More on Brazil

14 Aug 07

More on Brazil, from another friend:

"Having been in Brazil many times, I assure you the kidnapping situation you described is absolutely true. All people we met there had a similar story from someone in their family. Stop at a light, and, before you know it, there is a gun at your head and you're heading to an ATM, and likely enjoying the last few minutes of your life.

Worse yet, this anarchy is not confined to Brazil. Friends in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico are experiencing the same thing. Columbians have elevated it to an art form! When they kidnap someone, they have computers on-hand to do transactions from credit cards immediately. They make ransom demands of all of the person's family and friends and clean them out. It happens so fast, the trail is cold by the time authorities become involved."

Comment: As the USA continues down the slippery slope toward third-world status, owing to our federal government's conscious decision not to enforce immigration laws, this kind of violent crime will become as common here asit is down south. The kidnapping/hostage/murder of the physician's family in CTis a sign of things to come. VCAs, including hoards of illegal aliens, who have no reason to fear local authorities, will soon realize how easy and lucrative this crime is, and how unlikely it is they'll ever get caught.

Once again, we're all going to have to decide for ourselves if we want to be live Operators, or dead amateurs, and prepare accordingly. You're on your own!

/John

Ammunition for Compact Pistols:

15 Aug 07

A student comments on ammunition for light, compact pistols:

"I carry a G36 (single column, 45ACP). I shot it at our last Class, and I used different brands of ammunition as the Course progressed.

Full-power, Federal 230 gr hardball worked fine. Less powerful CCI Blazer did not work nearly as well, as a consistently tight grip was required to prevent failures to extract. Cor-Bon DPX 165gr (the "Compact-Gun" load) and Cor-Bon PowerBall cycled the slide with great authority, enough so that I could relax my grip and still depend on the pistol cycling normally.

I could materially feel the effect of having to hold the gun very tight in order to persuade wimpy loads to cycle through the pistol. It is actually more tiring having to consistently put a white-knuckle grip on the gun than feeling sharp recoil. However, the sharper the recoil, the more tendinitis develops in my strong-side elbow.

In the end, it is my recommendation carrying and practicing with full-power loads, particularly with a compact pistol. With heavy use, you'll need a band-aid or two for abrasions on your hand, but its better than inveterate grip fatigue from shooting low-power ammunition, along with the chronic anxiety that inexorably attaches to an unreliable gun!"

Comment: When tendinitis rears its ugly head more than occasionally, you may be compelled to abandon your compact pistols in 45ACP, 45GAP, and 40S&W in favor of one in 9mm. At the end of the day, you'll need something you can live with: something that you can (1) fit into your life, (2) that works reliably, but (3) doesn't beat you to death!

/John