23 Feb 03

I'm back in Colorado from my 2003 Africa trip, safe and sound! Details to follow. We did several classes. One of our students was the head of South Africa's "FBI" (called "Skoprions"). May be back to train the rest of them.

I shot four fine animals, including an eland and a black wildebeest. Should have been five, but for a muffed shot.

I'll be catching up on e-mail today.

/John

23 Feb 03

From an LEO friend in WI:

"We recently acquired some Mexican Aguila "IQ" 9mm rounds. They are a 65 gr HP. We heard that they would penetrate soft body armor, so we tested them. We shot them into fifteen-year-old, retired Second Chance vests. We used a Taurus pistol with a five-inch barrel. Range was three meters.

No penetration. Not even close. Only the first two layers were penetrated, and deformation was minimal. This old vest also stopped a dozen other brands of 9mm rounds we shot at it, including all American manufacturers."

Lesson: Don't get excited about any of the "magic bullet" rumors that periodically circulate. No one has repealed any laws of physics recently.

/John