“Determination, Deliberation, Accuracy, & Speed”

The quote in the title is attributed to William B. (aka Bat) Masterson, lawman, buffalo hunter, and participant in the Battle of Adobe Walls. Supposedly, Masterson was describing the necessary/desirable qualities of a gunfighter. Of these four qualities, Deliberation is the most interesting because it represents a state of mind that appears to have fallen out of use in the modern age.

Many people are determined to “do something”, “make something happen”, “bring about change”, ad infinitum. Almost all of them are victims of the psychological disease called “Instant Gratification Disorder”, so speed is of the utmost importance.

The fallacy of this thinking is the amazing amount of human effort being expended toward various goals while achieving little or nothing in the form of real results. A lack of adequate Deliberation is the overwhelming cause of this failure to achieve results.

Merriam-Webster.com defines the word Deliberation as: “the act of thinking about or discussing something and deciding carefully”

OxfordDictionaries.com expounds further by including “Slow and careful movement or thought.”

Without careful thought and planning the objective of the action, the “What”, we want to do lacks clarity. If the “How” of our action plan is not carefully considered and balanced against our ability to deliver the required effort, the “When” can never be pinned down, and our results cannot be predicted with any certainty. How do we know if we succeeded if we did not know exactly what we wanted to accomplish when we set out?

Why is this important? Because the notion of deliberately placing a single round in a target and “making meat”, as the mountain men used to say, has become something akin to black magic for many shooters. Military snipers, and SWAT marksmen, are held up as being the best of the best shooters on planet Earth, and routinely capable of making shots unattainable by mere mortals. These shooters have talent, no doubt about it, but they start with deliberation and practice. A LOT of practice.

At the beginning of the 1992 version of The Last of the Mohicans starring Daniel Day Lewis the story starts off with Hawkeye, Uncas, and Chingachgook chasing a deer through the forest. Finally, Hawkeye gets ahead of the stag, and unlimbers his flintlock. Taking careful aim, he kills the deer with his one available shot.

Before cartridge firearms became the norm, most guns fired one or two shots before a cumbersome reloading process was required. This meant the shooter had to be careful and take his time making his shot, or he went hungry. He was deliberate even when he was in a hurry.

Unfortunately, the modern substitute for deliberation and practice is high volumes of fire. The problems with this approach are:

1. Stray rounds hitting things that should not be shot.
2. Wounded animals that suffer and die because
   1. The poor critter was hit in an area that was not immediately fatal.
   2. Along with deliberate marksmanship, tracking skills  have fallen off the critical skills list for the “ditherers in red jackets” as Jeff Cooper called them.
3. An extensive logistics train is required to keep a soldier in the field supplied.

So let’s circle back.

Q: What do we want to do?

A: Place a bullet in a target.

Q: When does it need to happen?

A: Before the target moves out of view. In other words, ASAP.

Q: How will this be done?

A: Now we have to THINK!

1. How far away is the target?
2. How much will my bullet drop (fall towards the Earth) over that distance?
3. How far above the target do I need to hold to compensate for the drop? (This is elevation.)
4. How strong is the wind blowing?
5. How much will my bullet be blown off course over the distance to the target?
6. How much to one side do I need to hold to compensate? (This is windage.)

 

Now that I have asked the questions, and come up with the answers, I can adjust the place where my sights are looking, and I am ready to press/squeeze the trigger with intention to send the round on its way.

What? You don’t have the answer for half of those questions? In that case, you can count on the hard fact that pumping a whole bushel of bullets at the target is not going to significantly improve your chances of hitting your quarry.

The upside is these factors are not that difficult to come up with based on the simple exercise of sighing in your rifle for a given range and working backwards.

Example: My hunting rifle is a nothing fancy, off the shelf, Ruger M-77 bolt-action 30-06 with a Simmons scope on top. I shoot a 150 grain boat tail bullet as my general purpose hunting load.

My Speer Reloading Manual has ballistics tables in the back that tells me in general terms how my bullet will behave in flight.

When I sight in my rifle, I set the scope so the bullet impacts 2 inches above the center of the target at 100 yards.  For my load, 2 inches high at 100 yards should hit the center of the bull’s eye at 200 yards, and be about 8 inches low at 300 yards as the bullet slows down and gravity pulls it earthward.

In the field, I know that deer and hogs both have a vital zone 6 to 8 inches in diameter, so that is the area, I need to put my bullet into to make a clean and humane harvest.

Sighted in 2 inches high means I can aim at the center of the vital area from 1 to 200 yards and my bullet will go where it needs to be. All I have to do is align the sights and squeeze the trigger intentionally.

If the critter is between 200 and 300 yards, I have to hold my crosshairs so the horizontal crosshair is lying along the animal’s spine, and the lower half of the vertical line crosses the vital area, then apply the trigger. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never had to shoot at a game animal that far away. All of my game has been taken at 100 yards or less. This is an explanation of how the mechanics work.

Windage is a bit harder to judge without a tool to measure the wind speed, and some math skills to figure out the deflection. Using my general purpose load, I don’t worry about a crosswind from 1 – 100 yards unless the grass is being blown flat. From 100-200 yards, I would aim into the wind just a bit, and should be close enough to do the job.

My scope reticle looks like this:

The distance between the spot where the wires cross in the center and the point where the lines get fatter represents about 3 inches if I am looking at a target 100 yards away. It covers 6 inches at 200 yards.

If I want to shoot at a target at 300 yards, the fat line starts 9 inches from the cross, so I hold the horizontal line along the critter’s back, and hold the top of the lower fat line (red circle) over the vital zone of my target.

If the wind is coming hard from my right it is going to push my bullet to my left, so I use my knowledge of distance, and my scope to compensate by using point where the left wire gets fat as my aiming point. Keep in mind this type of windage is really only necessary at ranges over 200 yards.

Now I can combine these two techniques to adjust elevation and windage to address targets at ranges over 200 yards. Assuming I have a target from 200 – 300 yards out, and a strong crosswind coming from my right. I end up with my scope reticle looking like it is way off target.

What I am really doing is drawing an imaginary vertical line off the end of the fat horizontal line and an imaginary horizontal line off the lower vertical fat line. Where those imaginary lines cross is approximately where my bullet will hit.

Now that I know all of this, I go out and shoot. A LOT!

If your primary rifle is too expensive to shoot often, you can learn to reload, or you can get a rifle chambered for .22 Long Rifle ammunition that matches your main rifle. Put on a rimfire scope that has the same type of reticle as your main scope.

Now get out there and make every shot DELIBERATELY.

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Malfunction Clearance with Live Ammo – This Crap Makes Me Crazy

Read an article that should be a wake up for everyone who handles semi-auto firearms, and especially people who train others.

The cause of this is obvious to anyone who shoots tube fed rifles. (Ex: Winchester lever action rifles)

In those guns you have to use flat point bullets to prevent the nose of one round from crushing the primer of the round ahead of it as the gun recoils. (.22Lr guns get around this because the nose of the bullet does not rest on a primer.)

These people were doing malfunction training with LIVE ammo, and 9mm ball has such nice sharp points. When the slide was released to create the malfunction, the nose of the top bullet in the magazine slammed into the primer of the round in the chamber and BANG.

We MUST be careful and thoughtful in our actions people.

Please use dummy rounds when training weapon manipulations, and think about every move you make when handling weapons. EVERY accident and EVERY injury. WILL be used against us by those who would see our civil rights taken away.

 

 

“All Guns Are Always Loaded” – Again

I hate returning to topics over and over, but in this case I refuse to apologize because the top of safe firearms management is just too critical.

In “All Guns Are Always Loaded” I presented a case where carelessness at an Old West Gunfight show nearly caused a tragedy, and I presented the following:

MM – Standard procedure for most Police departments conducting training exercises involving firearms require EVERY participant to inspect EVERY gun prior to the start of training.
Most cases of accidental shootings during training are a result of this practice not being followed, and the results are usually tragic. 

The foregoing statement was based on my own training, and much of the training materials I have studied since. In the initial article I presented this case to make my point:

Officer Killed in Arlington Texas

Now we have another case that illustrates the very same point:

Civilian Killed Accidentally in Police Training

I agree with  Greg Ellifritz on his position “This is the consequence of hiring cops who aren’t “gun people.”

When my academy class was preparing for firearms qualification, one cadet appeared for weapon inspection carrying a brand new S&W 9mm that had been purchased on the way to the meeting. When we got to the range the following day, this cadet stepped to the line with 12 other cadets. The drill was simple. Place 2 shots in the chest area of a human silhouette target at a range of 1 yard from low ready. (That’s pistol pointed at the ground in front of the shooter at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.)

Yep, 3 whole feet.

The cadet in question closed her eyes and fired. The first round went into the railroad tie that made up the lower part of the backstop beneath the target. The second round was fired after she jerked her arms to approximately 45 degrees above horizontal sending the bullet over the target, the berm behind the target, and probably over the length of the Elm Fork Country Club gold course that backed up to the shooting range.

At this point she opened her eyes and turned to her right, “Did I hit it?” Yes, she swept the entire line of shooters with her muzzle in the process. Fortunately the instructors arrived almost immediately, disarmed her, and escorted her politely off the range while “politely” suggesting she look into another profession.

I never made it into law enforcement, but I hold a CHL, I am a hobbyist, author, and I work in a business that deals in firearms. I come into contact with guns every day. Everyone who handles firearms in a professional capacity (“professional” meaning someone paid to to do this) MUST, MUST, MUST educate themselves on the tools of the trade.

Lives depend on our skill, care, and knowledge. Please get the best training you can afford. Invest in yourself, it may save a life.

 

 

 

“All Guns Are Always Loaded”

The late Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper (USMC Ret.)reduced the rules of safe gun handling to 4 simple rules.

1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target.
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it.

Following these rules religiously would prevent almost every case of accidental shooting, period.

I saw the following news story, and it got under my skin because it involves clear violations of the 4 Rules and classic percussion revolvers.
The story presents some teachable moments, so here are some extracts along with my personal views on the topic.
A link to the full article is below.

Summary:
An actor in a Wild West gunfight show loaded his percussion revolvers with live ammunition instead of the blanks normally used.
Three tourists watching the performance were wounded. Thank goodness none fatally.

“The handgun used in the show is a cap and ball blackpowder revolver. This type of handgun is somewhat cumbersome to reload. A measured amount of black powder is poured into each cylinder, and a lead round ball is then ramrodded down on top of the charge. To speed reloading, owners of this type of firearm often have additional cylinders. When all six rounds are fired, the entire cylinder is replaced with another preloaded with six rounds.”

MM – The practice of swapping cylinders on a percussion gun has been debated since 1835 when the Colt’s Paterson was sold to the Texas Rangers with two cylinders.
When things go right, it works just fine. when someone goofs, it can be bad.

This gent was one of the lucky ones.

The actor told police, “He had used the same revolver for target practice the day before the show, July 28, and had taken four loaded cylinders with him to Red Lake, firing only two.”
The actor “did not know how he mixed up the cylinders.”

MM – This seems like simple math skills in need of refreshment.
Part of being a responsible adult in possession of firearms, it is my obligation to keep control of my ammunition at all times.
“Gunfighters Show protocol called for participants to aim their guns at the ground rather than at the performer they are “targeting” when they fired. This practice might have been the difference between the relatively minor injuries described in the report, and potentially much more serious injuries, or even loss of life.”

MM – Seems in keeping with Rule 2, but a complete fail on Rule 4.
I have attended many Wild West re-enactments since I was a kid, and very few of them allowed the audience to surround the actors.
Even blanks throw some material out of the barrel that can cause injury several feet away.
Professional (ala Hollywood) actors and stuntpeople have been seriously injured by blanks. 
Rules 2 and 4 are absolutes.

The “manager of the Show, told officers that each performer was responsible for inspecting their firearms.” The actor said that “he did not inspect his gun, that he had used the same firearm for target practice the day before, and that he could not explain how live rounds got into his gun the evening of the show.”

MM – Standard procedure for most Police departments conducting training exercises involving firearms require EVERY participant to inspect EVERY gun prior to the start of training.
Most cases of accidental shootings during training are a result of this practice not being followed, and the results are usually tragic. 

Officer Killed in Arlington Texas

Actor Brandon Lee was killed on the set by a firearm.

“It’s common for shooters using cap and ball revolvers to smear grease over the cylinder after it is loaded. The grease prevents chain firing, which happens when the blast from the fired cylinder ignites black powder residue in adjoining cylinders, causing them to fire as well. The grease makes it difficult to easily determine whether a round is loaded with blanks or live rounds, however.”

Police “inspected all the firearms used in the show and determined that the shooter likely fired the “projectiles” during the performance. The inspection showed that one of the actor’s revolvers was loaded with a round ball in one of the cylinders. The other five cylinders were empty.”

MM – This is yet another reason I’ll add to my list of why I hate putting grease over the chambers of my revolvers. A simple probe using a toothpick or knife point would have revealed the presence of the lead bullets because blanks normally replace the bullet with a ball of paper or a disc of thin cardboard. I use lubed felt wads between the powder and bullet, and will always advocate for that practice.

You can get store bought wads at many outlets.

Or make your own much cheaper

The actor “now faces 5 misdemeanor counts of knowingly pointing a firearm in the direction of others.”

MM – In addition to the people hurt by this idiot’s carelessness, this person has committed an offense against every person who responsibly enjoys firearms.
Safety MUST be our top priority, always and forever.
Full Article: Investigation reveals details of gunfight show gone wrong by Rob Breeding at Cody Enterprise

Ballistic Gel Test & Percussion Revolvers

When writing the Handbook of Modern Percussion Revolvers, I had to make many difficult choices about what to leave out in order not to stay focused on the goal of teaching the basics of safe use and management of these antique style weapons. Some of those choices were to focus on the three most common types of revolver while excluding detailed instructions for really cool guns like the Starr double action, the LeMatt, and Pietta’s replica of an 1873 Peacemaker that is actually a muzzleloading percussion revolver.
I’ve taken a certain amount of heat over the omissions, and maybe a volume 2 will be forthcoming.

Another section I cut was a study of the ballistics of these arms. This was left out because many other people have done fine work in this arena. The Lyman Black Powder Handbook and Sam Fadala’s Black Powder Loading Manual have presented far more scientifically supported information than I could ever afford to produce.

I recently came across a very well presented essay on the topic of ballistics by Terril James Herbert. He discusses the performance of percussion revolvers in ballistic gelatin, and I think other students of arms will find it interesting.
Gun Review: Classic cap and ball revolver calibers get the ballistic gel test

Maximum Overdrive – Why Can’t I Hit Anything?

With Texas’ black powder hunting season opening soon, I think a few bits of advice to novice shooter of muzzleloading rifles would be in order.

 

Many hunters take up black powder to enjoy some extra time afield, but these arms are different, and the rules of operation are often misunderstood.

 

Rule 1 – The owner’s manual was written by lawyers, not shooters.

The company engineers advised the lawyers regarding the operating pressures and mechanism of the gun, but the numbers in the book are designed to protect THEM and not you.

 

Rule 2 – Every rifle is a rule unto itself, and the only way to get the most from YOUR gun is to learn to load it correctly.

Since I started shooting black powder long before the introduction of modern rifles with in-line ignition, 209 primers, and plastic stocks, I have a Traditions .50 caliber sidehammer half-stock plains rifle. This is a pretty good rifle. Plenty accurate for my needs.

One day I was enjoying a bit of fall target practice when I started learning a lot of new carnal verbs from a few benches down. I looked over to see a visibly upset young man with a pile of packing material at his feet loading his obviously brand new rifle, and cursing a blue streak. Being a curious sort, I wandered down to see what all the fuss was about.

 

When I inquired about his frustration, he told me “I can’t hit the target with this $#$%%$!! thing.”

He was at the 50 yard target, and I know he’d fired several rounds, but nothing was on the paper, so I asked him what load he was using.

“120 grains of powder and this TC Maxi,” came the answer.

I looked at the bullet he was showing me and suggested he back the powder charge off to 80 grains.

“But the book says 120!” he insisted.

I asked him to please humor me and try an 80 grain charge.

 

The 80 grain charge was tried and he was on the paper. I told him to start his sighting in process over beginning with 70 grains of powder and work up in 10 grain increments to 120 grains. Shoot 3 shots are each increment and to wipe out his bore with a wet patch between every three shots. I also wrote down the names of my favorite books on black powder shooting that I have listed below.

 

So what was the problem?

He was trying to drive his bullet too fast.

 

Black powder is not very efficient, so the way to increase power was to burn more powder or increase the size of the projectile. You have two options for increasing the size of the bullet.

1. Increase the diameter (caliber).
2. Increate the length.

 

Rule 3 – Bullets are stabilized by gyroscopic motion, and the force of the spin is a combination of forward velocity combined with the twist of the rifling.

 

A longer bullet requires a faster twist of rifling than a short bullet.

Spherical round balls work best with slow twist rifling.

 

Failure to spin the bullet at the appropriate rate means the bullet will not fly straight, and accuracy will be affected. In a cartridge weapon the shooter has very little influence over the rate his projectile rotates unless the ammunition is handloaded. In muzzleloading EVERY round is handloaded, so the shooter must pay attention.

 

Most firearms have a range of bullet shapes and velocities that will deliver good accuracy, and muzzleloaders are the same. The trick is finding the sweet spot.

 

When you first start out sighting in a muzzleloader use the manufacturer recommended projectile and the lowest manufacturer recommended powder charge. Shoot a string to get a group. The goal is to get the bullets hitting as close together as possible. We are not worried about getting the group on the bullseye until we have identified the charge and bullet combination that gives us smallest group.

Make sure to swab the bore with a wet patch after every three shots followed by a couple of dry patches. Increase the powder charge by 10 grains between each string until you get to the maximum manufacturer recommended charge.

 

Somewhere in the middle you should see a load where the group rapidly shrinks in size. That load will be your best load combination.  Now you can start adjusting the sights to get the group on the bull.

 

Please consider reading the following books. They have been a huge help in my muzzleloading education.

Lyman Black Powder Loading Manual

https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Powder-Handbook-Loading-Manual/dp/B0000C6I4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473178921&sr=8-1&keywords=black+powder+manual

The Complete Black Powder Handbook

https://www.amazon.com/complete-black-powder-handbook/dp/0695813110/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=10JN79KY7A7B7F5WDFGK

The Muzzleloading Caplock Rifle

https://www.amazon.com/Muzzle-Loading-Rifle-Stackpole-Classic-Books/dp/081170517X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473178976&sr=1-2&keywords=muzzle+loading+caplock+rifle