Category: Gear & Stuff
What I think would make for a great rifle to have in the field. As one could break it down and then put in your rucksack. To then act as a have around as a “keep out of sight camp rifle”.
Which could be used as a way to fill the pot with fresh meat. Or if need be, to be a really nasty surprise. To those who mean you harm in the field.
Grumpy
It is strange to see an article about prepping in Wired. The Science Behind Home Disaster Preparedness Kits Is a Disaster.
Wired is a Left-leaning publication, so they are all upset that “You might be telling people that they have to rely on themselves and their neighbors and not the government.”
Everybody from the Feds on down agrees you need to be prepared. But not many are.
Wired is a Left-leaning publication, so they are all upset that “You might be telling people that they have to rely on themselves and their neighbors and not the government.”
Everybody from the Feds on down agrees you need to be prepared. But not many are.
Government agencies don’t have the money to send a fire truck to every house after an earthquake or hurricane. People have to be able to help themselves.
But what to put in the kits, how many days to plan for varies widely.
A couple of years ago things got even more complicated.
In 2016 the Washington Military Department, essentially that state’s National Guard, ran an exercise called Cascadia Rising.
The idea was to simulate a response to an earthquake and subsequent tsunami emanating from the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Northwest, subject of a much-read New Yorker article from the previous year. “Cascadia Rising was a massive eye-opener,” says Karina Shagren, spokesperson for the Washington Military Department.
“We realized there would be pockets of communities that won’t receive help for several days, if not several weeks.”
Washington’s coastal communities would lose the bridges that connect them to the rest of the world. They’d have to wait for help by air or sea.
Washington State now recommends that you are prepared to be on your own for 14 days. The Federal .gov is still saying “more than 3 days.” Most people aren’t even prepared for that.
Wired gets wound up in Social Justice, worried that poor people can’t afford to prepare. But canned food, if you rotate through things you like doesn’t have to cost any extra.
You don’t need to buy expensive dehydrated food. Yes, if you need to evacuate, cans are heavy, but do your kids have a wagon? Do you have a non-electric can-opener? Do you already own some sturdy walking shoes? A backpack?
The article even makes some valid observations.
Is there stuff you should probably definitely have access to in your home?
Sure. Copies of personal identification documents. Prescription medications. A good whistle. Lightsticks.
Water purification tech. A crowbar. (The time you need a crowbar is the time you really, really need a crowbar.)
Water purification is key. You can survive quite a while without food, if you aren’t trying to march 20 miles a day. But you need water.
One of my choices is the Lifestraw. But then I have both a cistern and a pond on my property. So I have quite a bit of water. It just needs to be purified before I can drink it. (I also have other filtration systems, but this is one I like, since if I need to evacuate, I can take it with me.)
One life straw will filter 4000 liters of water. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it is better than what most people have. The Big Berkey System is on my list of things to buy. (But that list is actually quite long right now.)
I think it actually does a better job removing parasites, but I would have to redo some research. If you live in an area where you can expect rain, you can catch quite a bit of water with a clean tarp, you just need containers to put it in.
Also I’m willing to bet most people can’t start a fire, since no one smokes anymore, no one carries matches. (Flint and steel. Fire piston. Waterproof matches. Lighters.)
From –
The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
Defensive ammunition when you can’t use hollowpoints
I’ve had an interesting series of exchanges with a correspondent in New Jersey concerning the best handgun for self-defense there. Since many of my readers live in states with firearms laws that are as restrictive as NJ’s (and in some places, such as New York and Connecticut, show signs of getting even worse), I thought the subject might be of more general interest.The first point is that in New Jersey, it’s virtually impossible to get a carry permit unless you have outstandingly good political connections.
The ‘system’ there is designed to issue as few permits as possible. Furthermore, there are severe restrictions on the carrying and use of hollow-point or expanding ammunition in one’s handgun.
(That restriction doesn’t apply to law enforcement personnel, of course . . . yet another reason for resentment. If it’s good enough for cops, why shouldn’t it be good enough for honest citizens whose taxes pay those cops and buy their ammunition?)
These restrictions upset the normal calculation about what cartridge or round New Jersey gun-owners (and others suffering under similar restrictions) should use for self-defense.
These restrictions upset the normal calculation about what cartridge or round New Jersey gun-owners (and others suffering under similar restrictions) should use for self-defense.
Modern bullet technology has brought many common defensive handgun cartridges to a much higher level of performance.
However, if that technology can’t be used, cartridge effectiveness must be assessed in terms of older measurements. I’m obliged to the anonymous editor of the Firearms History blog for his very useful articles on the following systems of measurement:
- Kinetic energy
- Momentum
- Taylor KO Factor
- Thorniley Stopping Power Formula
- Hatcher Formula
- Optimum Game Weight Formula
Follow each link for more information about the formula in question. Not all are useful in a defensive context, but they’re all informative. (We’ve discussed some of them in articles here.
As an old Africa hand, I’m partial to the Taylor KO measurement as an indication of the effectiveness of solid [i.e. non-expanding] bullets.
It squares with my experience of shooting in Africa, be the target an animal or an enemy. In particular, I agree with its bias towards larger-diameter bullets when dealing with solids.)
To get back to the self-defense situation, if gun-owners are restricted in their use of expanding handgun ammunition, they have to choose the most effective cartridge available under those restrictions.
To get back to the self-defense situation, if gun-owners are restricted in their use of expanding handgun ammunition, they have to choose the most effective cartridge available under those restrictions.
That immediately argues against most smaller calibers, because (according to most of the above formulas, and also on the basis of hard-earned experience) they’re less effective than larger ones in a defensive role.
Furthermore, one of the primary advantages of smaller cartridges is that one can fit more of them into a handgun of a given size compared to larger cartridges.
However, if (thanks to restrictions on bullet technology) each cartridge is rendered less effective, more of them will be needed to neutralize an opponent than larger ones; and if magazine capacity is also legally restricted, that means that a greater percentage of your rounds will be needed per opponent than if you used larger ones.
Example: if it takes 4-5 9mm. Parabellum ball rounds to stop an assailant, and you only have 10 of them in your gun, you’ll use up to 50% of your ’rounds on board’ to stop each opponent.
If it takes 2-3 .45 ACP ball rounds to do the same thing, and you have 10 of them in your gun, you’ll be able to deal with twice the number of attackers for the same expenditure of ammunition.
Despite modern attempts to reinterpret historical data, it’s clear that throughout the blackpowder era, bigger, heavier bullets did a better job of stopping a fight in a hurry than smaller, lighter ones.
Despite modern attempts to reinterpret historical data, it’s clear that throughout the blackpowder era, bigger, heavier bullets did a better job of stopping a fight in a hurry than smaller, lighter ones.
That’s why the most widely used handgun cartridges up until the invention of smokeless powder were over .40″ in caliber; for example, the US .44-40, .44 American, .44 Russian, .44 Bull Dog, .45 Colt and .45 Schofield, and the British .450 Adams, .442 Webley, .476 Enfield and .455 Webley.
Although smokeless powder allowed the introduction of newer, smaller cartridges with similar (or improved) effectiveness compared to their blackpowder predecessors, this was not always the case.
Bigger, heavier cartridges still tended to do better than smaller ones at ending an attack, as the infamous Moro rebellion demonstrated.
It was the experience of that conflict that prompted the US Army to replace its newly-issued Colt M1892 revolvers chambered in .38 Long Colt. As General Leonard Wood reported in 1904:
“Instances have repeatedly been reported during the past year where natives have been shot through and through several times with a .38 caliber revolver, and have come on, usually cutting up the unfortunate individual armed with it. The .45 caliber revolver stops a man in his tracks, usually knocking him down.”
This led initially to the reissue of older Colt Single Action Army revolvers (the famous ‘Peacemaker’ of the so-called ‘Wild West’), and ultimately to the adoption of the renowned M1911 pistol and its .45 ACP cartridge.
It remained the US Army’s standard sidearm until the adoption of the Beretta Model 92 in 1985, and is still issued by specialist units. As late as the 1980’s, during investigations following the notorious ‘Miami Massacre‘ that sent shock-waves through US law enforcement, it’s reported that “the FBI rated the .45 ACP twice as effective as the 9 mm“.
That certainly correlates with my experience of handgun use in Southern Africa during that period.
Please note that I’m not by any means opposed to the use of smaller cartridges, provided that modern bullet technology is used.
Please note that I’m not by any means opposed to the use of smaller cartridges, provided that modern bullet technology is used.
My daily carry pistols are chambered for the 9mm. Parabellum cartridge, for reasons outlined here. I load them with either Winchester Ranger T-series 127gr. JHP +P+ or the more recent Hornady Critical Duty 135gr. JHP +P rounds, and trust both to do a good job in defense of my life if necessary.
The latter round in particular is attracting serious interest due to its performance under all likely circumstances, as outlined in this video from Hornady. It’s reported to be the only range of handgun ammo to pass every FBI test criterion with flying colors.
However, if for some reason I couldn’t carry expanding ammunition, my instant response response would be to revert to handguns chambered in .45 ACP or .40 S&W[respectively my first and second choices], loaded with the best-quality ball rounds I could find.
That’s why I keep firearms in my safe chambered for both cartridges. Furthermore, as Jim Higginbotham points out, it’s hard to make a .45 ACP bullet perform badly!
The late, great Jeff Cooper used to opine that an adequate defensive bullet in a handgun, irrespective of bullet type, shape, etc., should be at least .40″ in diameter, weigh at least 200 grains, and exit the muzzle at a velocity of at least 1,000 feet per second.
The late, great Jeff Cooper used to opine that an adequate defensive bullet in a handgun, irrespective of bullet type, shape, etc., should be at least .40″ in diameter, weigh at least 200 grains, and exit the muzzle at a velocity of at least 1,000 feet per second.
Multiplying those factors together, we arrive at a total of 80,000. If we use those factors and that total to assess the effectiveness of the most common semi-auto pistol cartridges, using ball ammunition, we can see how they stack up against each other:
- .45 ACP: .451″ x 230 grains x 830 fps (US Army standard ball) = 86,096
- .40 S&W: .401″ x 180 grains x 1,020 fps (Winchester Q4238) = 73,624
- 9mm Parabellum: .355″ x 115 grains x 1,190 fps (Winchester Q4172) = 48,582
Those values are pretty much in line with what the older measurements (referred to above) give us in terms of bullet effectiveness, and in line with extensive experience ‘on the street’.
They also bear out the FBI’s finding during the 1980’s that the .45 ACP round was about twice as effective as 9mm. Parabellum. The more modern ‘intermediate’ .40 S&W round (introduced in 1990) falls between them in performance according to Cooper’s scale.
I’m confident enough in either .40 S&W or .45 ACP ball to use them for defensive purposes if necessary. As long as I put enough of them in the right place(s), they’ll get the job done.
Of course, one can never rely on a single bullet being sufficient to stop an attacker. I’ve covered this extensively in three articles dealing with ‘The myth of handgun “Stopping Power”.’
Of course, one can never rely on a single bullet being sufficient to stop an attacker. I’ve covered this extensively in three articles dealing with ‘The myth of handgun “Stopping Power”.’
For that reason, the most effective cartridge/bullet combination should be chosen, and enough of them should be delivered to do the job.
If the magazine capacity of one’s pistol is restricted, this means that expending four or five smaller rounds on each attacker can rapidly empty one’s gun, rendering it useless until reloaded.
Far better to have larger, more capable rounds in the gun, each one as effective as possible, so that the same magazine capacity will allow one to deal with more attackers.
What handgun to carry it in? That’s very much a matter of personal preference. Some prefer the ‘old reliable’ 1911 pistol, and I certainly can’t argue as to its effectiveness.
What handgun to carry it in? That’s very much a matter of personal preference. Some prefer the ‘old reliable’ 1911 pistol, and I certainly can’t argue as to its effectiveness.
Some more modern full-size .45 ACP pistols, such as the Glock 21, the Springfield XD or the Taurus 24/7, have improved on the 1911’s limited ammunition supply, and hold 13-14 rounds.
Unfortunately, as far as my hands are concerned, this makes their grips too ‘fat’ for comfort. I prefer a narrower grip that I can grasp more firmly.
My choice is the Ruger SR45. Its magazine holds only 10 rounds, but that allows its grip to be much slimmer, making it easier for me to grasp; and the gun’s slightly greater weight helps me to absorb the cartridge’s recoil during extended practice sessions (don’t forget, I have health limitations, so that’s an important factor for me).
Some other gun writers don’t like the Ruger SR series, but I do. Ed Head, instructor, Rangemaster and former Operations Manager at Gunsite Academy, offered high praise in his review: “If I could go back in time to my Border Patrol days I would take the SR45 with me for a duty pistol. It’s that good.“
Mine have proven reliable in my hands, and it’s easy to disable their magazine safety (a feature I detest on any defensive handgun). I’ve standardized on this model as my full-size .45 ACP pistol.
In .40 S&W, I’ve standardized on the Glock Model 22 and Model 23 (just as, in 9mm. Parabellum, I’ve standardized on other Glock models).
Small .45 ACP pistols tend to be uncomfortable to shoot for extended periods, because they don’t have the heft or the weight to absorb as much recoil as larger weapons. There are many possibilities out there, ranging from the Glock 36, to Springfield’s XD-S, to Kahr’s CW45 (the model I use) and many others.
Small .45 ACP pistols tend to be uncomfortable to shoot for extended periods, because they don’t have the heft or the weight to absorb as much recoil as larger weapons. There are many possibilities out there, ranging from the Glock 36, to Springfield’s XD-S, to Kahr’s CW45 (the model I use) and many others.
I don’t normally carry a small pistol chambered for such a big cartridge, because I find it painful to practice with them for extended periods.
However, if I were denied the ability to carry expanding ammunition and/or a high-capacity magazine, I’d live with the discomfort and switch to my Kahr CW45 in a heartbeat for deep-concealment scenarios (i.e. pocket or ankle carry – I’d rely on my Ruger SR45 for ‘normal’ holster carry). I also have a Glock 27, which would be my ‘go-to’ small pistol in the .40 S&W cartridge.
One final point. Big cartridges such as the .45 ACP are relatively expensive compared to their smaller counterparts, because their manufacture consumes larger quantities of metals, propellants, packaging, etc. (and, being heavier and bulkier, they cost more to ship).
One final point. Big cartridges such as the .45 ACP are relatively expensive compared to their smaller counterparts, because their manufacture consumes larger quantities of metals, propellants, packaging, etc. (and, being heavier and bulkier, they cost more to ship).
That’s one reason why I keep on hand similar handguns chambered for smaller rounds, so that I can train with them at lower cost. For example, a Ruger SR45 can be ‘twinned’ with a Ruger SR9 for training; a Glock 22 with a Glock 17; a Glock 23 with a Glock 19; a Springfield XD-S in .45 ACP with its sibling in 9mm. Parabellum; and so on.
Over time, the savings in ammunition add up; and because the firearms are identical to one another in every important respect, training on the smaller-caliber weapons is directly transferable to their bigger brothers.
All one needs to do is fire the larger cartridge sufficiently to remain familiar with its recoil and trajectory.
Peter
Peter
I live in the Atlanta Area, and there are 2 iconic images from Atlanta, one is Delta Airlines, the other is “Coke”, They say that babies are nursed on this stuff and if you don’t drink Coke, then you must be a carpetbagger or some Yankee sympathizer. The locals take their “Coke” seriously, so seriously that every carbonated drink here in the south is called “Coke”.
The Coca-Cola trademark remains one of the most iconic brands in history, and the company behind it remains one of the wealthiest corporations in the world. The secret formula for the original flavor that makes this beverage so distinct is guarded with maximum security, as enthusiasts all over the world try to copy it.
It first started as an alcoholic drink, similar to vermouth, but switched to its non-alcohol taste which we know today in 1886, when John Pemberton, the inventor of the patent, had to step down from alcohol production due to legislative circumstances in Atlanta, where the company was seated.
But how did the brand become so influential?
Well, part of the success of the Coca-Cola company lies in its cunning use of marketing and its even more cunning use of investments. When the U.S. entered the World War II, Coca-Cola made sure to be the official drink of every GI Joe on the field. In 1941, a subsidy for servicemen was introduced, making the price of a coke bottle 5 cents, which was more than affordable at the time.
Also, Coca-Cola briefly turned its investments into weapons manufacture, operating a propellant ammunition loading plant in Talladega, Alabama.
An average of 30 railroad cars of ammunition per day was reportedly produced from their Coosa River Ordnance Plant until closure in August 1945.
The subsidy and the munition production made the company immune to war-time sugar rationing, therefore leaving the production level at its normal rate and even blossom, while their reputation skyrocketed.
The conscripted Coca-Cola employees were also used to operate the 64 newly-formed bottling factories which supplied the military with the beverage. As a result, many of the employees were granted Technical Observer status and were called the Coca-Cola Colonels, never stepping on the battlefield, due to their expertise.
They would go on to produce and distribute 10 billion Coke bottles to Allied military bases and fleets in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific.
Speaking of Africa, while fighting on the North African front, Germans would come across the typical American soft drink. Even though it was forbidden for German soldiers to consume the treat of their enemies, Coca-Cola soon earned its popularity among the members of Wehrmacht, and especially the Luftwaffe.
Allegedly, pilots would wrap Coke bottles in towels while on their sorties and attach them to the underwings of their BF109 fighter planes. This was truly an ingenious cooling method, as the altitude cooled the drink to almost freezing, which was a true refreshment in the desert sun.
A similar method was used by the American pilots in the Pacific Theater of War. They would freeze an ice-cream mixture in mid-air, and upon their return, voila―an excellent icy treat!
As for the Germans, they relied on captured Coca-Cola bottles, which reached an incredible price as contraband goods in the soldier’s black market. The flavor was truly adored by German soldiers, but this was in part due to the fact that Coca-Cola had a factory in Germany prior to the war, and the Germans weren’t all that unfamiliar with the tasty beverage.
For a decade before the war broke out in 1939, the Coca-Cola Company in Germany operated uninterrupted. Once the two countries declared war on each other, the import of the syrup necessary for production was prevented by the embargo. Germany’s new Coca-Cola factory director, Max Keith, then decided to use the potential of the factory and produce a local soft drink that would serve as an equivalent to Coca-Cola.
He gathered the experts to make a combination of fruit pomace and whey―which were ingredients classified as “leftovers”―and thus Fanta was born. The name came from the German word for “fantasy,” as it really took an imaginative effort to make anything tasty from the given ingredients.
The drink was distributed to soldiers, but due to war rationing, its flavor was often used by military and civilians alike to sweeten their food instead of sugar, which was a wartime luxurious commodity.
After the war, Coca-Cola regained its factory in Germany and continued to produce Fanta under its trademark.
During WWII, a trade embargo was established against Nazi Germany – making the import of Coca-Cola syrup difficult. To circumvent this, Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola Deutschland (Coca-Cola GmbH) decided to create a new product for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany at the time, including whey and apple pomace—the “leftovers of leftovers”, as Keith later recalled. The name was the result of a brief brainstorming session, which started with Keith’s exhorting his team to “use their imagination” (Fantasie in German), to which one of his salesmen, Joe Knipp, immediately retorted “Fanta!”
The plant was effectively cut off from Coca-Cola headquarters during the war. After the war, The Coca-Cola Company regained control of the plant, formula, and the trademarks to the new Fanta product—as well as the plant profits made during the war.
During the war the Dutch Coca-Cola plant in Amsterdam (N.V. Nederlandsche Coca-Cola Maatschappij) suffered the same difficulties as the German Coca-Cola plant. Max Keith therefore also put the Fanta brand at the disposal of the Dutch Coca-Cola plant, of which he had been appointed the official Verwalter (caretaker). Dutch Fanta had a completely different recipe from German Fanta, elderberries being one of the main ingredients.
Fanta production was discontinued when the German and Dutch Coca-Cola branches were reunited with their parent company. Following the launch of several drinks by the Pepsi corporation in the 1950s, Coca-Cola competed by relaunching Fanta in 1955. The drink was heavily marketed in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.
| September 26, 2012
Style, Style & Grooming
How to arrange good-looking clothing around the decidedly non-standard bulge of a handgun is a topic worth looking at. It’s something that a whole range of men need to think about: police detectives, security guards, entrepreneurs in dangerous countries, and even your average American civilian who prefers to be armed.
“Concealed carry” exists for a number of reasons. When you’re doing it, you want to be living up to both parts of the phrase: you want to be carrying, and have access to, a firearm, and you want it to be discreetly hidden until such time as you need it.
For some men, any jacket long enough to hide a holster is sufficient. But for most men, concealed carry needs to fit other societal expectations:
- Most plainclothes peace officers will have specific dress needs — either a respectable suit or blazer to give them out-of-uniform authority, or in some cases a disguise to help them blend into their environment.
- Security guards are almost always expected to dress professionally, as much for the comfort of their employer’s clients as anything else. Banks and government buildings need high security, but prefer a discreet man in a blazer as opposed to a uniformed, paramilitary-looking trooper looming over their customers.
- An armed civilian gets less hassle if he doesn’t fit the stereotype of an armed threat. A trenchcoat and combat boots conceal a weapon, but it doesn’t really conceal the likelihood that you’ve got a gun under there. Bringing a little men’s style into the equation makes the “concealed” part of “concealed carry” a lot more effective. Plus, it’s the law in most states that if you’re carrying heat, you conceal it. Editor’s Note: If you’re a civilian, be sure to check with your local and state laws before you begin carrying a firearm. Most states require citizens who wish to carry a firearm to obtain a concealed carry license; there also may be restrictions on where you can carry your firearm.
There are many reasons to think about both concealed carry and style in the same picture. This article lays out the quickest and best steps to making your concealed carry experience both practical and stylish:
- Step 1: Choose Your Weapon
- Step 2: Choose Your Method of Carry
- Step 3: Choose Your Outfit
- Step 4: Talk to Your Tailor
So let’s take it step by step:
Step 1: Choose Your Weapon
Concealed carry means striking a balance between firepower, ammunition, and size. You inevitably end up making a sacrifice in one area or the other — it’s more a question of personal needs and tastes than it is a matter of which is the “best” weapon.
But for choosing a handgun, which is what most men will be carrying when they carry a firearm in public, here are a few factors worth thinking about:
Magazine Size and Shape
A single-stack magazine is always easier to conceal than a double-stack.
The most important dimension of a pistol for concealment purposes is the width — how fat the barrel and the grip are. That’s what’s going to make a bulge under your clothing, more than the length or even the weight of the gun.
As a result, it’s better to have a single-stack magazine of relatively low caliber, at least in terms of concealment purposes. If that’s just not going to meet your needs in terms of firepower or ammunition, you get a slightly thicker magazine and cope as best you can.
The disadvantage of a smaller grip/magazine (aside from limiting your shots) is that a powerful handgun with a small grip has a ton of kick. The shorter the grip, the less leverage you have, making aiming trickier (especially follow-up shots after the first). A heavier frame can help compensate for a smaller magazine, and won’t alter the concealment in most holster types (though it will create more of a sag if you’re carrying it in your pocket or by another non-holstered method).
Look for a balance that suits your needs, but from a concealment standpoint do be aware that a longer grip/magazine is harder to hide, and may end up poking you depending on your carry method.
Caliber
This is one that some people have very strong feelings on. Some people will swear that you always want the maximum firepower you can carry; other people are comfortable with the idea that no bullet is a bullet anyone wants to take, and therefore even a tiny holdout pistol is plenty for self-defense.
You’ve got to make that call yourself. But the reality is, smaller caliber handguns are easier to conceal both because of the magazine size and the barrel width and length.
It’s not a universal scale — a .45 could be more concealable than a .38 depending on the shape and size of the grip and magazine — it’s just something you need to be thinking of as a firepower/concealability trade-off.
Exterior Construction
To use a very untechnical term, some guns are made with lots of “fiddly bits.”
You know what I’m talking about — everything from sighting notches to bulky safety catches to raised lettering on the barrel. Any of those is going to make the gun harder to conceal.
Weapons that are purpose-designed for concealed carry (and a number of manufacturers do have models specifically for the CC market) tend to be smooth-sided and streamlined. Look for designs with minimum “fiddly bits.” It’ll help both your concealment and your draw.
Barrel and Magazine Length
It’s a secondary consideration next to width, but the length of the pistol (in both directions) does matter. Extended magazines are hard to hide, and tend to poke you while you carry them.
Longer barrels give you range and accuracy, and longer magazines give you more shots without reloading, but the reality for most of us is that neither of those is a huge consideration. Unless you’re in an active military or paramilitary kind of situation, you — hopefully — won’t ever need more than a shot or two, even in the very worst-case scenario. Most of the time you won’t even need that.
So when possible, err on the side of a smaller weapon and magazine for the sake of concealability and comfort. It’s one of those trade-offs where you have to know your own needs, but don’t just default to the biggest magazine and longest barrel available for your handgun of choice.
Although easy to conceal, the mosquito gun is ineffective against anything larger than a squirrel.
So Which Gun is the Right One?
There’s no single right answer to that question. But, most men with concealed carry experience will recommend something along the same basic lines:
- low to mid-caliber ammunition
- single-stack magazine (or very slim-profiled revolver)
- slim grip
- short barrel
- smooth exterior
- light weight
Here are a few of the more popular models that get tossed around in discussions of concealed carry — this is by no means an exhaustive list, nor should any of these be taken as strong recommendations, but they’re good examples of the relatively broad range of options you have:
- Glock Model 19
- NAA .22 Magnum Mini-Revolver
- Kahr PM9
- Smith & Wesson M&P series
- Walther PPS
- Springfield XD
There are many more beyond these. But the important step here — and this is key — is to know which one you carry (or will be carrying) before you start planning your wardrobe around it, and especially before you have any tailor-made adjustments. You get the maximum benefit when you can have clothes tailored specifically for your gun and holster of choice.
Which brings us to our next step:
Step 2: Choose Your Method of Carry
Just like handguns, holsters come in every style imaginable. You might own one, or you might own a dozen. Depends on your needs. But for purposes of deciding what to wear and how to conceal your gun, you’ll want to know where you’re going to wear it, and in what kind of holster.
Regardless of your method of carry, one key piece of equipment is a very sturdy belt. This not only helps keep the gun in place and prevents your trousers from sagging, it’s also an important safety feature. You don’t want the holster shifting and you certainly don’t want the belt buckle popping open because of the extra weight or the jerk of your draw. Invest in something broad and made of sturdy leather or ballistic nylon. Most stores that sell holsters will also sell belts designed for them.
Paddle Holster, Hip Carry – OWB (Outside the Waistband)
- Advantages: Simple, cheap, and quick to draw
- Disadvantages: Bulky and hard to conceal
This is the most typical way for peace officers and soldiers to carry their primary handgun: a “paddle” style holster (basically the outline of the gun, with a flat “paddle” backing that rests against your body) worn at the belt line, with the pistol pointed down the thigh. The magazine points toward the rear of your body, and the grip is typically angled a bit forward.
The disadvantage for concealed carry should be obvious: it’s going to be very easy to accidentally reveal a gun that’s worn up by your front pockets. A long, loose jacket will do the trick, but as soon as you unbutton/unzip the front it only takes a stiff breeze to expose your holster.
It’s also hard to conceal the bulge if you wear a buttoned suit or sports jacket, even one tailored for the holster. You can pull it off with a small holster and a small gun, but expect to look pretty heavy around the hips when you do it.
Paddle Holster, Behind the Back – OWB (Outside the Waistband)
- Advantages: Simple, cheap, and still fairly quick to draw
- Disadvantages: Still bulky; still requires at least a jacket to conceal
An obvious solution to the hip-carry problem is to keep the same simple holster but move it to the small of your back.
This removes the problem of an unbuttoned jacket brushing back to expose the pistol. The whole back of your coat/jacket would have to flip up to reveal your firearm. It makes a suit or sports jacket much more effective concealment, especially if it’s cut a bit long in the rear. A little looseness also looks more natural on the back of your jacket than it does at the sides.
Drawing a pistol from behind your back is a bit slower than off the hip, but still not too cripplingly inconvenient. There is growing concern, however, that a gun in the small of your back can cause back injuries if you fall or are struck hard where the gun rests — many police departments mandate that nothing except soft items (gloves, CPR kits, etc.) be carried directly in the center of the back for this reason.
So while the simple paddle holster worn behind the back is an effective method of concealment, and still a favorite for a lot of concealed carriers, it comes with some safety cautions. And, of course, it requires you to sit down pretty gingerly, if at all.
Shoulder Holster
- Advantages: Decent concealment, faster draw than behind the back
- Disadvantages: Uncomfortable, easy to accidentally expose
The shoulder holster, which keeps the handgun tucked under your armpit and against your upper ribs, is a popular one with law enforcement (and one made famous by Hollywood and television cops). It’s a good choice for easy access, and only slightly slower to draw from than a holster on your hip.
Unfortunately, it’s also not that great for concealment. A suit jacket or blazer angles back toward the shoulder — you’ve usually only got a few inches between the butt of your pistol and the opening of your jacket. Unbuttoned, it’s very easy for the jacket to slide back far enough to reveal your weapon.
Typically, your draw with a shoulder holster also has to cross your body, with the barrel sweeping in almost a full semi-circle. They’re not allowed on many firing ranges for this reason — instructors and managers don’t want to risk other people being placed within the line of fire as you draw. It’s important to have very good trigger control and be careful with your safety when you’re drawing from a shoulder holster.
Due to the concealment drawbacks and need for trained habits, shoulder holsters tend to be best for people like plainclothes detectives and security guards who are being discreet, but don’t need to effectively disguise the fact that they’re carrying a weapon, and tend to have more firearms training than your average civilian.
Sheath Holster IWB (Inside-the-Waistband)
- Advantages: Good concealment, doesn’t require a jacket
- Disadvantages: Requires tailored trousers
IWB holsters (the most common name) carry the gun tucked into the trousers rather than worn outside them. They make special holsters for this, which are worth investing in. Whatever you may see on TV, don’t go tucking guns into your pants without a holster unless you absolutely have to. Most IWB holsters can be positioned anywhere on your back, allowing for basic behind-the-back carry or for something shifted to one hip or the other.
The advantage here is that you only have to hide the handle of the gun, rather than the whole thing. A smooth holster inside custom-widened trousers conceals most of the bulk for you. Just a loose T-shirt will do to hide an inside-the-waistband carry in a pinch.
The downside is that it’s an expensive and a fairly uncomfortable option. You need the tailored trousers, the specific holster, and the willingness to stand and sit with a gun barrel pointed down your rear end.
Pocket Carry
- Advantages: Good concealment, flexible positioning
- Disadvantage: Requires a small gun, concealment can vary; gun may shift
Pocket carry is what it sounds like — sticking a gun in your pocket. How effective the method is at concealment depends on how large your pockets are, how thick their lining is, and what style they are — big patch pockets with thick lining and a closing flap will hide a gun fairly effectively, while the back or hip pockets of your jeans will not.
The biggest disadvantage of carrying your gun in your pocket is that, unless you have an internal holder sewn into the pocket (which we recommend if you plan on pocket carrying regularly), the gun will shift around as you move. This can slow your draw, make the gun more likely to “print” (show its outline through the fabric), and even be a safety hazard.
If you wear a garment with large, easily-accessed pockets low on your midsection, you can position a gun for off-hand draw as well. A side-slit pocket near where your off-hand naturally falls is about as easy access as you’re going to get for emergency off-hand draw if your primary arm is incapacitated.
Many people prefer to use pocket carry for a back-up or holdout weapon, paired with another method of concealed carry for a primary weapon. If you do pocket carry, be sure that the gun is snug in the pocket, and have a tailor sew a holder into the interior if necessary. You don’t want your gun falling out, or to go to draw it and find it upside down and backwards in your pocket.
Ankle Holster
- Advantages: Excellent concealment
- Disadvantages: Very slow draw, limited to the smallest handguns
An ankle holster is a traditional holdout option for very small handguns. It requires nothing fancier than boot-cut jeans to conceal, and may even be missed by careless pat-downs. But it limits you to little more than a derringer (though some police carry sub-compacts, usually in specially-tailored trousers), and takes several seconds to draw from, making it a backup option rather than a primary method of carry for most men.
Holdout holsters can also be strapped to a forearm, inner thigh, or other unusual point for maximum concealment. Again, however, these are difficult to draw from and can only conceal the very smallest handguns out there.
Step 3: Choose Your Outfit
Once you know what gun you’re going to carry and where you’re going to carry it, you’re ready to plan an outfit that both conceals the weapon and looks sharp on you.
Different men have different sartorial needs, just as they have different firearm needs. The good news is, there’s a concealing outfit for every standard of dress from James Bond’s tuxedo all the way down to cargo pants and a T-shirt.
Business Concealed Carry
Suit-and-tie concealed carry is more common than you might think. Businessmen who travel frequently like to take personal protection along with them, and some politicians actively advertise their habit of carrying a weapon as a matter of principle as well as protection.
Can you spot the handgun’s print?
Happily for all of them, a business suit is a fairly effective method of concealment. It’s actually one of the better options out there, short of a full length coat. You can use pretty much every type of holster:
- Paddle on the hip (with the jacket buttoned; jacket should be tailored for the bulge)
- Paddle behind the back (a long jacket easily conceals the whole thing)
- Inside the waistband (practically invisible under a jacket)
- Shoulder/armband holster (concealed as long as the jacket’s buttoned)
- Ankle holster
The biggest consideration for a man in a suit is usually whether he needs to be able to take the jacket off or wear it unbuttoned. An unbuttoned suit jacket can still conceal either kind of behind-the-back carry, and of course a holdout, but will probably reveal a holster on the hip or under the arm if the wearer moves much.
Men who need to be able to take their jacket off and still keep a weapon hidden should wear trousers tailored for inside-the-waistband carry and a shirt with a long, loose back that can be untucked or draped over the butt of the gun.
Three-piece suits are also popular with concealed carriers — the waistcoat can be cut deliberately long to hide an inside-the-waistband carry.
If you’re actually likely to be in any sort of combat situation, be sure to swap a clip-on tie with a breakaway clip for the hand-tied version. They’re not quite as nice-looking, but someone who’s working as a bodyguard or security officer doesn’t need to be offering a free chokehold to potential assailants.
Business-Casual Concealed Carry
A step down from the suit and tie look, business casual is the style preferred by most men who carry a handgun as part of their job — plainclothes cops, body guards, security guards, and so forth. A business casual outfit looks respectable and often includes a conveniently concealing jacket, making it all around useful for people in that sort of line.
Civilians should also take advantage of the blazer-and-slacks combination. It gives you plenty of places to conceal a weapon, and it has the added advantage of making you look well-dressed relative to the average guy on the street. People looking at you are going to be thinking, “Hey, he looks sharp,” not, “Hmm, I wonder if he’s carrying a gun.”
A sport coat or blazer jacket and long trousers of any kind offer basically the same concealment as a suit jacket. You also have the option of wearing either an unmatched “odd vest” or a longer sweater vest, either of which will hide the handle of a gun worn inside the waistband without the need for a jacket.
Dress-casual concealed carry can be made to look quite casual — think Dirty Harry, Miami Vice, or Steve McQueen in Bullitt, all of which feature shoulder-holstered policemen in jackets and sharp shirts.
Of course, if you’re planning on serious physical activity or movement, don’t expect a suit jacket or blazer to provide much concealment. But presumably at the point where you have to sprint, concealment is no longer the chief priority.
Casual Concealed Carry
If there’s no dress code to observe, you can wear almost anything that conceals a weapon. That said, don’t default straight to baggy jeans and an untucked T-shirt — it works, but it doesn’t do much to disguise the fact that you could be armed, and it’s neither as practical nor as attractive as some of your other options:
- Concealment jackets – These are coats made by arms manufacturers (or affiliates) specifically for concealed carry. SIG makes one designed to look like your basic work jacket, similar to a Carhartt or Dickies, making it very unobtrusive almost anywhere in America. Concealment jackets have large internal pockets, usually Velcro-sealed, with loops or hooks for a handgun. They’re great for outdoors concealed carry, but get both uncomfortable and obviously out of place if you’re indoors for any length of time.
- Leather jackets – A classic style and excellent concealment, opt for one that’s on the longer and looser side. Bomber-style jackets are perfect for concealed carry, since they have a padded lining that conceals bulges and a longer waist than moto-style jackets.
- Denim or wool coats – Lightweight coats are comfortable most of the year and can conceal any style of holster except the paddle (longer coats will even cover that). Just be cautious of tight-fitted waists, typical on jean jackets, unless you know you’re going to be using a shoulder holster exclusively.
- Safari/photographer’s vests – The thigh-length, multi-pocketed vest typical among journalists and photographers is an ideal concealed carry garment. It’s long enough to hide holsters at the waistband, thick enough to disguise bulges, and features plenty of pockets for ammunition or even a smaller holdout weapon. There’s a reason they’re popular with people traveling in rough countries — that said, they’re also the most recognizable “concealed carry” garments, and may draw attention from people looking for concealed weapons.
- Casual shirts worn untucked – Just a plain white dress shirt is plenty of concealment if you’ve got an inside-the-waistband holster. Wear any sort of collared or uncollared shirt loose and untucked and you’ve got enough concealment to hide the grip of a handgun from casual observation. It’s a good option when you’re carrying in places where a jacket or blazer would be conspicuously overdressed. Remember the guayabera shirts we just wrote about?
- Sweatshirts/hoodies – These are pretty much everywhere, and they add plenty of bulk around the waist that can hide even a large handgun. Just be aware that men over 30 wearing a hoodie look like they’re trying a little too hard. It’s good gun concealment, but it’s not magical urban camouflage that will make people think you’re from the streets if you’re not. To learn more about your options check out this classic AOM article on sweater styles for men.
Step 4: Talk to Your Tailor
Bizarrely, this is the step most men skip — even though the cost of alterations is usually less than the cost of a holster, and certainly less than a decent handgun.
Don’t skip it.
A single purpose-made garment is better concealment than any half-dozen layers of unaltered clothing. Tailors have their jobs for a reason.
The key here is to find a tailor who’s willing to work specifically on concealed carry issues. Always ask ahead of time — it’s very bad form to walk into a stranger’s shop and pull out a gun unannounced, even for demonstration purposes. Set up an appointment ahead of time and make it clear that you’ll be bringing a gun.
Some basic changes a tailor can make that go a long way in concealed carry include:
- An extra layer of canvas and lining in the jacket increases stiffness, which reduces the “print” the gun makes through the outer fabric.
- Extra length in the back (you can usually get away with up to an extra inch before it starts to look odd) helps keep a paddle holster concealed when you move or raise your arms.
- Small armholes make the jacket rise less when you move your arms, making them good for paddle holsters. Large armholes, on the other hand, help hide a shoulder holster, and the hem of the jacket lifting doesn’t affect shoulder carry. Pick whichever you need for your holster.
- Small pockets can be added inside the lining at the bottom front corners. You can slip a fishing weight or large coin into the pocket to help keep the jacket in place as you move, preventing any inadvertent holster-flashing.
- If you’re planning on pocket-carrying, a small cloth sling or loop can be added inside the pocket to hold your pistol at the proper angle and keep it from sliding around.
- Select a textured fabric to help break up lines, especially if you carry a bulkier gun. Herringbone, birdseye, and rough tweed all help reduce the visibility of the outline. Stay away from stripes, which emphasize any bulges.
- A stiffened rod or strap can be sewn into the front edge of the jacket, making it easier to flip out of the way when you do draw but keeping it lightly weighted down at all other times.
- Extra pockets can be added to any garment for spare ammunition. If you plan on carrying one specific type of magazine, bring an empty along and have the pocket made to fit it.
- Get a tight-fitted shirt if you use a shoulder holster, to prevent the holster from tugging loose fabric into conspicuous wrinkles across the front of your body.
A good tailor will always take the measurement of the gun itself and of you wearing the gun. Be sure to have all components in place, especially if it makes a difference in size.
Once you have a jacket and trousers (or other garment) tailored for concealed carry, the rest is in your personal style and mannerisms. Carry yourself calmly and with confidence, and dress tastefully but blandly, and you should be able to slip past everyone’s notice without the possibility that you’re armed ever crossing their mind.
The worst thing a concealed carrier can do is fiddle with his clothing, especially where the gun is hidden, so keep your hands at your side and try to look bored. In the ideal concealed carry situation, no one knows you have a gun until you’re using it — and if you’re lucky, that means no one ever knows you have a gun.
Thank You
I would like to extend a big thank to the many law enforcement professionals, military men, and citizens whom I consulted with on this article.
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Written by Antonio Centeno, Founder Real Men Real Style
Want to learn more about style? Watch my men’s style videos here.
Eucalyptus Now
Over at Shooting Times, Rick Mann looks at what he considers to be the four best SHTF rifles — what he terms “Apocalypse-Ready Rifles” — and has devised a test to determine which one is best.
I’m not going to pick holes in his test — it seems quite adequate — and I actually agree with his rationale (e.g. “Granted, cataclysmic conditions of ruin can run the gambit from a camping trip gone bad to total anarchy.” )
As I’m unlikely ever to go on any camping trip which doesn’t include the words “Holiday Inn”, I’m not going to pick two of his choices (the .30-30 lever rifle and the .308 Win boltie), fine weapons though they may be. No, from where I’m sitting, the most likely scenario is civil breakdown and disorder caused by natural disasters (which could likely cause prolonged power outages, food shortages and such), or else a truly bad situation like a BLM- / Antifa-inspired riot. In both cases, what’s needed is something for home / property defense (if caught in a riot), and something which would also allow me to do things like pay a visit to a local supermarket for a little un-monetized food collection (the fancy term for looting).
Well, you all know my first choice:
…and if I ever wanted to get fancy, I could always improve the crappy iron sights on the AK with some kind of red-dot sighting apparatus, thus:
I know, some people are going to prefer the Waffen Durch Plastik AR-15, and while I deplore the choice (I mean, all that plastic… think of the environment, people!), I’ve come to the point of view that you go with what you feel comfortable using — and as most gunnies of my acquaintance have served in the dot.mil (e.g. Doc Russia, Combat Controller etc.), the AR would be a logical choice for them.
(Over The Pond, and following his service in the Paras, Mr. Free Market’s rifle of choice would no doubt be the FN-FAL — or whatever the Brits called it — but sadly, H.M. Government says that the icky things are Just Too Dangerous or some such nonsense, so he’d have to be content with picking off fuzzy-wuzzies from his rooftop with his trusty Blaser R8 .300 Win Mag. I for one would pay money to be able to watch that.)
Where was I? Oh yes, the SHTF rifle choices.
I have to say that for my Readers who live in rural areas, where one could forage for dinner amidst the wild beasties who frolic in the fields, the .308 bolt rifle would be an outstanding choice — although I’d probably choose a .300 Win Mag chambering instead — and if the terrain is heavily wooded, the .30-30 lever rifle would be equally effective.
Mann’s observation about ammo is, I think, quite on the mark:
I’m not going to pick holes in his test — it seems quite adequate — and I actually agree with his rationale (e.g. “Granted, cataclysmic conditions of ruin can run the gambit from a camping trip gone bad to total anarchy.” )
As I’m unlikely ever to go on any camping trip which doesn’t include the words “Holiday Inn”, I’m not going to pick two of his choices (the .30-30 lever rifle and the .308 Win boltie), fine weapons though they may be. No, from where I’m sitting, the most likely scenario is civil breakdown and disorder caused by natural disasters (which could likely cause prolonged power outages, food shortages and such), or else a truly bad situation like a BLM- / Antifa-inspired riot. In both cases, what’s needed is something for home / property defense (if caught in a riot), and something which would also allow me to do things like pay a visit to a local supermarket for a little un-monetized food collection (the fancy term for looting).
Well, you all know my first choice:
…and if I ever wanted to get fancy, I could always improve the crappy iron sights on the AK with some kind of red-dot sighting apparatus, thus:
I know, some people are going to prefer the Waffen Durch Plastik AR-15, and while I deplore the choice (I mean, all that plastic… think of the environment, people!), I’ve come to the point of view that you go with what you feel comfortable using — and as most gunnies of my acquaintance have served in the dot.mil (e.g. Doc Russia, Combat Controller etc.), the AR would be a logical choice for them.
(Over The Pond, and following his service in the Paras, Mr. Free Market’s rifle of choice would no doubt be the FN-FAL — or whatever the Brits called it — but sadly, H.M. Government says that the icky things are Just Too Dangerous or some such nonsense, so he’d have to be content with picking off fuzzy-wuzzies from his rooftop with his trusty Blaser R8 .300 Win Mag. I for one would pay money to be able to watch that.)
Where was I? Oh yes, the SHTF rifle choices.
I have to say that for my Readers who live in rural areas, where one could forage for dinner amidst the wild beasties who frolic in the fields, the .308 bolt rifle would be an outstanding choice — although I’d probably choose a .300 Win Mag chambering instead — and if the terrain is heavily wooded, the .30-30 lever rifle would be equally effective.
Mann’s observation about ammo is, I think, quite on the mark:
Sustainment for months is unlikely, so being able to “pick up” ammo—while potentially important—is not a realistic necessity. What’s more important is how much ammo you can comfortably carry.
Here’s my take: outside the scenario of actual guerilla warfare (ain’t gonna happen, not in this country, Red Dawn fantasies notwithstanding), you aren’t going to run out of ammo. Seriously, if you think you’re going to need more than a couple-three magazines for your rifle, what you need is not more ammo but more people to support you. Myself, I could not see myself taking the AK for an outing with any more than two 20-round magazines. Ammo is heavy, Bubba, and I’m not young and fit anymore. More than two, and I’d keep them in the car instead. The amount of ammo on hand is another story, of course, but you all know my “500” rule — a minimum of 500 rounds per gun (with an exception for exotic calibers like .375 H&H or 7mm Jap).
All this is fun to wargame out, isn’t it? Even though it is an unlikely scenario, I try not to wander too deep into the Gun Dork Forest, because that’s like drawing up a comprehensive financial plan for when you win the $100-million lottery: fun, but after a certain point it’s just wasting time.
I do think, however, that some planning is not only necessary, it’s prudent. You don’t want to be like those morons in New Orleans who, when Hurricane Katrina was about to come calling, arrived at the shelters carrying nothing but a Pepsi Big Gulp. In a dire SHTF situation, my plan involves staying in place and defending the apartment. If that’s untenable, then I’ll be loading my Grab ‘n Go* tubs, emergency water cans and the necessary guns and ammo into the Tiguan, and making my way over to Doc Russia’s fortress house.
Call me unprepared if you will, but I’m not a dummy.
*Yes, I still have them, just with fresh supplies. If anyone’s interested, I’ll post pics of them some other time, after I’ve moved.
by | August 15th, 2016
In the beginning, man had a rock, and man was hungry. Then a club came along, and that helped. And then spears, atlatls, bows and arrows, and, finally, gunpowder. For the most part, man is no longer hungry.
For millennia hunters have been striving to increase their reach, to find a better tool for bringing home the bacon. I grew up hunting the Rockies with a handmade flintlock muzzleloader and traditional archery gear, and believe me, I understand the necessity of getting close.
But when it comes time to find winter meat to feed the family, I reach for a powerful and accurate rifle that gives me as much reach as possible because in the West you often get only one opportunity. And if driven to choose between the ethics of letting my kids go without elk meat for a winter or taking a long shot, I’ll take the long shot.
The Hunting Bullet Challenge
Killing humanely at long range (I’ll leave “ethically” out of this) requires specialized rifles, optics, and, especially, bullets.
Early jacketed bullets had soft lead cores and thin jackets, and when big cartridges began hammering them into heavy-boned elk and moose at magnum velocities, they often failed spectacularly.
Most commonly, they would fragment into nothing and neglect to inform the big critter’s vital organs that it was quitting time. Along came John Nosler and a very big, very alive Alaskan moose that wanted to stay that way. After an unsatisfying encounter, Mr. Nosler came away thoroughly disenchanted with conventional bullets.
This happened in 1946, and shortly thereafter John became a bulletmaker and introduced the Partition, a now-legendary controlled-expansion bullet that created the benchmark by which game bullets are measured and which inspired bullet development among competitors. Hunters benefitted greatly. Deer, elk, and moose not so much.
With the advent of laser rangefinders that reliably read past 400 yards, a new world opened up to hunters—along with a whole slew of complex bullet performance issues. While a good rifleman with an accurate rifle could laser the distance, dial the scope, and hit the target with admirable consistency, the bullets he had at his disposal were fickle on impact.
As it turned out, few hunting bullets were very streamlined. Courtesy of air friction, they ran out of steam quickly, a very bad thing when maintaining velocity in order to buck the wind effectively and hitting big game hard is desirable. Worse yet, at long range conventional hunting bullets often had lost so much velocity that they didn’t expand on impact.
Even when put squarely through the lungs, it takes a big bull elk a while to notice a bullet hole the size of a knitting needle.
Match projectiles designed for long-range competition were much more aerodynamic, bucking the wind admirably and maintaining velocity, so they hit authoritatively way out there. On small-bodied game such as Coues deer and on bigger stuff at quite-far distances, match bullets performed well for far-sighted hunters. But the gods of hunting rained hell, misery, and body parts on hapless hunters that shot nearby game with such projectiles.
At up-close velocities, those thin-jacketed match bullets tended to grenade like a varmint bullet and often failed to penetrate through shoulder muscle and bone. And so the search for the ultimate long-range hunting bullet was on.
Desirable characteristics were:
- Superb aerodynamics, which in bullet form are measured in ballistic coefficient (BC).
- Match bullet-like accuracy: to hit deer-size vitals at extreme ranges, extreme precision is imperative.
- Reliable expansion at low impact velocities.
- Adequate weight retention/bullet integrity during close, high-velocity impact to ensure penetration to the vitals.
Combining all four of these desirable elements is beyond difficult, specifically because easy expansion (No. 3) and toughness (No. 4) are opposites. “Soft” bullets that expand easily at low velocity require thin jackets that don’t inhibit mushrooming.
Tough bullets need thick jackets to prevent core annihilation during close, fast impacts. Bonding helps bullets hold together, but is very difficult to do consistently enough to maintain precise accuracy. Accurate bullets almost demand thin jackets that can be built with extreme consistency and that take rifling easily.
It’s a daunting set of demands to place on one bullet.
Before moving on, let’s take a more in-depth look at each of these four desirable characteristics.
Ballistic Coefficient
In simple terms, BC is the measure of a bullet’s aerodynamics and predicts how well it overcomes the air friction it encounters during flight. Commonly displayed in terms of a decimal number, BC predicts how a given projectile will perform compared to a theoretical “standard” projectile.
“With the advent of laser rangefinders that reliably read past 400 yards, a new world opened up to hunters—along with a whole slew of complex bullet performance issues. While a good rifleman with an accurate rifle could laser the distance, dial the scope, and hit the target with admirable consistency, the bullets he had at his disposal were fickle on impact.”
What you really need to know is that most common hunting bullets have a BC of between .320 and .450. Good long-range bullets have much higher BCs, ranging from .550 up to .700 (which is obscenely good).
This is for the most common “G1” model. There’s another standard—the “G7” model—that is gaining in popularity, but that’s another topic.
Why is a high BC so important? The answer is threefold. A bullet that slips through the air easily will maintain velocity better and higher downrange velocity means more energy on impact. Less flight time to the target means the wind has less time to push the bullet off course. And of critical importance: Less lost velocity typically means better bullet performance on impact.
Match-Bullet Accuracy
If you’re going to poke at big game out past 400 yards, you need a bullet that will shoot sub-MOA (basically an inch or less at 100 yards) and preferably ½ MOA. When adrenaline, field positions, wind, and limited time elements are thrown in, you need forgiveness, and there’s no better way to get it than to shoot a superbly accurate bullet in your precision rifle.
Unfortunately, hunting bullet jackets must have thick bases, or they fragment violently and rapidly. The thicker the jacket, the harder it is to produce consistently. Accuracy suffers. Modern manufacturing techniques are slowly refining thick-jacket methods that provide sufficient accuracy, but it’s a time-consuming, attention-demanding process.
Reliable Low-Velocity Expansion/Adequate Weight Retention
Hunting bullets are designed to expand on impact yet hold at least partially together within an engineered velocity window. The expansion is critical for tissue damage, the weight retention for penetration.
If a bullet impacts going faster than designed, complete fragmentation usually results. If slower, little or no expansion occurs at all. Both results are unacceptable.
Purpose-built long-range bullets, from left: Barnes LRX, Nosler AccuBond Long Range, Berger VLD Hunting, Hornady ELD-X.
Maximizing that velocity window—for instance, from a performance parameter of 2,000 fps to 2,800 fps to a parameter of 1,600 fps to 3,000 fps—is extremely difficult, yet of critical importance. It’s the Golden Fleece of long-range hunting bullet engineers.
Various bullet manufacturers have attempted to solve this dilemma in several ways, almost all of which are compromises. Barnes’s LRX, Nosler’s AccuBond Long Range, Berger’s VLD Hunting, and Hornady’s new ELD-X are all worth careful study, but again, that’s a topic for another time.
400 Yards: The Inside/Outside Equation
Now, it’s important to note that inside 400 yards, most conventional, standard-construction, medium-BC hunting bullets work fine. Past that, do your time studying and choose the right bullet for the game you plan to hunt and, most importantly, practice in field conditions until you know without a doubt just how far you can reliably put that bullet into the vitals.
Read more: http://www.petersenshunting.com/ammo/a-dummies-guide-to-long-range-hunting-bullets/#ixzz4yLiQezpW
