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All About Guns Fieldcraft Some Red Hot Gospel there!

Classic Carry Guns – Give Used Guns a Shot by TRAVIS PIKE

Used guns are a great way to shop for a bargain-priced self-defense pistol. As we accept more modern guns with modern features, like rails, optics, and ambidextrous controls, we can find guns that lack those features for a relatively fair price. That’s why we’ve come to the classic carry gun corner to find you an option for a great handgun at a great price.

Table of contents

The Problem With Classic Carry Guns

Before I gush over some quasi-retro firearms, let’s be real here. There are some downsides to these classic carry guns. Most of them are heavier and bigger than modern guns. There is a reason that the P365 was so revolutionary. These older guns are not as efficient.

The biggest downside will come from trying to find a holster. Old guns aren’t typically addressed by modern holster manufacturers. This can limit you significantly in your holster selection. That can make carrying some of these classics a chore or require a custom holster to be made.

All that being said…

The Best Classic Carry Guns

Beretta 80 Series

Beretta recently revived the 80 series with the 80X, but the classic 80 series are still some classic carry guns. The 80 series is made up of a mix of .22LR, .380 ACP, and .32 ACP handguns. The most popular is the .380 Model, which consists of the 83, 84, 85, and 86 models. These are small, compact firearms but are not pocket pistols. They are incredibly well-made and very easy to shoot.

Their ergonomics are on point and are some of the best examples of what a metal-framed gun can be. They have that Beretta M9 style shape, with much thinner grips that make the gun easier to conceal and more accessible to those with small hands. They are hand-filling guns, and that makes them quite easy to control. Capacity varies between thirteen and seven rounds depending on caliber and design. Beretta made various models in both single and double-stack capacities.

The Beretta 80 Series seem out of date until you start shooting. They are all fairly light recoiling and very easy to control. They don’t beat your hand up like a .380 Pocket pistol and are much easier to control than even a P365 in 9mm. Guns like the Beretta 81 offer a .32 ACP option with very little recoil for those who might be recoil-sensitive. The .22LR options are silly soft to shoot. These are all top-of-the-line classic carry guns.

Beretta makes legendary firearms, and you’d have a hard time finding one that didn’t work well. These guns might be past their prime and seem old school, but they are very easy to handle and fun to shoot. They are more akin to the Shield EZ series, especially the 86 with its tip-up barrel.

The Ruger P Series

The P series might have been the series of firearms that established Ruger as a company that makes tanks for guns. They might be ugly, but they are 100% functional, incredibly reliable, and last forever. The Ruger P series guns are still kicking around and are still quite affordable. I run across these guns for less than 300 dollars all day long, and they still represent self-defense-worthy handguns.

The P series is fairly broad. You can pick from numerous models in various calibers, including 9mm, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The P Series lasted from 1985 all the way up to 2013. Over that time, there were tons of variants. The P85 through P944 used investment cast metal frames, and the P95 and beyond used a polymer frame. The modern polymer frame models also feature a rail system.

These are pure ’80s guns. They feature the hammer fire design that was popular for the era. The gun has a combined de-cocker and safety that was ambidextrous. They are fairly simple guns but were quite easy to shoot and handle. The guns feature modern capacities and, outside of the .45 ACP, used double-stack magazines.

They aren’t fancy, they aren’t pretty, but they do function well. If you can get past their blocky design and ugly frames, you can have a very capable firearm for very little money. I’d choose a Ruger P series over most modern budget options. If you are looking for a more carry-friendly option, the P94 and P95 offer compact options for a tank-like classic carry gun.

Smith and Wesson 3rd Gen Guns

Smith and Wesson produced a number of semi-auto handguns from 1913 onward, and in the late 1980s, they arrived at what is collectively known as the third-generation pistols. These represent the last line of S&W automatics to use all metal frames, DA/SA hammer-fired actions, and a mix of double and single-stack magazines. They were quite popular with police forces and remain a great option these days.

Some are more expensive than others. The S&W 1006 and 1026 in 10mm, for example, are not cheap options. However, the 5906, the various 900 series guns, and even the 4506 tend to be fairly affordable and easy to find. These third-gen guns come in all the big calibers, including 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W, and, of course, the aforementioned 10mm. What’s a gun from the late 80s and early 90s without a 10mm chambering?

These heavy steel guns might weigh you down a fair bit, but they can still be fantastic classic carry guns and home defense options. S&W produced some small subcompact models, including the various 9mm subcompacts like the 908 and 3914, and basically every model that starts with 39. These are still quite compact, and while unusual in today’s era, they still last for basically ever.

If you find a lack of Picatinny rails disturbing, then the TSW models might be for you. These guns feature a nice metal rail for all the accessories you could ever need, but the TSW models tend to call for a higher price on the used market.

Smith and Wesson SW99 – Classic Carry Option

Let’s stick with S&W because they’ve been around a long time, and they have a wide variety of pistols in their lineup. In the late 1990s, it was apparent that polymer-frame, striker-fired guns were going to be the dominant force in firearms. S&W had already tried to produce one in the budget-friendly Sigma series but got sued by Glock. Plus, the Sigma series weren’t duty-ready guns. S&W teamed up with Walther to produce an S&W pistol.

Kind of an S&W pistol, anyway. It’s a Walther P99 with a standard rail. The SW99 and P99 are nearly identical, and the SW99 came in both 9mm and 40 S&W, like the P99, but the SW99 also got the 45 ACP. These polymer frame pistols were a joint effort. Walther made the frames, and S&W made the slides and barrels. Like the P99, these are one of the very few DA/SA guns that are striker-fired. A decocking button sits on the top to instantly toss it back to double action only.

The SW99 trigger is absolutely fantastic. The DAO is super smooth, and while heavy, it glides rearward. The single action is crazy light and absolutely fantastic. It’s a great setup that I wish was a bit more common. I really like the striker-fired DA/SA design. Sadly, the SW99 is one of the very few options out there.

What’s great is that the SW99 remains affordable. Walther fans want P99s, and guns like the P99 compact are fairly tough to find. However, the SW99 compact is easy to find and fairly cheap. These guns use Walther mags, and they tend to be fairly common. This is one of my favorite classic carry guns.

Glock Trade-Ins

Finally, another great option is the great many Glock police trade-ins out there. Glock pistols dominate the law enforcement market, and with a new generation of Glock getting out there and with competition from SIG, used Glocks are hitting the market hard. Glocks are great guns that last forever and are well-reputed for their durability, reliability, and general effectiveness.

A lot of these Glock pistols are the .40 S&W models that have been traded in for the great 9mm influx. Plenty of Glock 22s are floating around at a great price. Additionally, the Glock 23 and 27 are popular trade-ins. In 40 S&W, these guns can be found for less than 400 dollars. That’s a great price for a very reliable weapon, even if you have to deal with 40 S&W.

With that said, we do see some 9mms coming in and out, and these are great grabs. The desirability of 9mm does create an increased cost, but they are still fairly affordable firearms all around. Glock trade-ins are a great way to get a great handgun for a low price. If you see one, act quickly because they tend to sell fast.

Giving Used Guns a Chance

The used gun market is nothing like other used markets. Used cars can be a gamble. Used furniture is for the insane, but used guns are a great choice. When something is wrong, it’s easy to see. Cracks in frames, bad bores, and the like don’t hide easily. Typically, used guns are rarely shot, but they often have a chunk of their price squirreled away.

A used gun allows you to get a great gun at a budget gun’s price. Sure, they might not always have rails, night sights, or be optics ready, but they go bang and do so reliably.

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THE GREAT BEYOND WRITTEN BY WILL DABBS, MD

Hadrian’s Wall was the demarcation between civilization and the barbarians.
It separated control from chaos.

 

I’m currently perched atop Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England near the Roman fort of Vindolanda. The weather is uncharacteristically pleasant. That means I can extract my laptop without electrocuting myself in a rain storm. It’s the off season, so there are relatively few people around.

I sit on these craggy rocks and peer north, imagining what the poor shmucks who built this thing must have thought some two millennia ago. The wall itself is 73 miles long and includes sixteen integral forts. The entire edifice is comprised of millions — no billions — of hand-hewn stones meticulously stacked and held together with cement made from cooked limestone. Begun as a result of an edict by the Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD, his eponymous wall remains a truly breathtaking thing even today.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, this was the literal edge of the world. The Romans had pushed out as far as they were physically able and then just declared enough was enough. The wall demarcated the line between Roman Britannia to the south and Caledonia to the north. While Hadrian’s Wall never has been the national boundary between England and Scotland, it is close. It seems nobody ever quite successfully domesticated the Scots.

And that is what is so fascinating about this place. I sit here reverently listening to the wind whistle softly around. In the distance, a veritable sea of windmills stand in mute testament to the UK’s commitment to green energy solutions for a safer, cleaner tomorrow. Nearly two millennia ago, however, this place would have seemed very, very different.

 

Behold the abyss. This is the view north from atop Hadrian’s Wall. Roman legionaries
some 2,000 years ago would have looked at the same scene with trepidation, respect, and fear.

 

The typical Roman legionary stood five foot seven. He was expected to carry nearly 100 pounds on a 20-mile forced march spanning five grueling hours in all manner of weather. And that is without Gortex snivel gear, Danner boots or MOLLE load-bearing equipment. Organized into 80-man centuries and 5,000-man legions, Roman military formations quite efficiently conquered the entire known world. Yet those who sat atop this wall stared north, and they were afraid.

What stretched north beyond the wall was an abyss, a dark void that consumed soldiers without pity or remorse. Little was known about that place or those who inhabited it, save for that they were fearsome. It was a bit like outer space is today. It was unconquered, unfathomable, and intimidating, so Hadrian just built a wall to keep it at bay.

We humans build walls — both physical and metaphorical — for lots of different reasons. Such is entirely appropriate. If one of my rural neighbors chose to amass a modest saltwater crocodile collection, I’d welcome some kind of barrier between his space and my own. It is likewise eminently sensible to secure one’s national borders. This deep into the Information Age, a great deal of mischief in the form of criminals, terrorists, drug runners, and human traffickers can be found transiting porous unsecured borders. However, there is also a timeless drive to erect psychological boundaries that differentiate what we know from what we do not. The unknown is timelessly terrifying. This is part of the human condition.

 

 

In A.D. 122, it was the barbarian savages to the north of the wall. Today, it is that inky black spot between the stars on a dark moonless night. Hadrian built his wall because he feared what he did not understand. We modern humans boldly proclaim that we have outgrown God when in reality we cannot even explain whatever it is that resides above our heads 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That inky black spot goes on forever. It never, ever stops. This is undeniably terrifying if we allow ourselves to dwell on its particulars unduly. I personally love that.

That simple observation seems to so perfectly put human scientific endeavor in its proper context. We understand a great deal about what we can touch and feel. However, you get just outside our metaphysical boundaries and the universe becomes even bigger and more unfathomable than it ever was in Hadrian’s day. Even this deep into the Information Age, we still remain so terribly small.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, a young Roman legionary sat on this self-same spot and cerebrated upon the same sorts of stuff I am pondering today. He was no doubt younger and more fit, but he dreamt of peace, home and stability — the same things that drive my train. As I sit here, comfortably typing atop Hadrian’s Wall, I am simply struck by how little about the human experience ever actually changes.

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Some Red Hot Gospel there! Some Scary thoughts

THE ENTERPRISE OF DEATH WRITTEN BY WILL DABBS, MD

32

The mechanism really doesn’t make all that much difference, the end result is the same.

It really doesn’t matter what you did. By this point, none of that really matters. Once these gears start turning there is no stopping them.

Nobody has to think about anything — and that’s intentional. There is a big book, and at each stage of the operation those tasked with its execution need only turn to the appropriate page and do what it says. It helps absolve those who must undertake this macabre operation of any undue moral responsibility. They were just doing what the book directed.

Twenty-four hours in advance, the prison SWAT team reports to your cell to move you to the observation area. You can walk along with them peacefully or not, but they will move you.

The observation cell has entire wall constructed of nothing but bars. It’s here where you take your last meal. The prison makes every reasonable effort to accommodate this request. Some poor guy sits and stares at you for the full 24 hours. This is to keep you from killing yourself. The government will not be denied.

A few hours before the big event, the SWAT team shows up again, this time to move you from the holding area to the place of execution. There is a series of stone steps leading down to the death room. As I walked down these steps, I couldn’t help but imagine what it might feel like to do this for real.

Two walls are one-way glass, one window is for government witnesses and the other is for the victim’s family. The inside is covered with acoustic soundproofing. The ceiling is formed from those banal institutional ceiling tiles, but more on those in a minute.

Once in the room, the SWAT team ensures you stretch out peaceably on the table. There are extensions for your arms. The table looks like a cross, and the thing is festooned with straps. Your arms, legs, torso and head are securely affixed. There can be a little movement but not much. I assumed the position. This may seem unduly dark, but I wanted to know how it might feel.

Paramedics then start a large bore IV in each arm. Physicians are intentionally excluded from the process as this would be such an egregious violation of the Hippocratic Oath. The IV lines run through a pair of innocuous-looking holes in the wall. And then you wait.

This is the lethal injection room at San Quentin (Ca.) Penitentiary.
Mine was a bit different. (Source: Wikipedia)

 

There is a bank of five identical telephones with sequential phone numbers standing side by side. Should there be a last-minute stay there is no way word won’t get there in time. On the other side of the wall are two little closets. Inside each closet is a handcrafted wooden contraption to hold the mystical elixir affixed to each IV line. One is normal saline, the other is something else. On the wall is also a pair of lights, one red and the other green.

Meanwhile, the subject of this exercise stares at those accursed ceiling tiles. Think back to the last time you were enduring some ghastly dental procedure or other. It’s like that, but much worse.

There is a little microphone hanging down from the ceiling; a tiny corner of one tile carved away to accommodate its cord. At the appointed time the warden enters the room and reads the charges against you. The condemned then has three minutes to say anything they want. The warden actually has a stopwatch. At the end of three minutes the warden turns and leaves whether you are still speaking or not. When you die, you die alone.

Gravity is ultimately the engine behind this enterprise. The IV bottles sit inverted in their holders. The executioners enter their closets and wait for the lights. When the lights change, they each flip the bottles upright and leave, never seeing the object of the exercise. This is by design.

As I lay on that hard table, technically padded but only just, I was so viscerally struck by those ceiling tiles. They’re the last thing one sees. It doesn’t matter what a heartless bloodthirsty monster you might be, the process of bringing you to this point will invariably break you. You have absolutely no control over anything.

Our actions have consequences, and this is a really big one. The ponderous machinations of the legal system tend to separate cause and effect substantially in situations of such exceptional gravitas. However, Lady Justice is a cold-hearted lass. She ultimately extracts her due.

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Allies Hard Nosed Folks Both Good & Bad Leadership of the highest kind Manly Stuff Real men Soldiering Some Red Hot Gospel there! War

Happy Birthday! Field Marshal William “Bill” Slim – One of Britains Greatest Generals! (Bet you never heard of him either)

He fought in WWI and then in the Kyber Pass area with his beloved Ghurkas. When WWII came he fought in the Ethiopia and East Africa campaigns.

He was then moved to Burma in 1942. Where he saved his Corp from utter defeat. Then he was made Army Commander & proceeded to reorganised and trained a beaten army (The 14th “Forgotten Army”) Where he made them into the army which gave the Imperial Japanese Army their biggest defeat (up to that date) in the battles of Kohima and Imphal, battles in which the IJA suffered 60%+ fatalities.

He then launched attacks into Burma and defeated the IJA repeatedly.

In some battles the IJA casualties were reportedly 100 dead Japanese per 1 Allied (mainly Indian) Army casualties.

In other words WHAT STUD OF A MAN!!!!!!!!!!!
He died on 14 December 1970.
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Some Red Hot Gospel there!

History sadly says oh hell yes!

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Some Red Hot Gospel there!

Teamwork!

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Some Red Hot Gospel there! Some Scary thoughts War

“The Future of Warfare is Devastation”

https://youtu.be/Z2KZ8hJ4U7c

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All About Guns Fieldcraft Some Red Hot Gospel there!

Carry Concealed Tips for Older Shooters…

tips-for-older-armed-citizens-f.jpg

 

As we get older, we must keep in mind that we can still be a target for criminal attack. In fact, we may become even more of a target as the years catch up with us. The crooks see the gray hair, the wrinkles and figure that we will be less likely to resist and less likely to be armed. Age may cause us to have physical problems to deal with, but many of them can be overcome. We owe it to ourselves and our families to be as tough a target as is humanly possible. Here are a few ideas to help older defensive shooters deal with their issues.

1. Use The Most Powerful Handgun That You Can Shoot Quickly And Accurately.

You may be surprised to learn that this is what I tell all shooters, regardless of their age.  However, you may have found that, due to infirmities, you can no longer manage that .357 Mag. or .45 ACP pistol. This doesn’t mean that you should quit. It means that you should scale down to a 9 mm Luger, .38 Spl., .380 ACP, or even .22 LR, depending upon your particular needs and abilities.

These smaller calibers may not be as capable, but they sure do beat fighting with your fists. The lighter the caliber, the more important bullet placement becomes. So, you’ll have to practice more and work on delivering the best bullet placement possible.

2. Consider Changing Carry Positions.

One of the most common defensive carry techniques is to wear the handgun on your strong-side hip, just behind the hip bone. Unfortunately, with aging, many shooters lose mobility in their joints. To make a draw from this popular position, your shoulder must move up and back, and it must do it quickly. Some folks just have a tough time with this.

A better choice for the aging shooter might be the appendix carry; that is, wearing the handgun on the strong side but in front of the hip bone. The shoulder does not have to move so radically with this technique. The same may be true with the crossdraw carry method. Both carry the handgun on the front side of the body and will be easier to get to and allow for a quick pistol presentation.

3. Dealing With Fuzzy Sights.

About the time that we hit middle age, the sights on a handgun sure do start to look fuzzy, and a clear sight picture rapidly becomes a thing of the past. Some folks deal with this natural phenomenon by using the close-range portion of their bifocals. However, for all of us, glasses are the answer.

Even if you don’t use bifocals, your optometrist can have a corner of your glasses ground so that you can see the sights clearly through that portion of the lens. If you don’t feel comfortable discussing your shooting skills with your current optometrist, ask at your local shooting range or gun store until you can get the name of an optometrist who is a shooter. You’d be amazed at how many of these professionals enjoy the shooting sports and understand the needs of aging shooters.

4. Weakness In The Hands And Forearms.

Some older shooters find that, due to arthritis or some other ailment, they can no longer work the slide on a semi-automatic pistol. In most cases, I have found that they have been doing it wrong in the first place.

Too many shooters want to hold the auto pistol in their hand with the arm almost fully extended. Then they use the thumb and index finger of their support hand, at the very back of the slide, to work the slide and chamber a round. This whole technique looks very much like the way we shot slingshots when we were kids. Regardless of age, this is a very poor technique and is an indication of someone who is a real tenderfoot regarding this business of self-defense.

The closer your hands are to your chest, the more strength you have in your hands and arms. Hold the pistol close to your chest and parallel to your chest, with the muzzle pointed to the side. However, you should be conscious that the muzzle is still pointed in a safe direction at all times.

Put your support hand over the top of the pistol, in the area of the ejection port, and grasp the slide firmly with your whole hand and all of your fingers. At the same time that you pull the slide to the rear with your support hand, you should push forward with your strong hand. The isometric push-pull, along with holding the gun close to the body, utilizes much more of your bodily strength and is a much more positive way to charge your auto pistol.

However, there are those who simply are dealing with issues that make them too weak to run an auto slide. They might consider making the transition to a double-action revolver. The action of loading and unloading a DA revolver requires much less muscle strength. When transitioning to a revolver, however, don’t hesitate to have a professional gunsmith smooth up the action to make the double-action trigger pull as easy as possible.

5. Increase Mobility With Exercise.

The older we get, the more important exercise is to our maintaining our body strength and mobility. If you have health issues, it is critical that you do not start an exercise program without consulting with a physician. Just as with the optometrist, you may find it a bit more comfortable to find a physician who enjoys the shooting sports.

When you start hunting for a doctor who is a member of our shooting fraternity, you will be amazed at just how many of them there are. I don’t want to sound “New Age” here, but the fact is that a yoga class, especially one for older folks, is a great way to increase your agility and mobility. However, if you have any doubts about your ability, take the time to consult with a physician.

It is critically important, as the years go by, to continue to refuse to be a victim. Seek the advice of other aging shooters, use your mind to solve your particular problems as they relate to shooting skills, and simply say to yourself, “I am tough, I am an American shooter, and I am not going to give up.”

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All About Guns Good News for a change! Some Red Hot Gospel there!

A classic example of late 19th Century industrial design & execution

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A Victory! Hard Nosed Folks Both Good & Bad Leadership of the highest kind Manly Stuff Real men Some Red Hot Gospel there! Stand & Deliver This great Nation & Its People

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