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Some basic Information about Flintlock Rifles

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For those Really Old School Types out there!                          GrumpyImage result for sharpes rifles
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Some good info by CarteachO

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Wheel gun carry: .38 Special Vs .357 Magnum

Despite the staggering number of choices amongst semi-auto pistols for personal protection, there are still a large segment of the population who prefer revolvers.  Even those who swear by one auto or another often have a small revolver as a backup.
Why?  Because they work.  It’s not new technology.  Most are not fancy.  Almost none have any kind of external safety to remember under stress.  They just….. work.  Pick up a double action revolver, squeeze the trigger, and if it’s loaded there will likely be a Bang.  If not, squeeze the trigger again and try the next hole.

Revolvers have been around the personal defense scene for many generations, and for concealed carry, the shooting public seem to have settled on the snub-nose for everyday carry.  Short, small, relatively light, and utterly dependable, a snub nose has been in the pocket or holster of many an officer or shopkeeper since the 1940’s.  Even earlier, lawmen were cutting down larger pistols and making their own snubbies, the easier to pack some protection as they patrolled city streets.  J. Edgar Hoover required his agents to be armed at all times, and demonstrate proficiency with the little snubby on a regular basis.
There’s a wide range of caliber choices for those packing a wheel gun, but two still hold the position of top dogs by a very wide margin.  The .38 Special, a round that’s been chambered in pistols since 1900, and has been in wide use since the 1930’s.  The other, the .357 magnum, developed from a desire for a more powerful version of the .38 special, and that’s exactly what it is.
Dimensionally almost exactly the same as the .38, the .357 is made just a little longer so it will not chamber in a .38 Special hand gun.  This prevents the high pressure .357 round from being mistakenly fired from a .38 special gun…. and also gives us a wonderful choice.  This closeness in dimensions means any firearm chambered in .357 will also shoot the .38 Special, allowing the shooter to have a much cheaper, quieter, and gentler round to practice with and enjoy.  While point of impact will change quite a bit between the two rounds, this is of little concern at typical self defense practice ranges of 30-50 feet.

More to the point, for our discussion, the .357 offers a substantial boost in velocity and energy when compared to the .38 Special.  Even the ‘+P’ version of the .38 made for modern pistols does not come close to equaling the power available from the .357 loaded to full pressure.
The higher pressures of the .357 Magnum requires a somewhat beefier build to the pistol, but weight and size comparisons between snubbies of both calibers show them nearly the same.
The choice facing us is not really one of weight or dimension, but power.  Control ability and muzzle blast come into play, as does recoil.  The .357 does not get it’s nearly doubled energy over the .38 Special without a cost.  While a .38 snubby might be relatively comfortable to shoot for most people, the same pistol in .357 has a ….. ‘snappy’…. recoil that nobody sneers at for long.   Perhaps that’s why so many revolver shooters enjoy the ability to practice with .38 ammunition, but carry defensively with .357 Magnum rounds in the chamber.

This is a point Carteach agrees with.  Given the choice between the same pistol in .38 Special and .357 Magnum, it only makes sense to buy the magnum version.  One can then always shoot the lighter .38 loads, and even carry them if desired.   I consider it a cost-free option, as the magnum pistols are generally no larger or heavier than the .38 version these days.
As for ‘stopping power’, that has always been a nebulous term.   The fact is…. pistols don’t generally knock people over.  They punch holes in them, and if nerve centers or major bones are hit, the fight is generally over.  Otherwise, pistol level rounds just punch holes and mess things up.  Yes, they will eventually knock down just about everyone…. but that notion of a bad guy hit with a bullet from a pocket pistol, and immediately doing a double backflip over the railing and falling into the volcano…. only in the movies.

That same reality holds with both .38 Special and .357 Magnum.   The only real difference between the two is velocity and energy.  Both, kept to proper bullets for their velocity, have excellent track records in self defense.  The .38 Special holds it’s defensive position well when stocked with the old FBI load….. a 158 grain hollow point lead semi-wadcutter bullet.  This bullet punches holes, and messes things up, and that’s all that can be expected.
The .357 Magnum, with it’s higher velocity and energy, makes bigger holes and messes up more stuff.   As simple as it sounds, this difference is significant.  Very significant.  As a result, the .357 Magnum has a substantially better first shot drop record in defensive shootings.
If one can deal with the recoil, muzzle blast, and control issues of the .357, there is no reason not to choose it over the .38 Special.   As said….. one can always just stoke the pistol with .38’s instead of .357’s.  That said….. The Fat Old Man would not feel undergunned with the ancient .38 Special, given an understanding of it’s limitations.  There’s been a representative sample in his collection for many, many years indeed.  It fills a niche nicely, serves it’s purpose without fanfare, and has the most important feature possible in any defensive weapon….. it works.

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Darwin would of approved of this! Fieldcraft Grumpy's hall of Shame Gun Info for Rookies Soldiering

Fucking Rookies, The Girl Scouts would do a better Job!


Fire and movement? Maybe some take advantage of the Terrain? Get a squad Leader who knows WTF  to do?
Nah! Grumpy

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Gun Info for Rookies

A Primer on the Shotgun by Brett

 

Recently I’ve had the itch to buy a shotgun. It started after I read Creek’s post on how to build a survival shotgun. The itch only grew stronger after I became a homeowner (I kind of feel like Kevin McAllister). The shotgun is the perfect weapon for home defense and disaster prep. It’s powerful, reliable, and versatile. You can use it to fend off home intruders, hunt for food, or even shoot skeet with your buds.
But as I’ve discussed before on the site, I’m a complete novice when it comes to guns. I grew up around them, but I just didn’t take an interest in them until recently. Before I brought a shotgun into my house, I wanted make sure I knew how it worked and how to fire it safely and correctly.
So I headed over to the U.S. Shooting Academy here in Tulsa, OK to talk to Mike Seeklander, President of the Academy and co-host of Outdoor Channel’s The Best Defense. Mike’s helped me out before with articles on how to fire a handgun and a rifle. On this trip, he explained the very basics of understanding and firing a shotgun. Today I’ll share what I learned from Mike for those folks out there who are also interested in becoming first-time shotgun owners.

Types of Shotguns

Mike’s pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns

Shotguns are fired from the shoulder and are typically used to hit targets at short distances. Unlike rifle and handgun cartridges that can only fire a single projectile, a shotgun cartridge typically fires multiple pellets called “shot” that spread out as they leave the shotgun’s barrel. Because the power of a single cartridge charge is divided among multiple pieces of shot, the energy of the shot decreases greatly as it travels away from the gun. That’s why shotguns are short-range weapons.
There are a variety of shotguns out on the market that serve different purposes. Below we highlight the most common types.

Break-action shotguns. Break-action shotguns have a hinge between the barrel and the stock that allows you to “break” or open the barrel to expose the breech in order to load your ammo. If you’ve ever seen pictures of old big game hunters or cowboys holding a shotgun, they were probably holding a break-action shotgun. Break-action shotguns are usually double-barreled, with the barrels either side-by-side or placed one on top of the other. They’re typically used by hunters and sport shooters. The big disadvantage of break-action shotguns is that they’re single shot guns, meaning once you fire the single round in each barrel, you have to reload.

Mossberg 500 pump-action shotgun

Pump-action shotguns. A pump-action shotgun is a single-barrel shotgun that holds multiple rounds (unlike break-action shotguns). The way you extract spent shells and chamber a fresh round is by pulling a pump handle towards yourself, and then pushing it back into its original position along the barrel. Pump-action shotguns are widely used by police forces around the world because of their reliability and ability to hold multiple rounds. The Remington 870 has been the standby shotgun for American police forces for years, while the U.S. military has been partial to the Mossberg 500.
The general consensus in the firearms community is that pump-action shotguns are the top choice for home defense. They’re relatively easy to use, nearly impossible to break, and are super reliable. More importantly, the sound of chambering a hot round into a pump-action 12 gauge is sure to soil the britches of even the most hardened criminal. As an added bonus, they’re relatively cheap, with prices beginning around $200.
One of the things you have to watch out for when firing a pump-action shotgun is short-stroking. That’s when you don’t push the pump all the way back to its original position, resulting in a failure to chamber the next round in the magazine.

Browning semi-automatic shotgun

Semi-automatic shotguns. A semi-automatic shotgun fires a single shell each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent shell, and automatically chambers a new shell from a magazine. This allows you to fire off shots quickly. Some states ban hunting with semi-automatic shotguns, so be aware of that if you plan on using your gun to hunt.
Because rounds are automatically loaded and the design is more complex, semi-automatic shotguns are more prone to jamming failures than pump-action or break-action shotguns.

Diagram of a shotgun

Understanding Shotgun Ammo


Shotgun ammo is broken down into three categories: birdshot, buckshot, and slugs.
Birdshot. Birdshot is smaller than buckshot and is used primarily for hunting, you guessed it, birds. Birdshot size is categorized by a number: the larger the number, the smaller the shot. The smallest birdshot is #12 shot and the largest is size FF. All birdshot pellets have a diameter smaller than 5 mm. Birdshot is so small it’s simply poured into a shotgun shell until the shell reaches a certain weight.
Buckshot. Buckshot is typically used for hunting small to medium-sized game and for police and home defense purposes. As with birdshot, the buckshot is categorized by a number that decreases as the size of the shot goes up. The smallest buckshot is #4 and from there the sizes go past #1 to 0000 (quad-ought), 000 (triple-ought), 00 (double-ought), and 0 (ought). Unlike birdshot, buckshot is too large to be poured into a cartridge. Rather, the buckshot pellets are stacked into the shell in a fixed geometric arrangement in order to fit.
Slugs. Slugs are basically a giant bullet. Instead of firing multiple pellets, a shotgun shell with a slug in it only fires a single slug. Slugs are primarily used to hunt large game and for military and police purposes. Slugs are rifled which gives them spin as they leave the barrel of the gun, making the slug much more accurate and stable in flight.

Understanding Gauge, Chamber Length, & Choke Tubes

Gauge
Unlike handguns and rifles that use caliber to measure the diameter of the barrel, shotguns use gauge. Measuring gauge goes back to the days of muzzle-loading guns. A shotgun’s gauge number is determined by the number of lead balls that are the size of the gun bore’s diameter that can roll down the gun’s barrel to make a pound. So for example, in a 12 gauge shotgun, twelve lead balls with a diameter equal to the diameter of the barrel adds up to one pound.
Confused? Don’t worry. It takes a bit to wrap your head around it. Just remember this: The smaller the shotgun gauge number, the larger the barrel; the larger the barrel, the bigger the boom from your boomstick.
The most common shotgun gauge sizes are: 10 gauge = .775 inch, 12 gauge = .729 inch, 16 gauge = .662 inch, 20 gauge = .615 inch, 28 gauge = .550 inch.
The 12 gauge shotgun is the most common shotgun gauge sold in America and is a good all-purpose gun — great for home defense, hunting, and skeet shooting. Because of their widespread use, ammo and accessories for 12 gauge shotguns are much easier to find than for other size shotguns. If you’re going to use your shotgun primarily for hunting or skeet shooting, you might follow the advice of shotgunning expert Bob Brister and go with a smaller gauge gun like a 20 or 28 gauge.
Chamber Length
In addition to a shotgun’s gauge number, another size you’ll see stamped on a shotgun’s barrel is the chamber length. The chamber is where the shell fits into the gun for firing. You need to make sure the length of the shell you’re loading into your gun matches the chamber length on your shotgun. Firing shells that are longer than the length of the chamber can generate dangerously high pressures in your gun. That’s a big safety risk.
Choke Tubes
As we mentioned earlier, when you fire a shotgun, the pellets in the shell spread as they leave the gun. When the pellets hit their target, they leave a spread pattern. Spread patterns can be small and dense or wide and sparse. The closer you are to your target, the more compact and lethal your spread pattern.
If you want to maintain a dense spread pattern when firing your shotgun at long distance targets (like you would when hunting), you’ll want to use a choke tube. A choke tube constricts a gun’s shot charge to hold it together longer before the shot spreads, thus giving a denser shot pattern at longer range than an open choke or no choke at all.  Choke tubes come in a variety of sizes depending on how dense a pattern you want. If you’re simply using your shotgun for home defense, you probably don’t need a choke tube. They’re mainly used by hunters and skeet shooters.

How to Stand When Firing a Shotgun

Now that we’re familiar with the anatomy and workings of a shotgun, let’s get down to how to fire it. But first, please review the four cardinal rules of firing a gun.
Mike and the folks at the U.S. Shooting Academy teach their students to assume an athletic stance when firing a shotgun. Square your shoulders up with the target. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on a straight line. Stagger your strong-side foot about six inches behind your weak-side foot.
Place the buttstock of the shotgun near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest. Keep your elbows down.
Here’s Mike showing the athletic stance:

The biggest advantage of the athletic stance over the bladed stance (standing sideways) is that it helps in reducing the effects of recoil when firing a shotgun. Think about it. If you’re a lineman in football and you want to resist the other guy pushing you backwards, what stance would give you more balance? Being squared up with the other guy, or standing sideways with just one of your shoulders towards him? Squared up, of course.
Another advantage of the athletic stance is that it allows you to track a moving target better.

How to Hold a Shotgun

The act of putting a shotgun to your shoulder is called mounting the gun. But you don’t bring the gun to your shoulder straight off. You want to bring the side of the stock to your cheek first, before moving the buttstock to your shoulder.
Keeping your head up, bring the shotgun to your head. Press your cheek firmly to the side of the stock and then place the buttstock of the shotgun near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest,  like so:

Trigger Hand Grip
On most shotguns you’ll find a crook between the stock and the trigger guard. Simply center the crook  in the “V” junction of your thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun firmly, but not tightly.
If your shotgun has a pistol grip like Mike’s gun in the picture below, center the grip in the “V” at the junction of the thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun high on the backstrap (the backstrap is the back of the grip on the gun). Like so:

Support Hand Grip
The support hand should grip the fore-end of the shotgun roughly midway down the length of the shotgun. Here’s Mike demonstrating for us:

Putting your support hand further forward on the fore-end will give you finer control over the muzzle when aiming, which you want when precision is key. It will also give you more leverage against the gun which helps in recoil control.

How to Hold a Shotgun in Close Quarter Situations

You’ve probably seen movies where the action hero fires a shotgun in close quarters from the hip. I asked Mike about that.
“That’s a great technique…for the movies,” he said.
In other words, don’t use it in real life. It’s not safe and doesn’t provide any advantages other than looking cool.
If your target is really close to you, Mike suggests bringing the shotgun stock beneath your armpit in order to create more space between you and your target while maintaining more control. Here’s how it looks:

How to Aim a Shotgun

There’s a lot of debate among shotgunners about how you’re supposed to aim these things.  You’ll hear many folks say, “You don’t aim a shotgun, you point it,” (See Shotgunning by Bob Brister.) Others will say you should aim it just like you would a rifle.
I asked Mike about this, and he said that while you should definitely aim a shotgun, the way you aim will be different depending on what sort of situation you’re in.
“You’re responsible for every shot you fire, so you better be sure you know where they’re going,” Mike advises. “Don’t just point it and start firing action movie style.”
Aiming a Shotgun in Home Defense and Large Game Hunting Situations
If you’re using a shotgun in a home defense situation or if you’re hunting deer with slugs, you’ll want to aim your shotgun just like you would when firing a rifle. Some shotguns have a rear sight notch and a bead at the end of the gun’s barrel (most shotguns don’t have a rear sight). Align those just as you would with a rifle. After you have proper sight alignment, you’ll want to set your sight picture. I talked about proper sight picture in our post about firing a handgun. The same principles apply here. I won’t repeat what I wrote, so refer back to that post for tips on aiming a shotgun.
Aiming a Shotgun in Small Game Hunting or Trap Situations
When you’re bird hunting or shooting skeet, you don’t have time for the deliberate aiming technique described above. If you try to aim like that, your bird will be long gone before you get a shot off. When you’re hunting small, fast-moving game or shooting clays with a shotgun, instead of carefully lining up your sights and putting all your focus on them like you would with a rifle, simply focus on the target, and fire.
“You also need to lead the target when firing at fowl. Don’t focus on the target itself, but rather the target’s front edge,” says Mike.

Trigger Management (aka Pulling the Trigger)

Unlike with a rifle or handgun where you slowly squeeze the trigger, with a shotgun you can use a more direct and less controlled trigger press. Again, when firing a shotgun, speed in getting off a shot is the goal.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The key to successful and safe gun training is practice. If you don’t own a shotgun, but are interested in purchasing one, find a local gun range and rent one for an hour. Ask to have someone show you how to fire it safely and correctly. Most places will be more than happy to help. If you already own a shotgun, here’s a friendly reminder to keep training.
Oh, and if you’re curious as to what sort of shotgun I ended up getting. It’s a Remington 870 Express.
Do you own a shotgun? Have any other tips for the first-time shotgun shooter? Share them with us in the comments!
Editor’s note: This article is about understanding the shotgun and how to fire one safely and correctly. It is not a debate about gun rights or whether guns are stupid or awesome. Keep it on topic or be deleted.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Special thanks goes out to Mike and the crew at U.S. Shooting Academy for their help on this article. Mike along with the U.S. Shooting Academy Handgun Manual were the sources for this article.   If you’re ever in the Tulsa area, stop by their facility. It’s top notch and the staff and trainers are friendly, knowledgeable, and super badass.

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Some more good stuff from hickok45

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Wildcats

NO NOT THIS! As this is not a cute Kitty Blog!Image result for Wildcat

As a side bar and at the risk of losing readers. I hate Cats!
No what I am talking about this the subjects of Wildcat Cartridges. So let us dig in and get going on to this subject!
Now when I was growing up in the Old Days. All real Americans were tinkerers of some sort. Always looking to improve things. So it was with the Gun Folks.Image result for garage gun shop
The big thing was to make a round go faster or what not. Usually of course most of these rounds never really took off.
So now a days you will see on the racks of Gun shops with the odd & sod gun with one really real weird one of a kind round.
Usually the inventor / owner having gone to their reward. (I.E. Died & the family wants the money)Related image
But on the up side. This is how we got some really great round too. Like the 22 Hornet, 25-06, 257 Roberts or the 35 Whelen.
So like life itself, It’s a mixed bag of the good, bad and the so-so. Here is some more information about this odd annex of the story of things that go boom.

Wildcat cartridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.243 Winchester Ackley Improved(left) and .243 Winchester (right)

 
wildcat cartridge, often shortened to wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and/or firearms are not mass-produced.
These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic (such as the power, size or efficiency) of an existing commercial cartridge.
Developing and using wildcat cartridges does not generally serve a purpose in military or law enforcement; it is more a hobby for serious shooting, huntinggunsmithing and handloading enthusiasts, particularly in the United States.[1]
There are potentially endless amounts of different kinds of wildcat cartridges: one source of gunsmithing equipment has a library of over 6,000 different wildcat cartridges for which they produce equipment such as chamber reamers.[2]

Development of a wildcat

Often, wildcats are commercially sold rounds that have been modified in some way to alter the cartridge’s performance. Barrels for the caliber are originally manufactured by gunsmiths specializing in barrel making.
Generally the same makers also offer reloading dies, tools to custom-load bullets into cases.
Because changing the barrel of a gun to accommodate custom cartridges requires precision equipment, most wildcats are developed by or in association with custom barrel makers.
Ammunition is handloaded, using modified parent cases and the gunsmith-provided wildcat dies. Generally the supplier of the barrel or dies will also provide the buyer with basic reloading data, giving a variety of powders, charge weights, and bullet weights that can be used for developing loads.
Handloaders use the data to develop a load by starting with minimum loads and carefully working up.
Wildcat cases and cartridges can be found for sale, but only from small makers.
Larger manufacturers usually do not produce wildcats because there is such a limited market for them and because there are no established CIP(Commission Internationale Permanente Pour L’Epreuve Des Armes A Feu Portatives – Permanent International Commission for the Proof of Small Arms) or SAAMI standards, which causes liability concerns.

Wildcat goals and methods

From left to right: cross sectioned and normal .338 Yogi wildcat cartridge cases compared to a factory .338 Lapua Magnum case.

 
Wildcat cartridges are developed for many reasons. Generally, the goal is to optimize some characteristic of a commercial cartridge in a given context.
Higher velocities, greater energy, better efficiency, greater consistency (which yields greater precision) and complying to a minimal permitted caliber or bullet weight for the legal hunting of certain species of game in a particular jurisdiction are the top reasons.
The sport of metallic silhouette shooting, has given rise to a great number of wildcats, as several rifle rounds are adapted to fire from a handgun.[3]
In using auto pistols for hunting or competitive shooting, improved feeding of soft nosed or hollow point bullets is also an issue; the bottlenecked .45/38, for instance, was created because the straight-cased .45 ACP had trouble feeding hollowpoints.[4]
Wildcat cartridges are generally developed because:

  • Higher velocities can be obtained by increasing the case capacity, or reducing the caliber.
  • Greater energy can be attained by increasing the caliber or the case capacity.
  • Better efficiency can be achieved by increasing the shoulder angle, shortening the case, and reducing case taper (see internal ballistics).
  • Greater consistency can be achieved by tuning the case capacity to a certain bullet diameter, weight, and velocity that give consistent results.
  • Feeding problems can be fixed.

Some methods used to develop a wildcat are:

  • Cold forming. The parent case is well lubricated and forced carefully into the reloading die for the wildcat caliber. This will swage the case into the new shape. This type of operation is used for reducing case dimensions, such as reducing the neck diameter or pushing the shoulder back, or changing the neck diameter.
  • Fire forming. This consists of taking the parent case, or a partially cold formed case, loading it with a light bullet and light load of powder, and firing it in the firearm it will be used in. Another technique uses a charge of fast burning powder topped with a case full of Cream of Wheat and a wad, to form a special blank cartridge that will expand the case. This technique is used for increasing case dimensions, such as pushing the neck forward, increasing the neck angle, or straightening the case walls.[5]
  • Trimming to length. Generally, after either a cold forming or a fire forming operation, the mouth of the case will be longer than ideal, and the case will be trimmed back to the “trim to” length. Trimming is a normal reloading operation, as high pressure cartridges will flow each time they are fired, and periodically need trimming to remove the brass that flows to the mouth.
  • Changing the diameter of the case (to suit a new caliber). Called “necking up” or “necking down”, this is the most common way of making a wildcat. The new caliber allows a much different range of bullet weights, and can greatly increase the velocity or the power or the resistance to wind drift as compared to the parent cartridge.
  • Necking back. This is a cold forming operation in which the neck is pushed back to reduce case capacity. This is often done when developing rounds for shorter barrels, such as turning a rifle cartridge into a handgun cartridge.
  • Blowing out. This is a fire forming operation that moves the shoulder forward to increase case capacity.
  • Changing the shoulder angle. By making the shoulder closer to square, the resulting space is closer to the ideal spherical shape, resulting in a more efficient burn. If the shoulder is also to be moved back, this is a cold forming operation; if the shoulder is to stay or be moved forward, it is a hot forming operation.
  • Reducing the case taper. This hot forming operation makes the cartridge more cylindrical, giving similar results to a shoulder angle change.
  • Changing the rim. While this is a wildcatting operation, it is generally only done by commercial operations, due to the precision turning needed. Generally this is a conversion from rimmed to rimless cartridge, or from rimless to rebated, and is done to allow a larger parent case than the firearm action was designed for. The opposite operation, adding a rim to a case, is also generally only done by major manufacturers; examples are the .45 Auto Rim, a rimmed .45 ACP allowing ejection in .45 revolvers without the use of moon clips, and the .307 Winchester, a rimmed .308 Winchester, developed for use in lever-action rifles. A handloader can add a rim, by swaging a ring of metal onto a rimless case, then turning it down, but this is very labor-intensive process and requires a special swaging die and precision metalworking lathe.[6] It is far easier for most handloaders to simply start with a rimmed case, either of the desired diameter or reamed out as desired.
  • Increasing the case length. This process (which allows the cartridge to contain more propellant and thus increases potential energy of the bullet) was used to make the powerful .357 Magnum cartridge from the much weaker .38 Special: A .357 magnum bullet has more than 3 times more energy than a .38 special bullet of the same weight. Increasing the length of a bullet’s case usually involves getting rid of the old case and making a completely new one from scratch, which all but limits the feasibility of this kind of modification to commercial manufactures. It is possible to draw an existing case into a slightly longer form, thinning and stretching the existing case, but this is an operation requiring special equipment and expertise.[6] It is far easier and more common to reduce, not extend the length of a case.

Example wildcat cartridges

In terms of sheer numbers of varieties, there are more wildcat cartridges than there are production cartridges.
Most wildcats are custom made, and therefore are not generally well-known. Some wildcat cartridges, however, are produced commercially in small quantities by small manufacturers. This is a list of some representative wildcats.

  • .30 Herrett. Based on the .30-30 Winchester, necked back and with a sharper shoulder angle. Developed for use in pistols with barrels as short as 10 inches (25 cm), it develops the same power as a .30-30 with greater efficiency and less muzzle blast.[7]
  • .357 Herrett. Like the earlier .30 Herrett, this cartridge is based on the .30-30 Winchester, shortened and necked up to .357 (9 mm). Designed for use in short barrels, the resulting cartridge is more efficient and more powerful than the .30-30. Often considered one of the best medium game hunting calibers available in the 10″ (25 cm) barrelled Thompson Center Arms Contender pistol.[8][9]
  • .10 Eichelberger Long Rifle. This is one of a smaller number of wildcats based on rimfire cartridges. It is made by disassembling a .22 Long Rifle cartridge, and re-using the case. The .10 caliber (2.5 mm) is the smallest rifled barrel made. The tiny .10 caliber bullets produce almost no recoil and travel at very high velocities. While it can be used on small game at short ranges, this cartridge is more of a curiosity than a practical hunting or target round.[10]
  • 5.7 MMJ, or 5.7mm Spitfire. A .30 Carbine case necked down to .223 caliber (5.56 mm), this cartridge was developed to convert military surplus M1 Carbines into short range varmint guns.[8]
  • 6mm PPC. Based on the .220 Russian, which is in turn based on the 7.62×39mm intermediate-power cartridge. The 6mm PPC was developed in 1975 specifically for benchrest shooting. While it is anything but common anywhere else, the 6mm PPC unseated the .222 Remington from its 20-year spot as the best benchrest cartridge available. Chambered only in single-shot rifles due to its short, fat case and sharp shoulder angle, the 6mm PPC is still going strong in benchrest after 30 years.
  • .22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer. This humorously named cartridge was developed by P. O. Ackley specifically to exceed 5,000 ft/s (1,500 m/s) muzzle velocity. Based on a .378 Weatherby Magnum case, the case is impractically overpowered for the bore diameter, and so the cartridge remains a curiosity.[11][12]
  • 7 mm TCU (also known as 7TCU). Based on the .223 Remington case, the 7 mm TCU is popular in single-shot handguns such as the Thompson Center Arms’ Contender and G2 Contender. It is but one of a family of wildcat TCU cartridges.

Wildcat cartridges in Australia

In Australia, wildcat cartridges were relatively common.]
Most are made primarily for hunting species such as deerkangaroo, are generally based on the .303 British because of the post war popularity of that round and of the cheap surplus Australian Lee–Enfield MkIII military rifles available.
Many of these surplus rifles were rebarreled to .257 caliber, known as the 303-25.
One of the unique features is that these cartridges relied less on handloading – and instead were offered as proprietary cartridges from gunsmiths.
Since having an existing barrel rebored and rechambered was (at that time) less expensive than fitting a new barrel, a 303-25 rifle with a shotout barrel could be economically converted to .277 caliber, known as the 303-270.
The .222 Remington – a .222 Rimmed in a Martini was also commonly found. As too were the “Tini-Mite” and “Mini-Mite” cartridges, .17 caliber rimfire cartridges based on the .22 Long Rifle case.[2]

Commercially accepted wildcats

Some cartridges started out as custom-made (non-commercially developed) wildcats, and gained wide enough acceptance or popularity to become commercial cartridges.
Generally, cartridges become popular commercially after a commercial firearms maker begins offering a weapon chambered in the cartridge.
Once popular enough, funding is generated for SAAMI standards development. After SAAMI standards are in place, any firearms or ammunition maker can be sure that any products manufactured to the SAAMI standards can be safely used.
Some examples of custom cartridges that became commercially accepted are:

  • .22-250. Based on a .250 Savage case, the .22-250 is still one of the fastest shooting .22 caliber (5.56 mm) cartridges available. First offered in a factory firearm by Browning in 1963 (the first factory gun chambered for a wildcat), the .22-250 was later adopted by Remington as the .22-250 Remington.[13][14]
  • .22 CHeetah. A .308 BR (Bench Rest) case necked down to .22 caliber, the .22 CHeetah provides a flat trajectory with a .22 caliber bullet that has a relatively high speed of 4,000 ft/s. Hard on barrels, it provides a very effective 300 yard varmint round.[15]
  • .303/25. A .303 British cartridge necked down to fire a .25 calibre projectile, developed in Australia during the 1940s as a Kangaroo culling and pest control round. Popularised in the late 1940s and 1950s in New South Wales, owing to restrictions in that state on ownership of .303 British calibre firearm and the difficulties of obtaining commercial hunting arms and ammunition from overseas. Now largely obsolete, but there are still large numbers of converted Lee–Enfield rifles chambered for this round in Australia.[8]
  • 6.8 mm SPC. This cartridge was developed by American military special operations soldiers in search of a more lethal round than the 5.56×45mm NATO. It is based on the .30 Remington cartridge necked down to .270 caliber, and sized to fit in the M16 rifle. The 6.8 SPC is currently deemed unlikely for official military adoption, but is fielded by special operations troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and is gaining popularity as a commercial round.[14]
  • 7 mm-08. A .308 Winchester necked down to 7 mm (.284 caliber), the 7 mm-08 provides a flatter trajectory with lighter, more aerodynamic 7 mm bullets. It provides nearly the performance of a 7 mm Magnum, but can use a shorter rifle action and does not need a belted case.[14]
  • 7-30 Waters. Designed to improve the performance of lever-action rifle designs dating back to the 1890s, the 7-30 Waters is a .30-30 Winchester necked down to 7 mm (.284 caliber). Even with the lower chamber pressures allowed by the lever-action rifle and the flat tipped bullets necessitated by the tubular magazines, the 7-30 Waters offers a significant gain in velocity and sectional density with little loss in bullet weight. This cartridge has also developed a following among handgun hunters using single-shots such as the T/C Contender or G2, which can take advantage of spitzer (pointed) bullets that are unsafe in tubular magazines. It is very efficient on small to medium-sized game including whitetails and mule deer.[14]
  • .454 Casull. This magnum revolver cartridge, a lengthened .45 Colt, was developed by Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer in 1957 as a high-powered big game hunting round. For many years, the small Wyoming manufacturer Freedom Arms was the only substantial maker of guns for the cartridge. In the mid-1990s, two major manufacturers, Ruger and Taurus, started selling guns chambered in .454 Casull because it was popular due to its extreme power. It was finally commercialized in 1998, when SAAMI published its first standards for the cartridge.[16][17]

Commercially developed wildcats

Though a cartridge technically has to not be developed commercially to be considered a wildcat, some commercial cartridges were developed by ammunition and firearm manufacturers by modifying existing cartridges – using essentially the same process used to make wildcats.
Cartridges that are modified by being made longer (usually to make them more powerful) are for the most part only created commercially because of the difficulty of the process.
One example of such a cartridge is the .357 Magnum, which was developed from the .38 Special in 1934 by firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson.

  • .38-40. One of the oldest wildcats, the .38-40, introduced by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1874, was made by necking down a .44-40. Actually a .401 in (10.2 mm)[18] cartridge, the .38-40 had faded into obsolescence before being revived with the growing popularity of Cowboy action shooting. The ballistics of the .38-40 are close to those of the .40 S&W.[19]
  • .221 Fireball. This cartridge was developed by Remington Arms for the XP-100 pistol, which was a single shot bolt action pistol. The .221 Fireball was a necked back .222 Remington, designed for greater efficiency in the 10 in (25 cm) barrel of the XP-100. Even loaded with a smaller load of faster powder for the short barrel, the .221 Fireball lived up to its name, with a massive muzzle flash; the performance, however, was unheard of for its day: over 2700 feet per second (885 m/s) out of the short XP-100 barrel. It remains the fastest SAAMI approved handgun cartridge, and the cartridge is so efficient and accurate that it has been chambered in rifles as well.
  • .22 Remington Jet. This cartridge was developed by Remington for a Smith & Wesson Model 53 revolver and a Marlin Model 62 lever-action rifle, but the rifle was never produced in this calibre. The .22 Remington Jet was a necked down .357 Magnum case.[20] The .22 Jet is no longer manufactured by Remington or other commercial manufacturers.
  • .357 SIG. This now-popular pistol cartridge was developed by Swiss weapons company Sig Sauer in an attempt to produce ballistics matching the powerful .357 Magnum revolver load, but in a semi-automatic pistol cartridge. The cartridge was made by necking down and slightly stretching the .40 S&W case, which itself derived from the 10mm Auto.
  • .400 Corbon. This cartridge was designed to produce 10mm Auto ballistics in a cartridge that could be chambered in a .45 ACP pistol with a simple barrel swap. It was made by necking a .45 ACP down to .40 (10 mm). Initially, no firearms were available in .400 Cor-Bon, but barrels in the new caliber were produced for the M1911 pistol.
  • .41 Action Express. Developed in 1986 by Action Arms for the Jericho 941 pistol. It, like the .357 SIG, attempted to make a magnum-power cartridge for a semi-automatic pistol. It started with a .41 Magnum case and cut it down to fit in a semi-automatic pistol chambered for 9×19mm. The rim was then turned down to the same dimensions as the 9×19mm, making it a rebated rim cartridge. This allowed a unique switch up to a larger caliber. The .41 AE never saw huge commercial success because of the creation of the similarly-powerful .40 S&W in 1990.[21]
  • .204 Ruger. Introduced in 2004 by Ruger, in its time it held the title of fastest production cartridge with a velocity of 4225 ft/s (1290 m/s) with a 32-grain (2.1 g), .204 bullet from a 24-inch (610 mm) barrel. Intended as a varmint riflecartridge, the .204 was based on the .222 Remington Magnum, which is slightly longer than the .223 Remington and offers about 5% more case capacity. Designed to have a very long point blank range, the factory loading offers impressive ballistics, 1.5 inches high at 150 yards (140 m), and 1.5 inches (38 mm) low at 277 yards (253 m).[citation needed]

Second (and later) generation wildcats

Some wildcats are based not on commercial rounds, but on other successful wildcats. The .308 × 1.5″ Barnes, a wildcat from noted cartridge author Frank Barnes made by simply necking a .308 Winchester back to 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length (38.1 mm) is probably the best example of a wildcat that has spawned many other successful wildcats.
The .308 x 1.5″ case is available from a number of case manufacturers, and differs from a homemade .308 x 1.5″ in that it has a small primer pocket, where the original .308 Winchester case has a larger primer pocket (the smaller primer is more suited to the smaller case capacity of the short round).
There are at least 8 wildcats that are made from the small primer .308 x 1.5″ brass, including some very successful benchrest rounds, including the Benchrest Remington family of cartridges, .22 BR6mm BR6.5mm BR7mm BR.30 BR.
Another example is the .220 Russian, based on the 7.62×39mm. Since nearly all 7.62×39mm ammunition made in the 1970s used the complex-to-reload Berdan priming, and often steel cases, it made a poor choice for wildcatting.
The .220 Russian, however, was and still is readily available in Boxer-primed, brass cases of high quality. The .220 Russian is still the parent cartridge of choice for the PPC line of cartridges, such as the .22 PPC and 6mm PPC, even though there are far more PPC chambered firearms available than .220 Russian chamberings.
Likewise, the PPC line of cartridges were the parent case of the 6.5 Grendel, a long-range, high-energy cartridge for the AR-15.[22]

See also

References

  1. Jump up^ “Guns per Capita in the US”Reuters. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  2. Jump up to:a b Frank C. Barnes. Stan Skinner, ed. Cartridges of the World, 10th Ed. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-605-1.
  3. Jump up^ Robinson, John. “Wildcats”Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  4. Jump up^ Barnes, Frank C. Cartridges of the World (Northfield, Illinois: DBI, 19776), p. 140, “.45-38 Auto Pistol”.
  5. Jump up^ Case-Forming Top Contender Hunting Loads, Performance Shooter, May 1997; includes information on cold forming and fire forming, including the “Cream of Wheat” fire forming method.
  6. Jump up to:a b Nonte, Jr., George C. (1978). Basic Handloading. USA: Times Mirror Magazines, Inc. LCCN 77-26482.
  7. Jump up^ “.30 Herrett”. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.[self-published source]
  8. Jump up to:a b c “Wildcat Cartridges”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.[self-published source]
  9. Jump up^ “.357 Herrett”. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.[self-published source]
  10. Jump up^ AmmoGuide.com, free registration may be required.
  11. Jump up^ “.22 Eargesplitten Loudenboomer”. RelaodersNest.com.
  12. Jump up^ Ackley, P.O. (1927) [1962]. Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders. vol I (12th Printing ed.). Salt Lake City, Utah: Plaza Publishing. p. 442. ISBN 978-99929-4-881-1.
  13. Jump up^ “The Great .22-250”. Rifle Shooter Magazine. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  14. Jump up to:a b c d “Rifle Cartridges”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  15. Jump up^ Cartridges of the World p. 188.
  16. Jump up^ Chuck Hawks. “.454 Casull”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  17. Jump up^ “.454 Casull”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  18. Jump up^ Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. Cartridges of the World (Northfield, Illinois: DBI Books, 1972), p.67.
  19. Jump up^ John Taffin. “TAFFIN TESTS: THE .38-40 (.38WCF)”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  20. Jump up^ Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. Cartridges of the World (Northfield, Illinois: DBI Books, 1972), p.148, “.22 Remington Jet”.
  21. Jump up^ “Pistol Cartridges”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  22. Jump up^ Chuck Hawks. “The 6 mm PPC-USA”. Retrieved 2007-11-14.

External links

Categories
All About Guns Gun Info for Rookies

The 5mm Caliber Ammo – God there sure is a sh*tload of them!

5 mm caliber

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 6 millimetres (0.24 in) caliber range.

  • Length refers to the cartridge case length.
  • OAL refers to the overall length of the cartridge.

All measurements are in imm (in).

Rimfire cartridges

Name Case type Bullet Length Rim Base Shoulder Neck OAL in cm
5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum[1] rimmed, bottleneck 5.21 (.205) 25.91 (1.020) 8.25 (.325) 6.58 (.259) 6.58 (.259) 5.72 (.225) 3.300 cm (1.30)
.22 BB rimmed straight 5.639 (.222) 7.214 (.284) 6.86 (.270) 5.69 (.224) N/A 5.69 (.224) 0.871 cm (.343)
.22 CB rimmed straight 5.639 (.222) 7.214 (.284) 6.88 (.271) 5.72 (.225) N/A 5.72 (.225) 1.321 cm (.520)
.22 Short rimmed straight 5.66 (.223) 10.74 (.423) 6.93 (.273) 5.72 (.225) N/A 5.69 (.224) 1.742 cm (.686)
.22 Long rimmed straight 5.66 (.223) 10.54 (.415) 6.91 (.272) 5.72 (.225) N/A 5.69 (.224) 2.027 cm (.798)
.22 Long Rifle rimmed straight 5.68 (.224) 15.11 (.595) 6.88 (.271) 5.74 (.226) N/A 5.72 (.225) 2.500 cm (.984)
.22 Remington Special rimmed straight 5.689 (.224) 24.38 (0.96) 7.39 (.291) 0.612 cm (.241) N/A 6.10 (.240) 2.972 cm (1.17)
.22 WRF rimmed straight 5.689 (.224) 24.38 (0.96) 7.39 (.291) 6.12 (.241) N/A 0.610 cm (.240) 2.972 cm (1.17)
.22 WMR rimmed straight 5.689 (.224) 26.72 (1.052) 7.39 (.291) 6.12 (.241) N/A 6.10 (.240) 3.429 cm (1.35)

Pistol cartridges

Name Bullet Length Rim Base Shoulder Neck OAL
5mm Clement Auto 5.131 (.202) 14.7(.58) 6.9(.273) 6.75(.2655) 5.85(.2325) 21.43(.844)
5mm Bergmann 5.156 (.203)
5mm Bergmann Rimless 5.156 (.203)
5.45×18mm Soviet 5.334 (.210) 17.78 (.701) 7.62 (.300) 7.62 (.300) 6.26 mm (0.246 in) 5.588 (.220) 24.89 (.980)
22 TCM 5.56 (.224) 26 (1.022) 9.6 (.378) 9.6 (.376) 32.1 (1.265)
FN 5.7×28mm 5.689 (.224) 28.70 (1.13) 7.874 (.310) 7.874 (.310) 7.849 (.309) 6.325 (.249) 40.50 (1.594)
5.8×21mm 5.994 (.236) 21.00 mm (0.827 in) 8.0 (.315) 7.95 mm (0.313 in) 7.77 mm (0.306 in) 6.57 mm (0.259 in) 33.5 (1.320)

Revolver cartridges

Name Bullet Length Rim Base Shoulder Neck OAL
5mm Pickert 5.258 (.207)
.22 Remington Jet[2] 5.651 (.223) 32.51 (1.28) 11.2 (.440) 9.55 (.376) 8.89 (.350) 6.27 (.247) 40.13 (1.58)
5.5mm Velo Dog[3] 5.715 (.225) 28.45 (1.12) 7.82 (.308) 6.43 (.253) 6.3 (.248) 34.29 (1.35)
5.43mm Louis Mattis 5.766 (.227)

Rifle cartridges

Name Caliber (mm) Caliber (inch) Case type Pressure (PSI) Case length (inch) Rim (mm) Rim (inch) Base (mm) Base (inch) Shoulder (mm) Shoulder (inch) Neck (mm) Neck (inch) OAL (mm) OAL (inch) Primer
.19 Calhoon Hornet 5,030 0,198 35,310 1,390 8,890 0,350 7,470 0,294 7,260 0,286 5,460 0,215
.19 Badger 5,030 0,198 9,140 0,360 8,990 0,354 5,690 0,224
.19-223 5,030 0,198 44,700 1,760 9,520 0,375 9,470 0,373 9,200 0,364 5,690 0,224
5mm Craig 5,182 0,204 EVRC 25,930 1,021 8,130 0,320 6,530 0,257 6,500 0,256 5,870 0,231 31,500 1,240 CCI 450
.20 VarTarg 5,182 0,204 35,400 1,395 9,600 0,378 9,600 0,376 9,200 0,361 5,900 0,233 47,100 1,855
5mm/35 SMc 5,182 0,204 39,520 1,556 12,010 0,473 11,960 0,471 11,680 0,460 5,870 0,231 51,560 2,030
.20 Tactical 5,182 0,204 45,000 1,760 9,600 0,378 9,600 0,376 9,200 0,361 5,900 0,233 54,100 2,130
.204 Ruger 5,182 0,204 46,990 1,850 9,600 0,378 9,560 0,376 6,400 0,252 5,870 0,231 57,400 2,260
5.45×39mm 5,600 0,220 39,620 1,560 10,010 0,394 10,030 0,395 7,290 0,287 6,248 0,246 56,390 2,220
5.66×39mm
.218 Bee 5,689 0,224 34,160 1,345 10,360 0,408 8,865 0,349 8,357 0,329 6,147 0,242 42,670 1,680
.220 Russian 5,689 0,224 38,7 1,52 11,200 0,441 11,180 0,440 10,950 0,431 6,223 0,245 46,230 1,820
.22 Hornet 5,689 0,224 35,640 1,403 8,890 0,350 7,569 0,298 7,010 0,276 6,172 0,243 43,760 1,723
5.56×45mm NATO.223 Remington 5,689 0,224 44,700 1,760 9,601 0,378 9,550 0,376 8,992 0,354 6,426 0,253 57,400 2,260
.222 Remington Magnum[4] 5,689 0,224 46,990 1,850 9,600 0,378 9,550 0,376 9,070 0,357 6,480 0,253 57,910 2,280
.22-250 5,689 0,224 48,560 1,912 12,010 0,473 11,910 0,469 10,520 0,414 6,450 0,254 59,690 2,350
.224 Weatherby Magnum 5,689 0,224 48,840 1,923 10,920 0,430 10,540 0,415 10,010 0,394 6,400 0,252 59,180 2,330
.220 Swift 5,689 0,224 56,010 2,205 12,010 0,473 11,300 0,445 10,210 0,402 6,600 0,260 68,070 2,680
.22 Spitfire[5] 5,690 0,224 rimless bottlenecked 32,770 1,290 9,040 0,356 8,970 0,353 8,430 0,332 6,430 0,253 41,910 1,650 Boxer small rifle
.223 WSSM 5,690 0,224 42,420 1,670 13,590 0,535 14,100 0,555 13,820 0,544 6,910 0,272 59,940 2,360
5.6×50mm Magnum[6]5.6×50mmR 5,690 0,224 50,040 1,970 9,550 0,376 9,520 0,375 9,020 0,355 6,450 0,254 56,130 2,210
5.6×57mm
FN 5.7×28mm 5,700 0,224 28,830 1,135 7,800 0,307 7,900 0,311 7,900 0,311 6,350 0,250 40,500 1,594 Boxer small rifle
.221 Remington Fireball 5,702 0,225 35,560 1,400 9,601 0,378 9,550 0,376 9,195 0,362 6,426 0,253 46,480 1,830
.222 Remington[7] 5,702 0,225 43,180 1,700 9,600 0,378 9,550 0,376 9,070 0,357 6,420 0,253 54,100 2,130
.225 Winchester [8] 5,702 0,225 49,020 1,930 12,010 0,473 10,700 0,422 10,300 0,406 6,600 0,260 64,000 2,500
5.6×52mmR 5,800 0,227 Rimmed 52,000 2,050 12,700 0,500 10,600 0,416 9,100 0,360 6,400 0,252 64,000 2,510
5.8×42mm DBP87 5,994 0,236 42,545 1,675 10,389 0,409 10,389 0,409 9,350 0,368 6,706 0,264 57,500 2,266

Values with comma for better sortability.

Categories
Gun Info for Rookies

How to Shoot a Rifle by Brett

vintage man standing holding shooting rifle

From some men, learning how to properly and safely fire a rifle is a skill they picked up when they were just knee high to a grasshopper. These guys probably got a .22 for their 12th birthday and spent summers in the woods plinking tin cans and squirrels and autumns hunting deer with their dads and grandpas.
Me? I wasn’t one of those guys.
But lately I’ve been wanting to learn how to fire a variety of firearms. I’m sure there are other men out there who, like me, went their entire life not ever shooting a rifle, but now have the desire to learn. It might be because he wants to take up hunting. Maybe he’s interested in home protection. Or perhaps he’s just interested in marksmanship as a hobby in and of itself. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to learn how to fire a rifle, you need to know how to do it safely and correctly.
A few months ago we did a post on firing a handgun safely and correctly. This time we’ll focus on how to shoot a rifle. So I headed back over to the U.S. Shooting Academy here in Tulsa, OK to talk to Mike Seeklander, Director of Training at the Academy. He explained the very basics of firing a rifle and today I’ll share what I learned with you.

The Four Cardinal Safety Rules of Firing a Rifle

Just as he did when we talked about firing a handgun, the very first thing Mike brought up were four rules, that if followed strictly, will keep you and others safe so you can have a good time firing off a few rounds.
1. Always treat every firearm as if it were loaded. No ifs, ands, or buts. Even if you know the gun is unloaded, still handle it as if it were loaded.
2. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, a direction where a negligent discharge would cause minimum property damage and zero physical injury. The safest direction to point a gun is always downrange (as long as there aren’t any people downrange!).
3. Always keep your trigger finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you have made a conscious decision to shoot.

4. Always be sure of your target, backstop, and beyond. You want to be aware of what’s in your line of fire. This isn’t usually a concern if you go to a professional gun range. They make sure that people and property stay out of the path of the guns firing downrange. Where this becomes a concern is when you go shoot with your buddy out on his property. This is especially important when firing high powered rifles as their bullets travel further than bullets fired from a handgun.
Listen to Mike: “Ask your friend what exactly is beyond the target and backstop you’re shooting at, especially when you’re shooting into a wooded area. Don’t just settle for, ‘Oh, don’t worry. There’s nothing back there.’ Ask specifically if there are any houses, property, etc beyond your backstop. Err on the side of being overly cautious.”

Types of Rifles

Rifles are high powered firearms typically used to hit targets at long distances. Rifles are designed to be fired from the shoulder. Grooves, called rifling (hence the name rifle), are cut into the barrel of a rifle. Rifling makes the bullet spin as it leaves the muzzle, making the bullet much more accurate and stable in flight.
There are a variety of rifles out on the market that serve different purposes. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common.
bolt action rifle diagram illustration
Bolt action rifles. Hunters often use a bolt action rifle like the Winchester Model 70 which requires the shooter to manually open and close the breech of the gun to eject a spent casing and load a new one.
lever action rifle diagram illustration
Lever-action rifles. If you’re a fan of Westerns, you probably noticed the cowboys in the films firing lever-action rifles. Lever-action rifles use a lever located around the trigger guard area to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. The most famous lever-action rifle of the Wild West was undoubtedly the Winchester rifle, a favorite firearm of badasses like Bass Reeves.
semi automatic rifle ar-15
Semi-automatic rifles. A semi-automatic rifle fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, and automatically chambers a new cartridge from a magazine. Most modern semi-automatic rifles are made from lightweight synthetic materials that make them easy to hold and carry.  The most popular semi-automatic rifle is the AR-15. Here in the United States, there are no federal restriction on civilians owning AR-15s, though some states, like California, do place restrictions on ownership. Other states, such as Texas, have no restrictions and even allow semi-automatic rifles for hunting. The rifle Mike used in our photos was a JP-15.

How to Stand When Firing a Rifle

There are two common stances when firing a rifle: bladed-off and a squared, “athletic stance.”
Bladed-off stance. A bladed stance is when your weak-side shoulder is facing the target. So if you’re right handed, your left shoulder is facing the target; if you’re left handed, your right shoulder faces the target. It sort of looks like how a baseball batter would stand in the batter’s box.  Here’s Mike, showing a bladed stance:

bladed off stance shooting how to shoot rifle

Bladed-off Stance

Many first-time shooters stand in a bladed-off stance when firing a rifle. They probably saw their favorite cowboys or action heroes in movies take this stance, so they assume it’s the best way to stand. Mike says that while a bladed stance is good for competition shooters who need precision in their aim, it’s not a great stance for shooters in more tactical situations that require rapid shots with minimal muzzle rise.
Squared or athletic stance. Mike and the folks at the U.S. Shooting Academy teach their students to assume an athletic stance when firing a rifle. Square your shoulders up with the target. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on a straight line. Stagger your strong side foot about six inches behind your weak side foot.
Place the buttstock of the rifle near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest. Keep your elbows down.
Here’s Mike now showing the athletic stance:

athletic stance shooting how to shoot rifle

Athletic rifle stance

The biggest advantage of the athletic stance over the bladed stance is that it helps in reducing the effects of  recoil when firing a rifle. Think about it. If you’re a lineman in football and you want to resist the other guy pushing you backwards, what stance would give you more balance? Being squared up with the other guy or standing sideways with just one of your shoulders towards him? Squared up, of course.
Another advantage the athletic stance has over the bladed stance is that the athletic stance allows you to track a moving target better. A bladed stance limits how much you can twist your body. An athletic stance allows you to swivel right or left much more easily.
Mike recommends an athletic rifle stance for most shooting situations.

How to Hold a Rifle

Trigger Hand Grip
Rifle with pistol grip. If your rifle has a pistol grip, like the AR-15 or JP-15, center the grip in the “V” at the junction of the thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun high on the back strap (the back strap is the back of the grip on the gun). Like so:
rifle with pistol grip
Rifle without a pistol grip. Most bolt action or lever action rifles don’t have a pistol grip like the AR-15. What they typically have instead is a crook between the stock and the trigger guard.  Like so:
rifle without pistol grip diagram illustration
With these sorts of rifles, center the nook in the “V” at the junction of the thumb and index finger of your trigger hand. Grip the gun high on the nook.
Support Hand Grip
The support hand should grip the forestock (or handguards if you’re shooting an AR-15) of the rifle roughly midway down the length of the rifle. Here’s Mike demonstrating for us:
support hand grip shooting how to shoot rifle
Putting your support hand further forward on the forestock will give you finer control over the muzzle when aiming, which you want when precision is key. The disadvantage of putting your support so far out on the forestock is that it’s a little less stable.
Bring the rifle to your head and press your cheek firmly into the stock. Keeping your head up, bring the rifle to your head. Place the buttstock of the rifle near the centerline of the body and high up on the chest. Press your cheek firmly to the side of the stock of the gun, like so:

proper cheek lock shooting how to shoot rifle

Mike demonstrating proper cheek lock.

You’re now ready to aim and fire your rifle.

How to Aim a Rifle

Rifles can have different kinds of sighting systems depending on what you’re using your rifle for. What sighting system a rifle has also depends a lot on the preference of the shooter. Three common sighting systems you’ll see on a rifle are: open sights, aperture sights, and scope sights.
Aiming a Rifle with Open Sights
aim rifle correct sight alignment diagram illustration
Open sights use a notch of some sort as the rear sight. They come standard with most rifles. We talked about how to aim with open sights in our post about firing a handgun. The same principles apply here. I won’t repeat what I wrote, so refer back to that post for tips on aiming a rifle with open sights.
Aiming a Rifle with Aperture Sights

aiming shooting rifle with aperture sight barrel view

Aperture sight

Aperture sight (or peep sight) rifles have a similar front sight to open sight rifles. The difference is the rear sight. Instead of an open notch, the rear sight is a small ring mounted close to the shooter’s eye. There are different kinds of aperture sights, the most common being the ghost ring sight.
Aperture sights allow you to acquire your aim more quickly and more accurately than when using open sights. One of the problems with open sights is that it forces the eye to focus on three objects at the same time: the rear sight, the front sight, and the target. This is impossible to do, so one of the points of focus will be blurry. Aiming an open sight gun requires the shooter to know which object needs to be blurry and which objects need to be in focus. Focusing on the correct points can take precious time.
Aperture sights speed-up getting a correct sight picture by removing one of the objects in the shooter’s line of sight, specifically the rear sight. Looking through the rear ring causes your eye to automatically center on the front sight at the muzzle of the gun, thus providing you with a more accurate aim, acquired more quickly compared to using an open sight.
To aim with an aperture sight, simply look through the rear ring sight, attempting to only focus on the front sight and the target. The ring will blur until it is almost invisible (hence the name, ghost ring sight).
The front sight should be centered in the rear ring. The greater the distance to the target, the more perfectly you need to center the front sight in the rear ring. A closer sight requires less sight precision. Aim your front sight right underneath the point you want the bullet to hit. Before firing, shift all your focus to the front sight.
How to Aim a Rifle With a Scope
aiming shooting rifle with scope barrel view Scopes provide the most accurate and easy sighting on a rifle. They allow the shooter to magnify their target for better target definition at long ranges. A scope’s most useful attribute is that everything in the shooter’s field of view is in the same optical plane. Translation: there’s no need for your eye to balance focusing on multiple objects like you do with open sights and aperture sights. You can keep both the crosshairs and the target in focus. Just aim your cross hairs at your target and shoot.
Well, I wish it were that easy. A novice shooter might notice that despite a steady hand, all their shots end up nowhere near the crosshairs of the scope. For maximum accuracy with a scope, you have to “zero” it. Zeroing a rifle is a somewhat technical process for a beginner shooter and warrants its own article explaining how to do it. I’ll do a follow-up article on how to zero a scope in the future.

Trigger Management (aka Pulling the Trigger)

To fire a gun, we often use the popular phrase “pull the trigger.” However, to fire a gun properly, you don’t actually want to pull the trigger, but rather press it in a controlled fashion so you don’t disrupt your sights. Managing the trigger on a rifle is similar to doing so on a handgun, so here’s a review of the basics we covered last time:
1. Press, don’t pull. Instead of pulling the trigger, press (or like my dad likes to say “squeeze”) the trigger straight to the rear. Apply constant, increasing reward pressure on the trigger until the weapon fires. Ensure that you’re only applying pressure to the front of the trigger and not the sides.
2. Take the slack out of the trigger. Squeeze the trigger to the point you start feeling resistance.
3. Surprise yourself. Keep pressing the trigger straight to the rear until the gun fires. Don’t anticipate when the gun will fire. You sort of want to surprise yourself as to when the gun actually discharges.
Have any other tips for the first time rifle shooter? Share them with us in the comments!
Editor’s note: This article is about how to fire a rifle safely and correctly. It is not a debate about gun rights or whether guns are stupid or awesome. Keep it on topic or be deleted.

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Special thanks goes out to Mike and the crew at U.S. Shooting Academy for their help on this article. Mike along with the U.S. Shooting Academy Handgun Manual were the sources for this article.   If you’re ever in the Tulsa area, stop by their facility. It’s top notch and the staff and trainers are friendly, knowledgeable, and super badass.

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Fieldcraft Gun Info for Rookies

I found this Primer On Deer Hunting

vintage hunter on riverbank aiming rifle

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Josh Cantrell and Kevin King.
The hunting of various species of wild deer has been a national passion and tradition for countless generations. Many Native American stories and accounts are riddled with the hunting and harvesting of whitetails. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation, in addition to numerous waterfowl and turkeys, harvested deer or “venison,” as was documented by William Bradford in his journals. Many early explorers of the West found whitetail and mule deer to be a bountiful, necessary food source for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the 20th century saw a sharp decline in the harvesting of deer due to overhunting and a decreasing population of whitetail throughout the United States. However, due to the diligent efforts of state conservation departments and responsible hunters, many states now boast close to 200,000 or more harvested deer each year. In fact, in many states deer are overpopulated and are threatening forest growth and farms and may also increase the risk of lyme disease in humans in areas where their numbers are particularly high. Responsible hunters play an important role in managing deer populations so the herds don’t stress ecosystems.
Your may have found yourself considering deer hunting at one time or another but never really knew where to start. The advantages of deer hunting are numerous:

With this primer on deer hunting, and some practice and mentoring from experienced hunters, you should be able to take to the woods with confidence in pursuit of your first in a long and happy series of deer.

Choose Your Weapon

vintage hunters in woods talking rifles leaning on trees
The first place to start with deer hunting is to decide your method. Do you want to be a rifle hunter or do you want to be an alternative methods hunter (bow, atlatl, pistol, etc.)? Many of us began as rifle hunters because it is the most accessible place to start. Since this is a beginner’s primer on deer hunting, we would recommend starting with a rifle and then branching out as your interests dictate.
When choosing a deer rifle, one must take budget and fit into account. When I recently spoke to Ken Jorgensen at Ruger Firearms he recommended that a hunter finds a rifle that:

  1. Completes the task effectively (in this case, kill a deer quickly)
  2. Fits the shooter
  3. Can be shot well

It is worth your time and efforts to go to a gun store and “try out” potential rifles. Pick up the guns, shoulder them, manipulate the actions, sight-in an object on the floor or ceiling, and just see how you like them. A few models of guns to look into as a budget-friendly starting point are:

  • Winchester Model 70
  • Savage Trophy Hunter XP
  • Weatherby Vanguard
  • Remington Model 700
  • Ruger American Rifle

To complete the task effectively in deer hunting requires a cartridge with a little punch. However, if you are unfamiliar with gun calibers, choosing the best caliber for yourself is like choosing some random battery off the shelf and hoping that it will work in your TV remote. You need the proper amount of power combined with your ability to manage recoil. A few common calibers for deer hunting are as follows:

  • .270 Winchester
  • .308 Winchester
  • .30-30 Winchester
  • .30-06 Springfield
  • 7mm Remington Magnum

All of these calibers are favorites amongst deer hunters and outdoorsmen. If you can, try to shoot these calibers before you buy one to see which you like; each cartridge almost seems to have its own personality. If you cannot shoot before committing to a rifle, read and watch as many reviews as possible to educate yourself on their uses. If you choose an adequate caliber and the gun fits you well, you have won 2/3 of the battle. All you have to do now is practice.
A great place to start when practicing is to shoot from a bench towards a stationary target, placed at 25 yards. You want to work on placing groups on the target that are all striking near the same position. Then, as you get more familiar with the gun, move your target out to 100 yards and work on the same thing. A 100-yard shot is a good place to begin as a first-time hunter. As you get more familiar with the gun, you will be able to work out to farther shot placements. However, for your first, 100 yards is a respectable distance.

Hunter’s Safety Course

Once you have acquired the gun and skills required to hunt efficiently, there is one final step of the process: becoming certified and licensed by your state conservation department. Regulations on becoming licensed vary from state to state. Most states require anyone who wishes to legally hunt with a firearm to take a hunter’s safety course. The requirements of the course, including the age at which one must be licensed, varies from state to state. The best source for this information would be your state conservation department website or a nearby conservation office.
Most hunter safety courses include a 4-hour course and a written exam. You can study for the exam online or with an instruction booklet provided by your conservation department. Then, once you have prepared for the class, simply register for your 4-hour certification course online or in person. Most of these classes are free of charge. Once you have passed your test and received certification, you are now able to purchase your permits for your hunt.
If you are not sure yet if deer hunting is for you, you might look into a short-term alternative to acquire your hunter permits. In many states, there are hunter apprentice programs that allow you to take to the field alongside another certified hunter that has completed their hunter’s safety course. This allows you to buy permits and hunt in this manner for a brief time before you take a hunter’s safety course for yourself. That way, you can decide if it is a good fit for you.
Before taking to the field, it is important to read your state’s hunting regulations thoroughly each and every year that you hunt. These regulations, due to management needs, can change annually.

Dressing for the Field

The next step is to outfit yourself with hunting gear. This is where a hunter can really lose themselves in the influx of scents, camos, and various other products that supposedly offer unlimited success. Here are the bare-bones necessities when you head into the woods on your hunt:

  • Your gun
  • Blaze orange hat and vest (wear this 100% of the time – it can save your life)
  • A box of ammunition (unless you shoot and miss a lot, this should suffice)
  • A good, sharp knife (for field dressing your deer)
  • Tall rubber gloves (for field dressing your deer)
  • A flashlight (for tracking your deer)
  • Warm gloves, hat, and jacket (for those cold November hunts)
  • Your permits (the most essential item)
  • A ziplock bag, zip tie, and a pen (depending on your state laws for tagging your game)

Finding a Place to Hunt

vintage illustration hunters in canoe deer in boat
Once you have procured all of your essentials and are now a proficient marksman, the next step is finding a place to hunt. If you are a landowner with enough land to hunt, you are in luck. If not, you need to either find some public hunting land in your area or become friends with some of your local farmers and landowners. Never hunt somewhere that you have not obtained permission to hunt. Build a good relationship with those kind enough to let you hunt and, if you are blessed with a harvest, share a portion of it with your host.
When you find land, either choose a location in a wooded area that allows for deer and other animals to pass by, or choose to hunt the edge of an open field. This is where pre-season scouting becomes very important. When hunting for the first time, we recommend hunting from ground level, but if you prefer a stand, make sure you choose one that is stable and easy to climb into with a rifle and your gear. These types of stands are called tripod stands and can be found at your local outdoor stores. These stands increase the cost of your hunt dramatically, so decide whether a stand is necessary before making the investment. The advantage to hunting out of a stand is that you are not eye level with the deer so it is harder for them to see you.
You want to make sure that your stand or ground location is along a path that deer travel frequently. Another thing that you should consider when picking your stand or hunting spot is your comfort level. If you are not able to consistently make long shots, an open field is not the place for you. You should try setting up in some hardwoods where the only shot that you can take is a close one. Make sure you arrive to your hunting location before sunrise or a few hours before sunset, so as to minimize your presence. Then, patiently wait for your game to arrive.
One way to increase the odds in your favor is to put out a salt lick, a food plot, or other attractants near your hunting spot before the season opens. These attract deer, as well as other wildlife, and make your hunting location part of their regular routine. One thing to consider when doing this, however, is the potential requirement to discontinue your attractants before the season (normally 10 days prior). Otherwise, you may be dealing with a baiting violation and a huge fine. If you take this step, be aware of all of the responsibilities involved and take the necessary precautions to ensure an ethical, legal hunt. Every state is different, so check your state’s laws about food plots and baiting. When trying to decide what would work best for you, think through your hunting situation and commitment level. It takes time, land, and discipline to plant and maintain a plot. Make sure that you are ready to make that commitment of both time and resources.

Taking the Shot

When taking a shot, you always need to wait for a deer to stand broadside, which means that they are standing perpendicular to your rifle barrel. When you can see from nose to tail, bring your sights onto the deer just behind the front shoulder, as you want to hit the lungs and/or heart. Quietly take the gun off safety, take a big breath and let it out, and evenly squeeze the trigger until the gun fires. Immediately, rack the bolt and chamber a live shell.
If you have hit your mark, watch where the deer takes off. Wait anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes before tracking and pursuing. This will give the deer plenty of time to lie down and expire. If you try to chase the deer as soon as it is shot, you are going to place unneeded stress on the animal. This will also cause more adrenaline to be produced by the deer, which will make it travel farther. The additional surge of hormones and chemicals can potentially result in your venison developing a strong “gamey” or undesirable flavor. If the deer has crossed a property line, make sure that you have permission to be on that property before pursuing. It is still considered trespassing if you are chasing a wounded animal. Make sure you know who owns all of the land around you and how to get in touch with them. It’s your responsibility to make every effort to recover any deer you shoot.

Following the Trail

To track your deer, go to the location where you think your shot connected with the animal. When you reach that location, look for the tell-tale signs of a wounded animal: ground severely torn by hooves, tufts of hair, bone fragments, and most of all, blood. At this point, many hunters put down an object, such as a hat, next to the first hint of a trail. Do your best to look for a trail of any of these materials on the ground and follow it to find your deer. If the blood becomes more plentiful, you are on the right track. If, at any time, you lose the trail, go back to the last point where you had a clear trail and track it again. Taking a buddy or a group of other hunters to help track a difficult trail can be the difference between an animal harvested and an animal wasted. (You might also consider hunting with a canine companion.)
When you come upon your deer, do so with a loaded gun, ready to put your game down if it is not yet expired. Once you have determined that your animal is down, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and breathe a sigh of successful relief. After that, it’s time to get to work.

After the Shot

vintage hunters carrying killed deer out of forest
Before dressing your game, make sure you first tag your deer. Follow the methods of tagging your game that are required by your conservation department, to the letter. Some states have you attach the permit to an antler, others have you place it in a plastic bag around the leg, and others have you tag the animal via smartphone. Make sure you are familiar with and prepared for the tagging procedures before you are out in the field.
Methods for field dressing a whitetail are varied and everyone thinks that their way is the right way. Therefore, while there are a few “essentials” when dressing a deer, to get a more specific how-to, I recommend looking at videos online or reading the literature given out by state conservation organizations.
The standard way to field dress a whitetail begins with a long incision (blade facing up) between the pelvis and the sternum, making sure not to nick the internal organs. Remove exterior genitalia and discard before cutting in a circular motion around the anus. With a short length of string, tie off the lower intestines and bladder inside the body cavity before rolling the deer over on its side to empty the contents. Some cutting will be needed to free the organs from the back. Then, cut through the diaphragm (some people split the rib cage here, as well), remove the lungs, heart, and the windpipe as high as you can reach. Then, turn your deer over one more time to drain any remaining blood left in the cavity.
At this point, you can take your deer to a meat processor and they will work up the deer for a fee. However, if you want to work it up yourself, get the deer someplace where it can be hung upside down and drained out for a few hours before quartering and butchering it, much like you would a cow. If you are doing the self-butchering method, we also recommend getting a grinder, a group of people to help, and a lot of food-saver vacuum bags. Lastly, make sure you clear out a nice big spot in the freezer for all of the great meat you are going to enjoy for months to come.

Ethics in the Woods

vintage hunter posing with deer kill
When going out in the woods in search of deer it is important that you maintain a high ethical standard of behavior. One of the best ways to do this is to practice with your weapon of choice. The more confident you are with your weapon, the more humane you will be to the deer.
Treat all the land with respect. Anything you pack in, make sure you pack it out. Unfortunately, there are hunters out there that are not interested in cleaning up after themselves. If you come upon trash (shell casings, food wrappers, discarded scents, etc.), pack out that trash as well, even though it is not your own. The more we all work to take care of our natural resources, the longer it will be there to enjoy. Make sure that safety is always at the forefront of your thinking when hunting, even if you are hunting alone. Accidents can happen when you are by yourself, so always be overly cautious and ensure that safety rules are being followed.
Lastly, don’t allow yourself to get too caught up in the technical aspects of the hunt that you forget to enjoy the experience. Deer hunting is a fun, challenging, exciting, and character-building way for you to feed your family while maintaining a tradition that spans far beyond the history of this nation and its inhabitants.
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Josh Cantrell and Kevin King are avid outdoorsmen, fishermen, hunters, and teachers in southwest Missouri.

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When you are having a REALLY BAD DAY at the office or What Should You Do If There’s an Active Shooter in the Office?

What Should You Do If There’s an Active Shooter in the Office?

 
Would you know what to do if a gunman invaded your office? THOMAS_EYEDESIGN/GETTY IMAGES

If you heard gunshots at work, would you know what to do?
Would you know the fastest escape route or the best place to hide? And if it came down to saving your own life and those of your co-workers, would you be prepared to fight back?
Media reports to the contrary, mass shootings actually are more likely to occur in places of business than schools. When the FBI studied active shooter cases from 2000 to 2013, it found that 45.6 percent of the incidents happened in areas related to commerce (like offices and malls).
This was followed by environments related to education (like schools and colleges) at 24.4 percent.

And the number of shooting incidents keeps rising: In 2000, there was one active shooter incident, resulting in seven casualties, according to the FBI; in 2017, there were 30, resulting in 729 casualties.
The FBI defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.”
The truth is that none of us really knows how we’d respond in the unlikely event of an active shooter in the office. Which is exactly why education and preparation are so important, so you’ll know what to do in such a terrifying situation.
Rob Berryman is a safety consultant with the American Contractors Insurance Group who presents frequently at risk management conferences about active shooter training and response.
One of Berryman’s favorite sayings is, “People don’t rise to the occasion. They retreat to their level of training.”
While nothing replaces a thorough, in-person training by active shooter response specialists like the ALICE Training Institute, Berryman shared some life-saving tips for how to survive an active shooter attack in an office.
His tips are organized under the active shooter survival mantra: Run. Hide. Fight.

If You Can Escape, Run

The first and best option in any active shooter situation is to escape to safety. But to do this, you first need to know all of the exits and escape routes in the office.
This is why it’s so important to plan for precisely this kind of emergency. Every worker needs to ask themselves, “If I’m at my desk, on the elevator, in the break room or in the bathroom, what’s the quickest way out?”
If the shooter isn’t yet in your area of the office, stay low and move as quickly as you can toward the nearest exit. Don’t hesitate and always keep moving.
While fleeing, prevent anyone else from entering the building. Only when you’re free and clear of the immediate danger should you call 911.

If You Can’t Get Out Quickly, Hide

This is not an “old-school lockdown,” says Berryman. Hiding does not mean passively huddling in the corner of an office. Sadly, that only makes it easier for shooters once they discover the hiding place.
Law enforcement and training experts recommend a much more “active” form of hiding intended to keep the shooter out or escape if possible.
Again, knowing the best hiding places in the office requires planning ahead. The ideal locations are rooms with thick walls that can be locked from the inside.
Cubicle walls won’t stop a bullet, and glass-walled conference rooms can be shot open. Even doors with glass panels are too risky.
Many office walls are made of thin drywall, which also is too weak to stop a bullet. Interior rooms closest to an elevator shaft tend to have thicker, reinforced walls.
If none of the rooms in your office have locks, you need to know what it takes to keep that door closed. That means knowing which doors open inward and which open outward.
Doors that open inward can be barricaded with heavy pieces of furniture (filing cabinets, refrigerators, desks) or jammed closed with a pair of rubber doorstops.
For doors that open outward, Berryman recommends tying an electrical cord around the door handle and using two or more people to pull hard on the cord to keep the door closed.
If an outward opening door has a hydraulic arm at the top, you can tie a belt tightly around the v-shaped arm and door won’t open.
“Shooters are opportunistic,” says Berryman. “They’re holding a gun, so they only have one free hand to work with. If you can secure that door using any and all means, it’ll be harder to get inside one-handed.”
Remember that hiding is still your second-best option. If your hiding place is on the first or second floor, consider escaping through a window.
That’s what saved several students’ lives during the Virginia Tech shooting. A brave teacher corralled his students out the window before the shooter breached the door.
If you need to break the window to escape, smash it from a top corner using any heavy object, including a chair, fire extinguisher or “salesman of the year” trophy.
Clear out as much glass as possible before escaping, not forgetting hanging glass shards above you. If you’re on the second floor, hang by your hands from the window ledge to lessen the distance of the fall.

If All Else Fails, Fight Back

Fighting back does not mean actively seeking out the shooter and facing him one on one. Instead, it’s the last resort if the shooter breaks into your hiding place, but one that could save many lives, including your own.
While hiding, you and your co-workers need to be ready to react quickly if that door opens. That means staying low, but not sitting or laying down on the floor. Grab anything available that you can throw at the shooter or use as a weapon.
“I challenge people to go back to their desk and find five things that can defend themselves with,” says Berryman. “Staplers, scissors, coffee mugs, anything.”
The first defense if the shooter gets through the door is to throw stuff directly at his face. Berryman, a certified self-defense instructor for the NRA, says that it’s impossible to aim when solid objects are flying at your head.
Then comes the hardest part. For the split second that the shooter is thrown off guard, everyone in the room needs to swarm him. Not just one or two people, or the biggest, toughest people, but everyone.
This is no time to go lightly or fight fair. The goal should be to incapacitate the shooter with aggressive physical force using any means necessary.
Berryman admits there’s a very real risk of somebody being shot while swarming, but the risk of doing nothing is far worse.
Again, one of the huge benefits of training and preparing for active shooter situations is that you and your co-workers are on the same page and ready, if necessary, to fight for each other’s lives.

Get Trained, Be Prepared

If your workplace doesn’t already have active shooter training and drills, let your bosses and human resources team know that it’s important.
Local law enforcement can often provide free training, or you can reach out to professional training institutes like ALICE. The Department of Homeland Security also has an excellent Active Shooter Preparedness program that includes instructional videos, training booklets, posters and more.

***Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance! Grumpy***Related image
Yeah I know, It’s Tacky but you have to admit it is amusing in a Dark Humor way. So lighten up Folks!