Articles by Herschel Smith

This is the most awesome fact I found the entire weekend. Jerry Shriver, of MACV-SOG in Vietnam, carried a Marlin 444 lever action rifle.

This is what happens when you don’t know what you’re doing around animals and you’re a scared punk. Note: most American cops don’t know what they’re doing around animals either.

Police try to stop an escaped cow by ramming it with their car in Feltham, West London pic.twitter.com/kRTnGRr5SH

— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) June 15, 2024

It might be a much better idea to run over some jihadi rapists in England.

Email directly from our friend Stephen Stamboulieh, the SCOTUS has finally ruled on the bump stock ban, siding with the fifth circuit.

Here is the ruling.

I really, really don’t like Alito’s concurrence where he invites Congress to “act.” So apparently the SCOTUS decided the case purely on the basis of statutory law rather than constitutionality (caveat: I haven’t read the entire decision in detail).

So much for “every terrible implement of the soldier.”

This is good news today, but the shot over the bow by Alito puts any future review of the constitutionality of the NFA in question.

UPDATE: David Codrea weighs in.

UPDATE #2: It looks like I’m not the only one who noticed Alito’s opinion. Now. Watch the House and Senate do just that.

On another note, Sotomayor is no mechanical engineer: “When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the dissent. “A bump-stock-equipped semiautomatic rifle fires ‘automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.’ §5845(b). Because I, like Congress, call that a machinegun, I respectfully dissent.”

FPC.

FORT WORTH, TX (June 13, 2024) – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition announced a major legal victory in its Mock v. Garland lawsuit challenging the Biden Administration’s “pistol brace” ban rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In the decision, United States District Court Judge Reed O’Connor granted summary judgment in favor of FPC and its co-plaintiffs and issued a final judgment and order vacating the ATF’s rule. The case and opinion can be found at FPCLegal.org.

The decision can be found here.

It’s nice to see that some things still work in America.

At Outdoor Life.

It wasn’t too long ago that I didn’t see Spartan in the mix. Frankly, I don’t like the Harris or the Magpul.

It’s nice to see Spartan being mentioned among the best.

Spartan Precision Equipment

Of note: I received nothing for making mention of Spartan.

Shooting Illustrated.

Before I get into it, allow me the following disclaimer: Tactical gurus abound who discount any notion that clay-target shooting can be compared in any way to the act of using a shotgun to defend your life. I do not argue that the two uses are, of course, night-and-day different. But, in my view, the shotgun and the fundamentals of using it to hit whatever you are shooting at are inherently similar. Certainly, the pressure placed upon the shooter in a life-or-death situation compared with a silly clay game is not remotely similar, but if a shotgunner can consistently flip the safety, mount the gun smoothly and orient the barrel quickly and accurately enough to hit small flying objects, nearly any target encountered in any situation will likely be easier.

In other words, I’ve never witnessed a great wingshooter who couldn’t quickly be trained in tactical applications, because this person already has the fundamentals of shotgun shooting mastered. Of course, there are differences in technique—the main ones being stance and weight distribution—but these can be quickly learned. The shotgun, whether a Remington 870 pump with a short barrel and an extended magazine or a 32-inch-barreled over/under clays gun, remains similar in form, and, when used as intended, functions as an extension of the body to hit targets. Of course, in a defensive scenario you will need to aim the shotgun at the target in a manner similar to a handgun or rifle, whereas when shooting clays you move with the target and lead it, but ask yourself, which is harder: aiming at a stationary or slow-moving target a few feet or yards in front of you, or a fast-moving, small target flying on a path designed to be challenging?

On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of decent tactical shotgunners who couldn’t use their shotgun well when they were removed from a static range with stationary targets and placed in more fluid scenarios where unpredictable, moving targets were encountered. Based on my experience, I believe it’s best to master the shotgun via practice until it can be effectively used at an almost subconscious level. One efficient way I’ve found to do this is via clay games that are challenging, yet enjoyable.

First of all, I don’t listen to “tactical gurus.” I have absolutely no use for such people.

Second, more shotgunning is better because shotgunning. Just because.

Enough said.

Go get some. Head to the range. Hunting upland birds is an awesome sport, as is just shooting clays of any sort, including unorganized practice if that’s what you like. Hunting quail is the most fun you’ll ever have.

And not only that, but we’ve also discussed chokes that will give 00 buckshot a pattern within 5 inches at 50 yards. What’s not to love about shotguns?

I’ll have to say that I’m a bit surprised by this move in Idaho. Maybe the so-called “Greater Idaho” movement isn’t so great after all. What’s the deal with this greasy scumbag who did this?

I suspect that it has to do with rewilding, or trying to drive farmers out of business for the purpose of purchasing their land, only to give it to the large corporations (so that would mean a payoff). Or possibly Soros money is behind this.

In any case, there is something foul going on, and the folks in Idaho had better drive the Cretin who did this out of office, as well as the governor who is letting all of this happen.

Corruption is everywhere – even in Idaho. And suffice it to say, this is war conducted by control over water.

See Using Water as a Weapon of War.

James gives the rundown. I’ll just say this. I’m skeptical. For the time being, I’ll leave this in the category of “politics.”

At reddit/Firearms.

I always think it’s slightly amusing when folks rediscover wheel guns. My favorite comment is this.

People have successfully defended their lives with snub nose revolvers for 100+ years. You can too.

I do carry pocket revolvers and I think they’re a wonderful alternative to either OWB (which is non-permissive at times) or IWB (which I hate), and more accessible than ankle carry.

But as with any weapon, you’re only going to be as good as your practice. I would rather shoot single action because the trigger is as tactile as a 1911, but if I carry a wheel gun to the range, I always make sure to shoot a couple of cylinders in double action.

I confess that I know little to nothing about the difference between thermal and night vision scopes. If some enterprising reader would like to give me a rundown of the advantages/disadvantages of each with the basics of operation, that would be welcome.

Also, in all of my [without a doubt several dozen] readers, surely someone has purchased and used an Arken Optics scope.

What do you think of them? Rex seems to like them, especially for the price point. I’m asking for a friend.

If Arken wants to send me one for review for my next deer and hog hunting trip, I’ll be happy to oblige.