VCDL To Boycott Gun Shop: In the aftermath of its settlement in a lawsuit by the City of New York, the Virginia Citizens Defense League is gearing up to boycott and perhaps picket Cole's Gun Shop, saying owner Mark Cole put their privacy in jeopardy when he agreed to let a court-appointed officer scrutinize his gun sales for the next three years. http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/95177 --- Iraqi Law Of Supply And Demand: Article reviews fluctuations of firearm prices on the Iraqi black market and details how easily US-supplied weapons move from police and military armories into private hands. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/world/middleeast/10weapons.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=world&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin --- NYPD Shooting, Interesting Analysis: Considering the source and allowing for a few minor errors, article presents an interesting analysis of the NYPD shooting that left a man dead on the day that he was to have married the mother of his children. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0649,gardiner,75216,6.html --- Product Endorsement: For about two decades, every S&W revolver I carry or anticipate possibly carrying has been fitted with hand-carved Boot Grips from Craig Spegel. Craig, to the best of my knowledge, originated the boot-grip concept and, so long as I can get him to carve mine with the equivalent of a speedloader cut on the right panel, they fit my hands perfectly, stabilizing the revolvers against both the trigger stroke and shifting under recoil. With rare exceptions, Craig limits his production of Boot Grips to S&W revolvers. A few years back, I purchased a D-frame Colt revolver as a potential loaner gun for students whose hands might be a bit too small for the round-butt, three-inch S&W M-66's that I usually lend to students who have not yet purchased a handgun of their own. I had always intended to replace the factory grips with something friendlier to a small hand. Recently, I had Jim Badger make me a set of his boot grips for that gun, without the finger grooves, which might not necessarily fit the narrow fingers of a female student. When the Badger grips arrived and were installed, I was immediately impressed with how efficiently they placed the finger with regard to the trigger. I also own a three-inch Ruger SP101, also purchased as a loaner gun, since I am no longer comfortable recommending current-production S&W revolvers and the Colt D-frame revolvers are long out of production. I have never shot the SP101 well because the rubber factory grips, which are well liked by many female shooters, don't adequately fill my hand. After receiving the first set of Badger grips, I decided to purchase a set of Jim's boot grips for the SP101, as an alternative for students with man-size hands. The difference, for me, is like night and day and, again, the placement of the finger with regard to the trigger makes the rudimentary job I did polishing the action feel as though it was done by a real gunsmith. The Badger boot grips differ slightly from the Spegel ones. They lack the barely discernible palm swell; they come standard with a symmetrical configuration and they extend a bit below the bottom of the grip frame, with a more rounded contour in that area. They are available for S&W, Colt and Ruger revolvers and the waiting time for them is much shorter than it is for the Spegel grips. While I don't intend to replace the Spegel grips on my own S&W revolvers, it's nice to have an alternative source to recommend for people who may need them for the other brands or who may not have the time to wait for Craig. I imagine that I will soon be ordering a set of the regular Badger grips for a six-inch revolver that recently took up residence in my safe. http://www.badgercustomgrips.com/ --- From JPFO: ALERT FROM JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP America's Aggressive Civil Rights Organization December 6, 2006 JPFO ALERT: New Column in Concealed Carry Magazine JPFO is proud to announce that we have begun publishing a regular column in _Concealed Carry Magazine_. The column, entitled "License to Fear," begins running with this month's issue. In our premier column, we discuss the effects of CCW permits and licensing. You can view the article in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format here: www.jpfo.org/ccm200612.pdf . Please take a moment to visit _Concealed Carry Magazine_ at www.concealedcarrymag.com . If you like what you see, you can join up online. And tell 'em JPFO sent you! - The Liberty Crew ============================================================ JPFO mirror site: http://www.jpfo.net ============================================================ LET JPFO KEEP YOU INFORMED -- Sign up today for JPFO Alerts! Just send a blank e-mail to jpfoalerts-subscribe@jpfo.org. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to jpfoalerts-unsubscribe@jpfo.org ============================================================= Regain your freedom - download the song "Justice Day" today! http://www.rebelfirerock.com/downloadjd.html ============================================================= Original Material in JPFO ALERTS is Copyright 2006 JPFO, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce this alert in full, so long as the following JPFO contact information is included: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership PO Box 270143 Hartford, Wisconsin 53027 Phone: 1-262-673-9745 Order line: 1-800-869-1884 (toll-free!) Fax: 1-262-673-9746 Web: http://www.jpfo.org/ ============================================================= --- From John Farnam: 4 Dec 06 My car-gun combination: RA/XCR (223), EOTech (forward mounted), and Cor-Bon DPX ammunition (53gr). This day, we went pig hunting in FL! Today, I shot two, large, wild pigs and one white-tail deer with my XCR. We were on a large ranch, owned by a friend. My shots were all on running animals at thirty to seventy meters. Windows were short. Cover was thick and, the animals were hard to find, hard to see, and spooked explosively. All my shots were standing and unbraced. I had to stand in order to see over the grass. I prefer to wait until an animal pauses before taking my shot, but it was not possible today. The first was a pig, 275lbs, moving rapidly left to right. She was part of a herd of ten. I had to swivel rapidly to hit her. Range was thirty meters. I made a lucky shot, through the point of the shoulder. The DPX bullet (which we recovered) penetrated fifteen inches and lodged, perfectly expanded, just under the skin on the opposite side. The bullet's nose was expanded into four symmetrical petals, while the rear was intact. No fragmentation and no loss of weight. Bullet performance couldn't have been better! The pig went right down, DRT. The DPX bullet took out both lungs and the top of the heart. I was thrilled, but I knew my bullet placement had been mostly luck. I thought to myself that this combination of rifle, optic, and ammunition was really making me look good! Next, I hit a white-tail who spooked just as my shot broke. Range was forty meters. The bullet, intended for the shoulder, hit him instead in the hip, breaking it. He ran, but I knew he was hit. We got him up again after he had run fifty meters. This time, I hit him high on the left shoulder. Another running shot. This bullet went through-and-through, and this time the animal went right down. He weighed in at eighty pounds. My second bullet fractured the shoulder. Neither bullet was recovered. Several hours later, we did our best to sneak up on a big heard of fifty pigs. They stampeded, but I got a fifty-meter shot on one that paused for an instant. I heard the bullet hit him. I heard him squeal, and I saw him go right down. I breathed a sigh of relief, too soon as it turned out! A second later, and he was back up and running! Tracking him in my EOTech, I pressed off another shot, this time at seventy meters. Again, I heard the bullet hit him, but he just staggered and galloped on! This one, we never found. He was just not hit well enough. Wonderful day of hunting! But, I came to several conclusions: The 223 round, even the DPX iteration, is just not powerful enough for game animals weighing over 150lbs. We all get lucky shots now and then, but I am now persuaded that 223/DPX will work just fine on most deer (within 100m), but it is not potent enough for heavier animals, particularly those as dense and low-to-the-ground as wild pigs. The forward-mount arrangement I use for my EOTech, and indeed all my battle optics, is fast, and it gets the optic out of my face, which I like. However, when mounting from awkward positions, the reticule is sometimes hard to find. When thus confronted with a blank screen, I've learned to move my face around rapidly until the reticule comes into view. One need not be directly behind the optic. If you can see the dot, anywhere in the screen, that is where the bullet will land! The rail on top of my XCR is extremely precise, as is EOTech's mounting system. After taking the EOTech off the rifle and then putting it back on, several times, I discovered my zero had not changed in the slightest. American rifles, manufactured on computer-driven machinery are, if nothing else, precise and consistent! Modern manufacturing techniques produce standards that are faithfully repeatable from copy to copy. Robinson Arms makes a wonderful rifle! When I do this again next year, I'll likely be using my copy of RA's XCR in 308, assuming it is available by then. Or, I may use my FAL. Either way, I'll surely be using DPX! /John (For some perverse reason, I find it reassuring to know that even DPX technology does not reverse the laws of physics. As to the EOTech sight, I remain concerned about its downrange signature.) 6 Dec 06 Trends: Friends in PA have informed me that the PA State Police, following the lead of the NY State Police, are going to abandon their existing Beretta 96D pistols and replace them with Glock 37s in 45GAP caliber. The decision has just been made. Certain sub-units already have Glocks, including the Governor's bodyguard detail, who are currently using G23s (40S&W). The department is also stepping up its purchase schedule for patrol rifles (AR-15s) with the goal of getting a copy in the hands of every trooper. Carry and use of privately-owned AR-15s by troopers has already been authorized. 45GAP may be catching on! Patrol rifles definitely are. /John (I remain impressed by Evan Marshall's Wal-Mart test: If you're traveling and run out of ammo, will you be able to run into the local Wal-Mart and find some in your chosen caliber?) 6 Dec 06 40S&W DPX/G23 involved in fatal shooting today: "I can hardly put into words the events that occurred this afternoon in my life! I responded to a 'man-with-a gun' call. I was not in uniform, but one of our uniformed sergeants and I arrived on the scene about the same time. I was first to confront the suspect (not known to us before today). He was standing on a street corner. No gun was visible. However, the instant our marked car arrived, the suspect produced a pistol (brand/caliber unknown at this writing) and fired one round at the vehicle. He then immediately pivoted around and fired several rounds at me! Neither our sergeant nor I were hit. I drew my G23 from concealment and fired two shots (Cor-Bon 140gr DPX, issued by our department, starting in June of this year) at the suspect. Range was eight meters. My front sight was on his body midline. To my great relief, the offender abruptly dropped his pistol and straightaway collapsed where he had been standing. Additional shooting was unnecessary. He was DRT. Never took another breath! Evidence techs reported both of my rounds struck mid-chest, within three inches of each other. Both bullets expanded perfectly, caused massive internal damage, and came to rest just under the skin on the opposite side of the suspect's body. Neither bullet exited. I continue to live and breath this evening because of our department's excellent training, my G23, and your ammunition technology. I thank you, Glock and Cor-Bon. Our entire department thanks you!" Comment: Competent training, personal decisiveness, and superior technology combined to preserve this young officer's life. Oh, that it were universal! /John (Hard to argue with this one.) -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .