17July06

Comments from a frustrated friend who owns an indoor gun range:

"... invariably the ones with chronic gun problems are Frankengun ow ners, who have stuffed their guns chock-full of after-market parts and endless accessories. I want to reach across the counter and grab them by their scr awny necks, while screaming:

WHEN YOU HAVE RELIABLE IGNITION AND FUNCTIONING, DON'T "FIX=80 IT. LEAVE IT ALONE!"

Comment: Again, we only deal with serious guns for serious purposes. Thus, " recreational" guns, like "recreational=80=9D food, don't interest me, nor do I have patience with those who keep getting the two mixed in with each other!

/John

17July06

At recent Urban Rifle courses, we've encountered several AR-15s equipped with the after-market "Accu-Wedge," a wad of rubber that is jammed between the lower and upper receivers. It is supposed to improve accuracy. What it do es mostly is preclude the gun from functioning normally!

The extremely limited effective range of the 223 cartridge does not justify

any "accuracy enhancements," any more than such things would be advisable on an M1 Carbine. Making believe your rifle is something it is not is, at onc e, injudicious and delusional!

/John

17July06

On fighting, from a security specialist in TX:

"As I was making rounds last night, I noticing a disheveled customer on the main floor. He was yelling incoherently at our DJ. It was obvious this person was both intoxicated, and geared up for a fight.

I confronted him with my usual, 'House security, sir. Is there a p roblem here?' He straightaway responded with a fusillade of vile curses a s he, apparently losing interest in the DJ, began moving aggressively toward me. His fists were clenched.

When close enough, I precipitously struck him in the chest with a double palm-heel. The blow took him by surprise. It knocked the wind out of him and sent him stumbling backward. Seizing the initiative, I closed the distance , swept him to the floor, and, after tense moments of serious wrestling, mana ged to get him cuffed. When I caught my breath, I summoned my uniformed guards . During the entire affair, which lasted only a few seconds, among all the other patrons, no one offered to assist or even call for help. That is wha t we've come to expect here!

When things go south, as was the case here, usually within seconds, one mus t be able to quickly size up the situation, make a plan, and then act at the critical moment. Minds chronically filled with 'clog and clutter ' are seldom able to transition to action soon enough. Sometimes, that clutter is actually generated by too many choices!

Even when fairly clanking with weapons, from guns to impact tools, one stil l needs be well versed in plain-vanilla fighting, seamlessly escalating and de-escalating as circumstances dictate. The 'ultimate advantage' is not th is weapon or that, this caliber or that. It is clear thinking and the ability to move from thought to action directly and smoothly. The notion that, to be successful, one must be equipped with this or that weapon is self-deception

and constitutes little more than an excuse to lose. I've seen many such losers, all with too much faith in their equipment and too little in themse lves!

(1) Mind and Spirit, (2) Technical Superiority, (3) Icy Determination, and (4) Superiority of Purpose, all combine to bring forth personal victory. T he rest is just commentary!"

/John