Gun Thread: Pre-May 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 almost May? Know what comes after May? June! Know what happens in June, specifically June 21st, 2025? The 2025 NoVAMoMe! Scroll down for details.

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

Fundamentals of sight alignment and "red" (or green, or blue, or teal, or magenta, or orange, or seafoam) dot optics, that is.

Last Sunday, our pal Mike Hammer asked about this very thing, so let's take a look.

I would really like, some Gun Thread (not tonight), to get some thoughts on red dots. It is completely outside of my experience, so thoughts and recommendations would be interesting, across the board pistol, shotty, and AR.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at April 20, 2025 09:28 PM

We have discussed sight alignment as a fundamental, but what is sight alignment and what exactly are you aligning? Pretty much all firearms have some sort of system to help aim and every once in a while actually hit, a target. The most common being a notch or aperture rear sight and front post. Line the two up and if the sights are properly zeroed for ammunition and range (distance), the bullet goes where the sights are pointing. That may not be where the shooter hopes it will go, which is why we practice fundamentals, but I digress.

Anyhoo, all that alignment business is hard, especially when you get old and your eyesight goes to hell, so people started looking for alternatives to the sort of setup described above.

Illuminated aiming reticles were developed for aircraft guns during WWII with a little piece of light being placed inside the sight.

Here are some more in-depth examples:

and,

Sure, you might already have them on your P-51, but why not put these nifty little fellers on a personal weapon too? Wouldn't it take out all the cumbersome aligning and thinking business of target acquisition described above?

Personally I don't like using them. First, virtually all of them have batteries which can go kaput, where good ol' reliable iron sights do not. More importantly, I find them to be distracting as a mo-fo to use. Why you ask? Well it's virtually impossible to hold a handgun (for example) at arms length without some muscle-induced wobbly motion, and having a dot out there dancing around is, well, distracting. I think that very issue creates a situation where shooters follow the bouncing dot around until it happens to cross their desired point of impact, then "jump" on the trigger introducing a huge flinch-like motion which really messes things up.

However there is no denying their popularity, and if properly installed and functioning, I'd say it simply boils down to a matter of personal preference. What do all y'all think? Only handguns or long guns too? Let us know in the comments!

But wait! There's more! Last week we talked a bit about traveling by car with a weapon, so this week let's talk about it some more.

From the May 12, 2024 Gun Thread

If you are regularly carrying your gun, and you should be, you ought to have a plan in mind in the event you're stopped by the police.

The one time I had a police interaction with a gun in the car was when I was stopped on the side of the road with a flat tire. Although not required to do so in Virginia , I had my license and concealed carry permit in my hand as the State Trooper approached and I was quickly reviewing in my head the little statement I was going to give about having a weapon in the vehicle. As he came to my window I said hello and offered the two cards. The trooper said simply "I don't need to see those" and that was it. Truth be told, I was a little dejected. I wanted to finally give my little statement.

WeaselDoctrine teaches us when having contact with the police, or really anyone for that matter, but especially the police; don't be an asshole.

I knew that he probably knew I was a permit holder if he looked up my tag as he pulled up, and I wanted to do what I could to put him at ease because I had precisely nothing to gain by making his job any harder than it needed to be. It turns out the trooper was very cool and we chatted about guns and shooting as the flat tire was sorted out.

Gun Lawyer Gal makes an excellent point in the video, and that is the side of the road is not the place to argue about your rights or anything else for that matter. Save it for court if necessary.

What do all y'all think? Do you have a plan? For those not required to inform police you're carrying, do you plan to do so anyway? If not, why not?

Not 'Jer' and the M1 Garand

Note: One of the great joys of NoVAMoMe season, at least for me, is being able to cut and paste the entire block of text below and haranguing you to attend the event. Are you attending? Are you focusing on the fundamentals of attending on JUNE 21st, 2025?

Alright, guys and gals, the long awaited and highly anticipated details of the 2025 NoVAMoMe are here! That's right, I finally got my act together and updated the information page for 2025, and need to go over a few details. My bestest blog buddy bluebell and I have decided 2025 will be a year of NoVAMoMe simplification, and want to pass along the changes from prior years.

First, no more registration and advance charge for food. If you would like to attend, send an email to WeaselBell Productions, and let us know. You will be directed to a sekrit webpage with all of the details. We do ask once you have decided to attend to let us know so we can coordinate an expected count with venue management. Once there if you are hungry or thirsty simply order from the onsite menu and pay separately. Cash and credit cards accepted. Next, although fun, we have decided to take a break from the raffles and mug sales this year. Depending on how it goes, that may be something we bring back in future years. While your generosity is always appreciated, with no prize table, please leave donations and contributions at home.

A NoVAMoMe PSA from our pal bluebell

Hi folks - just a quick PSA. If you write for info about the MoMe, please give us a few words in the body of the email just so I know you are a Moron and not a spammer (moron). I do receive spam on this email account because it's sitting right here in my nic, so that's why I'm asking. I don't want to give our details to a spammer. Also, remember to check your spam folder if you don't receive a reply email.

Thanks.
bluebell

Seriously, just send an email then go to the website with the password provided. If you forget, a link to the email is on the main page, left sidebar. If you do not sign up, bluebell will be disappointed. Weasel will be disappointed, too, but it's bluebell you need to worry about.

That's it, people. Email WeaselBell Productions today!

Q: Weasel - How does Hoover Dam work?
A: Please see below.

This week's thrilling episode is Blast Area Copter!

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!

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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