Search Results for ‘original chapters’

Many of us are hunters and some are combatants. We all know that if a bullet hits a hard object, it can be deflected in a completely different path than the one it was traveling before the hit. A question we want to test today is this: Are some bullets more resistant to being deflected than...

I have been surprised at how many folks have contacted me and asked if I could test the new Taurus Judge pistol. This pistol is chambered for both 2 1/2 inch .410 shotgun shells and also the .45 Long Colt cartridge. For some reason that escapes me, some folks seem to be determined to want to...

Okay, I know that title might be a misnomer. The words "precision" and "buckshot" don't usually go together. But at Thunder Ranch, in the Defensive Shotgun Class I recently attended, we discussed and did some drills about this subject. A 12 gauge shotgun, loaded with 00 Buckshot, is a...

I had a friend ask me, "O_P, could you shoot buckshot through a rifled barrel and a cylinder bore barrel and post the differences on your website?" Well, as is sometimes the case, I do not presently own a shotgun with both a cylinder bore barrel and a rifled slug barrel. But I started looking...

Shotgun barrels have the last few inches of the barrel sized in various diameters to allow the shotgunner to choose a choke, or restriction, which will cause the shot to spread to a desired amount. For instance, when shooting birdshot at birds in flight, it can be helpful to have a slightly...

I have seen a few fellows say, "When using a shotgun for home defense, with buckshot, Modified Choke is best, because it will give the best patterns. Besides, Cylinder Bore spreads too much." Is this true? Let's see. I measured three of my shotguns today. One is my Mossberg Maverick that I...

I recently had a friend of The Box O' Truth named David, who sent me an e-mail and told me about some glass he manufactures. He said, "I can provide you with some layered, laminated, bullet proof glass, that is much more bullet resistant than the cast poly sheet glass you shot before. This is...

In Part One, we shot some glass rated for pistols. Today, we will test some glass rated for rifles. This piece of glass is very heavy. Here's the set-up, with the glass supported on three sides. It is rated NIJ III for Rifles, and is 20 X 20 inches, and 2 inches thick, and weighs 70...

I have had friends that were deer hunters that would closely inspect their hunting bullets and discard any that showed any damage whatsoever to the point of the bullet. Is this a good idea, or does it even matter? Let's find out. First, I ordered a box of hunting bullets with an exposed lead...

A while back, I shot some bullets that had been loaded backwards in the case. I had read about this trick in a book by old Elmer Keith. He had found it difficult to find good soft nosed hunting bullets in the late 1930s, and had decided to try pulling some military ball bullets and turning them...

A recent shoot got me to thinking. (Dangerous, I know) I have been told all my life that if a rifle barrel was allowed to rest on a hard surface it would have a bad effect on the accuracy. One school of thought was that a hard rest would result in larger groups. The other was that it would...

Those of us that handload know that there are several things that can and will effect accuracy. Case quality and preparation, primers, powder, and bullet quality will all affect the accuracy of the load. Today, we will look at one of those parameters, bullet quality. I started out with some...

A recent thread about the Judge created a lot of debate on AR15.com, as it often does. A friend of the Box O' Truth had asked me if the Judge would be good to use when hiking "in case of a bear attack". I advised him that there were much better choices for bear. And that is the danger of...

Back in the early 1970s, I was told, as a young policeman, that one of the advantages of the .357 Magnum was that it would "bust an engine block". I did not know if it would, but that was the persistent rumor. I've always wondered what it would really do, but hauling a heavy engine block to the...

I recently got a note from my friend Piccolo on AR15.com. He said: "As you may know I shoot antennas over trees and light poles with a slingshot with a fishing reel attached. The reel winds in the monofilament that drags 550 para cord that the wire goes to. I have noticed quite a difference in...

For years, those of us that are interested have known that 00 buckshot was the "best available" load for most shooters for defensive purposes. Federal's 00 buckshot load in their great FCW (Flight Control Wad) was the "best of the best", as the FCW would hold the buckshot in the tightest...

I was contacted by a fine fellow from Infidel Body Armor who told me about the rifle plates that they made and sold. He asked me if I would be interested in testing a few of them against my rifles. Of course, I said, "Sure!" Here is a carrier that they make to hold the plates. It is about as...

I short while back a friend of the Box O' Truth sent me an email. "I've been a fan of your site for a long time and wanted to reach out. I recently visited the antigovernment protests in Bangkok and was able to talk them into selling me some of the homemade body armor that they make using old...

This is the Box. Having some time for study of this fascinating sport, I built the "Box O' Truth". The purpose of the Box is to test the penetration of various rounds. People often say, "I think...". "I suppose...", "I bet...", when discussing facts like penetration of ammunition. There is...