CNBC vs. the Remington 700

Links:

CNBC: Part 1  -  Part 2  -  Part 3
Remington(tm): Video Response  - Written Response

    It came to my attention via Facebook that major problem had been found with the Remington 700 rifle. This is a rifle that has been around for a very long time, has many variations (both civilian and military), and has been revered by enthusiasts. I was instantly disturbed by this news. The post cited "a television program" describing horrendous unintended discharges that have caused deaths. I am going to attempt to be unbiased in my presentation here, but make no promises.

CNBC claims:
    The story states that the rifle can go off without a deliberate pull of the trigger. This is a serious issue should it be true. The report shows a rifle discharging when a user touches the bolt handle. The evidence presented in the story includes many lawsuits lobbied against Remington(tm), heart rending stories of tragic accidental shootings, statements by people that claim to have either extensive firearms knowledge or Remington(tm) company, members of police and military agencies that say they have seen the rifles misfire (sic), and document excerpts that seem to have damning information that Remington(tm) is aware of the issue.

Remington(tm) claims:
    The responses, both written and video, have been very resolute. The manufacturer maintains that while many lawsuits have been lobbied, most have been thrown out. Of those that have gone to court, nearly all resulted in no blame to the firearm. Remington(tm) maintains that very few of the firearms that are involved were allowed to be inspected by the manufacturer. Whether tested by them or a third party, they say that the fault could not be duplicated on any of the guns involved in these tragic incidents. Remington(tm) also maintains that many of the "insiders" interviewed did not work in departments that would have knowledge of firearm complaints, and their interviews were edited so that the viewer was lead to agree with CNBC's assessment. Evidence provided included reports by the military and law enforcement agencies that state that while malfunctions occurred, the trigger mechanisms had been altered by the users. They also point out that in one of the tragic shootings, the rifle was old and in poor, rusted condition. In another case, a loaded rifle was passed between individuals, most likely with the safety off, and that there are discrepancies in the police report and how CNBC portrayed the incident.
    Remington(tm) maintains that unintended discharge cannot happen when the rifle is unaltered and maintained.

Should you be concerned?
    Ultimately, you should always watch for reports like these. Some are true, while others are not. As gun owners, we should inspect our Remington 700 models to be sure. Do this at the range with the rifle always pointed in a safe direction. In this process, make sure to thoroughly clean and inspect the rifle. Remington says that guns that malfunctioned were modified, so I would not recommend any mods to this rifle. If you have done work on the rifle, either treat it as if it could malfunction at any time, or order a new factory trigger mechanism (preferably installed by the manufacturer.) 

Remember safety.
    The shootings mentioned in the CNBC report are tragic. However, they point out the importance of safe gun handling. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the most important rule to follow is to ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction no matter what. Some call this "muzzle awareness" and I often add on, "always treat it like it's loaded." If the muzzle is not pointed at a person, then injuries are not part of any discharge whether intended or not. 

How to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

     A recent article (LINK) by the New Haven Advocate poses this question. This is a dilemma for both ends of the gun control spectrum. Firearm advocates will be the first to tell you that the vast majority of gun crimes are committed by persons that are not legal owners; usually drug dealers, gang members, and various other repeat offenders. Gun control proponents know this is true, but the difference of opinion comes in how to get guns off the streets.

    Gun control liberals want to take all guns away. Thus far (trying to be less biased here), the ideas that they have had would punish legal owners much more than any criminal. On the other hand, the conservative pro-gun groups don't have any grand ideas on how to target only illegal guns either.

    I like the article linked above because it was written in a liberal state with strict laws, yet takes a rather moderate approach to the topic. I was ready to be angry when I saw the statement about going after suppliers - because multiple federal agencies are trying to restrict or regulate federally licensed dealers. The problem, however, does not lie with them because they do all the necessary paperwork and sell legal guns to legal owners. The problem (identified correctly in this article) is when that owner decides to do something illegal by selling that firearm to someone that is not legal to possess one, or  does not report a lost or stolen gun. Rather than persecuting federal dealers and placing restrictions on legal buyers, the focus needs to be on investigation, arrest, and stiffer penalties for those "middlemen" that are truly supplying the criminal element.

In the NEWS - December 19, 2010

    I've been slacking lately because of finals and such, but here is an article that happened a couple days ago...

    The Washington Post (as well as many other media sources) reported this week that the feds (read ATF) have proposed a regulation that would require gun dealers report to the government when they sell 2 or more semi-automatic rifles. The purported motive for this is to stem the flow of weapons to Mexico. For the full article, click HERE.

Really?

    I personally would like to see what data they are using to determine how American firearms supposedly get into the hands of the Mexican cartels, and how they can justify infringing on our rights.

    The ATF declined to comment to The Wahington Post - as usual. However, Chris Cox of the NRA did comment. "This administration does not have the guts to build a wall, but they do have the audacity to blame and register gun owners for Mexico's problems," Cox said. "NRA supports legitimate efforts to stop criminal activity, but we will not stand idle while our Second Amendment is sacrificed for politics."


     This indicates that this may well be the first major rub between the NRA and the Obama Administration. The NRA believes that this is a masked front by the feds to create a national database. This is further compounded by the section in the Obamacare bill that wants to establish a national database for everyone's medical records. As good as that sounds, it reeks of the method used to deprive thousands of veterans of their right to bear arms. If you missed it, many veteran medical records were released to the  ATF and FBI and then entered into the NICS - thus barring them from buying firearms. With that in mind, you can see how lawful owners start to feel as if the feds are just trying to find a loophole that will allow them to record every gun that exists.




    The feds need to stop penalizing the good guys under the deception that it will catch the bad guys. They want us to do the work for them rather than having to investigate themselves.

Learn Gun Safety With Eddie Eagle

     I mentioned in one of my news posts that parents are responsible for keeping firearms out of the hands of unsupervised children. I will now take that statement one step further. For parents, it is vitally important to teach children that firearms are dangerous. The key to this is teaching kids to respect guns rather than fear them. For my boys, a key component in their gun education came early thanks to the NRA.
    I learned about this video when taking a personal protection class from a gentleman that has been a certified NRA instructor longer than I have been alive. The class qualifies in my state toward obtaining a concealed carry permit, but is as much about how to defend your home and property as it is firearms. It is an old cartoon and this YouTube version degrades the quality, but it is good enough to show to parents, aunts, uncles, grandchildren, etc. I implore you to take a few moments and watch this no matter how old you are or your parental status. It really is the best approach I have come across to educating young kids in the armed household.



     Now let me tell you, when I saw this video I thought it might be too cheesy to have the desired effect. I could not have been more wrong. My two young boys were singing right along with Eddie by the end of the video and asked to watch it again. The skeptic in me then pondered whether the message was really understood, or if the boys were just enamored with the character.
     About a week after the boys (6 and 3 years old at the time) watched this, I put it to the test. I cleared my hunting rifle, removed the bolt, verified the chamber was clear, and put the safety on. Needless to say, there was absolutely no way that the rifle could be fired in this state. While the boys were in the tub, I placed the stripped rifle on their dresser. Once bath time was done, I sent them into their room to get pajamas while I waited just around the corner.
     At first, they didn't even notice. After a few moments, the older boy spots it. The initial reaction I hear is, "Wow! Look!" However, just as I was about to walk in and expect to) find him touching it I hear, "Oh wait! If you see a gun.... Stop! Don't touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!" He comes running out of the room calling me, and tells me that he sees a gun in his room. I was ecstatic.
     I still keep my firearms out of reach and hidden. But after that test and a couple of subsequent checks, I feel a lot better about having guns in the house. The boys are still immensely curious about firearms, but are good at only being inquisitive when I have one on me and under my control. They are aware that they can ask questions, but can only touch if fully supervised by an adult (although that request is usually denied.) They have not watched the video in quite a while, but if I asked them to, they could recite the ditty today.

Review: Possibly the best self-defense ammunition.

     My father-in-law recently bought me a box of  Hornady's Critical Defense® ammunition. The message I got with it was that he had converted his carry ammo to this product as well. Right off, I was impressed that he put that much stock into ammunition. He also left with it an article from a reputable gun magazine. (Guns & Ammo and Shooting Times have both done articles, as have quite a few more.)

A little back-story...

     About a month prior, a few conversations happened about ammo. First, my father-in-law was discussing with my wife the pros and cons of hollow point rounds after a debate happened at the local sporting goods store. The clerk basically took the position that my wife's 9mm  hollow points were not effective in Alaska in the winter, due to the heavy jackets worn up here. He argued that the round would mushroom too soon and not get proper penetration.

     Around the same time-frame, my father-in-law asked me to start thinking about what kind of ammo I would like to carry in my new XDm 45 ACP. The conversation again went to ballistics, although our conversations get more in depth with velocity in relation to bullet weight as well. I quickly set to looking up some options, but he would drop the Critical Defense rounds off before I gave him an answer.

     Back to the ammo itself. I really like the concept of this round, and the videos put out by the manufacturer are pretty impressive. In the cutout image, you notice a filler in the hollow portion of the bullet. One would think that this would cause the round to act more like ball ammunition, but this is not the case. In fact, what Hornady discovered in testing this bullet, is that the clerk wsa only 50% right. He was correct that standard hollow points were less effective for me to shoot someone wearing a Carhart coat. Where he was wrong is that the round would not mushroom too soon, and in fact may not spread at all!

     What got the ball rolling (according to the story in the magazine I read) was a presentation of ballistic tests to the FBI. Apparently, all the impressive images of the damage done to ballistic gel seemed convincing until an agent said words to the effect of - "that's great if I'm shooting a naked suspect."

     So, that got people thinking. It was discovered that when shooting through FBI standard winter coat material, a standard hollow point would in fact cut a swatch (think cookie-cutter) that would remain in the hollow area. This material would then prevent the expansion normally caused by the body's blood and fluids exacting pressure on the inside of the hollow point. The end result was much more like shooting someone with a full metal jacket round. (Therefore, the clerk's theory of less penetration was completely wrong.)

.45 acp test

     The end result would be a hybrid round that combined elements of Hornady's FTX rifle bullet and the standard jacketed hollow point. The material you see inside the hollow cavity is designed to be flexible to a specification that is consistent with the round's weight and velocity. The material in the .380 bullet is not the same as you find in the .45acp round. The filler allows the round to penetrate the clothing without clogging the nose. Once the projectile is through the coat and enters the body, the bodily fluids have enough pressure to push the flexible material inward and then out evenly. The tests show that the result is proper penetration and nearly perfect mushrooming each time. This means that maximum damage is done past the coat and in the body (6-7 inches worth) with an additional penetration of a few inches more past that. In other words, the maximum energy occurs where tissue and organs are... a more fatal shot.


     The price? Depending on your caliber, you are looking at $1.00 to $1.50 per round (about $22 to $30 per box of 20.) My one wish is that I could get this in a 24-30 round box, as I use high capacity magazines.

     These are only available as a factory loaded round. That is due to the fact that the powder used is part of the specification to get the velocity that corresponds to the filler material, and the bullet is crimped to avoid setback. (Setback is the result of the bullet being pushed further into the case by repeated chambering, which causes excessive pressure when fired. This excessive pressure could cause damage to a semi-automatic pistol.)

    I highly recommend this round. Unfortunately, I can't give you my personal test results because I can neither afford to buy blocks of ballistic gel, nor can I just go shoot someone with one. I will however embed the YouTube video that Hornady provides, and you can click the link in the first paragraph to read the features I didn't cover in this blog.

     As a disclaimer... These are my personal views on this product. I have not been paid by any company for this review. I have made every attempt to use my own language throughout this posting, and any similarity between what I have said and any other article is coincidental. The images belong to Hornady, and are used only for reference purposes.

In the NEWS - November 24, 2010

Rep. Tom Hackbarth's loaded gun costs him leadership post

    We once again see an example of poor judgment. In this case, no one was hurt. However, we should all use this article (click the link above) as a reminder. Although we have a right to carry (Hackbarth even had a CCW), we need to know that certain situations should be avoided when we are armed. Regardless of what the intention was here, it is the perception that makes everyone nervous here. Hackbarth (allegedly) made this worse by being belligerent when contacted by authorities.

    The good news in this article comes at the end. He had a permit, and he got his gun back. While I think this guy is an idiot for putting himself in this situation, I support his right to carry until such time that a conviction or diagnosis disqualifies him.

 

Two arrested on gun charges

    I'm torn on this one. On one hand, we have another case of idiocy. Like the first article, these ladies (allegedly) had a firearm in a situation where leaving it at home would have been advisable. The counter-point is that if they are willing to break one law, why not another? I can think of one reason... The theft is 5 years, the gun can get them 50 more. But hey, why commit ANY crime, right?

    Where I am torn is on the "Class 2 felony possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony" part. If the gun was in the center console, then do they have proof that the gun was on her while in the store? Does the commission of a felony include driving out of the parking lot, or does the act technically start and end at the front door? Without seeing the law as written or prior case law (precedence) I have no clue. I'm curious if this is a case of tacking on more charges to help get a conviction on the original charge, which is common practice. I suppose it doesn't matter either way, because they stole enough to make the theft a felony. Even if they drop one charge, the other will negate their right to carry if convicted.

 

In the NEWS - November 22, 2010

    I will periodically post my take on U.S. news stories concerning firearms. Today is the first installment of what I hope will become a regular (and popular) thing on this blog. So let's get it started!

 

Portsmouth teen sentenced in school shooting 

   In Virginia, a boy was sentenced to 10 years suspended and 10 years probation for taking a gun to school and discharging it into the air. (Click the headline above for the story as written.) 

     Question one is how did this boy get his hands on a firearm that was already loaded or had ammunition readily accessible?  As I just posted previously, one of the most important things we must do as gun owners is ensure that no unauthorized person can obtain our firearm(s). If there are children in the house, this is exponentially important. This kid was 15 at the time of the offense. Teenagers are by nature in a very transitional phase of maturity. They often act without first weighing the consequences and wear their hearts on their sleeve. With small children, having a gun on a tall shelf might cut it, but for a teen that is not secure enough. While the teen is the perpetrator, one must wonder if the gun owner is also to blame. If the kid managed to crack a locked safe, then you might have an argument against that. But if it was just in a nightstand drawer with no lock? 

    Another factor here is that this kid obviously was not taught proper respect for a firearm. Kids should not learn everything they know about guns from television. The only exception to that I can think of is the Eddie Eagle video that the NRA used to circulate for young children. 

Bottom line here is that an ounce of prevention can be a ton of protection. Educate kids that firearms are not to be handled except by responsible adults. Find a way to get through to them how to RESPECT guns rather than fear them. Teach them the legal and practical uses, and that television violence is fiction meant to entertain. While there are bad people in the world, intelligent people that value life do not commit these acts.

Road rage incident with gun leads to St. Cloud man's arrest

    In Minnesota, this young man allegedly pointed a gun at a man and his children after a near-collision. Road rage is becoming an increasing issue around the country as more and more cars enter the roadway. What the story does not say is whether the firearm was legal. More specifically, did the suspect legally own and have the right to possess that gun? (Did he have proper permits if required in his state?) The optimist in me likes to think that a gun owner knows better than to brandish a firearm in this situation, but that is never a given.

   It is folks like this that fuel the fire for the gun control lobby. As citizens we can only let people see responsible owners carrying responsibly, even if we wish we could do more. We unfortunately have to let law enforcement take the idiots off the street, and hope that eventually that shallow gene pool will dry up. Continue to set the example fellow gun owners, and remember: Always treat it like it's loaded!