Gun Thread: NoVaMoMe 2022 Announcement Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Last Sunday we celebrated with the Annual Lurker Appreciation Thread. Truth be told, every thread is a lurker appreciation thread, but I figured it'd be nice to ask our lurking brothers and sisters to speak up and say hello. Anyhoo, it was nice to see a bunch of new names in the comments and hope at least some of you will make a habit of participating. Thanks and welcome!

For weeks I've been promising info on the fabulous 2022 NoVaMoMe and I'm happy to report the registration page is now up and running. That's right, a date has been set and a lot of the super complicated planning and advance work has been completed by our pal bluebell who I am told is now poised with fingers on the computer keyboard waiting to field your inquiries. If you are interested, and let's be honest, who isn't, just send a note for more information to the email shown below!

With that, let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

The social and cultural event of the season, NoVaMoMe 2022 is on the calendar! That's right, you people have a chance to meet many of your online pals on Saturday, June 11th beginning at 1pm until dark, or such time as it gets busted up by the cops. We have an exciting location in the Northern Virginia area which allows extended time for visiting. Admission is $25 which includes food and soft drinks, with a cash bar. This year the menu is BBQ chicken and pork with the usual sides and cookies for dessert. Appetizers begin just after 1pm and dinner is 3pm. 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!

Each year, I spend a fair amount of time encouraging people to come to a MoMe. Any MoMe! I cannot overemphasize how much fun these things are, and how much we want YOU to come! We plan for the crowd in general but also consider the needs of the introvert lurkers and provide plenty of potted plants for those so inclined to hide behind. All kidding aside, you are completely welcome to slink-in, eat, drink and people-watch, and then slink-out. It is a 100% zero pressure event. If you can handle a backyard picnic, you can definitely handle this.

This year, I asked my bestest blog-buddy bluebell if she'd like to comment on the MoMe phenomenon, and here is what she had to say:

The Significance of the NoVaMoMe

The significance of the NoVaMoMe, right? The significance of the NoVaMoMe. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the NoVaMoMe in terms of what we need to do to bring everyone together, what we need to do to create this event, and there is such great significance to the NoVaMoMe when we think about a day in the life of our Morons.

Translation: it's like a big family reunion except you already know you're going to like everyone there. So join us!

Isn't bluebell the best? Why yes, yes she are! 'nuf said!

Except there is more to say.

It promises to be a great day, including our customary raffle of gift baskets and other valuable and wonderful prizes.

Win a Dream Date with Weasel!
Back by tepid demand, 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!

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!

OK - really getting to the Gun Stuff now!

Colt Police Positive
Here's an old timer from the WeaselCollection, a 1942 Colt Police Positive in .38 Special. Up until now I have only been featuring Smith and Wesson revolvers, and I thought I'd mix things up and toss in a Colt. That Weasel sure is a wacky prankster, huh?!

When I purchased this gun I noticed B.S. Co. engraved on the frame. BullShit Company? It took a letter from the Colt Archives to solve the mystery. B.S. Co. stands for Bethlehem Steel Co., and this particular revolver was one of an order of six delivered to the Bethlehem plant in Bethlehem, PA a week after the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor.

Can you imagine what the guards were thinking as the plant geared up for wartime production? I find this sort of thing sooo cool! At any rate, the revolver has a 6 inch heavy barrel and probably the smoothest trigger I have ever found on any firearm. No kidding. Ke-razy smooth. Like smoothest bulb in the drawer, smooth!

How about you? Do you have a firearm with a known provenance? Tell us about it!

As long as we're talking about Colts. ever heard of this one?

First up, our pal blaster shows off a sweet pair o' 1911s.

So we are all matchy matchy when we go to the range.

Whoa, Bro! Verrrry nice!

Next up our pal fd would like some help identifying some old ammo.

Can anyone help identify the cartridge? Maybe we can get fd to send in a closeup of the headstamp.

Cost of Self-Defense
From time-to-time the topic of self-defense insurance comes up and whether it's a good idea to have it or not. While it's a personal decision each of us have to make, recently I've had a few questions on the topic so I thought it might be helpful to dig up some of the previous conversations we've had. Here 'tis.

Lately we've been talking about the aftermath of a self-defense use of force, and what to say and what not to say to the responding police officers. There are a lot of videos available on what to expect at the scene, and later when being questioned at the police station, where you are almost certainly going to be taken. I think it's safe to say the first person you want to have a conversation with is an attorney, and with the possible exception of our pal bluebell, most of us do not have defense attorneys on retainer. That's a problem.

So what do you do? Who do you call with that one phone call you're allowed to make? It's probably a good idea to think about this before you're in the pokey and staring blankly at the phone.

The cost of your defense is probably going to be significant, and you are going to want someone representing you who has very specific and relevant experience, and that is not your cousin Vinny. It's very easy for me to believe some of the six-digit estimates of what your self-defense defense might ultimately cost you, and you need to get it right the first time. This is also probably not a great time to start clipping coupons and trying to save a few dollars. Competent counsel is going to be expensive. So what do you do? Start looking through the yellow pages? Do they even have yellow pages anymore?

Here is a 15 minute video on the legal defense cost question.

In order to mitigate the risk of giving all of your money to an attorney and going to prison anyway, many people have turned to self-defense insurance for a solution. There are three main providers of this type of product.

- USCCA or U.S. Concealed Carry Association

- U.S. Law Shield

- CCW Safe

Here's a video comparing the three:

Not all companies and coverages are the same, and each have programs designed to sell you additional add-on products once you become a member. Have you chosen one, and are you covered? Which one did you choose and why? Let's go back to the earlier question; you've just been involved in a self defense shooting and have invoked your right to counsel. Who are you going to call? It seems to me to be a really good idea to have this planned in advance, with a 24 hour telephone number for your first call to an attorney in your wallet next to your concealed carry license.

Our pal and occasional Gun Thread commenter Andrew Branca is a recognized expert on the Law of Self Defense and offers a Platinum Membership which includes legal consulting services. I encourage you to check out his site also.

WeaselThoughts
Insurance exists to protect you from catastrophic economic losses. It does not eliminate risk altogether, but rather shares the risk with an insurer. I have a $500 deductible on my automobile policies, because I can afford the $500 should a loss occur. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I'm probably not going to miss many meals if I have to cough up that amount to get the car fixed with the insurer picking up the rest. Keeping your ass out of prison seems like a really very good idea, unfortunately, you could quickly end up needing to sell everything you own to pay for even barely adequate legal representation, and depending on your circumstances even that may not be enough. If you are going to carry a gun, you really owe it to yourself to think about these things to protect yourself and your assets after the shooting stops.

At a minimum, these plans offer the opportunity to speak with an attorney immediately, which is clearly something you need to do. Beyond that, the levels of coverage vary, and you may find later in the process you need to engage subject matter expert witnesses on your own dime, but some level of initial coverage seems to me like a very good idea.

So, am I full of shit? Are any of you willing to go it alone and face the possible economic consequences should the unthinkable occur? Again, have you insured yourself, who did you choose, and why did you choose them?

From our pal BifBewalski on recording audio and video.

Friend of mine sent me this link. It's from a lawyer's perspective that has successfully defended self defense victims that were arrested by police after shooting in self defense.

Don't let recording an incident get in the way of the actual self-defense part of self defense!

From our pal Navig8r

Is there a reason that you did not mention Armed Citizens' Legal Defense Network in your discussion of legal defense options? They offer what I regard as excellent value in terms of representation coverage, as well as an abundance of training material (some free, some members only) on their web page.

This from one of the sub-pages "Currently serving on the Advisory Board are Massad Ayoob, John Farnam, Tom Givens, Dennis Tueller and attorneys James Fleming and Emanual Kapelsohn." speaks volumes to me. Please check out their web page and see what you think.

Another good option, thank you for sending this in, Navig8r! There is no good reason it wasn't included before other than we've been having trouble with the Gun Thread Research Staff guy, who has a bad attitude and likes to cut corners. Rest assured we've taken corrective action by placing a note into his permanent record! Thank you for correcting our oversight.

From our pal Unnamed Moronette:

I checked out CCW Safe's site. Seems like a good org. However they have text splashed across the page that NY, NJ, and WA do not allow coverage for self-defense incidents. Not sure if that means they will insure everything BUT self-defense, or if they just don't offer policies in those states, but here I am in Washington state with no insurance options.

So, for another Gun Thread question, how DO you proactively find a good self-defense attorney if you live in one of those states?

Whoa! Great question! First, I recommend someone experienced with the law as it applies to self-defense, rather than the guy that handled your cousin's divorce. I dunno, maybe someone with a company named The Law of Self Defense. Seriously, I encourage everyone to check out Andrew Branca's work; he' an acknowledged expert in the field and offers legal consulting services with his Platinum Protection Program. He has a blog and offers a 14 day free membership trial, and I bet you will find some ideas on finding competent counsel discussed there. Best of all, he reads the Gun Thread so you know he's really smart! Lastly, there are online lawyer finder tools such as Martindale which may be useful, and most attorneys will spend a few minutes on the phone with you making referrals if you're looking for help outside their area of practice.

So hopefully that gives those of you with questions something to chew on. Anyone have questions? Comments? Concerns?

I really don't recall ever having a round stuck in an AR chamber, but this seems like a nifty way to deal with the problemo without investing in a purpose built $150 Advanced Super-Badass Mil-Spec Tactical Case Extraction Tool.

Next our pal Sam7 shares an ammo supplier he's had luck with.

I have had little luck finding ammo through your recommended links. I’ve attached one that was able to fulfill my needs without killing me on shipping; Gunprime.

Thanks for the link and recommendation, Sam7!

Gun Basics 101
She's Baaaaaack! Here is the She Equips Herself gal with a video documenting carrying a gun for a week and the sort of issues she encountered.

Cigar of the Week
So the COTW isn't a cigar at all, but a couple of tips, first of all regarding humidors. Many are made of cedar, or at least some kind of wood to retain and stabilize humidity. I have everything from refrigerated and humidity controlled humidors for Cubans and other premium cigars, to simple airtight tupperware containers. I've even seen people use old coolers. For my daily cigars I use a Pelican 1170 case, which can hold around 20-25 cigars, and is perfect for traveling. They're airtight and will definitely protect your investment!

In every humidor I own I keep at least one and sometimes more more Boveda packs to maintain a specific desired humidity. They work two ways; either absorbing or releasing moisture above or below the specific humidity level printed on the package. The packs are filled with, um, special Boveda gel stuff which does a really good job. They're relatively inexpensive, last a long time, and can even be recharged by wrapping with a damp paper towel and sealing in a ziploc bag for a day or two.

Here's an Amazon link to the product. Note they come in a variety of sizes and humidity percentages. They really work!

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 entry is from our pal WTM.

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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