Author: Andrew Tuohy

Recently, I was having a conversation with my friend Jim about drop leg holsters. He commented that it was pretty much a sign of a new or inexperienced person: someone that had maybe a lot of experience with guns on a square range, but not much experience in the field. I agreed. So I posted a comment on Facebook: Friend: "A drop leg holster is a sure sign of someone new or inexperienced." And he's right. This infuriated a number of people who seemed to take it as a direct… Read More

I was first told about "fine motor skills" while in the military; the explanation I was given was that anything to do with using my fingers under stress was a bad idea. That doing so would not work, that I just wouldn't have the dexterity. I was told to use the bigger parts of my hand, or my fingers bunched together, to do any sort of weapon manipulation. This, they said, was a "gross" motor skill that would be better under stress, which apparently makes your fingers turn to jello.… Read More

...and each other. What do I mean by this? I mean that I grow weary of hearing about how veterans need help. I'm tired of hearing things like "Veteran unemployment is so high, why doesn't somebody do something?" Here's why. Veterans have demonstrated a lot about themselves just by being in the military. In order to join the military, you have to score (roughly, depending on the service) at least 30 on the ASVAB, which is a percentile based test. This doesn't mean that you're smarter than a third of… Read More

False bravado is often confused with true competence. Somewhere in between is something which might be defined as unconscious incompetence, a state in which someone believes that they are competent when in fact they are not. I've learned to recognize the differences pretty quickly due to some of the experiences I've had and people I've encountered. The platoon-sized unit of Marines I was assigned to put band-aids on was composed mostly of guys who had been in line (infantry) companies during Operation Phantom Fury - the second push through Fallujah… Read More

I have been collecting precious stones since I was about 10 years old. I have a sizable collection, and although I have never been a fan of brilliant cut stones (or diamonds, for that matter - I'll never buy a cut diamond), I found a few in my collection that matched up pretty well with some jacketed hollow point bullets I recently fired out of various guns underwater. Clockwise from top left, blue topaz in .45 HST 230gr, African sapphire in 9mm HST 147gr, tsavorite in .40 HST 165gr, peridot… Read More

I hope she likes them... Kudos to "obscura" for the idea.

I guess this thought has been at the back of my mind for a while, I just hadn't voiced it. I recommend a number of different types of ammo for carry because 1) supply levels vary and 2) most modern defensive handgun loads from major manufacturers are really quite good and compare pretty well with one another. Segue to pretty photos... Yesterday I shot some HST in .40 and .45 underwater. The photos are pretty cool. I'm totally not done with this, by the way. As pretty as this stuff… Read More

I have started posting brief "thoughts" on the Vuurwapen Blog Facebook page relating to firearms, accessories, etc. Here are the first three from the last few weeks: Firearm Thoughts, 9/22/12: Muzzle Flash Firearm Thoughts, 9/16/12: Optic Quality Brief Firearm Thoughts, 9/13: Sig P228

I was checking out GearScout and saw this article about a review on GunsAmerica's blog. Here are some interesting quotes from the GA review: "The drop safety itself is a revelation of sorts and should make a lot of people jump up and down screaming YES! FINALLY! Few companies have dared put a manual safety on their striker pistols and this is the first in a gun that can compete with the big boys." "The FNS is the first gun from a high end manufacturer that breaks this mold and… Read More

Yesterday I took some photos of Endeavour's last flight while getting some left seat time in a Cessna 180. Endeavour was on its way to being a museum piece in Southern California and flew over Tucson at an altitude of 1,500 feet at the request of Captain Mark Kelly to honor his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Captain Kelly flew the shuttle on its last mission in 2011. The specially modified 747 used to carry the shuttles is called, unsurprisingly, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. This particular aircraft is N905NA, a… Read More