DA/SA Semi-auto's are stupid.

Double action pistols hit their stride in the 70's and 80's, and quickly became adopted by police agencies as a transition from revolvers. As seen with GLOCK, when something gets widely adopted by Police or Military, it legitimizes whatever that is and gets pretty desirable. Hell it's why my Dad owns a Ruger P89, a guy who's most modern pistol was a Ruger Blackhawk...Anyways, Double action exists today because it was adopted by people who were scared to trust people with single action pistols. It's a compromise design that puts safety ahead of everything else adopted by people who would probably rather have users running around with empty chambers (I.E. Military).

Then there's the whole two trigger pull weight thing. Which is the central issue. "That's not a problem, you can get good at it" is the typical response, almost always by some one defending a DA/SA purchase. The real question is, why should you have to? SA triggers are faster and crisper, DAO triggers are lighter than the DA pull and consistent, and striker fired pistols are also light and consistent. Bottom line, all have the benefit of one trigger pull.

Taking that a step farther if double action/ single action is so great, and is easy to train for, why not simplify things, and make it double action only, or single action only? Traditionally the path to success is found in finding the fastest, simplest ways to do things. Notice that in competition, revolver shooters don't thumb the hammer back after every shot, they simply shoot double action. Some are very, very fast and accurate. Just as much as anyone with a semi auto of any style. This leads me to further believe that DA/SA on a semi auto is superfluous at best.

In my opinion, any DA/SA pistol would be a better firearm if it picked one or the other, instead of some hermaphroditic concoction of both. Sure I, or almost anyone, can train up to the point it doesn't matter. But then... what's the point? If a DA/SA pistol can be shot just as well as a SAO, why spend any time and effort when you can just get a SAO? Nominally 1/15th of your trigger pulls are going to be DA anyways (or less). What advantage does the initial DA pull offer besides needing to train to overcome it to shoot the SA pulls that are the majority? Safety? The ability to carry hammer down? Really it seems like the largest benefit of DA/SA is for people that are scared to have the hammer back on a firearm, probably why they became so popular with police departments looking to PC it up.

In summary, DA/SA does neither DA/SA effectively, is made for people who are scared of cocked hammers, and incurs a training debt to have the same ability as people just starting on dedicated DAO/Striker or SA firearms.

Why I waste time arguing about self and home defence on gun forums.

My response to people settling for "what works" vs "what works better".



I spend a LOT of time, energy, money, and brainpower; training, analyzing, researching, interviewing and doing everything I can to be as proficient as I can with rifles, pistols, and shotguns. I love to learn "the big picture" of things, to look at things like systems, not individual components.

I like to share what I know so that people can judge it against what they know, and refute it, causing me to reanalyze and find out how strong my opinions base is. Or accept it and learn something new they can incorporate, or even just send them in a new direction of learning.

It's funny when you talk to regular shooters, vs competition shooters, because comp shooters (at least good, or progressing ones) are always looking for an edge. It's the adapt or die mentality.

In fact, that's the very reason we have modern handgun shooting technique. I don't see very many people on here saying that shooting aimed with two hands on the gun, in a modern style is "only a competition technique" and of no use for home defense.

So why don't more people carry that over into the life or death realm of SD/HD? I doubt any of us will ever know.

So when people say "X works just fine, you don't need Y" all I can do is laugh because shooting is a dynamic process. Stagnation means you get left behind. Settling for "what works" means you might miss out on whats better.

So that's what I do, and what I love. Share so that people may benefit, question what people say that may be a detriment.

And hope I do a good job of it!

It's only gay if you push back.

This is a modification from a response to a dude bagging on training styles.
 It's modified to make more sense as a blogpost. (http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1503842_Chris_Costa_has_a_new_grip__Has_anyone_seen_this___.html&page=2 for the actual response and hilarity that is ARF) So, you know, deal with it.

I joined the Marines in 2000, and was introduced to using a magwell grip during the MOUT package at ITB in SOI by our lead instructor, who previously had been part of SOTG's MOUT/CQB cadre.
We used it exclusively for that. That training and use and instruction went on through the fleet and other MOUT/CQB instruction packages. Probably because as Infantry we were training to fight in said style.
 
The level of training received by students is directly influenced by the motivation of the instructors. You can get a guy that wants to just put checks in boxes, or you can have an instructor like I did that is excited about what he knows, and wants to share it and crank out bad asses. What I learned in my MOUT package in SOI to this day is roughly what is still done by SF and SoF units. They have a lot more "flow" and less set piece stuff going on, but the fundamentals are still very similar. (There was an incident a long while back about training in the early days of the GWOT, where had the person had the same training I did, their life would be a lot different, and the shit thing, our roles could have been easily reversed).

Now lets look at training, and push back to new concepts.

In research and development, sometimes you have to try shit you know doesn't work, or don't think it will work in order to move on. Sometimes you get a surprise, and find out things actually DO work well (Sometimes it fails when you thought it was working too, never know). 

Having grown up a rather FUDD existence shooting, the magwell grip BLEW MY MIND. So quick, so snappy. You could have the muzzle down, bust a corner pop up and slay targets in heartbeats. Later as a civvie the "magpul" grip hit the public eye and I thought "phht gay, magwell grip is the way to go".

Because that's what I learned. So I was defensive.

Then a buddy  told me to try it, and it dawned on me, as an instructor I had been telling people for about a year that "be open to new concepts, try new things, don't stagnate... adapt or die".
So I tried it, and became a better shooter because of it (in the role it's meant for).


If it wasn't for trying new styles, experimenting, and pushing the state of the art, we'd still be shooting pistols with one hand, because using two hands is for women, and shooting rifles like we're on the offhand stage of a highpower match.

TL;DR Everyone should try shit before they bag on it, and just because you learned one way, doesn't mean it's the best way.  Stand by for a part two as the thread motivates me to write.(I'll prob clean this up in the morning too)

The line between Cockiness and Competance.

   So, ever since my time in the Marines, I've noticed a trend.  People that do jobs where the primary role is shooting people in the face, or causing other types of death and destruction tend to have a certain attitude about their jobs.  To outsiders, this can come across as being cocky, or arrogant.   Sometimes it just plain IS cocky and arrogant.  But, here's the thing.  In jobs like that you have to be to some extent. Either consciously, or sub-consciously to get yourself into the zone.  Sometimes that bleeds over into your normal life.


 
  My question for YEARS has been, where is the line drawn between confidence, and cockiness?
 My other question, is how much does perspective play a part? 

More on this later.

How CTD tried to save magazine prices... twice...

Panic buying sets in, magazines are purchased in record numbers;



"Hey, we're running out of supply from distributors, we better up the price to slow down orders and catch up".



"Fuck, they are still buying... better up the price to slow down demand.... hell demand is still rising and these guys are paying that much...?"




"Well, see how high you can go before sales taper, then back off a little, we'll drop the price when more things to sell exist, and people forget how we tried to help them by staunching demand. "



See, CTD just wanted to HELP end the craze. If other retailers would have joined in, it would have put the brakes to panic buying.

Comfort and shooting.

 For some reason, people always seem to think "oh, get what's comfortable and fits right".

They then tend to spread this "common sense" around.

The problem is, in shooting what is comfortable is not always fast, accurate or both.


Here's one example.  When I was in the Marines I did a lot of MOUT/ CQB training.  At the time, the position was almost an old school FBI crouch.  It was not comfortable, and would kill your back.  BUT, it provided a MASSIVELY stable position to move and shoot with.  


Same with hand guns. My big EAA Witness has two grip positions.  Comfortable and natural, or accurate.  Grab it the natural way, and everyone shoots low and left.  Grasp it with the strong hand rotated around the grip just a hair, into a very UN natural feeling position, and it shoots like a damn laser beam kicking out under 2" groups at 25 yards.


A third example is my Olympic small bore rifle, and by extension the traditional offhand position.
ABSURDLY uncomfortable, and literally horrible for your back, but lets you maintain very accurate shots.  In the case of smallbore, shooting rounds through the same hole, and high power, fist size groups rapid fire at 200 yards.


So basically it boils down to find out what works.

The grip angle debate.

I've recently saw two opposing viewpoints on ideal handgun grip angles.

It's been said that some grip angles allow different guns to point "naturally" for people.  Some angles point low on some guns, some high.


Others say it doesn't matter.



The TRUTH (because using that word adds a sense of importance to my opinion) is that there is no natural angle a handgun rests in your hand that you don't create yourself through training.  What "feels" right is muscle memory and can be changed.  That's why I can go from sucking at IDPA with a 1911, to sucking at IDPA with a revolver, I have the amazing ability to understand the importance of muscle memory, and that through repetition no matter what I shoot with will eventually always "point right".

I'm a broke ass looking IDPA shooter.

RIA 1911                     $400
Airsoft mag pouch        $15
Fobus Paddle holster    Free





Nipping at the heels of people who have been doing it with better gear, longer on the score sheet?  Priceless.

Competition mindset.

   Shooting is 90% mental.  That's a term that gets bandied about quite often.  If you haven't heard it, you're not hanging around with people that know what the fuck is up, because it's absolutely true.  I see a LOT of people every week that should be phenomenal shooters given their amount of practice, and monthly round counts, and constant attendance of local matches.  But they don't progress AT ALL.  Sure, by default they slowly get better through grinding out rounds.  A lot even go through the motions with different drills or special targets.   I myself have been guilty lately of becoming lax, and letting my mind wander instead of staying on top of things, and everything has suffered for it.

  One thing that I've always hated the whole time I was actively competing was people saying "you're only competing against yourself, don't worry about beating other people".  What the fuck kind of liberal feel good bullshit is THAT!   Who says that at a state finals competition?  I want my name at the damn top of the list with a blue ribbon in my hand!  The only time I ever "competed against myself" was trying to out shoot my score from previous years matches I placed first in.  I didn't get a modest collection of first place trophies and ribbons from the "everyone is a winner" mindset, I got them from wanting to stomp the shit out of other peoples scores, and send them home crying.


  Which brings us full circle, now I'm all old and busted, getting into new venues of shooting and not doing as well as I would like.  I'm partially restricted by gear, having to use firearms I wanted solely as fun range toys, not competition pieces.  I need more ammo and range time also, not to mention buckling down and dry firing more. 


  They say the road to recovery starts by admitting you have a problem.  My problem is I suck right now and know I can do better.  I need to re-light the fire I used to have, get out there, get in some matches and start getting back in the groove.  I need to get out there and steam roll some bitches to get that confidence boost!


I need to start getting some freaking wins under my belt again!

Look the FUCK out!

I'm riding the gravy train with ammo, just picked up a huge box of sketchy gun show reloads!  Actually the ammo runs great, and shows no pressure signs, which is a good thing when it comes to 10mm.

Now, I can actually make it out to practice more.   Having done precision rifle shooting for years, and all the CQB/MOUT stuff in the military, I know that given a high enough round count, and enough good training I can progress in skill very quickly.  Even with extremely low monthly round counts, I can roll up ill equipped, with a unreasonably over powered pistol, and still finish middle of the pack shooting IDPA even butt fucking the course of fire.


Ideally, I can keep running the 10 for awhile till I get pretty good at the little local range shoots, and then get a good 9mm (cheaper, faster).  It'll be like Lance Armstrong training a mile high for the Tour de France when I start going to real matches!

Imagine, getting super fast and mega recoil control with a 10mm, then going to 9?  I'll be able to shoot it like a freaking .22! 

Round counts and training...   Time and money...  It's all I need!

I've been shooting for over 20 years.

And I'm only 29.


First time I pulled the trigger on a firearm (had been shooting BB guns since I could hold them up) I think I was six or seven.  Since then I've done all sorts of things.  Shot competitive three and four position .22 Olympic rifle, and did very well.  Shot trap, duck hunted, plinked out in the woods, shot nearly every firearm available in the Marines, and in the STA  platoon, M40a1's and Barret M82's, and plenty of machine guns in other platoons.  I even got to shoot some of them in combat, while being shot at!  Most the firearms I own were built in the late 20's to the early 50's.  Most of the guns I actively shoot are older than I am. But when I worked at a range I was able to shoot pretty much every new gun in every configuration as they hit the market.  Now I shoot some limited action style shooting.  It's interesting because I can come in right behind people shooting modern guns that are pretty tricked out, even though I'm using esoteric gear, and hardly get to practice enough. 

Two decades of experience...  You'd think I'd be a better shooter!

Motherfucking Zombies.

  Yea, I get it, daydreaming about Z day is fun and all, but I wish people would stop bringing the shit up in the middle (and derailing) serious firearm conversations.

  I was talking to a buddy about going shooting, he mentions if he ever carried a gun he'd carry it chamber empty.  I mentioned that's not how they are designed to work, and he'd only be putting himself behind the 8 ball. Of course he goes on to tell me how it wouldn't take that long to chamber a round (from the guy that owns no firearms) and that there's no reason to carry one all the time.  Then he went onto talk about not seeing a reason to stockpile ammo, so on, and so forth. By this time I'm groaning and my ears are paying more attention to my tinnitus than what he's saying.  So then, out of the blue he starts talking about his zombie apocalypse plans, and what he would do.

  I mentioned it would be hard to get anywhere when you don't have a firearm because you never carry, the roads are jammed up, and all the store are looted. He had absolutely NO grasp on the way emergency situations work.  How do you get across information to people who have no frame of reference?  How can I impress upon him, that in some large civil disturbance, you're not going to drive to the sporting goods store and steal guns (he didn't even know there's 2-3 closer actual gun stores, his plan was to go to a now defunct sporting warehouse that sold FUDD guns)?

  Maybe I'm jaded having gone through one war and two hurricanes.  I've been in more than a few stressful situations, and have what I consider a realistic grasp on the way things go in an emergency (that basically, you're up to the fates and what you brought with you). 

  Maybe one day it will dawn on my buddy that there's a reason people carry, and that he should consider it, and at least train a little bit.  Until then I feel like I'm spinning my wheels talking to him about firearms.  Guess that's why I find myself hanging out with avid shooters more and more. 

People that shoot for entertainment two: Electric Boogaloo.

  Ever meet those people that only want to "go shoot a gun" because of some computer game?  You know the kind, they know every stat of every rifle ever made, across 3 gaming platforms and 30 games (The AK-47, of course, being the most powerful in all of them!)?
  To me it gets kind of annoying.  I love to help my friends get into shooting, and many of them go out and have a great time.  Some may never shoot a firearm again, but at least if some one asks them about guns maybe they'll say "I shot one and it was fun" instead of  "I don't see why people need them".
  But every once in awhile, you meet those people who Just. Fucking. Know. Everything.
Which is great, because they typically don't know a god damn thing, and can barely operate a firearm, and lord knows with hardly a degree of safety.  As a result, everytime you bring up saftey (or thier lack of) they think you're just being critical. Also heaven forbid one out of a hundred shots hits the bullseye, becasue that's all you'll hear about for the rest of the day.  Not the 99 that missed.
  But "Hey!", you say, "at least people like that are supporting shooting sports!".  Truth is, not really.  They borrow or rent guns, buy cheap ammo which really only supports retail establishments, and generally don't do anything besides entertain themselves for an hour or two.  They form no bonds with the shooting community, and from what I've see, are even CRITICAL of people who do certain types of shooting, or concealed carry.


More to follow in the next episode.

People that shoot for entertainment.

  It was a bright, sunny day.  The marksman set his eyes about the target, in the distance, perched precariously on an earthen berm. He looks at the surrounding trees noting the listless behavior, the wind would cause him no harm today, on this the most important shot of the day.  Offhand, the standing position, no use of slings allowed, this is the position that makes or breaks most matches.   His form perfect.  Years of shooting have created muscle memory so deeply ingrained, he no longer has to think about the placement of his finger on the trigger, or the buttstock.
  He takes up the slack of the trigger, and gives careful estimation of where to sets the sights.  Pulling the rifle forward with his offhand he bump fires his AK into a motherfucking propane tank!  BOOM motherfuckers!  The crown cheers and beers are spilled, the AK bump firing away, kicking up craters in the berm.  The propane tank lights up the night, and the people who shoot for entertainment.

  It takes all kinds I suppose.

People who bitch about the rules of FUDD ranges, especially on the internet.

"I went to this range, it was gay, they only let you shoot one round at a time, and you could only have 5 rounds in the gun at a time."

"Oh yea, what type of gun were you shooting"

"My AK."*

"Of course....."


  Heard that sad story before.  The weapons change, but never the incomprehension of  "their range, their rules".  I wish I had a Barret .50 for every time I've ran across some butthurt dude lamenting the rules of ranges in our state, many of which have been around for twice as long as they have with the same rules!  SURPRISE no shit they don't want you blasting away with your semi-auto.  They also want people to shoot there that can follow simple rules.  But I guess that's too much to ask for some, because for as many people who bitch about the rules, there's just as many that bitch about getting yelled at for BREAKING them!  That means they accepted the terms for shooting at the range and "in one ear and out the other".

  It's truly priceless. I've tried to explain it to people before, one argument devolved so bad (On SGN of course) that the dude called me an idiot for saying you can't chamber load an AR-15!  Worse, a bunch of people supported him!  I guess they showed me.  Hope the next FUDD range they go to fuck up they see a Hi-Po shooter with a sled...   They probably would be too busy telling the guy why he should shoot Hi-Po with an AK since it's the most accurate gun ever made...  Looks like I got the last laugh on that because now I'm passive/ aggressively blogging about you asshole!  Fuck yo couch!


  Glad to have worked at the range I did, if not for the PEOPLE that owned it.  All the shooters minded the rules, the price kept a lot of the riff raff out, and it was a clean, safe, friendly place to shoot.  In my year as RSO, we had no accidents, no suicides, nothing more than a little slide bite and a few stung palms from certain ammo.







  It'll never change, guess it's human nature to push red, unmarked buttons and see what happens.  That's why at my range it was pointed out often that doing so was an automatic revocation of membership.  We let people do a lot of cool stuff, but they didn't push  any buttons!
 
































*Yes Al, I know you shoot your AK at the Fudd range, but take into account you probably have the only crowned AK in the state....

The AK-47. Most powerful gun in the game.

  HOLY FARTBOX!  Has anyone else noticed this persistent trend in gaming?  Got to hear this one everyday in the Gun store. 18-23 year old kids would walk up with buddies "Dude an AK!  That's the best gun in______"  Now the idea is so persistent no one dares change it.   We're regulated to a world where AK's never "jam", hold more ammo, and are more accurate in consumers minds.

  Occasionally some one would ask my opinion, which gave me a lot more leeway than sale pitches.  "What do you think about the AK?"

"Well, I like it, I was shot at them a lot and never hit.  Wish more bad guys had them".  (He said jokingly)
Funny thing is, the Iraqi's that knew whats up rocked VZ-58's and SKS's. 


  I about wilted the first time in the store I heard some old Russian say "Is not AK, I had AK in Army, is AKM!"  Nearly taken off my feet by someone who knew the difference.  AKM's like you see for sale are like the M-16a1's of the AK world, overshadowed by the 100 series AK's.

  The GREATEST AK customers are the ones that want an AK made in Russia, but don't want a Saiga.  They see the import configuration and can't wrap their head around that it will look normal after a cheap conversion, and be a REAL Russian built AK clone, from the real factory!

Second best are the ones that buy and under folder as a plinking gun then bitch about the shitty cheek weld.

Third best are the ones that expect them to act like they do in movies and never malfunction and be accurate.

My favorite though, are the customers that want a cheap AK-74 to bumpfire super cheap ammo and make noise. They seem to be the best clued into the strengths inherent to the firearm!

Lets start our first firearm review off right, talking about GLOCKS.

That's right, GLOCK, not Glock.  Go to their website, see for yourself. Makes me want to change my name to PATRICK instead of Patrick.

GLOCK basically stole the thunder of the American firearms industry.   Even though the HK VP-70 (Basically an elitist Hi-Point) had already been around, somehow GLOCK did what Austrians are famous for (well one at least), brainwashing the masses.   All of the sudden, exquisite pieces of milled stainless steel semi-autos, and the beautiful clock-work, blued perfection of revolvers was replaced by chunks of plastic in holsters of Police everywhere.

 Of course, if it was good enough for Police (or the guy in charge of the budget that liked the price) it was good enough for Joe blow the guy on the street, who just HAD to have the same sort of pistol the Police had!  Not to mention down the road lots of Police trade ins became available to civilian hands.


  Oh goody, now everyone has their hands on a  GLOCK.  You know they never jam right?  Movies and pop culture have led everyone to believe that the are perfect.  Or maybe it's the "GLOCK perfection" tagline you see everywhere.   Did you know GLOCKS are never recalled? They get the occasional "Product Upgrade".  It makes them perfecter or somthing.


  But really, they are solid pistols.  Sure Gaston may have used the tilt lock of John Browning, but who hasn't.  They do look a lot better than the VP-70. I've shot plenty of them and they work great. What really gets me is GLOCK owners.  It's like all you need to do, is own a Volkswagen, a Mac computer, and a GLOCK.  The level of smug would be unbelievable!  You'd literally be 3X better then everyone you meet!  I call it the "pretentious trifecta".

 I wish I had a dollar for everyone I've seen who had a GLOCK malfunction on them and just look at the pistol open mouth, not able to comprehend how their perfect pistol, that they have been lead to believe can "never jam" is jammed up like an Aurora street walker.  Just because your pistol has great marketing and is a media and pop culture star, is not a reason to skip important things like weapons manipulation and clearing malfunctions.


   Oh, and PLEASE take the freaking mag out BEFORE clearing the chamber.  There's a lot of holes in garage walls from people doing it the opposite way.

Your gun terminology sucks.

  Ever run across that dude at the range with his shit wired too tight?  You know the one.  "It's not a silencer, it's a suppressor, it only suppresses the report, not silences it!"  Thanks for filling me in on that buddy. The first commercial "Suppressor" was marketed as a Silencer by Hiram Maxims son, and all the cool people call it a "Can" anyways.   I get a extra kick out of people that pull the "It's not a silencer" thing out, when they've never shot with one in the first place!  Wonder if the same people who bust that line out think the guy they heard it from sounded like a complete asshole?


  Seriously, when did it become so important to call everything by the "right" name?  I guess when everyone became Call of Duty commandos they had to find a way to one up everyone by making language tactical or somthing.   Fortunately for me, I talk non-shooter. So when some one tells me their gun jammed, instead of going batshit and dressing them down saying that guns are not pieces of toast; I can talk to them and find out what type of malfunction happened.  That way you can explain what the types of malfunctions are at the same time and you have one more informed shooter, instead of a gun owner thinking "gee, that guy is a dick!".

  Why is it so wrong for me to have a gun that shoots bullets through a silencer?

  Who says I need a firearm that fires rounds through a suppressor?

If people concentrated on being better shooters, and teaching others the joy of safe firearms handling instead of burning up all their energy being condescending towards people who don't know any better, the firearms world would be much better off.

Sorry, your gun sucks.

It's heavy, has bad ergos, mags cost too much and ammo is hard to find.  The balance is off and the color is ugly.  You really should get a gun like mine.  It's lightweight, high power, holds more ammo that has better stopping power. Your gun is like a Khyber pass built SKS. My gun is like a Ferrari made out of hookers and blow.

Stuff and junk.

Redacted.