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Gun Thread: Sunday After WW's Birthday 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!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be the fist week in February? It seems like only last week it was Weasel Woman's Birthday! Guys and gals, I am slightly horrified by the status of the ol' Gun Thread Mailbox. I really do apologize for not getting back to so many of you in a timely fashion. I promise to address that soon, but in the meantime if there is anything time sensitive, please send me a (gentle) reminder. Thank you!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

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Fundamentals
So what am I talking about when I mention fundamentals? Welp, I think of fundamentals as the four distinct groups of actions needed to accurately execute a shot. For handguns these are most commonly broken into the following; stance, grip, sight alignment and trigger pull. But where among the four do we find mastering the flinch reflex? I'd say it belongs in the trigger-pull department. Do you agree or do you think it belongs somewhere else, or perhaps not in the fundamentals at all?

Q: Weasel, what is a flinch reflex?
A: If you have it, you'll very likely find evidence of this insidious reflexive action on the target. Shooting low left/right? You may be anticipating the shot and flinching.

Q: Weasel, how do I get rid of this insidious reflexive flinch action?
A: Don't do it anymore.

Yep, it's really that simple. Just stop flinching. Don't believe you're doing it and your improperly torqued socks are causing the low left/right results? Just have someone take a video of you shooting at the range. I mean it. Have someone record you firing two or three sets of groups and study your form. Disgusted with what you see?

Millions of years ago in the caveman days, we developed a flinch reflex in reaction to situations such as nearby lightning, charging dinosaurs and rival groups such as the Hill People throwing rocks at us. It is now so ingrained in our DNA that today a bright flash and loud explosion a couple feet in front of us tends to make us jump and look away. Since the smart part of our brain realizes all the noise and smoke is coming from the thing we're holding, we instinctively get all twitchy and push down in an attempt to save ourselves from the loud flashy thing flipping back and whacking us in the face. That's the flinch. With me so far?

How many times have you fired a gun and had it fly out of your hands, hitting yourself in the nose and landing somewhere behind you? None you say? Approximately 0.0 times? Well then why on earth are you flinching? Because your caveman DNA told you to? Who exactly is in charge of your brain, the caveman? You have to tell yourself not to flinch, and then practice not flinching. This is why its so important to develop proper muscle memory, so you can concentrate on one aspect of fundamentals without everything else going to shit.

Good News/Bad News
Well I have good news and bad news. Bad news first. You will probably never stop doing it altogether and every once in a while will catch yourself flinching. I still find myself doing it at times when I am not focused on fundamentals. Good news: You can train yourself to mostly overcome the reaction by simply telling yourself not to do it. Again, I'm being serious here. Go to the range, get yourself all set to shoot, and focus on not flinching all the way through the trigger pull. You will have to practice this, but believe me, it works.

Here's a Sig Sauer Academy dude looking all ball-headed with a good range drill. Ever tried this?

What do all Y'all think? Worthwhile or a waste of time?

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Guns of the Horde
This week we have another real winner from our pal Ed L, a Colt Improved M1911/M1911A1 Transition Model!

Source: Colt .45 Service Pistols, Models of 1911 and 1911A1, by Charles W. Clawson

The US Army was mostly satisfied with the M1911's performance in WWI, but soldiers had some gripes about its ergonomics. In 1920, US Army Ordinance asked the US Cavalry to evaluate proposed modifications to the M1911. The US Cavalry proposed three significant changes to improve the M1911's ergonomics: 1) lengthening the grip safety's tang at the upper part of the grip safety to reduce the risk of "hammer bite", 2) reducing the length of the trigger, and 3) adding a hump to the mainspring housing at the lower rear of the pistol to aid shooters in getting and maintaining a proper grip on the pistol. By June 1923, the US Army had contracted with Colt to produce 10,000 "Improved M1911" pistols for $26.50 each. In order to save money, Colt did not include any magazines with new production pistols. Instead, the US Army supplied leftover surplus WWI production magazines, one per pistol.

These pistols carry the stylized initials "WTG" just below the slide stop. The "W" and "T" are encircled by the curve of the "G". These are the initials of then Captain Walter T. Gorton, assigned to the Colt factory as the Inspector of Ordinance. Captain Gorton's initials signified final acceptance of the completed pistol. A close look at individual components of the pistol such as the slide, barrel, and frame will reveal "H" markings stamped on them. The "H" mark represented provisional acceptance of key parts of the pistol by Francis L. Hosmer, Captain Gorton's civilian deputy and foreman of the US Army Ordinance inspection team working at the Colt factory. Francis Hosmer was a veteran employee. He inspected M1911s at Colt since the first ones rolled off the production line in 1912 through most of WWI.

The right side of the slide carries the same "MODEL OF 1911. U.S. ARMY" that earlier M1911 pistols did. The "M1911A1" designation didn't become official until 1926, but the drawings used for manufacture did not add the "M1911A1" designation until 1938.

The final photo shows the signature features of M1911A1 pistols. Visible are 1) the shortened trigger, 2) receiver cut behind the trigger to improve trigger reach for those with short fingers, 3) the extended grip safety tang, 4) the checkered "hump" of the mainspring housing, and 5) the fully checkered walnut grips. Like all interwar pistols, Colt finished these pistols in a high polish blue. This pistol shows wear and spots to the finish, indicating significant use or exposure to the elements. Colt shipped this pistol to Springfield Armory, MA, on February 7, 1924, which makes this pistol exactly 100 years old this month.

Wow! Thanks Ed L! I am sure I speak for the whole group when I say these are very much appreciated!

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Gun Gadgets
Attaching stuff to guns seems to be a popular pastime for many. I'm old skool and want iron sights on handguns and that's it.

Sounds like these guys mostly agree, so let's hear from you. Are you an advocate of red dots and lasers and flashlights and Pez dispensers on your firearms? This is kind of a wide ranging conversation, but some very interesting points are discussed.

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Talk or Shut Up?

So we've covered whether or not to talk to the police after a self-defense shooting incident where you are the trigger-puller before, and I have always maintained talking to the cops before talking to a lawyer was a bad idea. I still think it's a bad idea in case you're curious. But does that mean after shooting a bad guy you just go completely mute and say nothing? I don't think that's a good choice, either. I do think some sort of general statement about what has happened to the police is appropriate before invoking your right to not make things a bazillion times worse for yourself by getting all chatty with the fuzz.

The key, I believe, is to have a plan in advance if the unthinkable occurs. Let me repeat that. Have some idea of what you would say to the police before asking for a lawyer and shutting the hell up. Having a basic plan might just keep you from blathering on and making problematic statements.

This first video is from Mas Ayoob on the Wilson Combat channel discussing the issue some time ago. The second video follows up on the first and is what caught my attention. It was released just a few days ago.

First Video

Second Video

So what's your plan?

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Tech Support For Voyager

I wonder if they tried turning it off and turning it back on before all this upload business?

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Musical Interlude
More forest sounds. Extra Gun Thread credit for listening to the whole thing!

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Gun Basics 101
New video from the She Equips Herself gal! This week's video is on the S&W Super Carry EZ and Equalizer.

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Cigar of the Week
Not a cigar, but a cigar vendor vendor this week! I have been buying my cigars from Nick's Cigar World for some time. Great prices, great service and insanely fast shipping. What's not to like?

Check them out - Weasel Approved!

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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com
Nicks Cigar World New!

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

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Ammo 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
American Elite Ammo NEW!

***Mail Bag***

This week's mailbag entry is from our pal WTM. Great one!

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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?