Wednesday Wisdom: 3 December 2025

“False is the idea … that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it … The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm those only who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Can it be supposed that those who have the courage to violate the most sacred laws of humanity, the most important of the code, will respect the less important and arbitrary ones, which can be violated with ease and impunity, and which, if strictly obeyed, would put an end to personal liberty. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides …” Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria (1738-1794)

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 The Definitive Guide to Flying with Guns

A good overview concerning flying with firearms.

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Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with ‘suspicious’ travel patterns

The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.

The problem of course is that people going about their daily business is not probable cause that a crime has been or is being committed; however, it can be flagged as suspicious. 

The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going and which route they took. Federal agents in turn may then notify local law enforcement.

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Understanding the VPN Threat Model

Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs available. Its paid version is quite fast and Proton has a free plan if you'd like to try it out first. Proton’s VPN is feature rich and the pricing is reasonable for the features the program contains, especially if you bundle Proton VPN with the company's other software. I have been using Proton Mail since it was launched in 2014 and started using their VPN when they released it and I am very satisfied with the product.

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Cornwallis’ Last Guard — A Carolina Sportsman’s Ghost Story

The year was 1919. The shrill of hounds broke the night’s silence on Abbotts Creek. A huntsman followed their barking on horseback through the Carolina brush. His gun dogs, Cash and Mean, had just bolted to chase what he thought was a racoon. Gun in hand, he dismounted and made his way through the cockleburs to see his dogs barking frantically up a tree.

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You can take the clans out of Africa; but you can't take Africa out of the clans.

In Africa national borders — and thus nations — are matters of political convenience, if not flat-out arbitrary. Only newbies to Africa even think about nationality, old hands know that tribal affiliation trumps all. Remarkably, these tribal affiliations can have a direct impact on who sits in the mayor’s office in a major US city.

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Reputation 

After assisting a pair of detectives with an evidence search I escorted them out of the jail. One turned and said, "You must have a major reputation. That guy was NOT going to go easily, and you showed up and he calmed right down."  

"Naah, I'm kind, sweet, innocent and gentle. Everybody loves me."

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Doorbell Camera Shows Dekalb Woman Killed Confronting Burglars

Be careful about confronting burglars. A woman was shot and killed Saturday night after driving up to confront suspected burglars outside her DeKalb County home, police said. Doorbell footage shows the burglary in progress and captures the moment Scott pulled up to the house in her vehicle. One of the suspected burglars then opened fire, according to police.

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American Rifleman Archives: Oxford Gunsight

A very early dot sight using a small incandescent bulb. The working principle is this: The bulb is positioned at the focus of the rear surface of the lens. Light rays striking this surface are partially reflected back to the eye of the shooter. All rays from the same point of the bulb are reflected parallel, and because the aperture for the special little bulb is so tiny the total rays are effectively parallel.

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Notes on Building a Warrior Culture

Yet the truth remains: a society that cannot build warriors cannot defend anything it values. We can talk endlessly about rights, but without the men and women who can protect those rights under threat, they are fragile illusions.

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The New Colt Automatic - Pistols in WWI

Canadian Contract 1911 Pistol

One-hand guns were, undoubtedly, designed for the use of mounted men so that they could deliver fire at the enemy while, at the same time, they had the other hand free for the management of their horses. They only fired the one shot and were then useless until reloaded, so they made them big and cumbersome in order that they could be used effectively as a club until a time came when they could again be loaded-a slow process in that day. They were, really and truly, "horse pistols," being so big and cumbersome that no gentleman could have carried one on his person while afoot.

When and where they were first invented is probably known to some of our specialists in antique weapons-I don't know and it is really of no consequence here as this is not supposed to be a treatise on the evolution of firearms anyway. But I am afraid that I shall, now and then, refer to some of the old timers. You see, I'm just as big a "nut" as the next one, and anything pertaining to firearms-yes anything pertaining to killing, whether it be with a stone axe or a blow gun, excites my interest and I want to know about it.

As the son of an ex-cavalryman, born soon after the end of the Civil War, I had a good initiation into the pistol question. Everything from Starr and Colt revolvers back to Tower flintlocks were available for my education. Pepper-boxes, derringers-I tried them all and just naturally grew up with the idea that it was a part of the education of every American citizen to know how to shoot a pistol well enough to disable your enemy before he gets you. I never, then or since, have made any effort to become a prize-winning shot on the range.

I am not and never have been a threat to the pistol shooters in the National Matches, but have always tried to keep in practice sufficiently to give myself the feeling of assurance that in a pinch I can get my gun out and shoot as fast and as straight as the other fellow. Well, that's the way it was when the war started in 1914, and I went up to Canada to see what it was all about.

The regulation equipment for officers in the Canadian Army, or at least in the Second Division, included the Colt .45 Automatic, an exact duplicate of our Model 1911. Naturally I was quite familiar with this gun and it was my privilege, as Musketry Instructor, to be present when these arms were received by the officers of the Twenty-first Battalion. The officers first tried out these .45s on our improvised indoor rifle range, in the armouries at Kingston, and their experience was exactly the same as I had seen, numberless times, in the United States Army. The range was fifty feet, and the targets of the usual short-range type used by the infantry for indoor instruction firing with reduced ammunition. 

At the first attempts, many of the shots struck on the concrete floor, anywhere from fifteen to forty feet in front of the firer. You can probably imagine the effect this had upon that crowd. It required a lot of argument to persuade some of those officers that the gun was "worth a damn." But that was only temporary. After a little instruction, emphasized by practical demonstration with those same guns, they soon learned the game and could hold and squeeze as well as the next fellow.

I have said that this pistol was the authorized "regulation." Well, that is true in the sense that they were authorized for use, and quantities had been purchased so that the officers could procure them, but it was not obligatory. Those who so desired were at liberty to use the Webley or the .45 Colt or Smith and Wesson revolver. One, whom I well remember, had two Colts which took the .455 Webley cartridge-and did good work with them too. The Webley pistol never appealed to me, probably because of its cumbersome appearance. The thing would shoot however, and it made a dandy club with which to bean an obstreperous prisoner.

As I was quite familiar with the new Colt Automatic I was able to be of some assistance during the preliminary work of breaking them in and it was not long until the officers were accustomed to the peculiarities of the gun and could make it behave to their satisfaction. Those who had had experience with the revolver entertained the almost universal prejudice against the automatic: 's funny, isn't it-how we hate to discard our old loves and take up with new ones (in this shooting game I mean, it appears to be easy enough regarding some other things). But even the most conservative of the old timers soon recognized the real advantages of the later type weapon.

I staged several realistic demonstrations; including fast reloading in the dark and such stunts, and that converted most of them. As to reliability-dependability in an emergency-there was little choice between the revolver and the automatic. Both types would function properly with the same degree of care. It is possible that there were instances of an automatic "jamming" now and then, but personally I never had it happen to me during the war, nor did I see or hear of any instance of it happening.

All these arguments as to the relative merits of the revolver and the automatic pistol will probably continue for another generation. Most of the old timers who learned to shoot with the revolver have a deep-seated prejudice against the automatic-but when you come down to the root of their argument, it all seems to base upon the "hang" of the two guns, the newer automatic does not point right with the same old habitual kink in the wrist. I have used the .45 Automatic ever since 1911, but for twenty years prior to that time had used the revolver. 

Even now, I find myself having a sneaking sort of preference for the revolver and feel confident that I can make a better score on the target with it, either slow or rapid fire. But in spite of all this, I unhesitatingly choose the automatic for actual use in war. To my mind, the great advantage of the automatic lies in the ease and rapidity with which it can be reloaded-especially in the dark. 

Anyone who doubts this can easily satisfy himself by trying to hurriedly reload a revolver in the dark, with a crowd of roughnecks milling all around and trying to hit someone with clubs, knives and fists. Or, if this seems too rough, just get some friend to jostle you about or run into you while trying it. There is really no comparison between slipping a fresh magazine into the butt of the pistol and fumbling with six small cartridges in trying to get them into six different revolver chambers.

(Excerpt from A Rifleman Went to War, Herbert W. McBride, Published by Samworth / Small-Arms Technical Pub. Co., 1935., Onslow County, 1935) 

Capt. Ret. Herbert W. McBride (1873 - 1933) was an American who joined the Canadian Army in 1914 during the beginning of WWI because he “wanted to find out what a ‘regular war’ was like.” He found out.

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Wednesday Wisdom: 26 November 2025

A weekly compilation of valuable information and insights for the citizen defender. These posts will contain links to my writing as well as posts that I believe are worth the time and trouble to read. They will cover the entire gamut of personal security, electronic security, self defense, firearms, equipment, and more.

Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, Thanksgiving 1993

As we celebrate our traditional festival of thankfulness, we Americans may ponder a bit on what we are being thankful for. I do not think it seemly to dwell, at this point, upon the individual disasters with which we are beset, since gloom-saying never accomplishes anything worthwhile. The times are indeed very dark - probably darker than any time since the founding of the Republic, but while we all do our individual best to hold back the tide of disaster, we should in truth take a moment to remember the good things that we enjoy. It is fitting that Thanksgiving should be celebrated at a feast, because come what may, we all have plenty to eat. In truth, there may be Americans here and there who are temporarily on the ropes, but they are exceptional and unusual. On the contrary, the thing that most foreigners observe first about Americans is that they are uniformly too fat. No, hunger is not our problem, but the loss of our liberty is. So while we do our best to hold back the political night which threatens us, we can enjoy our traditional feast with family and friends - realizing that the news is not all bad.

Not Safe for Work: Tracking and Investigating Stealerium and Phantom Infostealers

Don’t click that link! Threat actors are increasingly turning to information stealers in malware delivery, and Proofpoint threat researchers have observed an increase in the variety of commodity information stealers regularly used by cybercriminal threat actors. While many threat actors prefer malware-as-a-service offerings like Lumma Stealer or Amatera Stealer, some actors prefer to use malware that can be purchased one time, or openly available on platforms like GitHub. Stealerium is a good example of this. In 2022, it emerged as a freely available open-source malware on GitHub, and is still available to download “for educational purposes only.” While open-source malware can be helpful for detection engineers and threat hunters to understand the patterns of behavior for which they can develop threat detection signatures, it also provides a different kind of education to malicious actors. These actors may adopt, modify, and possibly improve the open-source code, resulting in a proliferation of variants of the malware that are not so easy to detect or defend against.

Attacks and Attackers, Categorized

The types of attacks one may face fall into one of the following two categories: opportunistic and focused or targeted. These two descriptions exist on far ends of the spectrum; every attack will fall somewhere between the two.

Evolution in the Dark

The subject of escape and evasion is everywhere at the moment. One can find it featured in print and in online videos, there are even entire blogs, podcasts, and websites dedicated to the subject. In addition, escape and evasion seminars are being taught all over the world — there is no shortage of information on the topic.

Handguns

Derided as a tool of criminals, handguns are the only reasonable choice in defensive firearms in the vast majority of settings and occasions. The criticism (from people who dislike all guns) is that handguns are small and hence easily concealable. Their twisted logic follows that the opportunity to commit a crime creates criminals who then commit crimes. Hence, their opinion that owning a handgun can transform an ‘ordinary’ person into a homicidal maniac at the slightest provocation.

A Brief History of Tritium in Commercial Use: From Labs to Glow Fobs

When most people think about glowing gadgets today, they might picture stylish glow fobs, or the tritium vials used in keychains and outdoor gear. But the story of tritium in commercial use goes back much further than the modern Outdoor world. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, has been a quiet workhorse for decades, finding its way from research labs into watches, emergency exit signs, and now, into the hands of everyday adventurers.

I have a glow fob on my keychain and have found it very useful when locating my keys in the dark.

A Brief History of the Steyr Scout

The Steyr Scout is the result of the collaboration of many individuals. The scout rifle concept was the brainchild of Jeff Cooper, noted author and shottist who in the early 1980 conceived of the concept of a light, handy, general purpose field rifle (as opposed to a "paper puncher") capable of handling targets up to about 800 - 1000 pounds in weight. In conjunction with several other shooters the concept was codified during several “scout rifle conferences” beginning in December of 1983.

I have an earlier scout and love it. If I could only have one rifle, this would be it.

Deliberate Practice Part 3--Putting it all Together

So you’ve read the articles, books, blogs, and watched all the videos of the Distinguished Masters; you can do this—Right? This is where most people breathe a sigh of relief and go back to their repetitive practice routine (if they practice at all). And then they fail miserably because at the end of the day becoming a better shooter is not about knowing—it is about doing. 

DTI Quips: The Battle for New Orleans, January 1815

Allowing oneself to be pressured into rash actions is usually a formula for failure. Single-minded people who are unrealistically expectant of continuous, positive outcomes are always candidates for calamity. Pakenham was overwhelmed by romantic prospects and inflexibility in his thinking. The current presidential conflict provides another perfect example. Well-rounded people who live a full life and are thus intimately acquainted with both victory and failure make superior commanders.

Are Martial Arts (or Shooting Training) Self-Defense?

The short answer is 'no.' That answer, however, will create a storm of controversy -- especially from people who have invested years of the study and those who make their living by teaching martial arts/shooting AS self-defense.

What most people do not understand is that “self-defense” is not a verb – it is a legal term.

Why Google is really warning 2.5 billion Gmail users to stop using their passwords.

Google is telling users to change their passwords, but not because of a breach that exposed them. In fact, Google’s real advice is to stop using your password altogether. 

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Testing Buffalo Bore Full Wadcutter Self-Defense Loads

I recently did ballistics testing of the Buffalo Bore standard pressure .38 Special,150 grain wadcutter and their 200 grain .44 Special standard pressure wadcutter heavy self-defense loads.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a full wadcutter is a bullet that has a completely flat face that is often seated flush or nearly flush with the cartridge’s mouth. Bullseye competition shooters originally used wadcutters in revolvers because this design leaves a sharp, round hole in paper targets making them easier to score and increasing the likelihood of cutting a line and therefore getting a higher score. Smith and Wesson as well as enterprising gunsmiths eventually designed or modified semi-automatic pistols to feed .38 Special wadcutter bullets.

Learned gun pundits such as Jeff Cooper and Jack P. Lewis recommended loading wadcutter bullets for self-defense during the 1970s and 1980s. In Lewis’s Law Enforcement Handgun Digest, he discusses loading the Speer 148 grain .38 target hollow-base wadcutter backwards in the case.(1)

Of course, we have progressed since we used dry sand as a ballistics testing medium. Buffalo Bore loads their .38 Special with a hard cast 150gr. wadcutter bullet. Buffalo Bore states that they cast these bullets “hard” so they will not deform or mushroom when passing through soft tissue. This bullet design cuts or crushes a .357 full diameter hole in human flesh just like it does on a paper target. According to Buffalo Bore, “. . . it penetrates deeply (roughly 14 to 16 inches in human tissue) and its full diameter profile maximizes blood loss as it cuts and crushes its way through tissue.” (Note: I have no idea how Buffalo Bore came to this conclusion. Human tissue testing seems rather out there; therefore, I seriously doubt that the bullets were tested on human tissue).

Be that as it may, I tested the Buffalo Bore 150 grain wadcutter .38 Special load with 10% calibrated synthetic ballistic gelatin. I fired the bullets from ten feet through a double thickness of a corduroy jacket material with a layer of five-ounce dress shirt material inside the jacket. I did this to simulate a scenario where the bullet had to penetrate from a side angle.

I fired all the shots from a Smith & Wesson 342PD Titanium Centennial .38 Special and achieved an average velocity of 849 feet per second (fps) from the two-inch barrel. Through this lightweight pistol, the recoil was brutal. The average penetration was twenty inches in the ballistic gel. Although this exceeded the FBI standard of 12-18 inches, if the nominal penetration in the synthetic gel is greater than the FBI standard, we can adjust the penetration by multiplying by 0.85 to reach a standardized penetration of seventeen inches.(2) (see below)

.38 Special

I also tested the Buffalo Bore Anti-Personnel .44 Special Ammo with a 200 grain, hard cast wadcutter in 10% calibrated synthetic ballistic gelatin. I fired these rounds from a S&W Model 696 with a three-inch barrel and achieved an average velocity of 935 feet per second (fps). Although a heavier bullet at a higher velocity, recoil was much less brutal from this pistol. Once again, the average penetration was twenty inches in the ballistic gel which we can standardize to seventeen inches (see below).

.44 Special

As I expected, all recovered bullets retained almost 100% of their initial weight. The .38 Special bullets had an average retained weight of 147.70 grains (98%) while the .44 Special bullets had an average retained weight of 197.67 grains (99%). (see below)

So, do I recommend these bullets for everyday carry? Yes, I do and I have started carrying them when I carry my revolvers. The one downside to full wadcutter bullets is the potential challenge associated reloading a flat-nosed bullet in the revolver. Although my cylinder chambers are chamfered, I still suspect reloading under stress would be difficult. I carry rounder-nosed hollow points for reloads.

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(1) Law Enforcement Handgun Digest; Lewis, Jack, 1924-2009; published 1980

(2) The tissue stimulant the FBI uses in their ballistic tests is Kind & Knox or Vyse 250-A ordnance gelatin. A standard FBI protocol ballistic gelatin block for testing ammunition is composed of porcine gelatin mixed at a 10% concentration. This is dissolved in 140 degrees Fahrenheit water and then refrigerated for 2 days. It must pass a strict calibration criteria to be valid as a test medium. The cooled gelatin solidifies and becomes a flexible solid with mechanical properties similar to human muscle tissue. A 10-percent porcine gelatin block matches living muscle tissue’s low-velocity flow characteristics and has a density like mammalian muscle tissue.

While the FBI has the resources to conduct testing with porcine gelatin, most private citizens wishing to test ammunition do not. Ballistic gels made from natural gelatin are typically a somewhat clear yellow brown color and are generally not re-usable. Therefore, most private testing is done with Clear Ballistics gelatin. This gelatin is 100% synthetic, so it doesn't require any special storage and can be remelted. An additional benefit is that the gelatin is completely transparent and shelf-stable from -10 F to 95 F (-23.3 C to 35 C). Thus, it is much easier to use than the FBI standard gelatin; however, it does not accurately mimic the FBI formula. Bullets fired into the Clear Ballistics gelatin often demonstrate a penetration that is approximately 20% greater than a bullet fired into the FBI standard gel.