An Interesting Site

Have you ever tried to explain a proper sight picture to new shooters, and have them just not seem to get the idea?

Mr. Christian, from over at the Barking Moonbat Early Warning System, found an interesting site that may help.

EuroSimulator.com has developed a target simulator that I think will go a long way towards showing new shooters proper sight alignment. There are both basic and advanced options for revolver, pistol and rifle. In the advanced areas, you can set the sights to match what is on your pistol or revolver. The rifle in this simulator uses target sights and you can play with aperture settings to find what works best for you. You can even set how steady you hold on target to match your natural movement.

It is pretty interesting and makes explaining sight picture much easier.

To check it out, go here.

Range Report

The monthly .22 rifle long range silhouette match that was scheduled for this morning was cancelled due to rain. It has been raining on and off all weekend. The shooting bays are covered, but the ground was soaked and we would have torn up the range setting and resetting targets.

Since the match was off, and it was still raining, I decided to go to the Winchester Gallery Shooting Range in Fort Worth and shoot Sailor Curt's postal match. This is an indoor shooting range that is a part of the Winchester Gallery Gun Store.

This simple postal match became a lesson in humility. Basically, I blew it. T.J. would be pretty disappointed in my performance.

To shoot the match I used my carry pistol and ammo, a Kimber Carry Pro II and Federal 230 grain Hydra-Shok's. The first target was acquired from the low ready position. I fired a double tap at the first target, reloaded and fired a double tap at the second target. The sad part of this exercise is that I was slower than when I shoot plates or silhouettes, but still had a poor showing.

This pretty much proves that I have let some basics slide while at the range. I've obviously been doing too much playing and not enough working.

All total, I put 270 rounds downrange today. This is the last 50:

That's 50 rounds on about a 3/4 second cadence at 7 yards. We'll blame the fliers on the sweat in my eyes and fogging safety glasses (yeah that's the ticket, foggy glasses)

This E Postal Match had one very good end result. It pointed out an area where I need to re-focus my attention.

There is still time left to shoot this match. Head on over here for instructions and targets.

I'd Rather be Alive and Safe Than ...

Thanks to Xavier

If you click the right arrow after the first clip, you will see what the Boston Police recommend women do to protect themselves. I am with the young lady in the first clip.

A firearm is the one tool available to all women that can be the deciding factor in an altercation with one or more rapist. Becoming proficient in the use of a firearm is the key. It is very difficult to rape an armed and trained woman.

Jennifer's First Time

I should have known that Oleg Volk would have something on You Tube.



Now this is how you introduce a first time shooter to firearms.

Contrast the above with this video I previously posted.



Which shooter do you think will become an enthusiast, and which will just have a story to tell about the one time she shot a gun?

The Things You Find on the Internet

From the May 2002 issue of Popular Mechanics:

Baseball Pitching Gun For Batting Practice

(Click on image for larger version)

The rifle was loaded with blanks and attached to the Pitching Gun via a Telescoping Tube. The baseball's velocity was adjusted by extending or retracting the telescoping tube. Too bad the professors at Princeton are not still putting out cool gadgets like this.

The article mentioned that the pitching gun was accurate, but scared the heck out of the batters.

Vintage Advertising at it's Best

Found on Modern Mechanix:

(Click image for full size ad)

YES, SIR, in any bunch of expert shots — Camels are the favorite cigarette,” says Ransford Triggs, one of the foremost marksmen in America. “Marksmen know that it takes steady nerves to make high scores. And the fact that Camels don’t frazzle my nerves goes over big with me. I smoke plenty of Camels every day, too.

h/t to Say Uncle

E-Postal Match for June

Sailor Curt (The Captain of a Crew of One) is hosting an interesting looking E-Postal Match.

Don't know what a postal match is?

Basically a postal match is means for firearms enthusiasts to compete against each other, no matter where they may life. The 4-H clubs in Texas are always participating in postal matches. An E-Postal Match is similar, just using email vs snail mail to post scores.

This month's match involves two targets and a basic reload drill.

When ready, take aim and fire two shots at one of the targets, reload and fire two more shots at the second target. While speed can be important in a self-defense situation, shot placement is the key to stopping an attack (plus, not everyone has shot timers) so this will not be a timed event...however, you should shoot it as quickly as you safely can. Ideally, each set of two shots should be double taps, but if you don't normally shoot double taps and don't anticipate doing so in a defensive situation, two discrete, aimed shots is permissible as long as you do it quickly as you would in a defensive situation and not as slow, deliberate, "bullseye competition" style shots.

Repeat this drill 5 times for a total of twenty shots...ten per target.

Easy enough, and reload drills are never a bad idea.

For more information, and to download targets:

E-Postal Match for June "Reload Drill"

Judo "The Way of the Gun"

Sniper Posture

Sniper Technology

A couple of decent videos, but they could do without the background music.

Erma Werke EM1

I receive a surprising (to me) number of search hits looking for information on the Erma Werke EM1. I purchased one of these carbines for my grandson so that I could teach him to shoot with his own firearm (He has just recently matured to the point where we can pick a date to do this. May 5th is most likely going to be our first day at the range).

As there is not much in the way of information online about the EM1, I thought I might do my part in adding to the web library by documenting what little I have to offer on this firearm.

The Erma Werke EM1 is a .22LR version of the M1 Carbine. They were manufactured in Germany from 1966 to 1976. Iver Johnson also sold EM1's in the 1980's. An Erma Werke EM1 listed in a recent, $0.01 to start - no reserve, Gun Broker auction sold for $280.00. I have seen them listed as high as $350.00, I purchased mine for less.

Parts for an EM1 are hard to come by. A good bet would be to try Numrich Gun Parts Corporation first. Numrich also has a detailed exploded parts view here. Firing pins can occasionally be found on Gun Broker or even Ebay.

Dis-assembly:

Loosen the front band screw, pull the band forward and remove the upper hand guard.

Remove the rear guard screw that is located behind the trigger guard.

Remove the stock from the barreled action.

This is as far as is usually required for general cleaning of an EM1. An aerosol based gun cleaner with lubricant will adequately clean the action. The upper receiver is cast and can easily break, and there are small parts that can disappear. I have also read a few reports about the operating slide breaking, but I am not sure how that could happen.

Another common failure is a broken firing pin. To replace the firing pin, further dis-assembly is required:

Remove the slide spring and slide spring guide by compressing the spring and pulling the guide forward and out of the lower receiver.

Remove the receiver screw and the two trigger housing retaining pins.

To remove the upper receiver, pivot as shown in the following images. Note the ejector and sear release assemblies. Pay attention to how they are assembled so that you can get them back together correctly. With the bolt partially retracted, you can remove the slide.

Raise the recoil plate from it's notch and remove the firing pin spring, firing pin and the bolt.

Your EM-1 is now disassembled with the exception of the trigger group. I have not yet had a need to disassemble the trigger group, but it appears easy enough.

One common failure on this rifle is the firing pin. Mine was broken when I purchased the gun (might be why I got such a good deal on it). I could not quickly find a firing pin, so I made one.

The black firing pin is the OEM (purchased off of Ebay) and the shiny bright one is the one I made. You will notice that the length of the striking portion of the pins is different. When I made mine, I did not have one to use as a template, I made mine so it extended .030" beyond the bolt face. I used A2 drill rod and decided not to heat treat it. I have over 400 rounds on the new pin without any deformation, so it appears that heat treating is not necessary. The length of the smaller diameter of the OEM firing pin is .265". If you can not find a new pin, a machine shop should be able to knock out a new one for you in no time.

Prior to reassembly, ensure that the sear spring and the sear spring plunger are properly oriented under the sear. The plunger goes down, the spring against the sear. The following image is of an incorrectly installed spring/plunger.

To reassemble, just reverse the steps you used to disassemble the rifle. Take care to align the ejector and sear release assemblies as shown in the images above.

If you have more information on the EM-1, please mention it in the comments. If you have better images, email them to me and I will add them to this post.

I hope this information is useful.

A comment to this post prompted me to disassemble my EM-1 and take an exploded view image of the trigger group.

This should help with "Where does this spring go?" questions.

For the Glock Fans

At least it is in .45 ACP

A Rifle is a Rifle is a...

Blatantly filched from Barking Moonbat Early Warning System.

This is a pretty decent video using facts to dispel the "assault weapon" mystique. Jim Zumbo is learning the lessons portrayed in this video the hard way.

The narrator did get a couple of thing wrong, one "fact" that he stated a couple of times early on is way off. I would mention the inaccuracies, but then you would not have anything to comment about, now would you?

Firearm Sales/Permits Up

It appears that folks are making the decision to provide for their own security.

In Hawaii, firearm sales are on the rise.

From KPUA AM 670:

Hawaii firearm permits jump in 2005

HONOLULU (AP) _ Hawaii firearm permit applications jumped 27 percent to hit a record high in 2005. That's the latest year for which data is available.

Gun retailers say more people have been seeking to own guns amid the surge in crystal methamphetamine related crimes.

Too bad that a citizen is not allowed to actually carry a firearm for protection in Hawaii. Perhaps with all these new owners, the laws can be changed.

In Florida, a state where a citizen is afforded their legal right to protect themselves, licenses to carry concealed firearms are also on the increase.

From Local 6

ORLANDO, Fla. -- More Central Floridians are packing heat, according to a Local 6 News report.

Officials told Local 6 News that the increase in concealed-weapons permits is connected to the increase in violent crime over the past 18 months.

Concealed-weapons permits have doubled in Orange County since 2005, according to officials.

One expert who works at a Central Florida gun range said that she's personally seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in people obtaining permits to carry a firearm, a third of which are women.

More women carrying a firearm is a very good thing for women, and a very bad thing for rapist and other assorted goblins and evil doers.

I do have one question for Fits though:

Purchasing a gun in Florida takes about three business days...

Florida has a waiting period? What the heck is up with that?

This increase in firearms sales is a good thing, no matter what the anti's say (I read an article yesterday about how the increase in legal firearm sales in HI would increase the number of goblins with guns because the goblins would end up stealing them). If you are a new gun owner, remember that it is your responsibility to become proficient in the safe handling of that firearm. For some tips on firearm safety, go here. To become proficient with your firearm, go to your local range, talk with the folks who are there, and shoot. Then shoot some more.

Range Day

The day started early, at work by 0600 to make sure everyone was lined out and to get some paperwork done. Left work at 1000 and stopped off at Military Gun Supply on the way home to pick up some Fiocchi 9mm to make up for an empty spot on an ammo shelf. Get home, changed and decide it's a great day to head out to the range (yep, more empty spots on ammo shelves).

The 4H kids were still shooting when I got there, so just hung out and got caught up with all the goings on in the land of 4H shooting. Several of the kids were still there from when my #3 daughter was shooting with them. They had completed their postal match relays and were just shooting for fun.

After they were finished, I pretty much had the range to myself. It has been a long time since I have had the opportunity to just take my time and shoot on my own, not helping anyone or having to watch out for others range safety. Just relax and have a good time. It was also the first time I had a chance to try and see how accurate the Erma Werke EM1 I bought for my grandson is. Let us just say that it is a good little plinker that can hold a minute of soda can out to 50 yards.

Left the range after 1700, just in time to catch the end of the Stars post game show and find out that they won (yeah). All in all a very good Saturday.

I'm going to have either make another visit to MGS or place an order with Ammunition To Go. I just hate empty spaces on my ammo shelves.

Historical Firearms Offered in Online Auction

USPRwire is reporting that the Robert Howard Firearms Collection Available for Online Bidding. This is the largest collection of American firearms ever offered up at auction.

Proxibid, a premier provider of live auction broadcasting services, today announced that the Robert Howard Collection, Part II, of firearms will be available for online bidding at the Proxibid Web site February 5-6, 2007. The live auction will take place in San Francisco at the Greg Martin Auctions Gallery and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at The Frank Jones Center.

Mr. Howard’s family has a deep military history, which was the catalyst for his firearms collection several years ago. During WWII, Mr. Howard served in the US Military in Europe as a Company Commander for more than thirty months; served as Trial Judge Advocate of several General Courts Martial trying felony cases in Summerset, Devon and Cornwall Counties, England; and was awarded five Campaign medals beginning with the Normandy Campaign. An avid firearms collector, Mr. Howard has amassed a collection of American firearms representing the finest condition and selection in private hands. The full 30 years of Mr. Howard’s collecting will be available at the auction.

“This is one of the finest gun collections available at auction today,” said Greg Martin, of Greg Martin Auctions.“ Mr. Howard is a legend among gun collectors. By offering this auction online, gun collectors from around the globe will have the opportunity to participate in and win some of the most sought-after firearms available.”

Highlights of this auction include:
• Lot 459: Fine Colt Texas Paterson or Holster Model Revolver of New England Sea Captain Seth Lewis Loring, with California Gold Rush History;
• Lot 745: Exceptional Early Model Henry Lever Action Repeating Rifle (Circa 1862);
• Lot 1: Rare U.S. Martial Second Contact North & Cheney Single-Shot Flintlock Pistol;
• Lot 3: Rare and Historic U.S. Martial Rappahannock Forge Revolutionary War Flintlock Light Dragoon Pistol, with SCHREIDER Barrel Marking, c. 1776-77 Together with Collection of Excavated Relics Recovered From the Site of the Original Rappahannock Forge;
• Lot 121: Exceptional Sharps Model 1874 Buffalo Rifle Together with Associated Wooden Travel Case and Buffalo Hunter's Accessories.

The online auction catalog includes 21 pages of quality firearms and accessories that date from the 1700's.

Click on images for more information on the firearms illustrated.



Sharps-borchhardt Model 1878 Single Shot Breechloading Long Range Target Rifle



Exceptional Maynard First Model Breechloading Civil War Carbine



Fine W.W. Marston Three-barrel Derringer Pistol

There is something for everyone at this auction, antique ammunition in unopened boxes, Civil War era Bowie Knives, and a plethora of historical firearms in excellent condition.

Look What Followed me Home!

I was tooling around the Gunbroker.com neighborhood the other day, just looking around and checking out the new and interesting items folks had put up for auction. Gunbroker always has something interesting if you look hard enough, and it is a good place to determine firearm values before you go to a gun show or pawn shop.

Well anyway, I opened my email this morning and guess what - A 1964 Ruger Mark 1 decided to follow me home!

The adoption papers have been forwarded and it will be on it's way tomorrow.

Gotta love those 1 cent/no reserve auctions.

Nearly 260,000 have license to carry weapon

From the Houston Chronicle:

By MELANIE MARKLEY

Nearly 260,000 Texans have a license to carry a concealed handgun, according to revised figures released this week by the Department of Public Safety.

At the end of last year, 258,162 people had permits, up about 4 percent from the year before and more than double the number in 1996, when Texas law first allowed people to carry concealed weapons.

And who are these folks?

Senior citizens and middle-agers are among the most likely to take advantage of the concealed handgun law.

Although those 55 and older represent just 28 percent of the state's population over the age of 21, they carry 46 percent of the permits. And one-third of the permit holders are 60 and older.

"I just turned 60, and I'm one of those guys," said Jerry Patterson, the former legislator who authored the concealed weapons law before he became Texas land commissioner...

...Patterson said he believes older Texans are more likely to have the permits because they have more time and resources to get them.

It can also be said that older folks realize that they make good targets and are at an increasing risk of being the victims of violence. They make rational decisions to minimize that risk, and to be prepared in the event that are assaulted. It only makes sense that they obtain a CHL.

According to last year's revised figures, 1.7 percent of Texans 21 and older had a concealed handgun permit.

Only 1.7% of Texans have a CHL. This is a figure we need to work on. The more folks have a CHL, the less likely anti gun laws will come out of Austin. It is just a political fact. People who take the time to get a CHL, take the time to vote. And guess what, CHL holders will not look favorably upon any politician who puts forward anti gun legislation.

As an aside; My wife and I were at a funeral yesterday. There were two guys a couple of rows ahead of us that were very obviously carrying under their suit jackets. One guy even adjusted his pants by grabbing onto the barrel of his firearm and giving it a lift. It surprised me because most of the folks I know that carry are discrete. I got a chuckle out of it and after pointing them out to my wife, turned my attention back to the service. I later learned that these two guys are police officers. There is no real reason behind sharing this little story, other than the fact that I found it interesting.

Disaster Preparedness

Last year Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 500ES, Emergency Survival Kit;

This kit was designed for those who spend a lot of time in bear country and includes a S&W 500 along with some other survival gear. Click the image if you want more details on this kit.

This year Smith & Wesson is introducing a survival package for the rest of us. It is the Disaster Ready Kit - Allied Forces Model (SW40VE 10).

This kit contains the following:

• SW40VE (10+1 Rounds)
• Waterproof Hardigg® Storm Case
• Crank Radio and Flashlight Combo
• Pocket Survival Pack
• Light & Fast Trail First Aid Kit
• Emergency Food for 4 People (for 3 days)
• 12" x 12" Waterproof Document Bag
• Water Purification Tablets
• 44 Mag Multi-Tool and Case
• (4) Space Blankets

The SW40VE is the .40 calibre version of Smith & Wesson's Sigma Series of pistols. This kit is also available with the 14 +1 magazine.

This is a very basic 72 hour survival kit for four, plus firearm. Outdoor Life indicates that retail price for this kit is $790.00. At this price you could build the kit yourself for less out of pocket cost (pistol and case would come to around $500.00). If you were to purchase this kit for convenience, or just because, I would add cutouts for a couple boxes of ammunition. This would be a decent throw it in the trunk and forget about it kit. So long as you get plenty of range time with the included pistol, this kit (or a similar one you make yourself) could very well save your life.

Assault Weapons, What Are They?

Yesterday, David over at The War on Guns pointed out an anti gun editorial/opinion piece that needed fisking. The editorial is titled "America's Gun Culture", written by "reporter" John Merchant. It is a very weak anti-gun piece that basically follows the "assault weapons are bad, I know because I used to shoot rabbits" party line of the gun grabbers. It is full of misinformation and inaccuracies. I commented upon it, but did not spend much time as it really was a very weak argument.

I checked back on the article this afternoon to see what folks have added to the comments, and to see if maybe the author had replied to any (he had not). There are some good comments posted, but one really sticks out. The comments author explains assault weapons in such a way that should make sense to just about anyone.

My definition of a assault weapon is short and sweet, but does not do a lot for folks that do not understand very much about firearms:

"A military rifle, capable of controlled, fully-automatic fire from the shoulder, with an effective range of at least 300 metres".

The commenter's explanation does much better:

The truth about assault weapons...

Rick Schwartz

Assault weapons were first developed by the Germans in WWII, and further refined by the Russians post-war as defined by the AK-47. America’s version, the M-4, wasn’t too bad either.

They tried to meet the needs of the soldiers who were actually fighting so the weapons tended to be:

--lightweight
--of a smaller caliber
--easy to maintain
--rugged
--Shot from the hip if necessary
--fairly accurate out to a reasonable distance.
--Could be fired in three different modes, single, 3-shot, and full automatic.

Any extra metal or wood was left off the gun, and if the part wasn’t needed it wasn’t on the gun. This meant that often the stock was just a bare outline of metal. Now, being lightweight created it’s own set of problems.

The foremost problem is that the barrel was a skinny, short little thing, which meant that it got pretty hot quickly. This is not good. Even a little .22 heats up just at the firing range, and a soldier didn’t want to be worrying about a hot barrel. That can cause many bad things to happen including ammo accidentally firing at random. To minimize that a “shroud” was used over the barrel, with ventilating holes to carry away the heat. It didn’t add anything to the gun except to keep the barrel cooler when firing multiple rounds in a short time.

Often a flash-suppressor was added, not to keep the enemy from knowing where the fire is coming from, but to keep the soldier’s nighttime eyesight protected. The enemy would have plenty of notice about where the fire is coming from since the bullets would be coming directly towards him.

Soldiers don’t like humping heavy things; they have enough to carry anyway so the smaller the rounds (bullets) the more the soldier could pack. One can never have too much ammo, but it doesn’t do any good if you’ve left it all back at the barracks.

This meant the majority of the assault riffles were chambered for the .223 round. That means the width of the bullet is only .223 of a full inch. The significance of this?

Well, the most popular round in the world, and the one that is used to take more rabbits and squirrels than any other (because that’s about all it’s powerful enough for) is the .22.

The bullet is a little thing. Itty bitty. Imagine something less than a quarter inch in diameter. And the dreaded assault riffle bullet is three one hundredths of an inch bigger in diameter. The actual bullet really isn’t that much larger than a fat grain of rice.

So how does such a small bullet help the soldier? Because the .223 is put into a larger cartridge with more powder it comes out of the barrel much faster than a normal .22. That creates more energy when it hits someone, but the size of the bullet has always kept it from being considered a sure mankiller. In Vietnam a Marine coined the term “poodle killer” for the .223 and that name has stuck even to today. That was okay with the soldiers because in reality a wounded soldier on the other side was better than a dead soldier. A dead soldier was forgotten about but a wounded one needed on average four other soldiers to take care of him.

Because of the way the gun was normally carried on patrol it was good to have a way to immediately bring it into play… thus the stock and grip were designed to fire, if necessary, from the hip. Couldn’t hit a darn thing with it that way but when bullets are coming towards you, you don’t always stick your head up to check their accuracy. So it worked in a fashion. Kept the enemies heads down until a soldier could get into a better position behind cover.

The rifle didn’t have to be super accurate and it wasn’t. Especially at a distance. Combat is just not that spaced out. If you can barely see the guy it’s a job for artillery, not rifles.

The main distinguishing feature, though, was it’s ability to “select” fire. The shooter could choose between, with one pull of the trigger, to shoot one shot, three shots, or full automatic which meant the gun would fire all the rounds attached to it. Some magazines held five rounds, some ten, twenty, thirty, and even a hundred.

The truth is though, very few of the assault rifles are ever fired full auto by trained troops. The reason is because they just can’t hit anything. Inside a barn they would have trouble hitting the sides of the barn. The gun wants to rise, and unless one is a super-sized Rambo the gun WILL rise into the air while it’s firing.

Virtually every company commander in Vietnam had a standing rule: an automatic $50.00 fine for any troop who shot his gun at full auto without an express order from the commander. This was the days when $50 was a months pay for these guys.

There were some extremely limited times when full auto was helpful, and then one was glad they had it.

Our guys in Iraq are under similar orders about firing full auto. It’s just not a productive way to fight a war.

Why is the full auto bit stressed. Because these guns are NOT what is being sold today, and what every one screams about when they say “assault weapons.”

The guns sold to the civilian market that “look like” the military weapons all fire ONE SHOT at a time, just like virtually every other gun on the market. It’s nothing special, and it’s the way civilian rifles have been made for almost 140 years.

Getting a full-fledged automatic assault weapon as a civilian is nearly impossible, and unless one has jumped through many, many hoops it is also highly illegal.

Full auto weapons have been illegal for citizens to own since 1934 except under exceptional circumstances. That’s 1934. Period. In order to own one, the gun has to match a severely defined description, and a citizen has to fill out and get a number of federal permits, pay an exorbitant amount of money as a “tax” and have the gun registered with the federal government. There are only a few thousand permits across the entire United States. “Machine guns” and “automatic weapons” are simply not bought down at Walmart.

Complaining about legally-sold fully automatic weapons is akin to complaining about how circuses mistreat unicorns.

What the anti-gunners mean when they say "assault weapons" are guns that are made to “look like” the real ones. And that’s it. There are a number of variations in manufacturers, and model names, but not a single one of them would be found on a battlefield. The real soldiers would laugh at them.

One can take a little .22 rifle which looks like a harmless little plinking rifle that wouldn’t do any great damage to a armadillo and for a couple of hundred dollars buy all kinds of replacement parts and add-ons such as the barrel-shroud that would make it indistinguishable (from the outside) to an “assault rifle.” Yet, internally it would be the same little ol’ .22.

What many in the anti-gun movement are trying to do is to get one to believe that if you put racing stripes and decals on your dad’s Oldsmobile you can take it out to the NASCAR track and compete equally.

Yes, many of the look-alikes fire the same round as the military ones do, but this is considered an underpowered round by the civilian world. It’s certainly less powerful than what Uncle Bob’s deer hunting rifle fires. And, by the way, it does make a perfectly fine hunting gun if used on the right game. People love hunting varmints such as coyotes, and it’s even popular for some small types of deer in parts of the country where the forest is thick and sight is only fifty yards or so. Those who talk about “machine guns” blasting away at deer are just doing it to demagogue the discussion.

They are lightweight, rugged, and easy to maintain because many people, including tens of thousands of ranchers, farmers, and backpackers need this type of rifle while out in the fields. Many police departments in both big and little cities across the nation are converting to these guns for the same reasons.

These rifles can use magazines that hold up to 30 rounds, but if one can shoot three 10 round mags in 30 seconds or one 30 round mag in 24 seconds it is not really any more dangerous. When the King riots were happening in L.A. there were many Koreans on their rooftops with their AR-15s and multiple round mags. They kept their neighborhood from burning down. That’s a pretty impressive reason for wanting any weapon.

A farmer friend of mine in northwest Arkansas carries one on the back of his tractor out in the fields. His bane is armadillos, which tear up his crops faster than anything else. When he sees one he shoots it. He needs something that can stand up to the abuse of being shaken for hours on the tractor, is lightweight and short enough not to get in his way, and is powerful enough to pierce the ‘dillo hide. His AR-15, the semi-auto civilian model of the M-4, is perfect for his use.

The civilian models have been made more accurate than the military models because the majority of the guns sold are simply used as target rifles. It’s a huge sport and tens of thousands compete across the country to see who can maintain the most accurate rifle. Go to most outdoor ranges and you’ll see all kinds of guys with their AR-15s and others at the line. These guys are just average, everyday guys (and some women) who like to put little holes in paper with things that go bang.

Many of these folk are former military who just hold fond memories of those days. Others just want to look cool, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. A lot of them consider the military as "heroes" and just want to emulate them.

Again, these guns may “look” like a military weapon but they are the farthest thing from one… they just fire one bullet at a time the way every other civilian rifle is sold. There is fundamentally no difference between them and Uncle Bob’s hunting rifle except in looks, and a smaller type bullet.

Now that you know the truth of the matter you can spot when someone is ignorant about assault weapons and yet are still willing to give their opinion about something they know nothing about.

So there you have it, one great explanation of the differences between assault weapons and those we are allowed to own (in most states and cities). This is going to be a great help to me when discussing assault weapons bans with folks who are not very knowledgeable about firearms.

Shot Show 2007

Great photographic coverage here.

Basic AR-15 Operation

Cute little video; good for showing a brand new shooter how the AR works.

Thanks to catfish over at Texican Tattler.

Cavalry Arms is a manufacturer of AR15 style firearms and accessories.