Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dumpster Diving and Hammerless Types

I thought I’d let up on serious subjects and talk some more about the fun stuff us CHL folks and members of the “gun culture” community do.

I’m not a constant “garage saler”. I go once in a while usually with a lady friend who initiated the process. Invariably when we stop I look for any gun stuff clues. Gun rugs, ammo boxes, rifle cases etc. and that’s pretty much at every stop.  A gun show, after all is just a big garage sale for gun folks. I think they used to be the same as swap meets. Now flea markets have taken over that realm it seems.
 Well every gun store or outlet that I go into I drop into gun stuff “dumpster diver” mode. I f you go into Collector’s or Carter’s Country or Bass Pro, they all have clearance tables with stuff on em. At Collector’s Firearms they have several places where they place big tubs or boxes with things like holsters, cases, boxes, accessories that were traded in with guns or were out of boxes and they put them in different areas of the store for us to “dumpster dive” so to speak. Over  the years I have found several super bargains on holsters and other accessories in those particular barrels. I’ve also found things like flip up scope covers, magazine holders, short lot reloading supplies, shooting gloves and many others.

If you are really serious about your “dumpster diving” gun style, get a copy of Shotgun News and read it , study it, know it for the used wholesale guns and stuff on the surplus market that are always seen at the Gun Shows. Sarco, and J&G Sales among others show what the wholesale price is on used Sig, S&W, Glock, etc that you will certainly see at the show and you have a starting point to bargain from.

If you’re a catalog freak try Cheaper Than Dirt, Sportsman Supply, Natchez Shooters Supply, Midway USA, and the others that are out there along with Shotgun News and you’ll find lotsa good stuff and surplus stuff and prices to shoot for if bargain hunting in “dumpster diver” mode.

If you have a “common” handgun semi auto or revolver from a major manufacturer and need the basic accessories of a holster or magazine carrier you have a veritable buffet of places to dumpster dive. Go to any Firearms retailer and ask where the clearance table is and if they have a used holster bin. Next gun show, look at all the used holsters on the tables and in boxes, I mean just look for the used ones. You’ll be shocked how many there are and how low you can buy them for. If you see a $20.00 tag on a used holster or mag carrier or used magazine, ask the vendor what he’ll take for it “cash”. I have gotten fantastic deals in the $5.00 to $25.00 range on “as new” conditioned items I just mentioned that would catalog/retail from $40.00-$100.00 and up. I have had the same luck at firearms retailers and pawn shops. Recently T-Bone and I went to a retail outdoors store in Spring looking for black powder stuff for his muzzle loading rifle. While he sought out his gear I hit the clearance and bought two rifle scope covers of the flip up variety, and a box of .357 diameter Sierra bullets with 35 missing from a box of 100. I paid $4.99 for each item. Only thing awry about the covers were that they were out of the box but brand new. (they normally start at $8.-$14. Retail). They are now on two of my rifles, and the bullets will be reloaded in short order. I took the time to look at this retailers gun racks of course (it’s one of those retailers that has the big log cabin buildings and sells everything from boats to guns to beef jerky , but this one also sells used guns.) I was amazed as I have said before at the prices on the used handgun (and rifle) inventories. The used guns sold at prices that you would pay for brand new ones at a gun show.  I will not buy new or used guns from these companies and I strongly advise that you shop around if you are in the market. Everybody sells guns and ammo and accessories cheaper than these outlets.

****************************************************

 An email question came in a couple of days ago that I am taking from a discussion with a friend. I quote: question,

“What is a hammerless gun and are there advantages to having it as opposed to one with a hammer?”

Answer: A CLUB!

No seriously, we were talking about revolvers (S&W specifically). All striker fired handguns, i.e. Glock, Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P and Sigma, Ruger SR 9 etc. are handguns where the trigger releases a striker and spring to fire the weapon, and to my personal knowledge these are all semi autos. I know of no striker fired revolvers.

The “hammerless” term is not a definition of the revolvers mechanism. It is descriptive of the lack of what is known as the “hammer spur” on the exterior of a revolver. There are three variations of “hammerless” revolvers that I am familiar with. One where the entire body or frame surrounding the cylinder is solid with no slot machined for an external hammer. One where the normal slot IS cut in the revolver for the hammer but it (the hammer) is shaped so that it rides completely enclosed in the frame body and a portion of it is machined to ride in the slot. This portion usually has checkering machined into a tab area so that one can actually cock the hammer and fire it although the process is difficult to do under pressure. Thirdly, there are models that simply have the hammer spur removed when manufactured and an area of checkering is on top of the hammer to facilitate cocking the revolver. These latter two are still normal double action revolvers that can be both cocked before firing or pulling the trigger will do both. The first version can only be fired by stroking the trigger, ergo “double action”.

Now I will simplify. All revolvers that I know of be they double or single action, have hammers. Those termed “hammerless” by the manufacturer still have hammers; they are just completely enclosed within the frame or are without the hammer spur stickin out. The advantages? They are less prone to snag on clothes or in pockets. The completely enclosed ones have one less place for dirt and crud to get into the works, and as a general rule they are small most being five shot variants. I am sticking with the most common handguns of this type as I know other cylinder capacities are available in a limited number of models from manufacturers.

The “hammerless revolvers from the majors that I have fired and seen the most are of course from Smith & Wesson. There are others from Taurus, Charter Arms, Ruger, and I believe Rossi. I even believe Taurus has one of their extensive line of “Judge” revolvers in “hammerless” form. (I think it’s in the Public Defender series of Judge models). Personally, I want a hammer on my revolvers, and I have them. If I want to go hammerless I’ll go for the old “gunfighter option” I’ve mentioned before of grindin/cutting off the spur and polishing it smooth.

Your Instructor... Eddie

Friday, March 19, 2010

My Thousghts on President Obama's Comments Regarding Muslims

Eddie's two cents...

I'll say this. The version of "modern" Islam is what this refers to in my opinion. All religious fanatics(Christian,Jewish, Islamic Hindu,Buddhist) twist the WORD in the New & Old Testament or Koran or whatever to suit their particular gripe or cause at the time. They always have. All religions have or do advance the premise that women are subservient to their men.

Ft. Hood was a murder committed by a murdering sociopath. He only claimed that Jihad/Muslim bullshit after he survived getting shot and having to face the court system. I predicted that, as he went to great pains to set himself up as a 7-11 Muslim or Gas Station Jihadist. He's just a murderer who never fought a Jihad and fought very hard against being deployed to a combat zone.     

About this... (Received from a friend as an email.  Can not validate but makes sense to me. Eddie...)


Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech,  (Ref: New York Times) said:  
"I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of  America's story."

Just what is the REAL story?

*** AN AMERICAN CITIZEN'S RESPONSE: ***

Dear Mr. Obama:

Were those Muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims first landed?  Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians.

Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving day?  Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians.

Can you show me one Muslim signature on the United States Constitution?

Declaration of Independence ?

Bill of Rights?

Didn't think so.

Did Muslims fight for this country's freedom from England ?  No.

Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates. 

They were Muslim.

Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the slaves in America ?  No, they did not.  In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human slavery.  Your own half brother, a devout Muslim, still advocates slavery himself, even though Muslims of Arabic descent refer to black Muslims as "pug nosed slaves."  Says a lot of what the Muslim world really thinks of your family's "rich Islamic heritage," doesn't it Mr. Obama?

Where were Muslims during this country's Woman's Suffrage era?  Again, not present.  In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient to men in the Islamic culture.  So much so, that often they are beaten for not wearing the 'hajib' or for talking to a man who is not a direct family member or their husband.  Yep, the Muslims are all for women's rights, aren't they?

Where were Muslims during World War II?  They were aligned with Adolf Hitler.  The Muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazi's in killing Jews.

Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this country?  Not present.  There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King, Jr. or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights.

Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001?  If they weren't flying planes into the World Trade Center , the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were rejoicing in the Middle East .  No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other cable news networks that day. 

Strangely, the very "moderate" Muslims who's behinds you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo , Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent post 9-11.  To many Americans, their silence has meant approval for the acts of that day.

 And, finally, now we can add November 5, 2009 - the slaughter of American soldiers at Fort Hood by a Muslim major who is a doctor and a psychiatrist who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan .

That, Mr. Obama is the "Muslim heritage" in America .

EVERY AMERICAN MUST READ THIS !!  

Thursday, March 18, 2010

OBSERVATIONS FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR ON “WINTER” AND CONCEALED CARRY

Hi All,
 
Before I get started I want to send a thank you to my trainee and good friend Bill from Big Texas Designs. He and I shared a training session last week and kudos to him for both his high standard of safety and his accepting of the small set of drills and smart practice I offered.

In case you didn’t know it, Bill is the designer of the web site and the “web master” and also my instructor in most things computer. He has a distinct advantage on the practice front and that brings me to the second part of this preface. Bill “posts” all of my notices and rants and practice times. When I slip and say “I posted “ such and such on the site; make no mistake I didn’t post SQUAT! Thank God Bill does it for me and even though most of my trainees know I’m a computer dummy I want to give Bill a huge pat on the back and thanks because the site blows me away every time I go on. I am very proud of it and thanks for Big Texas Designs and Bill’s conscientious maintenance of the web site.

Now…… we have had sort of a WINTER in Texas this year. I hope every one of you have taken advantage of it in helping you learn how to carry a concealed handgun. It’s still cool enough to get some knowledge of the basics of what works for you in concealed carry options. Don’t fool yourselves folks, hot weather is right around the corner, and you’ll have a whole different set of concealed carry criteria shortly.

Here are some of my personal observations about carrying in our winter:
  • Cover garments are much easier and more plentiful choices in the weather we’ve had.
  • I have carried every type of handgun other than a 6” barreled .44 Magnum and a Thompson Contender during our “winter”.
  • I have had no problems other than with long tailed shirts in strong winds, keeping my handguns concealed.
  • I did learn that I needed to replace my favorite gun belt (after all it is over 12 years old from Don Hume)
  • I replaced it with the same model  and added a 5:11 belt (from Pro Defense store in Webster) in black to better “accessorize” with.
  • I found that carrying one spare magazine in a pocket on the off side of my jacket worked but created extra cleaning chores as far as the magazines themselves. Carrying two in a magazine carrier on the belt on the off side, balanced better but was definitely noticeable after long periods of time weight wise for the entire “rig”.
  • So far the most easily carried and concealed handguns for me have been (in order of conceal ability and ease of carry) are my Smith & Wesson 2 ½” barrel Model 19 .357 Magnum, six shot revolver in a Don Hume pancakes holster w/ thumb snap, and my Glock Model 22 40 S&W in a JIT Slide from the same company. (1 or 2 HKS speed loaders for the revolver and same count magazines for the semi auto)
  • My normally worn Wrangler jeans were the best platform, pants wise. All slacks and 5:11 tactical pants would cause me to adjust at some point, especially if getting in and out of cars a lot. Belts made no difference here.
  • Clint Smith is right, the gun should be “COMFORTING”……none of my handguns were comfortable to carry for extended periods of time. The Ladies have distinct comfort advantages with gun purses
  • I wore an Army field jacket, wrangler jean jacket, ranch or work coat, sport coat, hooded sweatshirt, and long sleeve shirts of varying types. All concealed the handguns well.
  • As it gets warmer, I’ll switch to t-shirts and vests or long sleeve denim shirts or Hawaiian style shirts with Under Armor shirts underneath.
  • I’ve lived in Massachusetts and Colorado and now Texas winters, and as far as carrying a concealed handgun in that environment winter wise, there is absolutely no difference that stands out to me. It will always be easier to carry concealed in the Winter months so dress accordingly.

Two more points of interest:

  1. I noticed at the latest Gun Shows I mentioned that the supply of “police” trade ins that were at one time abundantly displayed on vendors tables has dwindled and seems to be drying up. I would venture a guess that we WILL see more “trade in” Glocks hit the tables as their new product improved models come on line, but the revolvers and semi autos from all manufacturers were almost non existent on vendors tables.
  2. For Ladies, Clint Smith and his wife have a Concealed Carry video for you. Heidi Smith is a fully qualified Instructor in her own right and does a great presentation in this video. I will use it in my training classes from now on and I learned from it. You can get it from FMG video/publications on line and they have it and another new video on Concealed Carry Options in the Thunder Ranch Series of video instruction. I recommend them all and I have and use several of them and plan to acquire more as time goes on.
Some of the DVD's of choice are...
  • Concealed Carry for Ladies
  • Concealed Carry Options
  • Defensive Handgun
  • Defensive Firearms
  • Defensive Tactics

If you haven’t gotten a chance to look at the offerings on the (new) Sportsman Channel on Comcast channel 131
Tuesday afternoon from 3:30 to 5:00 you should watch and enjoy Guns and Ammo T.V., Handguns, and Personal Defense T.V. Lots of product coverage (new & old) good information and Instruction from , the top of the ladder guys like Clint Smith, Tyger McGee, Mas Ayoob, and others. They replay these shows at varying times and Thursday night has a block from 8:00 on just not the same block as Tuesday. There is a wealth of good info on this schedule of viewing so please take advantage of it especially if you aren’t spending much time practicing or catching up.

PRACTICE SESSION UPDATE:
I WILL BE ATTENDING THE FIREARMS / RANGE PORTION OF 
TCLEOSE / PSB INSTRUCTOR SCHOOL FROM APRIL 19th - 23rd.
I will be at College of the Mainland, practice sessions** on :
April 1, 2010
April 15,2010
**If you hold a CHL you may register for these sessions on the College website (Beginning on Page 15 of PDF Catalog).

Thunder Ranch Training Series available from FMG Publications 800-628-9818

Enjoy……..Eddie

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Happy St Patrick's Day and Things That Frustrate...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody. I hope the “Luck of the Irish” be with ya and the roads rise to greet ya.

I thought people might find a little look at what frustrates Instructors interesting. At my latest instruction period several of us discussed things that frustrate us. These are the most common frustrations that I and the other Instructors find personally we deal with constantly. Whether it be civilian or police we agreed that the following things just frustrate the heck out of us as a group of Instructors:

  1. Lack of practice on the part of trainees
  2. Lack of “smart practice” by trainees
  3. Lack of concern by municipalities for the need of continued “in service/structured practice”
  4. Lack of funding by municipalities for allotments of ammo for continued training
  5. Lack of contact of trainees with their Instructors beyond initial training periods
  6. Unfamiliarity with weapons owned or issued to or by trainees
  7. Unfamiliarity with basic equipment needs for carrying a weapon
  8. Lack of practice of weak sided weapons manipulation by trainees.
  9. Unfamiliarity of weapons malfunctions and clearance of malfunctions or practicing them
  10. Failure of our trainees to seek out or take advantage of further training whether offered by the original Instructors/Agencies or from outside sources/training facilities

These were the ten most common ones we had as a group. There were others like poor maintenance habits etc. but notably absent was any one mention of lack of safety on the part of our trainees as a whole. We as Instructors are all proud of the safety standards our trainees constantly maintain and display on the line.

We all agreed that we just can’t make people practice no matter what we offer or how hard we try and the Police Instructors had universal gripes and agreements about the budget and need assessments of their municipalities in regard to continued firearms training. What does this teach us as Instructors and you as trainees? For one it shows that universally continuing in service/training with firearms is not a priority in either sector for another it emphasizes the assertion that there are a lot of folks in both sectors  who are armed and certainly they are dangerous both to themselves and others. Why you ask? Because if you fail to maintain skills and practice them especially when you are carrying a deadly weapon, you are putting yourself at risk of and the public at risk of great harm and you expose yourself to liability beyond your comprehension. Simply put firearms skills are PERISHABLE. If you don’t practice them regularly you will lose them. As Instructors we all agreed that we constantly remind our trainees of two things, safety and practice. We also universally agreed that we are puzzled by our trainee’s complete adherence to the former one and almost complete disregard for the latter one.

I want my trainees to have fun when they go shooting. I want my trainees to practice and practice smart. What is the easiest way to accomplish this? Do them separately of course. If you have five pistols, three rifles and two shotguns and want to “SHOOT” them all at the range. Do it! Take em all, shoot em all, and have fun ...BUT…don’t call that a practice session, call it a fun familiarization session. That’s what it is and by all means have fun with your guns at the range, and burn up some ammo. Have fun!!………..and then….Take the two firearms that you carry the most or use for your main home defense guns, one box of ammo for each, and ten rounds of your “defensive ammo/carry ammo” for each of those weapons….AND ONLY THOSE TWO WEAPONS!  Take your holster and cover garment and spare magazines, realistic situation targets, magazine holders and ….leave everything else at the house.

Practice magazine reloads and drop the mags don’t grab them; let em fall to the floor they’ll survive it.
Practice from 6 feet to 7 yards and no further, practice drawing from concealment, practice swapping hands, practice with both eyes open etc etc etc etc…have fun with this too. Challenging yourself should always be fun.

What about me? Hey I went on the College of the Mainland website and saw in the Continuing Education schedule that they have “Civilian” shooting skills /structured practice sessions and the dates are listed as is a description and that Lem Powell will be the instructor among others. I’m signed up for the April 1 & 15 sessions. Lem is a very good Instructor, and I’m going to learn and to practice smart! Check it out and sign up and check out the classes they are offering for civilian shooters. It’s damned good training, it’s local, and there’s no excuse to not take advantage of it.

Hope to see y’all there

Your Instructor... Eddie

ALERT! Fingerprint proecessign to be suspended!

ALERT... ALERT... ALERT

FINGERPRINT PROCESSING WILL BE SUSPENDED BY THE FBI FOR ALL CHL APPS. FROM APRIL 28,2010 THROUGH MAY 3,2010!

ACTUAL NOTICE:

 Applicant Fingerprint processing delay notice:

TXDPS has been notified by the FBI that all Fingerprint based background checks will be temporarily suspended beginning April 28, 2010 - May 3, 2010. The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) will be working with the U.S. Census Bureau to process more than 484,000 Fingerprints for Census Bureau workers.

Beginning May 4, 2010, TXDPS and the FBI will resume processing applicant fingerprints. It is important to note that the backlog of processing the fingerprint based background checks could take an additional two weeks. All applications will processed as quickly as possible once the FBI service returns to normal.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
 

To all my trainees and especially those who took my most recent CHL classes. Be advised that the DPS website is posting the above delay notification.


I recently posted on the website (eddiesteeves.com) that DPS is processing CHL's faster than ever RIGHT NOW. I also posted that in my experience THAT THIS COULD CHANGE AT ANY TIME; now it proves to be so. I know; again from experience, that the delay in fingerprinting will run for a good three to four months minimum since CHL applications will not be suspended in the "delay" period. That is going to stack things pretty deep in Austin folks, and there is no provision in the official delay notice to lengthen the original application deadline of one year before you have to do it all over again (your class).


AS YOUR INSTRUCTOR, I ADVISE YOU TO GET ON LINE AND PAY FOR YOUR LICENSING ASAP!!!! DO NOT IGNORE THIS OR DELAY IT. YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE AND TIME. IF YOU GET IT IN NOW YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE "GRANDFATHERED IN" BUT YOU WILL BE PROCESSED QUICKLY.


DO NOT WAIT!  GET YOUR LICENSING DONE ASAP. IF YOU ARE A RENEWAL, THE SAME APPLIES TO YOU. DO NOT WAIT.


YOUR INSTRUCTOR... EDDIE STEEVES

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Updates from the recent Gun Shows

From your Instructor:

I thought I’d touch on a couple of things, and get everyone up to speed on CHL/ Austin involvement. According to both the TSRA (Texas State Rifle Assoc.) and the DPS (Department of Public Safety) Instructors in Austin, the turnaround time for processing of new CHL’s is the fastest it’s ever been, right now. That doesn’t mean that it can’t change and slow down. In my experience the turnaround times have always fluctuated which is why they have us Instruct that it CAN  take up to 180 days before the Dept. shall issue the license. Gives them some leeway (Austin that is).  I also read in TSRA’s latest publication that TSRA is advocating elimination of the fingerprinting requirement. I do not agree with this at all. I will say that I do think there is not a need for fingerprinting every single time you renew. FBI keeps the fingerprints as does DPS as part of your permanent record, and the initial “printing” and possibly one more at your third renewal prior to your 10 year licensing would suffice and is my suggestion.


If you’re a TSRA member you might send them an email with your thoughts. Remember folks, the fingerprints are more fool proof protection of YOU & YOUR CHL!  Than just a TDL # and photo.

If you haven’t sent in your new license info please do so and let us know how quick your license got to you.  Please?

A good Buddy of mine and I were exchanging email about the Gun Shows I go to and prices, since he’s somewhat in the market for an AR/M4, and several other points that I couldn’t pare down to a single question ,so I’m gonna  give my personal observations from the past two shows I’ve attended.

I always attend the HGCA Show at Reliant twice annually. If I’m going to purchase a firearm it will be at that show. It has the best prices and the highest selection/vendor ratio of any of the local shows. It is put on three times annually, all at Reliant Ctr. I attended the one in January, and will attend the one in May. I recommend it to everyone. I also attended the most recent show at The Pasadena Convention Center.  I generally attend that one with a list of accessories and ammo/magazine needs. I did so this past weekend. (I wanted specific defensive ammo and a spare .40 S&W magazine, and reloading supplies.) Here are my observations and some input from vendors I have dealt with:
  1. Ammo is plentiful as are the higher prices for it. (Practice ammo you should buy at Academy.)
  2. Semi Auto handguns are also now reaching the “glut” stage of the market. Sales have slowed.
  3. AR/M4 platforms sales have slowed way down and prices haven’t fallen with that slow down.
  4. The best deal on a brand new AR/M4 was the stripped down S&W M&P for $895.00 retail.
  1. he cost of parts to assemble an M4 alone ran to the $900-$1000 range with cheap parts @ retail from a constant attendee (local) vendor. It’s cheaper to buy a basic rifle and accessorize according to the vendor who also said his rifle “kits” sales had slowed but his accessories sales are booming, and .22 conversions are a good seller.
  2. “Snub nose” revolvers are the going thing. Every dealer I talked with said that they and “The Judge”* series are now the big sellers, outpacing everything else on the tables. I personally priced them at the January show from both Taurus and Rossi and their prices alone have gone up at least $100.-$120. Since the January show to now. Sales are hot and prices are on the rise go figure. Smith & Wesson small frame short barrel revolvers are at the highest prices I’ve ever seen them at, Charter Arms is a little below and Taurus N Rossi a little further below but climbing steadily as demand grows. Ruger is in line with Smith.
  3. 7.    The Taurus web site has a whole new series of Snub nose revolvers to compete with the polymer frame Ruger revolver and they are even in the new and greatly extended “Judge” line. That’s right….a polymer framed Juggernaut of a Judge. Man I’ll bet that’s gonna hurt when you touch off a .410 buckshot round. OwWWWWWWW!  Check out their website for yourself. I didn’t see any of the new models at either show, and Taurus is a pretty sharp outfit. They just might be waiting to sell existing stock as there is no shortage of demand for the Judge now as it is. If they sent out the new stuff too soon they might eat some inventory and have to sell off at a loss of margin profit wise.  
  4. Magazine prices for semi auto pistols of all brands were up across the board. I suggest you keep an eye on the Midway flyer for magazines. They run about $1-$3 cheaper in the flyer if not more.
  5. The new Glocks were not at either show. Glock is now offering variable sized back strap options and manual safety options and grip reduction/shaping options (ala S&W M&P and Springfield XD, and Taurus 24/7 etc……) I think the “polymer” models from these folks has put a dent in Glock and their once strong hold on the polymer pistol market .
  6. No reloading supplies were plentiful at either show. Gonna have to pretty much stick with normal retail outlets for those things.
  7. Home defense shotguns were slightly higher priced, nothing outrageous but it could be the start of an upward pricing trend.
  8. AK47 and SKS rifles were minimal at each show and prices were up for both. I think they’ve run their course in popularity for now.

Maybe the Obama sales panic has passed... FOR NOW ...ammo is coming back and if the troop numbers decrease in Iraq we will see even more availability and range of calibers as the manufacturers try to make up for loss of military demand and surplus supplies of ammo start hitting the market.

Your Instructor suggests that if you’re looking for a small revolver now you better buy it now. The prices are not going down. If you search and haggle you might get a fair deal on a full sized 1911 or other service type semi auto pistol. You might….. Good luck

Eddie… OUT

Friday, March 5, 2010

Response from "Cheaper Than Dirt" on Hacking Accusations

Hi All,

I had a reply from Cheaper Than Dirt and wanted to get it to you ASAP. Their rep, Mr. Andrew Sypien, states that they have not been hacked for theft. I believe him since he works for the company and I read the assertion on a gun "chat room" site? I try as you know to stay accurate and thanks to Cheaper Than Dirt for helping me maintain that ideal..

Look folks there are lots of "chat room experts" and most that I've seen or read are full of themselves and little knowledge, if you get my drift. I stick with good info sources ( American Handgunner, G&A, NRA, TSRA) but do want to see what is being said. I only think it safe to not buy firearms on line as I say you can't hold it in your hands til you buy it and are at the mercy (and description of condition) of the seller, and the sites expressly deny liability for any merchandise sold through the site by individuals selling the weapons. I have said over and over again, use these sites (Cheaper Than Dirt, Gun Broker, Davidson's etc.) as price comparators and guides to help you in the price range realm, and then go to retailers or gun shows and use those as guidelines for purchasing goods you can actually put your hands on. That is why I search constantly in our area for good retail buys and service.

Don't ever forget the adages "buyer beware" and "a fool and his money are soon parted" or "buying sight unseen". they are truth in reality.

EDDIE OUT

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Firearms and great buys you should consider if in the market

(NOTE FROM WEB MASTER:This post got misfiled and should have been up several days ago when Eddie, AKA: Special Ed first mentioned his new rifle rig.  My apologies!)

Hi everybody,

I have had a lot of my student/trainees and some fellow instructors ask me about rifles lately and about good prices on guns locally.

First let me say that I heard through the “grapevine” that Gun Broker.com and Cheaper than Dirt both had problems recently with their gun sales/auction sights and identity theft and credit card fraud due to hacking for theft which as all know is a major and hard to fight crime right now. I say again that I have no personal knowledge of this but heard of it from some pretty reliable sources. I have warned people against using these places other than as comparators of prices, and personally will not use them to purchase any firearm of any type. Just my personal view. IF I CAN’T SEE AND HANDLE A FIREARM I CERTAINLY WILL ..NOT!..PURCHASE IT.
 Rifles are very popular right now in many platforms but with the wars goin on and the flood of T.V. coverage that the M-4 and the various “Sniper” rifles are getting along with things like Military Channel and History Channel’s “SNIPER MONTH” programming and “Battle Rifle” programming there is a surge of interest in these types of firearms. Can you get one cheap? NO!!! A true imitation of the bolt action M24 and M40 bolt action rifles can be had only as a custom rifle as in the “Corps” or the Army they are purpose built by armorers for individual snipers or designated marksman. They can be had by starting with a basic Remington/Winchester/Mauser action and having a custom rifle Gunsmith add a special barrel with specific chamber cut for the particular lot/type of ammo intended to be used. Then you add a custom fit stock, bi-pod, and specific and specialized scope like either the most common Leupolds and  Schmidt & Benders and have the head spacing and lapping of the action done by hand. You then have a “sniper system” similar to the military versions. Let’s do an approximation of the math shall we:

1.    Actions= $400.00 (hand picked)
2.    Barrels= $300.00 (minimum)
3.    Stocks=  $385.00-$615.00
4.    Scopes=$1300.00-$2700.00
5.    Triggers=$200.00 (minimum w/no fitting)
6.    Bolt&handle=$225.00
7.    Bi-pod=$100.00
8.    Gunsmithing=$1500.00 (average)
9.    Time/wait= three mos.- 1 year or more.

Now folks that is almost $5000.00 and close to a year if you just gotta have a military “sniper system”
If you think any screwdrivin benchsmith can do that type of work you are wrong. It is specialized and the “riflesmiths” that do that type of work are very expensive and have very long waiting lists. Just call and ask.

CAN YOU GET SOMETHING CLOSE FOR LESS MONEY?... YES!   AR’s… NO!

Mossberg USA makes a bolt action rifle that retails for $1 under $300.00. I know I got one when they first came out, and I got it at Academy off the rack. Mine is in .308 Winchester a common “sniper” caliber. It carries serial #1. I ordered a Simmons scope from Midway’s monthly flyer for under $130.00, bought a Caldwell bi-pod for $39.00, a box of surplus military ball ammo and a couple boxes of “match ammo”, slapped my BSA $29.00 (Midway) boresighter on it and off to the range I went. The scope has a mil-dot reticle and is a “varmint type scope with finger adjustable turrets for both windage and elevation and a parallex adjustment on the front bell. I set up at 100 yds. Put in three rounds of the surplus military ball ammo (from Carter’s Country “7.62 Ball R1M1” $8.95/box plain cardboard) settled in and sent one downrange. That first round went less than center bullseye about 1/16 inch above actual center. First “cold shot” out of a box stock rifle with surplus ball ammo. I still have that target on my refrigerator door. I also kept the rest of that box of ammo and the other two rounds are all within the bullseye on the same target. I have 15 of those rounds left and will not get rid of them or waste them on the range. Look out Bambi or Porky if I get a shot at you. Anybody who doubts it can stop by any time and look at the target center on the fridge. Total expenditure for a “sniper” grade rifle and ammo…….
Less than $500.00 including ammo and range fee.

Academy right now, has an outstanding clearance sale (unadvertised) on firearms. The Remington Model 700 SPSR in available calibers (.223,.243,.308,etc.) with orange clearance tags on them are retailing for $374.95. This is the same action and basic rifle as Remington’s Police Sniper System Model 700. Minus the heavy barrel. SPSR= Special Purpose Synthetic (stock) Rifle. You can buy that same Mossberg Rifle with black stock ( mine came in camouflage) and a 3x9 scope for $299.00 and sans scope for $279.00 but you’ll have to make sure they have the .308 in stock if that’s the one you gotta have. Call them and ask. If you get the Remington or the Mossberg and add a scope for example the Pentax that Midway has in their current flyer for $89.99, and a $40.00 bi-pod (Academy) you got yourself a “sniper rifle” for about $4500.00 less than a custom built exact replica. You also, still have money for ammo, gas, range fees and lunch etc, etc etc……If you want to add the sidearm (approximation) that military and some police snipers carry; you drop $324. And change on the counter and walk out with the Taurus PT 101 in .40 S&W caliber. Academy has it at $299.00 still and it is a MUST BUY, in my humble opinion. Academy also has the Rossi .38 special revolver with a 3” barrel (great length) for $199.99. It’s in blue only and it is a fantastic revolver and what I consider another MUST BUY if you are looking for a revolver to stick in your pocket. If you want a “hammerless” version take a Dremel tool and cut off the hammer spur. This is one of the oldest and most doable self modifications around. Done for years by savvy gunslingers and cops. Cut the spur and grind or sand it smooth, put on some touch up bluing and you’re good to go for under $200.bucks.

  Look I’m only pushing Academy right now because these prices are for real, and they beat everybody including gun shows on these specific firearms. They also have S&W Sigma pistols for incredibly low prices too, and good deals on discontinued scopes/optics. If you are on a budget don’t let these deals slip by. These are top quality “budget sniper rifles” and CHL guns. Check them out.

TECHNICAL TIP:
  I HAVE BEEN PUTTING 3M “LADDER TAPE” ON MY HANDGUNS AND IT IS GREAT. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowe’s or Sears for about $11 or $12 bucks a roll. I have put it on the front straps of my carry guns and they won’t move in your hand under recoil or the soon to come sweat producing hot weather here. Ladder tape is better than my old trick of bath tub/pool traction tape because “ladder” tape is not a paper product, which eventually disintegrates. It’s plastic based and virtually lasts forever. Just remove your grips cut a piece to just go under the edge of the grips on either side, and wrap the tape in place. Put the grips back on and you’re all set. You can put a piece on each side panel of the grips if you want or on the back strap, or front of the trigger guard, all for solid hold and traction. Give it a try. If you have any problems, contact me and we’ll hook up and I’ll get it on for you.

THESE ARE MY LATEST CONSUMER ALERTS AND TECH TIPS I HOPE THEY HELP. LOOKIN FORWARD TO HEARIN FROM YOU GUYS.

Your Instructor…………Eddie

Are Our Gun Rights Being Threatened? You Bet Your OBAMA!

Dear Folks,

 I have been asked many good and intelligent questions by you as my Trainees, and I truly appreciate them. I have been asked to comment on subjects like of course, politics and political associations that would affect us. I have been asked about the current president and his administration. I have been asked about The Second Amendment to The United States Constitution.

As a firearms Instructor and owner I, as you am affected by all of the above. I’m gonna  pass on Obama because anyone who knows me knows how I feel about that particular can of worms opened on the last election day.

1.    The Second Amendment:  I am not a Constitutional scholar. I don’t even know any. That said, I do   NOT  believe that it guarantees ME  the right to anything.  I have read and re read it over and over again and after listening to Justice Sotamayor and her colleagues during their discourses on application of the Second Amendment during the Heller case, I realize that that right as seen or imagined is in real jeopardy. I know I over simplify but if twelve politically appointed judges decide what are and are not rights then what is a “RIGHT” other than a turn you make?  The so called Constitutional Guarantees are not guaranteed at all when twelve people you probably never have nor ever will meet decide “the law” and for the hell of it, look up the word  “right” definition #10. Don’t be naive. Fear the government that fears you.
2.    Associations: The NRA. I am currently a member. I am not always a member because I don’t always agree with them and how they treat people that don’t agree with their rather hard line. They do some good work. I was taken aback when I took a tour of their HQ some years back and saw what I consider to be gross opulence by way of artwork, furnishings, structures and how the whole tour was very propagandized and  constantly filled with suggestions of donations for this and that. Let me tell you, the doors in that place were some of the most beautiful pieces of solid American hardwoods I’ve ever seen and proudly stated by the tour guide as “ costing anywhere from $5000.00 to $17,500.00 per door. The NRA sends out more junk mail and requests for money than AARP or those Life Insurance companies. Considering the place I can see why and where those donations go for the most part.
3.    The Texas State Rifle Association is the only one I stay in membership with. It is in Austin all the time on the hill taking care of us as citizens and gun owners in Texas. They do very good work. They have been responsible for major legislation that directly affects us from the CHL law to Castle Doctrine to Traveling definitions, to laws that affect the safety of law enforcement. I suggest you join and it is the only one I suggest you join.  I have the membership brochures if you want one. Let me know.
4.   THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY has a new gun law that just took effect. In the Heller Decision the Supreme court said states could institute “reasonable” gun laws even after asserting that the Second  Amendment is an individual right……. So in a nutshell New Jersey has instituted a new restriction law that is either that you can only buy one gun a month (or I could be wrong;  one gun a week) which includes  GUN STORES AND RETAILERS ! ! ! NO BULLS**T. I believe that at present it is only a provision for handgun purchases but even so….what retailer of any product could survive buying only one piece of merchandise per week or month? Doesn’t take a genius to see that Jersey wants gun dealers out of business, and now they’ve instituted a legal way to do it.

 Anyway there you have it for what it’s worth. Ya want to discuss politics or religion come on by and sip a little whiskey and we’ll do it but then again as Claude and T-Bone always say “ Don’t get me started….About the Space Station”

Your Instructor... EDDIE 

"dit.dit...dit... THIS JUST IN!"
ADDENDUM:  Over the weekend I discovered that there is what they say will be the most significant Gun Rights case about to make the rounds of Supreme Court ville. “THE CHICAGO GUN CASE” OR “ MAC DONALD VS. CHICAGO.” (Chicago Gun Case .org or .com if that’s your thing). Basically the City of Chicago says, the  Second  Amendment  as applied under Heller cannot supercede their jurisdictional right to create its own civil ordinances. Chicago has a firearms and handgun ban. The amazing thing is it is tied into the upcoming Democratic Health take over. I understand that Eric Holder has hidden away in the provisions of the many thopusands of pages the creation of lists of lawful firearms owners and the registration of said firearms owners trhough the BATFE form we all fill out and then mandatory registration of all legally owned firearms. Now get this…. UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL …..CRIMINALS ARE STILL AFFORDED THEIR FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHT OF PROHIBITION OF SELF INCRIMINATION…The bad guys don’t have to register their guns because of self incrimination…..Do you believe that shit? The lists Obama and Holder will create will be tied to gunshot wound trauma cost and if you have firearms in your home/ possession you will not be allowed treatment under the Health Care Bill and as a bonus you will be placed on the International no fly list which is part of new treaty proposals Hillary Clinton is working on under international pressure to ban import and export of firearms into and from the United States. How’s that for cap in trade? They are really tryin to slip this one under the radar.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Great deal on New Sniper Set-Up

 Hi folks,

Got to checking facts last night and I have to correct myself. My prices on my .308 Mossberg ATR rifle and scope were off. I paid $289.00 for the rifle and $79.99 for the scope which is a Tasco not Simmons. I don’t know why I thought I paid more. I always get Tasco and Simmons confused since they are owned by the same company and have the same line and prices, but in the latest Midway flyer (yesterday) they have the exact scope on my rifle for $69.99!  So my .308 Win. (7.62) “budget sniper system” cost me well under $400.00. Wow. BTW, if you thought I was kidding about the price of the Leupold (or other) “sniper/tactical” scopes, check out the prices ON SALE!

Hey, make sure you get a Midway USA catalog and flyer sent to you. (midwayusa.com) they are an invaluable source of everything you can imagine for firearms and related goodies email or call 1-800-243-3220. Their prices are usually a couple of dollars less than other sites and most retailers. They have hard to get or find parts for many weapons and they have ammo and reloading supplies. They have very fair shipping rates and service is top notch. If you order from them consistently you build up credit within their sort of “frequent buyer” program. I wound up saving a bundle when I recently ordered from them, I mean to the tune of over $109.00 that I didn’t know I had in their system till they told me while I was ordering. Cool Great folks and very friendly and knowledgeable when you ask a question. They also highlight in yellow, in the flyer the items that are out of stock when they send out the flyer so you don’t get disappointed or a run around when ordering. Good customer service.

Their big full line catalog is BIG!  And you get a new one free every year but the flyers are monthly so don’t miss this company. They should be in every shooters contact list and you in theirs. They are an invaluable resource as is Brownell’s (a parts only house for weapons and gunsmith supplies, no ammo or clothes etc.)

Your Instructor... Eddie

Monday, March 1, 2010

Correct Mindset / Get to Know Your Gun


You know; sometimes there are little things that I learn from just listening to my trainees talking or from what they tell me. I usually try to store those thoughts in my mental file cabinet so that after enough times I know I’m not picking on anyone or criticizing. I know that a good instructor is  or should be his own biggest critic, and not a critic of his trainees.

On many occasions in training (across the spectrum of trainees) I  have heard these words, “I (he, she, they) can shoot.”  I have been lax in addressing that mindset. At my recent TCLEOSE Police Instructors course, one of my fellow instructors gave a presentation on “MINDSET”.

On my website a few months ago I addressed mindset and haven’t addressed it since……”my bad” but that’s the great thing about y’all. I’m constantly inspired/reminded …..soooooo let’s talk about it.  “I  can shoot……..” Oh yeah? Can you shoot or can you pull the trigger? Can you define shooting? Can you shoot when you’re so scared, you can’t even speak? Can you shoot when someone is shooting at you or your loved ones? Can you shoot on the move? Can you hit what you shoot when you are moving? Can you shoot if you get shot? Can you survive if you do get shot? Can you shoot under all those conditions?

The answer is ……..I don’t know. You can’t possibly know until you HAVE to do it under those circumstances. I’m not criticizing here folks I’m just stating a fact. All this leads to practicing and practicing smart. Hey it’s a lot of fun to run a water jug out to 400 yards and take the old .300 Mag. Or .270, or the “ought six” sit at a bench or prone out and bang away. That’s pulling the trigger. Try movin the jug in to 150 yards and take your “ought six” and run that extra 50 yards toward the jug and then take the shot with just your sling to help you.

I have to deal with the fact that at an indoor range I can’t set up a barricade drill for you, or a “got knocked ,on my butt” drill, or run to cover or car drill. If you can find a place to do that please do. Your mindset has to be that if you train to be magnificent you’ll be lucky to be mediocre in a gunfight, cause you aren’t the only one who knows how to shoot and you might not be the only one who’s training. Standing in a shooting lane at a shooting range and shooting  at a bulls eye target and making a nice tight hole will not go far when the bullets come from the opposite direction. Looks good though. Small things like realistic situation targets, taking one step back or forward, getting someone to move the target, magazine changes that involve dropping the magazine not grabbing it etc. Small things ad up and they will help you “shoot” more realistically. And on a personal note; I hope you never have to find out if you can “SHOOT”.

Two examples were presented to me of the “KNOW YOUR GUN & HAVE YOUR OWN GUN AND KNOW HOW TO RUN THE GUN!”  An older gentleman was teaching his lady to shoot a Kahr 9 pistol, and he had a Springfield Operator. She couldn’t hit anything and he asked me (as an instructor) if I could check it and see if there was something wrong with the sights. I was in a class so I couldn’t devote more than a minute or two and took the Kahr put two rounds in it and fired. Immediately it was apparent that the trigger pull on the weapon was horrendous, and impossible to hit with since it is double action only. I’ve seen this with these particular firearms before. They have the longest and worst trigger pull of any firearm I have ever personally handled. He asked me to fire the Springfield and two rounds about an inch apart appeared on the target.

One of my trainees had a smaller 1911 model of unnamed variation and used it because of her spouse, and she couldn’t run the gun.  She knew it and I had to help her run it to get through her proficiency test. How proficient does that make her? Proficient enough to get herself killed cause she couldn’t run the slide or load the magazine. Guys listen up. Let her pick her own gun. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR HER. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IS BEST FOR HER. I see it often and it makes shooting fun not so much fun. They have to be confident in their own mind not in your mind. Mindset. Hers not yours.

On a technical note; the scaled down/compact 1911 platform has to have much stiffer /heavier spring tolerances to function. John Browning designed the 1911 as a full size service pistol and not a compact.

I know the spouse didn’t know that so there is no blame or fault here. KNOW THE GUN.

Your Instructor... Eddie