Gun Thread: Second August 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 second Sunday in August?

Tropical Storm Debby was in the news this week and at one point was forecast to track exactly over WeaselAcres on the way north. It was greatly diminished by the time it arrived in Central Virginia and as near as I can tell, dropped about 3 or 4 inches of rain on the organic tree farm so I hope the trees are happy now. The wind was negligible, so I'm not expecting too big of a mess when I get down there soon. Here at the Casa of Weasel we had about 2.5 inches or so of rain. Thankfully no flooding and not much wind so all is bueno. How about where you are?

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

Lately we've been talking a lot about fundamentals and how focusing on them will make you a better shooter. We have even gone as far as separating fundamentals into four broad categories; stance, grip, sight alignment and trigger mechanics and how together these elements build practical marksmanship skills. With me so far?

There is actually a fifth fundamental that is so fundamentally fundamental it is really a pre-fundamental or perhaps even a proto-fundamental, and that is Not Killing Yourself or Your Range Buddy While Practicing Fundamentals, or NKYOYRBWPF. That's a lot to wrangle, so how about we simply call it GUN SAFETY. Frankly, I know of no single better way to drive off all of the range babes than by inadvertently shooting yourself or an innocent bystander at the range.

Q: Weasel, wouldn't it be helpful if there were safety rules to adhere to?
A: Yes. Yes it would.

- Treat all guns as if they are loaded
- Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
- Keep your &%#$*^ finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
- Know your target and what is behind it
- know how to operate the gun

And I will add another:
- Don't be stupid.

There are lots of variations of these rules but I think you get the idea. Shooting sports are fun and challenging but can quickly turn deadly if you aren't paying attention.

Safety is a fundamental, and you need to be thinking about it at all times. It's fun and exciting to be at the range shooting especially if you're new to the sport, but it's important to remember you have a loaded gun in your hands and it's easy to become distracted by all that's going on. Conversely, with experienced shooters familiarity can breed overconfidence and carelessness and be every bit as deadly as inexperience. Whatever the case, never, ever, ever point a gun at anything or anyone you do not intend to shoot, and never shoot anything you do not plan to kill. Especially do not point a gun at me, thank you very much. It only takes a split second to go from a day of funsies at the range to absolute disaster, with one or more lives changed forever.

Our pal hickok45 has the following short video on the topic.

Any questions? Anything to add?

Last week we looked at a pistol I recently purchased, the Kimber Micro 9. I have yet to shoot it but it seems like a pretty neat-o little gun. I mentioned that I'd been thinking about a compact 9mm as a step up in caliber from the Sig P238 (.380 ACP) I carry frequently in a front pocket or my computer bag. It's been a great option when commuting, at the office, and for quick midnight trips to the store for Slim-Jims, but I thought I might want something with a little more oompfh.

I carry the P235 in a DeSantis Nemesis holster which also happens to fit the Kimber. I like the fact when dropped into a front pocket it's nearly impossible to see, so I ordered another one.

As you can see, the Kimber is but a wee tad larger than the Sig making pocket carry problematic in anything other than the baggiest cargo shorts, so the front pocket carry option for the Kimber is just OK and perhaps less than ideal for fast deployment. I have been a big fan of Garrett Holsters for many years, particularly their Silent Thunder line of OWB leather lined kydex holsters, having several for other handguns I own. I took a peek at their website and what do you know, they make an IWB Silent Thunder now too! I have never owned or used an IWB holster, so what the heck? The IWB is just the ticket to go under an untucked shirt.

So what do all y'all think? IWB, OWB, or either depending on the circumstances for carry? All things being equal do you have a preference?

Just curious why you went with the Kimber instead of the Sig P938. (Since you have the P238 and seem happy with it) I have had the 938 for several years and am very happy with it.

Well, "Ray" if that is your real name, I wish I could say I performed a big contemplative study on the merits of both firearms, and only after careful study weighing the pro and cons of each, made the decision to go with the Kimber over the Sig.

Truth is, my process was about like this:
a) Well that's a nice looking 9mm pistol from Kimber
2) *clicks BUY*

Honestly, that was about it. No study. No deliberation. 100% impulsive. Probably not the best example to follow! Thank you for the email!

How about all y'all? What is your process for choosing one gun over another?

Cigar of the Week

This week our pal Diogenes scores again with this excellent review of the Cohiba Black Robusto

The Cohiba Black Robusto

Every so often you just have to be indulgent and treat yourself. I have favorite cigars, and "go to" cigars, even "emergency" cigars, but when it's time to break out the good stuff (be it whiskey, women... errr... Mrs D, and cigars) I always turn to Cohiba. With the admonition of Mrs D still ringing in my ears to stay outside, I pulled out a Cohiba Black series Robusto and headed for the patio. I matched it to some 15 year Redbrast, and proceeded to enjoy one of the finer blue sky days here in the Pacific NW.

The Cohiba Black is drafted from a jet-black Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper as well as Dominican and Mexican tobaccos that have been aged at least three years. It has medium-bodied notes of cocoa, espresso beans, and, surprisingly, hickory that give it a awesome flavor from start to finish. It brings a leathery texture to the touch, and the finish lingers, a bit sweet and with none of the after cigar taste that so many leave with you. This will easily be one of the top three cigars I have this year. The down side is, it is $$$. Expect to pay in the $15-17 range for one of these. But, for those once or twice a year moments, it is worth every penny.

Excellent, Diogenes! Thank you very much! I think I need to addd these to my next order. Appreciate it!

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

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!

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!

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

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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