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  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted August 18, 2008

Preventing barrel leading in revolvers using cast bullets.

A reader asked me to comment on successfully shooting lead bullets in revolvers. It seems that he’s been getting indifferent accuracy coupled with severe leading, and would like to know the “secret” to using lead in his gun. I thought I’d covered this topic once before, but a thorough search of the archives failed to […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted July 2, 2008

On rifle scope magnification: how much is enough, and what is too much?

Moving back to the farm as I recently did has changed my shooting habits. I’m shooting a larger amount of rimfire rifle lately, not just for fun but also predator/pest control. For all the years I lived in suburbia (which is a Kafkaesque purgatory for a simple, ignorant country boy like me) I did all […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 23, 2008

Is the Ruger GP100 inaccurate?

It sometimes amuses me how often one hears the same question, with only slight variations. One that I’ve heard over the years goes something like this: “Is it true that the GP100 isn’t very accurate?” Personally, I’ve not noticed that any of mine are, but there is more to this story. Assuming that the gun […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 16, 2008

How important is quality rimfire ammunition? Depends on how often you want to hit your target.

Serendipity, that’s what it is. Last week a consistent topic kept coming up in a variety of places: the necessity (or lack thereof) for “accurate” .22 long rifle ammunition. “I don’t shoot groups, I hunt {insert favorite furry tidbit here}.” “You can’t shoot really accurately in the field anyway, so better ammo isn’t worth the […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 11, 2008

Illustrating the concept of energy dump in defensive ammunition. Or not.

A reader sent me this link to an old Richard Davis “Second Chance” video. The video has Davis shooting a fellow – who is wearing one of Davis’ vests, of course – with a .308 rifle and himself with a .44 magnum revolver. The reader’s comment was “if this doesn’t show an energy dump, I […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 2, 2008

A bit of reloading gear discussion: the progressive press for serious handloaders.

I recently received an email wherein the author took me to task for recommending the Hornady Lock-N-Load AP as the tool for the ‘serious’ reloader. His claim was that ‘serious’ reloaders always use Dillon, and nothing but. Sorry to have to disagree with him. My definition of ‘serious’ is the ballistic experimenter, not the appliance […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted May 19, 2008

The “Holster of the Week” Club and negative outcomes.

Last week I promised a story. I heard this from “the horse’s mouth”, and if you knew this particular horse the story would not surprise you… Anyhow, I happen to know a fellow (I’ll call him “Ted”) who, back in the ’70s, was a Detective in a very large eastern police department. He had just […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted May 18, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Series index: “Self defense, stopping power, and caliber”

Here’s the whole series for your perusal! Part 1: Introducing the Twin Tasks. Part 2: If it doesn’t get somewhere, it can’t do something. Part 3: Once it gets there, it has to do work. Part 4: The bullet is more important than the caliber. Part 5: More energy can be a good thing – […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted May 14, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 9

Stick with what works. You’ve all heard of the “Gun of the Week” club, right? That’s the term used to describe an “enthusiast”, the guy (gals are too smart to engage in such nonsense) who carries or competes with a different gun every time he goes out. (Closely related is the “Holster of the Week” […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted May 12, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 8

“So, smarty pants – what the best self-defense caliber?” I receive many emails asking, in essence, what the “best” self-defense caliber might be. (Those emails, in fact, have served as the motivation behind this series.) The correspondents are probably expecting sage advice, the wisdom of years, a sort of Ballistic Oracle. What they get is […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted May 5, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 7

There Is No Such Thing as a Magic Bullet What does that mean, you ask? One of the last bastions of the snake oil salesman is in the field of ammunition promotion. Claims that would make Professor Harold Hill blush are the norm, and are repeated in gunstores, shooting ranges, and deer camps across the […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted April 29, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 6

“What would I want with a reputation? That’s a good way to get yourself killed!” – Jason McCullough, as played by James Garner, in “Support Your Local Sheriff” (my favorite movie of all time!) What about “reputation”? Some cartridges or loadings have reputations for better effectiveness than others. Sometimes that’s valid, but other times it […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted April 16, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 5

More energy can be a good thing – as long as it actually does something useful. Last time we discussed the concept of the hollowpoint as a way to increase the frontal diameter of the bullet in the target. I also introduced the idea that it takes energy to expand the bullet, energy that is […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted April 8, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 4

The bullet is more important than the caliber. We know that our bullet needs to do damage to whatever important thing it manages to find. How, exactly, is that going to occur? It just so happens that most animal tissue (including that of the violent felon who has just attacked you) is remarkably elastic, and […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted April 2, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 3

Once it gets there, it has to do work. In today’s installment, we’re going to look at the second of the Twin Tasks: 2) The bullet has to do rapid and significant damage to that thing when it arrives. It may not be self evident, but kinetic (moving) energy is either used or conserved (stored.) […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted March 31, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 2

If it doesn’t get somewhere, it can’t do something. OK, so we know about the Twin Tasks, the two things that a bullet has to do in order to stop an attacker: 1) It has to get to something the body finds immediately important, and 2) It has to do rapid and significant damage to […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted March 24, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Self defense, stopping power, and caliber: Part 1 of a series.

I’ve gotten a bunch of emails recently regarding the choice of an appropriate self-defense handgun caliber and/or bullet. Around this one topic swirls more misinformation – and outright inanity – than any other I can think of. And now, here’s mine! What follows is a layman’s understanding, backed by research of available literature and years […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted February 27, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

A gripping story about revolver grips. And speedloaders.

So, you’ve got snazzy new grips on your wheelgun — congratulations! Have you checked them to make sure that they won’t get in the way of the operation of the gun? It’s surprising how many revolver grips, even from respected manufacturers, interfere with the use of speedloaders. Sometimes they even obstruct the ejection of fired […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted February 20, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Foreign ammunition plus your gun equals ignition troubles?

I’ve gotten a number of inquiries over the past few months regarding ignition troubles in otherwise stock revolvers. As ammunition prices continue their climb, many enthusiasts find their budgets strained. In order to continue shooting, those who do not reload their own ammo have been looking at less expensive options for feeding their guns. Brands […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted January 21, 2008
  • In Stopping Power

Why revolvers?

I got an email the other day, asking in effect “why revolvers?” I dashed off an answer (with so many emails demanding a response, it’s hard to write essays for each one.) I always feel that I haven’t done the subject justice, so here is yet more about why I choose the round gun over […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted September 19, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

Do you need a trigger job?

It occurs to me that not everyone who stumbles into my little corner of the internet necessarily knows what they really need. I receive quite a number of emails that essentially ask “should I have a trigger job done on my revolver?” (I am aware that asking someone who became known as a gunsmith that […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted September 12, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

More on the use of +P in older Colt revolvers.

The internet “experts” just can’t let this one go! If you’re new to this discussion, please read this short article on the use of +P ammunition in Colt revolvers. Apparently, the fact that a manufacturer would dare tell a customer what kind of ammunition they should use rubs some people the wrong way! The latest […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted August 22, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

A different (and old) approach to the backup revolver.

A gentleman wrote in asking about small backup revolvers – that is, a revolver to carry as a backup to a primary revolver. I know that many people carry their primary gun on their hip, with a lightweight (aluminum, titanium, scandium) wheelgun in an ankle holster, and I know a couple of folks who carry […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted August 8, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

The case for the double action only revolver.

I endorse the practice of rendering defensive revolvers double action only (DAO.) Many people ask why, and I thought I’d give you my thoughts on the matter. Let’s start with the usual argument for retaining single action capability, which I call the “Walter Mitty scenario”: the mythical need for making precise long range head shots. […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted July 16, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

Getting beyond the hardware: an inspiring little essay.

I may have mentioned that I spent a period of time in the early 80s as a commercial photographer. Honestly, I didn’t make it all that far; though a good technician, I wasn’t creative enough on demand to sustain a career. I did learn a lot, though, and I took some of those lessons and […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted July 11, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

Yes, there are people who still think warning shots are a good idea. Don’t be one of them.

Xavier Thoughts chronicles the story of an elderly gentleman who, using his gun, confronted a burglar in his home. The outcome was that the perp got sent to jail. Great, right? Well, maybe not. This may get ugly when the inevitable civil suit is filed. You see, the perp was injured because the homeowner fired […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted July 2, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

How NOT to spend your training dollars.

What is one thing I advise potential defensive shooting students? Avoid “checklist” shooting classes. What do I mean by “checklist” classes? Those where the instructor provides a long list of the things that you will (ostensibly) learn in his/her class, implicitly (or explicitly) inviting you to compare how many things he teaches versus how many […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 11, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

Are ammo prices keeping you from learning?

Lately I’ve been hearing from people who’ve decided against attending training courses because of the cost of ammunition. If I may, I think that this is a shortsighted attitude! Yes, ammo prices are the highest they’ve ever been. Yes, the number of rounds necessary to complete a decent shooting class is a significantly higher expense […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 6, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

What causes stacking?

Stacking is defined as an increase in trigger pull weight toward the end of the trigger’s rearward travel. Some people like it, some don’t, and different guns have varying amounts of it. What causes it? Some people come up with odd explanations. I recently got an email asking about stacking; the writer had read “on […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted June 4, 2007
  • In Stopping Power

Sight options for the defensive handgun.

Much as it pains me to admit this, my eyesight is degrading with distressing rapidity. No, it’s nothing out of the ordinary, nor is it anything serious – it’s just that I’m getting older! I’m close enough to the big “five-oh” to count the years left on one hand (with fingers left over), and the […]