Back to Being Banned: ...U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak, D-7th, of Edgmont, is co-sponsor of a House resolution to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban... Tredyffrin Detective Les Neri, president of the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, said the only people who follow firearm bans are those who obey the law, therefore they do not address the criminals who obtain firearms illegally... A semiautomatic AR-15 currently available to the public and a fully automatic MS-16 used by the military look very similar, but firearm experts say appearances can be deceiving. A semiautomatic rifle can only fire once with each pull of the trigger. The trigger for a fully-automatic firearm can be held down for continuous fire... http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/11/26/news/srv0000004137055.txt --- Lessons from Hickok: ...Throughout the taming of the west one lawman stood out among the rest-James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok. Former Union wagonmaster, courier, provost marshal's detective, scout and spy during the Civil War, Wild Bill worked as a lawman throughout the west and we can learn much from this "shootist." Among other things we can learn from Hickok were the following... (While this may be a slightly glamorized account, it's worth reading. Bill O'Neal has documented eight gunfights for Hicock, with seven confirmed killings and one "possible killing or assist." There are some who argue that the 75-yard heart shot with a cap-and-ball revolver involved a large measure of luck. Hollywood notwithstanding, that was not the typical gunfight for its time.) http://www.lawofficer.com/news-and-articles/columns/Davis/aces_and_eights.html --- Rule One, Rule Two Reminder: Police in southwestern Ohio say a police chief mistakenly shot himself in the thigh after giving his daughter a gun safety lesson. A police report says 54-year-old Middletown police Chief Greg Schwarber was preparing to clean his Glock .45-caliber pistol on Friday and didn't realize the gun was still loaded. The report written by officers from neighboring Monroe says the bullet entered Schwarber's leg just above the knee. When officers arrived, they found the chief lying on the floor with a towel covering his leg. Schwarber was taken to a hospital for treatment... (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. This sounds like the typical shot to the thigh by a seated person who presses the trigger in order to release the Glock slide for disassembly, without having verified by sight and feel that the chamber is empty. This is why S&W designed the M&P pistols so that they can be disassembled without that step. Chief Schwarber is lucky not to have hit his femoral artery.) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459047,00.html --- It's Not Just American Journalists Who Don't Understand Firearms: ...Ammunition, a satellite phone and a layout plan of CST was recovered from him. According to sources, the young terrorist has given the investigators vital leads including how the chief planner of the Mumbai terror plot had come to the city a month ago, took pictures and filmed strategic locations and trained their group and instructed them to "kill till the last breath". Every man was given six to seven magazines with fifty bullets each, eight hand grenades per terrorist with one AK-57, an automatic loading revolver and a supply of dry fruits... http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/20081129200811291119513862f1fe0c1/I-WANT-TO-LIVE --- From John Farnam: John has shared several reports about product availability this week. I include them not because I am necessarily in a position to endorse those products but because the type of products mentioned are in relatively short supply. 24 Nov 08 Thirty-Round, Steel, AR-15 (223) Magazines: Safe Direction, at least for now, has a good supply of new, Fusil/USA, heat-treated, steel (one-piece body) thirty- round magazines for ARs, XCRs, and SIG/556s. These rugged magazines have proven to be durable and reliable in all the above rifles during our training Classes. Recommended! Steve Camp Safe Direction, LLC PO Bx 1249 Addison, IL 60101 877 357 4570 630 628 3178 630 543 0524 (Fax) _steve@safedirection.com_ (mailto:steve@safedirection.com) /John 25 Nov 08 Ammunition news from friends at Cor-Bon: The only FMJ rifle ammunition that Cor-Bon currently makes is 223, and it is in great demand, as is all 223. They ship a lot of it to ammotogo.com! There is much hoarding going on! Evidence of this is that most current orders are for whole cases, not just a few boxes. Most in demand high-performance rifle ammunition is, 223, 30M1 Carbine, 308, and 7.62X39, all in DPX. 6.8mmSPC has a modest following, but brass is hard to get. 5.45X39 has the same problem, so much so that a DPX round in that caliber is not yet in production. In high-performance pistol ammunition: 9mm 115 HP is still top seller 9mm 115 DPX is second 45ACP DPX is third 38Spl DPX is fourth 380Auto DPX is fifth 40S&W DPX is popular with police departments, but retail sales are way behind 9mm. Likewise, 357SIG has a consistent police following, but commercial sales are slow. 45GAP, in fact, is restricted almost exclusively to police sales. Cor-Bon is now producing an 80gr, non-+P, 9mm DPX round, mostly for use in the Rohrbaugh Pistol. I'm getting some for my copy! Cor-Bon is a mid-size ammunition manufacturer and is thus able to be more responsive to demand and market trends than are bigger companies. This became evident when the State of California recently restricted the use of lead bullets for hunting in some areas. Cor-Bon responded by producing DPX loads in a host of commercial rifle calibers, including some obscure ones. Demand for all of it in CA has since been explosive. I'd call that good timing! /John 25 Nov 08 DSA Update: Friends at DSA tell me their current backlog on FALs and ARs is running fourteen to eighteen weeks. FAL magazines, however, are currently in stock and shipping. DSA will be making and marketing their own FAL magazines (manufactured in USA), beginning next year. Most popular FAL variation is the SA58TACP (Para-Tactical). It is short and features a collapsible stock. It used to be called the "Congo Model." My copy makes a wonderful car-gun! DSA's excellent AR-15 is currently the only AR that comes with a D-Ring already installed. Also recommended! DSA's "STG" line of FALs are manufactured with most used parts, but are perfectly serviceable, and wait-time is relatively short. For those who need a solid, serviceable FAL right now, this represents a good option. Most rifles are built to fill individual orders. Retailers are generally out of stock right now, and there is no standing inventory at the factory. Of all military rifles currently available, the FAL is probably the most difficult to manufacture. That being the case, I doubt that they will have significant competition any time soon! Call Nicole at DSA at 847 277 7258 /John 25 Nov 08 News from Krebs: If you want a Kalashnikov, Krebs is the place to go! Wait-time for most guns is currently eight to fourteen weeks. My friends there tell me their rifle most in demand is the KTR (Krebs Tactical Rifle). It is a short, classic Kalashnikov in 7.62X39, with a left-hand, manual safety-lever, collapsible stock, and rail on the top for mounting optics. Sharp corners and edges are all rounded off. It makes a top-drawer car-gun. Recommended! Magazines are in good supply. Kalashnikovs are occasionally available in 223 and 308, but availability is spotty. Call Roger at R-guns at 847 428 3569, or Brian at Krebs directly at 847 487 7776 /John 26 Nov 08 News from PTR91 Inc: Formally known as JLD, Inc, folks at PTR91, Inc bought H&K's entire factory in Portugal that produced the HK91 and G3, after NATO went to the 223 round. They loaded all the machines, dies, and accouterments on a ship and brought them to Connecticut! They've been producing their version of the HK91 (308) during the past few years. I have a copy, and it is wonderful, every bit as good as the original. Right now, as you can imagine, they are at least twelve weeks backlogged. Their entire standing inventory was cleaned out in a matter of days at the beginning of the month! Most popular items are: PTR91F, eighteen-inch battle rifle, fixed stock ("F" is for "flash-hider") PTR91KF, sixteen-inch battle rifle, fixed stock ("K" is for "kurz," or "short") Most popular of all is the: PTR91KFM4, sixteen-inch battle rifle, w/M4 (collapsible) stock All can be had with rails for mounting of optics. Magazines are in good supply at the factory Call Iver at 860 676 1776, ext 304 /John 26 Nov 08 Latest from Sabre Defense: Until 2002, a company called Raymo made 50BMG barrels for the Pentagon. Business declined under the Clinton Administration. That year, a new owner came in with a wad of cash and revived the company, changing the name to Sabre Defense, and tooling up the company to make AR-15s. Ever since, Sabre's reputation has been stellar! Today, they are backlogged twenty to forty weeks, as no decline is product quality is tolerated by the owner! Sabre has a sophisticated machine shop and manufacturers much of the rifle in-house in Nashville, TN, but they, like everyone else, are still dependant upon venders for receiver forgings, and they can be produced only so fast. Most popular model is the M5Tactical, a sixteen-inch battle rifle with a mid-length gas system, rail, and the wonderful Magpul collapsible stock. Call Dave Power at 615 333 0077 /John 26 Nov 08 How about an M1 Carbine? Friends at Kahr tell me they have the same situation with their M1 Carbines as most manufacturers have with AR-15s. However, the Carbines are in slightly better supply, as current backlog is less than four weeks. The AOM130 is the Saginaw, MI, GI, walnut-stocked original. The AOM150 is the original Paratrooper Model, with stiff-wire stock and equally uncomfortable rear fore-grip. The AOM160 is the 130 with a modern, Choate folding stock. Not "authentic," like the 150, but surely more useable. It is intended for serious users, rather than nostalgia-buffs! Magazines are in good supply, as are accessories like bayonets, bayonet lugs, and magazine carriers. When combined with Cor-Bon DPX ammunition, the M1 Carbine is an excellent car-gun/patrol-rifle. Range is less than that of a 223, but penetration is adequate, and recoil/noise are extremely mild. For personal defense, it is hard to beat, and retail price is will below 1K. My copy runs and runs! Call Art M at 508 795 3919 /John (I think John has confused the terms "fore-grip" and "pistol grip" in his description of the replica M1A1 [paratrooper] stock on the AOM150. Note that while Kahr is the parent company, these guns are listed on the Auto Ordnance website [http://www.auto-ordnance.com/PA-1AO_m1.html].) 27 Nov 08 International travel? In view of terrorist incidents in India going on right now, let me reiterate my advice on international travel: 1) Don't! All but critical off-shore travel should be immediately suspended. Westerners, particularly Americans, are extremely vulnerable to attack right now, and are being specifically targeted by terrorists. 2) Don't stay in "tourist hotels." Don't even stay in that part of town. Likewise, don't dine in restaurants, nor hang out in bars, that cater to foreign tourists. To be especially avoided are tour buses and tourist "groups." Instead, make some local friends, and then impose on them! 3) Eat the local food. It won't kill you! 4) Work on being invisible. Do your best to blend in with locals. Don't "stand out" 5) Get personally acquainted with the RSO (Regional Security Officer) at the American Embassy. He is the one who will be on top of local security issues and can provide you with solid advice. 6) When you get wind of a significant increase in local terrorist activity, or of an impending terrorist attack, drop whatever you're doing and get on the next flight out of there! The security situation, as it applies to international travel, will not improve any time soon. To the contrary, it will almost certainly get worse. For example, the detonation of an above-ground nuclear device, anywhere in the world (an event that is probably inevitable within the next few years), will instantly ground most international flights and simultaneously seal most borders, indefinitely. If you're off-shore at the time, it may be months before you can get back to CONUS. Best advice, for the present, is to stay within US borders. Even here, we're likely to have more than our share of excitement! Be prepared. Have a plan. Be armed. Be ready for the fight of your life! /John (Eating "local food" may not kill you but, depending on where "local" is, it could make you sick enough to disable you. Know which local foods are relatively high and low in risk to your health.) 28 Nov 08 Some additional sage advice on international travel, from several colleagues, who travel even more than I do: 1) Grow a beard, and let your hair grow longer than usual. Looking a little disheveled, even seedy, helps with invisibility. Looking too scrubbed and well-groomed identifies you as a Westerner. Remember, shaving was a custom introduced to the world by the Romans. Most of the rest of the world never picked up on it! 2) Wear cheap, generic watches. Leave expensive watches at home. To be particularly avoided are military-style watches. 3) Clothing needs to look well-worn. Shoes too! Wear hiking boots, not Western-style sneakers. 4) Carry a small rucksack with a ballistic panel inserted. These panels are available from Safe Direction. 5) In the rucksack, have at least two, small knives, well-secreted in separate locations. Also, several IBDs and a tourniquet, a small GPS, with the location of the US Embassy and hospitals programmed in, several MREs, a water bottle or two, and a hundred feet of para-cord. 6) Carry an emergency cache of American Dollars, Euros, Pounds. 7) Make sure friends and family know your literary, including flight-numbers, local contacts, and phone numbers. When you disappear, they will at least know where to start looking for you! 8) Register overseas travel with the US State Department. It enables local embassies and consulate offices to contact you when trouble develops. Travel Registration Page: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx 9) Make a color-copy of your passport, and keep it in a separate location. It will make it infinity easier to get a replacement, when necessary. 10) Be prepared to remain sconced-up, maybe for as long as a week. When stuck in a hotel room, immediately fill the bathtub with water. Use bed-sheets to make bandages, ropes. Most importantly, you must realize that you will be on your own. You may escape the initial venue only to encounter several more perimeters before you can evade the aggregate incident. Local police will be completely overwhelmed, instantly. Few tactical teams, even in the USA, are remotely prepared to handle a coordinated, multi-location incident like the one developing right now in India. They are trained to confront and contain barricaded individuals, usually associated with domestic incidents, one at a time. Precious very few are have even a concept of a protracted, military-style engagement by actors who came to die while murdering as many innocent people as they possibly can. One obvious AQ mandate is that teams of terrorists are to produce the highest casualty count possible. The higher the body-count, the more publicity they get. They will predictably murder/maim everyone they get near. Westerners are specifically targeted, but they are there generate a pile of bodies, and no one is likely to be spared. The events we are currently witnessing in India may well be duplicated within CONUS! Foreign travel, even to Mexico and Canada, carries with it great hazard, but today, even travel within CONUS is far from risk-free! /John (I take some of the above with a grain of salt. Yes, if you have dark hair, growing a beard may help if you are in a part of the world where most mean are bearded. If you are in a part of the world where most men are clean-shaven, it could have the opposite effect. Advice to spec ops and paramilitary personnel functioning in Afghanistan may not be appropriate for someone traveling to Italy or France.) 29 Nov 08 SIG's situation: Friends at SIG tell me they are currently backlogged twelve weeks on their excellent 556 Rifle. The tilted-rotating-barrel sight, for which the 550/551 were famous are now available for the 556. Front sight needs to be installed. Rear sight just plunks on the rail. My copy is already so equipped! The rifle is also available with SIG's version of the Micro/Aimpoint non-magnifying optic, called the "Red Dot" sight. When next to each other, I can't tell them apart! SIG's P250 Pistol is starting to claim market share, with much interest from the Federal System. The ingenious, modular 250 System is destined to displace most of SIG's current pistol lineup, in all calibers, with the possible exception of 380Auto. With different frame sizes, grip thickness, caliber, and slide length, hundreds of combinations are possible, making it possible to custom-fit nearly everyone within an organization with essentially the same pistol! Like SIG's current DAK, the 250's trigger is smooth and short. The pistol has no manual decocking lever, as the universal conclusion among all pistol manufacturers is that manual decocking levers are slowly fading away. Most law-enforcement consumers no longer have any interest in them. SIG's long-standing reputation for quality continues to insure their prominent place in the minds of serious consumers, like me. /John -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .