TALON Gun Grips

As we reach our 100th Newsletter it’s fun to look back on some of our ads and team pictures from the past.

By Jay Chambers

We live in a time where almost anyone can own a gun – provided they are in the right state of mind and do not have any prior criminal record. If someone living in a dangerous neighborhood would feel safer with a gun in their safe or their bag, there is no reason why they should not be granted concealed carry permit.

Still, when you are buying a gun for self-defense – and not just as a hobby – the chances are that you will not know exactly what type of ammo to choose for your gun. Granted, while every type of ammo can lead to heavy damage once it hits the target, they all leave a different kind of damage.

If you are looking to purchase a gun for self-defense, then this article will walk you through the basics of self-defense ammunition.

Practice vs. Target vs. Self-Defense Ammo

To understand what self-defense ammo is, you need to understand the other types of ammo as well.

• Practice and Target Ammunition

First things first, practice ammunition (or “dummy rounds”) is the type of ammo that you use during gun practice. The anatomy of such a bullet is simple: obviously, it has to go with a bang – but practically, all it needs to do is to make a few holes on a target and maybe make some noise when it hits.

This is why manufacturers don’t use anything but the basic, inexpensive stuff when creating the bullet. This ammo will use cheap powder, bras, alternative metal cases – in a manner that is as simplistic as possible.

Since their only purpose is to make a hole in a paper, they won’t be doing anything fancy upon hitting a live target. The result? If you try to shoot an attacker with this type of bullet, they may just pass through and not cause any fight-stopping damage. Even worse, if that bullet passes through, you might just risk shooting someone that you don’t want to.

Target ammunition is based on the same principle as practice ammunition – only that the materials used are not that cheap. Their purpose is to hit a target and cause fighting-stopping damage. However, this kind of ammo can also pass through the target – and unless the gun owner is a very good shooter, the chances are that you might miss the vital organs – or any other point that you are aiming at.

• Self-Defense Ammunition

Unlike target ammo, the one designed for self-defense will get bigger once it hits the target – and therefore causing more damage that will stop your attacker. This type of ammo is designed to work every time it hits the target – and it should hold up for years even in a humid environment, without losing its efficiency. This type of ammo also has hollow points, which will further allow the bullet to expand once it hits the target and will create more damage.

So as to retain these qualities, manufacturers of self-defense ammo need to pay special attention to the components of such a cartridge:

• Cartridge Case: In order for the self-defense ammo to be effective, most manufacturers use nickel-plated casing so that the ammo can resist in humid conditions. This cartridge also gives the bullet more visibility in the dark.
• Powder: When creating self-defense ammo, the manufacturer needs to make sure that the bullet does not only go “bang;” it also needs to have velocity in every shot. This is why the powder receives chemical treatment in order to provide low-flash burn and improve visibility for the shooter.
• Projectile: The rate at which the bullet expands is also of great importance. If it over-expands, the chances are that it will not do much damage to the target. If it under-expands, it can go right through – therefore putting your life in danger when the bullet does not stop your attacker.

To put it plainly, self-defense ammo can cause harm to your target, even if you are not the best of shooters. They are appropriate for close-range shooting, proving visibility to the gun owner and causing enough damage so that they can escape.

Self-defense ammo is more expensive than the other types – so anyone who would pick this type of ammo would need to make a small investment. However, it is a small price to pay when you are in a situation where your life is on the line.

Choosing Self-Defense Ammo

So, aside from the basics mentioned above, how do you choose self-defense ammunition? The easiest, surefire way (pun intended) would be to learn about what your local law-enforcement institutions use. Generally, they also use self-defense ammo – mostly for its ability to bring down a target.

Furthermore, it is safe to say that before committing themselves to such a great responsibility, they have done a lot of research for it. Plus, they have been trained in this respect – so you can say that they know what they are doing.

Last but not least, you should steer yourself towards ammo brands that have a strong reputation – such as Remington, Federal, Winchester, or Sig Sauer. This way, you will have fewer risks of damaging your gun or injuring yourself by mistake.

Who Should Buy Self-Defense Ammo?

Needless to say, those who buy self-defense ammunition are those who have reason to fear for their safety. This type of ammo is good for people who are not that good shooters since it can expand and penetrate a target more efficiently.

Self-defense ammo is a good option for those who do not use their gun on a regular basis – since it is more resistant to humid temperatures. However, you will have to shoot the gun every few months to ensure that the gun doesn’t get “rusty” with the bullets inside.

Final Thoughts

Self-defense ammo is a good option for those that do not have superior target abilities. However, while they may be a good option for “newbies,” you may still want to invest in some practice ammo as well and shoot some rounds. If you are ever forced to use your gun for self-defense, you might want to get used to the feeling first.

If you like spending time exploring the great outdoors check out the onX mapping App. onX can be purchased for your cell phone or GPS.  The App has maps that can be loaded instantaneously if you have data service. If you don’t have service, no problem, download a map of the area you are going and you can pull the map up at any time, track yourself, and find out details about the area that you are in.

There are several tools on onX that we find especially useful.

• Mark My Location- Mark your camp or car so you can find your way home. If you find something you want to get back to or that you want to mark its location, simply mark it.
• Line distance- Determine the distance from point A to point B.
• Track me- Track your journey.
• Mark Waypoint- Want to get somewhere on the map and the visibility isn’t great? Add a waypoint and use the onX to guide you there.

The map has multiple layers that you can use to show public and private land boundaries. You can also switch between seeing just topo, satellite, and a combination satellite/topo view.

We’ve found the App invaluable. It’s increased our knowledge of where we hunt, fish, hike, and camp.

I wouldn’t advocate anyone to rely solely on any App to navigate the great outdoors.  Always carry a compass, a map of the area you are in, and pay attention to landmarks so if you lose power you will still be able to find your way home.

Learn more about onX

As a firearms instructor, I ask my students a series of questions to get them thinking. One of the first questions I ask is, “which one of the seven shooting fundamentals is the most important?” This is certainly a loaded question, and one could argue that they are all important for different reasons. However, if you were to ask which one of the fundamentals is the most misunderstood or the one shooting fundamental that is applied incorrectly most often, the answer would be simple…the grip.

Establishing proper hand placement and proper grip pressure sounds simple enough, but it is one of the more difficult fundamentals for shooters to master. The hands need to be in the right position and the shooter needs to create enough grip pressure to help manage the gun as it recoils. One of the biggest issues that instructors see with grip pressure is not that the shooter struggles to create enough pressure to control the gun, it’s when they apply that pressure and are unable to sustain it consistently throughout the entire string of fire. The primary hand grip and grip pressure need to be established when the pistol is still in the holster. If the shooter can’t establish a proper grip, they need to eliminate whatever is preventing them from getting that proper grip while the gun is still in the holster. This can be an issue more so with IWB holsters that are not set up correctly or carried in the wrong position, but I also see it with poorly designed Kydex holsters or leather holsters that have a retention adjustment which blocks the fingers from getting a good grip.

Good, firm grip pressure also needs to be established for defensive and retention reasons. Once the proper grip pressure is established it needs to be maintained through out the course of fire, being careful not to increase the pressure. Maintaining consistent pressure is very difficult when the pistol’s surface is slippery.  Increasing the grip pressure with the primary hand is usually done by trying to squeeze the entire hand around the grip. Our hands are naturally made to wrap around things when we grip them however, increasing the primary hand’s grip pressure while shooting tends to wrap the hand around the gun more and will result in a twisting motion. When the pistol twists in a right-handed shooter’s hand it will usually turn to the left causing rounds to impact left of the point of aim. The opposite is true for left- handed shooters. The support hand is also extremely important in this process. Even though very little of that hand touches the pistol surface, it is wrapped around the fingers of the shooter’s primary hand and can impact the overall grip if not placed properly.

Another factor may be the external temperature and skin surface. The skin’s surface may not play a role when dry, but on hot, humid days it can become very slippery, making the portion of the support hand that is in contact with the pistol much more important. If this little bit of surface is slippery, the support hand could slide around easier and when the support hand slides around, the shooter’s tendency is to increase the grip pressure to help secure the pistol. The problem arises when the grip pressure is increased. The pistol will twist in the direction of the support hand causing rounds to impact left or right of the shooters point of aim, depending on which hand is the support hand. When the surface of the gun is slippery the likelihood of grip issues increases, making point of aim/point of impact shots much more difficult for most shooters.

When a shooter can’t properly manage recoil with their grip, most will try to manage the recoil by pushing forward into the gun as the trigger breaks, often resulting in anticipation breaks or “flinching.” This action will cause rounds to impact much lower than the desired point of aim. Flinching is one of the harder habits to break, mostly because shooters don’t realize they are doing it and the anticipation is so engrained in their neuromotor pathway that breaking the habit can take a good amount of time and practice. With proper hand placement and the proper amount of grip pressure, shooters can effectively manage recoil.

If you are having issues with your point of impact in relation to your point of aim you may have grip issues. It’s always best to seek out a qualified instructor to help you develop and maintain consistent grip position and give a set of TALON GRIPS a try.

Ben Morgan
President/CEO
Morgantiming.com

A good safe or gun locker is vital if you have firearms. In many cases the location of a safe isn’t ideal for home defense. Our friends at The Gun Box have a solution for those who want a secure gun in a more convenient location whether it be in the living room, on a bedside stand, or in the office. They have several options that fit most needs. We have a GUNBOX 2.0, it can be quickly opened with a Fingerprint, Keypad, and RFiD Unlock. It is stylish enough so that it doesn’t look out of place regardless of the location. The gun box 2.0 is slim enough that it fits easily in a kitchen drawer or bedside stand.

If The GUNBOX is something that would make your life a little easier and more secure use discount code “talon10” to get 10% off your purchase at thegunbox.com.

See The GUNBOX 2.0 open with fingerprint recognition- Gun Box 2.0