Bond Arms Derringer Texas Defender

The Bond Arms Texas Defender is a sturdy, reliable gun. I wouldn't call it small and I'm not sure exactly why I thought it would make a great carry and conceal gun. Well, actually I do know; I figured it was small, with a narrow profile and I had one in 45lc / .410.

It is definitely slim, but really it's not that small. It measures in at around 5" in length and weighs upwards of 20oz. I'll break down the pros and cons as they relate to my experience with a Texas Defender in 45lc/ .410.

Pro's:

• Have you seen a 45lc? 250gr. of stopping power, that's pretty significant.


• Capable of shooting .410 ammo, though nowhere near as potent as the 45lc.


• Simple, straight forward design makes it dead on reliable.


• Fairly slim; allowing for easier concealment.


• What I consider the biggest pro, and what was probably the selling point for me at the time; is the fact that you can purchase additional barrels chambered in different calibers. I was kind of going through a phase I guess.
  

Con's

• Not as small as I thought it was.


• Though small enough to produce some potent recoil.


• Extremely s l o w to fire off a second round.


• The biggest con for me was the fact that my trigger finger naturally rested on the trigger at a slight angle. Apparently this was enough to prevent me from firing the gun altogether. I would have to deliberately hold the gun differently and pull the trigger in an unnatural way (to me at any rate). Before purchasing a Derringer of any make I would recommend giving the trigger a pull first to see if this is a problem for you.

I very much like the concept behind the Texas Defender. It is a solid weapon and built very well. Though at the end of the day it just didn't match me. A lesson learned along the ever winding road of firearms ownership.

Dalai Lama Gun Quote

Believe me, as an individual that is very pro Buddhism and pro firearms I really want some magical quote by the Dalai Lama extolling the virtues of firearms. Many would point to his quote made May 15th 2001 as reported by the Seattle Sun Times:

"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it is reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."

Wow, there you go, Dalai Lama said so himself...look no further...or perhaps you really should look a little further, because that's not the end of the quote as 99% of the internet would have you believe:

"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it is reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg."

It's obvious why pro firearms people would choose to omit the last sentence of the quote. A great deal can be inferred from the full quote.

1) really, don't kill people.

2) the Dalai Lama (not surprisingly) doesn't really understand how firearms work and what bullets do to people.

3) the Dalai Lama is trying to be inclusive to a people that possess and hold in high esteem, firearms. He's trying to not be a hater, and he's pretty good at it.

There is no quote (that I know of) that the Dalai Lama has made that really supports guns. At best this often sited as a pro-gun quote is just the Dalai Lama accepting that firearms are here.

Gandhi on the other hand:

"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest."

Tactical Innovations 10/22 Cohort Pistol

Tactical Innovations has developed, what looks to be, a wonderful alternative to Ruger's Charger pistol. Though based on the classic 10/22 design the Cohort does have some significant differences. Most notably is the fact that has a rear charging receiver, as opposed to the side charging 10/22 series. It has a nice compact 4.5" barrel. Infinitely shorter than the 10" barrel of the Charger pistol.

I absolutely do not like that it has no iron sights. It does have a picatinney rail to mount optics or flip up sights. I think it a strange omission to not have iron sights on such an obviously close quarter gun...but that's just me I 'spose.

I always fancied the old Intratec Tec-22. I liked it's compactness, high capacity and ease of access to 22lr ammunition. Tactical Innovation's new Cohort pistol hearkens back to the Tec-22, but with the reliability of the 10/22 platform. Sure, it's bigger than the Tec-22, but it still plays the part.

How Not To Fire A Rifle

An excellent example of improper grip on a rifle. This video is demonstrative of the difference between shooting handguns and rifles. Enjoy the fail.

Kel Tec KSG, Bullpup Shotgun

Kel Tec's soon to be released KSG (Kel Tec Shotgun) takes advantage of an innovative bullpup design. Though profoundly interesting, it isn't exactly new. A South African company produced a dual magazine tube shotgun named the Neostead around 2000-2001. Though the KSG and Neostead seem fairly similar they do have their differences.

What is most immediately impressive to me is the 15 round capacity the KSG has. Two 7 round magazine tubes, plus one in the chamber. It is able to chamber both 2 3/4" and 3" 12 gauge shells. It's compact design is very attractive. In my opinion one of the main draw backs of shotguns is that in order to get a larger capacity, typically you need to have a longer barrel. Or if you have a magazine fed shotgun like the Saiga, you have to cart around giant sized magazines. I'm far more of a David than I am a Goliath; so neither option has ever appealed to me.

The KSG seems to be a great compromise between size and strength. If you can call smaller and just as strong a compromise. If you had 15 rounds of slugs you would have a pound of lead on hand; ready to be blasted off at significant velocities. Being left handed, I am almost always never allowed in the bullpup club. The KSG ejects spent shells from the bottom though, allowing me admission to a fairly exclusive group.

To be entirely honest; I am not a big fan of the tactical aesthetic. I prefer wood stocks to plastic and revolvers to semi-autos. I don't like that the KSG does not come with simple iron sights. Yes, I could put flip up sights on the rail that runs the length of the barrel, but I don't want to have to. It seems to raise the whole profile of the gun too much. Given the close quarter nature of the shotgun, I don't like my line of sight hovering that far over the barrel. I am much more comfortable being right over the barrel.

That being said I am a big fan of the KSG. I've always felt that any conflict I could be in domestically would be within 100 yards. Anything more than that and I don't have a clue as to why I wouldn't be just running away. A shotgun is profoundly effective at what it does within 100 yards. The KSG holds 7 more shells than the average pump action (double!). It would seem silly to not endorse the KSG as a significant contender for best home/ zombie defense shotgun around. It is slated to hit the market soon, personally I would wait to make sure the bugs are worked out of it to pick one up...but maybe I'm just saying that in an attempt to prevent somebody else from getting one before I do.

Mosin Nagant Action

Here's a great video demonstrating the action working on a Mosin Nagant rifle. This video demonstrates well the recoil and function of an M38 M N.

Phillips and Rodgers Medusa, Multi-Caliber Revolver

I was initially drawn to the Medusa for the fact that it could reliably chamber and safely fire at least 25 different calibers in the .0355 - .0357 range. Meaning that without special adapters (like moon clips) you can load and fire .380acp, .38spl, 9mm or .357 magnum all in the same cylinder.

This is achieved by using a very clever extraction system. The extracting "star" not only acts to remove the cartridge, but also to secure it in place. Outward bent prongs will automatically secure themselves within the groove of rimless cartridges, holding them safely in place. I probably didn't explain that very well, so here's a link to the Air Born Combat Engineer who does a much better job.

When I first got the Medusa I was really excited about the idea of being able to fire the majority of handgun rounds all from one gun. I felt that this fact alone made the Medusa a great survival type gun. If all I was left with was 2 rounds of 9mm, 1 of .357, 2 of .380 and 1 of 9x18; I wouldn't need 4 guns to use the bullets. I would be able to chamber all of them in one gun; not too bad. I very much liked the slab, groove type barrel. And of course the unfluted cylinder, always a plus. I had a 5" model and felt like it handled really well. It was very interesting to feel the difference in recoil between 5 or 6 different kinds of ammo in one cylinder. The 5" barrel really helped tame the recoil from a .357.

The down side of the Medusa, mine at any rate; was that with all the caliber switching the chambers of the cylinder got extremely dirty very quickly. I wouldn't be able to fire more than 18 rounds without having the cases get completely stuck in the cylinder, requiring a dowel to extract them. Of course this makes sense though, all of the gunpowder gumming up the chamber from rounds of different lengths is bound to happen. Ultimately this is why I was so comfortable parting with the gun. It offers great caliber diversity, but at the cost of reloading ability. There's a quality vs. quantity debate in there for sure, but I'll save that for another day.

The Medusa is the perfect survival revolver for those that really only plan on taking 6 or 12 shots. Anything over that and you're definitely in trouble. It's a great gun with excellent (in my opinion) aesthetics, profound versatility and dead on reliability (when firing 12 rounds or less). Phillips & Rogers did a great job of creating a revolver that it seems only now is beginning to catch on in the guise of the Taurus Judge or S&W Governor. A little ahead of your time guys, but well played none the less.