Wednesday Wisdom: 13 May 2026

Medal of Honor: Robert Turner Waugh

 

In the course of an attack upon an enemy-held hill on 11 May 1944, 1st Lt. Waugh personally reconnoitered a heavily mined area before entering it with his platoon. Directing his men to deliver fire on six bunkers guarding this hill, 1st Lt. Waugh advanced alone against them, reached the first bunker, threw phosphorus grenades into it, and, as the defenders emerged, killed them with a burst from his Thompson submachine gun. He repeated this process on the five remaining bunkers, killing or capturing the occupants. On the morning of 14 May 1944, 1st Lt. Waugh ordered his platoon to lay a base of fire on two enemy pillboxes located on a knoll which commanded the only trail up the hill. He then ran to the first pillbox, threw several grenades into it, drove the defenders into the open, and killed them.

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 KelTec P17: The Basics

The KelTec P17 is the cheapest trainer-style .22 pistol on the market. But unlike most guns in its price range, it might not be a complete steaming pile of refuse.

We’re taking a detailed look at the P17’s reliability, accuracy, features, and quirks to see whether this lightweight, 17-shot rimfire pistol lives up to the hype. Is it a legitimate bargain, or just another weird KelTec range toy?

Let’s look at what we’ve got here. KelTec released the P17 in 2019. It was notable for having 16-round magazines when almost every other .22 topped out at 10 rounds. But earlier that year, Taurus had released the TX-22, also with 16-round mags, and several other .22 trainers have since come out with similar capacities.

A more distinctive feature might be the weight. It’s only 11.6 ounces empty, 14 and a half fully loaded. That’s lighter than most pocket pistols, despite being closer in size to a compact. It’s got a 3.8-inch barrel and a width of just 9/10 of an inch.

The barrel is threaded and it comes with a thread extender for standard 1/2×28 suppressors. The front sight is a green fiber optic and in the rear we have a black serrated sight adjustable for windage and elevation.

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A Civil Right is a Civil Right -- Even If You

Don't Like It

 

A civil right is a civil right. If “the interests of public safety” outweighs one civil right, then “the interests of public safety” outweighs all civil rights.

I will guarantee you that in every city of 100,000 population or more there are multiple locations responsible for the majority of crime in that city. There are multiple locations responsible for more deaths via drug overdose (“Interests of Public Safety”), and more deaths via drug turf wars than all of O’Keefe’s firearms put together.

I mean, if “the interests of public safety” are worth a 24-hour “minor, temporary inconvenience” suspension of James O’Keefe’s 2nd Amendment civil rights, then surely “the interests of public safety” are worth a 24-hour “minor, temporary inconvenience” suspension of someone’s 4th Amendment civil rights, right?

See how this works? Red Flag laws is a road we do not want to go down. Civil rights are civil rights, and we don’t get to treat one as sacrosanct, and another as inconvenient. If one requires probable cause to be suspended, than they all require probable cause to be suspended.

Speaking of Red Flag Laws – How About this Version

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Red Flag Laws for Congress

Any Congresscritter says, or does, something unConstitutional anyone should be able to file a Red Flag violation and have that politician's powers to write bills, attend sessions of Congress, vote, draw a taxpayer-funded paycheque, live in a mansion in Washington DC, enjoy tax-payer-funded benefits, or anything else tied to the privilege of being a Congresscritter immediately suspended.

There would be a hearing within fourteen days before a judge in their home district, where the Representative or Senator would be given the opportunity to show where in the Constitution what they said, or the law they proposed, or the action they did, was explicitly authorised, and if they can show that, their privileges to all the goodies of being an elected representative of the People would be restored.

If they can't, then they can sit at home for a year and twiddle their thumbs. Not allowed into the Capitol, no drawing a paycheque, no voting, no proposing bills, nothing added to their pension funds, no taxpayer-funded healthcare, zip, zero, NADA to do with being an elected official.

Speaking of how the legal system can screw over firearms owners who have broken no law: There are multiple articles concerning former sailor Tate Adamiak’s case in addition to the one below at the GunWriter website.

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A Retro Python: The Pietta Blacktooth Revolver

The Italian replica firearms business is known for bringing back designs from the Old West and Civil War eras, with some designs going even further back in history. While 70 years may not seem like “history,” that is the time period that Pietta is reaching back into for the inspiration for its Blacktooth revolver.

The .357 Mag.-chambered Blacktooth is a replica of a first-generation Colt Python. The Python was originally introduced in 1955 and quickly became regarded as the world’s premiere double-action revolver. As costs to produce the hand-built revolver became prohibitive, the company discontinued the model in 2005. While they brought out a new version of the Python in 2020, it had updates that distinguished it from the original.

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Tate Adamiak to receive 50 days of ‘Diesel Therapy’ punishment

Federal inmate Patrick “Tate” Adamiak learned Wednesday that he is about to receive 50 days of “Diesel Therapy” prior to his June 25th court hearing.

“I was told to pack up and that I was going to get moved,” he said Wednesday. “It’s Diesel Therapy. This is exactly what I was afraid of.”

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has never treated inmates well. One of the methods they use to mistreat inmates is by driving them around in a prison van for weeks or even months on end, which the inmates and even the guards call “Diesel Therapy.”

It prevents the inmates from contacting their friends, family and the occasional reporter. Most worrisome, the inmates are kept completely out of touch with their defense attorneys. They also miss meals, showers, sleep and are unable to work on their criminal cases.

Adamiak, who is serving a 20-year sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey for crimes he never committed, must appear for a hearing next month in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia. It does not take 50 days to drive from his New Jersey prison to any courtroom in Virginia.

The Armed Attorneys recently did a video discussion concerning Adamiak's case: SCOTUS Watch: 20 Years in Prison for Cut Up Metal

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Competition Selects for What It Rewards

This in-depth article on martial arts discusses how competition affected the evolution and development of martial arts over time. A close parallel are the developments within pistol competitions following the introduction of IPSC, USPSA, IDPA and how they evolved over time and affected equipment design.

Recently, the West Point Combatives Team competed against the Navy Jiu-Jitsu Team under submission-only rules associated with Eddie Bravo.

There were highly skilled fighters on both sides. That should be said up front. The technical level was high, the pace was aggressive, and the athletes were committed to finishing fights. And, for the record, Army won, again. ;-) yeah.

But that’s not the interesting part. What stood out was how both teams fought.

 Across the matches, there was a consistent pattern: aggressive pursuit of submissions, but relatively little emphasis on controlling the opponent. Positions that are traditionally considered dominant in a fight, because they allow you to strike, disengage, or impose damage, were often passed through or abandoned in favor of immediate submission attempts.

From within the rule set, this made sense.

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Knife Maintenance: Simple Tips for Better Performance

Knives are tools. To perform to their full potential, they must be maintained properly. This is particularly true of folding knives, which are, by nature, mechanical devices. Like any other machine, if you want them to function correctly, you need to maintain them well. Fortunately, with a little knowledge and some simple tools, knife maintenance is relatively easy.

One of the most important things you can do to keep any knife functioning well is to keep it clean. Most knives are meant to be used, and that use can often expose them to dirt, adhesives, animal blood, and a variety of other substances. Left in contact with the blade for prolonged periods, these substances can promote corrosion or dry on the blade, making them more difficult to remove. As such, whenever possible, wipe your knife clean as soon as possible after use.

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Mossberg 590R Shotgun Review: 6+1 Capacity with a Rotary Safety

Traditional shotgun safeties never really fit quite right on tactical, pistol-grip scatterguns. That’s why Mossberg gave its tube-fed, pump-action 590R shotguns a helping hand with ambidextrous rotary safeties that are both ergonomic and familiar to anyone who has shot an AR-15 rifle.

However, that’s hardly the only enhancement the company made to its new 590R shotguns. Here’s a closer look at all the improved features, along with our top takeaways, after putting 300 shells through the 590R during live-fire testing.

Quick Summary: Mossberg’s rotary safety makes the 590R much easier to shoot with a vertical pistol grip than similar tactical shotguns. The safety is a bit undersized, but it’s a big improvement, along with upgrades to the action release, stock, and heat shield.

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LeMat Revolver – Before The Judge

The LeMat revolver was invented by Jean Alexandre LeMat of France. It was further developed in New Orleans in 1856 by Le Mat, whose manufacturing effort was backed by P. G. T. Beauregard, who became a general in the Confederate States Army. It was originally a pistol caliber cap-and-ball black powder, but featured an unusual secondary 16-to-20-gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot. This unique gun was also known as the “Grape Shot Revolver.” It saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.

Some were made by John Krider of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859, including the first 250 prototypes. It is estimated that 2,900 were produced in Liège, Belgium, and Paris, France. The European-made pistols were shipped through Birmingham, England. For the collectors out there, they were indeed stamped.

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Beretta’s A300 Ultima Patrol 20-Gauge Revisited

In February 2026 I wrote about Beretta’s then-new A300 Ultima Patrol 20-gauge. I had the opportunity to test fire an A300 Ultima Patrol 20-gauge when a fellow student who also happened to be a Lipsey’s executive brought one of the new 20-Gauge A300s to a class we were both attending. The 20-gauge A300 weights only 6.0 pounds unloaded and the gun’s handiness was immediately apparent. I believe it will be a good choice for a home defense shotgun.

The new A300 has a new stock design with integrated quick detach sling attachments and users can shorten the length of pull to twelve inches. Beretta made additional design changes including an enlarged loading port, a reversible safety, and extended bolt handle. They also added very aggressive, pointed checkering to the stock’s fore end and pistol-grip area. When my local gun store was able to order one, I immediately bought it.

Out of the box, the bolt’s movement seemed extremely gritty, like it had sand in the action. Thinking that perhaps it was not lubricated, I disassembled it to apply lubricant—and—I could not reassemble it. There was clearly something out of spec with the bolt and the gun would not go back together.

I contacted Beretta and sent it off for warranty repair without firing a shot through it. Eight weeks later, Beretta returned the gun with a note that the bolt had a “burr” that their gunsmith had polished out.

With my new Beretta A300 back in hand, I did some pattern tests with three 20 gauge buckshot loads using the supplied improved cylinder choke and a cylinder choke I purchased separately.

I tested the Rio Ammunition Group 20 ga Game Load with nine pellets of #1 buckshot at 1345 feet per second (fps) and the Nobel Sport nine pellet #1 buckshot at 1300 fps. I also tested the Federal premium 20 gauge #2 buckshot loads with the FliteControl® wad at 1,325 fps. I fired five rounds of each manufacturer’s buckshot load at each distance.

At ten yards all loads demonstrated an acceptable pattern (see below) which I define as all pellets landing within an eight-inch circle (remember, even a single pellet can kill). The Rio load’s average pattern size at ten yards was seven inches, the Nobel load was 8.5 inches, and the Federal load was five inches.

At fifteen yards, the Rio load opened to an average of twelve inches, the Nobel load was 11.5 inches. Within normal urban house distances at ten yards and below, the Rio and Nobel loads throw an acceptable pattern. I did not test them beyond fifteen yards—no reason to waste ammunition. At fifteen yards the Federal load’s pattern was seven inches.

I subsequently tested the Federal load at twenty yards and it failed with a pattern of eleven inches. I switched out the improved cylinder choke for the cylinder choke and retested the Federal load at twenty yards and it did marginally better with a ten-inch pattern. I would not use the Federal FliteControl® load much beyond fifteen yards in a home defense scenario.

Every shotgun has its own preferences. As you can see from these results, you must test each load you are considering for home defense shotgun ammunition in your gun. Ideally, shoot five rounds at each distance until you determine the maximum acceptable range for your shotgun using a particular load. With the 20 gauge, I started at ten yards because in the past, I have seen failures at that distance. If you see a failure at a given distance, you do not need to test at greater distances.

Chokes might make a difference, however. With some manufacturers now including a choke system in new shotgun models you may want to try different choke/load combinations. For example, I retested the Nobel load at fifteen yards and it patterned over twenty-four inches with the cylinder choke.

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Wednesday Wisdom: 6 May 2026

How a Relentless, 484-Mile March from Virginia to Massachusetts Fueled the Legend of the Dashing Frontier Rifleman

When Daniel Morgan’s company of 96 riflemen left Winchester, Virginia, on July 15, 1775, they were bound for Cambridge, Massachusetts, and possible battle with the British. Along with nine other militia companies from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Morgan’s men heeded a call for military support from the Continental Congress and headed north to fight in the American Revolution. Their trip would later become known as the Beeline March, a relentless, nearly 500-mile trek in service of the patriot cause.

A 22-year-old rifleman named Henry Bedinger marched in a second Virginia company, which was locked in an informal race to Cambridge with Morgan’s men. Led by Hugh Stephenson, the group set out from Mecklenburg, Virginia, now Shepherdstown, West Virginia, two days after Morgan, on July 17. Bedinger kept a journal while en route. This year, to mark the Beeline March’s 250th anniversary, Historic Shepherdstown published excerpts from the diary alongside an interactive map.

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AIWB: A Frank Discussion on Carrying Forward of the Hip

Let’s talk about the pluses of forward-of-the-hip carry. First, not all locations are truly “appendix.” This has become a catchall term of description, but let’s be honest, more people are carrying in an abdominal, directly over the navel, position than they are off to the side toward their leg. The further forward, the more comfortable for most people, and it has proven to be more concealable. The use of chassis- or side-car-style rigs, where the mag pouch and holster are attached has also led to a more centered and balanced mode of carry. No right or wrong here, it’s whatever works best for you.

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How (And Why) to deGoogle Your Life and Protect Your Privacy

Over 3 billion people use Google products to search the internet, send emails, navigate roadways, and more. But Google’s business model revolves around targeted advertising, the success of which depends on surveillance and data mining.

These techniques include tracking your search queries, monitoring your interactions with online products and services, and even keeping tabs on your physical movements while using Google Maps. Each data point is funneled into a vast user profile, which is used to strategically present ads, an easy money grab that one industry executive described as a “newfound religion.”

This extensive surveillance apparatus has been the center of numerous privacy and courtroom disputes around the world. Google, however, has bought its way out of them with settlements and fines costing a tiny fraction of the revenue they generated with your data.

Despite the name recognition (Google is a verb, after all) and convenience, there are many reasons to consider switching away from Google.

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Government Fooled Around, Now It's Finding Out

At the time I write this, babies are being brought into our world. And each one of them, right now, is saddled with $106,123 of the National Debt (comment: as of 15 April 2026 it was $114,136.00). Each person reading this owed — at the time I wrote this, by the time you read this your share is more — one hundred and six thousand, one hundred and twenty-three dollars. All in all the National Debt — again, as I write this — totals $36,219,464,543,391. It will be higher in the minutes or hours between me writing this, and you reading it.

It just keeps rising.

The Tax Code of the United States does not generate enough revenue to cover the spending that politicians and government promise. Period. Full stop. End of statement. And I see you jackals in the back — no, we can’t tax our way out of the National Debt under the current levels of promised spending. It’s just not possible, no matter how many billionaires you propose putting the squeeze on.

One more time for the slow ones: The US government spends more than it takes in taxes. Has for decades.

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The New Springfield Armory Saint Victor 9mm PDW 

Springfield introduced its first 9mm blowback action Saint Victor model AR in late 2022 with a Melonite-coated 16-inch CMV 1:10 twist barrel, ambidextrous safety, nickel-boron-coated flat trigger, and a standard GI-style charging handle. In a departure from the widespread use of Glock double-stack mags for 9mm PCCs, the Victor carbine accepted 32-round Colt SMG stick mags, which are widely available. We've evaluated these carbines in the past and found them to deliver on the range.

Since then, the stick-magged 9mm PCC proved popular, with Springfield responding to customer feedback by delivering more compact models, including an 8.5-inch and a 5.5-inch pistol outfitted with an SB Tactical SB-A3 stabilizing brace. The 5.5-incher, in particular, taped out between 20 and 22.5 inches due to the adjustable receiver extension.

Going even more compact, the new Saint Victor 9mm PDW sticks with the 5.5-inch barrel, while its SB Tactical HBPDW brace paired with a short buffer system shrinks the overall length to 18.5 inches while feeling much more solid.

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Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 38 2.0

Snub-nose Smith & Wesson revolvers have been a staple of self-defense for a very long time, and one of the go-to models is the Bodyguard 38. While the last incarnation of this revolver has been discontinued, Smith just gave it a facelift and replaced it with the new Bodyguard 38 2.0.
 

First, let’s talk about what’s stayed the same. It’s still a 5-shot, double-action only .38 Special +P snub-nose revolver. It still has a 1.875-inch stainless steel barrel, and it still features an aluminum alloy upper frame and polymer grip module to keep the weight at a minimum. The base model weighs a scant 14.2 ounces unloaded. Also, it still has the neat center-mounted ambidextrous cylinder release.

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A Civil War-issued Sharps 1859 with double set triggers--Issued to the Berdan Sharpshooters?

Sharpshooters, marksmen or snipers, no matter the name, their era or the weapon, shooting – and hitting – military targets from a distance has long been seen as a way of gaining a tactical and even psychological advantage in warfare.

It wasn’t seen as honorable during the French and Indian War for ranger units of British Loyalists to skirmish with foes then blend into the forests rather than to stand toe to toe in direct battle. While European marksman considered it dishonorable to see officers as targets, that changed in the Civil War with the Berdan Sharpshooters. Their prime targets: Confederate officers, artillery crews and other marksmen.

Sharpshooters used rifles rather than the muskets of the common infantryman. A gun with a rifled barrel provides greater accuracy and range. Continental Army sharpshooters were effective to about 300 yards at targets like British officers, but black powder didn’t allow for much stealth as a cloud of smoke quickly gave away a sharpshooter’s position.

Through the 19th century, the development of the Minie ball and smokeless powder along with rifled barrels helped usher the sniper into the wars of the 20th century.

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The .35 Remington: Classic but still relevant

In the early 20th century, the powers at Remington were looking forward. They viewed the levergun — the king of rifles at the time — as somewhat old-fashioned and decided it was time to offer hunters a more modern choice. Semi-automatics were just starting to appear and Remington turned to John Browning to come up with a semi-automatic rifle. The result was the Model 8 chambered in rimless versions of the rimmed Winchester cartridges. This new rifle appeared chambered in .25 Remington, .30 Remington and .32 Remington. Then in 1908 Remington went big bore with a completely new cartridge, the .35 Remington.

The Model 8 became the Model 81 and then was joined by the pump-action Models 14 and 141. Later, Remington even chambered their model 760 pump gun in .35 Remington. All of these are long gone, as are the three original Remington rimless rifle cartridges; however, the .35 Remington remains. It was first chambered by Marlin in their Model 336 in 1953. Over the early years it was not only offered in the rifle version, but also the 20″ straight-gripped Texan (1953–1964) and the 16 ¼” Marauder (1963–1964).

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Iranian Mines and Epic Damage Control … in 1988

Even though the minesweepers had already recently been through, the protocol used by the U.S. Navy was to maintain at least one set of Mk 1 Mod 0 eyeballs standing watch. Through the binos, Seaman Bobby Gibson scanned, stopped, and went back.

Right There.

His initial thought was that there’s no need to get fired up just yet, because the Gulf was and is full of random flotsam, like trash bags and dead sheep. But then Gibson got clearer resolution. No doubt about it: it was a mine, and freshly laid, based on the bright finish and lack of barnacles. Command immediately threw the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) full astern until stopped. Then, the ship’s superlative skipper, Capt. Paul X. Rinn, took stock.

There were at least two more mines visible in front of them. That meant that there was a good chance that they’d already gone past other mines, either moored submerged or not visible in the chop. Capt. Rinn reasoned—as it turns out, correctly—that they were well into a minefield.

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Lessons should be learned -- some may not be obvious

So, apparently Critter du Jour got hisself a fixation on the daughter of a neighbor, and decided to pay a visit: When throwing a strop and beating on the front door didn’t work, the critter went around the house until he made entry through what was allegedly a sliding glass door, and began searching for — apparently — the daughter.

The father of the house, having seen all of this on video, rushes home, arms himself with a shovel, and confronts the intruder. Both the father and the critter seem to have sustained head injuries during the confrontation, received medical care, and the critter is now in custody — where he belongs.

First off — well done to the father for stepping up. Unfortunately, in these modern “enlightened” times, the concept of “father’s duty” occasionally gets ignored, so all honor to the father here. There are, however, some lessons that can be learned around this incident.

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Colt’s New VMR Series of Magnified Optics

Colt Optics has made the interesting decision to start 2026 off by entering the riflescope market with its new VMR series, a three-model launch that has options for both mid-range versatility and long-range precision. According to the company’s official announcement, the line was built by its Michigan-based team with a focus on durability, consistency, and real-world usability.

What makes this launch interesting for the historically firearm-only company is that Colt Optics is not launching the VMR series as a single optic but as a full suite of optics intended to cover a broad range of shooting roles. According to the short YouTube video announcement, the 1-8x is aimed at fast work in confined spaces, the 3-18x is the do-it-all option for multiple distances, and the 4.5-27x is naturally the precision model for longer shots where repeatability, better target confirmation, and an overall better view matter most. 

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Moral Injury and the Warrior Ethos, an Evolutionary Perspective

For most of my career I have been concerned with two related questions. The first is how to build warriors and units who possess the skills, and culture, required to fight and win our nation’s wars. The second is how to prepare them psychologically and morally for what fighting actually entails.

When we began developing what eventually became the Modern Army Combatives Program in the 2nd Ranger Battalion, the focus was never simply on teaching soldiers how to fight. Skill was only part of the problem. Fighting also requires a mindset. Warriors must be able to function under stress, act decisively in violent situations, and remain disciplined in the use of force. That portion of the training carries over to every range of combat. A training system that develops technical ability but neglects the psychological and moral dimensions of combat is incomplete.

Within the 75th Ranger Regiment, excellence has never been an accident of talent alone. It is the product of a culture that consistently emphasizes small-unit competence, aggression, and the expectation that every Ranger must be prepared to close with and destroy the enemy. The Combatives Program was developed as one tool to reinforce that culture. It kept the focus of training on the individual Ranger and on the small units, fire teams, squads, and platoons, where combat is ultimately decided. By centering training on controlled, competitive experiences of fighting, it reinforced the reality that wars are not won in abstraction, but in decisive moments of physical dominance at close range.

Combatives builds practical fighting ability, but it also exposes soldiers to controlled experiences of aggression, competition, fear, and a kind of toughness that is distinct from the endurance required for long movements under load or difficult terrain. It is the toughness required to engage another human being directly, to impose one’s will in close contact while maintaining control and discipline. Through progressive training, soldiers learn how to manage those forces rather than being overwhelmed by them.

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Wednesday Wisdom: 29 April 2026

Medal of Honor: Andrew Miller

As he led a rifle squad at Woippy, France a crossfire from enemy machine guns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing one of the guns, and forced five Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing two, wounding three more, and taking two additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machine gun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight.

 

At the outskirts of Metz, France the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machine gun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. Two days later, S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in, and captured six riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. 

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No Second Place Winner 

Col. Jeff Cooper once wrote that “owning a gun doesn’t make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician."

 

From Wyatt Earp to Rex Applegate to Charles Askins to Bill Jordan to Jim Cirillo to Jeff Cooper to Tom Givens — the message is consistent: under stress you will do what you’ve trained and practiced to do. There’s more than 100 years of history, writing and study on the topic of fighting with handguns. Those that study it seriously all come to the same conclusions. That might be important.

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The Colt Walker Percussion Revolver

 

Texas Ranger Capt. Samuel Walker, serving as a member of the U.S. Mounted Rifles, went east in 1847 to recruit soldiers and on a visit to New York City met with Samuel Colt about improving his revolver. Walker praised Colt’s guns noted they were too delicate, took too long to reload and needed more stopping power. Colt returned to the drawing board, simplified the gun’s action, added a sixth chamber in the cylinder and chambered it in .44 caliber. The Army ordered 1,000 revolvers.

 

The Colt Walker could be loaded with a .44 caliber ball or conical bullet and up to a 60 grain powder charge. For comparison, most muzzleloading pistols would be loaded with around half that amount of powder for a ball of that size. A 60-grain powder charge was more typical of a .54 caliber rifle. They were the most powerful revolvers manufactured up until the introduction of the .357 Magnum cartridge and Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum Revolvers in 1935.

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This Old Gun: Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum

Some firearms and cartridges were literally made for one another. That certainly was the case for Smith & Wesson’s Registered Magnum and its exclusive chambering in the .357 Magnum, a cartridge that pioneering hand loader Phil Sharpe championed. Since its introduction in 1935, the Registered Magnum has achieved the unabashed title as one of the holy grails of modern-day gun collecting.

 

It started with the cartridge. With the country in the throes of the Great Depression, and organized crime running rampant, law enforcement—primarily armed with .38 Special revolvers—found itself under-gunned. But Sharpe felt that the caliber had potential. Assisted by Elmer Keith, S&W Vice President Douglas Wesson and Winchester, the .357 Mag. emerged, using a slightly elongated .38 Special. case to prevent it from chambering in standard .38 Special guns. Indeed, the resulting Registered Magnum was anything but standard.

 

Each revolver was built to order, with customers specifying a blue or nickel finish, any barrel length from 3½" to 8¾", and numerous front and rear sight options. Guns were sighted at 25 yds., with buyers specifying either a 6-o’clock or “dead-center” hold.

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Situational Awareness Pt 1

I harp quite a bit on “situational awareness” and how it is vital to preventing dynamic social interactions, but I seem to have been somewhat negligent at explaining what “situational awareness” actually is.

 

This point was driven home by an on-line conversation with someone who has been following me for years, who happily informed me that they “scanned for danger all the time”. That’s … not what situational awareness is. “Scanning for danger” means you’re looking for things that are already a threat — and only looking for active threats puts you way behind the power curve.

 

Situational awareness, for lack of a better term, is observing and determining what is “normal” for the area and time and looking for things that aren’t normal. The professional term is “baseline."

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Speed of Assaults and Decision-Making

In the 1950s, William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman published a series of laboratory experiments that became known as the Hick–Hyman Law. Their findings showed that as people were asked to consider more choices, their reaction times slowed in a predictable way. Participants responded to simple signals, such as lights or tones, by pressing matching buttons. When each option was equally likely and clearly defined, reaction time slowed as alternatives were added.

 

Hick’s Law requires that decision-makers have time to consciously weigh multiple options before acting. But research on assaults shows that officers (and private citizens) often face conditions where considering multiple alternatives is unrealistic.

 

A fast suspect can point and fire a weapon or attack with a knife in around 1/10th of a second. By comparison, the fastest visual reaction times are just over 2/10th of a second (and that only begins the physical response). These timelines mean that the kind of slow, analytical thinking reflected in Hick’s Law would be too slow in force encounters. 

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What Is Cybersecurity and Why Is It 

Important?

A friend of mine just had his bank account hacked. He now thinks cybersecurity is important. Cybersecurity refers to the practice of using technologies, processes, and controls to protect networks, devices, programs, and data from cyberattacks, damage, or unauthorized access.

 

Today, common cyberthreats facing everyone include various types of phishing, malware attacks, and online scams. Threat researchers at Gen Digital warn that the emergence of generative AI is making these attacks easier to launch and more convincing than ever before.

 

While some people may associate cybersecurity with corporations or governments, following cybersecurity best practices is essential for individuals, too. Protecting yourself means combining smart habits with robust Cyber Safety software that goes beyond basic antivirus.

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Arguments Against the Shotgun

A Gabe Suarez video concerning view’s arguing against using shotguns as a defensive weapon. Most are based on simply not knowing the system sufficiently, or on not liking it. The only one that made sense was that there are some slight stature people that would have a difficult time using it. That is true...it is not an egalitarian weapon, which is likely why it is rarely seen in police work today.

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Real-World Trauma Skills with “Stop the Bleed” Training

If you have not taken a Stop the Bleed class, this is a good webinar to watch. I have taken Army Combat Lifesaver and Tactical Combat Care Casualty Care Combat Lifesavers Courses (https://tccc.org.ua/en/collection/tccc-cls). I learned several things from this webinar.

 

The guidance now and for several years now has been to apply a tourniquet two to three inches above the wound, not on the wound, and not over a joint. The old adage was always high and tight, as high up on the limb as you can get it as high up on the arm, as high up on the leg as you can get it.

 

That is still being taught. If the situation is exigent or it's still emergent, and you really can't do a thorough assessment. You can't figure out where the bleeding is coming from. Go ahead and apply the tourniquet as high up on the arm, as high up on the leg as you can get it.

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Enable Advanced Protection on Android 16 

 

With Google's release of Android 16 last in 2025, the company rolled out several hardened security settings you shouldn't ignore. Arguably, the most important change has been Advanced Protection.

 

Instead of hunting through many menus to secure your phone, you now have a quick way to lock down your Android device and better protect yourself against theft, unsafe apps, insecure networks, scams, and spam. Advanced Protection is a new one-tap mode that enables Google's strongest security and privacy features. It's like Apple's Lockdown Mode.

 

The thing is, it isn't turned on by default because it enforces stricter safeguards that create friction. While there may be some trade-offs, Advanced Protection is for those who care about security and want to be protected.

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Firearms Training Process and Method

 

When levels of stress increase—such as typically happens during real-world firearms use—the brain’s access to conscious memory becomes very limited. In fact, high levels of stress act as something of a “switch” to unconscious (procedural) memory.

 

While we may be able to consciously think about and control how we perform in relatively low stress range settings—where we almost always know what we are going to do before we do it—during a critical incident we are probably going to do whatever is in our unconscious memory system. Based on a variety of factors (most of which are related to how a person has trained and practiced) this may or may not be the same thing.

 

For example, if both memory systems contain the same information for “grip the pistol,” then the shooter will perform an equivalent grip both under stress and during range exercises. If not, the shooter may grip the pistol much differently in the real-world or during force-on-force training than during range training and qualification. 

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In The King’s Name: The “Citizen’s Arrest”

 

The power and process of arrest should never be taken lightly. By the person making the arrest, the person being arrested, or by the rest of us, in whose name someone’s liberty is abruptly taken away. The U.S. Supreme Court and many other courts have noted that an arrest is serious, traumatic, and never forgotten; even when no charges are brought, or an arrested person is acquitted. The handcuffs of a cop killed in the line-of-duty may be carried (with lights/siren activated) to the scene where the killer has been apprehended. They are ceremoniously ratcheted down on the murderer to confirm the arrest — in the name of the fallen officer. Even though the cop killer is being transported to the morgue.

 

I have argued in court (unsuccessfully) that a looming arrest serves no purpose and should be judicially preempted. I have surrendered clients for arrest and been granted unusual courtesy, being allowed to; confirm the cuffs are “loose,” remain during the “booking” process, and accompany the client into a holding cell. I have pleaded with prosecutors and LEOs (successfully) to “undo” the arrest of a client (sworn and nonsworn). I have accompanied cops as a civilian observer, and then, and otherwise, observed many dozens of arrests. I have assisted cops in several arrests, while armed myself. An arrest is of symbolic importance; it suggests that the law is irrefrangible.

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