Saturday 1/4/14 – Hite Hollow

My resolution for the new year was to get out and do some more shooting this year and I started out strong.  I spent the first Saturday of 2014 out at the Hite Hollow range near Staunton, Va.  My neighbor had a new pistol to shoot so we loaded everything up and headed out.

I was very surprised at how well I did.  Considering I hadn’t shot any of my rifles in months, I was lucky I could even hit the target.  I really don’t like to let skills sit idle for that long, but I guess it was ok this time.  I managed some pretty tight groups with my two 22 pistols and was hitting extremely accurate with my AR at 50 yards with both 22lr and .223.

The only gun I shot poorly was my neighbor’s pistol.  I don’t think that’s a personal failure either as the gun is nearly the size of my head and I could barely wrap my hand around the grip.  At about 7 yards I was hitting the target close enough to be considered deadly, but the time and effort involved in lining each shot up would definitely have cost me dearly in a real-world situation.  I will definitely need more practice with a gun this size if I intend to ever use one, but for now I think I’ve decided that a 45 just might not be for me.

My SKS, as I expected, was the most fun to shoot.  There’s just something about the 7.62 round being fired from a gun with some wood on it that I really enjoy.  I would love to try shooting an AK47, but I’ll settle with the SKS for now.  It doesn’t kick, its very accurate (even with open sights), and it just looks so cool.  I used to consider my AR to be my #1 choice if things got bad, just because it can shoot two types of ammo.  I think I might be starting to change my mind.  After all, that Bayonet will be very handy when the zombies come . . .

 

Happy New Year!

Its time for us to say goodbye to 2013 and welcome in 2014.  Its time to look back on our lives for the past year and see what we can do to improve ourselves or make life more enjoyable.  Its time for New Year’s Resolutions.

Since I’ve moved out of my parents’ houses and into an apartment with my fiance, things have been fantastic.  Life really is great and I couldn’t really ask for more.  That said, I have been neglecting my firearms and letting my skills wither away.  Its time for me to get back out there and do some shooting and practicing.

For 2014, I resolve to go shooting as often as I can.  I’m going to start out strong by going to shoot with my neighbor this Saturday.  He recently bought a 9mm 45 and has been really looking forward to shooting it.  Depending on where we go I’ll probably bring my rifles along.  I’ve been itching to shoot my SKS some more.  If we go to the indoor range in town however I’ll have to stick with just my .22 pistols.

Either way its going to be fun.  I’ll be sure to share how everything goes and let you know how badly my skills have deteriorated without practice.  Happy New Year everyone!

Ammo Updates Coming

I just wanted to let everyone know I updated the .223/5.56 section of my Ammo Availability page.  Its been over 3 months since my last update and I apologize for that.  I needed to take a break from the blog but I’m back now and I’ll try to post again on a semi-regular basis.

The good news is, it looks like ammo is a lot more available again.  Every single supplier had more options to choose from than 3 months ago.  The bad news is, everything appears to have settled in at a price that’s far higher than I had hoped it would be.  I hoped that once ammo was becoming available again, prices would come back down a ways and I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I plan to update the rest of the rifle calibers this evening after work, so look for that this later.  Hopefully the pistol ammo can get updated in the next day or two as well.  As always, let me know if there is another caliber that you would like me to add to the list.

My Local Range Has Closed

I received a letter in the mail a few weeks back letting me know that my local shooting range, to which I was a member, was closing its doors.  They were kind enough to reimburse me for the remaining time left on my membership but nevertheless it was pretty sad to hear.

I hadn’t been going as much lately with all the changes in my life, so maybe their closing was partly my fault.  Maybe it was the ammo craze that drove gun owners everywhere to hoard ammo instead of using it.  Maybe it was the economy.  I don’t know.

What I do know is that I will now have to travel at least 45 minutes any time I want to shoot at an actual range.  My dad’s house is only 15 minutes away and I can shoot there whenever I want, but sometimes an actual range is just much better.

If you’re lucky enough to have a range in your area, get out there and show them your support.  Let them know you want them to stay around and that you find what they have to offer very enriching.  And spread the good word to other gun owners so that business can improve.  If the ranges all close and we have nowhere to shoot out guns, how will we maintain our shooting skills?  For some of us, living in isolated rural areas just isn’t an option.

Ammo Scarcity Driving More People Online

Considering there are over 129,000 licensed firearms dealers in the United States, its no wonder some people have never had to buy ammo online.  At one time ammo could even be found on shelves at some of the local convenience stores.  Times have changed though and that is no longer the case.

With all the gun violence and firearm legislation circulating through the media over the past few months, this is a subject that has been beaten to death, revived, and beaten several more times.  But I think in one way or another this may have actually been a good thing for gun owners as a whole.

Not only did an increase in national attention draw gun owners out into the open where they had to stand and fight, it also made us realize that we might have to make other plans to deal with unforeseen ammo shortages.  Most of the people I know in my area who shoot a lot used to go to the store and buy ammo just a day or two before they intended to use it.  You can’t really do that now though because you can’t predict whether or not anything will be on the shelves when you get there.

The only place that gives you access to ammo from everywhere all in one place is the internet.  I ran a poll for the past two weeks that asked people whether or not they’ve bought ammo online.  If they had bought ammo online, I asked if they had been buying for a long time or if they only recently started.

39 people voted.  Of those 39, only 8 indicated that they do not buy ammo online at all.  16 of those who did buy ammo online said they had been for a while, but 15 chose the option “I started buying online in just the past few months”.  To me (looking at my small survey and talking to people around me) this shows that the amount of people buying online has almost doubled in just the past few months.

Is this a good thing?  Maybe.  But it could also be a bad thing.  With the ever increasing popularity of online shopping, many small businesses have suffered tremendously.  Every customer who buys online is a customer who could’ve possibly bought local.  At the same time however, online retailers are probably feeling some pretty positive effects, and for the past few months, have been the only ones with ammo.

“So what’s the point of this post” you ask.  While I think being able to buy online is a great luxury, we don’t want to become a nation of people afraid to go shopping in actual stores.  We also don’t want to cause our local businesses and communities to suffer.  So keep it in balance.  Support all parts of the firearms industry, not just one.  If one of America’s largest industries stays strong and healthy it’ll be that much harder to take down.

New Website – The Gun Feed

Over at Gunmart Blog, they’ve always been good to me.  From pretty early on they started linking to posts of mine in their Daily Firearms News updates.  I think they played a huge part in getting my search rank up to where it is now.  In fact, they’ve referred 953 (as of this post) views to my blog since I started, making them second only to Google Search.

When I heard that they had launched a new website specifically for their “Daily Firearm News” I had to spread the word.  The website is called The Gun Feed.  Over on the new website they will be providing links to firearm news, articles, videos, reviews, and more, from every part of the web.

Go give it a look.  I’m sure you’ll find something over there worth reading or watching.

Pistol Ammo Update

Every caliber of ammunition over on my Ammo Availability page is now up to date.  It took a long time and I apologize for that, but hopefully it was worth the wait.

As I was changing the in-stock numbers I noticed that almost everything had improved.  9mm ammo in particular saw a huge increase in availability from last month.  Several websites had more than doubled their previous inventory.  Not only that but 50 Action Express is now available on at least 3 websites for a combined 8 options.  That’s significantly better that previous updates.

On another note, I want to thank all of my subscribers for their continued support.  Even while I’ve been away from the blog, moving into our apartment, I’ve continued to gain followers.  I’m up to 80 now and that’s pretty cool to me.  I never thought anything I said or wrote was worth listening to or reading, but you’ve all proven me wrong.

I know my posts aren’t always that interesting and sometimes I don’t post at all, but knowing that people like to read what I have to say motivates me to keep going and improving.  Its been a fun 7 months and I’m looking forward to many more to come.  Thanks.

1911 – Why a Design More Than 100 Years Old is Still so Good

From the time I first started delving into the world of firearms, one thing was abundantly clear:  The 1911 is the king of of the handgun jungle.  There have been many guns that have come and gone with little or no impact on gun culture.  The M1911 was clearly not one of those.  I decided to do some research and look into why this particular design is still so widely used and admired all around the world.

My first research came in the form of a poll.  I asked my readers to vote whether or not they owned a 1911.  If they didn’t, I asked if they wanted one.  Of the 30 people who voted, 20 said that yes, they in fact owned a 1911 of some form or another.  Beyond that, 5 people who didn’t currently have one wanted one.  Only a few noted that they didn’t want one at all.  I know that most of my readers are gun owners  and they probably own a variety of different weapons.  Not everyone likes the same things, and yet 2/3 of those who voted owned a 1911.

I decided to cruise the web in search of more information.  I found more than I could read in a lifetime unfortunately.  Every gun forum has threads dedicated exclusively to the 1911.  On some of those forums I found people just like me who were trying to find out exactly why everyone loves them so much.  Other forum members were trying to understand why nobody could accept change and innovation, preferring to stick with old designs rather than newer ones.  Many answered by simply saying, “If you have to ask, you’ll never understand the reasons”.  Others gave long answers that detailed every little aspect about the firearm and how it was still superior to most modern firearms.

Besides forums, I found plenty of articles and web pages dedicated to the 1911.  Over on The Truth About Guns they even have an article called “Why The 1911 Doesn’t Suck”.  Others, like Browning.com, have pages reserved for detailing the history of this great firearm.  And of course there is always Wikipedia with its collective knowledge of all the users who contribute.

I read a lot over the past few days and here’s what I learned about the 1911:

History

The 1911, designed by John Browning, a famous firearms designer in the United States, was conceived right around the turn of the century.  In the early 1900’s, the United States Government was looking for firearms to replace those it currently had in service.  Browning answered the call with his semi-auto handgun design and in 1911 it was adopted by the U.S. military as the M1911.

The M1911 saw service for almost 80 years and was with us through WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, as well as several other conflicts.  Even after being officially replaced in 1990 by the M9, the M1911 still found limited use in the military.  Outside the military however it still remains a popular firearm to this day.  Many police departments still use the 1911 as their service pistol.  Outside the U.S. the M1911 saw service in countries including Brazil, Canada, China, the U.K., the Soviet Union, and many others.

Currently the majority of users appear to be civilians.  There are many different reasons people love the 1911 (which I go over a bit more below) but one reason that stands out a lot is its accuracy.  As a result of this, many competition shooters choose to go with a variant of the 1911 as their competition handgun.

Why Its Loved

• Reliability – Almost everyone who talked about the 1911 mentioned its reliability.  It holds up to repeated use with virtually no complaints.  
• Parts Availability – Anywhere gun stuff is sold you can find parts and accessories for 1911’s.  From barrells and frames to sights and grips, you can find almost anything you need to buid or repair a 1911.
• Customization – As I mentioned above, accessories are available everywhere.  You can customize your 1911 to look and feel however you want it to.  For example, there are wider grips if you have big hands and brighter, easier to see sights if you have poor eyesight.
• Appearance – Many people cited the way the gun looks as the reason why they loved it so much.  In my opinion it certainly is an attractive handgun.
• Accuracy – The trigger on the 1911 is apparently very well made and easy to pull.  That, combined with the length of the barrel, provide the gun with exceptional accuracy.
• History – Because the 1911 served with the U.S. military for 80 years it has a good following with military buffs.  Other people look at it as a patriotic firearm that demonstrates our innovation and inventiveness.  Others just like the nostalgia that comes with it.
• Ergonomics – The 1911 seems to fit well in the hands of just about anyone.  In addition, the handgun’s weight is neither too much or too little.  Its light enough to be held and fired but heavy enough that recoil is reduced more than on other handguns.

Conclusion

Are there handgun designs out there that are better than the 1911?  Probably, but “better” is simply an opinion.  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  The 1911 certainly has a lot of positive features, but its not right for every situation.  However, finding any one gun capable of filling every role is probably not likely to happen.

The 1911 has been around for over 100 years and has a following all over the world.  I doubt we will see its popularity decline for a very long time and that’s perfectly fine by me.  If I had the money to buy another handgun it would be a 1911 for sure.  My Sig 1911-22 is a lot of fun but shooting the real deal would be a whole other beast entirely I’m sure.

Ammo Availability Page – Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that my Ammo Availability page is coming along pretty nicely.  It now contains links for .223/5.56, 7.62×39, .50 AE, .45 ACP, and 9mm Luger.  I’m going to work on the others throughout this evening so before the day is up I’ll have a few more.  Once the basic formatting and layout is complete for each caliber, I’ll start more actively updating the “in stock” options.

Overall I’m happy with how this is going to be set up and I think it will save me a considerable amount of time.  If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the formatting of the new page, please let me know.  I would also appreciate it if anyone can find errors in the links or anchors.  I do my best to check everything before I update the page but I’m bound to miss something.

**  UPDATE – 8:08pm  **
I’ve added the links for 7mm Rem Mag ammo.

Will Bitcoins Allow Unregulated Gun Sales?

Years ago I came across bitcoins.  I considered investing a little of my own “real world” money in them but ultimately decided against it.  I wasn’t much of an investor or risk taker at age 17.  However, it seems to have caught on a lot better than I ever expected.  I’ve even come across a few online retailers that have started offering that as one of their accepted payment methods.

If you aren’t familiar with bitcoins I suggest you check out the Wikipedia page I linked to at the start of the post.  Basically, the bitcoin is a form of currency that is used online and backed by the internet community.  No government is involved in managing the currency and many believe it to be a safer investment than a national currency such as the dollar.

Another benefit to the bitcoin is that transactions are anonymous.  It is extremely difficult to track transactions and find who the individual purchaser or seller really is.  I’m sure it can be done but as far as I understand its pretty secure.  A lot of people see this as a huge advantage in a world where purchases are becoming easier and easier to track every day, where “big brother” is always watching.

It seems the gun industry has taken notice as well.

While selling guns in the manner described in the above article may be illegal, it may be near impossible to prosecute anyone if bitcoin transactions are as secure as they claim.  If gun laws continue to restrict our access to firearms I believe we’ll begin to see a lot more of this in the future.

It has a bit of a “black market” feel to it but using bitcoins in general is not illegal.  No government backs it but none denounce it either.  Its only as useful as its patrons find it to be.  I suppose all currency starts that way: People get together and decide something has value, even if its not a coin or paper.  After all, people were using chickens and pigs as currency long before gold and silver.

What are your thoughts on the bitcoin?  Is it here to stay or just a fad that will die out?  Will this help fuel the black market for guns or do you think it will somehow be restrained?  Will the government allow such a currency to exist or will it become illegal to trade using such a currency?  And if it becomes illegal, will they actually be capable of prosecuting anyone using it?  Let me know what you think in the comments.