U.S. Concealed Carry
“Armed American Report”
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October 31st, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Dear Friend,
The above photo was emailed to me by a member, and I have no way of verifying who it belongs to- but I have a pretty strong feeling that the person who took the picture and made the sign will have NO problem with me showing it to you. What a great message.
Folks… this is the last issue of the Armed American Report before the Presidential Election of 2008. I can’t believe it. I can still remember the days of Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani- it seems like a decade ago.
McCain vs. Obama.
No matter what your thoughts are on these two individuals, I do not believe it is deniable who is the larger threat to liberty. I respect your beliefs if you believe differently than I do, but I’m just going to say this one more time:
If you are a gun owner… go vote on Tuesday. It is so important that we vote.
I don’t believe in single-issue politics, but the “Gun Platform” is so far from a ’single issue stance’. Where a candidate stands on gun rights says SO much about his or her personality.
Do you want a president who trusts you to walk into his office with a .45 on your hip? Or do you want a president who doesn’t even think you should be able to keep a .45 in your own home?
Please, friend. Go vote on Tuesday.
== USCCA Laugh of the Week ==
See all of Chaim’s Cartoons at his website:
http://www.chaimcartoons.com/
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“Finally, Tim Breaks His Silence…” Over the past 24 months, I’ve received hundreds of emails. All asking similar questions…
So… I’ve decided to DO something about this. I’m going to break my silence. I’ve decided to start a daily tip for those of you who have an interest in business, and entrepreneurship. Heck, it will just be me talking about something Here is the link, so you can act now: = > http://www.TimothyJSchmidt.com |
“Magazine Changes”
“…if your handgun runs dry, you
suddenly have a merely a $500
hammer in your hand…”
by TOM PERRONI
Whether you call it a speed reload, stress reload, empty gun reload, or tactical reload, the specific scenario is reloading an empty gun with or without the slide locked back is the point of this article.
Let me first start of by saying you can’t reload your handgun if you don’t have a spare magazine. So if I am carrying a handgun I have (2) spare magazines on my person, because lets face it if you are in a gun fight and your handgun runs dry and you can’t reload because you don’t carry spare magazines……Well now you have a $500 or $600 hammer in your hand.
However No matter what method you use for your Magazine Changes continued training and practice is the key. I will also say that Combat Mindset is also critical I once had the opportunity to hear a very good firearms instructor say “If you had a person armed with a loaded handgun and No Combat Mindset and a person armed with a hammer and Combat Mindset, The person with the proper Combat would win the fight every time”.
So should we practice Magazine Changes? The answer would be yes. Let’s start with gear placement. The spare magazine pouch should be on the opposite side of the body from the holster (which in my opinion should be a strong side directional draw holster) Now I am about to tell you something that is going to catch me a lot of flack in the handgun community: When I place my fully loaded spare magazines in my magazine pouch I put the bullet noses to the rear so that the flat part of the magazine is facing forward. (I have found that I can reload faster this way). Remember what I always teach this is A way to do it not THE way to do it.
I train students to bring their strong hand (gun hand) elbows back to brace against their torso on the reload. As they do this, they should bring the support hand and confirm they have a fully loaded magazine to reload, once this is confirmed then we press the magazine release, at the same time they draw the magazine using the first two (2) fingers and thumb only the thumb and second finger grasp the sides of the magazine while the first finger pops the snap on the magazine holder and then as we draw the magazine out the first finger becomes the index finger slightly ahead of the magazine to guide into the empty magazine into the empty magazine well.
The magazine that was in the handgun drops free onto the ground we are no longer concerned with this magazine we have more pressing issues like winning a gunfight.
This is done with the chin up and scanning left and right we bring the handgun back to the torso to that basketball size area called the manipulation area. We should be doing magazine changes by feel or tactile sensation we should not have to look at the gun while we reload it should be an automatic response. (Practice, practice, practice) We don’t look at the holster when we re-holster our handgun….do you?
If we are reloading we are moving left or right or to cover but we need to move there is nothing worse in a gunfight than to stand still and not be shooting while someone is shooting at you. (Get off the X)
Now here it comes again I will get some grief about this part …weather the slide is forward or locked to the rear we should rack the slide. I know that someone is going to e-mail me and say: You just ejected a perfectly good cartridge from your handgun. YES I know however it is the only way to make sure when you redeploy your handgun it will go bang. You don’t want to have to remember if the slide was forward or locked back just do it.
Now comes the next question slide stop or slingshot? We can debate fine motor skill vs. gross motor skill all day long. My thought is this I don’t care what kind of skill it is let’s get the gun back in the fight. So use what ever method is faster for you.
Once the gun is loaded we can bring it back into the fight. Just like any other skill Magazine Changes are a perishable skill so I say practice them every night with your 10-15 minuets of dry fire practice you never know it might one day save your life.
We could talk all day about Magazine Changes but this is all the room I have for this article. If you want to talk more about Magazine Changes come to class and we can work on them together.
Stay Safe & Shoot Straight!
–
Tom Perroni is the owner, President and Chief Instructor of Perroni’s Tactical Training Academy. Pulling on a five-year law enforcement operational background, Tom has spent the last fifteen years delivering training to government, military, law enforcement and private security companies. Tom is a NRA Certified Firearms Instructor and NRA Range Safety Office, Maryland State Police Handgun Instructor, Virginia DCJS Handgun, Shotgun and Advanced Handgun Instructor. Tom is also a Contract Instructor for Blackwater Training Center. Tom is also the Training Director for Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy .He is a member in Good standing with IALEFI & ILEETA & NRA. Tom appreciates feedback and can be reached through the Contact page on his company website athttp://www.perronitactical.com or info@ccjaTraining.com
WHILE teaching you how to MASTER your carry gun…
Your jaw will drop!
== Review of Mr. Heater Big Buddy Heater Portable Propane Heater ==
written by Cody S. Alderson
USCCA GEAR REVIEW
I once watched a program on television where a homeless man was being interviewed. He was asked if he had to choose, would he rather be hungry or cold. He said that he would rather be hungry because being cold was painful.
Cold does hurt. I remember being a satellite TV installer back before the two big companies we have now were even heard of. My fingers used to get so cold outside in the winter that I lost the ability to grip anything with my fingers at times. Years before that, I was working a security job one winter night when the DJ on the radio warned how no man or beast should be outside because skin could freeze instantly if it is exposed to the air. One other time I was driving to Indiana in an old Chrysler with a barely working heater during a snowstorm. I was told by a truck driver that if I made a left at the next intersection I would find a motel just down the road. I drove right on by the intersection because I didn’t see a road there. The drifts and piles of snow from the snow plows where only about six inches below the tops of stop signs. When I finally arrived at the motel I couldn’t feel my toes.
We’ve had some mild winters the last few years but I remember some wind chill days that made me think I was living north of the Arctic Circle. I grew up in an old house that didn’t have an ounce of insulation. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The windows would frost up on the inside and get a thick coat of ice during an extended cold snap. The furnace was as big as an old Buick and would run almost non-stop just to keep the house barely warm.
I survived all of my expected exposures to the cold without much issue, even the ones back when I was young and thought of myself as being invincible. I expected to be cold on those winter days installing satellite dishes. I had extra gloves and chemical heat packs to put in them. Sometimes I had to do work that required me to take my gloves off. The second I was done with that particular task, I would put them back on. On that night that the DJ warned me to stay inside, I completed my foot patrols without getting any frostbite because I was prepared for the cold. When I made it to the motel on my way to Indiana, I knew how to rewarm my toes. Still, it hurt a lot. It felt like they were being squeezed in a vice from the inside, and like they were being stuck with needles on the outside when the feeling started to come back.
Now that I’m getting older, and with having a couple of diabetic issues, I wouldn’t be able to work outside in the bitter cold without taking even more precautions. Even then, I would need to have access to a warm place when it became unbearable. I remember how it would be painful even when I was prepared for those winter days when the air was so cold and dry that I would feel my nose hairs frost up when I drew in a breath of air, and then having to do work that I couldn’t complete with gloves on. Even though I have never been homeless, I do agree with that homeless man. Cold is painful.
Some of you who are reading this know what it’s like to be really cold—the kind of cold that goes way beyond my minor childhood and adult inconveniences. I thank God that I’ve never had to experience that kind of cold that goes so deep that it aches all the way down to the marrow of the bones.
It’s that time of year where the temperatures are dropping here where I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania. If it is already cold where you are at, then I certainly hope that you have established three levels of redundancy in having sources of heat for your home. Some of you live in climates that make Pennsylvania winters look like hot summer days at the beach. In that case, the Big Buddy Heater may not be too effective even as a tertiary heat source where you live. For those readers I strongly recommend that you establish three redundant sources of heat for your home if you haven’t already done so.
In all things concerning the basic needs of survival, I recommend a primary, secondary, and tertiary system. For heating one’s home, that would be the main central heat source, a backup heat source that will still heat all or most of the home, and another source of heat for when the primary and secondary systems fail. The tertiary system may only be enough to heat one room where the family would hole up in a survival situation.
Our home is heated by a natural gas forced air furnace system appropriate to the size of the house and the climate of the region. If the electricity fails, the furnace is inoperable even if the gas supply is still working. A portable power generator will provide electricity for the blower in the furnace during power outages. That would be a partial backup system. A ventless natural gas heater around 30,000 BTU’s, though not adequate to heat the whole house, would be another partial backup for our home because both of those plans rely on the main fuel source of natural gas still being intact.
At our budget level, I have accepted those two plans together as being a secondary system to provide heat. A better secondary plan would be a wood or coal burning heater with an adequate supply of fuel stored on our property. That is what we are planning to purchase and install. For our tertiary plan I found something that I really like having around.
The product that we use as our tertiary heat supply is a Big Buddy portable propane heater from Mr. Heater. As an accessory, we also have the twelve foot hose attachment so we can connect it to a twenty-pound propane tank. The heater operates using either single or dual disposable one-pound propane cylinders, or single or dual propane tanks up to twenty pounds. This compact wonder puts out BTU levels of 4,000 on low, 9,000 on medium, and 18,000 on high. It also has a circulation fan that runs on four D cell batteries or an electrical adapter.
Operating on the high setting, the heater will run for about 1.5 hours on a single one-pound disposable propane cylinder. Double that for two cylinders. If two twenty-pound tanks are connected to the heater, it can operate up to 50 hours on the high setting or 220 hours on low.
I like this heater as our tertiary heat source, and also that I can use it as a primary heat source for so many other occasions. It is considered safe for indoor use as long as there is adequate fresh air for ventilation. As indicated in the Owner’s Manual, I can use the heater in an enclosed porch, a cabin, fishing hut, a trailer, a tent trailer, a tent, a truck cap, a van, a construction trailer, or a temporary work enclosure. So, rather than just sitting on a shelf waiting to be used during a time of emergency, my Big Buddy heater is ready to heat up almost anywhere that it might get cold.
When it is connected to either a single or dual twenty-pound propane tanks, the propane tanks need to be kept outside of the enclosure being heated. The hoses to connect to the twenty-pound tanks are twelve feet in length. This makes it possible to place the fuel tanks outside which are where they need to be for safety reasons. Leaving a window partway open for the hose to go through is good because of the need for adequate ventilation anyway (be aware of the security ramifications of an unlocked partially open window when using the heater with a refillable tank and hose set up). If I could change anything, I would make the hoses longer.
When using the disposable one-pound cylinders, they attach directly to the dual inlets on the heater. You can see one of the inlets in the photo below. There is another one on the opposite side. The compartments where the inlets are located are big enough to hold a one-pound disposable propane cylinder. The compartment doors can be closed with the cylinders in place. This makes the heater completely portable with a fuel source attached. Anybody out there have an ice fishing hut? There are even screw slots on the back of the heater so it can be attached to a wall.
Here is a photo of the heater connected to a twenty-pound propane tank with the optional twelve foot hose. Mr. Heater highly recommends that their fuel filter be attached in this configuration. I didn’t have one so it isn’t seen in the photo. I suppose that the reason the fuel filter isn’t included with the twelve foot hose is because one can choose to add a quick coupler and regulator in which case a filter is not needed.
The end of the twelve foot hose that connects to the tank had a plastic handwheel that was included in the hose package. It is a pain to try and attach the handwheel to the metal nut at the end of the hose so I just used a crescent wrench on the nut. I think that the hose doesn’t come with the handwheel installed because the end user has an option of connecting a quick coupler to that hose. A quick coupler will already have a handwheel.
All fittings to tank or cylinder are recommended to be tested for leaks with soapy water. You brush a little on and look for bubbles. Don’t check for gas leaks with a match like I’ve seen some people do. This heater, like any other one, requires that the owner read and understand the Owner’s Manual. Don’t be the person who has the mindset of if all else fails, then read the directions. If you do that, the failure may be you blowing yourself up! The manual indicates to make sure that the unit is operated on the low, medium, or high setting with the control valve locked into position on one of the settings, and to not operate the heater with the valve in between the settings. I may have not known that if I hadn’t read the manual. So read the manual for this and every other tool or piece of equipment that you use!
I connected my heater for the first time to a one-pound propane cylinder that was over ten years old. The heater fired right up. When I disconnected the cylinder, I heard a hissing sound. The old cylinder’s internal valve had deteriorated and wasn’t stopping the propane from coming out. I just reconnected it to the heater and used up the rest of the fuel in the cylinder. The heater didn’t have a problem running on ten year-old propane. I’m not sure how well a kerosene heater would fare with ten year-old kerosene.
That’s why the Big Buddy is a very good option to using kerosene heaters. Storing and transporting propane is easy. Hooking up the Big Buddy to a fuel supply is easy too. Using kerosene can get messy for some, and a kerosene heater has to be empty before it can be transported.
Here is a photo of the heater with a one-pound disposable propane cylinder attached to the right side inlet. The compartment door is open in the photo.
There is a place to put four D size batteries to run the internal fan on the back of the heater, as shown in the photo below. The fan is also capable of being connected to an electrical outlet with an appropriate power pack. The jack for the power pack can be seen to the left of the battery compartment in the photo.
Here is a photo of the fan switch that is on the back of the heater.
The fan doesn’t blow out a huge volume of air, but it is adequate to push the warm air into the area being heated. Putting in the batteries is an experience that I didn’t care for. Due to the design of the battery compartment, it isn’t easy to get the four D size batteries into the compartment. The front two go in easy. It is the back two that are difficult to get in. The battery compartment should be redesigned to facilitate easier battery insertion for the first two that go in.
I put the heater on high in our kitchen while it was attached to a one-pound disposable propane cylinder. The kitchen started to get warm immediately. There was just the subtlest hint of odor from the heater when it was new. The single cylinder that I had connected to the heater started to frost up on the the exterior of the cylinder. Nothing needs to be done to the unconnected inlet if you only connect a fuel supply to one inlet.
The burner tiles glow a bright orange on the Big Buddy. Even though you can’t feel the warmth from a photo, the one of the heater in operation below just looks toasty warm. It was. I was standing right in front of it to take the photo. Are you ready to keep yourself and your family toasty warm if your primary and secondary heating sources fail? Maybe the Big Buddy portable propane heater would be appropriate for the climate in your region.
Go to www.mrheater.com to check out the different heater models that Mr. Heater has available, and to find a dealer near you.
Do you have an essential piece of gear that is part of your survival plan that you would like to see reviewed in the Gear Review section of the Armed American Report? If so, then send me an email to tell me what it is, who makes it.
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I would like to hear from you. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about the Gear Reviews email me at cody@uscca.us. |
== USCCA Members-Only ==
Forum Highlights
Every paying website member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With well over sixty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!
If you have never logged in but are a member, visit THIS location to watch help videos, including how to find out your username and/or password!
Is there a place for the revolver? by ‘BigJim1′
I recently bought a set of CT grips for a 1911. After my first range session (approximately 150 rounds) the point of impact seems to be wandering a bit–specifically left and a bit down. Should I expect to make slight adjustments every X rounds, or does this sound like perhaps something inside the adjusting mechanism is looser than it should be?
Thanks for your thoughts.
************
My Bersa 380 going to my Daughter.
by ’shirt001′
I bought a Smith M&P .40 compact a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling a little under powered wearing my Bersa 380 in a Smartcarry. I was very surprised to find that my new Smith in a Smartcarry conceals even better than my 380 did. Anyone who works in an office environment that has powered down due to concealment reasons as I did, I highly recommend this compact in a Smartcarry. I feel a lot better walking around now. Just thought I would share.
************
G36 or XD subcompact .40 or G27 by ‘maybejim’
I’m trying to decide on a new gun. I need to keep it below $600 if possible. I like .45 but really would like something (I think) a little smaller than the G36. I really liked the feel of the XD subcompact but haven’t shot it. I have a G26 and would prefer something more powerful than the 9mm. The Crimson Trace laser I have for the G26 will fit a G27. I find the G26 a little wide (thick).
Anyone got any suggestions and rationalizations?
************
== “Walker on his weapon of choice…” ==
USCCA VIDEO OF THE WEEK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ-lQMUn0xw
View the ‘Video of the Week’ here…
== “Tim-spiration” of the Week ==
USCCA PHOTO OF THE WEEK
All Photos of the Week are taken from Mr. Oleg Volk’s
website: http://www.a-human-right.com/. It is a
FANTASTIC site. Please check it out!
USCCA QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they’ll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week…
”The best defense is a good offense.”
-unknown
SELF DEFENSE STORY OF THE WEEK
- Every day, thousands of Armed Americans use their firearms to preserve human life. Let this section of my newsletter serve as a record of this fact!
- “Never stop carrying- even if your 86 years old…”
found at: http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefenseblog/blogger.html
Cleveland Police believe a shop owner who shot a robbery suspect Monday acted in self-defense.
Police were called to the Cleveland Aviary on Bosworth Avenue in Cleveland (see Google map below ) Monday afternoon. According to Lt. Thomas Stacho, the suspect was dead on the front step of the pet shop when the first officers arrived.
According to police, the 86-year-old shop owner, whose name police did not release, was in the back room of the shop when the robber entered. Police said there was one clerk working in the front of the shop.
“The robber set upon him, immediately put a knife to his throat and ordered him to open the cash register,” Stacho said.
Police said the shop owner came out the back room with a gun and asked the robber to leave.
“He ordered the robber to leave; the robber did not; he approached him in a menacing manner and the second man fired one round striking the man in the chest killing him,” Stacho said.
The shop owner’s daughter, Maria Oviero, said the shop had been the target of thieves before. She said her father got a gun after a couple of failed robbery attempts. She hoped he would never have to use the gun.
“It’s sad that he has to use that kind of force. It’s sad, but he had to do what he had to do. I’m just glad he is OK,” Oviero said.
Police did not release the name of the suspect.
Tim Schmidt’s Economic Stimulus Package
Uncovered!
Closing Thoughts
This week’s question is as follows:
“Tim, is the 1911 style gun designed to be carried cocked & locked? Thanks, John”.
For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase “cocked and locked”, basically he’s asking if he should keep a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked back on his US 1911 model automatic handgun.
I must preface this with the fact that I don’t carry a 1911. That said, I can tell you that if I DID carry a 1911, it would indeed be “cocked and locked”. I think the best article I have ever read on the subject was written by Robert H. Boatman, and I believe it was called “Condition One and Only”.
In the article, he explained that YES- a 1911 is indeed designed to be carried cocked and locked, and as long as the safety is engaged, the weapon is totally safe.
He explained that in all other positions (such as a round chambered but the hammer not cocked) the weapon would take too long to deploy and ready if danger required that you presented and fired your weapon in matters of tenths-of-seconds.
So in conclusion, as always- you have to do what is most comfortable for you. BUT- If you’re not comfortable with “condition one and only” (cocked and locked), I would certainly make that your goal.
Do you have a pressing CCW concern that you’d like to get some feedback on? Use the contact form found at this page to let me hear it! Just use the graphic below!
Tim Schmidt
Founder - U.S. Concealed Carry
http://www.usconcealedcarry.com
