# What I've learned on HGF



## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Today while I was cleaning my XD, I was pondering on what I've learned since I joined this forum. Being that I'm still young and have a lot of growing up to do, I like to sit down on occasion and look back on progress I've made in different areas. So I figured I'd go over what I've learned here.

1. Ballistics...obviously, a key subject for SD. Penetration levels, expansion, causes for unexpanding HPs, etc.

2. Marksmanship, tactics, mindset, and the rest that Mike loves to highlight are more important than what gun you carry, what brand/weight bullet you use, and how big and wide the bullet is.

3. Desert Eagles are for handgun enthusiasts/collectors, and for guys with small penises. They are too large for CC, too expensive to plink with, inferior to a shotgun or rifle for HD, and generally speaking are impractical to own.

4. Shotguns are not rifles...so don't try to make them one.

5. Tactical accessories, while fun to own, don't make you a better shooter. I learned my lesson with the reflex sights on the .22...the iron sights are more reliable, won't break, and take a true marksman to use well. But I'm still putting a sidesaddle and mag extension on the shotgun when I get it.

6. Being able to rapidly hit COM in a SD situation is more important than ballistics...a 9mm that hits is superior to a .45 that misses. It's also more important than being able to have 2" groupings at 7 yards.

7. Suppressors aren't worth the time and money.

8. AR-15s aren't for hunting.

9. Starting slow and correctly is important. Bad habits are hard to break.

10. In a HD situation, sneaking around looking for someone isn't the smartest thing to do. Waiting and holding the element of surprise for yourself is better.

11. If ever attacked, one should be able to draw and fire as quickly as possible. Time taken to (or forgetting to) rack the slide can cost you.

12. Pistol grips on shotguns are impractical unless you're in the military or hunting turkey.

13. Thigh holsters look ridiculous.

14. One should shoot defensively to stop, not to wound or kill.

15. Never draw unless you're justified in pulling the trigger, and are willing to do so.

I think I could list a few more, but those are the most important.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

You are making great progress young man. 

Except:

The Boys in Georgia and Alabama will run you out of the woods if you show up with a pistol grip shotgun for a Turkey hunt. :anim_lol:

Enjoy but stay safe.

:smt1099


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> 13. Thigh holsters look ridiculous.


... unless you're Angelina Jolie.



fivehourfrenzy said:


> 15. Never draw unless you're justified in pulling the trigger, and are willing to do so.


And this is why arguments that say a trigger job is bad on a carry gun are bogus. A LEO may draw and aim at a suspect to perform an arrest. The rest of us will only draw and aim when you have to shoot to save your life.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

propellerhead said:


> And this is why arguments that say a trigger job is bad on a carry gun are bogus. A LEO may draw and aim at a suspect to perform an arrest. The rest of us will only draw and aim when you have to shoot to save your life.


Yeah, I get what you're saying. It's not like you'll draw when attacked and blame the trigger on a negligent discharge. If you had the gun out in the first place, you should be justified in shooting someone.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

propellerhead said:


> And this is why arguments that say a trigger job is bad on a carry gun are bogus. A LEO may draw and aim at a suspect to perform an arrest. The rest of us will only draw and aim when you have to shoot to save your life.


19 times in 20, according to studies (John Lott, Gary Kleck, etc.), a defensive handgun produced by a civilian will _not_ be fired. The attacker will flee or be held for the police. We should not assume that just because our gun comes out of the holster that we will be firing it. The majority of the time it will not be fired, and simply returned to the holster. This is a good thing.

ARs are good for varmint hunting/shooting, at least the kind where you sit in one spot for hours and shoot a lot at distant little critters. I'm not crazy about them for carrying while walking, though, because the protruding pistol grip and magazine, along with the high sights, are rather awkward after an hour or two.

Thigh holsters not only look ridiculous, they are uncomfortable if you have to walk any distance in them.


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

propellerhead said:


> ... unless you're Angelina Jolie.


:mrgreen::mrgreen:

um personally i can't think of anything that WOULDN'T look good in this case. Some things that look better, but i digress.

FHF - it is nice to see you internalizing info.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> ARs are good for varmint hunting/shooting, at least the kind where you sit in one spot for hours and shoot a lot at distant little critters. I'm not crazy about them for carrying while walking, though, because the protruding pistol grip and magazine, along with the high sights, are rather awkward after an hour or two.


I was planning on using them for deer...not good for deer.



niadhf said:


> FHF - it is nice to see you internalizing info.


Well, I do like to sit down and think about what I've learned. It seems that every day I wake up and go through the motions, everyone seems a bit different. And even over the course of a week, someone who I had a pretty full impression of has completely changed into something different, whether it be for the best or for the worst. And I'm realizing that it's not everyone else that's changing, it's me. I'm constantly taking in new ideas and letting them play a role in who I am, and consequently, I look at things differently. No, the yellow paint on the road doesn't start to turn purple, but some girl I thought I liked might start to seem not all that appealing, or some guy I thought was really out there might start to seem pretty down to earth. Everyone goes through changes, but lately it's been taking place so quickly.


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> Thigh holsters not only look ridiculous, they are uncomfortable if you have to walk any distance in them.


+1

They are also f**king uncomfortable for the guy on the bench next to you.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

submoa said:


> +1
> 
> They are also f**king uncomfortable for the guy on the bench next to you.


If I was in the woods in full camo, rifle, and was stalking a deer, a thigh holster wouldn't look *that* silly. But the one time I saw someone with a thigh holster was when I was taking my CCDW class. Some dude rolled in 20 minutes late with his g/f and was wearing a thigh holster with a pair of jeans and a jacket. Needless to say, he looked like a complete idiot.


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## submoa (Dec 16, 2007)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> If I was in the woods in full camo, rifle, and was stalking a deer, a thigh holster wouldn't look *that* silly. But the one time I saw someone with a thigh holster was when I was taking my CCDW class. Some dude rolled in 20 minutes late with his g/f and was wearing a thigh holster with a pair of jeans and a jacket. Needless to say, he looked like a complete idiot.


Point missed. Spend 6 hours in a packed non-air conditioned AN2 knee to cheek with local thigh-holstered teenaged gunfighers. Understand what f**king uncomfortable means.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

submoa said:


> Point missed. Spend 6 hours in a packed non-air conditioned AN2 knee to cheek with local thigh-holstered teenaged gunfighers. Understand what f**king uncomfortable means.


Point missed...spend 6 hours in an unpacked air conditioned room with nobody around while *I* go romping through the woods by myself with a thigh holster.  I get what you're saying...I'd rather have an OWB holster than a thigh holster any day.


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## khellandros66 (Oct 1, 2007)

Major props for this thread w/ some good chuckles too.

I have learned that maturity and respect for the responsiblity we few choose to endure is something no one can explain but only in experience. 

Changes, I have become vastly more patient. Driving, shopping etc.

I sleep much more soundly

Firearm is an extension of willpower, and good will power requires the choice to act and act on smart choices.

Gotta hand to all here that are so so dedicated to the rights but also to learners and treating every even us new guys with respect. Something not common to many forums.

Cheers

Bobby


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

submoa said:


> +1
> 
> They are also f**king uncomfortable for the guy on the bench next to you.


Or the guys next to you on a Blackhawk or Chinook. :mrgreen:

They also make the already-cramped seat of a HMMWV much worse, unless you're a gunner - where their main purpose is to get tangled up with the strap seat. Even in a CUCV, which is basically just an old Blazer, they make getting past the steering wheel difficult when getting in or out of the truck.

Additionally, they serve to wear a nice hole in your thigh when you walk a few miles in one.

My only explanation for the popularity of these things is Hollywood and the Tactical Tough Guys in the silly gun rags. And if I saw someone wearing one while hunting, I would probably laugh so hard I'd scare away the deer for a five-mile radius. No doubt said hunter would also be armed with an AR15, because you have to dress like the point man on a SWAT team to shoot a herbivore.


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

I'll be dressed like the shotgunner. Not sure where exactly that falls in proper termage.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

The shotgunner's job is just to breach the entryway. He normally then falls back to an M4 or similar.


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## BeefyBeefo (Jan 30, 2008)

khellandros66 said:


> Gotta hand to all here that are so so dedicated to the rights but also to learners and treating every even us new guys with respect. Something not common to many forums.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Bobby


Well said, and I must completely agree with you. Having not even been a member of this forum very long, I have learned SO much, and it seems as though everyone here is willing to share information, teach and learn all at them same time. Something that is priceless in a forum, and is the reason I will not be going anywhere. This is a GREAT place for all those out there, learners and the experienced alike.

-Jeff-


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## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> Today while I was cleaning my XD, I was pondering on what I've learned since I joined this forum. Being that I'm still young and have a lot of growing up to do, I like to sit down on occasion and look back on progress I've made in different areas. So I figured I'd go over what I've learned here.
> 
> 1. Ballistics...obviously, a key subject for SD. Penetration levels, expansion, causes for unexpanding HPs, etc.
> 
> ...


If you keep this up you'll do well in life................................................ and probably end up a Republican :smt082
:smt023


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> The shotgunner's job is just to breach the entryway. He normally then falls back to an M4 or similar.


Well since I'm getting a shotgun and not an M4, I guess I'll just go door to door breaching entryways so the neighbors don't have to fumble for their keys to get in. :mrgreen:



gmaske said:


> If you keep this up you'll do well in life................................................ and probably end up a Republican :smt082
> :smt023


I'm already a republican. :smt033


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Well, a shotgun has somewhat a different mission for an armed citizen versus a SWAT or military entry team. :mrgreen:


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> Well, a shotgun has somewhat a different mission for an armed citizen versus a SWAT or military entry team. :mrgreen:


Something like that. Whether it's blasting rabbits or home invaders, I don't think I'll be breaching any doors.


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## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

fivehourfrenzy said:


> I'm already a republican. :smt033


I knew there was somethin I liked about you BOY! :mrgreen:
:smt023


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

gmaske said:


> I knew there was somethin I liked about you BOY! :mrgreen:
> :smt023


I've always had somewhat conservative political views, despite being a very liberal person. However, after purchasing my first handgun and getting involved in the gun community, I've learned the typical democrats don't go to uphold our 2nd amendment rights. **** that. Anyone that tries to take away my right to defend myself with a deadly weapon sucks. Also, they're anti-hunting. **** that. Even my mom who isn't a fan of guns was talking about how overpopulated the deer are getting, and how the KY fish and wildlife officials are having to kill bunches of them every year with their (get this)...suppressed .308, BITCHES!!! And democrats think we owe it to home invaders to retreat, even if it means leaving our own home, to prevent a confrontation. **** that. Some idiot breaks into my home, he'll get nothing but lead.

I fish, I hunt, I carry...and any democrat that tries to take that away will get no support from me.


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