Guns

Choosing a New Caliber

It’s Just Boris asks: “What, no M&P 5.7?”

I have handguns in .22LR, .38 Special, .380 ACP, 9mm, .40S&W, .357 Magnum, .357 Sig, and .45 ACP. Rifles are chambered in 5.56mm and 7.62mm. Adding a new caliber to the stable doesn’t just mean adding a firearm, it means adding magazines and ammo as well. It complicates the supply and storage situation here, and for that reason, adding another caliber means that it has to be a proven performer AND it has to fill another (at least to me) niche that must be filled.

The 5.7mm just doesn’t do that for me. What you are looking at with the 5.7mm is a bullet that is .224 inches in diameter. In a handgun, if I were to add it, the most likely candidate would be the M&P5.7, with its 5 inch barrel. There are no compact or carry sized 5.7mm pistols in Smith and Wesson’s lineup. Now that would mean that I have 22 round magazines, but magazines filled with what? The only real advantages that the 5.7 has, is in muzzle velocity and magazine capacity. Let’s say that I was interested in carrying lots of fast bullets.

  • The Speer Gold Dot 40grain hollow point has a stated muzzle velocity of 1750 feet per second from a 5 inch barrel. For reference, a .22LR is about 1100 feet per second.
  • Now compare that to the 9mm +P loadings from Speer (1220 fps), or Corbon and Black Hills (both 1250 fps), but a much heavier 115 or 124 grain bullet.
  • Similarly, using it to replace 5.56mm is a non starter. It’s essentially the same round, with the 62 grain green tip hitting 3000 feet per second from an AR carbine length barrel.

So I get 4 extra rounds with the 5.7mm over the 9mm, and I am defending myself with what is essentially a .22 pistol. So I am not interested in the 5.7mm.

But if I were going to add a new cartridge to the stable, I would choose one of three:

By Divemedic, ago

Good Questions

Some good questions to my security post of this morning, so let’s take a look:

  • I’m curious as to what you use as a training load equivalent?

I don’t for the higher powered 45 loads. How I address this, is nearly every pistol (as opposed to revolver) that I have is a S&W M&P: I have M&P40s, M&P9s, M&P45s, a Shield 380EZ, several Shield pluses, as well as Shields in 9mm, .380, .40S&W, and .45ACP. I also have a few Glock 19s and 19 clones, but I rarely shoot them and can’t remember ever carrying one.

Having the same models as carry pieces simplifies the manual of arms, makes repairs easy as they all look the same on the inside, and makes switching firearms and calibers smoother and easier. I know that full power loads don’t shoot the same, but it’s close enough for what I am doing here. I can still do A-zone shots quickly and effectively out to 15 or 20 yards with little effort, and that is all I am concerned with.

  • IDK if I’d go to a full size .45 tho, a single stack 9mm is very svelte, easy to carry, and similar capacity. A subcompact .40 a bit thicker, but smaller than the .45 and similar power/effect.
  • Open carry is legal in Florida on your own property. But wear a light cover garment anyway; they don’t need to know until it’s time for them to know, and you’re still “legal” if you step into the street.
  • It wouldn’t hurt to have a Glock 19-26 ish type pistol concealed appendix ish.

All handguns are a tradeoff. They have low power, not as much firepower as a long gun like an AR-10 or an AR-15, and not as much punch as say, a shotgun. We carry handguns because we aren’t sure whether or not we will need one, but it is useful to have one just in case. When I am at home, I have more freedom to carry a large handgun, hence the double stack .45.

One firearm on me at a time is all I need, especially when at home. All I need is something to bridge the gap that exists between me and a long gun. Remember, you carry a handgun in case you might be in a gun fight. If you KNOW you will be in a gun fight, endeavor to not be there. If that is impossible, bring a long gun, and bring a friend with a long gun, if possible.

When working on my property but outside, I just wear a baggy t-shirt and pull it over my OWB holster (a DeSantis Speed Scabbard that I used to use back when I was an IDPA competitor. A funny story about that below the divider)

When I am away from home, I avoid areas where I am likely to need a firearm, but just in case, I carry a pistol or revolver that is easy to carry and easy to conceal. Think a Smith and Wesson Shield, Shield plus, or J frame revolver. My EDC is usually a Shield plus (they hold 13 rounds of 9mm), or a J frame .38 loaded with wadcutters.

  • Have you made realistic plans for the “temporary” removal of your firearms after a “Good Shoot”?

I have caches of firearms. I have guns in safes. I’m not opening or revealing either to the cops.

I have a Tshirt that says “DeSantis, Concealment Perfected” on it that I bought some years ago. One of my wife’s coworkers saw me while I was wearing it out with her and some coworkers at an event. She told me that seeing DeSantis’ name on a shirt was a trigger for her because he was an evil fascist. I told her not to worry, that the shirt had absolutely nothing to do with the Governor, it was a brand of holsters that I liked carrying my pistols in, “and in fact I am carrying a handgun in one of their holsters now.”

She practically ran out of the venue and hasn’t spoken to my wife since. My wife says that she didn’t like the woman anyhow, but that saying what I said was hunting over bait, even if it was funny.

By Divemedic, ago

How do you know?

Couple arrested for pointing a rifle at a daycare center while taking bodybuilding photos.

This couple was using a rifle as a photo prop in a densely populated area. That was stupid, so let’s get that out of the way. However, the rest of the article and the charges are just as dumb. One of the charges was exhibiting a firearm on school property. It’s a strip mall, so the parking lot isn’t the grounds of a school. According to the center’s website and licensing information (It’s Devon Aire Kiddy College) they have a total of 13 children receiving voluntary pre-K out of the 90 or so kids who are ‘enrolled’ there. Pre-K isn’t elementary, middle, or secondary school, so the 1,000 foot restriction doesn’t apply:

 in the presence of one or more persons in a rude, careless, angry, or threatening manner and not in lawful self-defense, at a school-sponsored event or on the grounds or facilities of any school, school bus, or school bus stop, or within 1,000 feet of the real property that comprises a public or private elementary school, middle school, or secondary school, during school hours or during the time of a sanctioned school activity, commits a felony of the third degree, 

emphasis added

The daycare center in question is in a strip mall. Florida has no requirement that schools be registered or licensed. So even if this law did cover daycare centers, how is anyone supposed to know when they are within 1,000 feet of a daycare center?

By Divemedic, ago

My Florida Opinion

JKB over at GunFreeZone asks if it would be legal to shoot if this were to happen in [your state]. Here is my opinion on how Florida law would handle this:


At the beginning of the video, the three in it were committing a felony (grand larceny) as well as trespassing. You cannot use deadly force to protect property. However, as soon as they saw that the homeowner was there, they threatened to shoot him if he came out of his house. That immediately raises the offence to carjacking, which Florida law 812.133 defines thusly:

“Carjacking” means the taking of a motor vehicle which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another, with intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the motor vehicle, when in the course of the taking there is the use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear.

It also constitutes robbery with a firearm, 812.13 (a first degree felony)

“Robbery” means the taking of money or other property which may be the subject of larceny from the person or custody of another, with intent to either permanently or temporarily deprive the person or the owner of the money or other property, when in the course of the taking there is the use of force, violence, assault, or putting in fear.

The felons here are shouting that they have a gun and are willing to kill you to take the car. That creates another felony, aggravated assault 784.021:

(1) An “aggravated assault” is an assault:

(a) With a deadly weapon without intent to kill; or

(b) With an intent to commit a felony.

Since both felonies use the threat of force, they are forcible felonies. A forcible felony is defined in Florida 776.08 as:

“Forcible felony” means treason; murder; manslaughter; sexual battery; carjacking; home-invasion robbery; robbery; burglary; arson; kidnapping; aggravated assault; aggravated battery; aggravated stalking; aircraft piracy; unlawful throwing, placing, or discharging of a destructive device or bomb; and any other felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual.

emphais added

So what can you do about stopping a forcible felony? Florida 776.031 explains that:

A person is justified in using or threatening to use deadly force only if he or she reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony. A person who uses or threatens to use deadly force in accordance with this subsection does not have a duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground if the person using or threatening to use the deadly force is not engaged in a criminal activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be.

So in Florida, you would be legally justified in shooting all of them.

By Divemedic, ago

Another Win

Yesterday, a Federal judge in the district court for the Southern District of California struck down the state law that limited people to purchasing one gun in any 30 day period, stating that such a law is unconstitutional. The lawsuit was brought buy the Forearms policy coalition.

The FPC is doing a great job as a no nonsense gun rights organization. They and the Second Amendment Foundation are kicking ass and taking names.

The FPC is truly doing the heavy lifting that the NRA should have been doing for decades, but were busy paying for Wayne LaPierre’s wardrobe and NetJet account. Just last week, I got another email asking me to join the NRA, even though I have been a life member for more than 20 years.

Right now, they are arguing in a Delaware case, with the state trying to set the stage for a complete semi-auto ban.

I have set up a recurring monthly donation. I would like to point out that it is cheaper to fight now in the courts than it is to fight later in the streets. I get nothing for this post, and am not in any way associated with them, other than being a member and a donor. I am just a gun owner who wants to be left alone. If you are too, maybe you can toss them a few bucks.

By Divemedic, ago

Safe Review

If you will remember, I modified my gun safe last summer from a digital combination to a mechanical one. I also moved and was contemplating a dual safe system. So here is what I wound up doing:

My main safe is on the other side of the house and has a mechanical combination. The upside here is that this safe is resistant to someone having a backdoor, and it is also resistant to EMP events. Still, the mechanical lock is slower to operate, meaning in an emergency, it will take more time to access firearms. The lock is also less convenient, and for access to EDC, it isn’t ideal.

Still, I may need to access guns frequently or in a hurry, so I wanted a safe that had stuff in it that I may need. So I settled on a Vaultek RS 800i as my “hot safe.” This safe has a fingerprint lock for rapid access, with a PIN keypad as backup. There is also a key override if the electronics are somehow not working. It also alerts my phone of its status, entries, and any attempts at messing with or breaking into the safe. The safe is large enough for an AR, a shotgun, some ammo, a couple of handguns, and some miscellaneous stuff like my car keys, some cash, etc.

The safe works well. It allows me to keep my EDC locked up. It gives me secure, rapid, ready access to firearms right there in my bedroom. I like the safe, and it works well.

By Divemedic, ago