Cruel Hand Luke

So does that mean as president he would support an AWB that would ONLY effect "urban states"?   So those in RURAL states would not be affected?

No, it is an answer for folks (departments, govt agencies, etc) who are tasked with finding a gun that is .45 diameter and still has a small enough grip so that smaller stature shooters with tiny hands (read that as mostly females) will still be able to grip and shoot the gun relatively well.   Plus the same magazine pouches that your old G22 or G17 used will be usable with the new G37 mags and you can see how a police dept or state police might look at this as a good idea....for the typical civilian....none of that same argument really applies. I know A LOT of serious gun carriers (and even more intermittent hobby gun carriers) and I do not know a single one who carries a .45GAP. I'm not saying it is a horrible thing (in fact it might be a bit of a "gamer gun" for IDPA in CDP or GSSF in the Heavy Metal division  if you don't have hands big enough for a G41) but I am saying that MOST people who really want a .45 will go with ACP due to availability and not having to deal with an "odd ball" cartridge. 

The Georgia state police, Florida Highway Patrol , South Carolina Highway Patrol,  and New York state police all use 45GAP....so I doubt that it will be going away any time soon......    Back during the ammo drought you could always find .45GAP available......probably because so few civilians actually use it so no one was hording it. 

Just a quick reminder .....this is coming up Sunday! This will be a chance to work on your pistol skills in conditions we might face either on the street or in our homes or even in a public place during an active shooter incident. Hits on bystanders are not good for you (or them) so we will work on placing precise hits on the BG without placing accidental hits on the bystanders.....looking forward to seeing you there!

Just a week to go on this class !

Just a heads up on an excellent training opportunity coming up in middle Tennessee in November. My friend Tom Givens will be offering two 1 day classes in the Nashville/ Franklin area on Nov 7 and 8.      Defensive Revolver, One Day, Saturday, November 7, 2015 Some people choose to carry a revolver as their primary sidearm. Many, many more (myself included) carry a small revolver daily as a back-up gun (BUG). There are a lot of tricks to using a revolver well, and that information is becoming less commonly known as the semi-auto now dominates the self-defense arena. If you carry a revolver, you need this course.   Students will need at least one revolver, a belt holster, at least one speedloader, and 500 rounds of ammunition. Any ammunition is acceptable, including wadcutters, round nosed lead, or jacketed ammo. Students are encouraged to bring a medium sized revolver, such as a Smith & Wesson Model 10, 15, 19, 64, 66 etc, Ruger Security Six or GP-100, or similar and a second, smaller revolver, such as a Smith Model 442, 642, Chief Special, Colt Cobra, etc. This is not mandatory—you may show up with just one revolver. However, if you have two, you can shoot both. If you bring a small BUG revolver, bring a pocket holster, ankle holster, and belt holster for it, so you can get some practice with each carry mode. We will have a few extra revolvers and holsters on hand to loan. Topics covered include:    Fast, but accurate double-action shooting    Rapid reloading techniques, with various reloading devices    Carry methods for fast concealed carry applications    Transition to Back-Up Guns    Remedial action in the event of a malfunction.   Tuition is $225. Advance registration is required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/defensive-revolver-course-1-day-tennessee-tickets-17106965394     Defensive Shotgun, One Day, Sunday, November 8, 2015 Franklin, TN, 9am-6pm Many people keep a shotgun at home in case of home invasion, or in their business in case of a hold-up. Many shotgun owners have some experience with the weapon in its bird hunting or clay bird sports context, but few understand its true potential and limitations as a defensive weapon. Properly set up and properly used, the shotgun is a truly formidable weapon. In its defensive role it is set up and operated quite differently than in its sporting application. This course includes topics such as: *Shotgun History and Development * Shotgun Selection  * Types & Mechanical Operation  * Loading and Reloading Techniques  * Modifications and Accessories * Ammunition Selection and Capabilities * Defensive Shooting Techniques *Safe Storage for Immediate Use This course consists of a full day of training, from 9:00 am to 6:00pm. Students will need a shotgun with a barrel length of 22 inches or less, pump or semi-automatic. A sling and an on-board ammunition carrier (butt cuff or side-saddle) are optional. We will have some loaner guns available for those who do not yet own a suitable shotgun. You will need 150 rounds of birdshot, 50 rounds of buckshot, and 10 slugs. Cost is $225 and advance registration is required. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/defensive-shotgun-1-day-tennessee-tickets-17107069706

The funny (or not) thing is that there are a lot of gun owners that oppose any new gun legislation that , beat their chest and say "from my cold dead hands" that  will STILL vote for her because she is the Democrat candidate and even though she is 100% against their way of life they will vote for her because they are multi generational democrats and she is who their union will tell them to vote for......

I was an early adopter of the caliber and carried a Glock in .357 Sig for a couple of years. The recoil in the full size guns is not bad...the muzzle blast in the sub compacts is deafening.... especially indoors. The biggest negative is probably the price of ammo and the long term wear on guns. The New Mexico State Police adopted the Glock 31 in the late 90s (about 98 to 99) and were looking for a new gun inside of 5 years. The Secret Service has been using it for almost 20 years now, but even they complain about the wear and tear on the guns (Sig 229) from the higher pressure round. I eventually switched to 9mm +p as my EDC and have not looked back. I still have the .357s but I rarely carry them.    The reason I switched is because I am not as concerned with shooting through auto body as the Secret Service or the THP (Tennessee Highway Patrol) is. The extra energy will allow for better penetration of hard objects like auto body but fortunately I'm not tasked with pulling over people who don't want to be pulled over.... And I'm just not convinced (due to the realities of physics) that a difference of 100 lbs of energy matters much when a person is hit with it.....especially when an adult male who knows how to throw a punch with their body weight behind it  can punch you with twice the energy of any duty handgun round....  now when we compare rifle rounds (1500 to 3000 lbs of energy)to pistol rounds it makes a difference...but comparing 400 lbs to 500 lbs....is like arguing who hits harder...an 11 year old or a 12 year old.    As to bullet setback......that can be a disaster when you take a 40,000 PSI round and jam the bullet back in the case and up the pressure to over 50,000....CCI discontinued their Blazer Aluminum case .357 Sig because of that. You can't crimp aluminum as tight as brass and they had issues with bullet setback. 

The fall meeting of the TN GA AL SUAREZ INT training group will be held in the Chattanooga area on Sunday Oct 18! We will be covering precision pistol shooting when misses have consequences...   Instructor : Randy Harris Subject: Hostages, Bystanders and Friendlies ....precision shooting in complex environments.  Date : Sunday Oct 18  Time: 9AM-3PM CENTRAL TIME Location: The usual place- Phillips/Edwards Farm 763 County Rd 332 Pisgah Al 35765 Price : $60 PAY BY CASH OR CHECK AT CLASS. What you need to bring: Pistol (revolvers are welcome too), at least 2 spare pistol magazines (or speedloaders if you bring a revolver) and at least 150 rounds of ammo..... 

A little less than a month to go left on this one.......

You know...frankly, since this appears to now be a "what I don't like about IDPA " I'll chime in........   I'm for the scoring change. Of course when I started shooting "practical pistol matches" our local club used IPSC target but scored 'em A zone 10 pts C zone 4 and D zone 2 instead of 5,4,2 so it put a big premium on shooting out the center of the target...as fast as you can.     I'd like to see hits on non threats count a lot more. A hit on a non threat in this litigious society would be disastrous to you....should be in the game too.    I'd like to  go back to the early days when you couldn't wear gun company logo clothing (that'll piss off some sponsors) or camo because you were supposed to be dressing to conceal the fact that you were armed.....now the ONLY place in the world where people dress like they do at an IDPA match is.......at an IDPA match.   I'd like to see an increase in the power factor to typical duty ammo levels because when they tell me at the equipment check at the Nationals that my generic ball ammo loads are "hot" that tells me that something is wrong with our power factors.....When a typical .45 230 gr ball load has a 195 pf yet a mere 165 is legal I have to ask WHY? ...what purpose does it serve for us to shoot "-P" ammo other than to give a skewed view of your performance with REAL duty ammo and make the match times faster?    I'd like to see more CONSISTENT calls on cover. IPSC has foot faults...which makes it simple to call and to know what they are allowing and what they are not.  The IDPA World match had 2 stages that had markers painted on the ground which made it easier for the SO to consistently call cover from a distance....and easier for the shooter to know whether they were actually "behind cover"....at least according to how the SO was seeing and calling it on those stages. They had another standards stage that required no cover, but it required you to shoot from within a "rectangular box border " on the ground where you had free run of the box but you had to stay inside it as you engaged targets. That too was EASY to call whether you were in it or not. The way it is now you just can't be competitive using cover the way we REALLY teach people to use cover so they don't catch a bullet on the two way range. So you can either stick your arms out there and half your upper body (which half of YOUR torso is the less important half?) and shoot fast and probably get smoked with a bullet in the real world or you expose an eyeball and a gun muzzle and get smoked on time in the match.... So you cannot expose a toe without being out of cover,  yet you can expose your whole head, both arms and half your torso and still be "in cover" .....REALLY?   I'd like to see holster rules changed to allow AIWB or anything else in front of the hip bones as long as it is concealed. So if you roll with AIWB and closed front concealment garment in real life you could shoot it in the game. But as it stands now if you want to compete in a world recognized action shooting sport carrying AIWB under your closed front concealment garment the way you do in everyday life  then IPSC (USPSA) is your only choice.    And I'd like to see grip stippling allowed on Glocks in SSP. How is it that Prag (who posts here) was forced  to compete with his glock 19 against  9mm 1911s in ESP because his otherwise stock gun had some grip stippling? And now  CCP is an option for him but he is still competing with ESP modified guns because CCP is essentially just "ESP short". Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when IDPA finalized the CCP rules allowing ESP mods..... And you can roll with an M&P with stippling because the grip panels are removeable but not on a glock because they are not? How is it not a competitive advantage if the panels can be removed but is if they can not?    And one last thing....it gets a little tiring when match after match people look at you funny if you use your actual concealed carry IWB holster ... "Here's a REAL concealed carry guy" is not something that the SOs should be saying (that was the comment I got at the Nationals during the "concealment check") ....should we take that to mean that most of  the other competitors are not REAL concealed carry guys and gals? If they are not then what does that say about the game? Wasn't the game ostensibly started to allow a competetion venue for "real " concealed carry skills and methods? And if the other competitors are not "real " concealed carry guys or gals  then what makes one come to that conclusion? Because to be competitive you are going to wear a vest (and probably one made specifically for the sport not for daily wear) and an OWB holster...... not an IWB holster and for damn sure not a closed front cover garment...it just boggles the mind.    They are always talking about "growing the sport" which is really code for "bringing in more money and attracting more sponsors".....that is fine as long as they are not compromising the integrity of the game. It seems they lurch back and forth between the "founding principles" and "lets make it more like USPSA" to get more sponsors.....they need to pick a direction and stick with it and drive in one lane...not all over the road......

From what I understand they will calculate a new set of times for classifications going forward....just like they did late last year when they realigned the SSP times to put them more in line with ESP but the previously held classifications still stood.. Whatever you were classified as previously still counts. So like the people who shot a 93 second classifier back when SSP Master  was 98 seconds would still be Master even when the time was lowered to 91 and a 93 would presently make them an Expert. 

I think you owe me $20.....

I don't think any of the founding fathers even shot the world match......

Everyone should have some Dynamicly Adaptive Disruptively cool videos in their library Bro..... ;)  :devil:   Seriously...That is a great deal.....get some ....they'll never be any cheaper than that.....

RGF-1: RIFLE GUNFIGHTING I November 14-15 , 2015 Price: $350 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE INSTRUCTOR: RANDY HARRIS Rifle confrontations worldwide rarely exceed 25 yards. Rather than a long range marksman's weapon, our research shows the rifle will most likely be used just outside the reach of more conventional weapons, as well as within these closer intervals of confrontation. This course will take the student quickly through the basics and impart the techniques necessary to deploy the Tactical Rifle, Civilian Carbine, or Submachine gun in a close interval emergency. This course is highly recommended for civilian defenders, military personnel, or police operators (we make no distinction in the material presented). CLASS AND RANGE DETAILS DURATION: 2 days TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM Central AMMUNITION: Approximately 500 rounds (Minimum) and 50 rounds of pistol ammunition. RANGE & GEAR REQUIREMENTS: Rifle (any action or caliber suitable for use within 50 yards), all weapons must be equipped with a sling, also bring a pistol with at least (2) magazines, a belt, holster, magazine pouches, rifle ammo pouches, and ear & eye protection (knee and elbow pads are strongly suggested). Also Helpful Bring spare clothing appropriate for the weather, including a hat, sunscreen, and bug repellent. Plan to bring lunch, snacks, and water (min 1 gallon per person) for the entire day unless driving to lunch is a viable option from the range location. Bring allergy medication (if needed), a chair (if you prefer), note taking supplies, and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape). You may wish to bring pads such as knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves if the class lends itself to that. Fro more info and to register...http://www.suarezinternationalstore.com/151114-rifle-gunfighting1-chattanooga-tn.aspx#.Vgq3_PlViko

This one is going to be moved to Nov 14-15. 

JUST ABOUT A MONTH TO GO.....

Really? Wow never would have guessed that.....not only are you preaching to the choir you are preaching to the arch bishop. By mentioning folks playing it as a game I was referring to those who ONLY play gun games and do not actually carry guns in a serious manner on a regular basis....and there are plenty of those people shooting Idpa......and USPSA for that matter. No one with more than 4 IQ points thinks IDPA is "real" or is "training" but some of us (including some founding members) think it still should represent real life a bit more than it presently does. Will it ever be real? Not unless there is a medic standing by...in fact it will never even be as real as competently run scripted force on force evolutions but those are impossible to make objectively scored contests out of. And in the end if it is scored it needs to be "fair" and everyone experience the same test in order to declare a winner and the numerical placement of runners up......but it would add a little more realism if the penalties for misses,hits on bystanders and hits outside the high thoraxic and head were higher than they presently are.....

Coming at this as a serious gun carrier first, trainer second and gamer third I am glad to see it. If a hit in the abdomen is scored as only a half second lower than a round in the aorta then we are really not being very realistic with our scoring. We know that rounds in the area from diaphragm to neck are going to get best results with pistol bullets....everything else to the body is really a crap shoot as far as effectiveness. The target HAS already been changed once when they moved the minus 0 circle up a couple of inches. It used to be lower. So I think it is a good idea.And I would personally like to see misses more like 5 seconds (in the real world which idpa is supposed to replicate if you shoot it you buy it) and see hit on non threats at 10 seconds (or more) but I fear a lot of folks who just play it as a game and don't care about how it can be more realistic will not like it.

Just a little over a week to go!

I'll be there. I shoot Friday AM and Sat PM. I'm going to get there probably around 3 pm on Thursday. 

Wow...that change in verbiage certainly made that confusing for the average person.....And if you're confused....call Chattanooga PD and they'll clear it up for you....wow.....

Getting closer every day........

Not to be over simplistic but if they had not seen the knife clipped in pocket then there would not have even been any contact with the officers IN THE FIRST PLACE.    Treating everywhere like a non permissive environment (especially when it IS an NPE) and keeping things concealed that might draw peoples' attention solves a lot of problems. While your knife clipped in pocket is certainly "legal" out on the street it also draws attention that you might not want and not all negative attention is from bad guys...sometimes it is from the authorities.........