Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

Questionable Choice?

Gun/Ammo Tests, The Gun Thing

I have to say that while I’m intrigued by this new cartridge development, I’m more than a little skeptical, in principle:

Featuring a deep-penetrating bullet that Federal says “makes the popular rimfire cartridge a viable self-defense option,” the company’s new .22 LR Punch Personal Defense has hit the market.
Part of a 2021 expansion to Federal’s ammo line, the rimfire Punch uses a 29-grain nickel-plated lead-core bullet, pushed at maximum velocities (1,070 fps through 2-inch barrel handguns) for the deepest penetration when coupled with short-barrel handguns.

The concept comes from the fact that people have carried .22s for personal protection for generations. After all, the cartridge dates to the 19th Century, so why not actually provide said mouse gun users with a valid option to stoke their carry piece with?
“We’ve talked about making a 22 LR defensive load for some time. We finally decided that people are already carrying 22 LRs, so we might as well build a .22 bullet optimized for protection,” said Compton. “After much research, we decided that for a .22 LR defense bullet, penetration was more important than expansion.”

Watch too the embedded video from .22Plinkster.  (When he says “Stanger”, he is of course referring to the venerable CCI Stinger.)

Ordinarily, I would dismiss the entire concept out of hand, mostly because if you shoot someone with a little-bitty 29gr (!) bullet, he’s going to get really angry at you once he realizes he’s been shot.

However, I want you to note how quickly Dave was able to get the shots off, and how accurate he was because his target reacquisition time was minimal.  And here’s the thing.  I once taught a lady how to shoot (hi, Dee!) and after a single one-hour training session, she was able to empty a 10-round magazine into the head of a silhouette target in about 2.5 seconds, at seven yards.  While a single round of .22 LR may not stop a goblin, I would suggest that five or six (let alone ten) rounds of .22 buzzing around in his skull cavity like angry bees may cause a change in his plans for a weekend picnic.

And going back the Plinkster’s video, note the penetration and wound cavity made by the Federal Punch bullet fired from a longer-barreled handgun, which is what I’d choose over a 2″-barreled mouse gun.

   

I’m not going to drop the 1911 and start carrying a Ruger .22 pistol anytime soon, of course.  But if it ever comes to the point where I’m too old and feeble to work the 1911’s slide and handle the .45’s recoil, you can bet that there’s be some kind of .22 handgun strapped to my wheelchair.

Because any gun is better than no gun.

Food for thought, yes?

Update:  Peter Grant agrees with me.

Deadly Wheelguns

The Gun Thing

Combat Controller sends me this overview, with a single word:  “Interesting.”

Theory (based on sample data):  revolvers may be more lethal than semi-autos.

Here’s what we’re talking about:



I admit that the numbers used in the article are quite impressive, but I’m a little leery of them because:

  • the universe was New Jersey
  • only four years’ data

I have another idea, but basically there is no data (as quoted):  gun type by caliber.

I could make all sorts of suppositions about this in the absence of that data:  handguns are generally loaded with .38 Spec or .357 Mag — most likely .38 Spec, according to a large FBI study which concluded that over a ten-year period of time (nationally), the most commonly-used gun to commit crimes was a S&W .38 revolver.  I think we can ignore the outliers:  .44 Spec/Mag, .45 ACP and so on.

Automatics, however, come in a plethora of caliber choices:  .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .380 ACP and then the popular ones:  9mm Para, .40 S&W and .45 ACP, with the preponderance likely being towards the 9mm and smaller.

Could it be that the higher lethality of revolvers is because they’re skewed towards the .38 Spec, whereas the autos are more likely loaded with 9mm and smaller calibers?

I don’t know the answers, and I don’t think anyone can know them either, because of the small sampling universe and short time period.

Whatever;  I’m comfortable with my choices:  1911 .45 ACP, S&W Mod 65 in .357 Mag, and (backup) S&W Mod 637 in .38 Spec+P.

I’ll be talking about a more interesting recent development in self-defense chamberings later on in the week.

Rescue Gun

The Gun Thing

We all know about rescue dogs, cats, etc. — but what about guns?

Longtime Reader Dave L. sends me his story:

Hi Kim
About 2 weeks ago I told you that I’d ordered one of those ex-Italian M-1 Carbines from Midway. I finally got it cleaned up and ready for the range and I thought that you might enjoy seeing a couple of pictures.
The carbine in the picture is a 1943 manufacture Winchester. The wood was black with dirt and Cosmoline and the action was filled with Cosmoline as well. I cleaned the stock up with Simple Green and a nylon scrubbing pad and the dirt came off pretty well. As you can see the wood has some dings but I think that’s part of the character of this almost 80 year old rifle. I applied a couple of coats of tung oil and I think that it looks okay. I also used Simple Green and Gunk engine cleaner and degreaser on the metal. The bore is excellent and I’ll bet that the round count is very low. [One hopes not for long — K]


As you can see my rifle has the late production adjustable sight and late lever safety. The sling and mag pouch are reproductions that I found on Amazon (forgive me) for about $30. I have two 15 round and two 30 round magazines that are recent Korean production. I know that finding good magazines has always been a problem for the carbine but mine will just be a range toy due to the limited supply of ammunition. I have other rifles that I can use for serious social purposes.
Right now I have 100 rounds of Prvi that I found on the Net. I will eventually pick up some reloading dies should small rifle primers ever miraculously fall from heaven.
As I said earlier, sometimes a guy has to spend the money so that he doesn’t spend the rest of his life regretting his safe, sane and sensible actions.

You see?  An old, decrepit and sick gun has been restored to health, has found a good home and can now enjoy the rest of its life in loving hands.

If I may add just one thing, Dave:  long after you’ve forgotten how much you paid for it, you’ll still be enjoying it.

Well done.

Fixing A Problem

The Gun Thing

As I’ve aged, a couple of things have happened to me that have affected my barely-competent handgun skill.  (Cliff Notes:  I’ve always been a much better shot with a rifle than with a handgun, the latter being just average.)

The problem is twofold:  as my age-induced arthritis continues to plague my hands, I find that I can no longer grip the gun as firmly as I’d like, which has led to Problem #2:  I’ve started to develop a profound flinch whenever I pull the trigger.  No matter how gently I squeeze the thing — and all my handguns have excellent triggers — I often catch myself dropping the hammer on an empty chamber and seeing my hand pulling the gun down at least an inch, with predictable results on the paper.  To put it bluntly, at the end of the session, my target often resembles that of someone trying to register their shotgun’s grouping, blindfolded.  (I think it was either Mr. Free Market or The Englishman who once commented caustically, “I had an old shotgun that printed better than that.”)

Loyal Readers will already have seen my dissatisfaction with firing 158gr .357 Mag loads, and selecting instead the much-lighter 110gr pills for my backup ammo.  With the latter, there is no flinch;  with the 158gr loads, a profound one.  Ditto, by the way, my .45 ACP preference for 185gr loads over the 230gr.  Heavy bullets = flinch;  lighter bullets = no flinch, or at least not enough to make a fool of me.

This is not affected by my usual shooting partners, they being either the Son&Heir or Doc Russia, both being horrifyingly proficient handgun shots whose one-hole groupings never fail to make me look like a complete beginner.

All this, by the way, is to introduce Champion Pistolero Rob Leatham’s video entitled:  Aiming Is Useless (!!!!).

So my next few trips to the handgun range are going to feature his training tips, along with Mas Ayoob’s Wedge Grip.

I’ll let you know how it pans out.