Gun Thread: First Aid Readiness Edition!

Howdy y'all! How y'all are? It's Sunday evening and time for the thread between the Food Thread and the Over Night Thread! Hopefully your weekend chores are done and you can sit back, relax, and join us in our weekly discussion. That's right, for the next three hours we'll laugh, we'll cry, and otherwise tackle the most pressing questions in the world of guns 'n shooting. If you're new, we hope you will join the fun and contribute. Just make up a nic, or use your real name like I do, and jump right in. Even if you haven't been shooting in a while, or ever, we'd still love to hear from you!

I had planned to head to the farm this weekend and actually do some shooting my own bad self, but the weather had different plans. The forecasters had things right, and we had a significant amount of rain on Friday, with more predicted for Saturday, so the farm plans hit the reef. Speaking of weather forecasts, anyone else use the Dark Sky app? I have been using it for years and it's surprisingly accurate. Apple bought it a while back and will be folding the product into a future iOS release, but it's available as a stand alone product through 2022. Check it out.

Anyhoo... this ain't the dang weather app thread, is it? Why no, no it's not! Let's jump in to the exciting content below, shall we?

So last week we had a bigly excellent comment from our pal and Gun Thread contributor JTB. In fact it was so bigly excellent, I am a little embarrassed I haven't thought to write about it in the last 145 weeks. What is it? What is this bigly excellent comment you ask?

Don't want to get too far off firearms but Mrs. JTB had a question. We are putting together a first aid kit for the car which would include any needs while at the range. We don't hunt anymore.

We already have a supply of Israeli bandages, Kelly clamp forceps, and the usual supply of band aids, etc. Can anyone suggest items specific to have at the range?

Posted by: JTB at June 06, 2021 06:48 PM (7EjX1)

Well Ho-lee-shit! Why didn't I think of that?!

Many moons ago in a previous life I took a multi-day Wilderness First Aid course, which was really very good. The objective of the course was learning how to keep someone alive in the backcountry after an accident when they were two or more days away from definitive medical treatment, by using whatever improvised supplies were available. Since then, I have always kept a first aid kit with at least the basics wherever I go. When traveling, in the car, in my range bag, at the farm - everywhere. Some of the kits are small and contain just a few items to address small cuts and blisters and the like, while others are much more comprehensive. The kit I have at the farm is of the super-jumbo brain surgery trauma bag variety, because the farm's location is an hour from a hospital, and most of the farm equipment I use there is clearly designed to kill me. If anything were to happen while I was there, I am going to have to deal with it myself.

You don't have to be in a remote location to make preparedness for medical emergencies a very good idea. So let's think about Mrs. JTB's question. What are the most likely injuries to occur at the range? I suppose gunshots, shrapnel and burns rate fairly high on the list. Whether you are at a public range or at a remote location such as the farm, these are the types of injuries likely to arise around shooting activities.

As we saw in the .50 cal accident video a few weeks back, things like guns blowing up and hot metal flying around can do very nasty things. Similarly, a lapse in judgement by someone at a public range can cause a gunshot wound, too. Just go to an indoor range and look at the bullet holes in the walls, ceiling and lane dividers to see what I mean.

So I asked our pal and Gun Thread medical correspondent, Cat Ass Trophy, who is an actual Medical Doctor with a stethoscope and everything, for his thoughts on the matter. Specifically if there was a mnemonic used in the ER when dealing with gunshot wounds, and what types of emergency first aid stuff he recommended for dealing with them.

CAT tells us:

The mnemonic we used in the military is MARCH, or Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia

It would be useful to have a couple of purpose made tourniquets like a CAT. Have at least 2 because a leg arterial bleed will need 2. You have to take these out and practice putting them on a buddy before you need it. I am sure there are some combat medics who made YouTube videos for proper placement and application.

Get some gauze with clotting agent to pack in deep wounds.

Gauze and pressure dressings to wrap things up and secure splints.

Chest seals

Good bandage/ trauma shears to cut off clothing/ belts.

Simple surgical tools, esp. self locking Kelley clamps.

There isn't much the layman can do about the ARC part of MARCH. YouTube a video about head placement and jaw thrust to open an airway, but if the victim has stopped breathing or their heart has stopped as a result of a recreational gunshot wound artificial respirations and chest compressions will be futile.

Hypothermia is an under appreciated killer. Even in hot climates hypothermia can set in as a result of shock and disrobement. Hypothermia causes the blood clotting mechanism to malfunction. Mylar sheets and even a couple heat packs can be useful.

A few rolls of foam covered aluminum splints would be handy for fractures and sprains.

If you really wanted to get into it, find a reputable civilian Tactical Combat Casualty Course. "TC3".

So the idea here, I suspect, is to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible and it's nice to have something other than a shop rag covered in Hoppe's 9 to do that. The items recommended aren't overly expensive, will not take up a lot of room, and could help save someone in an emergency. The idea is to act quickly and decisively. Do not overthink things. Stop the bleeding and get the victim to a doctor.

Here are links to some of the items mentioned.

- CAT Tourniquet

- Hemostatic Gauze

- Pressure Dressing or Israeli Bandage

- Chest Seal

- Trauma Shears

- Splint

- Kelly Clamp

Also mentioned are Elastic Bandages, plain sterile gauze and tape. If there is room left in the bag, use your imagination; burn cream, antiseptic wipes and Benadryl are potentially useful items to have in the outdoors.

So all that is fine and dandy, but what else should you be prepared to do in an emergency? Time is of the essence, and if available, it's important to assign other people specific tasks while you are tending the victim, such as calling 911 and meeting the responding emergency units as they arrive and escorting them to the accident scene. One thing I was taught to do by the guy who learnt me to shoot was to incorporate a first aid discussion into the morning range safety discussion. This is particularly important when you are with people who are unfamiliar with the location, or where responding medical units may have trouble finding the accident scene.

When I am at the farm, I bring out the first aid kit and review the contents with those present before the shooting starts. I suggest in an emergency they dump the whole thing out and get busy. The first thing they find when the bag is opened is a typed sheet with emergency numbers, the location of the nearest hospital, the farm entrance address as well as the latitude and longitude, gate code and instructions to report a training accident involving a firearm has occurred. This last part is important as you do not want the SWAT Team showing up thinking they have an active shooter when in reality your buddy has just shot himself in the foot.

Finally, in more remote locations, it may sometimes be a better use of time to transport the victim to medical care. You can call for help en route and let them know you are on the way. This is a decision you will have to make based on the exigent circumstances such as the time or difficulty required for responding emergency personnel to reach the site of the accident.

So something to think about. An ounce of prevention is great, but if you or your buddy is on the ground bleeding out, a pound of cure is nice to have, too.

Thoughts on anything to add?

Here's a cute girl, with a BIG boyfriend, who has a firearms related channel called "She Equips Herself" on YouTube. She addresses a lot of topics with the lady shooter in mind, and in this episode she helps explain some of the common terms heard on the range which may be unknown to the new shooter. What a great idea!

Flintlocks

Owning a flintlock is something I have always been interested in, but so far have managed to overcome the urge to buy one. Here's an article about them from Guns America.

Slo-Mo
Here are two great videos of a .44 and .357 Magnums in slow motion. Very cool.

Heresy

Next up our pal redc1c4 found an interesting article on the best pistols chambered in .45ACP that are not 1911s, if such a thing is possible.

Lastly, here is proof our pal GWB likes us and wants us to be happy.

Well, .22 is coming down - the price below works out to about 12 cents a round. It's still not 3 cents a round, but it's down from 30 cents.

Here's a link to Palmetto State Armory Looks like they're sold out of the .22LR GWB mentions, but expect to see more. Lots of other calibers in stock!

Ax Weasel

This week our pal OrangeEnt axes Weasel a question:

What do you think about gun buybacks? Some indicate they would take old guns to a buyback, or they have already. Even if they're non functional, shouldn't a good gunny give a respectful repose to an old workhorse by bashing in the head of a commie first instead of sending it to a furnace?

Welp, Weasel is most definitely not a fan of gun buybacks. I get that some people might have a "throw away" gun around to surrender if and when spicy time arrives, and though I cannot really argue with the logic of surrendering a non-functioning weapon if you think it's going to save your ass, the whole notion just seems wrong to me. A lot of great guns are turned into scrap when an old collector passes on to the Great Range in the Sky, and his or her heirs don't know what to do with their firearms. I've heard stories of people attending these things and offering cash for weapons between the parking lot and the collection point, but that may just be internet lore. On the whole, I would rather see the firearms in the hands of people who respect and appreciate them.

What do you all think?

The social and cultural event of the season, NoVaMoMe 2021 is on the calendar! That's right, you people have a chance to meet many of your online pals on Saturday, July 24th beginning at 1pm until dark, or such time as it gets busted up by the cops. We have an exciting new location in the Northern Virginia area which we think will be more better than before and allow extended time for visiting. Admission is $25 which includes food and soft drinks, with a cash bar. This year all of the food is prepared from the greatest non-fiction literary work in modern history, The Deplorable Gourmet. Want to find out if your recipe made the cut? Want to be one of the cool kids? Just send an email to novamome at protonmail dot cee oh emm, pass the rigorous screening process to obtain registration details, then sign up to attend! Easy-Peasy!

It promises to be a great day, including our customary raffle of AoSHQ themed gift baskets. That's right! Each of the AoSHQ weekend threads has a specially themed gift basket chock full 'o theme related gifts!

Win a Dream Date with Weasel!
This year, a separate raffle for the Gun Thread gift basket will be held. This fabulous prize includes an entire day of shooting and personalized one-on-one handgun & rifle coaching and instruction at Weasel Acres on a mutually agreeable date with yours truly. The lucky winner will be able to not only bring and shoot their own weapons, but also try out a variety of WeaselWeapons using WeaselAmmo! The winner will take home 150 rounds of quality 9mm ammo to practice what they have learnt, a signed photo of WeaselDog and Fun Size Joe, and a complimentary video of the WeaselAcres experience, as parting gifts.

We will end the day with dinner at a good Mexican place in nearby Appomattox. Pretty much a dream date with Weasel! The winner will be responsible for their travel to and from Central Virginia, hence the separate drawing.

Don't be a pathetic girly-man loser, register today!

Link-O-Rama

I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop

This week's mailbag submission is from our pal fungusboy

Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Weasel at 07:00 PM

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