally allowed to prevent with lethal force (or the threat of lethal force), and when you should or should not do so (even if you are legally justified). There is a list of 10 crimes that you are technically legally justified in using lethal force to prevent, however if a reasonable man believes that your decision to use lethal force was not a last and only resort (as far as you knew), then your actions can be held as unjustified, and you may be charged.

We also discussed general firearms laws, and the laws relating to concealed carry specifically (ars13-3112);about other laws that could effect our permits, and our rights to own and carry firearms (like the unconstitutional domestic violence provisions); and exactly what a firearm, a deadly weapon, and a dangerous instrument are. Finally we talked about reciprocity, the laws of other states, and the laws concerning travel and transportation.

Day two, we spent the morning shooting the practice course for about 4 hours; and the afternoon going over shoot-don't-shoot excercises, and mental conditioning.

The basic practice course involved 80 rounds, mixed 1- 6 shot strings, at 3, 5, 7, and 10 yards; with tactical or stress reloads for any string longer than 3 shots. Each drill started and ended in the holster, some with or without pause at ready position after 2 or 3 shots.

At 5, 7, and 10 yards we did a tactical or stress reload; and at each range we did a stovepipe drill, an FTF (failure to fire) drill, and an FTE (failure to extract/eject) drill.

For these drills we used an IPSC standard silouhette target:

In the entire 80 shots, I only placed 4 out of the A zone; but my hits were ALL OVER the place in the A zone (and I do mean all over the place, the entire area was peppered).

For the last few years I've pretty much stopped doing accuracy drills. You can't miss fast enough to win, but so long as you KNOW you are going to hit in the vital zone within 15 yards, I believe that speed is the most important factor in defensive shooting.

I belive that a handgun is an inherently innaccurate, and short range weapon; that should only be used to effect a safe retreat either out of danger, or to a more effective firearm (a rifle or shotgun). Given this precept, I figure once I've reached (and can maintain) a basic standard of accuracy, the best thing I can do (tactically) is get faster.

When I say I KNOW I can hit what I'm aiming at, this is what I mean:

Top Right: .357 sig, SIG p229, 25 yards, 5 shot slow fire, 1.5", 4 in just under 3/4"
Bottom Right: .40 S&W, SIG p229, 25 yards, 12 shot rapid fire, 8 "x", 3 "10", 1 "9"
Bottom Left: .45 acp Champion, 25 yards, 5 shot rapid fire, 1-3/4"
Top Left: .45 acp Champion, 7 yards, 5 shot rapid fire, 1.25" 4 in 3/4"

A slight disclaimer, the top right was the best 25 yard off hand group of my LIFE. Oh and both the groups with the Champion were from the box stock gun before I had Yost work it over.

On a good day, from ready position I can empty my 1911 in about 2 seconds, and have all nine hits in the golden triangle (a triangle from the bridge of the nose to the nipples, or to the kidneys depending on who's doing the teaching), at any range up to 15 yards. I can do this with all of my handguns, except the Kahr; with which I can manage it from 3 to 7 yards (the only ranges I practice at with it). I can generally do the same with 5 rounds in less than 1 second. I can pull 2 mozambiques in less than 3 seconds, sometimes managing three in as little as 2 seconds.

It's funny, but I actually shoot better (relatively speaking) rapid fire than I do slow fire (as anyone who shoots with me can verify, because I bitch about it constantly). I guess I overthink my slowfire a bit or something.

So, I was fast: I had two IPSC Open class competitors shooting next to me, (with their standard class guns not their open guns; a beautiful STI, and an even better looking Wilson), and I was out, fired, and back in the holster by the time they had finished firing.

Yeah, I really am that fast, and that accurate (at least on my good days).

I was accurate enough; as I said, I only had four rounds out of the A zone the entire time; but I wasn't happy with my accuracy, and what it comes down to is this: man do I need to do more holster drills, and I suck when I miss a few weeks of practice. It's been a few weeks since I've been able to shoot, and a few months since I've been able to do any holster work, and it shows.

My first shot from the holster was generally low and/or to the left, and my second was usually in the center, or to the upper right, where I actually wanted them to be. Basically my ready position reflexes were fighting my holster reflexes, because I haven't been practicing enough from the holster. I was anticipating my sight alignment a bit too much, and didn't have my grip fixed properly on the first shot; but by my second shot I was in position, and the correct reaction to the initial shots recoil was part of my trained reflex, so my sights were properly aligned on reset, and the shot was placed where I wanted it.

Worse than my poor performance from the holster; I had 3 actual malfunctions during the drills. The Remington green box hollowpoints are a bit long for my gun, and they don't like to eject. It seemed like the nose of the round below was impacting the rim of the extracting case, pulling it clear of the extractor, and causing a doublefeed. So I had to clear three doublefeeds, and continue the drills to completion. The first shot after each doublefeed was poorly placed; in fact two of the C shots, and the one D shot I had of the 4 non-A shots were after malfunction clearances. It was good practice actually, but not what you want to be doing. Obviously I won't be buying the greenbox for this gun again, I just thought I'd cheap out this time; so I pretty much deserved what I got.

After the practice drills we had our proficiency shoot. The state mandates a minimum of 10 shots, 70% of which must be within the scoring area using NRA TQ-15 targets:

The proficiency course we shot consisted of 7 strings, each string beginning and ending in the holster:

• 2x1 shot strings to the head from 3 yards
• 3x2 shot strings to center mass from 5 yards
• 2x6 shot strings to center mass from 10 yards with a tactical or stress reload in each string

This is a little tougher than the state reqires (5 shots at 5 yards, and 5 shots at 10 yards), but I think it's a pretty reasonable minimum qualification. I scored both head shots in the center of the head, touching; and all 18 of the center shots in the inner scoring area, though I had an FTE again in the middle of the first 10 yard string. For that one I just did a strip, rack, rack, reload drill, and made the final three shots.

In the afternoon we talked about the mindset required for the use of lethal force, and shoot-don't-shoot situations.

A few years ago I ran through the basic defensive pistol class at Gunsite (the 250 course). During the course we got the "mental conditioning" seminar, and the Jeff Cooper "color code" was an important part of the tactical concepts we practiced in the course (although the Col. was on hiatus when I took the course, I did meet him when I fixed his internet access. Interesting guy).

Our mental preparation discussions started off with a tape of Col. Cooper giving the talk, in what looked like the early 80's (from the haircuts). Cooper did the talk better than my original instructor (Mark somethingorother), and no-one has really said it better: You must be able to identify, assess, and respond to threats (or potential threats) appropriately, and instantly, anywhere, at any time.

Its something I learned from martial arts a long time before I was at Gunsite, but the cooper color code system is the first exposure most people will ever have to threat response methodology, or even to the attitudes that make threat response possible.

There are four basic mental conditions, because three isn't enough, and five is too much (Keep It Simple Stupid):

White: Relaxed, un-aware, minimal alertness.

When you are in condition white, you are unprepared for threats. It will be difficult, and more importantly SLOW, for you to respond to a potential danger. If you are attacked in condition white, you will most likely be killed. The only way you WON'T be killed, is if the threat is incompetent (or as Col. Copper put it, "if the goblin is an idiot", followed by Robbie Barrkmans Rhodesian beer party story, which is hilarious)

This is the state that most people are in, most of the time. In fact, most dont even know that other states exist, until it's too late.

Yellow: Relaxed, aware, alert to potential threats.

When you are in condition yellow, you are in a state of relaxed alertness. You watch, you listen, and you assess everything that you see or hear as to it's threat potential.

This isn't to say you are paranoid, it's really jsut a matter of paying attention, and being mentally prepared to respond should it become necessary.

This state can be maintained basically for your entire life, and it should be. That said, t is difficult to maintain this state when you are in comfortable, or trusted surroundings. In your home, and in your job, you should feel safe after all; and it's easy to let your guard down, but those may be the situations you need this mental preparation most most.

Orange: Specific alert, actively responsive to potential threats.

In condition orange, you have identified a specific threat or potential threat, you have asessed it, and you have mentally prepared yourself to respond. You have not decided to act, but you have mentally prepared yourself to act if it necessary.

The van up ahead with the blacked out windows, that guy you see hanging out in the shadows, the dark corner you need to go around; you have a mental plan of action for what to do when and if your potential threat materializes.

This state can be maintained almost indefinitely, for hours or even days if necessary, but not permanently. The level of alertness associated with condition orange is fatiguing, and it also makes it more difficult to respond appropriately to non-threat interaction.

Red: Threat response, if-then

In condition red, a specific threat has been identified and assessed, and a course of action has been decided upon. If the threat does this (move, aim, draw etc...), you will do this (shoot, run, yell etc..), INSTANTLY. Condition red is your final stop point, beyond this is only direct action, and it WILL happen on reflex. He moves, you WILL shoot him; he raises his gun, you WILL run etc...

That's the system, and it will save your life. Threat response isn't something you can just DO when someone attacks you; by then it's far too late. Threat response must be something you do by reflex, and it must be consistent. You do this the same way, each time, every time, until it's unconscious and automatic.

Let me say this again; you repeat your threat asessment consciously and continuously, until it becomes an unconsious reflex. It's something you do all the time, and the only time you notice, is when a threat becomes real.. or when the alertness helps you in some other way...

Yup, that system is very useful in other areas of your life. It's great when you're driving, it's great for sports, it's great for poker.

The craziest bit, the color code will even help you pick up those of your chosen sex (no, I'm not kidding). In the case of straight males, women like it when you notice things about them; Their hair, nails, shoes, outfit, whatever; more importantly, their body language and conversational clues, that most men are clueless about and don't even notice.

Anyway...

We finished up the day with a review of shoot-don't shoot scenarios, and went into the reasoning behind them; then we had our test (which is ridiculously easy), inked our ten cards, and that was it.

16 hours, 100 rounds fired, and a complete change in most peoples thoughts about guns, and responses to threats.

Even if you dont intend to carry concealed on the street, I HIGHLY recommend you take a CCW course. The permit is a useful thing to have in general, and the issues covered in the course are things every gun owner should recieve training in.

Now I just have to wait the 7-75 days for the permit to come back to me (it usually takes a week to two weeks).

What's in your pockets?

I mentioned the other day that I usually carrry 10 to 15 lbs of gear on my person at any time, and that got me thinking about this list I made up for the NOR forums about what exactly I DO carry every day (and it's a lot).

If we limit it to the contents of just my pants pockets it's not too much, but I'm usually wearing either a leather vest with 5 pockets, a 511 adventure vest with over 20 pockets, or a jacket with a bunch of pockets, often well loaded with stuff. I also wear a wilderness, Rafter S, AdventureTech, or other duty belt with a bunch of stuff hanging off it.

I'm limiting to the stuff I carry every day, not what I carry when Im expecting interesting social situations.

Pants:

1. one of the following: Mel Pardue Ambush, Ken Onion blackout, Benchmade auto reflex
2. keychain with my normal keys, a handcuff key with LED light, a high strength caribiner, 2" of web strapping, and a mag lite solitaire
3. A zippo lighter (I don't smoke)
4. Wallet with normal cards and ID, money (I try to keep at elast $100 on me at all times) two spare keys, and a polyamide credit card knife.
5. One of the following: SureFire A2 Aviator, SureFire E2 executive, SureFire 6P
6. Mints of some kind, most likely in a tin packed with cotton to avoid rattling.
7. Pepper spray

The mints, spray, and big light may end up in the vest or jacket depending.

Belt:

1. One of the following: Springfield champion .45, H&K USP compact in .45, or Kahr K9, and at least one spare mag for whichever, maybe two, usually in a kydex IWB (reloads may be in the vest)
2. Buck or Gerber multi-tool
3. Cell phone
4. Palm Tungsten T PDA in a soft belt case (may be in the vest instead), notepad, and pen
5. There may be a mini-maglight or a 2c or 4d light hanging off here depending

511 Vest:

1. Two reloads for whatever pistol I am carrying (assuming they arent on the belt)
2. Mints as above
3. A pair of leather gloves
4. Nasalspray, Sudafed, Advil, Zantac, Tagamet, and tums
5. A pair of handcuffs, or some zip ties (unless they're on the belt)
6. A larger pepper spray (I'll leave the pants one off)
7. Sunglasses
8. 50ft of paracord
9. a bottle of water in one of the large bottle pockets
10. Unless I'm carrying it on my belt, the Kahr K9 may be in the vest, even if I'm carrying another gun

If I'm wearing cowboy boots (a not infrequent occurance) I've probably got a cold steel peacekeeper II in them as well.

Like I said, I carry a lot of crap.

My Springfield Champion

I've mentioned my champion a bunch of times, but I havent ever talked in detail about it; well, here it is (before I changed the slide stop and the safety, click for full size):

And t'other side:

Between what comes on it from the factory (quite a lot for the money), and the work I've had done to it or done myself) it's one hell of a piece; Some folks may even consider this work excessive for a 1911, but I'm very happy with it:

1. Polished integrated ramped, match bull barrel with a fully supported chamber (for .45super)
2. Titanium firing pin
3. Tuned custom hammer and trigger group with a 3.25# pull
4. Ultra short, ultra light, adjustable trigger
5. Tuned extractor
6. Tuned ejector
7. Dual captured recoil system with 22# wolff springs (for .45 super)
8. Tightened and trued frame and slide (but not too tightened)
9. Checkered arched mainspring housing
10. Wraparound hogue finger groove grips
11. Torx head grip screws
12. Lowerd and flared ejection port
13. Lowered, extended, and thinned tool steel ambi-dextrous safety
14. Lowered, extended, and thinned tool steel slide stop
15. Beveled mag well
16. Novak lo-profile combat sights with tritium inserts.
17. Recessed angle cut muzzle crown
18. Wilson mags with steel ultrathin base plates
19. Full wolff sring set
20. Slide flats trued and polished, the rest of the gun bead blasted

It's 100% reliable, and on my best days makes cloverleaf groups and touching doubletaps at any range up to 25 yards.

The thing is, almost all of that was from the factory for $800 (about $150 off retail). It's as much "stuff" as my Wilson from 7 years ago has, for 1/3 the price. The smith work was another $300, including parts, and maybe another $300 in other parts (4 wilson mags, slide stop, safety, springs).

I dont consider any of that excessive, though certainly not all of it was completely necessary. It's exactly the gun I want, and it preforms perfectly.

Good Triggers

I was thinking about my Champion, my Kahr, and triggers. From time to time the question arises, what makes a good pistol or revolver trigger (rifle triggers are a whole 'nother ball game).

In a factory single action or conventional SA/DA trigger (i.e. NOT a Glock), in single action; there should be a maximum of about 1/16" of weightless takeup (some designs, like SIGs, have more like 1/4" of initial takeup), then up to about 1/32" or so of takeup under pressure as the trigger engages the sear, with maybe just a little bit of creep (1/32" is too much for a good trigger) followed by a snap break at 5-6lbs. Excessive takeup, roughness, or creep (especially with roughness or stacking, even worse if uneven or stairstep) are causes for a concern.

That's a factory trigger, not a good custom trigger; for which totally different standards apply.

Unfortunately, a lot of factories produce truly horrendous triggers out of the box; either from liability concern, or simply from poor tolerances (getting a good trigger requires hand fitting, which is expensive). It is very difficult to get consistent accuracy with a bad triger, and you shouldnt ever have to, especially with a 1911.

A competition 1911 trigger is generally around 2.5-3lbs with basically 0 takeup (maybe 1/32"... probably less), almost 0 creep, and almost 0 overtravel. The problem is if you get down to absolutely 0 creep, especially at that light weight there's a good chance of doubling.

In my opinion, a carry trigger should be no lighter than 3lbs, and I prefer 3.25-3.5lbs (most cops and instructors will say 4 and 4.25-4.5 jsut for lawyer safety), with a max of 4.5-5 lbs in a 1911, and maybe up to 6.5-7lbs in a DA/SA (though I'd still prefer 4.5).

Never let a gunsmith you don't trust explicitly work on your trigger; we've all seen far too many butchered guns and deadly triggers.

[rant_mode=on]

Oh and anyone who tells you that "Any good trigger will have zero creep" is talkin out their ass, or hasn't shot anything except pre-1970 Smith and Wesson revolvers, and/or target rifles.

It is almost impossible to get a reliable and safe auto pistol trigger (for a carry type pistol anyway. Competition only pistols are a different story) at a reasonable weight with absolutely 0 creep. You CAN have an ultra light trigger with 0 creep, but if you don't double that sucker at least once it'd be incredible; hell even with a 3lb trigger it's easy to double during recoil with +p loads if you arent paying attention. You can have an ultra heavy trigger with 0 creep, but... why?

A very little bit of creep is actually a good thing for safety and reliability (and I do mean VERY little. Imperceptible unless you're a gunsmith or match shooter used to an ultralight ultracrisp trigger).

Trigger pull weenies get fixated on creep as the evil of evils, when in reality that title goes to stacking. Stacking is the evil of all evils. Inconsistent, stairstep, changes from shot to shot stacking. Stacking makes consistency impossible, and consistency is what gives you good groups.

I think the reason this whole creep thing became such a big deal was that the S&W revolver guys had to have something to bitch about the autos when the mass changes started in the 70's, and it was ingrained in everyone since.

Combine that with the rise of IPSC, and you have these guys out there with 6000 grit stones (about the same abrasiveness as a piece of construction paper) masturbat.... I mean polishing their sears, triggers, and hammers to astronomical instrument tolerances.

Of course the second they shoot these ungodly overstoned guns the polish develops blemishes, the edges of the parts chip, engagement becomes iffy and unreliable etc.....

No thanks, I'll take a little creep with my trigger thank you.

[rant_mode=off]

The funny thing is, S&W still does the best triggers of any factory. If you ever want to see a truly perfect 1911 trigger, pick up a performance center SW1911 and squeeze a time or two. Wilson, Les Baer, Ed Brown, Ted Yost, Bill Laughridge, Jim Clark; they can all go pound sand, this is the perfect 1911 trigger.

Of course if you ever want to feel the most perfect trigger ever put on centerfire handgun, thats real easy; if that is you can get one of their owners to let you pry it out of their hands for a second. Go and squeeze a 1965 era S&W Model 29. Really anything from '57 til '68 will do (before they retooled and fired a bunch of the old timers). Once you squeeze one of those you realize all the "great" triggers you though you had before are just... not quite there.

Oh and just about as good would be a K-22 masterpiece (obviously a rimfire), but getting an owner to let you touch it is about as easy as getting a basehead to give up the rock.

Prepping for the CCW course - Part 2: Gear

Now on to the fun stuff, the gear for the CCW course.

I'm taking the Yost customized Springfield Champion in my hip, in a Galco cop series high ride. I generally only use the Galco for classes and the range; because it's comfortable, but doesn't conceal all that well. I usually carry the Champion in a kydex IWB, or a Wilson Low-Profile (actually made by Rafter S, some of the best gunleather in the business. I have two of their belts and two mag pouches as well), both of which are excellent for concealment, but the course doesn't allow crossdraw, SOB, or IWB carry (I'm actually a fan of SOB carry as well, usually with an IWB or a belt slide, but it's entirely unsuitable for a training environment).

I was thinking about bringing the USP compact, which HK SWORE would be back to me by yesterday; it wasn't. It's a great carry piece, because even though it's thick through the slide, the shape doesn't print much at all, and it's VERY light (23oz unloaded vs. 34oz); plus the thing is almost as precise, and I'm alsmot as accurate with it, as the custom 1911 (and it damn well should be for the money they cost).

I'll bring my normal deep cover piece (a well worked over Kahr K9) as well, but it's really a 7 yard gun, and we'll be doing excercises at 15 yards. The thing groups fine from the bench out to 25 yards, but we'll be doing holster drills; and while I can make it group like a champ in speed drills at 7 yards (8 shots fast as I can control into a 4" circle, 5 shots slow into 2" or so), the sight radius is just too short, and the trigger is just too long (although I've smooooothed this thing up so it's like a nice light DA revolver pull) for fast and accurate shooting at 15 yards.

Oh and the wallyworld ammo was more expensive than the last time I bought it. $23.95 for 100rds of the 230gr Remington JHPs (talk about a flying ashtray). Also I think the Remingtons changed their specs from the last time I bought them, because although these chamber fine, they are a little long, and ejecting the unfired round is a bit tight. I used to have the same problem with the Golden Sabers whenever I tried them, but not the green and whites, now it seams they are loading to the same OAL, or the nose profile has changed, and they are hanging up on ejection. It won't be a problem when firing, but it might make clearance drills a PITA.

My normal diet is +P Gold Dots, or Glasers but I'm not spending $100 on the ammo for this class (or $300 if I were to fire all glasers). I've fired at least 1000 gold dots through this gun (I honestly dont know, probably more), I know how they feed, and how they shoot; I don't ned to train with them for that kind of money.

Actually that reminds me, I need to check out ammoman and see if he has the bulk boxes of Gold Dot .45 on sale again. I can usually pick up the 250rd boxes from either him, or the gun shows, for $45-$60 a pop when they are on sale (update: looks like he's still out).

As it is, I've got about 120 rds of the gold dot on hand, 40 Taurus copper expanders, 40 hydrashoks, 40 Cor-Bon +p+ (though they dont call it that, it's jsut REALLY hot +p, like 1050fps 230gr), about 40 glasers and magsafes, and 150 federal hardball, plus the 100 remington jsut picked up. That is literally the lowest I've been on .45 in two plus years.

I'm also down to about 500 9mm, 1300 5.56, and 800 7.62x51, also the lowest I've been in a year. Worse, I've only got 300 rounds of decent 5.56 left, which I keep loaded in mags in my AR's drag bag; the other case worth is Wolf. It is at least new Wolf, with the polymer not the lacquer, but that shit smells horrible, and it's the dirtiest gankiest ammo in the world. I swear to god they use Horse piss for their nitrates, and manure for their binder (which is actually one of the ways powder used to be made BTW).

I really need to set up my presses (I've got two orange crushers), and grab some components. I should probably pick up brass catchers for the AR and M14 as well. God knows how much good brass I've jsut left for the range to pick up over the years.

I've got all the dies I need, but I dont have a case tumbler, my scale is dead, and my powder measure is lost... and I dont have the cash to replace them. Maybe if I can get the watch, and the smith sold off... I've been lmiting my shooting lately because of the budget crunch, and I'm jsut not thrilled with that situation. My normal shooting routine is to burn 500 or so rounds a week, and I think I've only managed 500 rounds in the last six weeks.

Prepping for CCW course - Part 1: Legalese

While I take my Arizona CCW class this weekend, starting in about 3 hours actually, blogging will be a bit light. I'll be in the classrom and/or on the range from 8am til about 6pm for the next two days (oh poor me, I get 16 hours of gun immersion).

The current CCW issuance and course requirements are as follows:

E. The department of public safety shall issue a permit to an applicant who meets all of the following conditions:

1. Is a resident of this state or a United States citizen.

2. Is twenty-one years of age or older.

3. Is not under indictment for and has not been convicted in any jurisdiction of a felony.

4. Does not suffer from mental illness and has not been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution.

5. Is not unlawfully present in the United States.

6. Satisfactorily completes a firearms safety training program approved by the department of public safety pursuant to subsection N of this section.

...

N. The department shall approve a program that meets the following requirements:

1. Is at least sixteen hours in length.

2. Is conducted on a pass or fail basis.

3. Addresses all of the following topics in a format approved by the director of the department:

(a) Legal issues relating to the use of deadly force.

(b) Weapon care and maintenance.

(c) Mental conditioning for the use of deadly force.

(d) Safe handling and storage of weapons.

(e) Marksmanship.

(f) Judgmental shooting.

4. Is conducted by instructors who submit to a background investigation, including a check for warrants and a criminal history record check.

The state doesnt actually directly specify the exact contents of the course, but they have a general syllabus that everyone has to teach at a minimum, and they approve each course individually. I actually think this is great, because it makes sure that everyone gets at least the same minimum training, but still allows instructors to improve on the basics, and really give useful knowledge, technique etc.. to their students. Check out the syllabus, it's really very good, though a lot of material to cover in two days.

On the completion of the course, each student is required to pass a qualification consisting of the following:

VIII. WRITTEN TEST

A. 30 questions, with a score of at least 70 percent, using any version of the AZ DPS standardized test (effective June 1, 2003).

B. Review and retest all incorrect answers until a final score of 100% is achieved. Retest(s) may be either written or verbal.

IX. QUALIFICATION

A. Minimum standard: At least 10 rounds with a firearm and live ammunition, no time limit (5 rds at 5 yards and 5 rds at 10 yards). Ammunition shall consist of a case, primer, powder and a lead or lead-jacketed bullet. Use of simulated, frangible, marking and/or rubber projectiles is prohibited. Qualification may consist of firing more rounds than the minimum standard at longer ranges than those given, at the discretion of the organization. Students should be drawing and firing from a holster they intend on using to carry their handgun with, but this is not mandatory.

B. NRA TQ-15, TQ-19 or equivalent, i.e., secondary scoring ring equal to 14 x 16, or less. Shots outside of the 2nd scoring ring will not count.

C. 70 percent hits within the secondary scoring ring are required for a passing score.

Which, although easy, is sufficient to ensure general firearms safety, which is EXACTLY what a CW qualification SHOULD be. Anyone who is reasonably competent with a firearm- enoguh to defend themselves without accidentally shooting someone else - should be able to pass it.

Actually, I say the tests are easy, but having helped conduct a few of the classes myself,, and having done some firearms instruction in general, you'd be amazed how many can't pass it. I don't want to deprive people of their right to defend themselves, but about 30% of all the people who take these courses fail the first time. If you fail the instructor will go over the tests with you again, and will allow you to reshoot after further instruction, about half of those who failed the first time, fail the second time, and there is no third time, you have to take the course again.

I'll be honest with you, if you can't pass this test on the second try, I really don't want you carrying a gun anywhere near me, or anyone else for that matter (including yourself).

I find the statistics of permit holders in this state heartening:

	Active	Suspended	Revoked
Permits	68,625	838	801
Instructors	1,396	168	28
Organizations	447	116	10

Though the number of INSTRUCTORS suspended or revoked is worrisome. Take a look at the full link, the numbers are interesting.

The DPS also publishes a handly little summary sheet of the gun laws in Arizona as they apply to permit holders. Especially important, the restrictions as to when and where you can and cannot carry:

GENERALLY, MISCONDUCT INVOLVING WEAPONS (13-3102.A.1 and A.2) DOES NOT APPLY TO:

• A deadly weapon which is immediately accessible and carried openly by a means that makes it obvious to a casual observer the person is carrying a deadly weapon ("open carry")

• A person in his home, on his business premises or on real property owned or leased by that person

• Within a means of transportation, a deadly weapon that is not immediately accessible or if it is clearly visible to a casual observer or if it is carried in a container that makes it obvious the person is transporting a deadly weapon

• A pocketknife (a folding knife with a blade less than 4 inches)

• A peace officer or any person summoned by any peace officer to assist while actually in the performance of official duties

• A warden, deputy warden or correctional officer of the state department of corrections

• A member of the military forces of the United States or of any state of the United States in the performance of official duties

• A person specifically licensed, authorized or permitted (ccw permit) pursuant to a statute of this state or of the United States. Permit holders are subject to the below listed restrictions

FIREARMS ARE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED IN THE FOLLOWING PLACES (with or without a permit)

• Businesses serving alcohol for consumption on the premises (peace officers are excepted)

• Polling places on election days (peace officers are excepted)

• School grounds (some exceptions – see below) (peace officers are excepted)

• Commercial nuclear & hydroelectric generating stations (peace officers are excepted)

• Military installations (peace officers are limited)

• Indian reservations (check w/tribe, peace officers are limited)

• Game preserves (peace officers are limited)

• National parks (peace officers are limited)

• Correctional facilities

• Federal buildings (peace officers are limited)

• Airports (in or beyond security checkpoints) (peace officers are limited)

• Where federal, state or local laws prohibit weapons (peace officers are limited)

• State or local government/private establishments or events when asked by the operator/sponsor/agent.

There are currently bills in the legislature to allow carry onto school property by CCW holders (looks like that ones going to fail), and in restaraunts and possibly bars so long as the CCW holder doesnt drink (looks like that ones going to pass).

I was an AZ CCW holder before, but I left thr country for a few years. Technically speaking when you leae the state for more than six months they revoike your CCW... if you report you left, which I didn't, but mine expired last April anyway. They give you six months to renew it, which takes a 4 hour course and the renewal fee ($65), but at the time I was way too busy, and then by the time I wasn't I was way to broke.

So I have been sans CCW since October; not exactly the ideal situation. Now, I'm one of those folks who doesn't believe the state has a right to restrict you ability to defend yourself, and I practice my beliefs every day; but avoiding a felony conviction is fairly high on my list of priorities. My father is a multiple felon, and I already have enough problems with him having the same name as I do (he's the 3rd, I'm the fourth, and most systems truncate everything over the third, so it's a MAJOR pain in the ass).

Oh and there is one other benefit to having an AZ CCW; no NICS. That in and of itself is worth the hassle, because as I said; my father, who has the same name as I do, is a multiple felon. This causes me to get delayed on my NICS periodically when some genius forgets to check, and/or mis enters my birthdate or SSN

I was originally going to wait until the AZ legislature passed its revised concealed carry bill, extending the term of the license (from 4 years to ... however long gets passed; it was originally for life, but now it looks like its going to be either 5 or 10 years), and reducing the training requirement to 8 hours; but I have the $50 off deal, and I was tired of waiting.

Besides, it's a chance to shoot under the care and feeding of professionals (good ones, not some bullshit instructor from the local gun club who's shot less in his lifetime than I do in a good month). Near as I can tell there's only going to be a couple of us in the class, so we may be able to get something useful done.

Ugliest Modern Gun Contest

Ok guys, time for a little reader poll,

Everyone submit their suggestions (and links to pics if its an uncommon model) for what the ugliest gun to ever see mass production was/is.

So far we've got someone saying the Astra Auto. My personal choice is the FN-P90, and the Heartless lIbertarian is going with the HKG11, but I'm disqualifying that because it wasnt a real production gun(otherwise it'd be my cgoice as well).

The SA80 and the Steyr AUG have to be in there somewhere.

So groundrules:

1. the gun must have seen full production, and will be judged in production trim, by design not by finish quality (no rooneyd up guns, they're ALL ugly, and a bad finish can uglify ANY gun)
2. The gun must be a modern cartridge firearm (caseless allowed)
3. The gun must be FUGLY

Suggestions due by next friday, and we'll judge the winner (er... loser?) by general acclamation.

Blogging ist Licht heute

Because I'll be spending most of the day watching the Red Sox kick the crap out of the Diamondbacks.

Oh and buying ammo for my class this weekend. I fell below 500 rounds of .45 for the first time in years, and I dont have the reloading rig set up, so it's off to wally world for the Remington white/greeb box hollowpoints (I prefer to practice wtih HP's when the price is reasonable; $20 for a box of 100 qualifies)

All in all, a good way to spend a day I'd say.

The funny thing is, I hate baseball on TV (and golf... golf is like baseball without the beer or hot dogs), but man I love going to a game.

For any of you familiar with Bank Once ballpark we're in section 113 row 6, just along the fisrt base line, about even with the right fielder.

Some Semi-Random Quotes and Maxims

Keep It Simple Stupid.

Good, Fast, Cheap; pick two.

Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Never let someone who says it cannot be done interrupt the person who is
doing it.

Anything is possible if you don't know what you're talking about.

It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.

Paranoia is simply an optimistic outlook on life.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they AREN'T out to get you.

It's not whether your paranoid, it's whether you're paranoid enough.

"Fear is overrated as a deterrent; death works better." -- Chris Byrne

"The eyes may be the windows on the soul
But the word is the doorway to the mind"
--Chris Byrne

"Why is it that the three least common virtues are common courtesy,
common decency, and common sense" -- Chris Byrne

"The two most common things in the Universe are hydrogen and stupidity."
-- Harlan Ellison

"Most people want either less corruption or more of a chance to
participate in it." -- H.L. Mencken

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -Plato

"The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians
who believe, with a conviction based on experience, that you can fool
all of the people all of the time." -- Franklin Adams

"A boy gets to be a man when a man is needed." -- John Steinbeck

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell.

"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it." --George Orwell

"War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory." -- Clemenceau

"Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events." --Winston Churchill

"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."-- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Never Interrupt your enemy while he is making a mistake" -- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Victory belongs to the most persevering." -- Napoleon Bonaparte

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it." -- Robert E. Lee

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving." -- Ulysses S. Grant

"No man becomes a hero by dying for his country; he becomes a hero by making some other poor bastard die for his"

"There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."

"Courage is fear holding on a minute longer."

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."

"If a man does his best, what else is there."

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."

--All from George S. Patton

"Probably it does not matter, but "terror" is an unsatisfactory adversary, since it is a mental condition rather than a tangible foe. You cannot fight against "terror," since you cannot shoot it or sink it in the sea. In addition, terror is an undignified emotion. Young men should be conditioned to rise above fear at the earliest possible age, and to the extent that this happens, they cannot be terrorized. Nobody likes to look right into the cannon's mouth, but he need not squeal about it. George Patton had some very good things to say on this subject. Nobody is immune from fear, but nobody should let fear affect his conduct."
-- Jeff Cooper

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.
A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-- John Stuart Mill

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom;
and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money it values more, it will lose that, too."
-- W. Somerset Maugham

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" -- Patrick Henry

"We make war that we may live in peace." --Aristotle

"Let him who desires peace prepare for war." --Flavius Vegetius Renatus

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." -- Baruch Spinoza

"The name of peace is sweet, and the thing itself is beneficial, but there is a great difference between peace and servitude. Peace is freedom in tranquillity, servitude is the worst of all evils, to be resisted not only by war, but even by death." -- Cicero

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." -- Malcom X

"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other." -- Carl Schurz

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." --George Bernard Shaw

"Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end." -- Lord Acton

"These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it Now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorius the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated." -- The Crisis; Thomas Paine

"The peace of heaven is theirs that lift their swords, in such a just an charitable war." -- King John; William Shakespeare

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come". -- Julius Caesar; William Shakespeare

"This day is called the feast of Crispin.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named, and rouse him at the name of Crispin.

He that shall live this day, and see old age, will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, and say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispin:'

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, and say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'

Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember with advantages what feats he did that day:

Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words,
Harry the king,
Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot,
Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispin shall ne'er go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remember'd;
We few,
we happy few,
we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother;
be he ne'er so vile,this day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap
whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day." -- Henry V; William Shakespeare

Tale of the Tape- Week 1 - Updated

I discovered yesterday that my "accurate to 350lbs" doctors scale wasnt very accurate beyond it.

I stepped on the scale at the gym, and weighed 379, with all my gear on. I then weighed all my gear separately at 10lbs, so I weighed 369 not 364 as my home scale said yesterday.

An aside: Yeah that's the MINIMUM of what I wear every day. Often I've got another 5lbs stuck on me in various locations, and that's jsut in my pockets and belt.

Oh and 24 hours later, after having had some chicken strips, french fries, and a 2 liter of soda last night around 8pm, and nothing else sense (but having gone to the bathroom a couple times), my scale says I weigh 374, 10lbs more than it read yesterday.

No, I don't believe that either.

So I'm'na reset my week 1 starting point to be 369, and see if I can find a home scale thats accurate over 350lbs; and doesn't cost a fortune.

Crime, Punishment, and Poverty

A reader from the UK, on the Nation of Riflemen forums; brought up an interesting question:

"What's wrong with Canada? Please educate me.

I was under the impression that it had a higher standard of living by many measures than the U.S."

That was loooong time ago.

For a long time Canada was ranked fourth in standard of living, but recently the fell to 27th, primarily because of the rapidly increasing crime rate.

The Canadian per capita overall crime rate is higher than the US (again this is a recent thing). The Canadian per capita rape and murder rate are higher than the U.S. as well, when take as a whole. Of course there are areas where the U.S. rates are VERY high, and we'll get to the reasons in a minute.

The problem in Canada is mostly due to relatively ineffective court and prison system, and excessive social welfare support for the criminal underclass.

Please note, that doesnt mean all the underclass are criminals; but that most criminals are in the underclass, which is supported extensively by social welfare systems.

When criminals are not effectively punished, and in fact effectively supported by the state, then criminal behavior will be the easist path to "success" (as determined by material gain) for the underclass.

The biggest impact of welfare reform, and the rise of concealed carry permits in the US has ben a radical decrease in violent crime per capita all around the country, except in heavily urban areas where such permits are rarely if ever issued, and where state and local social welfare systems prop up the criminal underclass.

The violent crame rate in Florida was among the highest in the nation; the combined effect of CCW and welfare reform (which took effect in the same couple of year period) was to reduce violent crime by more than 20% in less than 10 years.

One might have noticed that as the welfare states of Britain, Australia, Canada, France, and other places have grown, so has their crime rate. At the same time their educational achievement, economic growth, and standards of living have all fallen, in some cases dframatically.

One might also have noticed that the less private firearms ownership there is, the more crime there is. Violent crime in the UK since the effective gun ban has more than doubled.

Why is that? Simple, and cliche but true "Where guns are outlawed, only outlaws have guns"

Where everyone has guns, people don't generally shoot at each other; because they know that guns arent some magical penis extension. They are tought from a young age that a firearm is a tool, and like other tools it can be dangerous, and must be respected and properly handled. There is no mythology of power or manhood surrounding the gun, as so many liberals assume (because they dont understand, and have no experience with guns, except as an adjunt of criminals).

Not only that, but people dont shoot others, because they know they'll get shot right back.

The fact is, the vast majority of violent crime is caused by poor morals, poor upbringing, poor education, and poor people. Not any one of these things is sufficient, you need to have most, if not all of them at the same time for a culture of violent crime to rise.

Guess what, social welfare systems almost deliberately cause these factors. Social welfare encourages (and sometimes requires) the abdication of personal, and parental authority and responsibility to the state. It provides significant counterincentive to self improvement, and to personal responsiblity. It discourages real parenting, and certainly discourages the strong presence of fathers, because if you have a father, you get no benefits. It discourages education, because why do you need when when the state will pay for you; it's jsut wasted effort.

Straight up, social welfare is the single most aggravating factor in the rise of violent crime.

The only factor mitigatitig these tendencies, is the presencee of arms among the potential victims. The firearm is the great equalizer, and when firearms are easily and lawfully available, no criminal can feel safe in their crimes.

In new york city recently, a repeat violent offender held a woman at gun point while his associates collected the belongings of her companions. The woman is reported to have said "what are you going to do, shoot me"... He did.

If the criminal hadn't been safe in the ssumption that he was the only one armed in that situation, do you think there might have been a different result?

You Ever notice....

Sometimes life repeatedly and vigorously kicking you down the road like a mexican childs plaything, with perhaps an extra ball kicking or three thrown in for good measure, is EXACTLY what you needed?

I have managed to get more done in the last two weeks than I have the last .. I dunno since Christmas probably.

Sometimes you just get stuck in something and you need that painful application of boot to head (NYAH! NYAH!).

I always was better in a crisis, and under pressure. Something about my personality I guess.

This week I got most of my bills paid at once (thank you everyone for your help there), started losing weight, joined a gym, fixed some things around the house, and fixed some things on the car.

Tomorrow I'm going to the final spring training game between the Redsox and Diamondbacks with my brother,; who BTW, makes the Jimmy fallon character in the (guaranteed to be horrible) American re-make of Nick Hornbys "fever pitch" (what the hell were they thinking there I'll never know) look like a piker... or a white sox fan.

This weekend I'm renewing my CCW. I didnt have time to get it done before until the grace period expired, and so I have to take the whole thing over again (16 hours, plus a range session, usually $110 + $65 to the state for the permit fee); but I got a half price deal on the course from a guy I did a favor for (Dan Furbee of Ultimate Accessories, good guy), so off I go this weekend.

Not that I would ever carry illegally. I obviously willingly disarm myself during this time when my permit has been expired.

I've still got more to go, and I still have the job situation to work out, and all that weight to lose; now I just need to sustain that motivation.

One More Sales Pitch

First of all guys, thank you so much for your support in the last couple weeks. I can't tell you how much it has helped, but I can say I've got my rent and bills covered for this month, with some money to eat on etc...

I'm still in the squeeze, but I have some breathing room now; from the sale, and from your generous donations, and I really appreciate it.

Ok now for the part that makes me feel a bit slimy, I still need to bank a bit more to make sure I dont go bankrupt before the end of the month.

So, I'm still selling the following items:

1. Smith & Wesson 686P : 7 shot, 2.5" barrel, boot grip. Almost brand new, with box and paperwork. Less than 100 rounds fired. Some very light surface scratches (from firing). Retail $669. Guns America prices vary from $420 to $575

I've had some interest in this, and got an offer a few days ago, but I haven't heard from the guy since, so I'm just putting it back up here.

2. Rado Sintra Platinum Chronograph which I have worn, but is in basically perfect condition because the thing is absolutely scratchproof. It's a titanium ceramic composite construction with a quartz crystal, platinum face, and saphire hands and markers. I don't have the box and papers for this, though I do have the extra links. Retail $2500, ebay and other auction prices vary from $1300-$1700.

Thankfully I won't need to sell any more guns, or any of the other stuff. If I can get these two items sold, hopefully I'll be worry free into next month, in case it takes a while longer for the new job to get going than they've been promising (I'm a bit paranoid after what I've had happen in the last few months).

Carnival of Cordite Submissions

Just a reminder folks, get those carnival of cordite submissions in to the gullyborg by Friday.

This week I've got at least one thing up there, and aI may have another.

http://gullyborg.typepad.com/weblog_archive/2005/03/reminder_1.html

Why bullpups aren't a great solution

For some reason, the bullpup rifle keeps being put forward as a good idea.

...Really, for the most part, they are not.

I'm an engineer and a firearms expert; by training, inclination, experience, and employment. I'm a veteran, a former security contractor, a firearms trainer, and an FFL, gunsmith and class III manufacturer.

I have a great appreciation for good engineering. Bullpups are, in general, not good engineering.

The bullpup rifle has one real advantage: bullpup designs allow for a shorter overall weapon, for a given length of barrel (typically between 4" and 7" shorter than a conventional rifle).

That's not an insignificant advantage. In some missions it's even a huge asset (particularly in urban combat, or infantry dismounted from armored vehicles).

In most missions though, that 4-7 inches isn't much of a plus.

On the other hand, the bullpup configuration has a number of disadvantages:

• Bullpup designs are mechanically more complex, requiring a long trigger linkage, and control system linkages. This seriously degrades both control feel, and reliability, and increases bulk and weight (there may be engineering solutions to this problem).
  
  If current munitions infrastructure and laws allowed for electronic trigger, feed, and ignition systems, this would be a non issue, and the bullpups advantage may outweigh it's several disadvantages; but for now, that's not an option (also, electronic systems have their own issues).
  
  
• If a bullpup has a catastrophic failure, instead of the explosion being six or eight inches in front of your eyes, it's right at your eyesocket, or touching your cheekbone or ear. The only good thing is, if the bolt flys back, it doesn't end up in your eye socket.
  
  Most bullpups also eject hot brass, and vent hot gasses in the vicinity of your eyes and ears (some eject downward or forward, which is a better solution for a bullpup, if it's engineered properly).
  
  
• Mag changes on most bullpups are slower (sometimes much slower) because they require more repositioning, that positioning can be awkward, and can be difficult to see (if necessary) without fully dismounting the rifle.
  
  A conventional rifle allows you to see your mag changes, and is more easily maneuvered with your dominant hand, which makes mag changes easier in general.
  
  More importantly a human being can naturally bring their hands together in the dark. As a basic design guideline, magwells should either be in your dominant hand, or just in front of it; because it is far more difficult to manipulate anything dexterously that is located behind your dominant hand.
  
  
• Because of the positioning of the magazine (usually the part of a gun extending lowest) close to your shoulder when the weapon is mounted, bullpups can be difficult to fire while prone (though this is common with some other rifle designs as well).
  
  Note in the pictures below, the magazine is by far the lowest point of the rifle; and being located behind the dominant hand and close to your shoulder; when you drop prone it will tend to strike the ground forcing the muzzle downward.
  
  This can also cause problems with mags being warped, ripped out of the magwell, having the baseplate broken off, or the rifle itself being ripped out of the users hand when hitting the deck.
  
  A conventional rifle with a long magazine can have issues with dropping prone as well, but because the mag is positioned forward of the dominant hand, instead of forcing the muzzle down, it will tend to force the muzzle up; and though it's not advisable to use the magazine as a monopod, it's possible. With a bullpup, it isn't.
  
  This isn't an issue for rifles that are generally fired off bipods, so in an SAW or LMG role, the bullpup may be an appropriate solution (though having the feed system in such tight quarters with your shoulder and cheek is its own issue).
  
  
• Charging the rifle and manipulating the operating handle is often more difficult, and sometimes can't be done without dismounting the rifle, or reaching over the rifle with your support hand (again, some conventional rifles do share this weakness; and this is a problem that can easily be solved with proper engineering).
  
  
• Most bullpups can only be operated from the right shoulder; or if switchable, can only be operated from one shoulder without being reconfigured (this is changing, with the adoption of forward ejection mechanisms).know of, can be fired from the left shoulder.
  
  Because of the way most bullpups eject their brass, and cycle their actions; attempting to operate the weapon from the wrong shoulder will result in hot brass being ejected directly into your face, and possibly injuring the user... or they my simply not be able to cycle at all.
  
• Bullpups are naturally balanced in a non-instinctive way.
  
  This is really the biggest problem, and the one that is hardest to solve with engineering.
  
  The balance point on most bullpups is in between your hand and your shoulder when mounted, which is unnatural. We have a natural tendency to try to balance things between our hands, not between our hand and shoulder.
  
  The only way to correct this is to put heavy things in front of your dominant hand, or to make the weapon short and light enough that this won't make a difference (and even then it will still be more awkward and less instinctive to point; but several modern bullpups have taken the second approach).
  
  This balance will tend to make a bullpup tend to shift its butt under recoil, unless it is very tightly mounted to your shoulder; particularly during rapid fire. This tendency is somewhat countered by the position of your support hand so far forward on the barrel,  by the fact that the overall leverage moment of the muzzle is lower (the muzzle isn't as far from either your shoulder, or your dominant hand), and by the fact that most bullpups have straightline recoil.
  
  A conventional rifle is balanced in between your dominant and support hands, and there are good reasons for that. A human being naturally handles things that balance in the palm, or in front of your dominant hand, better, because we naturally want to balance things between our hands.
  
  Under recoil, the muzzle of a conventional rifle rises, but just from gravity will fall into you support hand again without actually holding or pulling it down, because the fulcrum of the lever is in your dominant hand, and the balance point is in front of the fulcrum. 

Some of these issues can be solved, or mitigated with engineering (and most modern bullpup designs do resolve, or at least reduce, many of those issues). Also, a lot of this can be worked around with training.

What it comes down to though, is that bullpups are ergonomically incorrect for human beings. When you have the option, you don't train someone to do something ergonomically incorrect, you redesign the equipment to fit human ergonomics.

The only good thing about a bullpup is the short overall length in relation to their barrel length; and that is not advantage enough to outweigh the disadvantages for most missions.

Well, that and the fact that they look cool, which is the real reason so many people are enamored of them.

A lot of folks have watched a lot of stargate (or played a lot of stealth shooter video games). They use the FN-P90 PDW which isn't exactly a bullpup, but follows a similar concept; and they do just look kind of futuristic.

The Steyr AUG was designed in 1976, and it still looks like a space gun:

Several countries have adopted bullpup designes as their primary service arm, notably Austria, and Australia (the AUG above), France (the FAMAS),

and the UK (the SA80 system, now in the L85-A2 variant):

The reasons cited are usually overall length, the extra accuracy and velocity afforded by the longer barrels allowed by the configuration, and some medical or efficiency studies showing that the bullpup was actually ergonomically correct.

Here's the thing: every study that the British did showing that the SA80 design was ergonomically correct, or that the reliability issue was solved, has over the past few years been proven to have been "Unjustifiably optimistic", or some other such euphemism for fraud.

The SA80 has  proven to be ridiculously unreliable , though at least it is quite accurate when it functions properly (also the HK refit and remanufacture of the A2 variant has dramatically improved reliability... Though it's still not great).

The SA80 in fact is so poorly designed, that firing it from your left shoulder will give you a black eye (and can even break your cheekbone) and send hot brass and gasses flying into your eyes. You also can't fire the thing from the left side of cover without exposing your whole head and torso.

I have tried the P90, the SA80, the Steyr AUG, the Bushmaster M17, the FAMAS, and the IMI Tavor (the latter two held and played with, but not shot), and I haven't found any of them but the P90 to be remotely comfortable, or anything but awkward. I've tried a couple of bullpup conversions from other weapons as well, same thing (excepting several bullpup sniper rifles, that I quite liked, and as I said, the P90 which is only sort of a bullpup... it's quite handy and nice to shoot).

UPDATE: Since I first wrote this, I've had a chance to shoot with the FN F/S2000 in both semi and full auto variants: 

While it looks like a heavy and awkward spacegun, it's actually very light, well balanced, and comfortable. Reports from the field are that it is generally reliable, but there aren't a lot out there yet to establish a useful sample.  

Mag changes are still less than ideal, and the trigger is still poor; but the handling of the gun is good, and it is reasonably accurate for an assault rifle. I do worry however about the forward ejection system. It seems to me like it would be easy to jam up in the field. 

Also, since I originally wrote this, Kel-Tec has introduced their RFB forward ejecting bullpup in 7.62x51: 

Unfortunately, not many of them are out in the world yet, so I haven't had a chance to fire one; but the design seems to address some of the issues above.  I have real concerns about the forward and up ejection system, and the inability to clear a jam without field stripping the weapon however. 

Until someone has shot thousands of rounds through them, had to change mags in the dark, and in cramped conditions, had to clear jams under combat conditions etc... they can't know how unsuitable bullpups are as anything other than a niche weapon, to be used only where OAL is the most critical factor (but where SMGs are not an appropriate choice).

For example, bullpup sniper rifles make a lot of sense, particularly in .50bmg and other anti-materiel chamberings. In fact, any weapon that you would normally fire off a bipod makes sense as a bullpup, because the ergonomic issues around balance, and lying prone don't really apply.

People say "Well the designs just aren't good enough yet, I'm sure as they mature they'll get better, isn't it the natural way to go eventually?"

First of all, why would it be?

Other than the fact that the Sci-Fi network likes featuring bullpups in their television shows, there is no reason why bullpups should be "the future". They have one design advantage, shorter length, and many design disadvantages.

Now, when we use caseless ammmo loaded in 1000 round blocks, and using electronic ignition systems... sure, bullpups make sense. At that point, all the basic engineering weaknesses are compensated for, and the advantage of a longer barrel for length of weapon offsets the balance issues... if they even exist then, given progress in materials.

But for now, so long as we are using relatively "conventional" ammunition and firing mechanisms, those engineering problems outweight the one real advantage; and the ergonomic issues simply compound the problem.

Engineers aren't miracle workers. We can refine a design until it's mechanically perfect within its design parameters; but the point I'm trying to make, is that at our current level of cartridge firing weapons development, there is no way to design an ergonomic bullpup.

So, bullpups are only slightly shorter than their conventional counterparts (maybe 7" in the case of an assault rifle), nothing to sneeze at, but not a huge advantage in most cases considering the missions they are intended for; they are less reliable and more mechanically complex than conventional designs, they are ergonomically incorrect, and they are more likely to injure their user.

I'm not denying there are missions where a bullpup is appropriate (as I said above), but I can't see any conventional situation where a bullpup assault rifle is the right tradeoff to make; even urban warfare and infantry dismounted from armor.

But they look cool...

Why did you join up?

I suspect that at least half or my regular readers are either active duty, reserve, or retireed military, from various countries (which is why I amde the "how the hell did you find me" joke below).

A few months ago, Kim Dutoit asked, (referring to the men and women serving in Iraq) "where do we find these people", to which a reader responded"we make them" and another responded "we dont find them, they find us".

In the last few days, a lot of the high school and college aged posters on the Nation of Riflemen forums hasve been talking about enlisting, or applying for a comission. I gave them the advice I always give (which I'll post if anyone wants, but like I said, I think most of you already know), and it got me to thinking about this again.

So for my fellow active duty, reserve, guard, and retired service members (did I miss anyone?);
I ask why did you join up?

I've thought this through before, and distilled it down a bit. Sure I wanted fun, adventure, brotherhood, college money, and a challenge, (and I got all of that in spades), but there was something much deeper under all that.

I wanted to serve.

I had (and still have) a deep need to serve my country, and to protect it. I know in my soul that whatever it's faults we live in the greatest nation on earth, that we truly are the last best hope for mankind, and I feel it was and is my duty as a citizen to try and protect it.

It's why I went into the security business when I got out. I knew I still wanted to serve, but I also knew I wouldnt be able to put up with the bullshit of being a cop (or a teacher. or an EMT both of which I was qualified to do as well), so that was the next best thing. I got into the computer side of things because I already had the skills, and the money was good (late 90s especially).

It's also why I still feel guilty that I'm not in the sandbox right now. Yeah my knees are shot and I'm overweight, but you can damn well be sure that if I could pass a PFT, I'd be there right now.

What I'm drinking right now

It's called a high pucker factor, for reasons that will become readily apparent

Start with a 24 oz tumbler, and as much ice as you feel like (or a 32 oz if you like a lot of ice)

12oz 7 up (or halfway with the ice, to make it stronger)
4oz Dekuyper Sour Apple Pucker
4oz lime juice
4oz of Bacardi 151

I think you can see why it's called a high pucker factor. We mixed it up as a joke after an ... incident ... involving entirely too much of the aforementioned spirit, some unlawfully acquired government property traveling at a high rate of speed, and various scantily clad females of questionable moral persuasion.

Oh and if you dont get the inside joke, what the hell are you doing reading me? Not that I dont want you as a reader, I'm jsut wondering how on earth you managed to find me.

It has variations:

Substitute Vodka for a "Fucking James Bond Motherfucker Pucker Factor" (another inside joke)
Substitute Tequila for an "MFF pucker factor"
Substitute Gin for "The full english pucker factor"

Oh and when in the presence of anyone who has spent 13 weeks of fun in the sun with a gun, peach liqueur must be added for the "Huah pucker factor"