7 Nov 01

We've had the opportunity to thoroughly test H&K's new "LEM" trigger modification of the USP. I am now convinced this is definitely the way to go if one has one of these pistols for defensive purposes.

Our 9mm Compact USP was converted by H&K. It took one day. We had it back from the factory within four days.

By incorporating the decocking function into the trigger itself, this system insures that a shooter will never holster the gun while it is still cocked. Decocking is now passive and no longer a deliberate act on the part of the shooter. We must only teach correct trigger management, and the decocking function will take care of itself. It is, in essence, a Glock trigger on an exposed-hammer pistol.

If SIG, S&W, Beretta, and Kahr are smart, they will copy this trigger system immediately!

/John

7 Nov 01

This year's pig hunt in Southern Ohio was wonderful indeed. I shot a fine Barbarossa sheep and a Russian Boar, both the same day. I used a borrowed M1 Garand, stock with iron sights.

I was reminded again how wonderful a rifle the Garand is! The sheep was taken at one-hundred meters. The first shot struck the shoulder, and, after catching the link, the second followed a second later. The animal died on the spot.

I shot the pig at forty meters. He ran fifty meters before falling. He was slowly walking when hit. One shot did it.

Both animals were hit with Winchester 30-06,150gr soft tip. All three bullets exited and were not recovered.

A scope would have been helpful in making out detail, but iron sights work just fine, and one should never doubt their effectiveness and suitability to rapid and decisive target engagement. And, they don't break, fog, frost, require batteries, come loose, or fall off.

A great hunt indeed! I am privileged to have such great friends who allow me to hunt with them. My grandchildren will eat this winter!

/John

7 Nov 01

Several things are obvious to me now that the details of September's events have become available:

1. Most of the terrorists aboard the hijacked airplanes were not told and did not suspect that theirs was a suicide mission. Evidence suggests that most members of the terrorist teams were told the planes would land somewhere and that the passengers would be held for ransom. I suspect only the pilots knew the real plan.

2. There were as many as ten airliners originally targeted. They actually got only four into the air. Of the four, three hit their primary or secondary targets.

3. The unique shape of the pentagon building confused the terrorist pilot. The building looks the same no matter from which direction it is approached. The confusing nature of the building's design is intentional, and it well may have prevented the terrorist pilot from striking the building where he wanted to.

4. No one thought the WTC buildings would collapse! Not the terrorists, the fire department, nor city officials. The best the terrorists could hope for was that the buildings would be so badly damaged that they would have to be condemned and eventually imploded. No one calculated that the heat would be so intense that it would eventually soften the building's steel skeleton, leading to the spontaneous collapse that we all witnessed.

5. The personal initiative and heroism of the passengers aboard the airliner that crashed in Pennsylvania saved many lives. The lesson here for all of us is that we all need to worry less about what we're "supposed to do" and more about what we need to do.

6. The "speed bump" solutions being implemented by government at all levels are as predictable as they are ineffective. The "speed bump" approach dictates that the guilty are never pursued nor punished. Instead, punishment is meted out, in the form of harassment, to everyone who didn't commit a crime! Again, all of us non-sheep need to find creative ways to continue pursuing our personal goals while maneuvering around the speed bumps.

/John