French MacLean, Author at The Fifth Field

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So far French MacLean has created 259 blog entries.

This Date in History: July 27

Stutthof concentration camp

Dr. Werner von Schenk, SS-Untersturmführer, was born in Heilbronn on July 27, 1912. He served as the camp doctor at the Stutthof concentration camp. A Protestant, who was married, he had Nazi Party Number 7278391 and SS Number 252382. He received the Iron Cross Second Class, indicating that he served at the front at some time in the war. (The Camp Men: The SS Officers Who Ran the Nazi Concentration Camp System)

**********

Fritz Biermeier

Fritz Biermeier was born on May 19, 1913 in Augsburg in the state of Bavaria. He attended school through the tenth grade. An electrician by trade, he stood 5’8.5” tall when he joined the SS on November 1, 1933 with SS number 142869 and proceeded up the enlisted ranks. In his early enlisted days, 1934-1936, he served in the guard detachment for the Dachau concentration camp. From April 1, 1937 to January 31, 1938 Biermeier attended the SS-Junkerschule at Braunschweig, and after some additional training was commissioned an SS-Untersturmführer on March 12, 1938. He returned to the 9th Guard Company at Dachau until September 1, 1939, at which time he joined the 1st SS Totenkopf Infantry Regiment and remained until July 27, 1941, when he was seriously wound at Luga on the Eastern Front. (Waffen-SS Tiger Crews at Kursk: The Men of SS Panzer Regiments 1, 2 & 3 in Operation Citadel, July 5-15, 1943)

This Date in History: July 27French MacLean2024-06-27T21:19:17-05:00

Tell Me About Yourself

Tell Me About Yourself. It may be the most difficult request to answer in your entire life. And one of the most important. It is hard enough to do in writing. But when it knifes-in out of the blue in a conversion, it can cause folks to freeze-up or begin stammering. That’s bad news if you are in a job interview, or maybe trying to get into college and are talking with a representative of the school. Or maybe you have met someone that you think might turn into someone special. Or even turn into the someone special.

That exact moment you hear these words cannot be the first time you have thought about what your answer might be. You cannot lie; they will find out, because you won’t remember the made-up details. You don’t even want to embellish. You’ll want to tailor your response to the purpose of the interview, mentioning your experiences in school, business, hobbies, or whatever the case may be. And you need to be quick. Nobody likes a droner. Try two minutes, or less, to get it done.

However, there is one other question, that can be even more difficult to answer. Tell me something interesting about yourself. Now, you are not talking about the skillsets you bring to the table; you’re discussing why you are interesting; which really translates to why should that person want to continue to associate with you; have lunch; identify common interests. In short, why you are not boring. Another way of saying, why would this person want to have a beer with you? And if you are really interesting, they’ll buy the beer!

Maybe you want to perhaps mention unique places you have visited – but not discussing fancy, expensive hotels you’ve stayed in. That sounds too much like bragging. Money is not interesting. Life is. Maybe describing some really interesting persons you have met, but not in a way that suggests name-dropping. No one truly cares if you just saw Taylor Swift on your vacation last year. If you can describe some experience which is highly-unlikely that anyone else has ever described to this person, you’re rolling.

But you can’t be long-winded. Leave the person who asked this wanting to know more.

If you asked me that question, here are a just a few answers I might throw out that describe people I’ve met and some odd places I’ve found myself. But again, it depends on the situation, and if the other person I am talking with would have any idea about the people or events, or even care about the experiences

Knew an old German Army officer who briefed Adolf Hitler in 1942 on conditions at the Russian Front and then had lunch with him.

That’s it. Not going to add what they talked about in the briefing or the other people in the room, some who were infamous and others you’ve never heard of, but were really important. Not going to add who attended lunch, what they ate, if they had alcohol. That’s reserved for future chats. He’s on the left below. The one in the center is described below. The one on the right was the son of a German army general who was executed for his roll in the attempted assassination of Hitler; his character can be seen in the movie Valkyrie. Spent an evening with them and the stories they told!!

Knew another old German Army officer who was at Hitler’s Rastenburg “Wolf’s Lair” headquarters on July 20, 1944.

That’s it. Not going to add that he was there to personally receive a high military decoration from Hitler; not going to add that earlier in the day he had sat at a dining table outside with a colonel who was actually Claus von Stauffenberg, the officer who placed the bomb in the briefing room, where it detonated almost killing Hitler. Not going to add that the Gestapo interrogated the officer later that day and night to see if he had been part of the plot (He hadn’t.)

Interviewed Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who was later portrayed in a novel and movie titled The Boys from Brazil, in his office in Vienna, Austria for 45 minutes.

That’s it. If you want to know what we talked about, that’s in the future.

Flew in a rickety old Russian helicopter through the Khyber Pass in Pakistan.

What I was doing there, and that we stopped off around Landi Kotal at the Khyber Rifles Officers Club and had a beer will wait till later.

Went fly-fishing one October in the high hills of Montana with an old Army buddy, and Hank saw a pile of steaming bear crap, estimating that he was 400 pounds and had been there less than 30 minutes ago.

That’s it. Want to know what happened next?

Answering these requests does two things. It portrays you as interesting, because you are. Or, if the person to whom you are talking appears bored with your answer, they are probably too boring to know or have to spend a lot of time with.

Interesting lasts forever. Have your story ready to tell. Never tell the entire story all at once. NBB. Never be boring.

Tell Me About YourselfFrench MacLean2024-07-26T11:41:06-05:00

Put a Dot on It

For years I was reluctant to put a red dot optic on a pistol. There were just too many downsides, real and potential, I thought. The battery wouldn’t last long enough. And when it did run out, it would be at precisely the moment I truly needed it to function – not at the range, but in a self-defense situation. Then there was the optic itself. Everyone’s eyes are different. And when I tried red dot equipped pistols owned by friends, my particular eyes just didn’t pick up the red, plus the dot was either too small or too large. Finally, the cost was just too high, often easily half the cost of a modern defensive firearm – or more.

But I’ve now opened my eyes to recent developments. The phrase “optics ready” has become almost as prevalent on new pistols as the phrase “Picatinny rail” is on rifles. And even an old guy, like me, can see their major advantage – they are so easy to use. Just put the dot on the target and pull the trigger. That’s faster than iron sights that require you to line up the target, the front sight, and the rear sight. (For those of you that put Wyatt Earp to shame, and you really don’t need any stinkin’ sights to hit your intended target at any range, skip the rest of this. For the other 99.7%, including me, keep reading.) But there’s another key advantage. Front sights can be pretty big. Even the smaller ones can still obscure targets, more so at greater distances. A smaller dot makes it easier to see the target, and if a target is easier to see, it is easier to hit.

Or not to hit! The truly great shooter knows when not to shoot. Like if the perp coming toward you wasn’t really a perp, but you couldn’t see enough of him before you pulled the trigger and it was some truly innocent person. Individual citizens don’t get to claim collateral damage.

Take the Holosun HE 307C-GR X2 for example. Mounted on a Walther WMP .22 Magnum. It weighs almost nothing. 1.5 ounces. It’s a green optic, not a red, and for me I see green much, much better. It’s actually three optics. You can go with just the 2 MOA green dot. Or press a little button and change that to a 32 MOA green circle with four small tics on it at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions. Or press the little button again and your third option is the green dot in the center of the green circle. You’ll find the one you like, and you might like different options for various types of shooting you do. You can also change optic brightness to one of 12 settings.

The sight uses a CR1632 battery that you can get almost anywhere, Walmart, CVS, etc., for just a few bucks. Battery life is claimed at 50,000 hours, which seems incredibly high, some 5.9185 years! Perhaps it’s that long, as you can have it go into sleep mode if it isn’t moving. And it has a feature called shake-awake, which turns it on by movement, so you don’t have to fumble around in a tense situation. There’s one more failsafe. In natural light, or bright artificial light, it’s tiny “solar panels” will power up the optic! But always have a spare battery.

Using the dot inside the circle, because it has up-down and left-right zeroing screws, with a HYSKORE sighting rest I could shoot all rounds of Speer 40-grain Gold Dot Personal Protection ammunition inside a one-inch circle. At 50 feet. Magnification is 1. So that means no enlargement. That’s good. Many shooters starting with red/green dots believe they need to focus on the dot when in reality, they need to focus on the target. You must look through the optic. Shooting with both eyes open, your binocular vision allows you to use this shooting method.

I turned the optic off and shot the pistol just looking through the sight window, in case of a catastrophic failure. It wasn’t nearly as accurate, but could do in a pinch. For me and this particular Walther, I tilted the barrel up and down until I could see the top of the front sight, because the rear sight is blocked. Put the top of the front sight on the center of the target and all rounds hit 4-6 inches straight up but not in a tight group.

It’s still expensive. Generally half the price of a Trijicon RMR. Box says it has a 3 year warranty. Not being a lawyer, can’t comment on how easy, or not, it is to return if you have problems. What weapon will you mount the optic on? Many gun manufacturers now include several different adapter plates – as did the Walther mentioned above – to ensure that you can mount most mainstream red/green dot options. But what about mounting it on something you already have? That may take a gunsmith to at least give you some cost options. And maybe do the work, so you don’t butcher it up.

Regardless of how compact, for concealed carriers, optics make the gun a bit larger and bulkier. So you have to plan ahead. But that’s the fun part – getting smart on the tools you have or plan to acquire. Because the best tool you have in your toolbox is not your pistol, or any type of sight. It is your brain and your ability to think.

Put a Dot on ItFrench MacLean2024-07-21T10:41:27-05:00

Publication Date Dying Hard: September 28, 2024

Schiffer Publishing announced the publishing date for Dying Hard: Company B, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th US Infantry Division in WWII. You can go their website, https://schifferbooks.com/products/dying-hard

Book is roughly 345 pages long; 10 maps of Company B during the war, with emphasis on 1944-45. 16 pages of photos, including composites showing about 45 soldiers in the company. Many of the rest, 34 pix, are combat photos, many never in print before.

So, why should you read it?

Most importantly, it puts YOU in Company B. In North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, the Hürtgen Forest, Merode Castle, Battle of the Bulge, Siegfried Line, Remagen Bridge, and a nice little hellhole called Stalag VI G.

Secondly, you will fit right in with us in Company B. How do we know?

When something in life knocks you down, you get back up, wipe the blood off your nose, and say: “Is that all you’ve got?” you’re in Company B. If people told you that you were too small, too slow, too poor, or too anything, and you proved them all wrong, you’re in Company B.

You love dogs? In 1942, a young soldier found a stray dog in the Aleutian Islands and took care of him until reassigned to the States. Putting the dog, named Buff, in his duffel bag, the trooper took him on the long journey. Months later, the soldier climbed aboard a troopship—Buff hidden again in his duffel bag—and sailed to Europe
and Company B, where Buff served as a mascot and helped pull guard duty. So if you love dogs, you’re in Company B too.

So, rise and shine, grab your helmet and follow us. And make sure your M1 Rifle is loaded because we’re going back to the line.

Publication Date Dying Hard: September 28, 2024French MacLean2024-07-03T12:10:21-05:00

The Final Witness

I just read — for the Second time — The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years, by Paul Landis, a Secret Service agent not interviewed by the Warren Commission, who quit the agency in 1964, and who kept silent until recently.

Maybe if the commission had interviewed him, future US Senator Arlen Specter wouldn’t have wasted everyone’s time on the “Magic Bullet Theory”, with its mystical properties of changing direction, that enabled the conclusion that the infamous Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole shooter of President John F. Kennedy and Texas Governor John B. Connally.

Let me cut right to the chase. If you ever had, or have, a passing interest in the Kennedy Assassination or were/are a full-fledged “addict” of the most-significant crime of the 20th century, buy this book. Read this book. Underline significant passages in this book so you don’t have to waste time finding them when you read this book again; and maybe again after that.

The book had a one-month backlog on Amazon. I now not only have a copy for myself, but have also bought the book for several friends. You have a lot to read in life, but this is an easy read. The first 130 pages are about Agent Landis’ life before November 22, 1963. He writes well and you’ll blast through these so quickly it will seem like you’re skimming.

Then you are at the heart of the matter, lasting about 30 pages. You will either believe Agent Landis, or ascribe that he is too old to remember details, or that he has an axe to grind why he did not remain in the Secret Service, or that he just wants to make money.

Let’s quickly examine all three potential beliefs. As the author of over 15 published non-fiction works, I can tell you that Agent Landis didn’t make enough money as a first-time author to make up for the crap he is probably getting daily on social media for upsetting established “truths.” Second, as an Army officer for over 30 years, I know PTSD when I see or hear it, and while I’m not a psychologist, I know that he never got over what he experienced that day, and his resignation a year later proved that. He was right in the middle of the blood and the gore. And he couldn’t prevent it.

As to the facts, he presents so much detailed information, to include visual, audio and actually holding an intact bullet, and several bullet fragments, WHILE THEY WERE STILL IN THE PREIDENT’S LIMOUSINE.

In his book, he writes of three observations, from his position as a Secret Service agent who guarded the President’s wife and children. He started in a limo behind the President’s. Heard two shots from the rear that sounded different from one another. My take. This observation of sounding different could be a faulty memory. People remember songs well, but not exactly how individual instruments sound after the event. Two different sounds could be two different rifles, but they could also be the same weapon at changing distances and angles as the motorcade kept moving.

When they got to Parkland Hospital, Paul got into the President’s limousine while Mrs. Kennedy was in the back seat and found two bullet fragments on the seat beside her. Picked them up, looked at both quickly, and put them down where he had found them. My take. Happened as he said.

Now the last piece, and this is the big one. He helped lift JFK’s body out of the limo and on to a gurney. Then he helped Mrs. Kennedy stand up in the car, at which time he saw a completely intact bullet on top of the cushioning behind where she had been sitting. In other words, at that instant it was between the First Lady’s back and the back of her seat. My take. He was accurate, primarily because of what happened next.

Believing that the increasing crowd of people might include a souvenir-hunter, he puts the bullet into his pocket. However, he realizes in the examination room that he should not keep it, and places the bullet next to President Kennedy’s foot on the examination table. My take. Before writing this book, Paul Landis KNOWS that admitting that he took the bullet from the car will be critical of his conduct on that day. All he has to do is keep quiet and no one will ever know that. But he chooses the harder right and explains what he did and why he did it. This account rings true and accurate.

Conclusion. The intact bullet fell out of JFK’s back at some point during the shooting or the ride to Parkland. It could not have been the same “magic bullet” that supposedly went through the President, caused multiple wounds to John Connally and ended up on John Connally’s stretcher, having fallen out of Connally’s body.

It had fallen out of the President’s body, and later someone moved it from the side of the President’s foot to Connally’s stretcher — either by mistake or with intent.

Not even Arlen Specter can make a bullet go backwards and undo all the wounds it “supposedly” caused to the governor.

It also means that Oswald would have had to fire an additional shot that wounded just Connally. But he did not have time to do that.

Thank you, Paul Landis.

The Final WitnessFrench MacLean2024-07-04T09:57:05-05:00

You Can Do This — The Girsan MC 14T

If you are 24-years old, you can skip reading this, because you can easily handle a 9mm, .45 ACP, or even a 10mm semi-auto, and also teach John Wick not to waste ammo. But keep reading if you have grandparents who worked their fingers to the bone raising your father and your three wild uncles. Because now, pawpaw’s fingers are wracked with arthritis and neuropathy and he truly cannot smoothly “rack” a semi-auto pistol (pull the slide back and then let it go forward chambering a round.)

Maybe memaw tried a Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ – “EZ” standing for easier to rack. But she just couldn’t do it unless she held the pistol in her left hand and racked it with her dominant right hand and then switched the weapon from left to right hand to fire it. And at the range, neither one could do that every time, without dropping it. Then maybe they tried a revolver, but it kicked so much that it wasn’t accurate, and with just six rounds, that wouldn’t cut it. This is not going to end well during a home invasion or being accosted walking their beloved Shih Tzu, Sparky, who hasn’t bitten anyone since Uncle Ted threw that firecracker in his general vicinity that one Fourth of July.

We reviewed several pistols concerning this topic and I promised I would get a Girsan MC 14T. .380 Auto and see what’s up. The answer is; the barrel. Semi-auto; double action or single action; measured double action trigger pull north of 8.5-lb (it is smooth and feels like less); and single action at 4.5-lb. Mag holds 13 rounds, but it’s easier to insert the magazine with 12 rounds in it. 4.5 inch barrel. 28.48 ounces loaded (including fourteen 95-grain Fiocchi rounds). Turkish engineers probably used Italian Beretta Model 86 Cheetah as a template.

So what makes it unique? And like pawpaw, I have arthritis and neuropathy in both hands. To load, insert the magazine in magazine well. Place right index fingertip on a lever just above the trigger on the right side and push lever downward. I could do this with just my right hand; it did not require steadying with my left. Rear of the barrel will pop up about half an inch. Load one round in, reach over with your left hand and use your left thumb to push the barrel back down, producing an audible click. Whenever you want to see if the pistol is loaded, just tip up the barrel and look, no racking required. In fact, because of its design, I could not rack it unless I first cocked the hammer back.

I could get a good hold with all four fingers (my handspan is 8.5″); grips have ridges but are not sharp. Beavertail keeps my thumb web low, so no slide “bite”. Five inches tall, and 7.5 inches long, pistol fits in a purse, if a lot of other stuff comes out. Too bulky for pants pocket unless cargo size; some jacket pockets OK; great for a fanny-pack pulled around the front, or for a nightstand or a vehicle. Accessory rail front underside of frame, but attaching anything might make it too bulky, plus it’s just another operating task to memorize. Instead of the rail, should have come with more than one magazine; you’ll have to order more, because just one mag on the range is a pain in the rear.

Nice white dot sights, but in my opinion, this is a 21-30 foot range self-defense/home defense weapon. Train to point, shoot, hit and repeat, and not waste time on long-range accuracy. Initially firing 170 FMJ rounds at 21-30 feet, had one failure to feed and one failure to fire. Opened tip-up barrel and found that round had distinct indent, so this was likely a bad primer. Other 168 FMJ rounds, fired standing unsupported, struck center chest of the half-size silhouette. Then fired seven rounds of each type of following self-defense ammo (84 rounds total) from sandbag support at 21 feet for basic group size.

Speer Gold Dot (90 grain) 1.125″ high; 1.125″ wide

Browning X-Point Defense (95 grain) 1.5″ high; 1.062″ wide

Remington HTP High Terminal Performance (88 grain) 2.125″ high; 0.875″ wide

Hornady American Gunner XTP (90 grain) 1.875″ high; 1.25″ wide

Winchester Silvertip (85 grain) 2.5″ high; 0.75″ wide

Winchester PDX 1 Defender (95 grain) 2.125″ high; 1.25″ wide

Underwood Maximum Expansion (68 grain) 2.125″ high; 1.25″ wide

Federal Punch Personal Defense (85 grain; 1000 fps) 2.25″ high; 1.875″ wide

Sig Sauer Elite Defense/Elite Performance (90 grain) 2.875″ high; 1.5″ wide

Norma MHP Home Defense (85 grain) 2.625″ high; 2.5″ wide; one failure to feed

Hornady Critical Defense (90 grain) 3.75″ high; 1.75″ wide

Fiocchi Defense Dynamics (90 grain) 5.25″ high; 2.25″ wide; one failure to fire

Nowhere on weapon or in owner’s manual is +P ammunition mentioned, so I don’t plan on firing any. It is a blowback operating system, generally chambered for small-caliber, low pressure cartridges, that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge. No extractor; to unload a round in the chamber, tip up the barrel and pull it out, which probably eliminates putting on a red dot.

This is not an argument that .380 is a better defensive round than something larger: I assume you would need 2-3 good hits in a fight; you can train to that. If your dexterity and strength do not allow you to fire more powerful rounds, your option may be this caliber, and maybe this weapon.

You Can Do This — The Girsan MC 14TFrench MacLean2024-04-14T12:05:47-05:00

Forged in Fire

The 2nd Amendment: we mostly think about it as firearms, but in the American Revolution, swords were also important weapons. American cavalrymen carried long sabers, frequently as shock troops who charged at great speeds. Infantrymen were often armed with a short sword measuring around 25 inches in length, known as a “hanger” that served as a secondary weapon to the musket. As a result, swords were plentiful when the Constitution was written.

Today, probably no one would choose a sword over a firearm for most self-defense situations they might face, but it is incumbent that we force the opponents of our God-given right of self-defense to defend their entire foolish and naïve would-be bans or limitations on our right. We must demand to own other self-defense weapons, including swords.

You may not have contemplated swords since you were a wee tike running around with a small wooden one playing pirate, so let’s quickly look at some characteristics of today’s long blades. Swords changed over the last several millennia, primarily because the character and conduct of warfare (the type of enemy – such as mounted versus dismounted and what formations they used; tactics; metallurgy; the armor worn by your opponent, and so forth) constantly changes.

Today, the character and conduct of your fight could be combat inside your home, or outside. The guy probably trying to kill you will likely have neither a sword of his own, nor wearing armor, most-likely be a single opponent, or at most a small group, but not part of a large, packed formation such as a Greek phalanx! If outside your domicile, if he has a gun and you don’t, you have a problem – unless you can strike first, while inside the house, you know the terrain which is a huge advantage. But again, this is not an argument to trade in your Browning 12 gauge for a Renaissance-era Zweihänder (two-handed) long sword – not that a blow from the latter won’t disable an attacker, but swinging that bad boy inside and you’ll find out what collateral damage is!

So here are some general types of swords you could own, and you aren’t limited to just one! Just like with firearms, you have to practice, practice, practice: you and two other buddies just can’t saunter out in the back yard one afternoon, swinging your swords expecting to become the Three Musketeers. And these are not wood or dull; they can will cut you if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Slasher. The Japanese Katana (above; sometimes called a Samurai sword in modern culture) is one of the best, if not the best, slashing swords available due to the stability, flexibility, and precision provided by the handle and soft curvature of its single-edge blade. The downside? You’re looking at years to get good with it – which is true for many swords ! – and it’s pretty long for inside-the-house use!

Cutter/Chopper. Cutting strikes are different from slashing, as they look to sever body parts (sword-fighting is bloody; get used to it). The best cutter/choppers have broad, sturdy, blades with a forward center of gravity that focus all of their power on the single-edge blade. A Chinese Dadao (above) is a good choice.

Thruster. While it can slash, the whole point of the thruster is to bury the blade’s point deep into the chest/guts of the other guy. Nothing did that better, for a longer period of time, than the Roman Gladius, the sword of the Roman legion. Blade length is about 20 inches; inside the house is doable, because you aren’t swinging it, you’re stabbing. Remember! Since the blade can be 2.6″ in width, the wounds are often fatal.

Jack of All Trades. The above three types were designed for fighting, but a machete can serve many other purposes, cutting bushes, small trees, ropes, and even digging the ground when necessary, and be a slasher if need be. They love getting dirty.

Stealth. Cane Swords provide you with that crucial 2 seconds of getting it into the fight – because your attacker has probably never encountered one before. But laws concerning them are so nebulous, so often mis-quoted, that while I feel confident that used inside your house you might be OK, outside – well, we must push lawmakers allow them for self-defense anywhere. Cold Steel makes several economic models, while Burger Custom Canes produces ones so exquisite that your kids will fight over it in your Will, and let their siblings have the lake house and your beloved 1966 GTO.

Intimidator. Nope, not Dale Earnhardt. It’s the Khukuri. Think Gurkha. Think “Ayo Gorkhali!” (“Here come the Gorkhas!”) Yes, deterrence will not always work, but if it doesn’t, this bad mama-jama looks like it is going to hurt somebody really bad – because it will. I can’t say enough about Himalayan Imports, that makes these over in Nepal. I own a bunch. Some are 30″ long, but you want one 15-20″ as its easier to control. 5160 Straight Carbon Spring Steel leaf-springs off of large cargo trucks, preferably Mercedes or Saabs, past their operational life, are retooled into blades. The Ang Khola model is almost unbreakable; some can even serve as a prybar. Does what a machete and ax can do. When I bought mine, they provided the name/info of the smith (kami) who forged each; I hope they still do. Even if you never want it as a weapon, you should consider owning one of these.

Throughout history, a quality-made sword spoke of the unique character of its owner; in some cultures, only the bravest could possess one. Be that protector of your own house and family. Find your Excalibur.

Forged in FireFrench MacLean2024-04-14T12:06:46-05:00

Getting the Right Boom for the Baby Boomers

It is a cruel irony that senior citizens, who have an even more pressing need for self-defense capability – because they are viewed by criminals as being easy targets – often find it ever harder to utilize those tools of self-defense in any fashion, from hand-to hand-skills to weapons of all kinds.

My heart breaks every time I go to a gun range and see a senior citizen couple (who are my age in the interest of full disclosure) who have decided, often after six-plus decades of not owning a firearm, to finally purchase a pistol for home defense or self-defense away from home.

Because invariably, quite a few of us might buy something that will be (select all that apply): difficult to load; uncomfortable to shoot (too much recoil, not the right fit in the hand, too heavy to aim, too much muzzle blast, slide “biting” the web of your hand during recoil, etc.), inherently inaccurate, or too difficult – if it doesn’t fire as advertised – to apply immediate action to get it working again when a bad guy is trying to kill you.

The most fundamental problem is that a shooter must have a certain amount of strength to hold up their weapon at arm’s length, and to hold on to it throughout firing. Depending on your strength, for a long gun (shotgun), that essentially might be impossible, and even lightweight handguns might be challenging. This presents a two-pronged dilemma, because as weight of a weapon decreases, to make the firearm easier to lift and hold, recoil increases. (Note: you can help with this by practicing every day holding a 2-3 pound small dumbbell with both hands, arms extended as you would a pistol and keeping that position for at least 10 seconds, working upward for longer times, and so you don’t shake while you are doing it.) YOU CAN DO THIS!

Then there is the dreaded coordination, or manual dexterity, that seems to vanish with each passing year. Fingers don’t work as readily or as smoothly as they used to, and manipulating tiny, detailed control levers, or loading a magazine into a semi-auto, or reloading the cylinder in a revolver, can be so challenging that not even John Wick could do it on his first take. In short, here are the challenges:

Difficulty in inserting cartridges or magazines
Manipulation of controls (magazine release, safety, etc.)
Retracting slide to load or clear (known as racking the slide)
Holding pistol up at arm’s length
Maintaining adequate stability for the gun when firing

And these are often difficult to quantify, unlike weight, size, capacity, ballistics. If I became a gun range owner with an FFL (so I could order you the exact model you want), I would have several pistols available for you to fire at the range BEFORE you make a decision on what to buy. You have to feel the difference yourself in firing, not just take anyone’s advice as Gospel, not even mine. I would urge you to fire enough ammunition (that you obviously pay for) through each weapon that is forces you to reload it twice, so you can check out the ease or difficulty in doing that. We’re talking 30-40 rounds per pistol. In 40 rounds, you’ll know if the gun is fun to shoot, or is painful, or too heavy to hold steady. Normally, you would rent each pistol, which is money well spent, but I would suggest to range owners that if you subsequently buy a new one of these four models, the hour-long rental fee would be waived.

Here are a few pistols I would have available at the range: semi-autos and revolvers, because each type has certain advantages, which you will experience for yourself when you fire them. Have tried to keep similar calibers: .380 for semi-autos and .38 for revolvers. Longer barrels result in somewhat greater muzzle velocity which is a component of stopping power. But the most-important component, in my opinion, is bullet placement on the bad guy. And you can only do that through practice, practice, practice. And you won’t practice, if firing the weapon is uncomfortable, let alone painful.

Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ

Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ. .380 Auto. Semi-auto. 8-round magazine. 3.68″ barrel. 4.5-lb. trigger pull; single action only. Weight 21.6 ounces loaded. Easier-to-rack slide, easier-to-load magazine, and easier-to-clean design. @$450.

Girsan MC 14T

Girsan MC 14T. .380 Auto. Semi-auto, double action or single action. 13-round magazine. 4.5″ barrel. Double action trigger pull 7.5-lb; single action 4.7-lb. Weight 30.6 ounces loaded. No racking required; barrel tips up allowing for manual loading of first round as shown above. Magazine functions better with 12 rounds instead of 13. This weapon has just come out –@$498.

Smith & Wesson 637 Airweight. .38 Special (+P rated). Revolver: double action or single action. Double action trigger pull 9-lb; single action 2-lb. 5-round capacity. 1.875″ barrel. Weight 15.5 ounces loaded.

Charter Arms Undercover Lite

Charter Arms Undercover Lite. .38 Special. Revolver: double action or single action. Double action trigger pull 10-lb; single action 3.6-lb. 5-round capacity. 2″ barrel. Weight 12 ounces. @$400.

I do not own any of these weapons, but use, instead, a Smith & Wesson 351 PD, .22 Magnum revolver. It holds 7 rounds and fits my needs at my age.

But I am intrigued by the Girsan MC 14T .380 Auto. The other three may have incremental improvements over my 351 PD, although five rounds is not a lot of room for misses. But with the Girsan’s tip up barrel design, which can eliminate racking entirely, combined with a hefty capacity, the Girsan may prove to have revolutionary improvements, and I want to test those, so I know for myself – not having to rely on someone else’s opinion.

Getting the Right Boom for the Baby BoomersFrench MacLean2023-10-08T15:35:20-05:00

Everyday Carry Knife

Back when my ancestors lived in caves and were scared of saber-tooth cats, I’m pretty sure that old gramps never left home without his trusty knife. And while Mr. Saber-tooth is long gone, never leave your own “cave” without your own knife, commonly known today as an EDC – Every Day Carry.

Choices are many and can sometimes depend on your normal uses for it. If you’re in an office and 90% of its use will be to slice open letters or delivery boxes, the knife you choose to carry every day may be far different than if you work on a farm. Here are basic considerations. Pick a knife you want to carry every day. Choose a knife you don’t mind getting messy or dirty. Choose a knife that is easy to carry, which basically revolves around size and weight; nobody wants a brick in their pocket, so the lighter and easier to carry the knife is, the more likely you are to carry it. Choose a knife that is fun and practical to use.

We aren’t talking knife combat. While almost any knife could provide some degree of defense, an EDC isn’t primarily that, except for, perhaps, if you are in our military and have “a very particular set of skills.” Second, I personally buy American on these, as American makers often more fully-divulge key parameters like type of steel used for the blade. But if you have something from a maker such as Boker (Böker), made in Solingen, Germany, you have a great knife so don’t worry. In any case, you’ll need to start looking at knife qualities including: edge retention (ability to hold its sharpness during use); toughness (ability to resist chipping or complete failure [it snaps] during really hard use, like “batoning” using a baton-sized stick to strike the spine of a knife, to drive it through wood, something I would never try): hardness (ability to resist deforming); corrosion resistance (a steel’s capability to resist and prevent corrosion such as rusting, especially in humid conditions); ease of sharpening. Read multiple sources, as its interesting. The rub is that some of these characteristics work against each other!

Now to the blade’s steel. You’ll start seeing terms like D2, M390, S30V, S35VN, S90V, Elmax, and so many more it will make your head swim. But never fear, most discussions on the Internet also use diagrams that compare two sample steels. Because it is the type of steel in your knife blade that will determine its cost and character. So if you are looking at a knife and cannot find the type of steel used, you may want to move on, because without knowing the steel, you could be guessing how it will turn out. Would you buy a firearm, without knowing its caliber?

Here is a diagram comparing S35VN steel to S90V with respect to toughness, edge retention, ease of sharpness, and corrosion resistance (VERY important if you live near bodies of water or in a humid climate.) The further away from the center of the diamond, the higher that steel is rated in that particular category. In this case, S35VN has higher ratings than S90V in everything but edge retention, but if edge retention is really important for you, you might end up wanting that.

Sometimes a diagram looks like this next one, which in this case presents just one category, corrosion resistance, and then shows five types of steel and how well they do in this. Again, the further away from the center the rating is, the stronger the rating. Vanax is the best of these five steels shown, but all five score high in this category.

Let’s get to five makers. Benchmade (Oregon) A premium company, all kinds of steel and products, known for their AXIS lock where the blade remains more secure. Free LifeSharp maintenance (they’ll re-sharpen it!) Downside? The get expensive in a hurry. But at least visit their website because it doesn’t cost to look. Here’s the Osborne model.

Buck (Idaho). Been around a long time. BUCK Forever Warranty. Extremely reasonable prices. Downside? Some can be a little heavy.

Case (Pennsylvania). Also known for making small folding multi-blade knives, and if that fits your EDC needs, get one. Lots of S35VN. Kinzua line looks fascinating. Mid-range prices. Downside? One variation is all camouflage, including blade. If you drop it, will you be able to find it?

Emerson (California). Lots of 154CM. Known for fighting knives, but several models are EDC. Downside? Can be pricey.

Microtech (North Carolina). AWESOME knives. With almost every variety, its tough narrowing down what you want. Downside? Can be pricey. Microtech does not commit to a specific steel type for a given model; rather, they constantly switch the steel from what they have available. Sometimes it can just be labeled Premium Steel. But with some research you can find out the particular steel that you are holding.

Then you’ll decide on blade length, type of opening such as manual or automatic (following legal requirements where you live). OTF means the blade comes out the front in an auto knife. Hold it, and try opening and closing it, BEFORE you buy it.

Finally, don’t do what I did. No matter what you think you know, if you have ANY knife on you, or in a carry-on bag going through TSA at an airport, they will almost certainly confiscate it! And if you bitch, they might go bad-ass and not let you board the plane. Plan ahead or lose your EDC. Because there’s nothing sadder than losing a faithful friend.

Everyday Carry KnifeFrench MacLean2023-08-25T10:49:44-05:00

Scrappers

General George S. Patton was a walking quotation machine. His colorful image, hard-driving personality, and success as a military commander were at times overshadowed by numerous controversial public statements. On top of that, he is often difficult to understand, in part, because he is almost a one-of-a-kind historical figure, and because a senior military officer in the United States, like Patton, could not exist today. In my over three decades of military service, the only officer I saw that possessed even a small Pattonesque persona was General Norm Schwarzkopf. And today? George Patton wasn’t “woke”; and the military establishment would have prevented him from even sniffing a promotion to flag rank, let alone ever achieving that.

Be that as it may, Patton made some remarkable observations, one of which would become true concerning Company B of the 39th Infantry Regiment. One evening, in a tent with other officers, during the 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers, a pensive Patton shared his thoughts on the war he knew would surely come:

“I’m worried because I’m not sure this country can field a fighting army at this stage in our history. We’ve pampered and confused our youth. We’ve talked too much about rights and not enough about duties. Now we’ve got to try and make them attack and kill. A big percentage of our men won’t be worth a goddam to us. Many a brave soldier will lose his life unnecessarily because the man next to him turns yellow. We’re going to have to dig down deep to find our hard core of scrappers. That takes time and time is short.”

As George would later see first-hand, the 39th Infantry Regiment on a large scale, and Company B within it, would be a key part of “our hard core of scrappers.”

ScrappersFrench MacLean2023-07-10T09:17:14-05:00