Wheelgunner

Here's my advice: decide what purpose the BOB will serve (just get you home frame work, get you from home to a buddy's house, live in the woods for a week, etc.). Next decide what all you will need for that purpose and make a list. Then actually assemble everything on the list. Put it all in your A bag and carry it around for a while to make see if there are some items you want to cut to save weight. Once you know exactly what will go in the bag (like Garufa said) you can choose the right size.

Law enforcement officers have the legal authority to disarm a HCP holder during a traffic stop. Got it. Here's what I don't understand: if an officer thinks the lawfully armed citizen is enough of a threat to prefer disarming him, why doesn't the officer actually treat him like a threat? (call for back up, take cover, weapon drawn and aimed at center of mass, short verbal commands clearly shouted, etc) If I were in the officer's shoes and were concerned about somebody shooting me, I can't imagine climbing into a stranger's car by myself to grab the handgun off his hip. I guess I'm just not that brave.

Will, congrats on the new GP. They're outstanding guns. Was that fiber optic front sight factory or did you put it on yourself? How do you like the sight picture? Sorry I can't help on the holster issue.

@ bayouvol - If the weight of the gun is uncomfortable, you might need a new belt, too. Like rockman I EDC a snubbie SP101, and found that a IWB holster (mine is Galco) reduces the felt weight of the weapon.

Senator Feinstein says Gen. Petraeus will not testify in Senate hearings on Benghazi next week due to his "resignation." Isn't that convenient? http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/09/15054517-cia-director-david-petraeus-resigns-cites-extramarital-affair?lite

@ BungeeCord - Yetlub, not butlub. But yeah, I read you loud and clear. Seems like nobody here in the real world understands the gravity of these ongoing events. But what else is new, right?

I did the same thing for a year or so. (I only stopped because I found an IWB holster I liked better, not because there's anything wrong with it.) I had family members who I saw regularly react with surprise when I told them I had a handgun on my hip -- even if they had seen the bottom of the holster sticking out, they'd thought it was a cell phone holder, Gerber tool, etc. I think it still qualifies as concealed, since 99% of people are oblivious to the fact that you're armed.

Unless the teacher consents to such a search in his employment contract (or verbally otherwise) it seems to me a really blatant violation of the federal Fourth Amendment, since the government is the party doing the search. I agree with you that students' vehicles should not be subject to search by anyone except a police officer with probably cause or a warrant in hand, just like any other citizen. But at least teachers still have big-boy rights... for now.

What purpose is the carbine supposed to serve? Range toy? HD rifle? Sole firearm? Makes a difference.

You ever heard that old saying, "To a man with only a hammer every problem is a nail"? Mr. Webster lives in the world of healthcare research and medical policy implementation. No big surprise he sees the issue in those terms; he probably sees everything in those terms. To him, teenage girls living in the United States is a precursor to the medical phenomena of teen pregnancy, and owning a car is a precursor to the "social disease" of car accidents. Unfortunately for Mr. Webster, Dr. Hargarten, and all the other good liberal medical professionals in the U.S., before they address the public health problem of gun ownership they must first remove the malignant tumor of the Second Amendment from the federal Constitution. I wish people would just stay in their own lane.

Not only is the font small, but the sign itself is transparent!

If owning guns were half as dangerous to children as that CNN fellow says then wouldn't it make sense that the entire gun-owning demographic would have died off generations ago? Hmmm, I guess I'm just a stupid gun owner...

@ the OP - Cool thread. In the past week I have taken a trip to the range and started going to the gym again. One made my wallet sore, and the other made the rest of me hurt too.

Hmm, something's missing... Oh! It needs a backup rifle somehow mounted on the rail system!

Agreed, the bias is frustrating. That aside, the video was a good reminder of some of the basics of firefights - find cover and concealment, place well-aimed shots, etc. Interesting that maneuvering didn't seem to be an option; the participants were expected to stand their ground and fire on the target. Sometimes running is a better choice than fighting. Here's something that bugs me more than the anti-gun slant: the participants were placed in a scenario that could never actually happen. Granted, school shootings happen with disturbing regularity now. However, none of us will ever be armed with a handgun while we sit in what was clearly meant to be a university classroom setting. Why not? Because it's illegal to carry on college campuses. In reality, when you are faced with a school shooter your only option is to run. In other words, no civilian HCP holder trains for that scenario because it can't occur. So these folks put skilled handgun carriers in an impossible scenario, and they performed poorly. Huge surprise. :sarcasm: I can think up violent crime scenarios all day long that: A. can never actually occur, and B. would be virtually impossible to prepare for. What if you were armed with a handgun during a flight from L.A. to Boston and a shooter started firing in the back of the plane? Or what if you were a lawyer carrying a concealed 1911 during oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court and suddenly Justice Ginsburg pulled out a shotgun and starting firing at you? Or what if a liberal media mogul did a TV segment about a violent crime handgun training scenario that actually matters?

One of the reasons a code word is such a good idea is the likelihood that your significant other thinking you're not serious when there's a threat. A code word works the other way, too, if she recognizes the threat first. In regard to family members coming in the door, I heard on this forum about a member who has his family sound off with their own names when they walk into the house. That way, if he ever hears a door open and no name shouted, he knows there's a problem. Nothing wrong with the sign/countersign mentioned above, though.

If there's any possibility that you'll purposely avoid roads during land navigation, it's a good idea to know your pace count (walking, while carrying your gear). Azimuth and pace count will allow you to continue moving without getting lost during those times when you can't just look around and get your bearings based on terrain features (like when walking at night). These skills are easy to get the hang of but somewhat perishable. If anybody's seriously interested in working on this stuff PM me and we can get together some Saturday afternoon. @ Caster - Too true about the tracking. Along with that, a laminated paper map's batteries can't run out, and you can't accidentally crack its screen.

I pack a pencil, compass, and a 1:50,000 topo map of my area with all the good stuff marked. It's in UTM format, but it's similar enough to MGRS to be workable for former military. (markings are similar and works the same way) I designed and ordered it on MyTopo, and I'm pretty satisfied with it. Cost something like $20 including shipping. I think the only thing better for me would be a genuine 1:24,000 military map of the same area. @ jtluttrell - What about you?

I think we all know this, but it's worth mentioning anyway: "Bugging out" does not mean going to the woods. "Bugging out" means leaving a dangerous place and going to a safer place. Generally we think in terms of getting away from highly populated areas, on the presumption that due to fear most people will stop acting rationally and become a threat to their neighbors. But getting away from that threat does not, as a rule, require you to set up a tent by a creek and start eating opossum. That's one method, but it has numerous drawbacks, the most salient of which is lack of supplies. But there are any number of approaches to getting away from the masses. I have seen self-storage facilities in rural areas that would be perfect for a bug out location - rent a small space in which you store supplies, weapons, etc., complete with a fence/wall. Great for students who live on a campus far from home and can't keep firearms in the dorms. I've also seen municipal and county facilites (water pumping stations, etc.) that are off the beaten path but still offer a tall chain link fence, four walls, and a roof for anyone who is forced to take shelter there during an emergency and brings a couple tools to gain access. Maybe even your place of work could serve well. Most business buildings would be deserted during a prolonged natural disaster or other event, and if you stash some gear in the ceiling of a bathroom or janitor's closet... you get the idea. Just want to encourage everyone to think outside the box.

Dr. Detroit summed up my personal plan of action in the event of a SD shooting. Personally, I believe encounters with police are part of the SD episode that we all prepare for and hope never to experience. I consider a good working knowledge of my Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights just as important for self preservation as training with my handgun and choosing the proper ammo.

Wjh, I really like the idea of getting to know all about one line of revolvers, and then using that company's line to suit your handgun needs. My carry gun is an SP101, and it does (well) everything I need a carry gun to do. I'd still like to get either a longer barreled GP100 or the new 4.2" SP101 for those times when I go out in the woods. Great thread!

If a LGS ever sold me such an ineffective weapon, I would make little effort (if any at all) to have them make it right. I'd just take the issue to court. Maybe some of our more experienced members have dealt with stuff like this before. Would this apply to a non-functional rifle? - http://law.justia.co...art-3/47-2-315/

I don't understand. How does the employer even know there's a gun in the employee's car in the first place? How does the employee know that's prohibited? It's not like this stuff comes up in your average hiring interview. "That's great, Bill. Based on your experience and references I'm sure you'll fit right in here. By the way, I know you've said absolutely nothing about firearms and that our conversation is completely unrelated to them, but I thought I'd let you know that our company policy prohibits legal handgun carry permit holders from storing a handgun in the trunk of a car while parked on company property. So do you have a handgun in the trunk of your car on company property? No? Fine, fine. Well, when are you available to start work?"

Despite how unusual it is for a stranger to walk up and try to take someone's handgun, I agree with the author's point that armed citizens should be more concerned with weapon retention. But then he says some genius thing like this: "I’ve done that scenario on dozens of students. It almost always works. I end up with their gun and they have a puzzled look on their face." Well, sure none of his students can stop him from disarming them. He's a damn combatives instructor at a police academy! He wouldn't be much of a martial arts instructor if he was incapable of disarming the students he gets paid to train! That has no connection to the common criminal on the street, who is probably more skilled at picking his nose or scoring some H than disarming me. I figure the odds of me ever being assaulted, disarmed, and robbed by a 16-year veteran police officer and expert combatives instructor are about the same as the odds of me being a sandwich. But in regard to his comments on police involvement, I have to wonder if the author has ever met a real life police officer. Perhaps I go too far to assume that most cops are smart enough that, when responding to a man with a gun call and upon seeing everybody acting normally, they will realize what has probably happened (i.e. paranoid caller + HCP). I'm no rocket scientist, but if a guy in a store actually drew a gun and started threatening people with it, as a responding officer I would expect to hear customers screaming and running, and to see people hiding or a complete absence of anyone in the store. Contrary to what the author implies, cops aren't stupid. They have to make tough decisions every day and apply common sense to analyze stuff in real time. They generally do that well. They're cautious, but none of the cops I've ever met are unreasonable enough to tackle a guy as he's choosing toilet paper or comparing light bulb prices simply because they see a holstered handgun on his hip. The author claims that criminals are not deterred by OC. That's great. I don't OC to deter criminals from accosting me. In fact, the reason I carry is I expect some stupid criminal will do just that. When I OC, I do it because I want easy access to my weapon for whatever reason. Or I do it because I'm going to a place where nobody will mind, and it's more comfortable. Or I do it because I'm only going on a quick errand and really don't care who sees my weapon. Finally, at his fourth point his argument against OC completely falls apart. So, because people have plastic holsters they shouldn't OC? What if I buy a nice leather holster? So now it makes sense to OC when it didn't before?

Bassman, what was the price of the level III course? Were you allowed to bring your own ammo for the class?