Thursday, August 25, 2022

The Low and Left Conundrum

 Every class I teach, I inevitably have this conversation prior to our range session:

Student: "Hey Sarge, got a question for you."

Me: "Go ahead."

Student: "When I shoot I keep hitting low and left, do you know how to fix that?"

This is usually with somebody who has spent some amount of time shooting with another instructor, and they haven't addressed this issue. The thing is, with just a few simple fixes, this is usually easily remedied. I wish that their instructors would talk about it right out of the gate, because it is something that instructors should be talking about up front due to how it affects people.

Friday, August 19, 2022

Got Made

 I was pumping gas and the guy on the other side of the pump asked: "What are you carrying?"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Him: "Your gun, I saw that you're carrying one."

Me: "Glock 45."

Him: "My man! I got a Glock 22 in 40 cal!"

Me: "Is that a gen 5? They didn't release the gen 5s in 40 until more recently."

Him: "Yeah it is. I take it you're in law enforcement? You got that look."

Me: "Yeah, but even before I got into it people thought I was a cop."

Him: Laughing, "I can see that. Do you know anything about Desert Eagles? I want to buy one in .357!"

Me: "They're fun, but you're probably not going to carry that around, they weigh 5 lbs empty."

Him: "Maybe I will anyway, I'll probably walk funny!"

Me: "No doubt. Take it easy sir!"

I was wearing my official "sort of not at work but headed there or back" uniform which is to say khaki pants and an unbuttoned shirt hanging over my gun. It is not quite open carry, but it is not really concealed either. It probably keeps some Karens from seeing the gun but anybody with even half a clue will know that I've got a gun on. Oh well.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Find Your Excrement

There are about a million reasons to use a Bluetooth tracker. The simple and easy is stuff like finding your keys, your luggage, or anything that you need to keep track of. Obviously you should go out of your way to not misplace things, and my simple solution for that is to always have a place where things go when they aren't with you or on your person. But that said, sometimes excrement happens. And I fear that as we age, that excrement creeps in where you least expect it. Modern tracking technology helps a lot when it comes to keeping that at bay.

There are several different technologies out there that you may be interested in. I'll briefly discuss 3 of them: AirTag, SmartTag, and Tile. Let's talk about AirTag first.

AirTag is an iPhone/Apple only product. If you're an Android person, that lets you out right at the onset. AirTag only comes in one form factor, which means that you'll really need something to hold it if you want to use that technology. Fortunately there are several options from Apple as well as aftermarket vendors, to include keyrings and wallets. They have a replaceable battery which supposedly lasts for about a year. They are also water resistant, but I wouldn't take one scuba diving or put it in the laundry if you can help it.

AirTag's real advantage is that its find network is functionally infinite as long as anybody with an iPhone is near it. That means that probably any population center, airport, etc., will allow you to track your AirTag. The AirTag doesn't include GPS, it simply uses proximity to other Apple devices, so you can conceivably end up playing a game of hotter/colder to find your AirTag. Additionally, you can't reverse locate your phone with the AirTag, so if you lose your phone often, it would probably be better to go with the Tile or another similar technology that includes that functionality.

SmartTag is Samsung's answer to the AirTag. Similar functionality in most respects, but Samsung has two versions. If you opt for the SmartTag Plus it uses Ultra Wideband, which gives much more range, but is only usable with newer generation Samsung devices. The one feature that SmartTag has is the ability to use that SmartTag to turn on devices in your house by way of IoT style device control.

Tile doesn't have quite the ability to use any phone around it to give greater network access, only Tile app enabled phones. But what it lacks there it gains in the ability to use either Android or iPhone devices, as well as the ability to find your phone through it, which neither the AirTag or SmartTag will do. This may be the generalist in this category, but still quite useful for most people. Tile also comes in multiple form factors, from the original, to slim, to stickers which adhere to things and have a 3 year integrated battery.

No matter which one meets your needs the best, I find these to be quite useful. If for nothing else than for travel, because losing luggage is still sometimes a thing. I'd definitely throw one into a checked gun case at a minimum. And there's always the ability to add one into your wallet, keys, day planner, or any other thing that you cart around with you that is important.

AirTag wallet

AirTag

SmartTag

Tile Slim

Tile slim (square white thin)

Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate I get a small commission from qualified purchases.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Reloading Spreadsheet

 For those of you who reload, or are intending to reload, this spreadsheet may be of use. Fill out your costs and you can figure out how much it is going to cost you per round, as well as how many rounds you'd need to make in order to break even with factory ammo.

The Spreadsheet

Let me know if this helps, and if you have any feedback to make it easier/more useful!

Langdon Tactical HK P30

One of my good friends let me borrow his LTT tuned HK P30. I have never been the biggest fan of the P30, but it is certainly a decent gun. M...