The Wandering Minstrel

I finally got around to catching up on my reading today. I finished reading Jeff Cooper’s “Principles of Personal Defense.”

I actually went back to the beginning of the book and re-read the first couple of principles. It took me about an hour to read the entire book since it’s under 80 pages in length. Just because the book is small doesn’t take away from the importance of Cooper’s principles in defending yourself and loved ones.

After finishing the principles, I read the chapter entitled “A Final Word,” in which Jeff Cooper describes the reasons for increased risk for violent crimes in today’s society. He stresses that the police won’t be there to help you if you have an encounter with one or more of an increasing number of malicious persons. Cooper quotes General George S. Patton - “Don’t worry about your flanks. Let the enemy worry about his flanks.”

This is what I got from each of the seven principles:

• Alertness - in spite of the fact that you don’t have a first strike advantage, you can be ready for an incident through awareness and anticipation by being alert.
• Decisiveness - you must consciously and quickly make the decision to defend yourself.
• Aggressiveness - if you need to defend yourself, you must present a violent and determined offense against the perpetrator.
• Speed - this principle embodies the trite “he who hesitates is lost.” Defend yourself with rapid, but well-placed hits on the target.
• Coolness - the ability to keep your head without panic is an important factor. Direct your anger with the perpetrator to your advantage. You have the right to be good and God damned angry for having to defend yourself.
• Ruthlessness - you’re under attack; don’t worry about over-reacting. Administer the revenge that your assailant deserves for placing you in this situation.
• Surprise - thugs who are met with a sudden and violent reaction from the victim are going to be surprised. Most will not be able to cope with your defense. As a potential victim, surprise works to your advantage.

I give the book five stars. I plan to pick it up every few months and re-read the principles as a review and to keep motivated to use these if it really comes down to having to defend ourselves. If we continually practice the awareness principle, we may never find a need to defend ourselves.

The “RACK’EM” pistol storage unit for the safe door arrived today. It only took a half-hour to install and load it up (after I charged up the half-flat 18V Battery pack for the power drill).

The manufacturer supplied the screws to secure the rack to the safe door but I replaced them with some better sheet metal screws that I had on hand. The rack itself is coated with a pliable plastic that won’t mar the weapons.

I loaded the rack with our two Smith & Wesson 686 revolvers (Jerry Lee and Bubba), the unnamed 9MM S&W 908’s, The Better Half’s Warthog (Miss Piggy) and my Glock 26 (Little Boy) with IWB Holster. You don’t see my Glock 30 (Fat Man) and The Better Half’s S&W 442 (Rosie the Riveter) because we were carrying them.

Clickable image - rack with all sixteen hooks loaded - courtesy TBH.

Below the pistols, I loaded the other ten hooks with our other holsters and gun carrying cases. Suddenly, there is a lot of room on the shelves of the safe for other stuff. The Better Half and I are both pleased with our purchase.

Last evening, I ordered a RACK’EM full door rack that holds up to 16 handguns on the door of the safe. I ordered it from Cheaper Than Dirt.

Fully adjustable Pistol Hooks(TM) attach to a wire grid, customizing the interior of any safe door and allowing easy access to your pistol. Pistol Hooks hold revolvers and semi-autos, from the smallest pocket pistols to the largest framed revolvers. The Maximizer allows air to circulate around your pistols to keep them dry, and a hydrophobic plastic coating protects their finishes. Fits all standard size safes and fastens securely to the top ledge of the safe door with screws. Constructed of solid steel and includes all hardware. Select from full-door or half-door racks. Full Door, Holds 16 Pistols, 48×16.75×2.25″.

I will post pix and a write-up when it gets installed here.

By the way, how do you like my new barcode watermark?

Yesterday, The Better Half and I barbecued on the patio. It was a pleasant day so we relaxed on the patio swing and read in between sessions at the grill. I got up at one point to attend to grill matters and The Better Half snapped this photo of the stuff I left on the swing.

Clickable image - shooters.

In addition to a book that I am reading, you can see my shooters. An airsoft pistol is used to fend off squirrels and pigeons freeloading at the songbird feeder. A digital Canon 710 IS is used for the occasional photo op and a 9mm Glock, “Little Boy,” is used for larger varmints should they come calling.

I have been reading some articles available at ShootingIllustrated.com on the general topic of in-home defense. There are three articles in particular that get you thinking about how you would go about defending your home, your property and your loved ones.

Home Defense motivational poster - clickable image.

The first article I read discusses techniques for operating your pump shotgun from a prone position. The article “Running a Pump Shotgun from the Ground” asks what would you do if you were to trip and fall or be knocked down by an assailant.

The next article I read was “Using Cover in the Home.” You might think your home is full of things that can stop a bullet, but you’d be wrong. Learn what makes for effective cover inside the home and what won’t have much effect on incoming fire.

Finally, in “Dealing With Home Invasions,” Sheriff Jim Wilson discusses methods and tactics for dealing with an armed intruder or intruders.

Here are my thoughts on the subject of why followed with some suggestions we made a long time ago to others on the how. We have since added to our arsenal but this article shows what we had back then.

Why have guns? Well, first, there is the growing concern over illegal aliens and violent groups including terrorists like MS13 and Mexican drug cartels. Both factions have gangs and cells throughout the country, with intent to do harm to the United States and it’s citizens. And you certainly can’t ignore the garden-variety domestic creeps among us. With these potential threats and with law enforcement spread too thin, having an in-home defense plan makes a lot of sense.

Given the premise that owning guns is a good idea, let’s discuss firearms, what to get, how to get and how to operate guns safely. First, choose a firearms dealer (one with an indoor shooting range is good). Once you select a dealer, make your purchase. In California, there is a ten-day waiting period for your initial gun purchase. You must be given a handgun safety quiz (mostly common sense answers) and briefed on the answers to questions you missed. 70 percent is a passing score. I’m not sure about other states/territories rules, but those should be similar.

To ensure safety (yours and others around you), be sure to take private or group instruction. The National Rifle Association website has links to affiliated training and instructors. For advanced learning you ought to consider taking some tactical training in home defense - seriously, you should be trained for, and prepared to use, deadly force if faced with a life-threatening encounter.

Now, let’s discuss gun selection. For most home defense, a simple shotgun will often fulfill the role. A 12 or 20 gauge model (like the Remington 870 pictured above) with double-ought shot cartridges will discourage most threats. A shotgun is easy to operate, but has a considerable recoil - smaller people should consider the 20 gauge version since the 12 gauge has a larger “kick.”

A good entry choice for a handgun is a .357 revolver. The short-barreled Smith and Wesson model 686 is pictured to the left. The advantages of this type of gun is that it’s compact, easy to point and shoot and uses either .38 special or .357 magnum ammunition. The .38 loads produce less recoil than the .357 loads. One disadvantage is after six or seven shots, you’re done until you can manually unload brass and insert six or seven unspent rounds into the cylinder. Some of us remember the drama from western movies while John Wayne or Audie Murphy would reload their Colt revolvers.

Often, a semi-automatic pistol is a good choice. The Smith and Wesson model 908S nine millimeter semi automatic pistol pictured at the right is a reasonable choice. Advantages of this type of gun include the ability to quickly reload the 8-round magazine with a standby magazine, compact size, light weight and easy to use. The disadvantages are that 9 millimeter loads may be less effective than .38 special or .357 magnum and the slide and internal mechanisms can become worn and will need replacing from time to time.

Acquire your guns, learn about them and shoot them often. Keep them clean and for goodness sake keep them away from where kids or strangers can get them. When you have this type of home protection, with the proper training, you may have confidence that you and your family will be secure. I place emphasis on recurrent training, regular use and proper maintenance of your protection investment.