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<title>The Revolver Liberation Alliance</title><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/index.html</link><description>A Blog from www.grantcunningham.com</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2006 Grant Cunningham</dc:rights><dc:date>2010-03-10T09:22:36-08:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:56:16 -0800</lastBuildDate><item><title>School spirit.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Self defense</category><category>Techniques &#x26; Training</category><dc:date>2010-03-10T09:22:36-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b9c5e0122574ebcd86a79dd10303737d-662.html#unique-entry-id-662</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b9c5e0122574ebcd86a79dd10303737d-662.html#unique-entry-id-662</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It starts in high school, and goes into college: here in my slice of heaven, it's Oregon State University Beavers versus the University of Oregon Ducks. 

...Graduates of one school (or, more commonly, one instructor) hold their alma mater or guru to possess the "true way" and refuse to even acknowledge that others exist.   In the worst cases, the arguments end up sounding an awful lot like "my Dad can beat up your Dad".


This came up the other day in a discussion I had with AFGWWWTRA. ...  Once one has invested time, effort, and money into an area of interest it's hard to accept that there are other, competing, interests in the world which might just have validity as well.   The guru becomes infallible, because if he/she isn't then then disciple has wasted time, effort, and money - and who is ever going to admit to that?


I'm not immune; I went through a mild episode of school spirit some years back, but since then I've progressed a bit.   I'm open to new ways of thinking and new methods of doing, and my attitude has gone from "so and so says this and it is immutable" to "show me why."   The litmus test of any technique or opinion is not the logical fallacy of argument from authority, but rather that it makes sense given an open and agreed-upon criteria.


In an odd coincidence, I just started reading a book that explains this behavior, and as it turns out the concepts involved may have profound implications for self defense.   They go well beyond the guru, school, stance, grip, or anything else, and deal with our behavior at a surprisingly base level.   In other words, discipleship in and of itself, irrespective of doctrine or dogma, may affect how one performs in a violent encounter.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>On flashlight output.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Self defense</category><category>Accessories</category><dc:date>2010-03-08T08:46:29-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/16dbce0421962cf2a1329a9e0174d11e-661.html#unique-entry-id-661</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/16dbce0421962cf2a1329a9e0174d11e-661.html#unique-entry-id-661</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm too lazy to go look, but I think I've mentioned that I consider the high-powered flashlight to be the most important non-lethal self defense tool one can carry. 

...It's collimated light that causes glare, and since most flashlights have a hotspot most lights will cause glare if the conditions are right.


If something of light color, or of reflective nature, ends up in the hotspot the collimated light will be bounced back to your eyes, which is perceived as glare. 

...Most people think that glare reduction is due to the spill being dimmer than the hotspot, but that's not the case - it's because the spill is more diffuse, and less likely to reflect from the object.


...There are even beams that have no really defined hotspot, in which the entire beam is a flood of relatively diffuse light. 

...It doesn't matter how bright that flood is, as long as there are no collimated beams the incidence of glare will be reduced.  


...They know that you get more glare from a specular silver umbrella than a softbox, and that it's completely independent of the amount of light being generated.) 


...When people look at flashlights they want to know how far it casts a beam, a desire which favors lights with very collimated and well-defined hotspots. 

...I've been there; up to a couple of years ago, I too was more interested in how well the light illuminated distant objects than how well it illuminated things that actually posed a threat to me. 

...Believe it or not, it's tough to find a light that is truly suitable for self defense, which favors a broad flood beam. 

...The L2 and L4 of today have a little bit of a hotspot and thus aren't nearly as good as the older versions, although they're still better than any other "off the shelf" light you'll find. 

...Lumens aren't everything, and just because it's expensive, from a name manufacturer, and says 'tactical' on the side doesn't necessarily make it suitable for defensive use.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>FRIDAY SURPRISE: When in Rome...   </title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Friday Surprise&#x21;</category><category>Things I like</category><category>History</category><dc:date>2010-03-05T08:55:54-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/6ed2934b7d2fb96bc590691e0242ffab-660.html#unique-entry-id-660</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/6ed2934b7d2fb96bc590691e0242ffab-660.html#unique-entry-id-660</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My fascination with old and abandoned things often leads to dreams of great discoveries.   Though I've been to a few abandoned places - all of which are pretty well known, at least locally - I'm handicapped by geography.   Here in rural Oregon, there just aren't many such places. 


There weren't enough people here to have produced a large urban/industrial base a century ago, our technological history doesn't go back much more than 175 years in any case, and we've never exactly been a hotbed of military activity.   Thus my dreams of being the first (or, at least, one of the very few) to visit such a site remain elusive.


Other people are more fortunate.   A British film crew just last year found the remains of the Aqua Traiana headwaters, the beginnings of a lost aqueduct that once supplied Rome with fresh water.   It's beautiful and amazingly well preserved, and all lying below a pig pasture near the village of Manziana, just northwest of Rome.


What gets me is that they found it - in the best Indiana Jones style - by discovering a hidden door in an abandoned church.


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another Day In The Life Of A Gunsmith.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Gunsmithing</category><category>My Life</category><dc:date>2010-03-03T07:27:35-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b736eb6e06c66590fd72aae76b89f1b7-659.html#unique-entry-id-659</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b736eb6e06c66590fd72aae76b89f1b7-659.html#unique-entry-id-659</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Many people tell me that they'd love to have my job: "it must be fun to play with all those cool guns and get paid for it!"


Lest others be deluded into thinking that this business is all fun and games, allow me to supply a dose of reality: somedays it literally doesn't pay to get out of bed. 


...Over the years I've made a wide range of spuds in various sizes, and because of that selection I usually have one that will fit properly. ...  I needed a .216" spud, and the closest I had was .214" - not nearly good enough to properly crown the .22LR barrel on which I was working.


...I made a couple of cuts to get close to finished size, but when I measured the diameter I found that it tapered by roughly .002" throughout the length of the piece! 

...I thought that the lathe probably just needed to be re-leveled, which hadn&rsquo;t been done for a couple of years.   I leveled the lathe (which takes a couple of hours if done very carefully), made a test cut, and....it was still off!


...The tailstock, which supports the end of work in a lathe, has to be precisely aligned along the lathe's longitudinal axis. 

...Put yourself in my place: I've got a top-notch Austrian lathe, the best Swiss measuring instruments, and I'm making parts displaying precision more appropriate to a Kalashnikov clone produced in an unlit cave factory outside of Jalalabad. 

...I looked down, and it came to me: the live center in the tailstock must be the source of the problem. 

...I checked the piece I'd machined, in several orientations, and sure enough - not only was it tapered, it was also slightly oval, which is exactly the error a worn live center would produce. 

...With the new center a perfect spud was easily produced, the barrel was beautifully crowned, and the gun will soon be on its way back to a happy shooter.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Monday meanderings.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><category>Self defense</category><category>Blog stuff</category><dc:date>2010-03-01T08:43:25-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/f4b678435c34b645b15973e6dbfc6141-658.html#unique-entry-id-658</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/f4b678435c34b645b15973e6dbfc6141-658.html#unique-entry-id-658</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[NEW ARTICLE UP - Check out my latest article, Dealing With The Double Action Trigger, at the Personal Defense Network!  


COWBOY TACTICAL - Don't know if I learned of this from Tam or Uncle, but it's funny either way! 

...GREAT INTERVIEWS - The ProArms Podcast recently featured interviews with Gila Hayes and Kathy Jackson, regarding their respective books: Personal Defense for Women and Lessons from Armed America.  

...A LITTLE RECOGNITION - Many people have asked about the site's redesign.   The site is built in RapidWeaver; the theme is from Nick Cates Design.   Last week I received an email from Nick, who said he was impressed how I'd used his template.   He asked if he could feature grantcunningham.com in his Showcase, and of course I said yes!   You can see it here.


HOUSEKEEPING - You may notice that the tag cloud has changed a bit.   I wasn't happy with how I'd handled the tags, so I erased them and started over.   Hopefully what you see now is an improvement in usability.


A LITTLE MORE HUMOR - I ran across this link in my archives, and couldn't resist posting it again: How Gun Magazines Write Articles.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>FRIDAY SURPRISE: Motor City throws a rod.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Friday Surprise&#x21;</category><category>History</category><dc:date>2010-02-26T09:16:58-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/c11b2f76f2a5d5b8ec679d0f77c7c31d-657.html#unique-entry-id-657</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/c11b2f76f2a5d5b8ec679d0f77c7c31d-657.html#unique-entry-id-657</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The decline of Detroit fascinates me. 


For many years I've wandered the Northwest visiting ghost towns and abandoned settlements, and always in the back of my mind are the unanswered questions: why did people leave?   What was is like to live in a dying town?   When did people finally figure out that their town was destined for the dust bin of history?   Did it happen suddenly, or was it a slow, agonizing extinction? 


These questions come to the forefront as I watch the continuing downfall of one of America's proudest cities.


I'm not saying that Detroit is going to disappear like, oh, Bourne (Oregon) did.   It might, it might not.   But it's clear that the city's contraction leaves much doubt about its future, and the glorious past of the former powerhouse remains to confront and confound the present residents.


There are lots of great galleries of decaying Detroit around the 'net (I"ve linked to one or two of them), and Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have produced some of the best.   


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pincus on stances.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Techniques &#x26; Training</category><dc:date>2010-02-24T07:53:54-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/38b97a2c7666bf25b96ad21ae9badb2a-656.html#unique-entry-id-656</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/38b97a2c7666bf25b96ad21ae9badb2a-656.html#unique-entry-id-656</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A while back I shared my concept of the shooting stance, about how it was really a type of scaffold - a device by which one can build skills, and of limited utility past that point.


Well, it turns out that I'm not alone at the Blessed Bovine Abattoir - Rob Pincus has a new video up at the Personal Defense Network giving his take on the concept of the stance.   Watch it with an open mind.


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A uniform is scant protection from stupidity.&#xa;</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Techniques &#x26; Training</category><dc:date>2010-02-22T07:29:31-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/40aab8374b86372b0acb46ae756d4471-655.html#unique-entry-id-655</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/40aab8374b86372b0acb46ae756d4471-655.html#unique-entry-id-655</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today we have two tales of poor gun handling.   Pharmacist Tommy sent me this story about a police officer who shot himself in the head. 


From Carteach's blog we get the tale of an Army soldier whose buddy shot him.   The young man is quite lucky to be alive.


What do these two incidents have in common?   People do stupid things with guns they perceive to be unloaded.   (The problem isn&rsquo;t that the gun is or is not loaded, but that people are doing stupid things with them in the first place.)


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Waiting list is closed. (I should have done this on Friday...)</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>What&#x27;s New&#x21;</category><dc:date>2010-02-21T13:17:36-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/3da0a1f3abac481bc8c1c5110f700301-654.html#unique-entry-id-654</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/3da0a1f3abac481bc8c1c5110f700301-654.html#unique-entry-id-654</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I detailed last Wednesday, the waiting list closed Thursday at midnight.   I've gotten several requests since then, which I'll honor.   Any received from this moment on, however, will be deleted. 


Also as noted, I will open the list up again in the next couple of weeks.   If you want a spot on the list, watch for that opening.


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>FRIDAY SURPRISE: Seedy characters.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Friday Surprise&#x21;</category><dc:date>2010-02-19T08:05:18-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b26a3987e2378ab539166b1ad187e5e7-653.html#unique-entry-id-653</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/b26a3987e2378ab539166b1ad187e5e7-653.html#unique-entry-id-653</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Lots of folks, concerned with anything from global warming to economic collapse, are recommending that you have a garden.   What's more, most of them say, you should be planting only non-hybrid varieties and saving the seed from those plants.   Only by doing that can you hope to be self sufficient, or so the theory goes.


Whether you think such advice to be prescient or kooky, there are people who do this on a grand scale.   Read The New Yorker's story about the global seed bank.


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Waiting list is now open&#x2c; Round One.&#xa;</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>What&#x27;s New&#x21;</category><dc:date>2010-02-17T07:51:44-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/5cc208c53e49be708e50f284c6610e0b-652.html#unique-entry-id-652</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/5cc208c53e49be708e50f284c6610e0b-652.html#unique-entry-id-652</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Many people have written to me over the last year, lamenting that they "just missed" getting on the waiting list. ...  The list filled very quickly, and since they were submitted on a first-come first-served basis those who got in a little late were left out in the cold.


...I'll take reservation requests until midnight Thursday, and sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll do the exact same thing again. ...  (Of course the second opening will be announced here on the blog, just like this one has been.)


If after both sessions have closed I've received more reservations than I can handle, I'll let my database program select - at random - those that go into the list.


I know this is a bit unusual, but it's the only way to give everyone a fair chance.   I receive many more requests for work than I can accommodate, and while I'd love to do them all the reality is there are only so many hours in a day. 

...Don't obsess over which gun to list - you can substitute models later if need be.   Please, don't say "I just want you to look it over/check it out"; if you need that kind of service, it's best to visit your local gunsmith.


...Just to be clear: that means I probably won't call for your gun until sometime in 2012. 

...These requests will be used only to fill out the waiting list, and my database will automatically send confirmation emails when the list closes in a couple of weeks.   The reservations will not get any kind of individual response, so please save any questions or dialogue for a separate email.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Notice anything different?</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>What&#x27;s New&#x21;</category><dc:date>2010-02-14T22:04:54-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/8fe3cf1836df2920772d330f5c2b617e-651.html#unique-entry-id-651</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/8fe3cf1836df2920772d330f5c2b617e-651.html#unique-entry-id-651</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Welcome to the new and improved grantcunningham.com!


The site has a new look, but more important has a lot of new functionality.   You'll notice that navigation is easier and more logical, not to mention faster.   The new search facility (see the top right-hand corner of the page) allows everyone - me included! - to find information contained in the many pages on the site.   (It's powered by Google, and may take a day or two to fully index.   If it's not working this moment, give it a day and try again.)


The blog now has a tag cloud in the sidebar.   It's empty at the moment, because I haven't been using tags up to this point.   As I add new posts, and get around to editing the older ones, you'll see the tag cloud grow.


That's not all - I now have Twitter and Facebook accounts, and you'll see the link buttons on many of the pages.   Follow me, be sure to become a fan of the grantcunningham.com Facebook page, and tell your friends to do so as well!


(Of course, if you find any problems, errors, or bugs, please drop me a note.)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>FRIDAY SURPRISE: I miss the Cold War. </title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Friday Surprise&#x21;</category><category>History</category><dc:date>2010-02-12T08:32:36-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/f2e833929750e5cbdb6e9eca92103bea-650.html#unique-entry-id-650</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/f2e833929750e5cbdb6e9eca92103bea-650.html#unique-entry-id-650</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I really do. 


Today a rogue regime can acquire nuclear force simply by writing a check.   A really big check, no doubt, but child's play compared to the old days. 


If you wanted an atomic bomb back then, you had to work a lot harder.


You see, we were absolutely convinced that our sole opponent in the Cold War - the Soviet Union - wanted to bomb us out of existence.   We had our plans, our bombs, our missiles - and so did they. 


We were always trying to find out what they were up to, and they were doing likewise.   That tug-of-war gave us a time of espionage, spies and high intrigue. 


Somehow, The Underwear Bomber just isn't as, well, romantic.


To illustrate my point, one of those Cold War skirmishes was fought by an Iowa-boy-turned-Soviet agent named George Koval.   It's an interesting story.


-=[ Grant ]=-]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Wednesday wanderings.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Accessories</category><dc:date>2010-02-10T09:31:13-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/8aef876daf820054f4b4d09361eb414e-649.html#unique-entry-id-649</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/8aef876daf820054f4b4d09361eb414e-649.html#unique-entry-id-649</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm not wandering all that much today....


SL VARIANT SPEEDLOADERS: Reader Drew R. sends word that Bobby Mac's managed to uncover a small cache of the coveted SL Variant Speedloaders.   If you missed them last time, don't hesitate - they're not being made any longer, and this may be the last you'll see of them.


A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM: Have you been over to the new Personal Defense Network forums yet?   Things are just getting started, and your participation would be welcomed!


-=[ Grant ]=-
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The revolver is not a low-capacity autoloader.</title><dc:creator>www.grantcunningham.com</dc:creator><category>Revolvers</category><category>Techniques &#x26; Training</category><dc:date>2010-02-08T09:35:41-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/914c817a093f2c081a133cd4f8dde197-648.html#unique-entry-id-648</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/914c817a093f2c081a133cd4f8dde197-648.html#unique-entry-id-648</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Over the years, a number of 4x4 vehicles have come under fire for being "prone" to rollover accidents: the Suzuki Samurai. ...  While the government probes their safety and juries award inflated damages, one pertinent fact is conveniently ignored: a four-wheel-drive isn't a family sedan, and can't be driven like one. 

...Since autoloaders became the dominant handgun platform, the necessary skills to efficiently run a revolver have fallen by the wayside. ...  This lack of familiarity has led to the wholesale adoption of handling and shooting techniques that work fine with autos, but don't work so well with revolvers. 


Last week I linked to a little problem that Robb Allen experienced, and used the phrase which serves as today's title.   The thumbs-forward grip that works very well on the autopistol is simply out of place on a revolver, as Robb painfully discovered.   Robb's singed thumb is the perfect illustration of my contention: the auto and the revolver are different tools, and need to be handled differently.


...For instance, trying to emulate the reloading techniques of the autoloader - shooting hand staying gripped on the gun while the support hand does the reloading - forces the revolver shooter to perform a complex, fine motor skill with the hand least suited to do so. 


That's not all, though; leaving the cylinder unsupported can result in crane damage during the reload cycle, particularly on the newer light alloy guns.   It's much better instead to use a reloading method that is designed from the ground up to work around both the shooter's and the revolver's weaknesses.   (One such method, and the one I espouse because it has the fewest operational weaknesses, is the Universal Revolver Reload.)


It's time that firearms training reflected the strengths and weaknesses of the revolver, instead of assuming it's just like an autoloader "except for that round part." ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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