By LC Judas
This is the second installment (part one is here) of my .40 dissertation and I’d like to address the hot-button issue of what contributes to the .40 caliber round so often being the butt of jokes. As in “.40 S&W means .40 Short and Weak.” Like that. Let’s look at what the round actually does after it comes out of the gun . . .
Ballistically, given the choices of most law-enforcement agencies as far as sidearm calibers, the .40 is going to suffer one way or the other depending on what you’re looking for. It’s typically only faster than the .45, and only heavier than the 9mm and .357SIG bullets. So the .40 doesn’t really shine in any one area. And usually, when picking a sidearm caliber for a particular task, you want it to shine for its intended purpose.
I’ll admit that while I think it’s a well-rounded carry caliber, I don’t find it to be the best caliber to start with for a new shooter. Recoil is snappy and a 1911 .45, being heavier and easier to handle in some hands, may make a better teaching gun for someone with a higher caliber preference. But before you think I’m downplaying the .40 as not really great at anything, take a look at some of the self defense loads.
I shoot Remington Golden Sabers in my guns almost exclusively. I have my reasons and I think it’s an overall good round. While it’s an apples-to-orange comparison, taking the same round across calibers of 9mm, .40 and .45 you get the following:
- 9mm +P Remington Golden Saber JHP 124 Grain: Muzzle velocity: 1180 fps Muzzle energy: 384 ft/lbs
- 9mm Remington Golden Saber JHP 147 Grain: Muzzle velocity: 990 fps Muzzle energy: 320 ft/lbs
- .40 S&W Remington Golden Saber 165 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point: Muzzle velocity: 1150 fps Muzzle energy: 485 ft/lbs
- .40 S&W Remington Golden Saber 180 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point: Muzzle velocity: 1015 fps Muzzle energy: 412 ft/lbs
- .45 Auto +P Remington Golden Saber 185 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet: Muzzle velocity: 1140 fps Muzzle energy: 534 ft/lbs
- .45 ACP Remington Golden Saber 230 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet: Muzzle velocity: 875 fps Muzzle energy: 391 ft/lbs
Each of these weights and calibers has its promoters and detractors, but I posted these stats to show that they’re essentially comparable and the .40 remains middle ground. That’s not speculation, it’s fact. There are more powerful and less powerful loads for all three calibers, but the .40 is a good compromise among them all. You’re going to end up making the decision for yourself, just don’t make it based on hopes that any round will convert your pistol into a death ray.
The .40 S&W caliber is based on the 10mm Auto cartridge. That’s the parent case and .40 is the shortened version. That may be elementary for a lot of us here, but going over the ballistics and what the bullet is supposed to do involves the inevitable comparison of the .40 is to 10mm. Essentially, when adopted by the FBI, it was found that the 10mm round was hard to handle as far as recoil, noise and muzzle blast were concerned. This prompted a search for lighter loads that were later called light 10mm or 10mm Lite.
This class of round, a lighter-loaded powder 10mm, carried the same ballistics as .40 did upon its inception but in a larger and more cumbersome frame with wasted space inside of the case. Someone at Smith and Wesson had the bright idea to market 10mm Lite as its own cartridge. And to produce a gun made specifically for it with a more universally acceptable dimension that would accommodate more hand sizes and at an acceptable level of recoil.
That history lesson is essentially a reminder of why the .40 exists. So if you think the .40 is weak compared to the 10mm, go get a 10mm. That’s not intended as snark — don’t pretend the .40 as it was intended is what the 10mm was. Reading back on some of the texts on the subject of the “stopping power” of 10mm and the hopes as well as hype placed in the then-untested .40, it would appear that the light version of 10mm fell a little short of expectations. In my experience though, a lot of the ballistic knowledge we operated on in the past appeared flawed at best.
For the .40 to be as amazing and lethal as the 10mm round was, it would have to have remained the 10mm round. Physics says if you lower the weight of the projectile’s maximum payload by 20 grains (10mm tended to top out at 200gr and .40 is usually 180gr at the heavier end) and reduce the amount of propellant used (which is apparent given case dimension differences) and you’re hoping for more fireworks, you’re likely to be disappointed.
For what the round was intended to do in gelatin and through the barrier scenarios specified in the FBI Ballistic Test Protocol, the .40 performs admirably. For the lazy who don’t want to do the reading, that means it will penetrate at least 12-18 inches into a person through the following at 10 feet: winter clothing , car door, drywall , plywood and automobile glass. That’s the first thing you need to remember about the .40. It was created for a specific purpose – to incapacitate people through intermediate barriers by penetrating a human body to a minimum of 12 inches, causing enough of a wound cavity to incapacitate.
I find that test to be more exhaustive than the equation I run in my mind before I buy handgun ammunition. Placement remaining the key, if the bullet can come through for me (no pun intended), then it’s a tactical advantage I want to have. If you require a bullet that does more than that, you probably have higher expectations than I do because you foresee some other situation that’s a hazard to your health. And there are other rounds in other calibers that can pass all parts of that test with flying colors.
However, for the FBI, the essential functionality listed above combined with a general useability by its field agents added up to the .40 cal. They weren’t trying to duplicate the performance of any other round. They just wanted a level of performance that suits their projected need without being unmanageable for their agents. That leads this writer to believe that other qualifying ammunition in other calibers has more felt recoil and is less manageable than the .40 Smith & Wesson.
Considering the original market for the .40S&W and how the caliber was approached for mass production I find that a lot of the caliber debate can be effectively negated. Saying “it’s not heavy enough” or “it’s not fast enough” are moot points as those weren’t the intentions of the .40 round; you can’t lose a contest you didn’t enter.
I don’t tout the ballistics of this round as gospel. It performs as desired for the purpose it was designed for. Not as a 10mm substitute. Not to outperform a .45ACP or 9x19mm. The .40 is its own round. If what it is and does suits your needs, it’s indeed a good round. And while their are more than just the ballistics that contribute to the .40 cal’s popularity, that’s something for the third and final installment.
http://gunssavelives.net/blog/supreme-court-ruling-police-have-no-duty-to-protect-the-general-public/
No duty to protect.
As soon as they go to the irrational (like a nuke or a grenade launcher) in a so called rational debate, you have won the day. Also when they say that SCOTUS is wrong, even though they normally praise then, again they have lost the debate. Useing facts and figures to these people will always cause then to go crazy and try to use emotion to win. Again causing them to loose the debate.
Google “terminal ballistics as viewed in a morgue”. If you’ve never read it the author’s a medical examiner & a former cop. Real world experience. Made me try .40cal(and .45). In essence he believes .40 is the MINIMUM caliber one should carry to stop a BG(& .357). VERY interesting reading. Carry what you can control. It’s VERY graphic if you’re the squeamish type.
The 40 is meant to be the best of a 9 and 45, while failing to do both. Why should someone like me go get a 40 S&W when I already have the best of both worlds? I have a 9 sitting here nest to my keyboard and a 45 in the next room.
Why the 9mm close and the .45 next door?
Reminds me of: “A pistol is the tool you use to fight your way back to where you left your rifle.”
That said, assuming minimal accuracy, how can 14-18 rounds of 9mm +P JHP NOT out-perform 7 rounds of .45?
Forget it! I’m dead.
The .40S&W is the minivan of the caliber world.
If you know much about minivans, you know that they are superior to SUVs for every single aspect related to driving on pavement, which is where 98% of all SUVs are driven, and they are superior to cars for their intended purpose (carrying people/cargo). If that was intended to be an insult… well, lets just say it didn’t work.
Whole lot of minivan/.40 cal lovers, apparently.
You might be right. I enjoy shooting my .40 and I do drive a minivan. The other family car is Chevy Traverse so another minivan looking like a SUV. Coincidence? I think not!
The compilation of data at the bottom of this link lines up exactly with what you are saying in this series. The .40 was designed for a specific task and it does a very good job at said task. Ballistically it lines up right in between the 9mm and .45acp and the results of actual shootings correberates this evidence as well.
[quote]
9mm Luger
# of people shot – 456
# of hits – 1121
% of hits that were fatal – 24%
Average number of rounds until incapacitation – 2.45
% of people who were not incapacitated – 13%
One-shot-stop % – 34%
Accuracy (head and torso hits) – 74%
% actually incapacitated by one shot (torso or head hit) – 47%
.40 S&W
# of people shot – 188
# of hits – 443
% of hits that were fatal – 25%
Average number of rounds until incapacitation – 2.36
% of people who were not incapacitated – 13%
One-shot-stop % – 45%
Accuracy (head and torso hits) – 76%
% actually incapacitated by one shot (torso or head hit) – 52%
.45 ACP
# of people shot – 209
# of hits – 436
% of hits that were fatal – 29%
Average number of rounds until incapacitation – 2.08
% of people who were not incapacitated – 14%
One-shot-stop % – 39%
Accuracy (head and torso hits) – 85%
% actually incapacitated by one shot (torso or head hit) – 51%
[/quote]
Keep up the good work!
Excellent summary.
I also like the point someone made in some reading I did three or four years ago, before settling on the G23- probably Mas Ayoob: If you are going to have to defend yourself after a self-defense shooting, it would make sense to be able to make the common-sense argument that this round is the one most extensively researched and effective compromise between stopping power, without being inhumane.
In response to something an aggressive prosecutor might spin- “armor piercing, this, hollow point that”.
Or more simply, if the .40S&W is good enough for all the civilian law enforcement agencies, the FBI, most PDs, and Highway Patrols, with all their high-tech testing, then its good enough for a little old responsible citizen carrying for self-defense.
Besides, at the time, there was no single stack 9MM Glock, which was my first choice.
Another one of the things I choose to disagree with Ayoob on…
To make the claim of self defense, you have to show the threats of ability, opportunity and jeopardy. None of that other nonsense matters in the real world.
if his argument were at all relevant, why are people not losing SD cases left and right when .22 or .380 are used?
You don’t have to justify your choice of caliber or ammo; only that you had the legal right to self defense in that situation. If it’s a “good shoot” with one caliber | pistol | ammo, it’s a good shoot with any other.
Agreed. The only thing you’d have to remember when asked about why you bought such and such ammo is: “Um… it fits in the gun I had.”
Now MAYBE if you’re using a glock with a bayonet loaded with RIP FOREVA ammo you might see some problems… or a big .44 Dirty Harry magnum… but the idea that juries are going to be interested in the intricacies of caliber performance stretches the imagination. Actually I think it’s a product of some overactive imaginations in the gun world.
rlc2, you are changing your argument in mid stream. I was responding to what you said about Masad Ayoob (or whoever) making the following assertion (to quote your post):
“If you are going to have to defend yourself after a self-defense shooting, it would make sense to be able to make the common-sense argument that this round is the one most extensively researched and effective compromise between stopping power, without being inhumane.”
And, quite frankly, that’s a load of crap. None of that matters. What matters?
You were in fear for your life from a credible threat, yes or no.
That’s it.
You may have a hard time showing that, but the ammo in your gun or what caliber you carry will have nothing whatsoever to do with your mindset at the time or with the credibility of the threat against you.
By the logic of the quoted statement, people defending themselves with .22 LR would never win on self defense claims. This is patently untrue. Ditto any other hundred methods of self defense.
Educate yourself on the realities of legally defending yourself in the event of self defense actions.
I think you should put more effort into learning about stereolithography than you do for learning about stocks.
3D printers are not a fad. And neither are they the technological turbo button that will change the face of development. Asking who would want one or what you would do with it after you’ve made a few toys, or talking about how “print cartridges” are expensive or will become obsolete, shows that you researched the subject as much as gun control politicians research about guns. Insert 30-caliber-clip sound byte here.
Everyone *should* want a 3D printer, but few seem to understand why. The advantage over a CNC mill, and conversely the reason they will not change how product development happens now, is that they do the exact same thing, but cheaper in price and quality. You can prototype a non-functioning model for less expense, but it won’t be remotely as strong as a milled part, whether aluminum or glass-filled nylon. A 3D printer makes excellent salad bowls, but flat-out dangerous gun barrels. If you just need to make sure a bracket will bolt up to a frame, this is your solution. If you want a functioning (ghost/undetectable) gun, stop now.
The usefulness of a 3D printer in a household is that you won’t have to buy crappy Chinese salad bowls and jelly shoes at WalMart anymore, you can make them, in any color, any style, and any design you can imagine, the cost is somewhat higher but the value is exponentially greater because A) you had to actually think and be creative, and B) you crafted it yourself. If that doesn’t massively propagate American (and other first-world) education, ingenuity, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship, nothing will. School science projects? Imagine something that makes Legos look like a hoop and stick. That’s 3D printing.
For prototyping invention, it is hopelessly inferior to actual CNC. It takes too long, the part is flimsy., and the money you save is never worth the difference. Actual stereolithographed parts in the aerospace industry are metal sand that is sintered by a laser to create parts too complex to mill, at the very least, an otherwise conventional but industrial-grade 3D printer that feeds glass-filled nylon that would be impossible to use on any current consumer-grade printer. This is akin to the carbon fiber loom custom-made in-house by Toyota for their LFA A-pillars. These machines are the bleeding edge of manufacturing technology, akin to what CNC mills were 30 years ago, and just as expensive.
It frustrates me when gun control vocalists drag out 3D printed guns like they’re a legitimate risk to civilization. John Malcovich’s character made an undetectable gun out of better material (epoxy poured into a mold and sanded to tolerance) when 3D printing wasn’t even an idea in someone’s head, and nothing ever came of it.
bang. too late.
I reckon the Beretta has a bad rep in the service because a lot of them are in the same shape as ours were. Springs not replaced when needed because no round counts kept for individual weapons. Craptastic old mag springs. And lastly, good ol Joe not doing his diligence after quals. I personally have drawn a weapon from the armory that should have been a1 ready to roll, and it fails to go into full battery after three rounds. We break her open and what do we find? Carbon so thick you had to scrape it off with a knife. I have a 92FS inox and its a fine weapon, though a bit to big for my hands. Never have put over 10,000 rounds through any handgun, so I won’t claim I know when a Beretta will fail. To the average end user its virtually irrelevant provided the weapon has a reasonable life expectancy. I will keep shooting the Beretta, and its Brazilian cousin, as, despite having owned most brands and many models of pistol, the slick old oversized nine will still have a place in my armory.
Cue the tinfoil hat brigade.
Are these the same “Experts” that built the Obamacare website?
beat me to it
The big difference between this interview and others is the pro-2A speaker was actually allowed to talk. Usually it’s Piers Morgan or Rachel Maddow talking over them the whole time. If they’re present at all.
So nice things got through to production and is in active use before they declare and start acting upon performance issues. What is SDLC again?
Bah, this’ll just be used to justify a larger budget next FY.
1) I don’t see anywhere in the link that it was a revolver, service or otherwise.
2) My, but that’s an ugly patch.
When there was no 9mm on the ammo shelves there was mountains of .40. And it hasn’t changed much and yeah I like shooting 18 rounds of 9mm in rapid succession. If I can find it. Carry a shotgun if you’re insecure.
Service revolver? Who is that guy — Eliot Freakin’ Ness?
Hooray for caliber wars!!!!
So much fun. Such a huge waste of bandwidth on the Interwebz.
Huge waste of bandwith?
You do know that the internet is not, in fact, a series of tubes, right?
The waste of electrons spent spelling out the specific tradeoffs involved when choosing particular calibers and pistols is nothing compared to the destruction of vast forests caused to print literally endless theological quibbles which, BTW, often have led and do lead to actual wars. We are, in other words, never going to pull even with the theologians.
I do agree with you, though, that the go-to 9mm today is the Walther PPQ. I cannot in good conscience recommend the .40 caliber model!
In a few instances, I could not see the sniper even with the red ring around him!
nice.
Shall I tell you about the slaughter caused by Government weapons?
Do you really want to have a discussion about who kills more people?
We can have a conversion about my AR-15 once you’ve taken away Obama’s unmanned drones.
Until then, I don’t believe you are sincere about stopping any sort of slaughter so STFU.
I wonder if Matt Drudge’s hat is missing?
Carry a flashlight, light up the sounds. Should give you a headstart or make a baddy pick a new target.
Visualization of the best moves is something pro-athletes do a lot of, I understand.
PS: was always curious ’bout the hypnosis angle, Robert, so thanks for the link…
Uh, I have always been a little nervous about the comedy club hypnosis gigs – all the guys and gals getting walked on while suspended between chairs… “now you will make your body stiff and strong as a steel bar…”
and doing various other embarrassing things in front of the crowd…so a question:
If I start watching this vid I am not going to start barking at the moon here in the coffee shop, right…
right….woof?
Why are they punishing the cop? According to the paper the revolver fired itself and the cope had nothing to do with it.
Used to be a mildly anti-gun liberal (thought they were OK, but that they ought to be extremely strictly controlled). Am now an extremely pro-gun liberal. Firearms right are about putting power in the hands of the common people.
Have a (unoffical) hat that I got from the LAPD Officers’ Association back in 1983. Says “To protect and serve, when we fucking feel like it” I’d say that cap was way ahead of it’s time.
Once again, repeat after me. This is America. People are armed. If you phuck with a stranger and get shot, don’t whine about it. Talk to all around you as if they were armed. They may well be.
Mr. Chee is not complaining! 😀
The New Hampshire House has 424 members.
From the vote totals, it looks like 64 legislators didn’t cast a yea or nay.
Maybe the weather kept them away. [wink, nudge]
Most likely the surveillance camera video was self-evident, so the police came to that conclusion.
Ah Wal-Mart. Just recently at the local Wal-Mart I was attempting to use one of the self checkout registers when the ‘lady’ behind me approached so closely that she was actually in contact with my elbow. This was at the point where I needed to swipe my card and enter pin numbers to complete checkout. I asked politely if she would mind stepping back a bit so that I could complete my business. She gave me a look like I must be insane. I switched tact and ordered her (command voice) to step back and break contact with me. She left the area screaming incoherently about racists and maniacs. As I left I spoke with the employee who watches the self service isles. She told me that the lady I’d had issue with was an ongoing problem and was apparently insane. I informed the cashier that the lady in question was likely attempting to surf credit card numbers and pins on debit cards and might not be as crazy as she seemed.
There really isn’t a point to this story other than my venting, but I suppose the take away could be ‘don’t be afraid to assert yourself when need arises’.
Did you don the proper 37 pieces of blackhawk gear before going to eat your tactical bacon for breakfast? That’s the most important part.
Hmmm… We might not be privy to any surveillance video, but five’ll get ya’ fifty the constabulary took a peek before going their merry way.
I must wonder: did they leave the li’l guy armed, or at the tender mercies of any other Chees who might be lurking about?
The Fresno County Sheriff, Margaret Mims, is pro-CCW and doesn’t require special “good cause” to issue other than a desire to defend one’s self or exercise one’s 2A rights.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?id=8958407
Very large county with a large rural area. Mims has been very pro CCW since she was originally elected.
Dumb question, but do you have to be a resident of the county you’re seeking a CC license in, or could you go to a carry-friendly county no matter what you call home in Cali?
As a former CCW holder from CA (who now lives in TX!!), one has to live in the county where the CCW is sought. I lived in Stanislaus county, another very gun friendly haven in the otherwise anti-2A state. Agricultural folks tend to be politically conservative. It won’t be long before some bad guy gets his due.
Mims is VERY pro-CCW. The local fishwrap took her to task for it recently:
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/24/3460047/constitutional-sheriffs-in-calif.html
So I stayed out late last night having a drink with the fellas and came home to an icy glare from the Mrs. When I asked if she was OK, she said yes.
If I used your literal interpretation, I would say yes everything was OK.
If I used Steven’s interpretation I would come to the conclusion that it wasn’t.
Its all about interpretation…….
The Navajo Post article has a few more details
http://www.navajopost.org/2014/02/19/kyle-wayne-quadlin-shots-navajo-man-claims-self-defense/
Man, there are just too many variables in this one. You try to imagine the circumstances and it’s hard because there are so many possibilities. Not sure if I’m buying the widow’s account right up front. Seems like if it was that clear cut, an arrest would’ve been made.
6 acres in Los Angeles County. We have thieves at night that strip our fruit trees – cut the fruit right off. Hoping that LA County is forced to allow concealed carry – meaning that the 9th Circuit’s recent opinion is upheld.
My open carry weapon is my Glock 23. Works for me. Definitely has a lot more kick than my 9mm Taurus (especially given that the Taurus is single/double action).
I did make the mistake once of introducing my cousin to handguns via the Glock 23, but I’m going to take him back soon and let him shoot the Taurus. He didn’t do badly with the .40 but I think he’ll have a better time with the 9mm.
The politicians in Sac can still get their fresh produce, so they don’t care if they buy from farmers or thieves. Strangely, they do care a lot when the same thing happens with food imported from the 3rd world. Apparently they think South American coffee growers, African chocolate producers, etc are more valuable than local nut growers.
Just a note to anyone reading this who is now seeing cross-eyed by all the caliber arguments.
Use any caliber you want but realize this:
First, it is a handgun. No handgun cartridge contains the, pardon the pun, “magic bullet.” Any handgun most of us carry is “weak” compared to a shotgun or a rifle.
Second, 9mm, .40, .45ACP, .357 or .22LR are all worthless rounds if you do not know how to use your handgun in a situation where you have to defend your life or the life of another. You can load up the biggest, baddest, hottest, +PJHPMagnumSuperLoad and it will do you no good if you do not place rounds, multiple rounds preferably, on the target in a location that will stop the threat.
Third, do not be fooled by those who agonize over charts, graphs, statistics and what-not. Train. Train. Train and finally remember, it if first about mindset. Then training. Training. Training.
So, you will read these kinds of discussions all over the Internet.
People get all wrapped up emotionally over a particular caliber. It is ultimately silly.
As for you, learn to shoot, what you choose to shoot, well.
Practice makes perfect.
Amen to that.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
Imperfect practice turns bad habits into muscle memory.
You can see this in practice at your local range every day,
🙂
I don’t have caliber issues, I have Chuck Norris. Any questions ?
I didn’t think so.
I guess you might say thieves are going “crazy” for their newest quarry. I hope those farmers get a chance to shoot them in the “testicles” for their crimes.
Great job, CAN CAN.
And thanks TTAG for the pics on the Facebook page- really neat to see all the entries- role models all.
Beauty is more than skin deep, of course, and what I notice about all these Women of the Gun is the quality of character that shines through. Something to do with self-reliance, integrity, defiance of PC conventions…devoted to their own self-defense, and that of their family- you are not going to see a burkha on these babes, that’s for sure.
I guess that’s what makes Women of the Gun, far more interesting, and attractive than the sad, wan Julia’s, and Lena’s, and Shannon’s of the left’s liberal plantation, and even poor Gabby Gifford, slaves all to their minders, “Those Who Know Whats Best For The Rest of Us”.
Did anyone else have issues with the SR9 shooting too high? I tried this weapon out once at a gun store, the sights seemed to be aligned on target and all my shot placements were centered left and right but they were all shooting high. I talked to a gun dealer and he said it might of been because the SR9 has a heavy metal slide atop a polymer frame can cause a slight imbalance which causes people to shoot upwards slightly, but I am still uncertain. Did anyone else have this problem or know how to compensate?
“From their FAQ: Is it true that a camera that runs this fast must be powered by either dilithium or silithium crystals?
No. We’ve been able to achieve these rates of speed without the use of such technology.”
This is what makes these guys so cool, other than their awesome camera work.
… and that is why full auto is not very effective.
I read the New York Times almost daily, my home has a subscription. I grew up reading the paper. I have never read a pro-Right to Keep and Bear Arms article in the paper, ever. Not in the editorial pages nor in the regular articles. Not one. It is absolutely biased on this issue, with no effort towards neutrality. Their policy must forbid pro-gun articles. I speak of pro-gun not by NYT standards but by TTAG standards.
Farago pumps out a nationally-distributed published editorial in twenty minutes? Now I have something to blame his occasional sloppy writing on. I don’t send out half of my correspondence until I reread it the next day!
Good on USA Today that they take a neutral stance and publish editorials of various persuasions. Let arguments be made and the public decide.
For the record, I think the New York Times sucks and has low journalistic standards. I have it because my family wants it. As bad as it is, the other NYC papers are far worse (Daily News headline: “AR-15 Kills Again!” when a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun was used). I’m going to for an interview out-of-state as soon as next week, I can’t wait to leave.
That sounds like MY life in CA, except I refuse to allow any paper in our house but the Wall Street Journal, which is refreshingly neutral, leaning pro-gun.
Good going Robert. I hope smart gun nonsense is not the tipping point to violence.
As noted from antiquity: ‘intelligence becomes measurable in part as, the ability to accurately predict the outcome of any given action or series of actions’.
With the aforementioned in Mind, no significant extension of intellect is required to predict that — should the proposed dumb chip technology not initially incorporate some type or associated variation of say, radio frequency signaling for the purpose of tracking and disabling — it most assuredly will in later and more advanced versions.
As duly noted from more recent history: ‘the electronic age signaled the ultimate end of any semblance of individual privacy’.
In an not entirely dissimilar manner: ‘enactment of confiscatory taxation signaled the ultimate end of the Founder’s idea of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness under their beloved American Constitutional Republic form of government’.
Well and quickly said, sir. If the technology was truly desirable, police would want it. Think for a moment of the good tech you currently own. It has inherent value, and you will seek it out on your own. The government doesn’t need to force you to own a 64 GB phone, a 4G LTE IPad, a Samsung Galaxy IV, or a 430 BHP Ford Mustang, Brembro brakes, or a 50 MPG hybrid. If its good, people will purchase it on the open market, or upgrade what they currently own.
If its garbage, and ultimately about control, the government statist will cram it down the throats of the people. This looks like the latter.
@Nick Leghorn You’re assumptions are completely wrong. You take advice from “gun experts” who may or may not have an axe to grind. SERPAs are completely safe as long as you’re not an idiot. That former agent you mentioned didn’t know how to properly use his equipment, simple and plain. Just because he did some time in a federal branch or the armed services doesn’t make him an expert; I know this first hand. Stop spouting bullshit opinions as if they were facts. If you shoot yourself with a SERPA, you’ll very likely shoot yourself with any other holster because you simply don’t understand that finger off the trigger = safe. I can backup everything I say with video evidence so your anecdotal opinion, based on words from those may be limited in knowledge, means very little.
Here it is folks. A somewhat ‘smarter’ version of a smart gun:
http://www.tarnhelm.com/magna-trigger/gun/safety/magna1.html
If I HAD to, I’d feel better with this than something electronic.
Best part is the bear went out with a smile on his face. “If these guys are gunna shoot me, I’m gonna put my ass in the nastiest puddle of water within two miles. Suckers!”
All jokes aside I can’t wait til me and my father make it out for some rugged predator hunting. Thanks for the story.
I suppose now, he’ll be called upon the lecture circuit to “tell his story”. His “journey” to the correct way of securing a weapon, new laws, for the childern, for mandatory gun safes. Of course expense will be paid and….well you have to pay for his time.
I understand the shock that many of you are expressing at Governor Moonbeam’s recent comments … and rightfully so after decades of hysteria being fashionable among the civilian disarmament crowd.
But I am telling you ladies and gentlemen, the civilian disarmament crowd is in serious trouble. From 1960 through something like 2010, gun grabbers asserted many claims — claims that seemed to be somewhat sensible on the surface. However, every day experience and history has proven otherwise. And many citizens as well as politicians who were on board the gun control bandwagon or at least indifferent to gun control, have learned the truth and now oppose gun control as a magic solution to violent crime.
Here are a few now-debunked gun control fallacies:
(1) Constitutional and licensed concealed carry has proliferated. And the “Wild West” characterizations of prolific concealed carry never materialized.
(2) The number of privately owned firearms far exceeds private ownership in 1960. While the violent crime rate steadily increased until its peak in 1993, the violent crime rate has since plummeted and is almost back to the levels that we experienced in the early 1960s, even though privately owned firearms has almost doubled again since 1993 and millions of citizens now go armed into public.
(3) We have seen through incredibly painful loss that “gun free zones” are utterly and totally ineffective — they are a complete failure.
(4) Gun control paradises like California, which should have much lower violent crime rates than “shall issue” concealed carry states like Maine, in fact have much higher violent crime rates.
(5) Legal scholars, historians, and our United States Supreme Court have stated emphatically that our Second Amendment states an individual, not “collective”, right to keep and bear arms. And our courts are issuing rulings which say that individual self-defense is the core component of that right.
I could continue but I think you get the idea. These truths are dawning on millions of people and they are embracing our Natural, civil, and Constitutionally enumerated right to keep and bear arms. That is why firearm sales are through the roof the past 8 or so years. That is why ammunition is often in short supply the past 6 or so years. And that is why even politicians are now taking notice.
Keep sharing the truth with everyone that you can. Take as many friends, coworkers, and neighbors to the range as you can. Support as many gun rights organizations as you can. We are winning. It may not seem that way in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, and California (although that recent 9th Circuit Peruta decision is about to turn California upside down), but we are winning. And as we see in this article, even Governor Moonbeam is indicating change. Keep up the pressure.
A: Because we did not vote for Obama (6 times, each election)?
I think a lot of these stories are either old or from just worn out guns. Remember even the 1911’s the military had back in the 70’s sucked because they were so worn out. That doesn’t mean its a bad gun, but like anything they have lifespans.
I suspect a lot of the M4 failures are just from old guns or crappy mags. For some reason the military won’t step into the 21st century and run Pmags, so they get what they get in terms of mag issues with the old aluminum ones.
A proper spec, properly maintained AR is just as reliable as any other rifle out their. No gun is magic they all break, even the vaunted AK.
Day after Thanksgiving sale? No worries, I’ll clear you a path to the Tickle-Me Elmos…
Splitting the state into several is gaining ground and represents the only solution for the problem. Let the liberals have little smaller enclaves that prevent them from using the states enormous size to dictate who the president is, swing legislation in the house, and control large swaths of the country where they don’t agree.
Put a Sig Pistol Brace on it and have a ball!
I have a 11″ PWS upper in 6.8 SPC. Makes up for the reduced stopping power of the 5.56
Don’t forget that nancy doesn’t believe we should be able to “stand our ground” because the laws are “racist,” harping on that Zimmerman should be in prison despite being acquitted. She’s no friend of the 2A
“Act with physical aggression…..??”
Minghe!
If I recall correctly, when Governor Quinn vetoed the CCW bill, he added a veto amendment that did the exact same thing:
“As a matter of property rights, the legal presumption should always be that a person is not allowed to carry a concealed, loaded gun onto private property unless given express permission,”
It got shot down pretty quick when the legislature overrode his veto. This dumb senator didn’t learn.
Having shot that gun, I can say I agree.
I still prefer my 17g4, however.
To funny. Folks lets get real a ,40 hole in anyone will slow them down a bit. My Spring Field XDM has a 17 round mag and with one in the pipe I deserve what happens if I can’t unload my ordinance into the target properly!
I used to carry my .380 all the time, but then I agreed with the adage:
Never use a small caliber gun,
on a large caliber man
now I always carry my Sig Sauer P229 0.40cal SS Elite
“it’s not easy in the sense that any Joe can get a license to carry” – Somebody didn’t read the Wrenn decision. The decision said that the law has to allow the average citizen to be able to exercise the right. If “any Joe” is anything like “average Joe,” he just handed the lawyers challenging this iteration of the law a loaded weapon (I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist).