Mel Tappan’s Personal Survival Letter # 9

Issue No. 9

Survival Guns Update

By Mel Tappan

When, like last year’s inflation, my age was still measured in single digits, I received my first handgun: a .45 auto
pistol. In those days, the only choice was between a Colt commercial model and a GI surplus pistol. Thirty odd
years later, when I had just completed ​Survival Guns in late 1975, one’s options had not significantly increased.
There was still the Colt (offered in four slightly different versions), the GI pistol, and a couple of imported copies.
There was a steady but obviously not burgeoning demand for the big-bore auto.

Revolvers were still regarded by most people as the best choice for personal defense and the .38 Special/.357
Magnum class was the leading cartridge choice. Almost every handgun manufacturer offered several models in
these calibers and new ones were being introduced almost as quickly as advertising men could concoct adjectives to
describe them. Among the writers of national prominence, only Jeff Cooper consistently extolled the virtues of the
.45 auto pistol as the optimal handgun for personal defense.

About the time my book appeared, practical pistol competition began to come into its own- also largely due to the
efforts of Jeff Cooper and his International Pistol Shooting Confederation. In the period that followed, this open,
freestyle, international competition proved beyond any doubt the superiority of the .45ACP and the basic 1911 auto
pistol design.

This was the combination that won realistic, combat-oriented matches. Nothing else has even come close with
consistency. The .45 auto has suddenly achieved worldwide popularity both as a defensive weapon and as a tool for
competition. Predictably, the selection of pistols now available has grown with the demand and there are some two
dozen models by half as many manufacturers awaiting you on dealers’ shelves.

Some makers have tried to miniaturize the old warhorse, others have sought to fabricate it from more durable, or at
least more maintenance-free, materials and still others have simply added a gimmick or two and called the result
‘an improved redesign”.

Unfortunately, our tests indicate that, with one or two notable exceptions, the new crop of .45’s offers no significant
improvements and in most cases the new models are distinctly inferior to the Colt, which we have been
recommending since the first issue of ​Survival Guns.​

Because of the widespread publicity which many of these new pistols have received in the pages of the commercial
gun magazines, it seemed appropriate to conduct extensive tests of these new guns, particularly since each of them
appears to have been pronounced excellent by at least one “expert” in the popular press. It has taken almost two
years to complete our evaluations and I personally offer apologies to those who have written urging us to address
this topic.
We have, however, wanted to offer a complete survey of the pistols now available and -even more important- we
have wanted our results to be accurate. What you are about to read here is far different from any other evaluations
of these arms that you are apt to see in print. I have personally fired several thousand rounds in the course of these
tests using at least two samples of each piece for extended periods, developing in the process rather strong opinions
regarding their practical usefulness under a variety of day-to-day circumstances.

I can assure you that my conclusions would have been quite different had I simply transported the pistols to the
range in their boxes and fired a hundred rounds or so through each. In fact, even six months ago, some of the flaws
that have become apparent now were not then evident. Although I have discussed each of the guns covered here
with knowledgeable shooters and gunsmiths, the opinions expressed herein are my own.

Four of the currently available .45 auto pistols have not been included in these tests and will not be given detailed
comments. The Llama and the full-size Star have been on the market for a number of years and their occasional use
in competition indicates that neither is sufficiently durable to warrant consideration for survival use. Further,
although both are copies -to varying degrees- of the basic 1911 model pistol, neither has the advantage of parts
interchangeability with either the Government Issue model or the Colt.

The Browning Model BDA was eliminated from consideration here for a number of reasons but primarily because
it cannot be carried safely in Condition 1 -cocked and locked-, thereby leaving the shooter with the uncomfortable
and virtually unmanageable alternative of a double-action first shot followed by a single-action second shot. The
HK P9S .45 was excluded for similar design reasons. Although it can be carried in Condition 1, the safety cannot be
readily manipulated on the draw and modification appears unrewarding.

It does have a cocking lever which could be manipulated on the draw if it were properly placed, but in the current
design it is out of reach of the thumb when the hand is in firing position. Finally, the HK has the most disturbing
overtravel I have seen in any pistol and when the trigger stop is set up to eliminate this backlash, the double action
mechanism cannot function.

AMT Hardballer and Variants (Skipper and Combat)

Retail Price: approximately $400.00
Barrel Length: 5”
Overall Length: 8 ½”
Weight Unloaded: 39 oz.

I very much wanted to like the AMT Hardballer, not only because I know the people in the company very well, but
also because the Hardballer is a good concept. In essence, it is a full-weight copy of the Colt Gold Cup made
largely from stainless steel. I wanted to like this gun so much, in fact, that I have tried five samples of it, ranging
from early production models to one just off the wholesaler’s shelf.

Unfortunately, the execution of this pistol is as poor as the concept is good. Three of the five models I tested had
short chambers, that is, they would not accept a standard length factory-loaded cartridge. That is such a significant
flaw that it indicates almost nonexistent quality control- a factor borne out by subsequent testing. It also strongly
implies that the pistols are not test-fired by the factory.
Perhaps the greatest design error is that the barrel and chamber are fabricated, that is, made in pieces and then
heliarced or welded together. Considering the fact that the lug for the link-pin, as well as the chamber and barrel
proper, are all parts bearing high stress, this is, in my opinion, an unthinkable compromise and, in fact, every test
pistol I have fired has begun to show separations at the joining points after only a few hundred rounds.

The chamber, as all .45 chambers should be, is throated, but on every example I have examined the throating has
been very poorly done, and on two of my test pieces a wire edge was actually present. This poor workmanship
doubtless accounts for the exceptionally poor feeding which many users of the AMT have reported to me and which
I experienced with all but one of my test guns.

Another commonly reported flaw which I also experienced was galling of the slide and frame. Stainless steel is
noted for this quality when bearing surfaces meet under heavy pressure and in the Hardballer one must keep the
mating surfaces of the slide and frame well-lubricated with thick grease such as vaseline, at all times. Incidentally,
not all of the parts in the AMT are made of stainless steel. I have noted rust on both the hammer and the sights.

Further, a number of the internal parts, particularly the sear, seem poorly hardened in all of the guns I have seen and
if you have somehow come into possession of one of these pistols and plan to keep it, I strongly urge that you take
it to a competent gunsmith where all of the working parts can be tested for hardness and replaced where necessary
with Colt parts.

The adjustable sights on the Hardballer and Skipper are simply unsatisfactory. They are crudely cast and only
roughly adjustable (by means of a hex wrench, no less). They are also very poorly anchored to the slide and I have
yet to see a rear sight that has remained on the pistol after 500 rounds have been fired. Finally, although the trigger
on these guns is adjustable for overtravel, every example I have examined has a good deal of creep and most of
them are rather heavy.

In addition to these factors which I consider to be objective flaws, there are a number of things that I personally
don’t like about the AMT Hardballer. The speed safety, for example, is much too narrow for my taste and I think
the hex screws that are used for both sight adjustment and to hold the grip panels in place are an unnecessary
affectation.

Most of us have, or can jury-rig some sort of screwdriver when the occasion arises, but most of the people I know
don’t carry a pocket full of hex wrenches as a regular habit.

On the positive side, the AMT pistols seem to shoot quite accurately as they come from the box- assuming that you
can get them to fire at all. All of my test pieces would group inside 4” at 50 yards from a rest; however, only one of
them would feed and function its way through an entire magazine without stoppages.

Considering the overwhelming problems with these guns, the magazines, surprisingly, seem exceptionally
well-made and they function well in all of the 1911 pistols that I have used to test them. They are not much more
expensive than the Colts and they do have the advantage of being corrosion resistant.

As you may gather from the above remarks, I cannot recommend the AMT Hardballer or any of its variants for
survival use and I’m not certain that any amount of custom gunsmithing can remedy all of the problems.
If you have one that you can’t get rid of, however, and you intend to use it for any serious purpose, I urge you to
place it in the hands of a competent gunsmith and have him at least install new sights and replace the barrel and
bushing with either a stainless steel Bar-Sto or a Colt Mark IV.

As mentioned above, any improperly hardened internal parts should also be replaced and it would probably be well
to replace the speed safety with a slightly wider one to make manipulation easier as the pistol is drawn.

Given the level of quality of the AMT, the price seems ridiculously high. If you really need or want a corrosion
resistant .45 auto pistol, I think you would be far better off with a Colt to which you may apply an industrial hard
chrome finish. You will be ahead both in dollars and in durability.

Star PD
Retail Price: $239.00
Barrel Length: 3.94”
Overall Length: 7”
Weight: 25 oz. unloaded

I find the Star PD a somewhat curious offering. It is neither significantly smaller nor significantly lighter than the
Colt Lightweight Commander; it is only about $20 cheaper, and it is inferior to the Colt in every important category
except, perhaps, accuracy. The adjustable sights are really poor, extremely fragile, and apparently nothing can be
done to remedy this situation. On every gun I’ve seen, the rear sight cants or warps to the right as soon as the
elevation screw is even slightly backed out.

Further, about the second day of holster wear the rear sight leaf begins to develop lateral play that can amount to as
much as a quarter of an inch- enough to make you miss a moderate-sized elephant broadside at 50 yards. Because
of the strange design of the PD, which involves the rear sight assembly in supporting the firing pin mechanism, it is
impossible either to remove the rear sight and replace it with something better or even to weld up the assembly and
install a fixed sight- impossible, that is, unless you are willing to give up the modest convenience of being able to
disassemble and detail strip the pistol.

If that were not enough, the PD is plagued by constant firing pin breakage. The instruction manual which comes
with the pistol points out the fact that the gun should never be dry-snapped because of the likelihood of breaking the
firing pin. It does not, however, state that firing pins break with some regularity in normal use when firing factory
ammunition, a factor which I encountered on several occasions and which has been identified to me by several
gunsmiths as being a continuing problem.

The chief shortcoming of the PD is simply that most of them will not stand up to much shooting. The guns break.
That is not true of all of them, of course, but I have had contact with enough owners and gunsmiths to know that it
is not an isolated occurrence.

Admittedly, the PD need not be regarded as a heavy-duty firearm and it might have some justification as a gun to be
carried much and shot little; however, I would not want to carry any pistol for serious use that had not been broken
in with at least three hundred rounds and I know of several PD’s that have not made it half-way through the
break-in period. I know of none that have not shot loose after 500 rounds.
Until recently the Star PD was imported by the Garcia Corporation, a fact that may have a good deal to do with the
poor quality of the pistol as it has been sold in this country. Presently, Interarms, one of the very best importers, has
taken on the line and it’s possible that they may insist on some design changes or at least more consistent
metallurgy and better quality control. I wouldn’t want to count on it, however, since Spanish auto pistols have never
been noted for either of those characteristics.

One final observation: It seems somewhat peculiar that the designers of the Star did not take into account the fact
that most PD’s would probably be used as back-ups to the 1911 pistol and, therefore, design the gun so that it
would accept Colt and GI .45 magazines instead of the strange and somewhat fragile -not to mention expensive-
ones of its own manufacture. Colt-style magazines will, in fact, enter the Star and lock into place but they will not
feed.

The only flattering thing I can find to say about the Star PD is that it shoots accurately, when it shoots. In that
regard it is about on a par with current production Colt Mark IV Government Models and perhaps slightly superior
to most unaltered Lightweight Commanders. In my judgment, however, its shortcomings are far too numerous and
too serious for it to be considered even as a backup or a spare for serious purposes. Certainly, it seems to have no
place in a survival battery.

If you're stuck with one or feel that you must buy one because some colorful gun scribe has described it as “a rip
snortin’ good piece of ordinance”, then I suggest that you acquire at least a dozen spare firing pins and learn to
install them yourself; fire no more than two hundred break-in rounds through the piece and, after sighting it in try to
stabilize the rear sight with liberal applications of epoxy. Carry it gingerly in a well-protected holster and consider
packing an Iver Johnson .32 Cadet as a back-up.

Thomas DA .45
Retail Price; $375.00 blue; $425.00 chrome
Barrel Length: 3 ½”
Overall Length: 6 ½”
Weight Unloaded: 32 oz.

The Thomas is the first double-action auto pistol that makes any sort of sense to me and that because it is full-time
double-action. There is no cocked condition; each shot requires a full double-action pull on the trigger.

The shooter thereby avoids the disconcerting shift from double action to single action after the first shot together
with the necessary change in hand position from double-action to single-action hold. The Thomas design is also
unusual in that the stainless steel barrel is fixed to the frame, providing a high degree of inherent accuracy. Every
example which I have examined has exhibited excellent workmanship, a fine finish and remarkably good quality
control.

All of these features should add up to a truly superb new design. Strangely, however, they do not. For one thing, the
very unusual locking mechanism of this delayed blowback design requires that a whole new manual of arms be
learned. It is impossible, for example, to rack the slide when the piece is held in normal firing position by the
shooting hand. A device, which looks like a grip safety but isn’t, interposes hardened metal points into cutouts in
the slide when the pistol is gripped normally.

This peculiarity makes jacking a round into the chamber an extremely awkward and slow process; clearing a jam
under combat conditions would be a nightmare.
Further, it’s obvious that the Thomas was intended to be a scaled-down sort of .45 and it is, so far as overall length
is concerned, but height and handle bulk, which are the real measure of concealability, are as great as on the
full-size Government Model. Further, the weight seems excessive for a hideout -32 oz.- and the handle-heavy
balance of the pistol together with its fore and aft compactness make it seem even heavier than it is.

There are no manual safeties of any kind on the Thomas and none is needed because of the full time double-action:
it is just like a revolver in that regard. But the one safety that should never be present on a combat pistol is there on
the Thomas and that is, of course; a magazine safety, which prevents you from covering an adversary or firing the
round in the chamber while you are reloading. Removing that feature, incidentally, would not be an easy task.

The sights are fixed and poor in that they are very small and difficult to acquire quickly, but they are no worse in
this regard than those on the Colt Government Model or Commander and they could be replaced.

Perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the Thomas is its trigger. Not the fact that it is double-action only but that
the double-action is very poor and cannot be readily improved. It is not only quite heavy but also the action feels
very much like stretching, and finally snapping, a thick rubber band. My wife, Nancy, was completely unable to fire
the pistol because of the weight and length of draw required by this trigger mechanism, and I suspect that almost
any adult with medium hands would encounter the same problem.

The Thomas is also a very difficult pistol to carry because of its balance. I found it impossible to secure in the
waistband because the butt is so heavy and the barrel so short. And holstering it without the use of retaining straps
is equally difficult. After much experimentation, Milt Sparks finally came up with an adaptation of the Bruce
Nelson crossdraw that works, but the gun and holster together could hardly be considered a hideout rig.

No one that I asked to try the Thomas really liked it, although everyone found it a fascinating design. Although it
clearly shot well from the bench, no one was able to approach the gun’s inherent accuracy when using an
unsupported two-hand hold. Another peculiarity seems to be that the gun is sensitive to grip pressure so far as
functioning is concerned.

Everyone who held the gun lightly experienced jams and failures to feed while those who held it tightly had no
malfunctions at all. Strangely, for all the gun’s shortcomings I found that I could shoot it quite accurately and very
quickly without a rest, but then I often shoot better scores double-action than I do single-action.

I suppose the Thomas must be regarded as something of an anomaly. It was clearly designed to be as nearly “goof
proof” as possible for the novice- all double-action, a magazine safety, etc. The fixed barrel, which provides such
excellent inherent accuracy, is negated by the poor trigger design and inadequate sights. The gun is short but heavy
and not particularly concealable.

It exhibits fine workmanship but apparently no clear understanding of how a defensive pistol is meant to be used. It
will accept standard Colt-type magazines and functions flawlessly with them but the gun does not carry well
enough to be regarded as a backup.

About the only practical use I can find for the Thomas -over and above its curiosity value to a collector- would be
as a desk drawer or a nightstand gun, but even in those applications there remains the problem of clearing jams.
Clearly, I cannot recommend it as a primary arm for survival use.
 Detonics .45
Retail Price: Blue, $395.00
Barrel Length: 3 ¼”
Overall Length: 6 ¾” (4 ½” high)
Weight Unloaded: 29 oz.

The first Detonics I ever saw -an early production model- was a mess. The finish was terrible and some of the
internal parts, notably those in the trigger assembly, were not properly hardened and they wore excessively after
very little use. The next one, produced about six months later, was a little better, but functioning still was not good
enough to make it a contender for defensive use.

Now that the factory has manufactured more than 2000 pistols they seem to have overcome their early problems. I
presently have two samples in the 4000-4200 serial number range (serial numbering began with the number 2000),
and I’m sufficiently impressed that I’m going to buy one of them for personal use. The Detonics is a very good idea
and a good basic design.

Dimensionally, it is about as small as a Smith & Wesson Chief Special, but much flatter and easier to conceal.
More important, fully loaded it carries seven full power .45 ACP’s instead of five .38 Specials of questionable
value. It is an ideal hideout or backup gun to a full-size .45 since it will accept Colt-style magazines and functions
perfectly with them. The Detonics magazine, which is considerably shorter, holds only one round less than the
full-size pistol and is well-made of stainless steel.

Many of the Detonic’s parts are interchangeable with the Colt- a fact which I consider a plus for a pistol to be
considered as an understudy to the Government Model in a survival battery. Any speed safety that will fit the Colt
can easily be inserted in the Detonics and the various Colt mainspring housings as well as the checkered neoprene
housings by Pachmayr can be substituted on the Detonics, in either the arched or flat configuration as you prefer.

Instead of using a separate barrel bushing, the Detonics barrel itself is funnel-shaped and fits tightly at the front of
the slide, guaranteeing the same position each time the piece goes into battery, a factor contributing to good
accuracy in the 1911 design. The recoil spring arrangement also differs from that found in the Colt and a guide rail
is employed which obviates the need for the recoil spring plug, which can become lost when novices disassemble
the auto pistol.

Takedown on the Detonics is both simpler and quicker than with the 1911 design. Still there are enough similarities
between the Colt and Detonics that I find it is possible to fieldstrip both guns, then mount the slide, barrel, and other
working parts from the top half of the Colt Commander on the Detonics frame. The resultant mismatch,
incidentally, fired and functioned flawlessly.

Both the finish and workmanship on my test pistols are excellent and they perform very well indeed. There are,
however, a few negatives that should be mentioned, although none of them, I think, is serious enough to outweigh
the considerable advantages of the Detonics as a concealment defensive pistol.

The burr-style hammers supplied on my test pistols bit into my oversized hand rather painfully until I bobbed them
off neatly with the cutoff wheel of my Dremel tool.

The factory can furnish a non-biting hammer as a substitute standard on the pistol and, although I have not tried it
personally, it looks as if it would solve the problem for those of us who have large hands. The sights are fixed,
broad, and easily acquired but the rear notch sits well forward on the frame and I count that a drawback since the
sight radius is already severely limited by the short overall length of the slide.
Apparently, someone who contributed to the design of the Detonics came up with the curious notion that the proper
way to carry a single action auto pistol is Condition 2- that is, with a round in the chamber and the hammer all the
way down. Obligingly, they therefore moved the rear sight forward and scooped out a little slope behind it to guide
your thumb down on the hammer. I wish they hadn’t. The thumb safety is visually identical to the one on the
commercial Colts and I think most people would be well advised to remove it and substitute a good speed safety in
its stead.

The blued finish on my test pieces is excellent but for a hideout pistol that may be secreted in some strange and
possibly humid environs I would prefer something more durable. The factory has chosen a satin nickel option,
which, unfortunately, adds not much to the gun’s corrosion resistance and nothing at all to the durability of the
finish. If you want a non-rusting Detonics, you will simply have to have it hard-chromed.

All of the newer Detonics that I have seen are very tight as they come from the factory and they will probably need
some breaking in, possibly as much as two or three hundred rounds before they can be trusted to function
flawlessly. Another characteristic worth mentioning -at least in so far as my test pieces are concerned- is that they
do not work well at all with light loads even after they have been broken in.

For example, with GI hardball and the surplus military FN ammo mentioned in a previous issue of PS Letter,
functioning is erratic and neither round is capable of driving the slide back far enough to lock it open after the last
round has been fired. Both of my guns show a distinct preference for the higher velocity, lighter bullet weight loads
such as the 200 gr. hollow-point Speer and the 185 gr. hollow-point Remington.

The fixed sights are dead on for me with the Speer load at 25 yds. and functioning has been 100% with both the
Speer and the Remington. I have had one failure to feed with the 230 gr. Remington and one with the 230 gr.
Winchester.

All things considered, I think the Detonics is probably the best choice one could make for a concealment or backup
.45. It is not only the smallest thing of its kind on the market, it is also a sound pistol in every regard. I wish it were
made with an alloy frame so that in addition to being small, it would be less burdensome to carry in the pocket. I
also wish the rear sight was back where it belonged and that it cost less. I would not recommend the Detonics if it
were to be the only .45 auto in a survival battery.

It does not take the place of a full-size .45 for all purposes and I doubt that it will prove quite as durable. However,
for concealment there seems to be nothing better. My impression of the people at the factory is that they are trying
to handle problems with their guns quickly and efficiently. I haven’t had the opportunity to try them on that score
but I do know that every production run of the Detonics seems to be slightly better than the last. If you want one, I
suggest that you look for a serial number above 4200.

Although I have mentioned on several occasions in these pages the fact that I believe you should begin your
defensive pistol battery with a full-size Colt .45 auto pistol, even that simple statement requires some further
comment here because of current developments. Until recently I have never considered the Gold Cup suitable for
inclusion in a survival battery because it proved too fragile for extensive use with full power ammunition.

The Gold Cup was originally designed as a target pistol to function optimally with light wadcutter loads. It was
furnished with a shortened recoil spring and a lightweight slide to provide less inertia when using reduced loads.
Those factors coupled with a delicate rear sight held on the slide by nothing more than a single hollow roll pin
usually caused severe peening as well as a rear sight assembly that ejected itself along with your empties, usually
somewhere between the 200th and 500th round of hardball.
Recently, however, Colt has taken steps to improve the Gold Cup for use with full power ammunition. The slide is
now full weight and the new rear sight assembly is attached with a hardened solid pin. The recoil spring is still too
short but that is easily remedied by replacing it at a cost of less than $1.00.

I have fired fewer than 1000 rounds of hardball through my new Gold Cup so I cannot guarantee that the sight will
remain in place after long use, but it is certainly more durable than the previous arrangement and the full weight
slide is a considerable improvement. I have replaced the recoil spring guide with a recoil buffer on my own gun and
suggest that you might do the same if you’re interested in a Gold Cup. It will further reduce the effects of peening
and the shock to the rear sight assembly.

The chief advantage to buying a Gold Cup instead of a Government Model is that most of the necessary “custom”
work has already been done. The port, for example, has already been lowered and re-shaped for better ejection and
protection of the empty brass for reloading; the barrel has been throated, and I have yet to see a Gold Cup that
didn’t shoot considerably better than I could hold. You would still want to ramp the front sight blade, of course, and
take the sharp corners off the rear but that’s an inexpensive or even a do-it-yourself project.

Most important, all of the Gold Cups I’ve seen have excellent trigger pulls just as they come from the box and, light
and crisp as they are, they will not follow, even when the slide is released abruptly on a completely empty gun.
Very few custom gunsmiths can give you that kind of trigger action consistently. Further, the Gold Cup trigger is
full length, slightly wider than that on the Government Model and it contains an adjustable stop to prevent
overtravel.

If you wanted to play it absolutely safe, I suppose you might spend $50 and have the Colt sights replaced with
Smith & Wesson revolver sights. Then I’m sure that the Gold Cup would give long and trouble free service- always
assuming that the new sights were properly installed.

If you prefer a Mark IV Government Model, however, now is certainly the time to buy one. The guns I have seen
recently coming from the Colt production line perform much better than any I have examined since the inception of
the Mark IV model. Even the trigger pulls are generally pretty good, almost all of them are acceptable and a few are
exceptional.

After years of having .45 auto pistols tinkered with by a variety of gunsmiths I have come to the conclusion that
you’re far better off with an acceptable factory pull than a slightly better one that has been smithed.

The new Mark IV’s also seem to display an unusually high level of accuracy as they come from the box. I have
fired five over the past six months and none of them needed accuracy work, although you will still have to do
something about the sights, throating, porting, speed safeties, and the like.

Do not make the mistake, however, of buying one of the ersatz 1911 models either assembled or in kit form that are
now beginning to proliferate. I have just had the opportunity of testing the new Crown City .45, which is made up
of a Crown City cast frame and slide, together with a conglomeration of commercial and GI parts. The gun is
designed to sell for about $50 less than a Colt Government Model and it certainly shows.

The one I had would not function reliably through any of a dozen magazines with any of the four brands of factory
ammunition I had on hand. These are very rough guns and although I suppose they could be made to shoot with a
good deal of expensive gunsmithing, you would still have a product inferior either to the Colt or the GI models.
A number of readers have written in to inquire about the Crown City or the Essex, which is quite similar, with the
thought in mind that they could simply buy the frames, slides and other parts, assemble them at home, and come up
with a workable .45 that was not registered. Unfortunately, the frames or receivers must be registered under current
law just as complete pistols are.

While we are on that subject, incidentally, you should be aware that guns given over to a gunsmith for repair or
customizing that require more than one day must be entered on the gunsmith’s book; therefore, even pieces that
have carefully been bought at gun shows without going through dealer paperwork wind up leaving a paper trail.
The liberal press tells us that we shouldn’t worry about such things, however; after all, our cars have been
registered for years and no one has come after them- yet.

With the popularity of the .45 continuing at its present high level, new designs will doubtless be introduced
intermittently over the coming months, but if the present crop of new offerings is any indication, they may not be
worth waiting for. In any event, the Detonics and the various models of the Colt are certainly good enough for our
purpose, and at the rate that political and economic developments are occurring now, I would advise any reader of
this publication who has not already done so to purchase the necessary defensive sidearms without further delay.
You may need them -and need them badly- sooner than you think

Note from the Editors: Most major arms companies raise their prices as of January 1. Colt is raising all their
prices 9% or more. Therefore, if you are considering purchasing firearms, you should plan to do it before the end
of the year. B.P.

Survival Wheels
by Rick L. Fines

One subject I thought we had put to rest some issues back continues to crop up in the form of reader questions- the
Subaru 4x4 automobiles. Since this Japanese maker now imports an “open back” vehicle which resembles a pickup
too small to pick up anything in, interest has increased again. I understand that someone has referred to the Subaru
as a “nifty concept”. I still do not recommend either the station wagon or the open back versions of the Subaru for
survival use. One writer talked about how well the Subaru rides on dirt roads. Other machines which ride well on
dirt roads include airport limos and ‘53 Buicks, but we do not recommend them either. There are a number of
reasons for my strong feelings, as follows:

1. The machine is equipped with only a single-speed transfer case, with no low range available. What that means in
simple terms is that, if you actually need the capabilities for which you buy a 4x4, the Subaru is out to lunch. You
need low-range gearing to crawl slowly over rocks without tearing the guts out of the machine. You must have
low-range to make your way through soft sand, mud, or snow. If you find that you must climb a steep grade with no
opportunity to gain momentum, you are out of luck. All the PR and “neat concept” rubbish on the planet will not
cause gears to grow where there are none.

2. Ground clearance in the Subaru is very poor. The lowest hanging parts also happen to be the most vulnerable.
The exhaust system at the rear is actually under the rear axle. At the front, the two exhaust pipes hang lower than
any other component. Driving the machine on other than civilized roads will lead to exhaust pipes which are
crushed shut, then an engine that doesn’t run.
3. Approach and departure angles determine how steep a bank you may drive off without dragging your tail or
digging the nose into the ground on the way down or the way back up. On off-road vehicles, designers take these
matters into consideration. Notice that very little metal hangs out behind the rear axle or ahead of the front wheels
on a Jeep CJ-5. On machines designed for use only on the street, overhang is of no great concern. The Subaru has
plenty of overhang, but it’s more than just a styling feature. The entire engine hangs out in front of the forward
axle; the radiator hangs out forward of the engine.

In the context of street use, this novel arrangement would only be likely to make your collision insurance agent
nervous. In the context of off-road operation, excessive overhang means that you will be continually bending and
untangling all that expensive tin work, as well as the mechanical pieces behind it. In the February, 1978 issue of
Guns & Ammo magazine, the “Hunting Wheels” column showed a photo of the Subaru Brat sailing over the top of
a hill near Palm Springs.

Note that the front bumper is bent upward at the left side of the vehicle. That photo was taken at the press party to
debut the machine to the American automotive press. At that time it had seen a matter of a few hours use, and the
road had already jumped up and bashed the front end.

4. Parts are difficult to buy. One of our readers bought the wagon version. Before his purchase, he was skeptical of
parts availability. He contacted a high-ranking personage within the Subaru organization and was assured that there
was not a part in the car more than three days away if needed. Shortly after he took delivery, someone was unkind
enough to hit the car and destroy a door.

After many phone calls and a wait of nearly two months, Subaru managed to grow a new door for his car. At this
point, some common sense must enter the picture. Asking a man who sells a product if parts are available will
produce only one predictable answer. Domestic manufacturers have enough problems. Don’t expect parts to be
readily available for any low-volume product manufactured half a world away.

Road & Track was a bit harder on the machine than I- they used the word “sick” to describe the engine’s
performance, and noted that its lack of low-end torque made it very poor off the road. Their general conclusion was
that the Subaru was not really practical for much of anything, and I must agree.

In terms of price, this non-practical, non-design is priced only a few hundred dollars less than the base price of the
Jeep CJ-5, a machine which is far superior in every respect and well-suited as a survival vehicle.

As the last words I hope to write on the subject, the Subaru is a very bad bet as a survival machine. Short of jacking
up the radiator cap and rolling a different car under it, no amount of money, modification, or wishful thinking can
make it otherwise. It is, perhaps, a “nifty concept”. So are nuclear powered pogo sticks and amphibious bicycles.

As we examine a complex subject in a detailed fashion, we sometimes lose track of the basics. In terms of survival
vehicles, the progression of thought commences with a compromise, then to another compromise, then another. For
example, if a Ford ¾-ton van is good, a Ford ½-ton van is probably also good.

If a van is good, a motorhome is probably better. A motorhome, therefore, with a ¾-ton van in tow might be just
great. Obviously, such a combination would be just rotten. As human beings, we have a tendency to allow our
thoughts to wander down the paths of rationalization and distraction. With that in mind, I’m going to restate some
of the basic premises outlined nearly a year ago.
The proper use of a survival machine is twofold. The first purpose is to assure you of the capability of reaching
your retreat site with your family and a reasonable amount of tools and supplies. That does not mean a creaking
Winnebago loaded with your 28-inch color TV, your collection of commemorative anvils, your riding power
mower with snow plow attachment, and the neighbor’s parakeet. Anything you can’t wear, eat, use to fix
something, or to shoot something has no place in the onboard stowage of your vehicle.

The second use for the machine is as a convenient tool after you reach your retreat. Since road conditions at your
retreat site will not be up to Wilshire Blvd. standards when you arrive -and will likely get worse- Cadillacs,
Corvettes, and motor homes make little sense.

Every word we have written on the subject has had the idea of simplicity behind it. Yet, we still have people who
seem to want to be told that it is actually just fine to encumber the machine with everything from air conditioning to
power windows. You must remember one thing: If the machine breaks, ​you m ​ ust fix it, ​you must carry the parts or
be able to find them; ​you must remove and replace them. Otherwise, you join the ranks of the unprepared and the
disorganized just as though you had not devoted five minutes or fifty cents to preparation. If you find yourself in
such a situation, it’s because you let somebody talk you into it.

No matter how many parts you carry with you, there is a chance that something might break that you did not carry
along. If the engine in your vehicle was made by VW or Chevrolet, you can likely buy, borrow -or steal- a part on
the run to keep going. If you are searching for a part for an International, or a Suzuki 4x4 or a Steyr Daimler-Puch
Haflinger, or a Subaru, I wish you luck. If you like any of these machines, by all means buy one or however many it
pleases you to own.

Just don’t count on them as survival tools and don’t make excuses and rationalize that they can somehow do the
job. Obviously, a ‘48 Packard hearse with one flat tire is better than shoe leather on a rainy night, and an Iver
Johnson .32 is better than no gun at all. But if you have the chance to make decisions about what you use, stop and
think. Hopefully, you’ll trade the Packard for a Jeep and the Iver Johnson for a Remington 870.

It gets back to the phrase we quoted earlier: “nifty concept”. Nifty concepts are just great on paper, but don’t
depend on them or try to fix them in the dark or try to find parts for them. When you do, you’ll find that the fellow
who sold you on the “nifty concept” just packed all his leisure suits and white shoes and can’t be found.

It seems that differences of opinion between our writings and those of the “enthusiast press” are almost expected to
come with the territory. However, when general circulation publications endorse a particular product with
evangelistic fervor, and we contend that the same item isn’t worthy of consideration as a scow anchor, readers
logically and thoughtfully ask why.

That’s a hard question to answer on a general basis, but a recent and highly publicized conflict between two
nationally-circulated magazines gives us an opportunity to put the question in perspective. This particular flap
concerned opinions of an automobile, but the same problems arise in the discussion of firearms, trucks, aircraft, or
any number of other items to which popular semi-technical publications address themselves.

Chrysler’s new Horizon/Omni small car was the object of the disagreement. For the first time in many years,
Consumer Reports rated an American car “unacceptable”. The same car, the Omni, was proclaimed “Car of the
Year” just a few months before by a popular “enthusiast” automotive publication. ​Consumer Reports based their
opinions on some very unpredictable and dangerous handling characteristics exhibited by the test cars.
It’s hard to say what the other folk based their opinions on, but for the record the Horizon/Omni is an
American-built, Americanized machine based on the VW Rabbit design. The engines are presently manufactured in
Germany, and many other VW parts are interchangeable with those on the Chrysler product. The Omni is what has
come to be called an “econobox” in that from one hundred feet away it looks like a half-dozen other little cars from
Europe and Japan. It’s not a distinctively unpleasant car, but it’s not exactly unforgettable either. “Car of the Year”?
Baloney.

Since the Omni can hardly be “Car of the Year” and also be “unacceptable”, we must presume that someone is
customizing the truth a bit to arrive at his conclusions. Perhaps we can help you figure out which publication the
creative fellow is with.

Pick up most any automotive, firearms, or aircraft magazine. If you take the time to carefully count column inches
and pages, you’ll find that nearly half the magazine you buy is devoted to advertising copy. The editorial content
-the rest of the magazine- often contains feature articles that neatly compliment large four-color ads. For example,
if Rodknock Motors buys a color spread ad, there’s a very good chance that the same magazine will carry a “test”
report suggesting that Rodknock’s latest whatever is just about the greatest, finest, and fastest thing ever to have the
opportunity to rust.

If the article is staff written, there is just about no chance that any poor features of the machine will have a chance
to see ink. If the piece is done by a freelance author, two things can happen to bring the slant handily back to the
perspective of the advertiser: The first is that the outside writer’s work may be cut, or simply changed a little or a
lot.

The word is “edited”. At times, the change of placement of a punctuation mark, or the alteration of just a few key
words out of several thousand can change the intent of what the writer was trying to say. Selecting photos and
writing captions which accompany the text is another method editors have of changing what the author thought he
said when he mailed his manuscript.

Freelance writers who have had their work thusly modified often complain, but to little avail. The editors who make
the changes are not evil or untruthful men- they are simply making a living by working within a system. The reason
for this sort of thing is that the editorial content of a good many general interest magazines may be simply
considered an extension of the advertising content. Any editor who offends a major advertiser can count on a
reprimand or the loss of his job. (Of all the “enthusiast” publications in the automotive field, ​Road & Track does
about the best and most objective job.)

This situation presents a two-edged sword of sorts, but with two dull edges. On the one hand, the reader has less
than an even chance of finding out things which might make a particular product unsuited to his needs. On the other
if a particular manufacturer introduces a product of markedly superior design and quality, chances are that the
write-up it receives will make it sound little different than average or mediocre products intended for the same end
use.

The loser is the reader. I’m not going to suggest that you don’t buy the “enthusiast” publications- they are an
excellent way to keep informed of new product developments. Just remember that as you read them, you are being
entertained at least as much as you are being informed.

This next topic is one I promised to address some time back- alternate fuels. About every other month, one
magazine or another talks about running your vehicle from chicken dung, alcohol, methane from various sources,
and numerous mixtures based on alcohol. Some of the alternates that actually work are liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG), electric power, and Diesel. During World War II, a system to run civilian vehicles was used widely in
Europe and called the producer gas generator.
During the gas crisis of a few years back, there was a flurry of interest in LPG systems for passenger cars that died
out rather quickly. The systems run about $500 installed, and many have the capability of running off gasoline or
LPG after making some adjustments. Advantages of LPG are real. Engines run from 25% to 50% more hours
between overhauls, all other conditions being equal, than with gasoline fuel.

Exhaust fumes are cleaner and less offensive. On the debit side, you may switch an engine with a good deal of
running time on gasoline over to LPG with few problems. If, however, you switch from LPG to gasoline, you’ll
find that valves and rings will shortly require replacement. LPG has found a home in powering industrial
equipment, i.e. forklift trucks, which operate indoors or in areas in which gasoline fumes might be a bother.

Fuel storage, from an industrial point of view, is much safer in that bulk supplies of gasoline need not be stored
inside or poured in areas where explosive fumes would create a hazard. There is some power loss, from about 15%
to as much as 25%, depending on the engine and application involved. From the seat of the pants perception of the
driver, the loss is not noticed. Considering the cost, the special carburetion involved, the elaborate storage required,
and the difficulty in buying LPG conveniently, I cannot recommend it as a good alternative for a survival vehicle. If
you find yourself in a situation in which you can find no gasoline, you certainly are not going to be able to find
LPG.

Electric power gets a good deal of ink. Like LPG, you’ll find many industrial vehicles operating indoors and in
food processing areas powered with storage batteries. If you’re a golfer, you have probably ridden around the
course in the electric carts powered by six batteries in series producing 36 Volts DC. Electric vehicles are quiet,
clean, and silent. If properly cared for, they can last many times as long as similar machines powered by internal
combustion engines.

Virtually all electric vehicles used in “production” applications are powered by lead-acid storage batteries, and
therein lies their limitation. Other than in manufacturing techniques and in materials for containers, there is little
difference between a 1910 battery and a 1978 battery. A gentleman named Vinal wrote the definitive work on the
subject about fifty years ago. Lead-acid cells yield approximately 2.1 Volts, whether they are as big as a house or
small enough to fit in your trail bike. Their capacity may be calculated simply by determining how many pounds of
lead they contain.

In years past, electric vehicles used resistor arrangements for speed control. In simple terms, when you wanted to
move slowly, a good bit of your power was diverted through nichrome resistor coils or carbon piles. The remainder
of the power was directed to the traction motor. When you wanted “all ahead full”, the resistors were bypassed. The
best modern way to control speed of electric vehicles makes use of what is called an SCR control (silicon controlled
rectifier). The SCR is a make-and-break switch of sorts which pulses power to control speed.

The pulses are rapid enough that the operator is unaware of them. The SCR is more efficient in its use of energy
and much smoother in operation. It is also far more difficult to diagnose and service in the event of trouble. Most
expensive industrial machines are equipped with SCR; many lesser vehicles may still have resistor controls or
series/parallel switching arrangements to get the job done.

The electric car is still something of a pipe dream and a great area in which to pour money for corporate tax
write-offs in R&D. The same disadvantages which condemned the Baker electric to obscurity are no less valid
today: electric cars are heavy, expensive, slow, and short-ranged. From time to time, someone says, “Ah, yes, but
our super-duper electric car does not run on lead-acid batteries, and it’s great.” Perhaps. There are all manner of
batteries around which exhibit some superior characteristics over that of the lead acid variety.
Any two unlike metals in a conductive solution will produce a measurable current, i.e. a penny and a dime stuck in
a lemon will produce some power. The problem is that just as coin-studded lemons are not very practical, most of
the exotic batteries are either unreliable or simply too expensive to consider for anything other than lab work. Like
LPG, electric power has little place in a survival application.

Diesel is reasonably easy to discuss. One Dr. Diesel of Augsburg, Germany invented the engine which bears his
name early in this century. For many years in this country, Diesels were called “oil engines”. Until the past 20 or 30
years, Diesels were employed in stationary, marine, and rail applications. By the end of the 60’s, they had taken
over the heavy truck market. Now, we have the GM Diesel 350, based on gasoline engine components.

The GM Diesel is now offered in the Cadillac Seville, Oldsmobile, and some GM-built pickups. It costs about
$1,000 more to own by the time the engine option, as well as other required options to complete the package, have
been paid for. It produces less power and is noisier and rougher than the comparable gasoline engine. GM claims no
advantage in engine life, and warns on several models that trailer pulling will void your warranty.

While spark plugs, points, and other spark-ignition components are dispensed with, a number of expensive fuel
filters more than make up for the saving. If your survival vehicle is an auto or pickup, stay with gasoline. If you
happen to use a heavy truck as your survival machine -that is, any truck over 12,000 pounds unladen- be certain it is
Diesel powered.

As an aside relating to Diesel, I believe I made a mistake some time back. I did not believe that there was much real
interest in heavy trucks and military machines for survival use. The fact is they are excellent and reliable machines,
but I did not wish to take up space with a topic in which there seemed to be little interest. A future column will be
devoted to heavy trucks in general and militaries in particular.

The producer gas generators of the World War II period made use of gases derived from the controlled combustion
of organic materials. The system was cumbersome and very heavy, and the performance of vehicles so equipped
beat walking, but just barely. Despite the obvious economies possible in running a vehicle off of coal or wood,
producer gas equipment was junked as soon as possible after 1945. The arrangement has little application today,
particularly with the types of engines we have to work with, i.e. moderate to high compression, short-stroke types.
Should we someday reach the point that no fuels of any sort are available, we might want to look at this concept
again.

I’ve saved the worst ‘till last. There are those writers who would have you believe that all you have to do is to
chuck a bunch of organic goop into a big iron pot, wait, then drain off pure alcohol which will run your vehicle
smooth as velvet and faster than the wind.

Alcohol might make the driver run faster, but the issue is not nearly so simple as the armchair types would have you
believe. For those that doubt, try gathering up the necessary impedimenta and gadgetry necessary to turn out a
drinkable batch of homebrew wine or beer. You’ll find that the job can be done, but the process is sensitive and
very time consuming. If it pleases you to spend an inordinate amount of time producing small amounts of alcohol,
have at it. Just remember that service stations and liquor stores are still a better bet.

I keep hearing statements like '”All those race cars use alcohol, it must be good.”' Race cars also use carefully
formulated nitro-methane compounds, and other fuel blends that are equally impractical for general use. Bear in
mind that these machines measure engine life in minutes between overhauls- not in years.
From time to time, the subject of water injection also comes up. A year or so ago, a water injection gadget was
given a lot of advertising ink. Water injection was used in some models of the Allison V-l710, the Rolls-Royce
Merlin, and turbo-compound engines used in the last piston driven airliners.

It was great where needed, but otherwise a waste of time and money. If you go to the trouble to set up and tend an
alcohol production facility, remember that alcohol is a bear to store. One of its more disturbing properties is that it
is quite hygroscopic. That is, it will soak up water from the atmosphere like a hungry sponge. On balance, alcohol is
at least as difficult to store as gasoline.

Another myth is that gasoline vehicles will “purr” when fed alcohol. Rubbish. If you drop the octane in the gasoline
you are presently burning by more than five octane points, your engine will respond by refusing to start, backfiring
through the carburetor on acceleration, refusing to stop running when the key is switched off, and running very
rough at idle. The gasoline companies have enough trouble trying to market fuel- don’t let some escapist romantic
convince you that making motor fuel is as simple as getting your chickens to line up in front of your gas tank.

There really is a workable solution. Storing gasoline is far simpler than attempting to set up a refinery and a storage
facility. Unlike Diesel, gasoline can deteriorate in storage. When you understand why it does, you will understand
how to store it properly. The two primary enemies which cause gasoline to age are air and condensation. The
volatile constituents of the fuel simply evaporate and other ingredients oxidize. The stuff which is left generally has
a smell rather like paint thinner. Water condenses within the storage vessel.

While it does not actually combine with the fuel, water in carburetors causes very rough running, hard starting, and
very erratic idle. Even worse, it combines with the non-ferrous metals in most carburetors to form hydrates. The
hydrates are whitish, fuzzy growths which plug jets and passages. To remove them, it’s necessary to tear the
carburetor apart and usually rebuild it.

Most of the problems in long-term gasoline storage arise because the fuel is maintained in containers designed for
short-term storage and dispensing. You must fill the containers full, then seal them. This precludes the possibility of
oxidation and condensation. The large service station and farm tanks generally cannot be filled all the way, plus
they are intentionally vented. That’s fine, as mentioned above, but rotten for long-term considerations. The best and
most portable containers are the five-gallon “jerry” cans of the military type.

For bulk storage of hundreds of gallons, buy 55-gallon drums. Fill the drums to the top, seal the bungs with
Permatex and store them in a cool place. Remember that you have left no room for expansion. The containers
themselves can swell slightly with no cause for concern, but that does not mean you should subject them to storage
outdoors in the Mojave summer.

If you plan to leave the fuel for a period of years, contact Survival, Inc. for appropriate quantities of their stabilizing
additive. As an additional precaution, add about one quart of uncut, denatured alcohol per drum. This alcohol is not
to somehow improve performance, but to soak up any condensation that might find its way into the drums despite
your best intentions.

The most practical fuel -alternate or otherwise- is gasoline. Learn to store it properly, then devote your time to other
pressing matters. In most cases, as in this one, reinventing the wheel makes great reading but is not terribly
practical.
 Triggers, Trigger Control, and Other Esoterica
by Jeff Cooper

It has been baldly stated that there is nothing to marksmanship but pressing the trigger when the sights are aligned.
This is true. It is also true that there is nothing to playing the piano but hitting the right keys at the right time. In
theory, either is child’s play. In practice- not quite.

The issue is simply the coordination of hand and eye. A man blessed with perfect coordination could shoot
perfectly, with anything, any time. But we aren’t so blessed, and even the very best of us need all the help we can
get. Thus it is that a good trigger is a very important feature on any hand-held firearm from which reasonably
precise bullet placement is to be expected. I’ll go further and say that, in my opinion, a good trigger is the single
most important element of a good gun.

What, then, do we mean by “a good trigger”? We don’t mean its configuration, but rather its action. Trigger
configuration can be a matter of esthetics or of comfort, but trigger action is what matters for precise control. What
is wanted is ​imperceptible movement.​ The trigger must move, in order to release the spring-loaded igniting
mechanism, but we don’t want to know about it. As finger pressure reaches the designed level, the “break” should
occur without any movement that the finger can feel. The trigger should break, as the old timers say, “like a thin
glass rod.” To achieve this paradox of movement without motion takes some doing. It is a vital element of the
gunsmith’s art.

It should be noted that preliminary motion of the trigger, before it arrives at its disengagement resistance, is no
impediment to good action. This is correctly called “slack” or “take-up” and it is a feature of many excellent
modern triggers, including all semi-automatic actions and a good many bolts. When a marksman “takes up the
slack”, he moves the trigger from its rest position into its firing mode.

A good take-up is light-say one-half to one-and-one-half pounds, its travel is one-tenth to one-quarter of an inch,
and it terminates cleanly at its release point. From here on no movement should be apparent. This sort of trigger is
often called “military” or “two-stage”, as opposed to “shotgun” or “single-stage” triggers which include no slack.
(The Swiss are fond of a three-stage trigger, which is pretty peculiar but seems to suffice.)

A really good single-stage trigger, such as may be found on certain high-grade revolvers and many target rifles, is a
baffling delight. When you press it (on an empty chamber) you ​feel nothing, you just hear it click. This sort of thing
is a great aid to good marksmanship- probably the greatest single aid we know.

I do not feel that the single-stage trigger is superior to the two-stage except in that it is easier to learn. Proper
management of the military trigger calls for taking up the slack as the piece is presented, and duffers have been
known to “go through” the second stage inadvertently to a premature discharge.

Either system will do very well, and one should not feel that it is either necessary or desirable to take the slack out
of a two-stage trigger. Especially beware of the gun butcher, amateur or professional, who suggests blocking
take-up with a mechanical stop. This was done widely to military bolt actions after WWII, and it is an open
invitation to disaster since it removes all barriers to accidental discharge as the bolt is closed.
Trigger weight -the pressure on the trigger needed for ignition- may vary from a few ounces to as much as ten
pounds, but two pounds can be dangerous and five pounds can be awkward. Two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half,
clean is a good spread, but I would prefer five pounds clean to two pounds creepy.

“Creep” is the standard term for apparent motion in the trigger, after take-up, on the break. It is an obstacle to
precision, in any degree, and in bad cases can render the piece nearly unmanageable.

“Backlash” -in marksmanship- is the common term for trigger movement which takes place after the ignition break.
It bothers some people more than others, but it is hardly serious.* The platonic ideal of trigger, existing only in the
mind of God, has no slack, no creep, and no backlash. We cannot achieve it, but we can approach it. (As with other
desirables such as liberty and justice for all.)

Europeans are fond of the “set trigger”, in which the releasing mechanism is spring-loaded and deliberately cocked
-or “set”- just before firing. This can provide a trigger action so light as to be imperceptible- the merest touch will
fire the piece. It works, not only for deliberate fire, but for speed shooting, as Gerry Gore showed me on running
rabbits in Natal. It is, however, somewhat weird if you are not raised on it.

I am not convinced that it makes for better shooting; besides which it is necessarily delicate and complex, and if
“unsetting” it after a false alarm is neglected, it is unsafe. Set triggers normally offer the option of a “regular” action
if the trigger is not set. On those I have tried, this unset action has never been good.

About half the firearms you may encounter will have good triggers as issued. The odds on quality bolt action and
lever action sporting rifles are good. (The late model Remington triggers are, in the main, outstanding.) High-grade
revolvers usually have fine single-action triggers, and late model Colt autos are often as excellent as earlier versions
were egregious.

The semi-automatic rifles are difficult, since the weight and violence of their actions tend to jolt off a nicely tuned
trigger on closure. The Garand family (M-1, M-14, M1A, BM-59, US Carbine, Mini-14) are better than most in this
respect and can often be found with very nice triggers- possibly not Grade One but good Grade Two.

The true “assault rifles” (​Sturmgewehre​) have uniformly crummy triggers, and fixing them is so difficult as to be
beyond the skill of most gunsmiths, even those with much experience. I can here put in a personal plug for Darrell
Holland of Gunsite. He is our resident smith and he has been able to put triggers into G3’s (HK-9l’s) now that are
very good indeed. I don’t know how he does it, since no one else can.

Accessory triggers -Canjar, Jaeger, Timney, etc.- are available for most bolt actions, and can be “plugged in” to a
military bolt gun to replace its two-stage mechanism. Canjar, in particular, enjoys a fine reputation, and I have used
one on a custom Enfield for years with complete satisfaction. However, nearly all late-model sporting bolt guns
come with good single-stage triggers and it is best to make sure that you really need an accessory trigger before
buying one, which will cost about as much as 100 rounds of factory .308.

The trigger can be managed in three ways, the easiest and most useful of which may be called the “open-end
surprise-break”. “Surprise break” is the marksman’s term for a break which occurs at an instant not specifically
chosen by the shooter. “Open-end” signifies that the finger pressure is steadily increased until, at some indefinite
point in time, it suffices- and the shot is fired. This is the standard system used for deliberate fire from stabilized
positions- bench, bipod, prone, and sitting with rifles; and prone and braced-sitting with pistols.
The combat pistol shot must quickly learn the “compressed surprise break”, in which the surprise is compressed
into a selected time interval which may be very short but still encompasses a true surprise. The rifleman engaging
running targets uses this technique.

For unstabilized firing positions -principally offhand with either rifle or pistol- it is not possible to use the
compressed surprise break since the sights may well waver during the chosen time span. The open-end version is
possible but nerve-wracking, as waiting for a perfect sight picture may take forever. The great offhand shots, I am
told, use the “nudge”. They nudge off the shot just as the sights are right. For a duffer to try this is disastrous.
That’s why we see so many really lousy offhand shots.

With any of the three trigger presses, however, a good trigger is essential. Finger placement varies -among good
shots- but I favor the pad of the first phalange with the pistol, and the crease between first and second phalanges
with the rifle. Pressure should be straight to the rear. With a trigger much below two pounds it becomes tricky to
present the piece when using any finger pressure at all, and this is why most do not favor very light “hair” triggers
for general use.

The renowned Julian Hatcher tells of using such a hair trigger in the Olympics by actually reversing the direction of
his finger. He would carefully place his finger on the side of the feathery trigger and push gently forward. Then
when sight alignment was perfect, he just released his trigger finger and the piece fired. Interesting certainly, but
hardly practical. Actually special “release triggers” were at one time in vogue with clay-bird shotgunners, but they
are rarely seen now.

I have shot steadily now, season after season, since before ordinary American families had cars, radios, or
refrigerators. That’s a lot of shooting. I can manage a bad trigger- barely. But I don’t enjoy it, and I don’t think it is
necessary. If your weapon comes out of the box with a good trigger that’s just fine- you’re ahead of the game. But
if it doesn’t, get it fixed. That’s what gunsmiths are for. Don’t be content with a gritty, spongy, or stubborn trigger.
“Three pounds, crisp” is the word. Four may be better with auto pistols, but not five. But whether it is three,
three-and-a-half, or four- ​crisp​ is what you want.

* Editor’s Note: Obviously, this is a matter of personal perception. I find backlash far more disturbing than a
moderate amount of creep.

Keeping It Together
by Carl Kirsch, MD

In the last column, you took the “Schedule of Recent Experience” and scored it. I discussed the point scale and
illness probabilities as derived from Dr. Holmes’ studies and mentioned that it was not clear whether illness would
develop at the rate he predicts according to other studies of the same scale. It is clear, however, that even if illness
does not develop with this frequency, many studies have shown that symptoms of both a physical and psychological
nature occur at these levels of stress.

The disagreement of these studies centers around what is defined as illness, who reports it, and how you make sure
that it is an organic physical disturbance rather than a group of symptoms that represent the body’s reaction to the
muscular, hormonal’ and nervous stimulation that happens under stress. It is not necessary in this column to go into
the complexity of this debate, since the major issue for you is simply to become aware of the level of stress that you
are undergoing as well as the types of stresses that give difficulties.
It is important to realize that stresses alone do not cause illness. How you adapt to the world (“coping style”), what
your diet is, what your hereditary factors are, and your environmental aspects all will contribute to stress-related
symptoms or illnesses. In the future this column will concern itself with many of these factors, including the
recognition of what your patterns are in dealing with stress and which areas of your body tend to respond by
symptoms or illness. This will help you compensate for the weaknesses in stress management and prevention that
occur from only using the stress scales.

How people respond to stress is determined not only by their personal styles but also by what motivates them to be
where they are and what kind of group cohesion exists. In the many stress studies done in the military, the
following facts have emerged clearly.

The first is that high performance under stress occurs when there is a sense of dedication, comradeship, or group
unison. Then group members function well, support each other and share in the positive aspects of the task. In
addition, each member is allowed to gripe and process negative feelings and fears because the group is not
threatened by such behavior.

Second, people who are satisfied with their jobs or tasks develop fewer stress illnesses and report sick less often.
Volunteers in stressful situations generally perform best.

Third, actively handling the situation yields fewer stress problems. Men under fire in combat often show fewer
stress symptoms than officers behind the front lines. Thus, if you are heading up your retreat, it is important to
know that the threshold for experiencing stress symptoms and complaining about them will vary. This threshold can
often be lowered under high stress if group cohesion is absent or if group members are unhappy about their tasks, or
the retreat, or feel unwilling to be in this situation.

Conversely, people have often risen to the task, as in wartime London, and participated at a higher level than usual.
For a retreat group or family, having everyone participate in the planning and develop a sense of unity for the task
at hand will help to increase performance levels.

Both before and during the crisis, active participation is necessary if stress symptoms and illness are to be avoided.
This is especially true during the crisis for the head of the group if he or she is to avoid stress disorders that can
develop from the responsibility for making decisions on which others’ lives depend. The high rate of stress-related
illness among air traffic controllers should serve as a warning.

Of what practical use is the score and schedule for you right now; First of all, I hope that you now realize what
kinds of stresses are currently occurring for you. Then I hope that you will go over the scale in detail and become
familiar with the various events and sense the kind of change that each event requires. That change can be roughly
approximated by the point value of the event on the scale.

It would be useful to you to put the scale where you could see it so that it brings back to mind these stresses. Doing
this will help you begin to recognize a particular life event as stressful when it happens. In addition, it is important
for the whole family or retreat group to participate in this process. They should start by rating the stresses for
themselves.

Next they should look at the scale from time to time so that they can recognize a stressful life event when it
happens. This scale is accurate for anyone over the age of thirteen and thus can be used by most of the family.
Secondly, when a life event occurs that is on this scale, one of the first things you should do is to spend time sitting
quietly thinking about the event and what it means to you. Try to get in touch with the feelings you are having
about it. The feelings that should be paid attention to are both the emotions (anger, sadness, etc.) and the body
sensations, such as muscle tensions, aches, pains, or visual disturbances. The next thing to do is to think about how
you might best react to and adjust to this event. As you think of this, it is important to recognize any additional
tensions that you experience; then, see yourself reacting to this event, and let yourself simultaneously relax.

Third, allow yourself plenty of time to make any decisions necessary. By not pressuring yourself into deciding
quickly, you can reduce your tension and your stress. When you think about pending life events that you will have
to make decisions about, you should also take enough time to let your body relax. A preliminary way to do the
relaxation is to think about a wave of relaxation moving through each part of your body. Do this with eyes closed,
sitting for three or four minutes.

An important preventative measure is to anticipate these life changes whenever possible, and to plan for them.
When you live on an “emergency economy” under which everything is experienced or treated as if there is a
deadline, life stress only increases. By following these preventative measures, you will be able to reduce the effects
of stress on you now. Stress will come in small doses and perhaps serve, as some researchers believe, as an
inoculation or a vaccination that protects against the effects of major stresses. Thus you will be better able to
respond to them when they occur and not be incapacitated by them.

The function of the preventative measures that will be discussed in future columns is also the same. It is obvious
that all of the preventative measures will not eliminate all the effects of the stresses that will occur if a catastrophe
strikes. However, using these principles will leave you much better prepared for any emergency. For example,
within whatever events allow, use that time to relax, to take stock of yourself, and to not rush decisions.

If your planning has been done well in advance, then much of your thinking can revolve around what it is you are
feeling in response to the events so that you can function better from a clear space, and minimize the stress effects
upon you. This is one of the major reasons that planning for the events as recommended in this newsletter is
important, because it will allow you to spend time reducing the stress you experience so that you will function well
and stay well.

It is clear that if you are already living at your retreat you will obviously reduce the major stress of relocation. Look
at your stress schedule to see what other changes you could make in advance in order to reduce stress.

Take your stress scale seriously, and follow the preventative recommendations starting now. You will be sure, then,
to be in better shape to handle the stresses to come.

Useful Tidbits
This section of the column will present information that I believe is useful and either not well-known or not usually
thought about in regard to preparations for a survival situation. First we will deal with oral contraceptives or birth
control pills. They may be currently used by you or members of your family. You also may be planning on using
them in the retreat situation.
Medical studies have shown that birth control pills deplete the system of the B and C vitamins as well as folic acid.
Vitamin B6 is the main B vitamin depleted by the birth control pill. The depletion occurs at a rate of almost 80
percent of the vitamin B6 that is ingested.

The average diet contains at maximum 2 mg. of B6 daily, and it is hard to ingest more. Since you would want at
least 1.6 mg. per day I recommend a supplement of 20 mg. of vitamin B6 or 25 mg. of pyridoxin hyperchloride
daily for birth control pill users.

I also recommend having a one-year supply of B6 or pyridoxin in your survival stores if birth control pills are to be
used. I suggest eating foods high in B vitamins (like yeast, wheat germ, and liver) since vitamins B1 and B2 are
also somewhat depleted. In order to replace the vitamin C depleted, I recommend taking 500 mg. of vitamin C daily
in addition to the amount of vitamin C normally taken, as well as 3 to 4 mg. of folic acid daily.

A one-year’s supply of these should also be in the survival stores. This regime will supplement the normal as well
as the vitamin-deficient survival diet for the vitamin depletion caused by birth control pills. The survival diet will
also need more vitamin supplementation. This is a subject for a future column. The B and C vitamins are especially
important since they are depleted under stress situations such as a retreat situation is likely to be.

Users of diuretic pills should be aware that they deplete the potassium in the body. If you are being medicated with
them for high blood pressure or heart disease, or use these pills for any reason, I suggest you consult your physician
and ask him to prescribe a potassium supplement, if indicated, that has as long a storage period as possible and
make it part of your survival stores. Also, begin using this as your regular supplement now, so that you will be used
to it and stabilized on it by the time you need your survival supply.

Insect stings can be a serious problem at any time and especially in the survival situation. I would like to
recommend an unusual product for topical (skin surface) application for stings. It will function remarkably well in
reducing the swelling, itching, and pain. It works wonders on mosquito bites and is quite helpful on other insect
bites. It is not for treatment of people who have allergic reactions to bee, wasp, hornet stings, etc. These should be
treated systemically as recommended by your regular physician.

This product is called Pyrethrum and it is available in small applicator vials that work best by direct application to
the sting. Pyrethrum is a plant extract prepared by A. Nelson & Co., Ltd., 73 Duke Street, Grovesnor Square,
W1M6BY, London, England. Nelson’s is a homeopathic pharmacy which prepares fine products of this type.

They also have an excellent homeopathic first aid kit that contains some homeopathic medications and excellent
ointments for burns and traumas. These products are non-toxic, safe, and available to anyone. In a future column I
will discuss homeopathy and the important treatment role it can play in the survival situation.

Meanwhile, if you’re interested, you can write Nelson’s for their price and product list and then order half a dozen
Pyrethrum applicators and, perhaps, a first-aid kit.