Sometimes, a good loading just can’t get a break. The 10mm was introduced in 1983, based on suggestions from Jeff Cooper. He’d imagined a cartridge that could match the speed and flat trajectory of the 9×19mm with the heavier projectile of a .45 ACP, basically splitting the small/fast vs. large/slow debate down the middle.

This had been tried before, of course. The .41 Magnum was an earlier attempt to reconcile the .357 and .44 Magnum loadings. Based on the .400 Eimer wildcat cartridge, it could propel a 210gr bullet at 1520 ft/s, dumping a biblical 1080 ft/lbs of energy (1). Sadly, the .41 never caught on, and it faded into a sort of semi-obscurity, kept afloat by reloaders and aficionados who saw its potential in a wide range of loadings.

I wonder if it might have succeeded given a catchier name…something like .400 Lightning. Or the Four Bore Groin Punch. Who knows?

I've recently been made aware that a bunch of folks from a local group plan to open carry into restaurants on July 1st, when House Bill 89 goes into effect. This is a stupid and ultimately destructive idea.

Let's get one thing straight, folks: open carry spooks the sheep.

It may be common in rural areas, but that’s not the way it is in suburbia. People aren’t used to seeing guns, and many associate them with crime and mayhem. I know it stems from ignorance, but if it’s going to change, it’s going to take awhile.

If someone’s uncomfortable about guns, being stuck in line next to a guy carrying one isn’t going to change that. It’s just going to make them suspicious and nervous. People in that state are unpredictable, especially in groups.

Don’t give me arguments about “educating people.” It’s ego, and that's all it is. Somebody's got something to prove, and whatever excuses they choose to make, it all comes down to alpha-male chest pounding. If you want to be the center of attention, run for office or get a record deal. If a firearm is a means to boost your self esteem, you need therapy, not a gun.

This is a Smith & Wesson Model 67, the stainless Combat Masterpiece in .38 Special. According to Supica & Nahas, it was manufactured in 1974. This one’s a no-dash model from the first production run and has the stainless sights. It also has the tapered and pinned barrel, which would later be replaced with a straight, heavy barrel to match the Magnum frames.

The bill has passed, but we’re not out of the woods yet. We can likely expect litigation against the “parking lot” provisions of HB 89, something Governor Perdue alluded to when he singed the bill.

Workers at MARTA have gathered 1000 signatures on a petition demanding “bulletproof shields” on buses, and I expect the Georgia Restaurant Association to do some serious kicking and screaming on the issue.

The editorial board at the AJC has been contributing to the furor, and Mayor Shirley Franklin has made her opinion known:

“The presumption needs to be, in order to have a safe city, that there are no concealed weapons. And only those who are acting criminally might have them.”

Yeah, go ahead and read that again.

It bears mention that Franklin is a member of the Mayors against Illegal Guns coalition (everything’s a “coalition” with the Left), and of course, their funding comes from a $175,000 Joyce Foundation grant. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (who knows all about disarming the populace and leaving them at the mercy of criminals) is also a member of the organization.

Perhaps all that time and money would be better spent fixing the Atlanta’s $140 million deficit. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a lowly taxpayer.

I got the phone call about 3:15 this afternoon, and at 3:30, local news confirmed it. Sonny Perdue signed HB 89 into law.

Bear in mind, this does not go into effect until July 1st.

Frankly, I hadn't expected him to sign it. It seemed most likely that he'd let it run to midnight and pass quietly into law without his intervention.

Sorry to sound negative, but he's not exactly been our friend in the past. He has a habit of dictating things based on what he thinks is "right." He's refused to take a stand on gun rights either way, and letting the bill pass without his signature would have been a way of saying, "I didn't support it, but I didn't oppose it either."

At least that's what I hear at least once a day from yokels who see me carrying one. Their arguments are puerile for the most part, and they all seem to echo the same misguided sentiments.

The first is accuracy. People will claim that the revolver is somehow inaccurate. What they really mean is that they can't shoot it well. In fact, the revolver, having a fixed barrel, is capable of greater accuracy than many automatics. Case in point:

S&W 696, .44 Special, 8 yards, 2" bullseye.

First things first. Clips and magazines are not the same thing, and the terms are not interchangeable. Confusing the two is very annoying.

Here’s a simple rule to remember the difference: if it has a spring in it, it is a magazine, not a clip.

A magazine is a spring-loaded mechanism used to load ammunition. With the exception of revolvers and top-break shotguns, most modern firearms load cartridges from a magazine of some sort. Bolt-action rifles and some older military ordnance utilize internal magazines, while most other modern firearms use external magazines.