Society & Culture

Top 5 Gun Picks for Everyday Carry

Photo By Patriot Outdoors, Inc.

Published

2 years ago

March 24, 2021

Stephen Powell

MY TOP 5 GUNS for Everyday Carry

Everybody has their favorites and here are mine! I’ve got many reasons to brag on all of these firearms. Having used them for so long they’ve proven their worth and durability time and time again. I have no problem endorsing these models for my family, friends and the thousands who have been in my care!

I think it’s important to note that one shouldn’t modify their firearms so much so that it brings it out of spec to where it will not perform appropriately. Keep in mind to fix the shooter not the gun… One who tricks out their gun first without training is setting themselves up for disappointment. You can only modify a gun so much before you realize that you still have to know how to shoot!

My Personal Favorite – Sig P365XL

for myself, I carry a Sig Sauer P365XL, a variant of the original P365 which is slightly smaller. My wife carries that model due to her being so petite. The reasons I chose this model are capacity, compatibility and comfort on body. There are many quality shooters and Instructors that may not agree on the exact model or make but this we do: Can I get the most amount of ammo and compatibility in a thinner format that I can beat up and train with and not compromise quality and accuracy?

The Sig P365XL answers that question for me. It’s not too short either in grip or barrel, I can deeply conceal it w a 12rd mag and carry a 15rd mag with ease, the night sights, trigger and ease of use of this model works well for me! I’ve been and still am a Glock fan and Glock & Sig are my two go to’s. Sig also makes the P365XL with an external safety, and if you do get that model you’ll have to train to use it all the time or your performance won’t be there. Thus far, I have just over 3,700rds down range with it and have had no hiccups to say the least! I find it to be a safe pistol with it’s internal safeties and having grown up with Glock, to me it’s a mute point when it comes to safety, reliability and performance.

The Glock Models G43, G43X, G48

The Glock models are probably my most subconscious performing platform. I’ve had the pleasure of running them hard for nearly 30 years now. When it comes to my full-size pick; I’ve used my Glock 17, 4th Generation (from 2011) the most with over 150K rounds downrange so far with recommended maintenance.
I haven’t modified any of them much only slightly. If you want a long lasting, good working gun remember, too many bells and whistles increase potential failure.

You will be just fine with a possible textured “stippled” grip, an easier trigger, checkout Haley Strategic’s Skimmer Trigger, (Good people there), night sights that are made of steel that illuminate at night, also see Haley Strategic, MeproLight and Trijicon for sights.

My EDC Glock 43, ZT knife, Surefire light, Ridge Wallet, Benchmade Tac Pen, Luminox Watch, Aurum Brothers bracelet.

The Glock 43 is a great choice as is the 10rd mag, fuller gripped G43X and its longer barreled brother the G48. These models are “single stacked magazine” handguns so they are thinner, lighter and easier to conceal than their bigger brothers the G17, G19 & 26 in 9mm. The Glock 43 has a factory 6rd mag. In my professional opinion and depending on your hand size, you will be more satisfied with a higher capacity mag by purchasing a two round extension for this model, I chose Taran Tactical but there are others out there. Overall, love these models and carried the 43 for years. Solid performer, you can beat it up, neglect it and it will still give you the bang for your buck you need when it matters most!

The Springfield Armory HELLCAT

The Springfield Hellcat is new player on the scene and they came to win. Shooters from all over were curious to the new kid on the block in 2019 and many have been impressed to say the least. Surprised by its durability, performance and fit & feel to the hand with it’s semi aggressive texture it is pleasing for sure. Springfield came to compete with the Sig P365 for sure.

This evil kitty isn’t as thin as the Glocks but, it is more comparable to the Sig P365 series due to it also having stack and a half mags and not to mention it’s whopping high capacity flush 11rd magazine and the extended 13rd magazine and red dot optic capability model! All in all, the recoil is lighter than expected and if you go and test drive one, my hope is that you get to take it home!

The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 2.0

When it comes to pioneering the Smith & Wesson came out early with its M&P Shield and now the 2.0 and their Ez models on the scene with better triggers and ergonomics and easier slides to rack. It’s a sleek platform, very concealable and I recommend the 9mm caliber models more than others for less shock and awe of the higher calibers on the gun overall, reduced recoil and lighter carrying.

The Shield’s have metal mags, noticeable ergonomics and the point and shoot ability needed especially for new shooters. If you’re grabbing the shield for defense, I’d grab some night sights for your gun. Having the capacity of 6 and 8rds is what is standard and the 8rounders are the most popular. When deep concealing, depending on your body frame and other factors you may want the flush magazine and that is completely up to you.

The recoil when firing it is comparable to the Glock 43’s recoil, more so than the Hellcat and P365 series guns. It’s a bit snappy but I know very petite shooters that can handle it with ease, so don’t let that steer you away from test driving it. Overall, a dependable option, and it’s proven itself over the years for sure.

Revolver…Anyone?

And in this corner and last but not least is the wheel gun category! I’m a fan of the Smith & Wesson snubnose models and I prefer the MP340 in 357magnum. If you’re asking me what other companies would be good to use, I’ll give them to you in order based on my experience of failures, their reliability and overall performance. Colt, (if you can find one) Smith & Wesson, Ruger and Taurus. For availability and bang for your buck stick with S&W and Ruger (the Ruger LCP model is comparable). Most shooters new to the game prefer less recoil enjoy the .38special calibered, 442, 642 and a couple of others with hammers. For EveryDay Carry, hammerless is the most popular and easiest to retrieve in pockets and holsters without impeding draw-stroke.

Why a revolver? Because it’s easy to point and shoot, deeply concealable, you can tell it’s loaded fairly easily, reliable and less moving parts overall. Shooter comfort is pretty high when handing one over and it’s proven track record of throwing hot fishing weight in the right direction is very consoling.

Why not a revolver… Well, do understand there’s a steeper learning curve in loading and reloading which you will have to use more dexterity under pressure to accomplish the task. As well as understanding how to put some finesse on a longer, heavier trigger travel of this little pocket rocket but if that’s your affection, get after it cowboy or cowgirl, you can do it!

I’m not speaking like a politician, I’m being pragmatic. A revolver does answer the call for personal defense as do the semi autos. Weigh out the pros and cons and decide for yourself. If you happen to have the option to grab a couple, well, God Bless America, DO IT!

READ THIS!

Remember, when it comes to choosing you will need to find the gun that honestly feels good in your hands and evaluate the following: hand size, gun size, holster chosen, holster placement on your body, clothing style and your body’s abilities to skin that smoke wagon when you need it and hang on to it when it’s unleashing flame out of it’s mouth!

Bottom line, there are several other solid manufacturers and models out there that I didn’t mention. There have been many who’ve asked for me to share my experience on what I’ve seen work over the years so I accommodated.

Whatever handgun you choose not only make sure it works, but it works for you and you incorporate it with a consistent safe, training regiment to help you evolve your skills!

That’s all I got for you today! Stay tuned, Stay Safe and may God bless you and this Great Nation!

Stephen D. Powell
The GunLife Coach

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Politics

BLM’s Financial Footing is on the Ropes

A decade of their misdeeds has transpired since BLM came into existence

Published

4 days ago

June 5, 2023

Jeff Davidson

BLM has proven itself to be a group skilled in corporate extortion, intimidation, and protests that have led to looting, rioting, arson, and violence. Thus, reports of Black Lives Matter’s forthcoming insolvency is heart-warming: it couldn’t happen to a more worthy organization.

In 2021, their demands focused on prosecuting Donald Trump and his supporters. In essence, BLM was searching for a crime, any crime to pin on them. Not that BLM cares one wit about the U.S. Constitution or the Capitol, they had been seeking “full accountability” for anybody who participated in the January 6th breach of the Capitol, and, in their way of thinking, that includes Donald Trump.

Crackdown on Others, not Us

BLM insisted that Congress avoid employing the Capitol breach as a rationale for cracking down on BLM’s own demonstrations and marches. Nonetheless, BLM’s annual summer activities since 2020 have precipitated looting, riots, arson, and even murder. To this day, BLM affiliated demonstrations in major cities are responsible for major property damage, and intimidation of citizens as well local government officials, and violence.

In a press release, BLM stated, “We are joining Representatives Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, and others who are demanding that Trump be immediately convicted in the United States Senate. Trump must also be banned from holding elected office in the future.”

The group added “Trump has always used his digital media platforms recklessly and irresponsibly to spread lies and disinformation. Now it is clearer than ever that his digital media is also used to incite violence and promote its continuation. He must be stopped from encouraging his mob and further endangering our communities, even after the inauguration.”

If the above is not a textbook case of projection, what is? BLM accuses Trump and his supporters of exactly what BLM does nearly every day.

Chop off Their Heads

BLM has long sought to punish any Republican who exercise the same rights as Democrats did in the 2000, 2004, and 2016 presidential elections. According to BLM, any elected GOP official who voiced concern about the 2020 Electoral College count, or showed support for Donald Trump after the election, must be expelled from office. Apparently, BLM couldn’t be bothered to research the rules of the Senate, and cares little about free speech for all.

BLM asserted that, “More than half the Republican representatives and multiple senators stoked Trump’s conspiracy theories and encouraged the white supremacists to take action to overturn the election.”

Enduring Black Privilege

Against the odds. news about BLM co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors surfaced: She was buying four expensive houses, some in predominantly white, wealthy neighborhoods, all consistent with much of what we know about BLM and its founding. She also was alleged to be viewing resort properties in Bahama, where condo prices range from $5 to $20 million.

A decade full of their misdeeds has past since BLM came into existence in 2013. Khan-Cullors and two other African-American women had established this ‘political’ movement in response to what they deemed to be a miscarriage of justice and non-existent legal regard for black lives. What was the initiating spark? For defending himself after his nose had been broken and while his head was being smashed into the sidewalk, Hispanic American George Zimmerman was acquitted for killing Trayvon Martin.

The Zimmerman verdict is now old news. Anyone who claims that the trial was not fair didn’t follow it closely and relied on second-hand commentary. In the face of intense media and public scrutiny, it is difficult to imagine a more thorough review of all available evidence, by both sides. Yet, lingering media coverage remains highly biased in favor of Martin.

The Hard Facts? Who Cares?

A well-documented police account of the shooting, supported by forensic analysis, revealed that Martin perpetrated “an unprovoked attack” on Zimmerman, first punching him in the face, then knocking him to the ground, and repeatedly bashing his head into the sidewalk, before attempting to grab Zimmerman’s gun.

A highly troubled seventeen-year-old, even with his father present in his life, Martin had embarked upon a life of theft and thuggery. Tracy Martin, his father, was a long time gang member, who introduced his son to guns, violence, and drugs. To ignore Trayvon Martin’s propensity for intermittent violence or to suggest that after he spotted Zimmerman he did not become the aggressor is pure folly.

To the chagrin of BLM founders, the preponderance of evidence revealed that the legal system worked as it should and that Trayvon Martin was the precipitating force leading to his own death.

A Ruse Among Ruses

As such, BLM was founded upon a lie, continues to lie, and has expertly cajoled, threatened, and extorted major corporations, and public and private organizations, raking in multi-millions of dollars for the founders. Their bankruptcy is a just reward. Soon, perhaps, the founders will be exposed for their extensive list of crimes.

– – – – –

News

Allen v. Farrow and the American Quest For Truth

Through his own words, Woody Allen reveals himself.

Published

7 days ago

June 2, 2023

Jeff Davidson

In an era where truth is a rare commodity, and nothing seems to be definitive, it’s illuminating to watch a four-hour, four-part HBO series: Allen v. Farrow. In methodical fashion, the long-running legal wrangling between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow over his alleged molestation of seven-year-old Dylan Farrow is explored.

The telecast, first aired two year ago, is absorbing for anyone who’s seen more than one Woody Allen movie, knows anything about the controversy, or has any interest in coming to resolution.

A Pedofile Revealed

Much of the broadcast features Dylan, now 37, married with a child of her own. As she reflects back on her experience at age 7, she is coherent and credible. Mia Farrow, who starred in 13 Allen films, comes off as more balanced than the press has allowed us to see in nearly three decades.

Through his own words and deeds, Woody Allen, birth name Allen Konigsberg, reveals himself: He was obsessed with the young Dylan. He spent much time alone with her. He couldn’t keep his hands off of her.

He claims that he never ‘took her up to the attic,’ there was ‘no train set’ there, and that everyone who has made such observations is wrong. Yet, we learn about the train set in the attic, and that other Allen contentions are wrong.

The Attempt to Normalize His Obsessions

Why was Allen shielded for so long, by so many media outlets? He made so many movies in and about New York that he became a favorite son and easily one of New York’s most popular celebrities. He brought jobs and economic activity and, in virtually every movie, he showed the upside of New York. Few people wanted to believe he was guilty.

All of Allen’s 60+ films, original scripts, notes, and everything related to the making of his movies is archived at Princeton University, as other producers and directors have their film works archived at other universities.

During the telecast, the curator at Princeton makes a compelling observation: Most of Allen’s films focus on an older man with a younger woman, and Allen has been grooming us for 50+ years to accept his worldview. Following his Oscar winning film in 1978, Annie Hall, Allen’s next film was Manhattan, which many people regard as among his best.

Manhattan depicts the 45 year-old Allen dating a 17 year-old portrayed by Mariel Hemingway. This film, like so many of his others, is Allen’s attempt to normalize his preoccupation with vastly younger women. He married Soon-yi, the adopted daughter of his then-girlfriend, Mia Farrow, when he was 56 and she was 21. He met Soon-yi when he was 53 and she was 18.

In Woody Allen films such as Crimes and Misdemeanors, we see Martin Landau as an older ophthalmologist in a relationship with airline attendant and mistress Anjelica Huston, some 20+ years younger. In other Allen films, the same scenario plays out.

Quite Conclusive

After watching all four one-hour episodes in a single night, it became obvious that Allen, now age 87, is guilty. He has used his money, power, and influence to portray himself as something that he is not.

While dating Mia Farrow for 12 years, he steadfastly maintained that he didn’t want to provide care for her children. Yet, once the allegations related to Dylan surfaced, Allen takes Farrow to court to gain custody of three of her nine children: Moses Farrow, an older Asian boy that Mia adopted; Ronan Farrow, Allen’s only biological son; and Dylan Farrow, the young daughter at the center of the controversy.

I personally recall that during the custody trial, the presiding judge asked Allen if he could name any of Dylan’s classmates or neighborhood friends. He could not. He could not name any friends of Ronan Farrow or of Moses Farrow. Further, Allen had never taken any of their children to the dentist or for a haircut. Not one of the children had ever stayed overnight at Allen’s apartment.

Thoroughly Neurotic

What kind of man would take somebody to court to claim custody of three children about whom he knows nearly nothing? This is the kind of man that Woody Allen was and is: a faker, a charlatan, and so neurotic that the elements of his neurosis revealed in his movies don’t even begin to describe his daily afflictions.

As soon as Ronan Farrow, now a renowned investigative reporter, weighs in and defends Dylan’s assertions, Allen’s then 29-year ruse is vanquished.

Allen, like others in high, high office, is a pedophile with zero jail time. The crowning grace is that he’ll go to his grave knowing that he’s been exposed. He cannot spin the voluminous amount of information and testimony presented; a conclusive body of evidence that lays out the truth for all to see.

Comprehensive Coverage?

If only HBO and other major producers would feature comprehensive exposés of, say, Bill Clinton, James Comey, Robert Mueller, Christopher Wray, John Brennan, Andrew McCabe, Eric Holder, Kamila Harris, Merrick Garland, Loretta Lynch, Alejandro Mayorkas, John Kerry, James Clapper, Christopher Steele, Bruce Orr, Susan Rice, John Podesta, Charles Dolan, Christopher Wray, Merrick Garland, Alvin Bragg, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, and Susan Rice.

Or, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Nelly Ohr, Jussie Smollett, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Dick Durbin, Eric Swalwell, Jerry Nadler, Sheldon Whitehouse, Antony Blinken, Ilhan Omar, George Soros, Katie Hobbs, Liz Cheney, Nancy Pelosi, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, Tom Steyer, Andrew Weissmann, Marc Elias, Andrew Cuomo, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, James Biden, or maybe, gosh, Hunter Biden.

You know, scoundrels like those.

– – – – –