October 2010

ARKANSAS, February 16, 2010 – The Republican Party of Arkansas presented keynote Speaker Sarah Palin with an engraved Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy 44 Magnum rifle tonight at their fundraising event at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock. The rifle was personalized with serial number PALIN-001, the brass receiver was inscribed with ‘Presented to Sarah Palin – February 16, 2010 – Republican Party of Arkansas’ and the Republican Party of Arkansas’ logo was carved into the buttstock.

Palin began her keynote speech in front of a cheering crowd of 5,000 by thanking the Republican Party of Arkansas for the beautiful rifle, noting that she even called her son Track to tell him about it, and stated, “It’s great to be in a state where it’s okay to cling to your guns and religion.”

President Lincoln was presented with a Henry rifle during his presidency. It hangs in The Smithsonian and has become a priceless national treasure.

I try to think about “the gunfight” when it comes to concealed carry pistols and revolvers. At the end of day, we all may feel like we carry guns for peace of mind, or generic “self defense,” but we really just want to be prepared in case the need to start, or finish, a gunfight comes up.

That means that when we pick a concealed carry gun, we need to make sure we will a) actually carry the gun we choose, b) be able to accurately fire the gun we choose, and c) be able to depend on the gun we choose. d) Oh, and you really need to have enough firepower to be able to finish the fight, whether you started it or not.

Feeling safer in a hostile world isn’t enough. In order to actually be safer, and to be able to protect those around us, we need to achieve these four goals.

The first point, actually carrying the gun, leads me to suggest more often than not the option of the “pocket pistol” which is more commonly a pocket revolver, the Smith & Wesson J-Frame being the most popular, in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. I usually suggest a model with a bobbed or internal hammer, and that the best way to carry it is in a pocket holster, usually available at the local gun dealer.

There are arguments for carrying a gun in a holster on the waist, either in the pants or out, and many people do. So I will assume for arguments sake (and arguments do spring up when you mention pocket pistol) that if a pistol or revolver is pocketable, it is most likely also concealable on the belt more easily than a larger gun, and how you choose to carry should be a product of your willingness to carry it in that manner every day, in every situation.

The whitetail deer is the #1 sought after big game animal in North America, and years ago hogs were just considered target practice while one was out during the deer hunt. Today in Florida, where I live, the wild hog is gaining ground quickly as a favorite to hunt. There are several different reasons why I believe wild boars are gaining such increased attention. The main reason? The excitement. There is a definite element of danger that you don’t have while hunting deer.

A mature wild boar weighing over 200 pounds will attack viciously without prejudice and so will a sow with shoats. Be careful when hunting these formidable wild creatures. It baffles me how the state of Florida can classify wild hogs as small game. This classification must have been determined by someone who has never seen the cutters or whetters on these animals. I recommend always carrying a sidearm when hunting boar; I don’t ever go without one. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I have seen a few videos showing wild boar attacking a hunter, and in most cases, the hunters have been cut to the bone with those razor sharp cutters. As for average shooting distances, most are relatively close, within 100 yards. While many calibers will suffice, my personal favorite is my Marlin CS 3030 Lever Action that used to be my New York brush gun for whitetails. I believe, for most people, a 223 would be the minimum caliber I would humanely use.

Surviving a gunfight isn’t what you think it is. Don’t let conventional wisdom get you killed. A well place round to “center mass” in your attacker may not take him out of the fight. Lots of people stay in the fight after “center mass” hits, and some even win it. If you expect to win your gunfight, you have to make sure that you have effectively ended the threat of your attacker. One, two or even several well placed “center mass” shots may not do what you think it will, and learning to recognize this before you gunfight may save your life.

There is a self styled self defense “expert” under every rock, and perhaps two behind every bush, these days. If you have a pet theory on what might work on the street then you can probably find a champion for that idea who actually charges people to teach them that skill. But few of the experts out there have ever been in gunfights, and even fewer have studied real gunfights to see how things really work out when the bullets really fly for blood.

The cartridge first known as “Ball Cartridge, Caliber .30, Model of 1906” is without question the most famous American rifle cartridge, not only in our own country but throughout the world. In 1903 we replaced the Krag-Jorgensen in .30-40 Krag with the long-serving and much-loved 1903 Springfield and a new .30-caliber cartridge. The Springfield was a Mauser clone, its rimless cartridge similar to Mauser’s designs, but longer with more case capacity. The initial 1903 cartridge was loaded with the same 220-grain roundnose bullet as the Krag, but in 1906 the bullet was changed to a faster and more aerodynamic 150-grain spitzer. At the same time the case neck was shortened by .07-inch, thus the Model of 1906—the .30-06—went forward to make history. The .30-06 served the United States in both World Wars, the Korean conflict, the early years of Vietnam, and a dozen banana wars in between. It was chambered to the Springfield, the Pattern 14 Enfield, the Marine Corps’ Johnson semiauto, the Garand, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and several versions of the Browning machinegun. Clear into my time, the 1970s, the .30-06 was still seeing use both with snipers and in the Browning light machinegun.