Category: Guns

Destination Gun Store

November 5, 2025 / / 0 Comments

It’s a couple of hours north of Ward Manor, but the new Mallard’s Shooting Supply is expecting to open at the end of the month.

To its owner — it’s a “destination place.”

Mallard’s Shooting Supply and Apparel is expanding into a brand-new, 55,000 square-foot facility, offering a shooting range, retail space, and two bars.

“This will be a big draw,” said owner Chad Damron. “Something good for the county. The scope and scale of this store, you would think, should be in Tampa or Palm Beach, somewhere like that. But I wanted to do something really neat for where I’m from.”

I am intrigued. Particularly since I have one gun I still haven’t shot. Maybe something to do during that week between Christmas and New Years.

Well, I Didn’t Want One Anyways…

October 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Last week, FN announced they were discontinuing the civilian SCAR lines.

From TFB:

FN America have shared a statement confirming the news, offering assurances that spares for the ‘legacy SCAR’ will be available and that the end of production in the US does not impact military contracts.

I was really considering a SCAR 17 for my 7.62 NATO rifle. Let’s just say I have a friend who swore by the one he used in more rigorous conditions, shall we say. The only daunting part was the $4K price tag.

FN’s teasing something for SHOT 2026, but in the meantime I will look at other platforms. I wish CZ would step in with a 7.62 NATO version of the Bren, but alas, that doesn’t seem likely. I keep thinking of going something in G3 family, because, well, HK-slap.

Ah well, at least there isn’t a dearth of options.

Florida Open Carry Law Is Unconstitutional

September 11, 2025 / / 0 Comments

According to the First District Court of Appeals.

A post on X from the Florida AG affirmed the court’s decision, which means the state is unlikely to appeal. If that holds, it’s a matter of just waiting out the clock until open carry is legal within the state of Florida. Would have preferred the legislature to get its collective thumb out of its ass, but hell, I’ll take it.

Does that mean Derek is going to rock out with Glocks (or Smiths) out? Highly unlikely. I’ve done open carry for Florida Carry’s fishing events, but I doubt I would do it in my daily life as a matter of course.

Do I still support open carry? Yes! Not because I think it’s a great carry option for most people, but it eliminates the danger of printing, or the cover garment moving enough for someone else to see the gun. I tend to wear an over-shirt, and sometimes it’s moved just enough for the butt of my sidearm to become visible. I no longer have to worry that I’ve just committed a felony if the “right” LEO sees it.

This also means, we, as experienced gun carriers will need to do education. I imagine we’ll get the people who think it’s okay to go around open carry in an Uncle Mike’s sausage holder without a care in the world about retention. Try to be nice when offering advice.

I Am The NRA Again

September 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I let my membership lapse when it became clear that the LaPierre cabal were using the organization as a piggy bank. I refused to pay my good money to fund other peoples’ lavish lifestyles while ignoring their core mission. I really didn’t want to continue to pay good money to an organization that was ignoring its primary mission to wage into the culture wars. So, I left.

Then the reformers managed to storm the gates. A forlorn hope at first, and then in the last election, a tidal wave of change. Including people that I knew and trusted from my years in the gun blogosphere. I was cautiously optimistic. Things looked good, but was it enough to put my hard earned cash back in.

The tipping point was this week’s statement against the administration’s trial balloon to ban transgendered people from purchasing and owning firearms.

It is the clear statement of mission. The clear statement of defending the citizenry’s rights regardless of if the people involved are politically popular. The clear statement I want from my NRA.

I am once again the NRA.

In Defense of Honesty

August 13, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I did a post on the issues surrounding Sig Sauer’s problems with its P320 platform. One of the incidents I cited was what appeared to be the death of a U.S. Airman by a holstered M18. That no longer appears to be the case.

An Air Force spokesperson said in a statement on Friday that the investigation “has progressed and an individual has now been arrested on suspicion of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice, and involuntary manslaughter.”

Does this completely absolve Sig? Not in my eyes. There’s enough other incidents. On top of that has been the actions of Sig Sauer by threatening legal action against people who speak out or trainers/ranges/organizations that ban the use of P320s.

I will however keep an open mind and follow the evidence as it comes out.

Troubles in SIG Land

July 23, 2025 / / 1 Comment

SIG is having some troubles. It’s flagship pistol, the P320, has had a troubled history of unintentional discharges with documented cases of the weapon firing without the trigger being pulled. Even while in holsters. Okay, that’s bad, but gun companies have run into trouble with their guns before. But, you can handle them like Ruger and proactively recall and return fixed guns. Or you can do what SIG did.

Ignore the problem and then blame the gun community for making shit up.

Yeah, that wasn’t a good look. Particularly when the FBI issued a report on a P320 that went off and couldn’t clear SIG of responsibility.

Now, ICE has told the field to stop using its P320’s and switch over to Glocks.

SIG is going the way of Kimber with the customer interactions of Taurus and HK in the heady days. I wasn’t planning on buying a P320 before. I’m damn sure not now. Moreover, I’m not going to recommend them until SIG starts acting like it actually cares about its customers instead of chasing contracts.

I’m still going to get my P220 and P226 at some point, but hey, that’s what Gunbroker is for.

Edit: The USAF is suspending use of the M18 (P320) after the death of an airman. The troubles keep rolling.

Some Times You Have To Take the Loss

July 2, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I am, at heart, a proceduralist. The populist fervor to destroy all institutions bothers me on a fundamental level. It wasn’t until I came across the principle of Chesterson’s Fence that my intuition was turned into words.

There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.

Essentially, don’t destroy something you think is an impediment without first understanding why it was put there in the first place.

So, we come to the Senate Parliamentarian. In the “Big Beautiful Bill” was inclusion of taking silencers, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns off the NFA so we can buy them like normal firearms. Is this something I would love to see pass? Oh, hell yeah. Yet, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that part of the BBB didn’t meet the rule to override the filibuster.

That sucks. Especially since getting those bills passed on their own have been non-starters since the first time Trump was in office. The backlash? I’m getting flooded with emails about contacting Vance and Thune and other senate folks to override or fire the parliamentarian.

Wait folks. There’s a reason that rule was put into place. The big reason is because Congress is a collection feckless pundit-wanabees who are more than happy to hand their job over to the executive branch and judicial branch as long as they get to keep their donors without doing any actual work. That rule made sure they could at least pass some kind of spending bill without their normal shenanigans completely derailing the process.

Also, the one lesson that neither side seems to fucking learn – whatever you do to further your side today will be used by your opponents tomorrow.

Do I want silencers, SBRs and SBSs off the NFA? Yes. Do I think the parliamentarian made the correct decision? Also yes, but I could have seen it going the other way. Yet, I remain unconvinced that the next step is to get damage the position or incentives around the Byrd Rule.

Click Baity Headline of the Week

June 4, 2025 / / 0 Comments

New Mexico Deploying Foreign Mercenaries to Enforce 2nd Amendment Infringements

Yeah, when this came across my feed, I was drawn in to read the story.

Except, no, there are no mercenaries. There is New Mexico looking to fill all the cop vacancies by allowing non-citizens to join. You know, kind of like what the US Armed Forces has done for years?

Could this be an issue? Maybe. But does the headline help inform the public? Nope. Does it lift engagement? Fuck, I’m talking about it.

Guess what Firearms News? You are now close to the bottom of the pile for “reliable news”. I’m not going to trust a goddamn word on your blog. And I’m damn sure not going to “engage” with you any further.

EDC Post 2025

March 5, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Another in my series of seeing how things change year over year. I tend to carry a lot of stuff. Here are my previous posts:

2018 post.

2019 post.

2020 post.

2021 post.

2022 post.

2023 post.

2024 post.

The big switch out from last year was I made my bag more TSA-friendly. I’ve been walking into more “secured” places without the opportunity to pull out the bits and bobs that security tends to frown upon. I also unpacked the gym bags as we are now doing our treadmill work at the house.

Just Around The House

This is the EDC I will carry most days that I don’t go outside the house, or at least, outside the neighborhood.

Phone

I’m using an iPhone 12. I have the 128 GB model. I used to need to have all teh space, but since I work from home, I can manage more under Wi-Fi and need less space. My case is one of those that allow me to use MagSafe chagers and has a small wallet that attaches to the back of the phone.

Earbuds

I’ve switched back to my Apple AirPods Pro. I particularly like Apple’s “transparent” mode which allows more of the outside sound through. I’ve experimented with a few other earbuds, but I keep coming back to my Airpods.

Pocketknife

I carry a Leatherman Skeletool for just around the house. Much to The Wife’s chagrin, I’ve found I need a knife or one of the myriad of little tools far too often.

Flashlight

For walking around the house, I have my Streamlight ProTac 2L-X. It’s good for quickly looking in shadowed and/or darkened areas. Like under the bed. It’s also surprisingly good at finding where one of the cat’s decided to mark its territory.

Pepper Spray

I’ve carry some POM pepper spray around the house on a retractable lanyard. I can’t carry around the house, and this is good for when I have to step out of the house to walk to the mailbox.

Watch

I’m using a 45mm Series 9 Apple Watch. I had to upgrade when the old watch couldn’t hold a charge for more than a few hours. I was looking at one of their big Ultra’s, but those were twice the cost and require their own cellular plan.

Going Out Of The House – On Person

Additional stuff when I’m going out.

Wallet

I use a Saddleback Large Leather Wallet.

Keys

My brother picked me up a Lifelong Ring 300 key ring system. I mainly use the main big ring and have all of my keys on the wire key rings. In addition to my keys, I have:

Kingston 32GB Flash Drive

Because you never know when someone has a file they want to give you

Gerber Artifact

I’m not sure if Gerber is still selling these, but their Shard would be a good substitute

Surefire Sidekick

Of course, I have to have another flashlight. It doesn’t get used as much as it did when I was commuting in the dark early morning, but it’s still come in handy a couple of times.

Pocketknife

If I’m out of the house, the Leatherman gets switched out for a CRKT Lanny. The Wife bought me this as a gift, and it’s a nifty little pocketknife.

Flashlight

For going out of the house, I carry a Streamlight ProTac 750 lumen flashlight. It’s too big to really be a pocket flashlight, so I carry it in one of my IWB spare magazine holders.

Pepper Spray

I carry a small POM pepper spray for when I need something between strong words and deadly force.

Sidearm

Unless I’m going to someplace I’m not legally allowed to carry, I generally have my Smith and Wesson M&P9 M2.0 equipped with a Streamlight TLR-1. I keep it and the spare magazine loaded with 124-grain Speer Gold Dots (since that’s what the local cops use). These days, I’m using my Raven Concealment OWB holster and a Blade-Tech OWB dual mag holder.

Going Out – The Bag

I carry a 5.11 LV10 Sling Pack for all the other essential bits and bobs I want available.

Electronics Support

Spare cables

Usually a USB-C to lightning, a USB-C to USB-C, and USB-A to Mini-USB, and USB-A to AppleWatch charger. I may have a couple of others.

A spare pair of Apple EarPods

In case my Airpods are not available.

Anker MagCharger Battery

I like this because I can charge my phone just by slapping this on the back. Or I can run a cable if I need to give someone else’s phone a boost.

Anker’s slim USB-C wall-plug

This will recharge my phone or battery pretty fast. Plus, it’s slim and tiny.

Anker four-port plug

For when I need to do multiple devices. Plus it’s a backup for my slim plug.

First Aid Stuff

The “Boo-Boo” First Aid Kit – Coleman Mini First Aid Kit

This little kit handles minor emergencies, and I like the tin as a container. It generally has band-aids, disinfecting wipes, and small antibiotics.

The “Oh-Shit” First Aid Kit – ResQue 1st Trauma Kit

It’s a small kit that has QuikClot, gauze, tape, bits and bobs, and a spare tourniquet. I’ve supplemented with scissors and tweezers and additional bandages.

Tourniquet Right the Fuck Now – Phlster Flatpack with CAT Tourniquet

I picked the CAT because that’s what I was trained to use.

Spare Meds

I generally keep small bottles of ibuprofen, tylenol, and Pepcid AC. Because that’s generally what I need to deal with the aches and pains of going outside.

N-95 Mask

In case of sickness primarily.

###Tools

Mini Tape Measure

I think mine is actually from Tractor Supply, but running around with The Wife necessitates having a tape measure when she finds stuff for the house.

Reusable twist ties

Streamlight Polytac X Flashlight

Yes, I have another flashlight. Don’t judge. I like this one because it has a rechargeable battery, but will also run on a couple of CR123’s.

###Odds and Ends

Amazon Microfiber Cloth

These are really handy for cleaning my eyeglasses and my electronics’ screens.

Hand Sanitizer

I prefer the small little bottles from Bath and Bodyworks.

Post-It Notes

Because you never know when you’ll need to write something down or leave a note for someone. I like the vibrant colors in case I need my note to draw attention.

Zebra Metal Ball Point Pens

I’ve been keeping a couple of these in the bag. These tend to get through security better than dedicated tactical pens.

Travel Pack Tissues

Because allergies. And occasional cleaning.

Emergency cash

No, I’m not going to say how much

Interesting New Guns From SHOT

January 29, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been following The Firearms Blog’s coverage of SHOT. There are some neat new stuff that intrigues me.

Palmetto State’s new shotgun looks like it could be an interesting competitor for a new semi-auto scattergun.

I’ve been intrigued by B&T’s TP9, and their new PRO is even more intriguing.

A lever gun that takes AR mags? Well, that definitely has my attention.

I’m not likely to afford a $3K pistol anytime soon. But, if I had that amount of cash lying around to splurge on a gun, this would definitely be a contender.

A bullpup 9 mm that would take my M&P mags? This kind of looks like a concept I’ve thought about for years. This might be one of those where I would buy the pistol version. But $1500 makes it a maybe.