Gun Nuts

I took the Henry Big Boy .45 Colt to the range the other day to test it out, and unsurprisingly it was an absolute blast to shoot. However, there was one little problem.

It absolutely would not feed the Fiocchi cowboy ammo with anything that resembled reliability. I would get all kinds of weird failures to feed. I was worried, but then I would feed it Hornady cowboy ammo and Winchester PDX and it gobbled those up no problems. Based on the “doctor it hurts when I do this” philosophy, I’ll just feed it the good stuff. It’s just too bad, because the Hornady and the Winchester are about $1.00 a round, and the Fiocchi is $0.45 a round. See what I mean? Gun nut problems.

I had the good fortune of attending the Rangemaster Tactical Conference this past weekend. It’s a pretty unusual event in the firearms training business where attendees have the opportunity to take instructional blocks with a number of instructors teaching on a wide range of topics. Rather than write one absurdly long opus on my experiences at the conference, I figured it would be more productive to focus on the classes I took and what I got out of them. First up was “Surviving the Knockout Game” with instructor Cecil Burch.

I’m not saying that I’m prepping to survive an 1800s zombie apocalypse, but the thought did occur to me. In the photo: Henry Big Boy .45 Colt, Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt, Ka-Bar, Hornady 255gr LRN, and Winchester 225gr PDX. Click more for a couple more photos.

In this photo the only addition is the Western Star Leather holster that I’ve been using for a carry holster for the Blackhawk. Yes, I’m carrying an SA revolver. It’s awesome.

If I combine both these guns, I have the same capacity as a Glock 19. But I’m cooler.

You ever see what a Henry rifle can do in the hands of someone who knows how to use it?

For more awesome photos like this, follow me on Instagram.

Carrying a gun does not make me special. It doesn’t make me different, it doesn’t make me a sheepdog, and it shouldn’t be treated like an occasion. The act of every day concealed carry should be no more interesting or dramatic than the act of buckling your seatbelt, washing your hands during flu season, or changing the batteries in your smoke detectors.

Unless of course you’re talking about an actual dog that herds and/or protects sheep, stop using the word sheepdog. It’s stupid, and it encourages a toxic mindset that ruins lives. You think I’m kidding? You know who thought he was a sheepdog? George Zimmerman. How’d that work out? Sure, he was legally justified, but he ended up killing a guy who probably didn’t need killing, and has now had his life completely ruined. All because he was a “sheepdog.”

Remington Express Tactical 870 Magpul FDE, buy it now for $499

Beretta PX4 Storm 9mm, buy it now $399

Taurus Model 82 (yes, that one) buy it now $249

Do you carry a gun regularly? If so, there’s a good chance that you’re probably doing at least one of these things that you shouldn’t be doing. Here are five reasons you’re carrying your gun incorrectly, and how to fix them.

This week Tom Givens, one of the most admired firearms trainers in the business, highlighted a video of a self defense shooting over at Pistol-Forum.com that teaches a lot of key lessons about successful self defense.

Content warning. I started drinking earlier, and I said the F-word a lot. Also, I totally had it in my head that the new Wilson Beretta was 3,000 bucks, it’s not and I’m stupid and dumb.

P.S. The internet is awful. Except for you guys, you guys are all princes of men.

Shoot deer with revolver. Gut deer with knife. Of course, there’s the matter of waiting until deer season, but whatever.

I have two humorous anecdotes that when tied together create a narrative that applies to our continued right to bear arms, and how we are frequently our most effective enemy. The first is a bit of self-mockery, as you know I live in South Dakota, and it gets cold here. I also have a dog, who needs to be walked. I am a dirty hipster and live in a downtown loft with no yard.

Enjoy your day off. We’re going to do the same, and keep the work light today. If you want to see some content, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

I find myself encountering more and more people who ask me for advice on getting their first pistol for self defense or, more usually, concealed carry. I’ve repeated the advice so many times at this point that I thought it would be wiser just to write it all down and send them a link instead of trying to explain it in person or over the phone. Now I know what some readers may be thinking…”Aren’t there about a billion blog posts on getting started with CCW out there?” and that may be true. I don’t read a lot of blogs, personally, but I’m sure I’m not the first person to tackle the issue. I do know that I regularly encounter some spectacularly awful advice being given out by people with lots of enthusiasm but absolutely no damn clue what they are talking about…so clearly what some would consider to be common sense isn’t really all that common.

Very briefly in yesterday’s post on the Ruger SP101, I mentioned the .327 Federal, what is now a boutique revolver cartridge. I loved the idea of the .327 Federal when it was introduced as a joint venture between Ruger and Federal, and I’ve always nursed a bit of disappointment that it never really caught on.

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