Once the darling of law enforcement, .40 S&W has fallen on hard times. As major federal agencies like the FBI switch back to 9mm; smaller state, county, and city agencies are following suit. The swing back to 9mm has been driven by improvements in pistol bullet technology that has rendered all service calibers pretty much the same in terms of terminal ballistics. Agencies have responded by ditching their harder recoiling and lower capacity guns in favor easier to shoot and more capacious 9mm pistols.
Caleb Giddings
Trust But Verify …and Follow the Money
This week the firearms and tactical medical community is ablaze with news that Jeff Kirkham, the creator of the RATS Tourniquet has initiated a fake news campaign against the North American Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet. He’s also been cybersquatting on a couple of CAT-related domains. This has been covered in detail by many outlets, and isn’t the primary focus off this article. While Jeff Kirkham’s behavior is pretty awful, it illustrates an even more important point for anyone researching a topic online today.
Emotional honesty in brand recommendations
Brand loyalty is stupid. Here’s an absolute fact: we live in the Golden Age of striker fired semi-automatic pistols. If I showed up for work Saturday and instead of my M9 there was a bag that contained a Sig M18, a Glock 45 (the model, not the caliber), an M&P 2.0, a Beretta APX, a Walther PPQ, and a HK VP9 then I was told that whatever gun I grabbed out of the bag I had to carry I would be fine with any of those choices. The simple fact is that guns from reputable manufacturers are better than ever…and they’re all kind of the same.
Since When Do Laws Define Our Rights?
“While the law may eventually be found unjust and overturned, today it is the law. Second Amendment Organization is a staunch advocate of Gun Rights, but those rights are defined by our laws.“ What you’re reading isn’t satire, it’s an actual quote from Rob Pincus and the Second Amendment Organization about New Jersey’s magazine ban … Read more
Bad reps don’t count
When I first started shooting, I was obsessed with my round count. I knew that the top pro shooters shot tens of thousands of rounds each year in training and competition, and I believed that shooting that kind of volume would get me to that level. It did work a little. From 2011-2013 I shot around 25,000 rounds a year, and went from a middling C-class USPSA shooter to banging on the door of Master class. Compare that to 2016-2018 where through all three years combined, I’ve fired a total of 27,968 rounds. That averages out to 9300 a year, which is a lot by most people’s standards, I’ll agree. But what’s interesting is that despite shooting 1/3rd the ammo I shot in 2013, I’m a much better shooter now. What changed?
Expanding your lane
In my first post, I talked about the value of knowing your lane – how to understand your area of expertise as well as being aware of what your blind spots are. Today we’re going to look at what you can do once you reach a level of comfort with your current lane. First and … Read more
Knowing your lane – introducing Caleb Giddings
I’m Caleb Giddings, I’ve been in the firearms industry for over a decade now. I’ve held almost every job you can imagine in the gun industry; paid professional shooter, writer, gun store owner, online provacatuer, magazine publisher, marketing guru, advertising salesman, and even failed reality TV show contestant. I’m also an NCO in the USAFR … Read more