Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Is The .380 Any Good For Self Defense?
My articles on the .380 acp cartridge have consistently been the most popular on my website since its inception. Here is a deep dive on the issues involved with carrying this “marginal” caliber.
Continuing the on theme of sub caliber pistols, you might also like Do .22 Pocket Pistols Actually Work?
Best Concealed Carry Guns [2025]
A fairly solid list. I seldom see any issues with any of these guns in my classes.
The Modern 38/44 Heavy Duty
No one would vote these guns as the “best concealed carry handguns of 2025” (see link above). With that said, I think a lot of folks could do far worse than relying on these workhorses for their defensive needs.
The What & the Why – Backup Gun or Not? A Bug Might Just Save Your Life
Do you carry a backup gun? I never worked a single minute during my police career without a second hidden handgun on my person. I’ve been retired for five years and haven’t felt the need to carry a second gun at all as an armed citizen. I like the idea of backup guns, but realize most folks will be unlikely to use them in a gunfight.
For an expanded look at the problem, read Do you Carry a Backup Gun, Passing Off a Backup Gun and Backup versus Hideout pistols.
You may also consider the role of a tertiary pistol.
Perp Caught on Camera Using a Back Up Gun!
One more link concerning backup guns. Sometimes the criminals carry them too. It isn’t super common, but I arrested several criminals who were packing backup guns in my career. Don’t ever assume the bad guy is only carrying a single weapon.
Why 30 Super Carry Failed [2025]
For the three people reading my page who carry about this cartridge.
Short Barrels – Heavy Winter Clothing Test – 9mm VS .40 S&W VS .45 ACP VS .357 Mag
It’s now winter time across most of the USA. One of the most annoying questions I get each year is about changing defensive ammo in colder weather to better defeat the heavy clothing that many folks are wearing. Watch this video of shooting common defensive ammo through 10+ layers of clothing. Did you notice any penetration problems?
Your defensive ammo will generally penetrate DEEPER when it has to defeat heavy clothing. Read this article to better educate yourself. You don’t need deeper penetrating ammo in winter weather.
I have one more article covering terminal ballistics for you this week. Check out the very solid performance of the 75Gr Hornady TAP On Deer
223 Remington/5.56mm NATO Barrel length versus Velocity- Short Barrels- 6 to 14 inches
Useful information about .223/5.56mm ballistics. Check out this chart to see what happens to the velocity of your favorite round as barrel length is decreased.
News coverage and mass shootings in the US
“The number of murders in general remains orthogonal to shooting news, and mass shootings are not more likely on days with predictable news pressure (e.g., during the Olympics or the Super Bowl). However, mass shootings are more likely after anniversaries of the most deadly historical mass shootings. Taken together, these results lend support to a behavioral contagion mechanism following the public salience of mass shootings.”
The Devil’s Plan to Ruin the Next Generation
I hesitate to even share this one. Too many of you all are stuck in your head and regularly looking for things to be offended about. Read the article and then let it go. You don’t have to be pedantic or excessively literal in your interpretation of this data. I don’t care if you believe in an actual “devil” or not. Take the information for what it’s worth and substitute the word “devil” with “evil,” “Chat GPT,” or your favorite political enemy if you like.
To Catch Or Not To Catch?
How many of you cup your hand over the ejection port to catch the chambered round as you are unloading your pistol? Don’t do that. Unload your pistol and lock the slide to the rear. Look into the chamber. Do you see that little piece of pointy metal sticking out from your frame? That’s the ejector. It’s what knocks the empty case out of your pistol after firing.
If you have exceptionally bad luck it can also work as a firing pin if the round you are trying to eject is pushed up against it. You won’t like the results when that happens and your hand is covering the ejection port.
Stop Practicing. Start Playing.
In last week’s dump, I linked to an article that talked about how adults learn optimally through play. Here is the followup to that piece. This is a really important concept for you instructors out there.
For some more information about optimal training design, read Force-on-Force Training vs Practical Shooting: Why Congruency Matters.
A factorial survey experiment on active shooter response
“This study provides the first systematic evidence of how U.S. citizens evaluate LEO decisions during active shooter events, extending prior research that has focused exclusively on law enforcement perspectives.”
THE GOD SQUAD Protecting Houses of Worship
Steve Moses shares some quality information about church security.
Policy Brief: Reclaiming Accuracy and Ethics in Crime Reporting:
A look at how crime data is under-reported and some suggestions for creating a more accurate method of tracking criminal activity in the USA.
Also on the topic of crime data, did you know that armed citizens justifiably kill more criminals than the police in the USA? Opens to PDF.
Free SBRs Are Coming! A Horrible Idea
I expect that a lot of people will be creating and registering short barreled rifles once the process becomes free in January. That may not be the best idea. With that said, The ATF is Streamlining the Process for Crossing State Borders with NFA Items.
410 Revolvers Suck – And I’ll Tell You Why
These are useless unless you want to have a fun target shooting gun or need some close range pest control.
What I’m reading…
How to Evaluate Herbal Medicine Books: Detecting AI-Written Slop Before You Buy
The Bowie Knife: Why This American Classic Still Has an Edge
A history of America’s most infamous blade. As we talk history, you might also be interested in A Brief History of FBI Semiauto Pistols.
All About Water Purification: A Tutorial
It’s critical to have clean drinking water if you want to survive any crisis. Here’s a good article about all the different ways to purify water. In my travels through third world countries, I have used a Steri-Pen with great success.
The Best New Tool For Chest Seal Training: Mountain Man Medical’s Chest Seal Trainer
I’ll be picking up a couple of these for my medical training classes.
TAKING AIM #39 Dave Spaulding Returns and Focuses on Red Dots and Techniques in Close-Range Gunfight
Dave drops some knowledge bombs in this podcast.
From Punji Pits to Pipe Bombs: Booby Trap Awareness for Police Officers
Training for my police readers on a topic that doesn’t get the attention it should.
New Shooter 50 Round Confidence Course
A drill to try on your next range day. You might also like A Simple Shooting Drill to Improve Your Shots.
What Happens When I Call 911?
For those of you unfamiliar with calling 911, here is a good outline of the process. Before you call, know your location. When you are talking to the dispatcher, he or she might instruct you to perform a particular act. Always consider their instructions as advice rather than a command. Only you know what you are actually facing. Only you can make the decision to best defend yourself.
Some of the above links are affiliate links. I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.