On a side note, a high velocity round like a .270 or .300 can fragment if shooting across a field into shade. (at least that's what we tell ourselves)

If the conditions are right, some rifle bullets will actually do that. But it has to be a light-weight bullet, with a thin "target" jacket, at very high velocity, from a barrel with a very fast twist. What happens is that the high velocity and fast twist give the bullet so much spin that with the thin jacket, it will literally fly apart in the air.

Ken V.

Was thinking about getting a Glock 26 or 27, but am now considering just going for a Bersa Thunder380 CC or maybe follow our boy jack and go for a AMT 380 back-up.

If you're thinking about a Bersa, first check to see if extra magazines are available. I understand that they're pretty hard to find. Forget about the 380 back-up. It's a piece of crap. The trigger is better than it used to be, but you need a hammer and two . . . TWO . . . different kinds of drifts/punches to remove the slide. It's VERY cheaply built.

Then again the 45 is always a possibility. Smith and Wesson Chief's Special Model CS45 is a gorgeous little auto.

Unfortunately, it has an aluminum frame. Which means that it will -- with its light weight -- have massive recoil, and aluminum just doesn't stand up to the battering as well as steel or stainless does.

I had a scare last time I shot. I was using my brothers SKS for the first time. Outdoor range, thank god. I loaded the magazine ( with the safety on ) and let the slide go, just like I had always done. Well, I had my cousins with me and they were crowding around so I had the barrel aimed ALMOST straight up when I did. Damned thing went off. Put a perfectly circular little hole in the corrugated plastic roof of the range. Thought the old vets they have for range monitors were gonna shit. Nobody but our party noticed.

I told my brother that if it hit anything we'd know in about five minutes since we were right by the state police barracks. Nobody showed. *Phew..*.

Turns out its a common flaw with the Chinese SKS. Some part, I forget what, floats

If I remember correctly, it's the firing pin. It's a free-floating pin, and when the bolt is released, the firing pin -- which is a bit heavy -- will continue forward after the bolt has slammed closed, and ignite the primer. This mostly happens with commercial ammunition, which has a softer primer cup than the intended military ammunition. This is the exact opposite of what I've seen with the Ruger Mini-Thirty, which has (had?) a light weight firing pin, and therefore would not fire 7.63X39 military ammo. The firing pin would just not hit hard enough to light off the primer. Commercial ammo was okay, but not military ammo.

and it can do that even when not being loaded and just sitting still.

I find that hard to believe.

Ken V.

Cold weather premature break up? Yes I can see that happening. A frangible is designed to disintegrate completely upon impacting steel and it starts breaking apart on impact with anything. If it is really cold and you have been out in the weather long enough for the temp of your ammo to acclimate I can imagine it would affect it. Also multiple layers of clothing, leather belt, belt buckle something in a pocket, bone, ect…all could effect premature breakup. I personally do not recommend the frangible. You have to worry just as much about over penetration with the full metal jacket. By the time you are firing the second shot you should be moving away from where you were when you fired the first one. Hitting a bystander can get you on the fast track to prison. I recommend Federal Premium Personal Defense Hydra-Shock Jacketed Hollow Points. These are designed for great penetration and expansion, but not to exit. They are the ultimate personal defense round. They cost a little over a dollar a round but they are well worth it.

The guy who designed the Hydra-Shok later designed the PMC Eldorado Starfire, and from what I've seen, it's a better (more ultimate . . . ultimater?) bullet. That's not saying that the Hydra-Shok is bad, just that the Starfire is better. Even the Hydra-Shok cavity can become plugged with clothing -- especially in winter, when your attacker is wearing heavy clothing -- and that will lessen the ability of the bullet to expand. The Starfire will begin to expand very slightly when it punches through heavy clothing, and expand greatly when it begins to punch through flesh.

You might want to give them a try.

Ken V.