Open Carry

-- Post From The Road

Setting up for SG Opening...

...my ultra reliable Honda tanked, so I'm on a borrowed Beemer...



-- Post From The Road

This Week's Moron Alert...

Read the whole stupid thing, then think twice about sending your kids into these cesspools...then go post a Firefly poster on your office door!

Public Statement by Dave Sevigny

I haven't touched this mess, but because this mess has touched a good friend of mine I need to put this up. Dave Sevigny has always been a stand-up guy, a straight shooter and a friend. This public statement was published today on his Facebook Page, and if Dave says it, it is true:

Now that my 2011 season is over I wish to address what at least one person has referred to as "the elephant in the room". http://sassbrassnbullets.com/2011/09/08/elephant-in-the-room/

Please rest assured, I am as shocked as anyone regarding the accusations involving Billy Abbate and a fifteen year old minor.  It has been incredibly hurtful to hear some people are speculating that I may have also been involved. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Let me be clear: I am not a suspect, nor will I ever be.  I also was not a witness to any inappropriate behavior between the two, nor did I have any reason to suspect much less know that Abbate was engaging in a secret and illegal affair with the minor girl.

I have heard criticisms that I somehow should have known about the secret relationship between the minor and Mr. Abbate.  I don’t see how, especially when I was not told the truth about their “friendship”.  In fact, the family of the minor and Mr. Abbate had a closer relationship than I ever did with either party.  I have also heard rumors that I engaged in lewd or distasteful acts with the minor.  Rest assured, these disgusting rumors are patently false.  I don't know if a specific individual is purposely spreading lies or if people are just widely speculating that I must somehow be involved because of my recent departure from my old sponsor.  Regardless, I want to set the record straight and hope this puts an end to these sickening rumors.

Throughout my eleven year association with my former sponsor (eight years of which I served as an employee), I was completely loyal to the company.   I acted as a mentor to numerous shooting team members and built a winning record of 150+ major championship wins using products from this company.  I am proud of what I have accomplished.  Some have said that I am taking the rest of the year off.  While I am done competing this season by choice, I will rise above this unfortunate incident and will work hard on building a brand that will endure, just like I did before.

Respectfully,
Dave Sevigny

Para Out of the Rifle Business

Got this today from Para USA:

PARA USA Exits Rifle Market
Pineville, NC – PARA USA announced today that it was exiting the rifle market to concentrate on its core competency in handguns. CEO Thanos Polyzos said, “PARA has some exciting new projects in development that will continue the innovation that we started with the high capacity P14-45 pistol. We want to bring these exciting new major caliber handguns to the firearms market and we need to focus our attention on them.”

The Tactical Target Rifle is the best battle rifle in the world. It has the remarkable Delayed Impingement Gas System (DIGS) that makes it the softest shooting, most reliable rifle of its type. While PARA USA will cease production of the Tactical Target Rifle, it will continue its tradition of providing unparalleled service in the firearms industry.

PARA USA will continue to service all of the Tactical Target Rifles it has sold. However, the production and marketing of new rifles using the DIGS operating system will be resumed by Al Zitta, the original developer of the rifle. For information on new rifles contact: ZM Performance Systems, Inc., 1958 Wes White HL Rd., Richmond, VT 05477 or www.zmweapons.com.

The TTR is, indeed, a fine rifle (it won the SHOOTING ILLUSTRATED Golden Bullseye Award as best rifle of the year, after all). In my experience it does shoot lighter than your average vanilla AR, and my T&E gun was crazy accurate. It was, however, an expensive rifle, expensive at a time when expensive rifles are not selling.

I've said this before on the podcast...the problem with non-standard AR platform guns is that they are, in fact non-standard. And generally around twice the price of a regular direct impingement gas gun. The fear for the purchaser of one of the non-standard guns is that the gun becomes orphaned when anticipated military/LEO contracts fail to materialize and the gun ceases production. Basic ARs are like 1911s...there are enough parts out there that the guns will quite literally go on forever. When we look at the non-standard guns, whether piston or other novel system, the question is who has the resources to go the distance?

Interestingly enough, I think the industry focus on 3-gun hadn't helped the non-standard systems...if you look at the hi-zoot 3-gun rifles, whether custom from JP or the out-of-the-box guns like the Stag, you see gas guns (the exception being FNH, a huge supporter of 3-gun and their SCAR Light rifle). 3-gun has reiterated that traditional gas guns work great under adverse conditions, something already proven on battlefields around the world.

Crazy Busy!

You guys probably figured out that the shortage of blog posts is a direct result of a crazy schedule. We're doing scenarios for THE BEST DEFENSE over the next few days, and they're complicated and time-consuming. May get some pictures for you today.

Was definitely interested in Sig's release of a direct impingement AR, the M400, to augment their already pretty extensive line of piston guns. I think this is probably a reflection of a market that is, at least for now, resistant to paying the price for piston guns. I also think that it shows although the old AR "bubble" is thoroughly popped, the "modern sport rifle" continues to sell at a good pace...what I hear from numerous manufacturers is that the market is continuing to buy ARs at a solid pace.

Interesting changes in the industry as well...this morning's SHOOTING WIRE reports that Michael Golden is out as President of S&W, replaced by James Debney, former president of the company's firearms division. S&W has been going through some changes recently...we've mentioned that the much-vaunted S&W shooting team faced some drastic cuts.

Going farther south, industry veteran Mark Kresser is now firmly in control of Taurus International down in Florida...I expect some changes there!

Whoops...gotta go kidnap somebody!

High Color...

...near the Secret Hidden Bunker!



-- Post From The Road

Smoked Mullet

Trust me...this is the best smoked fish in the world!


-- Post From The Road

Very Good Match!

Looking at the IDPA Worlds with a whole day of perspective...I think it's a very good match, an interesting and challenging blend of electric and straightforward stages. I think if I was a regular IDPA shooter, I would be very excited for a chance to shoot at this level. Congrats to all involved!

It's also interesting to see the way IDPA has evolved in 15 years, and in some ways not as I would have expected. There is still a strong emphasis on the tactical aspects of the match — use of cover, drawing from concealment, specific reloading sequences — but with a lot less of, for lack of better words, the "religious fervor" that was present in the early years. I think everybody understands that IDPA is a sport...heck, this match proves that point pretty conclusively! I think that's a good thing.

I was slow and especially had issues with the bobbers, movers, running targets, which I expected. No matter what one might say, it is darn near impossible to practice moving targets without moving target, an issue that I think has implications for everyone who carries concealed. All in all, though, I'm pretty happy with my shooting throughout the match.

My Ruger SR9s ran perfectly...no issues whatsoever. No malfunctions with the Wilson Combat match 125-grainers, which are more accurate than I am. As usual, I was perfectly happy with the Blade-Tech holster and mag pouch and my plain old Wilderness Tactical Instructors Belt...can't imagine why I'd use anything else.

I got a nice compliment from my old and good friend Joyce Wilson, who is sort of the "Yoda" of IDPA while Bill Wilson is off decimating the hog population of Texas. She said she watched me shoot a few stages and I looked like the IDPA rulebook. Good! That's what I hoped I looked like.

Next week we're filming THE BEST DEFENSE scenarios in Colorado, and working on a new opening for the hour-long SHOOTING GALLERY!

27 Stages...

...300 some-odd rounds...I survived the very first, and very excellent, IDPA World Championships! I think I'm in solid contention for last place...LOL! But boy, was it fun! And I now totally remember why I moved out of Florida...hot hot hot! And wet...very very wet. More later...

Coyote Calhoun

I note the very unexpected passing of Lamar Shelnutt, "Coyote Calhoun," the Marketing Director of the Single Action Shooting Society and my good friend.

My heart is broken...and the world is a less joyful place.

Go with God, my friend.

Ready to Rock!

Okay, 9 stages tomorrow.. I was going to dry-fire tonight, but I thought what the heck, it's either there or it isn't. Little late to fix any problems. I will be using "illegal" hard kneepads, which I figure doesn't make any different since my scores aren't published and I'm not eligible for anything...I'll let match director Curt know tomorrow. Besides, my Sweetie threatened to absolutely kill me if I went slamming down on my knee! She's smarter than me, have I mentioned that?

Did have some fine oysters in Tampa tonight, so I'm "prepped..."

Expect boring pictures tomorrow, and THANK YOU for all your great advice!

Okey-Dokey Ready to Rock!

More or less...cleaned the Ruger SR9s, blacked out the rear white dots on the sights and used red nail polish on the front sight. Fished out all my SR9 mags, cleaned them, lubed them with magic magazine lube. Made sure I had the right Blade-Tech holster, Wilderness Tactical belt and some magazine pouches. Have enough Ace bandages to repair the Golden Gate Bridge after the Big One. I'm ready to rock! Or limp, as the case may be. Expect pathetic pictures. Squeeze...don't think!

Maybe I can score some boiled shrimp in Florida, although Frostproof is one of Dante's Rings of Hell, I think between the rings for malicious sins and Detroit. Or smoked mullet, truly a blue collar Florida delicacy! And something with rum and one of those little paper umbrellas.

Camped Out...

...in my living room with my left knee elevated and iced. Wowie-zowie, that bone-on-bone thing really really hurts! Also, probably not a great idea that Mr. Stupid decided to shoot a cowboy match yesterday. I figured I'd hobble through the stages and have fun, which I did right up until the last stage, when I got cute and tried to hobble a little faster. Got through the rifle, the pistols and then placed my left leg just sooooooooooooo...

Luckily, I held onto the shotgun, although when the white flash of sheer pain passed, I managed to shoot the wrong targets, then reloaded and shot the right targets. Hilarity prevailed. My bad. Nothing hurt but my pride. My Sweetie, BTW, blazed through the match, grabbing Top Woman honors!!!

I got my first shot of this year's sequence of chemical sludge into my knee last week; it usually takes a few weeks after the 3rd shot for it to take effect. I'm hoping the sludge continues to work, as I am 'way too busy to get my knee replaced. But it is what it is...if I gotta, I gotta. And a lot of you commenters have urged me to just get on with it. Ditto for my good friend gunsmith Dick Heinie, who told me a couple of weeks ago that he was sorry he'd waited.

Meanwhile, I'm on the Dr. Gregory House diet, along with an intimate relationship with ice packs. How, one might ask, do I plan to shoot the IDPA Worlds, all things considered. How about...verrrrrrrrrrrry slowly! LOL! Maybe they'll add a Combat Walker class.

I want to get this sorted out because I am planning on during next year's Survival Trial...it has been a longtime since I tightened down and forced myself to do something really hard, and it'll be fun. Well, fun is a relative term.

I did get to the range on Friday to zero the SR9s with Wilson 125-gr Match Ammo (which is awesome, BTW). I also put a bunch of rounds through 3 1911s — the Sig I picked up last week and 2 Commander-length Paras. Man, all three rocked! I'm going to talk about them in this week's podcast, and we did do some still photography and Marshal and I will be doing full video reports on all three guns. Essentially, the 100th Anniversary of the 1911 has yielded some spectacular guns.

Speaking of Trick Sigs...

This hi-zoot Sig 1911 is up at GunBrokers right now, with the proceeds going to a wonderful cause, Soldiers Angels. A very, very nice gun, for the right cause...

Home Again Home Again...

...etc. On the way home I picked up a really sweet (initial impressions) Sig 1911! Been a while since I handled one, and this one is flat-out beautiful. Will have it out at the range tomorrow and Saturday, along with that slick Para 1911 from their Custom Shop. It's never a bad thing when it rains 1911s!

Truth To Power...LOL!

Am in D.C. for the Congressional Sportsmens' Foundation annual banquet, where I will be striving manfully to not cause some sort of political apocalypse with my big mouth. I will endeavor to persevere.

Am picking up one of the new Sig Traditional 1911s tomorrow, which I should be able to shoot this weekend. Man, I could use a little more time on the range, but which of us couldn't? I'll be making sure my IDPA guns, Ruger SR9s, are zeroed with the Wilson Combat match ammunition I'll be using at the IDPA Worlds, then maybe sneak in one more cowboy match.

I want to do a lot more on concealed carry...if you heard today's podcast you can see the direction I'm headed in. I think we do need to seriously look at what we're doing on the square range and see how closely that aligns to what we need to do from a CCW perspective.

I should be getting holsters for small frame revolvers any day now, so I can spend some time with what is unequivocally the most popular carry gun in America. As I mentioned, it's been a while since I routinely carried a little revolver, so I thought it made sense to tune up bit. I'm still coming down on the side of .38 +P over .357 inn the little blasters from a controllability standpoint. I am a subscriber to the "more holes" theory, as opposed to the "one shot stop" theory.

Anyhow, I gotta go put on a suit...if you've watched my programs, you know how rare a thing that is! Not only that, but it's Washington D.C., so I am unarmed...creepy creepy creepy. At the risk of sounding snippy, I'll bet I'm the only person in the room tonight who feels more or less lost without a concealed weapon...maybe not...I'll ask around!

And You Think You're Having a Tough Week!

Eel removed from man's bladder after entering penis during beauty spa
An erratic eel wriggled its way up a man's penis and into his bladder following an accident during an unorthodox beauty spa in China.

There's a headline that'll ice your blood! BTW, the Telegraph has a wrap-up of penis news on that page. Think about that....reporter's resume: Penis Correspondent. I wish I'd stayed in Mainstream Media! Truly, the sky is the limit...

Dawn

Sleepy, grumpy & dopey...



-- Post From The Road

Getting late...

-- Post From The Road

Moon Up!

Brutally tough shooting stages!



-- Post From The Road

You thought 3 gun was...

....equipment intensive!



-- Post From The Road

Race Ready

-- Post From The Road

At the very first...

...shooting adventure race...24 hours...35 miles...numerous shooting challenges...goes off at 4pm Whittington Center...

Filming for SG...this is gonna be WAY COOL!



-- Post From The Road

Next Event, Please!

Flew a few hours, drove a few more, O-Dark-30 call tomorrow AM. Expect to be up all night tomorrow, too. Damn, I'm tired. Spent a little while in the hotel room dry-firing with the SIRT gun, but honestly couldn't concentrate on the little orange dots on the wall. Read on one of those "operator" forums that I was a moron asshole, or an asshole moron, or maybe an ass-more hole-on...hard to keep it all straight! LOL!

I think we're breaking some new ground with THE BEST DEFENSE on Season 4, especially on concealed carry techniques. I'm probably going to cover some of it on upcoming podcasts. The Janich-Seeklander interchanges are fascinating. Marshal Halloway was there filming "behind the scenes" stuff for one day, and he caught a lot of those interchanges that you'll be able to see on DRTV.

Hopeful that I'll have a Beretta Nano pretty soon. Looks interesting, like a little baby Glock. Been carrying that LC9 on the road; will be changing to a small frame revolver for a while, just to remember how the little suckers work.

I think the genetically engineered sludge that gets shot into my knees every year of so has worn off on the left side...feels like someone is driving a self-tapping sheet metal screw into my kneecap. Ouchies! Getting old isn't for sissies...

On the Range Today

We filmed late into the evening last night, and I'm very pleased with how things went. You might not think about it, but to me the most important aspect of putting self-defense techniques is that all three of us -- me, Seeklander, Janich, Producer Tim Cremin, Director of Photography Brandon Green -- are good with the techniques we show. That is, we're presenting techniques that our viewers, if they use them at all, will use them on the worst day of their lives. Those techniques need to be 100%.

That leads to a process where everything is questioned by everybody...what if the user is short, tall, old, young,, good shape, bad shape, experienced shooter, new shooter, etc.? It's a good process, but occasionally grueling. All of us come from different training backgrounds in both shooting and the martial arts, and those backgrounds are reflected in the final product.

We also have the "assclown" rule, to wit, neither you nor any of us are going to be attacked by ninjas anytime soon, so we avoid ninja-esque techniques. And if you're being stalked by a paid professional assassin, your needs are probably beyond THE BEST DEFENSE!

We've got one more big scenario to film today along with the rangework.

My FFL guy tells me I've got one of the Stag 3-gun ARs waiting for me, and a new Sig 1911. Cool!

Nite Stuff

-- Post From The Road

Flying the Jib

-- Post From The Road

Janich bites the dust...again...

-- Post From The Road

Seeklander Passes Initiation

-- Post From The Road

TBD Cast Initiation

To get his "colors," Seeklander has to perform a variety of tasks...



-- Post From The Road

All Pro All the Time

-- Post From The Road

Pummeling Seeklander

-- Post From The Road

THE BEST DEFENSE Filmings

We're working on the scenarios for TBD this week, both with our regular crew and with Marshal Halloway filming "behind the scenes" stuff.

My podcast on the 10th anniversary of 9-11 is up over on DRTV. Was a hard episode to do. especially light of the world we're living in today. Listen to it and let me know what you think.

I note that after the horrific weekend in New York City -- something like 48 people shot, 2 killed -- the bleating goat Michael Bloomberg called for more federal regulation on firearms, claiming that was the reason there were so many shooting in a city where guns are, in effect, banned. Gee, I would have a different solution -- Arm the City! And capture the feral mayor, load him into a large, comfortably appointed box and overnight him to Nowhereistan, or someplace close to it.

BTW, Mike Seeklander and I were shooting the little Ruger SR9 yesterday...the more I shoot the little gun, the more I like it!

Happy Labor Day!

I will say the airport looks less than festive, but what do you do?

Was pleased with my shooting but disappointed in my finish at the Colorado Ruger Rimfire Championships last weekend, if that makes sense. Was a fun, well run match, although it was a Rimfire Steel Challenge match. Also had a wonderful dinner with Rimfire ace Tim Norris, Derek Zavada from the California Wheel-Burners, and SG Producer John Carter (who beat me by t....h....I....s....s....s much!) and family. I liked the Franken-10/22 a lot...cut a bit more out of that Boyd stock and reshape the comb,, maybe a Hi-Viz fiber optic front sight and it's 100%! Something to do this winter, which, BTW, is coming. Was 34 degrees night before last. Sadly my Sweetie got sting on the leg by a yellow jacket, no doubt pissed that his life has boiled down to a couple of more weeks. First freeze, he's toast.

Wish the pistol was a little heavier, but I don't think it effects my shooting. What few range sessions I can carve out over the next few weeks will be IDPA oriented, with the SIRT trainer to (hopefully) fill in the slack.

Sons of Anarchy tomorrow! Although they'll have a tough time topping last season. I'm waiting for word on the green light for a new series...if it comes through, you'll see it announced here!

Slacker!

That's me! I totally admit to slacking on the blog this summer. I know "work" sounds like the lame excuse it is, but it's the best I can offer. I also made a commitment to turning myself into a better competitor instad of a "parachute shooter" — one who just drops in occasionally and pulls the trigger — and that has worked out pretty well. I'm pleased with my cowboy season; less than pleased with my finish in the Ruger Rimfire Worlds, but it wasn't totally awful. I'm actually excited about the IDPA Worlds, which we'll be filming for SG, but I have maybe 1 range day between then and now. As per Tom Yost's strict instructions, I am religiously dry-firing each day.

I'm less pleased with the get back in shape initiative, but it is working...slowly slowly, damn it! The road and 12 hour days are nightmares to such commitments. Still, I tend to be stubborn.

BTW, here's a picture of rifle I'm shooting at the Colorado State RRS Championships:

It's basically a $179 10/22 big box store version with the Volquartsen trigger group from my 10/22 Target. I had the Boyd "Evolution" stock in the shop from another project, so I decided to bolt it on as well. I like the way the Evolution sits in my hands (I'm able to get a hard grip on that spikey forearm), but that comb is clearly for optics rather than irons...if I decide to leave the gun in this configuration I'll take a wood plane to that comb! Otherwise, receiver, bolt, sights and barrel are Ruger bone stock, and it's faster for me to get on that open sight than the AR post on my 10/22 Target...all that cowboy shooting with a brass dot front, no doubt...

I took it to the range yesterday to make sure it was sighted in and run some 20-yard drills, and all things considered it worked extremely well...that is, I can run it more like a pistol than my heavy-barreled target. I'll let you know how it works!

BTW BTW, heard from Tactical Solutions yesterday that they're "cooking up" something for me in the 10/22 Limited arena...I'll bet you see that baby at the SHOT Show!

BTW BTW BTW, Blackwolfe over at the DRTV Forums turned me onto a really interesting forum over at Rimfire Central, the "Super Stock" forum —  10/22s that look stock, but are strictly trick inside. Cool...thanks, Blackwolfe!

Ruger SR556E

Am also launched on a Ruger SR556E AR platform gun project that will, hopefully, lead to a pretty spectacular giveaway. And in the AR department, we now have a natty Daniel Defense gun in house, with one of the new Stag Arms competition rifles on the way! Not to mention a really nice lightweight Commander length 1911 .45 from Para USA, plus, pause for drum roll, one of the long-awaited LTC Tactical .45s! I saw this gun at SHOT and asked for one ASAP.

Strongly recommend Sipsey Street Irregulars to keep up on the evolving "Fast & Furious" ATF disaster...definitely read this post on the newest WikiLeaks...dot.gov knew as early as October 2009 that the "90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the U.S." meme was not true, Yet Hilary Clinton and BHo stood before the American people and continued to push the narrative.