Active Killers Continue to

Terrorize

Random Shots

In the last edition of Random Shots, I wrote about the active killer event in Cincinnati that happened on September 6. Now as 2018 draws to a close, active killers continue to terrorize the American public. And of course the liberal media seems to be doing everything they can to amplify this. They have started using alternate definitions to create the impression that active killer events occur more often than they really do.

The official definition of an active killer (active shooter) event used by the Federal government is when three or more individu-als are killed in a public place. The media has started using the term “mass shootings” interchangeably with “active killer event” and defines that as when three or more indi-viduals are shot—meaning that they include individuals that are wounded but not killed. They include those killed in domestic vio-lence situations, etc. And don’t get me start-ed on the various gun control groups and their statistics on school shootings. They classify any discharge of a firearm in or near a school, regardless of whether anyone was injured or even if children are not present, as a “school shooting”. They even include suicides and lawful discharges of firearms by law enforcement officers in their statistics. For me, I’ll stick with the official Federal government definition, and those statistics paint a bad enough picture as it is.

On October 29, shortly before 10AM, a lone gunman walked into the Tree of Life Syna-gogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and

opened fire. The results of this attack were eleven killed and six injured, including four responding police officers. The 46-year-old gunman surrendered to authorities after being shot multiple times to end the attack. He is being charged with committing hate crimes.

The weapons he used included an “assault rifle and three handguns” according to re-ports, all legally obtained. Prior to his at-tack, the gunman had posted anti-Sematic statements on social media. The gunman chose a “no guns zone” to carry out his at-tack.

On November 7, shortly before midnight a lone gunman walked into the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California (in Ventura County, outside of Los Angles) and

began shooting at the patrons, largely com-posed of college students. When he finally stopped shooting, twelve people were killed—including a responding deputy sher-iff—and eighteen others were injured. At the start of his attack, the gunman shot an unarmed security guard standing outside of the bar.

The gunman was a 28-year-old former Ma-rine who had had minor run-ins with au-thorities prior to this. He used a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol to carry out his attack. (The Glock Model 21 has a capacity of 13 rounds of ammunition, but in Califor-nia magazine capacity is limited to 10 rounds.) When additional law enforcement officers entered the bar to confront him about fifteen to twenty minutes after the shooting began, the gunman fatally shot

January/February 2019 Volume 9, Issue 1

Edited and Published by

Gary Evens, Rangemaster and

NRA Certified Firearms Instructor &

Range Safety Officer

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to

keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in Random Shots are those of the author(s), and

do not necessarily represent the positions of any other individual or

organization.

“I do not carry a pistol so that I may impose my will on others. I carry a pistol so that others may not impose their will on me.” — Tom Givens

himself, ending the threat of further vio-lence. No motive for his attack on the bar has been identified.

At the time of the attack, there were six off-duty police officers in the Borderline Bar. Reports are conflicting regarding what they were doing there, but all reports indicated they were all unarmed. Some reports indi-cate they were there to “party”, and con-suming alcohol while carrying a firearm in California is illegal (as it is in many other states, including Ohio). Other reports indi-cate they had been hired to be “security guards” at the bar. Of course, the bar itself was a “no gun zone”.

California has some of the toughest gun laws in the United States, but they did not prevent the gunman from legally obtaining the firearm he used to carry out this act of violence. Of course, liberals, including Cali-fornia’s Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein, called for more federal gun control laws to prevent such events, but the very laws she proposes are the same as California had already enacted and that proved ineffective in preventing this tragedy.

Thousand Oaks had a reputation for being one of the safest places in the United States with a very low crime rate. This event just goes to prove that violence can erupt at any place and at any time.

On November 19, a lone gunman killed three people at Chicago’s Mercy Hospital & Medical Center—another “no gun zone”— on the city’s southside. His shooting spree started out as a domestic dispute when he walked up to emergency room doctor Tamara O’Neal, his former fiancé, near the entrance to the hospital and fatally shot her. Next he engaged responding police officers in a gunfight that resulted in the death of one of the officers in the hospital’s lobby. The 32-year-old gunman then went further into the hospital and continued shooting. A first year pharmacy resident was shot and killed as she walked out of an elevator. The gunman was later found with a gunshot to his head.

Altogether the gunman is believed to have fired about 40 rounds from a 9mm handgun during his attack. The only individuals hit by the gunman’s fire were the three people he killed. No one was wounded. It is un-clear whether the gunman took his own life or if he died of wounds from shots fired by responding police officers.

Crime statistics show that over 50% of the mass shootings that occur are a result of a domestic violence situation. (The gunman at the Borderline Bar also had a history of domestic violence although there is no di-rect evidence this was a cause for his shoot-ing spree.)

So what are the lessons learned from these events?

• “No Gun Zones” aren’t if a bad guy decides to bring one. A sign will not protect you from violence. All they do is make it easier for authorities to pros-ecute someone for breaking the law—but then, killing people is also against the law.

• Additional gun control laws—short of outright confiscation—cannot prevent such events from taking place.

• Violent attacks can occur any place and at any time, so be prepared.

It seems that some of the most vicious at-tacks recently have taken place in locations controlled by liberals and with some of the toughest gun control laws already in place. Don’t gamble with your own safety and security by relying on government authori-ties to protect you from harm. Take action yourself to protect yourself and your loved ones. Get self-defense training!

-- G.R. Evens

How Do Ohio’s Gun

Rights Compare in 2018? [Editor’s Note: This is a follow-on to articles that I have written over the last several years regarding Ohio’s ranking among the other states with regard to gun rights.]

Guns and Ammo Magazine continues to pub-lish a ranking of the various states regarding gun rights, and has done so for the past six years. Factors considered in the rankings include:

• Support for Right-to-Carry (i.e. con-cealed carry and open carry) laws, including reciprocity agreements with other states.

• Restrictions placed on Modern Sporting Rifles (AR-15/AK-47 type semi-automatic rifles).

• Restrictions placed on the posses-

sion and use of firearms covered under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 (i.e. machine guns, sound suppressors, short-barreled rifles/shotguns, etc.).

• Support for Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground laws.

• Other factors such as pending pro/anti-gun legislation, the availa-bility of gun stores and shooting ranges, preemption laws, restrictions placed on ammunition/magazine capacities, etc.

For 2018, Ohio ranks 28th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). This is an improvement of one position over the 2017 ranking. This improvement was attributed to pending legislation that would change Ohio’s law to place the bur-den of proof in self-defense cases on the prosecution rather than on the defendant—Ohio is the only state that places the burden of proof in self-defense on the defense. (This legislation was approved by the state legislature, but still needs Governor Kasich’s signature and he has threatened to veto the law if it comes to his desk.) In 2013, Ohio ranked 35th, falling to 36th in 2014, and im-proving to 29th in 2017.

The worst states for gun rights continue to be those liberal-controlled states in the Northeastern and on the west coast. New York was the worst, followed by New Jer-sey, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. Normally, DC is the worst for gun rights, but in late 2017 the District dropped their instance of “good reason” as a grounds for granting a concealed carry license to residents as a re-sult of a ruling from the U.S. Court of Ap-peals. DC now ranks 47th on the list.

The best state for gun owners is Arizona, followed by Idaho, Alaska, and Kansas. Idaho’s improvement was considerable, 2nd compared to 19th in 2017. Idaho’s improved ranking was a result of improvements to use-of-force laws, duty to retreat require-ments, and enacting permitless carry for citizens and active duty military members. Wyoming also made a similar jump in the rankings from 17th to 5th.

States that slipped in the rankings considera-bly were Florida (from 12th to 23rd) and Ver-mont (20th to 37th).

For the states bordering on Ohio, Pennsyl-vania came in at #32, Michigan is at #26, Indiana is at #20, Kentucky is #14, and

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West Virginia is #15.

-- G.R. Evens

My Ruger Obsession

Part II: The Ruger Mark-series Pistols I waited until 1988 to get an example of Ruger’s first firearm, their semi-automatic .22-caliber pistol. Mine was a Mark II version in standard configuration—4.75-inch barrel with fixed sights. I sold it about a year later when I needed money to upgrade my home computer. Since then, I have replaced it and the Ruger Mark-series of pistols are my latest obsession.

In 2004, I decided to replace my Mark II by acquiring an NRA Commemorative version of that pistol. It was basically a standard model Mark II with special white simulated ivory grips instead of the standard black ones, and it included Bill Ruger’s signature and an NRA emblem on the top of the re-ceiver.

In 2014, I began competing in the Greene County Fish and Game Association’s NDR League, a smallbore .22-caliber pistol league that holds shoots once each week during the spring and summer months. I started out using my High Standard Supermatic Military Citation target pistol, but after that first year I decided that I wanted to try something with a red-dot optic on it as many other participants in the NDR League were doing. I did not want to modify my High Standard pistol so instead I bought a Ruger Mark III Hunter model to use with an optic.

The .22-caliber, 10-shot Mark III Hunter model comes in stainless steel with a 6.88-inch fluted barrel. It has adjustable sights and is drilled and tapped for mounting op-tics. Since I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to shoot with a red-dot optic well, I bought the cheapest one that I could find—a Browning Buckmark reflex model that re-

fused to maintain a consistent “zero”. For the next NDR League season, I swapped out that optic for a Burris Fastfire III.

Over the next couple of years, I bounced back and forth between that Mark III Hunter and my High Standard target pistol. I got use to the red-dot optic and eventually replaced the Burris one with a Vortex Cross-fire red-dot optic that I have really come to enjoy using.

One thing that continued to bother me with the Ruger pistol was its much heavier trigger pull weight compared to my High Standard. I decided to do something about that in 2018, by installing a Volquartsen Accuracy Kit in it. While doing that, I was reminded of why so many people do not like the Ruger Mark-series pistols—the frustrations associated with putting them back together once you have taken them apart! (The story goes that in a dream, God told Bill Ruger how to design the Mark I pistol and take it apart, but Bill woke up before God could tell him how to put it back together again.) At times it has taken me several hours to get my Mark II and Mark III pistols back to-gether after taking them apart and I fre-quently had to leave them disassembled overnight when my frustration level got too high to proceed. It was not unheard of for disassembled Mark-series pistols to be sent back to the Ruger factory in pieces to be reassembled when the owner couldn’t figure out how to do it. As a result, many owners of these .22 pistols never take them apart for cleaning, just running a cleaning rod and patch down the barrel instead.

Like most .22 caliber semi-automatic pistols, the Ruger “Mark-series” pistols are blow-back designs that are hammer fired. In the case of the Ruger (and other semi-auto pis-tols like the Browning Buckmark, Colt Woodsman, the High Standard Supermatics, the Smith & Wesson Model 41 and Victory, etc.) the hammer is internal. The Ruger hammer and sear are in the pistol’s frame, along with the trigger, safety, mainspring, etc. The barrel is fixed to a tubular receiver that also houses the bolt. The bolt recipro-cates within this receiver. The receiver and

barrel assembly can be removed from the Ruger’s grip frame for cleaning and mainte-nance. This design has advantages over guns like some of the models of the Brown-ing’s, Colt’s, High Standard’s, and the Smith & Wesson’s previously mention because the rear sight is attached to the fixed receiver and does not move as the gun cycles during firing. The other manufacturers’ guns have fixed barrels with slides that reciprocate on rails built into the frame. On some models the rear sight is attached to the slide and moves whenever the slide moves. On other models the rear sights are attached to a “bridge” or barrel extension that does not move as the slide reciprocates. Guns that have rear sights that do not move during recoil are considered to be more accurate.

Originally dubbed the “Standard Mod-el” (made from 1949 until 1981), Ruger’s first pistol has now evolved into four differ-ent series and multiple versions, with the original one being commonly called the “Mark I”. (Ruger did manufacture a specific “Mark I Target” model from 1950 to 1981.) The Mark I evolved into the Mark II start-ing in 1982. The Mark II changes included a “scallop” at the rear of the receiver to make grasping the cocking lugs easier, the magazine capacity was increased from 9 to 10 rounds, a separate bolt release latch was incorporated—on the Mark I, the safety also functioned as the bolt latch—, and the bolt locked in the open position when the last round in the magazine was fired. The Mark II’s remained in production until 2005, when they were replaced by the Mark III. For this new update to the pistol’s design, the magazine latch was moved from the heel of the grip (like found on many European pistols) to the position most Americans prefer—on the frame behind the trigger guard—, and a loaded chamber indicator—which most people dislike—was included.

Over the years, Ruger introduced different versions within each Mark-series evolution. These included target models with longer barrels or with bull barrels, models with adjustable sights, lightweight models, mod-els made from stainless steel, and a ver-sion—the polymer-frame 22/45—with a different grip contoured that mimics the 18° grip angle of the classic Colt Model 1911 (which is the preferred grip angle used by most other American semi-auto pistol man-ufacturers). The regular models of Ruger Mark-series pistols use a 22° grip angle as found on the German P08 Luger and Japa-

Page 3 Random Shots Volume 9, I ssue 1

nese Nambu pistols they were modelled after. (Glock also uses this grip angle.) Be-cause of some of the design changes made over the years, parts are not always inter-changeable between the various Mark-series pistols, including grip panels and magazines.

Starting in 2017, the Ruger Mark III was replaced by the Mark IV. This latest update of the Mark-series pistols does away with the loaded chamber indicator, has a larger bolt release lever, larger—and for the first time ambidextrous—safety lever, and incor-porates a spring and plunger to make maga-zine ejection more positive. Most im-portantly, Ruger engineers changed the way the pistol is disassembled/reassembled for cleaning, etc. Now it was possible to disas-semble/reassemble the pistol in just a cou-ple of seconds by pressing a button at the rear of the receiver.

This ease of disassembly/reassembly is what led me to acquiring my first Mark IV pis-tol—a Mark IV Target Model—as a replace-ment for my High Standard target pistol. I did not pay that much for the High Standard when I bought it in about 1977, about $175, but High Standard stopped making their target pistols in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s and since then the price for used ones have reached the $750-$1,000 range and higher.

In the next article in this series I’ll give you more information on the Ruger Mark IV Target Model.

-- G.R. Evens

I’ve noted that some gun writers are starting to speculate about a resurgence of interest in owning and shooting revolvers, specifically double-action (DA) revolvers. As evidence of this, they point to Kimber’s introduction of a revolver to their line of products that had previously been strictly composed of

semi-automatic pistols, Colt’s reintroduction of the DA Cobra revolver—something that they had not produced since 1981—, and the introduction of new DA revolver mod-els by Smith & Wesson and Ruger. Admit-tedly, most these new revolvers are focused on the self-defense/concealed carry/competitive shooting markets, but some are also targeted at hunters. Are these examples an indication that interest in revolvers is reviving?

DA revolvers used to be “king”, especially in the Post-World War II timeframe up until the early 1990’s when they were the pre-ferred handgun of law enforcement. How-ever, they started to lose favor to the semi-automatic pistol as those guns became more reliable. The semi-auto pistol offered better fire power because of increased ammunition capacity and the ease with which they could be reloaded. The calibers semi-auto pistols were offered in—primarily 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP—were more powerful than the standard .38 Special caliber used by law enforcement. While many departments and agencies had upgraded to revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum, they were still limited in capacity to 5-6 rounds and female officers tended to have difficulty managing the recoil from the powerful magnum car-tridges. With the introduction of polymer frame striker-fired pistols, the amount of effort required to train officers to transition from DA revolvers to semi-auto pistols be-came easily manageable.

I must admit that I like shooting DA revolv-ers. As I mentioned in a previous article appearing in Random Shots, the first handgun I ever shot was a DA revolver, a Smith & Wesson Model 15. I grew up during the time when revolvers were the most com-mon handgun carried by the police. I am very comfortable shooting them and I own several. But, are they a good choice for self-defense today?

Revolvers are less complex and thus more reliable according to some experts, especially in stressful situations. Clearing malfunc-tions that occur with a DA revolver is often a simple matter of pulling the trigger again. However, modern semi-auto pistols are just as reliable and the problems they do occa-sionally experience are usually ammunition and/or magazine-related.

Another criticism of the DA revolver is the long and stiff (often gritty) trigger pull they have when shooting in double-action mode.

(I usually prefer using the term “press” but “pull” is more descriptive of what you do with a revolver’s trigger.) However, some of the more recent introductions like the Colt Cobra and the Ruger LCR have re-engineering trigger mechanism that make the DA trigger pull much smoother. Older revolvers that have been fired a lot often have very smooth trigger pulls. If you can learn to manage a revolver’s double-action trigger pull, your shooting accuracy will sig-nificantly be improved when you switch to shooting a semi-automatic pistol. The single-action trigger pull on a revolver is among the best there is and they can be very accu-rately shot in this mode.

The biggest criticism of DA revolvers is their limited ammunition capacity and the amount of time it takes to reload them. Some revolver advocates point out that on average, violent encounters that involve the use of a handgun are resolved after just 2-3 shots are fired. This is well within the am-munition capacity of DA revolvers. Plus, accessories like moon clips, speed loaders and speed strips have been developed to help speed up the revolver reloading pro-cess, but they are still slower than inserting another magazine into a semi-auto pistol. Some manufactures, Smith & Wesson in particular, have come out with DA revolver models that have increased the ammunition capacity to 7, 8, or even 10 rounds, depend-ing on the caliber, and some manufacturers have started chambering them in the more common self-defense calibers like 9mm Luger.

One of the biggest advantages of the DA revolver is that they are capable of firing more powerful cartridges than a comparable (in size and weight) semi-auto pistol. No one would argue that the .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum being fired from a revolver are not proven manstoppers. Even a Smith & Wesson J-frame snub-nose revolver chambered in .38 Special +P is more power-ful than any pocket pistol chambered in .32 ACP or .380 ACP. Another advantage is that a DA revolver can be fired in close con-tact or from a pocket and is much less likely to malfunction than a semi-automatic pistol

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used in a similar manner.

Still, are DA revolvers staging a come-back? Only time will tell. I think the semi-auto will continue to be the primary handgun used by law enforcement and private citi-zens for self-defense. Old-timers will con-tinue to like the DA revolver, and younger shooters may acquire them as novelty items to add to their gun collections. I do not expect the DA revolver to be as popular as they once were, just as the single-action revolvers used during the Old West period have faded from common use—except among those that participate in Cowboy Action Shooting events.

-- G.R. Evens

One of the “standards” that students in defensive handgun classes are expected to demonstrate is an ability to place multiple shots on target in a very short amount of time. Sometimes this is coupled with draw-ing their handgun from concealment. In Hojutsu, for instance, some of the “standards” for accuracy and speed include from a distance of 3 yards being able to draw and fire two shots into the center of the target in 1.5 seconds or less. This drill is repeated at 7 yards with the time limit being extended to 1.7 seconds, at 10 yards in 2.3 seconds, at 15 yards in 2.6 seconds, at 25 yards in 3.1 seconds, and at 50 yards in 6.8 seconds. More time is allowed as the dis-tance increases because the perceived size of the target is getting smaller and thus more time must be allocated to getting the sights accurately placed on the center of the target.

The theory behind being able to deliver mul-tiple hits on a target quickly is that during a violent encounter, the threat will continue with their attack until they are forced to stop. Stopping their attack usually requires them to be shot multiple times to accelerate the rapid drop in blood pressure to cause

them to lose consciousness. Unfortunately, this emphasis on speed can also lead to the “spray and pray” method where shots are rapidly fired in the direction of the threat with little or no thought being given to shooting those shots accurately. It is not unusual for individuals that are involved in a gunfight to be unable to tell investigators just how many shots they actually fired dur-ing the encounter. They may indicate they only fired a couple of rounds when in actu-ally they expended every round in their fire-arm. They may even have reloaded their firearm and continued shooting with no recollection of having done so.

Recently some self-defense experts have started to question the wisdom of rapidly delivering shots on the threat instead of delivering accurate shots. They point out that you are legally responsible for every shot that you fire, even those that miss your intended target. They also emphasize that a basic principal of self-defense is that you are only allowed to use lethal force to stop a threat that may result in your death or seri-ous bodily injury (or the death or serious bodily injury of someone else you are de-fending). In such a situation, you are ex-pected to only use the minimum amount of force necessary to stop the threat. The moment the threat ceases, you must stop using lethal force. Thus, as soon as the assailant stops their attack, you must stop your defensive response to that attack!

The challenge to shooting rapidly is one of knowing when to stop shooting because the threat has been “stopped”. It seems to me that the time limits imposed for some of these drills, especially those shot at relatively close distances, may not allow sufficient time for you to assess the impact of your shots on the threat’s behavior before you fire another shot.

“Action” is always faster than “reaction”. It takes you about a quarter to a half second to recognize that something has happened so your “reaction” will lag by that much at least. Once you become conscious that something has happened, you then need to figure out what your response to that “action” will be. That takes additional time. Also, it might take your assailant a half sec-ond or more to react to being hit by your first round, and another quarter to a half second for you to realize they have reacted. Thus, the action-reaction cycle would be on the order of one second or so. During that time, most individuals are capable of firing

two to four shots. World-record-holder Jerry Miculek demonstrated that he could fire five shots from a revolver into a group the size of a playing card in less than 0.6 seconds! In another record he fired 60 shots—six shots each from ten revolvers—in just over 17 seconds. That is a rate of fire of 3.5 shots per second. So, the question is, should you be training to use a rate of fire faster than about one round per second?

The “hammer” or “double-tap” concept also may need some re-thinking. The way this technique enables you to shoot faster is that you only get a good sight picture for the first shot. The problem is that a prosecuting attorney may question your judgement dur-ing your trial if it can be shown that you fired any shots without deliberately aiming at your intended target. You will be called “reckless” if you do and that could easily sway the jury’s opinion of your claim of self-defense, especially if you miss the threat and hit an innocent bystander with one of your shots. (This is probably why the NRA stopped using this “double-tap” technique as part of their defensive shooting courses and instead use the “controlled pair” tech-nique where each shot is aimed.)

So instead of shooting faster, we may want to instead focus on shooting more accurate-ly. Here is what some of the firearms ex-perts have to say on this subject. Bill Jor-dan, a famous lawman and gunfighter said it best in his book No Second Place Winner— “Speed is fine, but accuracy is final!” Re-nowned firearms trainer Dave Spaulding wrote in his book Handgun Combatives (2nd ed.); “The history of gun fighting, going all the way back to the days of the wild west has shown that the person that gets the first solid hit on their adversary is usually the winner of the gun battle.” Firearms legend John Farnam writes in his book The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning (2nd ed.); “…all shooting must be surgically accurate and as quick as possible.” Another firearms training legend, Tom Givens, writes in his book Fighting Smarter: A Practical Guide for Surviving Violent Confrontations that:

[A] rapidly fired, powerful bullet that misses is a joke! Only hits count. You cannot miss fast enough to catch up. In addition, you are legally responsible for every round you fire, regardless of where it goes… To be successful in an armed encounter, then, one must strike a hard blow, precisely delivered quickly! This is the essence of gunfighting.

It seems they are not giving up on the idea of shooting quickly, but they all admit that shooting accurately is more important to

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winning the gunfight. Several of them do point out that being able to shoot faster is a result of eliminating all unnecessary move-ment, i.e. shooting smoothly, not just ma-nipulating your gun quickly.

As firearms trainers I think it is important to make sure our students recognize the legal implications of carrying and using a gun for self-defense. Thus, it is important for us to emphasize accuracy over speed. It is also important to teach them that they may con-front more than one threat and thus being able to quickly change their point of aim is important. Because of range limitations, we may have to have those multiple aiming points on a single target. In doing so it be-comes important to point out that we are teaching them to quickly change their point of aim, not to quickly fire multiple shots into a single threat ignoring the importance of accuracy. We also need to teach them how to be able to access the results of their shot(s), so they can truthfully claim that they used the minimum amount of force necessary to stop the threat. So, what do you think?

By the way, those Hojutsu time standards mentioned earlier in this article...they also have an accuracy requirement. Every shot fired must go into an target zone that measures approximately 10 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Any shot outside of this zone means a failure and disqualification on that particular course of fire. Also remember, in competitive shooting, speed is king. Missing costs you points, but typically the targets are large, and the scoring zones are generous. A lot of this emphasis on being able to shoot rapidly seems to originate in the world of competitive shooting.

-- G.R. Evens

Part I: Weapons Selection A home invasion or violent attack when you are out having dinner, shopping at your favorite store, attending a concert, or work-ing in your office are very scary things to have to face. An attack while you are in your home is perhaps the scariest of them all because you are pretty much on your own until help can arrive. Let’s consider this scenario; you are in your home at night and hear a sound like someone is moving

around. You may ignore it if you are ex-pecting another family member to be up or just coming home. However, if you do not expect this, you will probably be tempted to go investigate the source of the sound. It might be a result of a family pet knocking something over or it might be a result of someone breaking into your home intent on robbing you.

If you suspect that someone has broken in, you might want to stay where you are or get to a safe place, contact the police to let them know what is going on and that you need help, and to arm yourself. However, if there are other family members in other parts of your house, you may feel that you need to go protect them, especially if they are younger children. (If you are outside of your home and become involved in an “active killer” or terrorist attack you may also want to do something pro-active to stop the killing.) This will mean you will have to leave your place of relative safety. Doing so will be perhaps the most difficult and intimidating task that you must per-form. You won’t know what to expect or where you might find a potential threat that you must deal with. You will be tempted to move as quickly as possible, but doing so might increase the risk you might be detect-ed and attacked.

If you feel the need to search out an in-truder/“active killer”/terrorist, you will need to consider several factors that will influence the tactics you use to accomplish the task. If you are inside of a structure, these factors include:

• The time of day/available light.

• Where the entrances/exits are in relation to your location and the location of the threat(s).

• The number of rooms and their locations in proximity to where you are and where you need to go to.

• Whether the structure has multi-ple floors or not.

• The number and types of interior walls.

• The availability and location of telephones/alternate communica-tions to contact the police.

• The expected response-time for the police to arrive at your loca-tion.

• The number of other people in the structure.

• The type of weapon(s) you have available to use.

• The availability of other individu-als to assist you in searching the structure.

One of the first things you will need to de-termine is whether you have a means of defending yourself (and others) as you search through the structure and whether the means you have of defending yourself is suitable for confronting the threat. If you do not have any suitable weapon available to do this, then you will probably be limited to hiding in place or attempting to escape.

With the widespread availability of firearms in many parts of the United States, the opti-mal choice for searching out and confront-ing a threat would be a gun. (However, we may find ourselves in a “no gun zone” were the possession of a firearm is prohibited—except by criminals who ignore the law any-way.) That gun might be a handgun, a rifle, or a shotgun. Each has advantages and dis-advantages when it comes to defending yourself inside a building. Rifles and shot-guns, while having more “stopping power” than a handgun does, are more difficult to use in confined spaces because of their extend-ed length.

A rifle or shotgun may be your preferred option for defending yourself in your home—which is only a “no gun zone” by choice, not typically by law—especially if it has an open floorspace design. If you are out in public or moving through confined spaces, a handgun may be your best (or on-ly) choice. While a handgun is easier to carry and conceal, it is more difficult to shoot accurately than a rifle or shotgun.

Other weapons choices if you are in your home or in one of those locations where firearms ownership/possession is difficult or impossible, might be a club of some sort—a golf club, a baseball bat, etc. Such a weapon would not be optimal if you are opposed by someone armed with a firearm because to be effective you must be within contact distance from a threat. You may or may not be able to get that close to the threat to be able to use a club. The same

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problem exists with a knife (or hatchet/tomahawk) and they may have even less “reach” than a club does. Pepper spray or Tasers/stun guns are also range-limited, and they have a very limited capacity when deal-ing with multiple threats.

So, ideally you will want a gun. One with a larger ammunition capacity is preferable. Therefore, a semi-automatic pistol or some version of modern sporting rifle (i.e. an AR-15 or AK-47, etc.) would be the best choice for searching through a structure. Perhaps the best choice of all would be a pistol-caliber Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR) such as the SIG MPX, but such firearms are tightly controlled under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and to own one you must apply to the BATFE for permission and pay a $200 tax. (Pistol-versions of such firearms are often available that don’t require applying for government permission to own/possess and the payment of a special tax.)

Firing a gun in a confined space and in low light conditions may temporarily blind you because of the muzzle flash, and deafen you because of the loud noise produced. A rifle will probably produce the greatest amount of noise (and muzzle blast), followed by a shotgun and then a handgun. Equipping your gun with a silencer/sound suppressor would reduce this, but they are an added expense (also currently requiring BATFE approval and paying a $200 tax), they extend the length of your firearm, and they are not legal in all states/localities.

Another consideration is the power of the cartridges the gun is chambered for and the ability of that ammunition to penetrate the walls of the structure. Larger shotgun pel-lets penetrate farther than smaller ones do, but both are capable of penetrating through multiple interior walls (typically composed of wooden/metal studs and drywall panels). So are rifle and pistol bullets and they may also penetrate exterior walls as well, posing a risk to innocent people outside of the build-ing. Surprisingly, the 55-grain 5.56mm/.223

bullets fired from the AR-15 style rifles and carbines tend to penetrate less than other rifle, pistol, or shotgun rounds do.

So, there you are. In deciding to search a facility one of the first things you will need to do is to arm yourself with an appropriate weapon. In the next article I’ll deal with the tactics involved in low-light situations when searching and clearing a structure. Until then, be safe!

-- G.R. Evens

First Impressions

I was out at the Defensive Training Solu-tions range with several other individuals recently and had a chance to shoot a Smith & Wesson Performance Center® M&P® R8 double-action revolver.

Chambered in .357 S&W Magnum, but also capable of firing .38 Special ammunition, this big revolver is built on S&W’s large N-frame. It has an 8-round cylinder, a 5-inch barrel, and weighs 35.9 ounces empty—about two ounces more than an empty Colt Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol. The overall length is 10.5 inches. The cylinder and barrel are made from stainless steel. The barrel is surrounded by a Scandium alloy shroud, with the same material being used for the rest of the gun’s frame. The barrel is held to the shroud under tension by a special nut at the muzzle, increasing the gun’s accuracy potential. A short section of Picitanny rail is built into the bottom of the barrel shroud near the muzzle just forward of the ejector-rod housing. The top of the barrel shroud is drilled and tapped so anoth-er section of Picitanny rail or other optics mount can be attached. The adjustable sights feature a “V-notch” rear and replacea-ble white-dot front blade for fast target ac-quisition. The rear of the cylinder is milled to accept 8-round moon clips but rounds can also be loaded individually without the use of the moon clip. The grips are Hogue Monogrips made from black synthetic rub-ber with finger grooves and an exposed

backstrap. The entire gun is finished in a matte black color. The MSRP for this re-volver is $1,329.

I fired eight shots from this revolver at a target placed about 12 yards downrange. All of my hits were within about a 6-inch circle just below my point of aim. In shooting it, I found the R8 to be the gentlest shoot-ing .357 Magnum I have ever shot! The felt recoil was significantly less than I experience when shooting .357 Magnum cartridges from my 4-inch S&W K-frame Model 19 revolver (weighing 37.2 ounces) and even when shooting .38 Special cartridges from my snub-nose stainless steel Colt Cobra revolver (weighing 25 ounces). Accuracy wasn’t bad either, but could be improved with some practice. The low felt recoil sur-prised me given that the frame was made from a light-weight Scandium alloy.

Since it is a Performance Center gun, I ex-pected the trigger to be good, and it was. I detected just a tiny bit of grittiness at the very start of the double-action trigger pull, but then it smoothed out. (This may have been a result of shooting some “dirty” am-mo in the gun prior to me shooting it.) Trigger pull weight in double-action mode was in the 11 to 12 pound range. In single-action mode it was about 5.5 pounds—but felt much lighter. This may in part be a result of the smooth face on the trigger, which is about 0.27-inch wide.

Smith & Wesson also sells another revolver that is very similar to the R8, called the TRR8. The only differences between the two is that the TRR8 is not part of the M&P series so it lacks those markings. Instead of the accessory rail being milled into the bot-tom of the barrel, on the TRR8 it is remove-able. The TRR8 has a traditional square notch rear sight blade and instead of a white dot on the front sight it has a brass bead. In all other respects, the TRR8 is identical to the R8. It is also similarly priced.

Overall, I liked this futuristic-looking double-action revolver. Will I be rushing out to buy one? Probably not; I’m more of a tradi-tionalist when it comes to double-action revolvers. It is somewhat pricey but it would make a fine home defense gun for someone that likes the reliability of a double-action revolver but that is also looking for increased ammunition capacity over the traditional six-shooters. It is a little large to consider for concealed carry use however.

-- G.R. Evens

Page 7 Random Shots Volume 9, I ssue 1

My Favorite Ammunition

Caliber

As a firearms instructor, I am often asked about what guns I recommend new shooters should buy. Closely related to this is what I think is the best caliber of ammunition for the gun that I recommend. I always hesitate to answer such questions. What I like and what works best for me may—and probably is—totally inappropriate for someone else. But, I still keep getting asked the questions so I will attempt to answer from my per-spective.

What caliber of ammunition I like the best is directly related to the kind of shooting that I like to do. For me it is recreational target shoot-ing—i.e. plinking, bullseye, and competitive target shooting. I started out with this type of shooting from the first shots I took with a handgun and have enjoyed it ever since.

For me, the best caliber of ammunition to use for recreational target shooting is the .22 Long Rifle. The very first firearm I ever purchased was chambered in .22 Long Rifle, a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic rifle. The second handgun I ever purchased was also chambered in .22 Long Rifle, a semi-automatic Walther PPK/S. The first orga-nized handgun shooting activity I participat-ed in was competitive smallbore target shooting while I was in college. We used .22-caliber semi-automatic High Standard Su-permatic Military model pistols and shot at NRA bullseye targets at an indoor range. Later on, after I graduated from college and was in the Air Force, I participated as a member of a smallbore pistol shooting team at one of the bases I was assigned to. I bought my own High Standard Supermatic Military Citation pistol then and still have it today (see the accompanying photo).

Over the years I have probably fired 8,000 to 10,000 rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammuni-tion through the various guns in that caliber that I own or have had an opportunity to shoot. Indeed I own more guns chambered

for the .22 Long Rifle than any other caliber, so it is probably no wonder that it is my favorite caliber.

Why do I like the .22 Long Rifle for recrea-tional target shooting? There are several reasons:

• It is (usually) readily available—more .22 Long Rifle ammunition is produced around the world than any other caliber.

• It is relatively cheap—you can get 300-500 rounds of .22 Long Rifle for about the same price as 50 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition.

• It is versatile—suitable for recrea-tional shooting, hunting, and even self-defense if that is all you have available.

• Because of the small size of the car-tridge, it is easy to carry and store a lot of this ammunition.

• It is relatively quiet to shoot.

• Suitable places to shoot it are easier to find as shooting distances are typically shorter.

• A huge variety of firearms are availa-ble in this caliber.

• Guns chambered for centerfire car-tridges are often also chambered for the .22 Long Rifle and make excel-lent training choices.

• Mild recoil and muzzle blast contrib-ute to being able to focus on the fundamentals of shooting.

I continue to enjoy recreational target shoot-ing and for the past several years I have participated in a .22-caliber target pistol shooting league at the Greene County Fish & Game Association during the Spring and Summer. I am considering expanding into action shooting—something like the Rimfire Challenge—as that is another shooting ac-tivity that is available at the Greene County Fish & Game Association ranges during the

Spring and Summer.

If I was limited to just one .22-caliber fire-arm—fortunately I’m not—it would proba-bly be my High Standard Supermatic Mili-tary Citation pistol or my custom Ruger 10/22 rifle. Both are extremely accurate and reliable.

I am not alone in my preference for the .22 Long Rifle. It is the most popular caliber in the United States and perhaps in the rest of the world, with millions of rounds being produced each day.

My second choice in ammunition is the .38 S&W Special. I have also used this caliber for recreational target shooting, primarily when I participated in Cowboy Action Shooting events. I have probably fired 5,000-7,000 rounds of .38 Special over my lifetime.

My reasons for liking the .38 Special are similar to those for the .22 Long Rifle, with some notable differences:

• It is readily available—at one time the .38 Special was the preferred ammunition of law enforcement agencies and many revolvers are chambered to shoot this cartridge.

• It is versatile—suitable for recrea-tional shooting, hunting, and self-defense.

• Mild recoil and muzzle blast contrib-ute to being able to focus on the fundamentals of shooting.

• It is easy to reload.

At one time—back in the 1970’s and 1980’s—.38 Special ammunition was rela-tively inexpensive to buy. It certainly cost more that .22 Long Rifle ammunition did, but was probably the least expensive of all of the centerfire ammunition calibers. (Now the 9mm Luger is the cheapest centerfire ammunition that is available). If you reload-ed your own ammunition, the cost of .38 Special could be reduced to about the same as it currently costs to buy .22 Long Rifle ammunition.

I don’t shoot much .38 Special ammunition these days, but I do still reload it. Most of my handgun shooting these days is with semi-automatic pistols and, with a very few

Page 8 Random Shots Volume 9, I ssue 1

exceptions—like the long-discontinued S&W Model 52 and some custom guns—the .38 Special is not chambered in semi-auto pistols because it is a rimmed cartridge and is difficult to use in pistol magazines. It is largely a revolver-only round, although some lever-action rifles used in Cowboy Action Shooting are chambered to fire this cartridge. There are also some single-shot rifles that are chambered for it as well.

If you already have a supply of .38 Special cartridge cases available, it does not cost that much to purchase the necessary gunpowder, primers, and bullets and reload your own. You can further reduce the cost if you cast your own lead bullets, which I can do. Whenever I do shoot .38 Special ammuni-tion, I collect up the spent cartridge cases—except for those made out of steel or alumi-num—and reload them.

If I was limited to just one .38 Special gun, I would be hard-pressed to chose between my S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece and my S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum dou-ble-action revolvers. The basic difference between the two is that the Model 19 is also capable of firing the .357 Magnum cartridge. While the Model 19 is more versatile, I would probably choose the Model 15 since that is the first handgun I ever shot and it is what I was issued when I was in the Air Force and had to carry a sidearm.

So there you have it, my choices of the best ammunition calibers to use for recreational target shooting. If the discussion was on the best ammunition for self-defense use, my choices would be different. Perhaps that is a topic for a future column?

-- G.R. Evens

Ohio Gun Law Update Changes to Ohio’s gun laws are winding their way through the legislative process. Earlier this year the Ohio House of Repre-sentatives approved House Bill (H.B.) 142 by a vote of 69 to 24, and 228 by a vote of

65 to 32. A modified version of H.B. 228 passed the Ohio Senate on a 19 to 10 vote and by the House on a vote of 59 to 21.

H.B. 142 changes the requirement to “promptly” notify law enforcement officers if you are stopped and are carrying a con-cealed firearm. The modification would clarify this requirement to indicate that pre-senting your concealed handgun license to the officer fulfills the notification require-ment if they ask you for your driver’s license or other form of identification. The state Senate combined the provisions of H.B. 142 into their version of H.B. 228.

H.B. 228 changes Ohio law to place the burden of disproving a claim of self defense on the prosecution rather than on the de-fendant to prove he did. Ohio is currently the only state in the United States that plac-es the burden of proof on the defendant. Additionally, the House passed version of H.B. 228 would eliminate the duty to retreat when the victim is outside of their own home and as long as it is legal for the victim to be there. This provision has been re-ferred to as a “stand your ground” law, and was dropped in the final approved bill as a result of intense lobbying by gun control groups. The bill would also eliminate the requirement for licensees to carry two forms of identification and eliminate the require-ment for businesses that allow concealed carry on their premises to post signs prohib-iting concealed carry—yes, Ohio’s current law actually requires this.

Governor Kasich had threatened to veto H.B. 228 if it comes to his desk for signa-ture because of the “stand your ground” provision. If the changes in law are ap-proved before the end of 2018, they will go into effect approximately 90 days after ap-proval. If they are not approved, the bills will have to be re-submitted for considera-tion during the next legislative session.

-- G.R. Evens

Random Shots Reading List

“A mind needs a book like a sword needs a whetstone.” — Tyrion Lannister, in George

R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.

Many people advocate for the shotgun as the best gun to have for self-defense. In-

deed, it is a classic and somewhat unique American fighting tool. Gabe Suarez takes a look at this in his book, The Tactical Shotgun: The Best Techniques and Tactics for Employing the Shotgun in Personal Combat. Gabe is a former police officer and full-time firearms instruc-tor. In his book he demystifies the use of the shotgun as a self-defense tool. As he states, “[t]he nature of the shotgun defines the situations in which it will likely be used, which amazingly par-allel those normally involving the pistol.” He also indicates that the shotgun is best used in close-range con-frontations that are of short duration and that do not require a lot of rounds to be fired to end the fight.

In this book, he devotes separate chapters to topics like choosing the right ammunition to use in a defensive shotgun, shotgun stop-ping power, shotgun types and accessories, safety considerations, how to store and carry your shotgun so it is ready for use, shooting positions, how to clear malfunctions, the tactics involved in using a shotgun, develop-ing a combat mindset, and much more.

Having taken a couple of defensive shotgun classes, I found the topics that Suarez covers to be spot-on. His book serves as a well-balanced introduction to the use of the de-fensive shotgun. Perhaps most important, it provides insights into when it is appropriate to use a shotgun for self-defense, and when another tool might be more appropriate. Although it was written over 20 years ago, the lessons and examples he presents in this book are just as valid today as they were when he wrote it. If you are at all interested in the use of the shotgun as a self-defense option, you should read this book—and of course, get hands-on training.

You can get a copy of The Tactical Shotgun from Amazon.com or from Suarez Interna-tional, Gabe’s company (https://suarezinternational.com).

Reading List:

1. Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense, by Massad Ayoob, ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-4061-2, ©2014

2. The Law of Self Defense: The Indispensable Guide for the Armed Citizen, 3rd Ed., by

Page 9 Random Shots Volume 9, I ssue 1

Andrew Branca, ISBN-13: 978-1943809141, ©2016

3. gunFIGHT!: An Integrated Approach to Shooting and Fighting in Close Quarters, by Richard Nance, ISBN-13: 978-1-6088-5140-9, ©2016

4. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learn-ing to Kill in War and Society, by Lt Col (Retired) Dave Grossman, ISBN 0-316-33000-0, ©1996

5. On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and Peace, 3rd Edi-tion, by Lt Col (Retired) Dave Gross-man with Loren Christensen, ISBN 978-0-9649205-4-5, ©2004, 2007, & 2008

6. Left of Bang: How the Marine Corp’s Com-bat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life, by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley, ISBN 978-1-936891-30-6, ©2014

7. Facing Violence: Preparing for the Unex-pected, by Rory Miller, ISBN 978-1-59439-213-9, ©2011

8. Counter Ambush: The Science of Training for the Unexpected Defensive Shooting, by Rob Pincus, ISBN 978-0-9791508-8-3, ©2012

9. Handgun Combatives, 2nd Ed., by Dave Spaulding, ISBN 978-1-60885-024-2, ©2011

10. The Gift of Fear: And Other Survival Sig-

nals that Protect Us From Violence, by

Gavin de Becker, ISBN: 978-0-440-

50883-0, ©1997

11. The Tactical Shotgun: The Best

Techniques and Tactics for Em-

ploying the Shotgun in Personal

Combat, by Gabriel Suarez, ISBN:

978-0-87364-898-1, ©1996

-- G.R. Evens

Upcoming Classes LongMeadows Shooting School

Dave is still teaching the Ohio Concealed Carry Course, but it is by appointment only. Contact LongMeadows Shooting School if you want to schedule a time to attend.

Defensive Training Solutions

Is moving—but not far, just two doors down from their previous location on Stone Circle Drive in Troy! The new loca-tion offers a larger training space that will be

put to good use.

DTS offers a full range of firearms and self-defense instruction. Hojutsu classes are held on Tuesday evenings with the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month being in the “dojo” (hand-to-hand skills) and the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at the range (shooting skills). No previous martial arts experience is re-quired to participate in Hojutsu classes.

Other upcoming classes include:

⬧ 15 Dec—Ohio CCW

⬧ 17 Dec (evening)—Skillbuilder 1 @ Olde English Outfitters

⬧ 19 Jan—Ohio CCW

⬧ 20 Jan—National Safety Council First Aid CPR/AED

⬧ 9 Feb—Ohio CCW (Ladies Only)

⬧ 16 Feb—Ohio CCW

⬧ 16 Mar—Ohio CCW

NOTE: DTS classes are taught at either DTS’s training facility in Troy or at Olde English Outfit-ters in Tipp City. See the DTS website for details (i.e. times, location, costs, course requirements, etc.) and to sign-up.

Featured Course—Skillbuilder 2

When confronted by an armed attacker, the first shot you take is the most important one. For this reason, the DTS staff will spend some time helping you understand how long it takes to get that first shot, and help you make that first shot accurate and fast.

This class builds on those skills learned dur-ing your basic handgun class to improve your ability to use your handgun.

Skills covered in this course include:

⬧ Presenting the handgun from a holster

⬧ Scanning for additional threats

⬧ Reloading your handgun

⬧ Shooting while kneeling

⬧ Shooting at various distances (6 feet to 25 yards)

⬧ Clearing common handgun malfunc-tions

⬧ Shooting with one hand (both strong side and support side)

As a final test of the skills taught you will be able to take the FBI Qualification course to see how your shooting abilities compare

with those of our elite Federal law enforce-ment agency.

For this class you should bring the following items:

⬧ A handgun chambered in .380 ACP or larger

⬧ A quality holster

⬧ Two or three magazines for your semi-automatic pistol or three or four speed loaders for your revolver

⬧ Pouches for your magazines or speed loaders

⬧ 300+ round of factory ammunition in your handgun’s caliber—no reloaded am-munition allowed

⬧ Eye and Ear protection

⬧ A hat with a brim

⬧ Long pants/collared shirt/sturdy shoes—no flip-flops or sandals

⬧ Optional Items include knee pads

You will receive instruction on the range by one of DTS’s certified instructors, a booklet with all of the courses of fire listed for fu-ture practice, and a quality certificate to show verification of training.

Course duration is approximately 3 hours.

Course cost is $50 per student.

Although it is not required DTS suggest that you complete the Defensive Handgun 2 class prior to taking this class. If it has been over a year since you completed your Ohio Concealed Carry training, they highly sug-gest that you come back and train and have a certificate of completion showing that you have continued training.

Page 10 Random Shots Volume 9, I ssue 1

LongMeadows Shooting School

4910 State Route 201

Tipp City, Ohio 45371

(937) 478-8201

2826 Stone Circle Drive

Troy, OH 45373

(937) 335-2998

https://defensivetrainingsolutions.com