Handgun Stopping Power

In the early 80s, when I first pinned on a badge and took the oath, the .357 Magnum was king of the law enforcement community.  Everyone carried one, along with the .38 Special. There were big things happening in the firearms world. Jeff Cooper was still the guru, touting the .45 ACP and the 1911 platform as the top of the lie for serious handgun use. Then, in 1986, a couple of things happened.

The FBI Miami shootout happened, calling into question the tactics and handguns currently in use. And, also in 1986, Gaston Glock introduced the Model 17 in the US market, introducing the popular age of polymer handguns.  Each of these developments spurred development of handguns and cartridges for law enforcement and self-defense use. There was no internet back then, so we would have to wait for the monthly magazines to come out, telling us what  the latest thinkers were saying and the products that were hitting the market.

Everything moved more slowly back then. s we hashed out our differences, the lines were drawn, and there were several lines to draw.  Semiauto vs revolver,  Polymer vs steel.  Glock vs 1911. Those were exciting times around the coffee pot in the squad room.  Everyone had an opinion.

In January of 1990, Smith and Wesson introduced the .40SW cartridge. It grew out of tests that the FBI was conducting to find a better handgun cartridge and the debate really cranked up. The US Army had adopted the Beretta 92FS in 1985, but I didn't see the first one until late 1990, supply issues being what they are. Exciting times.

We heard rumors about a big study being done as part of an academic exercise. Then, in 1992, Evan Marshal and Edwin Sanow published their study, Handgun Stopping Power.   You can still find it on Amazon, sometimes. With this study, the wheels fell off the debate. We can find a very brief summation of it at US Carry forum here.

I say all this to remind the youngsters that we are still arguing about the best gun to carry and use for self defense. The 9mm is now the king of the hill, but that does nothing to diminish the utility of the others. I find a couple of things interesting.  Marshal and Sanow found the diminutive .32 ACP to be a 64% stopper with good bullets.  And, the renowned FBI Miami shoot was finished with the old FBI .38 Special load. Both of those are considered extremely anemic by today's standards.

Todays bullets and powders are worlds apart from what we were using in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet, those same cartridges have benefitted from the technology that gives us better powder and bullets. Technique and bullet placement are still critical. The best parameter for success is still hitting the target. Every thing else is secondary. Don't scoff at the little lady with the .32, or the old man who is carrying a revolver. They probably know how to use them.

Liberation

 The markets are reacting poorly to President Trump's tariffs. Dow is down 4%, NASDAQ down5%, S&P down6%.  The markets are all about short-term gain and this is a long-term move.  The pain should be short and over soon.  Let the market react.

My Honda is in the shop at the shop.  I didn't have an appointment (really?  It's hard to schedule a major electrical issue.) but I'm told that it's next in line and the techs will get on it tomorrow morning.  We'll see, but before I left the dealership this morning, I had the service-critter check the status on the warranty.  I'm good.

Whut??

 In April of 2020, I bought a new car.  For myself.  Probably the first new car I had purchased since 1975. In my world, the lady drove the nice car, the man drove a clunker, probably a pickup truck.  My current ride is a 2020 Honda Odyssey.  It's been a good ride, and it's carried Belle and I to lots of cowboy shoots.  It hauls a lot of gear and I've been happy with it. It is still under warranty.

Today, I started getting some weird codes. Error messages on the dash.

Weird stuff like that.  Odd.  It all happened at once, and I'm getting about five error codes. Confusing.  I"m going to get up at 0-dark-thirty and have it sitting in front of the Honda dealer tomorrow morning when they open the doors.  I don't know what the issue is, but Honda will figure it out.

Eggs

 I worked the grocers list this morning while doing errands and noticed that the price of eggs have dropped.  Belle and I normally buy the Grade A Large eggs and that's what I looked at today.

$3.93 is a lot better that the ~$5.00 they were earlier when I checked. We don't eat a lot of eggs, but I needed them for lunch.  I fried some nice pork steaks and used an egg wash to help the breading stick to the pork.  

When I get ready to cook chicken fried steak, or chicken fried pork, I season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then run it through some all-purpose flour, then an egg/milk wash, then into crushed saltine crackers.  Hot oil at 350F, fry till golden brown.  It helps if you have the butcher run those little pork steaks through the tenderizer.

I don't fry chicken. Popeye's is just down the road, and I can't seem to get the motivation to fry chicken anymore. So, today's lunch was chicken fried pork, with mashed potatoes and a cream gravy.  

Torpedo Bat?

 The sports world is abuzz about the Yankees winning a ball game with something called a "torpedo bat". It's actually nothing new. Every kid who ever played sandlot ball knows that some bats work for you and some don't.

Evidently, the batting coach did some analytics and found that each hitter is different and had some bats made that match the hitter.  Good analytics, because it worked for him. But every kid who ever played baseball knows that a bat has a sweet spot, and when you connect that spot with the ball, magic happens. That same kid knows that if you can get to West Main Street in Louisville, the factory will make a bat designed just for you.

Baseball will survive the torpedo bat, just as surely as it survived lights on the field. Every good pitcher knows his hitter, and if he's hitting low and away, then give him high and inside.  Work the corners and keep him guessing.

Wisconsin?

 State Supreme Court races are normally as interesting as planning commission meetings, but somehow, this race in Wisconsin is being hyped as the harbinger of doom for the Republic.

I don't get it. Democrats, after their ignominious defeat in November, are searching for their muse, their path from the wilderness, and Republicans are having a good time watching them try.  But, this race has garnered a bunch of attention and a whole lot of money. It seems that this race, like all races, will be based on turnout and whoever gets more voters to the poll will win. That is all political races.

I would think that there are far more important races, like the congressional special elections in Florida.  Those might flip the House to the Democrats, or make it harder to sustain a majority later.   Maybe I'm not looking at it in the right vein, but a SUpreme COurt seat in Wisconsin?  I really don't get it.

Gun SHopping

 I stopped by the local gun shop today to look thru his used gun rack. Specifically J-frame Smiths.  He had one used Model 640 at over MSRP, and one Model 38 Airweight for over $900.00.  I told him that I had seen a lot of things in my time, but I had never seen a $900.00 Airweight. I am  not going to pay over MSRP for a used gun, it ain't happening.

I've been jonesing for another J-frame.  I gave my last one away after a cerakoting and rebuild, and my daughter-in-law fell in love with it. It rides with her now. The model I'm looking at is the Model 60 3". In .357 Magnum, it might be quite a handful, but I like that longer barrel and the adjustable sights. And, I can get it for less than the local shop wanted for the used 640. I may have to order it closer to BAG day.

Well, How About That?

Reading the news this morning, I was on an article abut ICE detainees being housed in Louisiana, specifically  Mahmoud Khalil, that asshole who has been stirring up Columbia University.  So, I started Googling around, and found an article that tells us where the facility is located.

Turns out, it's Jena, the hometown of my lady, Belle. From the article.

Since last week, Khalil — a Syrian-born Palestinian and permanent U.S. resident— has been locked up in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a privately-run immigration lockup with an average daily detainee population of nearly 1,200.

So, I turned and asked Belle, who is sitting on the couch.  "Yeah,", says she. "That place is behind our old house on a little road that winds through the country and eventually comes out at Olla, LA.  There ain't noting out there but pine trees." 

I know generally where she is talking about and it is just about as remote as you can get and still be where sunshine can hit you. It may not be in the middle of nowhere, but you can see nowhere from there.

That is interesting.  When ICE wants to send someone to purgatory, it is my wife's hometown.

Do The Maintenance

 I took my EDC out today, took all the ammo out of the mag, and decided to give it a good cleaning and lube. I carry a SW Shield in 9mm, but haven't shot it in a year or so.  Carry lots, shoot seldom.

I was amazed at how bone-dry it was, and how much dust and grit was in the innards. A half-hour with rags and oil and I feel a lot better about it. It's ready now for another period of carrying. I really need to get out to the range and do a little.  But life and winter got in the way. I also have a .22 carbine I need to shoot.  We'll make plans for both of those to go to the range, one day next week.