LPVO and Red Dot Fun

Weather

Oct 27th, 2023

Temp : 60F

Humidity : Desert

Wind : 5-10mph

Notes : Sunny with a few scattered clouds

AR15 Mix and Match

The first rifle up to the line was a JP15, an AR15 variant. Mounted on top of this was a CMR8, a 1-8X second focal plane scope with 24mm objective. It’s a streamlined scope for (as the acronym goes…) close-to-medium range. The real kicker is the built-in fiber optic red dot, which holds a steady 1/2 MOA size throughout the magnification range. It’s also as bright as daylight (actually, brighter, but I’m not going to turn it up that far).

An AR15 with a CMR8 LPVO and offset TD-3C red dot

We threw a TD-3C red dot on an offset mount and stuck it toward the end of the scope. It’s not something that either of us were familiar with – offset mounting is unusual on its own, and serves a need we haven’t had. Aside from the occasional training video (or scene from Suicide Squad), I don’t think I’ve seen the setup much at all.

A second AR15 had an MM-2 dot sight on top. This one’s a little closer to a scope in form-factor, but the eye relief and overall position don’t quite match up. Easier for me to use than an open reflex sight, though! I think there’s something instinctual about lining up a tube towards the target that an open reflex sight just doesn’t do for me.

Offhand shooting with an AR15 and MM2 Red Dot

I’m typically a wood-gun shooter. If it ain’t wood furniture, it’s not really for me. An LPVO (low power variable optic) isn’t something I run often either. This day was just a whole lot of awkward situations and hunting-for-head-position. All the more reason to practice.

The Shooting

We had two targets, both at 50 yards. One was the classic paper target, covered in half-inch indicators of various sorts. The gray at the center of each circular target was a little difficult to make out around the glowing red dots. Lining up the bullseye instead took a bit of instinct and a bit of aiming by not-seeing. If I could see the bullseye, I knew I wasn’t pointed at it. If I had the bullseye perfectly covered, I could be sure it was floating just beyond the dot.

A string of shots on a paper target at 50 yards

The rifles were averaging 1 MOA group sizes… with the scope. The dot sights (and their issues with precision aiming) opened the groups up a bit. In the picture just above, target #1 (the top-middle of the bottom sheet) shows two three-shot groups using the CMR8 scope. The first group was a little high, so the scope had to be adjusted down. The second group was passably close to the bullseye. Meanwhile, the sighter target (leftmost on the top row) shows a group with the dot sight. It’s about 1.5″. At 50 yards, that makes this a 3MOA group. Not thrilling, but technically on target.

LPVO vs Red Dot

Acquisition

Both red dots win by a slight margin. They’re lighter, so lifting the rifle is a touch quicker (there’s not enough difference to really matter). Eye relief is a non-factor, so they’re a bit quicker there too. And you can keep both eyes open with less strain, so target-searching is pretty fast. Personally, the MM2 is shaped in a way that I find instinctually correct.

Precision

The scope wins, hands-down. If the distance extended past 100 yards, it wouldn’t be a fair contest. This applied both to offhand and prone shooting.

Reliability

It’s a tie all the way around. Nothing broke or came loose. All adjustments were correct when made. I will add that the scope does not require batteries to still be a scope. If I’m stuck in a bad situation, I’d rather have something where batteries aren’t required.

Notes

Using a scope forces you to keep a proper cheek weld. This in turn aids with stabilizing the rifle and your torso. I appreciate that.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Sometimes, you might just be having one of those days. You know the kind I’m talking about. Instinctually, after a particularly trying moment, you might take a deep breath in and let it sigh out. 

Perfect. You’re already a master.

Diaphragmatic breathing is something we do instinctually. It’s also something we can easily do consciously. Just like other forms of mindfulness, diaphragmatic breathing can have far-reaching benefits, not the least of which is that breathing is good. And when you’re breathing with your diaphragm into the furthest reaches of your lungs, it can be even better.

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This breathing exercise is more physical than many others. It actually makes you use your breathing muscles, potentially giving those muscles a workout. Named after the muscle it targets, diaphragmatic breathing encourages the use of your diaphragm. You’ll breathe so deep that your belly expands to make room for the breath, and let your belly back down to help that breath flow out. 

The diaphragm is located below the lungs, attaching around the lower portion of your rib cage. It separates the abdominal cavity from the chest cavity. As you breathe, the diaphragm alternates between flattening and curving upward, responding to and influencing the pressure in the chest cavity. I highly recommend you watch a video of the diaphragm in action to help you understand what you’ll be feeling here. It’s truly some fascinating stuff! This muscle is the reason the belly expands and contracts to help you breathe. 

Diaphragmatic breathing is the foundation of many other breathing exercises, and can be adapted to most pranayama. Heck, it can be adapted to normal, every-day breathing. Or singing. Or even weight lifting. 

On a purely physical level, this breathing exercise works the muscles responsible for breathing. And like fixing your posture, becoming familiar with this style of breathing can help fix poor breath practices. It trains your diaphragm to be responsible for the effort of breathing, unlike shallow breathing which can use the muscles of your chest, ribs, and back. 

On a chemical level, this can also lower stress hormones. It can release beneficial hormones. It can lower blood pressure, which is doubly benefitting from not having so many stress hormones running around trying to get your blood pressure back up. It does all this through the diaphragm’s connection to the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve.

How to

The practice is simple. 

When you’re just getting started, I highly recommend practicing this form of breathing while lying down. For one thing, sitting requires you to use the muscles of your trunk to stay upright. It’s a bit tricky learning to use an internal muscle while you’re already using a bunch of external muscles to maintain your posture. Take away the potential (muscular) distractions and effort by simply lying down. You’ll find focusing on your diaphragm easier. You can also place a hand on your belly to help draw your focus to your belly’s movement. You can also place the other hand on your chest, to verify that it isn’t moving too much.

1. Sit, lie down, or stand in a comfortable position
2. Relax as much of your body as you can. Focus on thoroughly relaxing the shoulders. 
3. Place one hand on your stomach. 
4. Inhale through your nose for a couple seconds. The real trick of diaphragmatic breathing is to make sure your inhalation causes the belly to expand. The chest should not move much. Use your hands to verify that this is happening and draw your attention to the appropriate areas. 
5. Exhale through pursed lips. Close your mouth most of the way, leaving your lips in position to use a straw or whistle. Press lightly on your stomach as you exhale, and exhale steadily.
6. Repeat the inhale and exhale until you are done. 

I find that a 10 minute practice of deep breathing is wonderful at relaxation, while 5 minutes is all it takes you calm the mind and body down. It’s so relaxing that any longer, and there’s a good chance you’ll be drifting off to sleep.

Focus on a Single Thing

Mindfulness is the sort of thing that you can practice just about anywhere, anyhow. It’s something that benefits you nearly any time you call upon it… and every time you try to be mindful you’re also improving your skill with it. When you’re behind a gun, there’s plenty to be mindful of – so it’s good to be able to control what you’re focusing on!

Calling mindfulness a thing or it is probably the most honest way to describe it in English. 

• It’s not exactly an emotion; it’s the separation from emotion’s effects, without denying their existence 
• it’s not a thought; it’s a purposeful absence of conscious thoughts
• it’s not even a state of mind; It’s no-mind

Mindfulness is described as much by what it isn’t as what it is.
Don’t worry, there’s a lot of that duality here to come!  

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Leaving your mind at the door can take a bit of effort. It takes practice. Just like building your foundations for stance, trigger pull, and sight alignment, mindfulness is a foundational ability that can be developed.

Have you ever paid attention to someone running a speed shooting drill with a great deal of skill? They somehow do everything at once and all at the right time – holding the target in their sights while squeezing off round after round, keeping track of the number of shots, changing a mag… That person has probably put in enough effort, practice, and training that they can perform these wonderful combinations of activities with seemingly no thought. 

Mindfulness is really no different, except that your very being is the skilled shooter. It has a mind that makes thoughts, a body that feels emotions, and a consciousness that can set all that aside to enter the state of mindfulness. 

All it takes is a bit of practice. 

Okay, maybe a lot of practice. That’s fine though – the journey is half the fun! 

The Journey

In between having a wild monkey mind and reaching enlightenment are distinct and interweaving steps. The first few stages of Patanjali’s 8 Limbs help you to settle your mind and remove some of its distractions and impurities. The next few walk you through deeper and deeper levels of consciousness – from the outside sensations to the many inner levels. As your conscious mind steps out of the way bit by bit, your preconceived notions, assumptions, and baggage go with it. In between letting it all goand pure mindless mindfulness, there’s the stage of concentration, also known as Dharana. 

Concentrating on a single object settles your mind quite firmly into the present moment. When you focus completely on a task, nothing else interrupts you. Your own thoughts don’t get in the way, and neither do any of your worries and aversions. Concentrating in a mindful way is much like this, except that you’re not really trying to accomplish something. You’re trying to simply be. And, at the same time, not trying. 

At first, it will take effort. Your attention will wander to thoughts, you’ll force yourself back to the task of focusing. As your ability for mindfulness builds, you’ll find yourself drifting away less. At the same time, you’ll find directing your attention to be even easier. At the very height of mindful concentration, this will take no effort at all. You’re working to not work. 

This change in concentration doesn’t happen overnight. For most of us, there’s no sudden moment of enlightenment that makes it all click. You may sit one day and find yourself settling easily into focusing on a single object. Other days, you may be tired, spending as much time re-straightening your back as you do trying not to think about it. 

Eventually, this state of relaxed semi-focus will become more natural. It’ll happen almost like instinct. Like the shooter running drills, you’ll be able to settle back into this not-state-of-mind. You’ll be able to be aware of an object (like a target) without allowing your thoughts (‘is my thumb right?’) to interrupt your steady contemplation. Your senses will take in the world, but you won’t be totally devoted to them. You can simply exist while the world exists in your awareness. In the case of this mindfulness exercise, one little object in particular. This calm state can be your natural state, and this ability for gentle awareness can be an instinctual state of being. All it takes is practice. 

Concentration improves gradually. 

A Few Notes

Please practice from a state of kindness and compassion for yourself and whatever you’re looking at. Be gentle with yourself when your awareness wanders, and be kind with how you encourage yourself to draw it back to the object in the present moment. 

For my particular practice, I tend to pick a leaf. I’ll face the upper or lower side of the leaf towards me, sometimes leaning it against a shelf or a plain-cover book. I also have a few dried flowers that can each be put in a slim, simple vase. I relish letting my attention be drawn to nature in its many stages – vibrant and growing little plants, stately mature flowers, and dried remnants many months later. Next, I think it may be time to focus on a seed; something easy, like a sunflower seed with the shell still on. 

The Process

What follows are the very simple steps of focusing on a single object. Before you dive right in, take some time to get relaxed and centered in the present moment. Silence your phone and TV, perform some light stretches, and do a bit of breath work to settle into your body in the present moment. Make sure you set up your object beforehand so you don’t have to go deciding on one or trying to remember where you put it. 

1. Sit comfortably, with an erect spine and relaxed shoulders. 
2. Pick an external object that rests comfortably in your field of view. You don’t want to have to go craning your neck to hold your gaze on it! Pick something that isn’t so large that your eyes have to move to take it all in. And try not to pick something so small that you have to squint to make it out. You can use the same object time and again, or pick a new one. Whatever helps you settle into a comfortable state of being.
3. Direct your awareness to this object.
   • Begin to take in every detail. Every edge, every color, every dimension, every texture. 
4. Allow your gaze to relax into something between focusing on the object and not focusing on the object. Let your eyes unfocus slightly – enough to take in all the details, but not enough to truly be focusing on it.
   • If your awareness drifts, or if thoughts pop into your mind, allow them to be while you draw your awareness back to the object. Your mind will do what it wills, but you can decide to draw your awareness elsewhere – away from the thoughts that spring up unbidden. 
5. See the object for what it is. Don’t try to label it or name parts of it. Just let it fill your awareness, your relaxed-yet-active focus. 

Let yourself rest in this state for as long as you feel appropriate. Treat this like exercising; start with a few minutes of concentrating on an object. Add time, minute by minute, with each few sittings. If you want to test yourself, concentrate as long as you feel comfortably able, then check the time. 

If you are setting a stopwatch to control your time, I recommend that you use a quiet, gentle alarm sound. Hearing a sudden siren is quite jarring when you’re deep in concentration. I prefer to set my phone’s timer to go off with a single vibration, and leave it on carpet a few feet away. That way, if I decide to go longer on a particular day, I can easily ignore the timer. If I’m concentrating with great focus, I never even notice it happening. Eventually, I think I’ll be able to be aware that it’s happening without having any change to my state of being – and by then, I won’t be setting timers anyway.

When you return to the range, I hope you can keep your awareness on exactly what you need to be aware of. Whether you’re practicing sight alignment or presentation, it’s always good to be aware of what you’re doing.

Breath Focus

When you’re getting ready to pull the trigger, numerous small factors can make or break a shot. Stand, grip, trigger pull, sight alignment, and even breathing play a hand. That’s a hefty number of factors to talk about in a single post, so I’m going to focus on one of my favorites for this one: breath control.

There’s a bit of argument as to when during the breath to shoot – whether in the middle of an exhale or just at the end of it. For fast-paced run and gun shooting, you’ll likely have to shoot as the target presents itself. Your breath is going to need to serve the actions of your body. For slow and steady precision shooting, though, the breath plays on the tension and state of your body and its functions.

Unlike many of the other functions in your body (heart beat, blood pressure, digestion, and so on), breath is something that can be controlled directly. Controlling the breath in some way causes the body to react in pretty direct ways. Hold your breath too long, and your body will start to tremble. Breath in a slow and deep pattern, and your heart and mind calm down. There’s plenty of breathing exercises out there, and I’ll write about some of my favorites in other articles.

To start any breathing practice, though – you need to start paying attention to your breath. Be aware of your breath, regardless of how you’re controlling it. If you’re tying your trigger pull to a specific moment in your breathing cycle, being aware of your breath is doubly important. You need to notice what’s happening to decide what will work best!

The following exercise is a combination of breathing and loose control. It’s not quite as patterned as some other mindful breathing practices, but still encourages you to develop your awareness.

Start with 5 or 10 minutes of breathing, and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable. 

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How To

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Without trying to change your breath, bring your awareness to how you’re breathing. The pace, the depth, and how the air flows. 
3. For a few breaths, alternate between this normal breathing and deep breathing. When you breathe deeply, bring your awareness to the new sensations of deep breathing, such as how the abdomen expands.
4. When you return to shallow breathing, bring your awareness to how shallow breathing moves differently from deep breathing. 
5. Continue to alternate between deep and shallow breathing. Bring one hand to rest on your belly. This will help draw your awareness to how the abdomen expands, and help you focus on using your diaphragm. 
6. Begin to sigh steadily with each exhale. Let the air flow out of you audibly, and pay attention to both the sound and how it feels to make that sound.
7. Continue to breathe . Breathe in this way for as long as you feel appropriate. 

p.s.: Pick a particular sensation, such as the way your belly expands and contracts as you breathe. If a thought pops up or your sensation drifts, just guide your focus back to this sensation. Thoughts are going to pop up – don’t beat yourself up over it. The goal is being able to direct your awareness, especially when it slips. In this case, you’ll be directing your awareness at your breath in some way.

S. 4263 – Breakdown of “The Federal Firearm Licensing Act”

Read the full bill here

In the past couple weeks (May 19th, 2022), Senator Cory Booker introduced a bill to the Senate. The bill was then referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The bill, concise and relatively straightforward, is distinctly troubling to firearm owners for a number of reasons.

What follows is a breakdown of the key elements in the proposed legislation, which I’m sure will be changed and modified as time goes on. The best case would be to scrap this and go a different route, but I’m not a politician, so…

Key words and elements will be bolded and underlined. These formatting elements don’t exist in the original bill. And please remember – I’m not a lawyer or legislator. I’m a guy who likes to read. Sometimes, as you’ll see below, I read things that I don’t like.

2(a) The General Idea

§ 932. License for the acquisition or receipt of firearms

“(a) In General.—Except as provided in subsection (d), it shall be unlawful for any individual to purchase or receive a firearm unless the individual has a valid Federal firearm license.

Spelled out right there at the top, we see the core idea – everyone that wants to acquire a firearm must have an FFL. This isn’t like the currently existing FFLs, which allow gunsmiths, gun dealers, and firearm manufacturers to sell, modify, or make firearms. This is something new.

2(b) What FFL is this?

“(b) Establishment Of Federal License To Purchase Or Receive Firearms.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall establish a Federal system for issuing a Federal firearm license to eligible individuals for firearms transferred to such individual.

This is a license that would directly affect the individual gun purchaser. Much like a gun dealer, who has to have an FFL to buy, sell, or transfer firearms, you (an individual) would need a license to receive a firearm. This license isn’t for everyone, though. You need to be eligible to get the license.

“(A) an individual shall be eligible to receive such a license if the individual—

“(i) has completed training in firearms safety, including—

“(I) a written test, to demonstrate knowledge of applicable firearms laws; and

“(II) hands-on testing, including firing testing, to demonstrate safe use and sufficient accuracy of a firearm; and

In order to be allowed to purchase a firearm, you need to show that you know how to use a firearm. I suppose this isn’t much different from getting your driver’s license: you need to pass the driving test to show that you know how to drive… before you’re really allowed to drive. And, much like the driver’s license test, there’s a written test on the rules.

Of course, those driver’s license tests come bundled with a familiar organization that oversees the whole process: the DMV. This bill doesn’t quite mention a particular department or testing standards for acquiring these FFLs, which I’m sure will translate into some serious legal problems for gun purchasers as the system is implemented. The Attorney General is supposed to establish whatever system ends up being used… which at least gives us someone to write to if there’s a problem.

Don’t worry, though – there’s even more requirements for the FFL.

“(ii) as part of the process for applying for such a license—

“(I) has submitted to a background investigation and criminal history check of the individual;

“(II) has submitted proof of identity;

“(III) has submitted the fingerprints of the individual; and

“(IV) has submitted identifying information on the firearm that the person intends to obtain, including the make, model, and serial number, and the identity of the firearm seller or transferor;

This is a pretty familiar process to people in California, but may not be elsewhere. Still, you’ve now got 6 steps (at least) on the road to acquiring a new firearm.

2(b) One and Done, Right?

“(D) each license issued under this section shall be valid for the purchase of a single firearm, which shall be purchased not later than 30 days after the date on which the license is issued;

Another key difference between these FFLs and those used by gun dealers (and the one issued for you to drive a car): you will need a license for each individual gun. You don’t even get a general license that allows you to purchase a particular class of firearms. This would be like returning to the DMV for a brand new license every time you got a new car. If they want to scare us with long lines and extra paperwork, this is a pretty good way to do it.

I’m not certain if you’d simply need to run through the background check, fingerprint, proof of identity, and firearm identification for each purchase, or if you’d also need to complete the education requirements. We’ll see how that shakes out.

“(E) a license issued under the system shall expire on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the license was issued; and

Regardless of a clean record or anything else, you’d need to re-up every 5 years. And remember, this is an individual license for each individual firearm.

Goodness, how much will the fees be?

2(b) Acquiring the License

“(B) a license issued under the system is available at a designated local office, which shall be located in both urban and rural areas;

A firearm registry, with a license for each individual firearm? It’s sounding a bit like Red Dawn in here. I doubt all these records will be kept solely on paper. In today’s world, this could be a politically-minded hacker’s dream.

“(C) the Attorney General shall issue or deny a license under this section not later than 30 days after the date on which the application for such license is received;

California has a waiting period already, which will have a problem with overlapping the proposed time period. In Cali, you need to submit a request to purchase the firearm (including the background check and such), then wait 10 days before picking it up. However, have to pick the firearm up within 30 days, or else you have to start over again. The 30-day turnaround proposed by this bill, plus any mailing time if it’s a physical letter of approval, could cause purchases in California to stay on a cycle of mismatched days and invalid pickup/wait times.

3(B) Getting Denied

“(II) JUDICIAL REVIEW.—An applicant denied a license under subclause (I) may file an action in the appropriate district court of the United States for seeking review of the denial.

And now, so we have all the bases covered: subclause (I)

“(I) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may deny a license under this section if the Attorney General determines that the applicant poses a significant danger of bodily injury to self or others by possessing, purchasing, or receiving a firearm, after examining factors the Attorney General considers are relevant to the determination, including—

The included reasons to deny an application are just about as you’d expect: history of threats or acts of violence, domestic violence or restraining orders, prior arrests and convictions involving serious crimes or violence, drug and alcohol abuse, history of unsafe use or storage of firearms, and so on. However, one particular reason for denial stands out:

“(gg) any recent acquisition of firearms, ammunition, or other deadly weapons; and

If you’ve recently bought another firearm, ammunition, or other deadly weapons, you may be denied on this particular Federal firearm license. It’s the Attorney General’s way of saying, “I think you have enough firearms for now.” Which really begs the question: How recent is recent? Do you have to wait 30 days after you pick up ammo?

By now, I’m sure you realize that I’m not a fan of this bill. There’s just too many problems and open-ended caveats that make it incredibly difficult to acquire a new firearm. Don’t worry, though. I’ve only scratched the surface on this legislation.

Subsection 4+

Or, “A Slew of Difficulties”

Despite how short the bill seems on paper, each individual line presents a potential problem. This last section in the breakdown is a montage of other issues… largely to keep this post from ending up even longer than is conscionable.

“4(A) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall revoke a license issued under this section if the Attorney General determines that—

Let’s pretend that some legal issue came up in the course of purchasing another firearm. Would the Attorney General be able to revoke your other licenses? Sub-subsections (i) and (ii) of this clause indicate that the AG very well could. In colloquial speech, ‘deny’ means to prevent something, while ‘revoke’ means to take back something that has already been granted. And this particular section is separate from the section on ‘denial of a license.’ This indicates to me that a license could be taken away after it is granted.

“4(C) PROCEDURES.—The Attorney General shall establish procedures to ensure that any firearm is removed from any individual when the individual’s license is revoked under this paragraph

And once your license is revoked, your firearm may be taken away. Potentially any (meaning: all) firearms you possess.

“Sec. 3. (1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for any person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer to transfer a firearm to any other person who is not so licensed, unless a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer has first taken possession of the firearm for the purpose of complying with subsection (t).

That sounds like the end of private party transfers. All purchases and transfers must go through a (traditional) FFL.

Also, how are we going to differentiate the acronyms when talking about an FFL (business) and an FFL (for individual purchase)?

Wrapping This Up

If you’ve read this far, then I have to applaud you. As troubling as this legislation appears to be, the legal writing is still dry and formulaic. I’m certainly not the first to declare legal writing a tough read. Still, you’ve stuck it out. I’d encourage you to apply that reading skill to the bill in question, mostly to get a full look at all the other interesting bits.

This bill modifies Title 18 of the United States Code. That chunk of laws details federal crimes and criminal procedure. More specifically, this bill proposes changes to Section 922 (detailing purchase, transfer, and possession of firearms) and the creation of Section 932 (“License for the acquisition or receipt of firearms”) of Chapter 44 (discussing firearms).

The long and short of it is: If you want to require a license for each individual firearm and you’d like to create a centralized gun registry, S4263 is the bill for you.

Personally, I say no thank you.

A Riffle with a Tellescope to It

While some may remember Charles Willson Peale as a painter of more than 1,100 portraits – many of American Revolutionary figures living at the time – and as the founder of the first major museum in the newly-formed United States, I like to remember him for his contribution to the understanding of eye relief. 

For roughly a hundred and fifty years after the invention of the first telescope, they were used for exactly what the name described. Hans Lippershey filed a patent in 1608 in the Netherlands, for his instrument “for seeing things far away as if they were nearby”. Telescopes flourished across Europe immediately, and competing patents were filed within weeks. Lippershey’s original design had only 3X magnification. Chromatic aberration, distortions, cloudy glass, and more problems proliferated the early models.

Just a year after this patent, Galileo himself would hear of the strange ‘Dutch perspective glass.’ He took the idea home and worked on it, eventually building a 23X telescope and securing a doubled salary for his now guaranteed lectureship position. 

However, it wasn’t until the first day of 1776 that a sometimes-inventor named Charles Willson Peale would make the leap from ‘looking at something far away’ to ‘sending something that way.’ Working alongside David Rittenhouse, a prominent astronomer, Peale set out to point telescopes at less heavenly targets. (As an aside – 4 years later, Rittenhouse would invent spider silk crosshair reticles, originally for use in telescopes. Peale’s original ‘scope’ had no crosshairs.)

Peale kept a journal, currently held at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, of which Peale and Rittenhouse were both members. Here are the recountings from his journal:

December 27, 1775, “bought a set of gun mountings 9/.”

January 1, 1776, “attended Mr. Rittenhouse all Day about a Riffle with a Tellescope to it.”

January 2, “Ditto.”

January 3, “Bought a Gun Lock 22/6 I found it faulty & offered the Man 2/6 to take it back but he would not. I bought another at 40/.”

January 5, “a set of Loop to hang up a Gun 6/6, spent in attending & working about my riffle.  Threatened to complain to the committee [this would be the Committee of Safety] of Henry ——– who had taken an extortionate price for the Gun Lock on Wednesday last.”

January 6, “attending the man stockg sd. Gun.”

January 8, “still attendg about my Gun.”

January 9, “pd for stockg my riffle 22/6 to Mr. Williss.”

January 10, “Attnd Mr. Palmer & Mr. Rittenhouse about sd G-n.”

January 11, “pd. Mr. Palmer for a Riffle Barrel 3=10.0 Bullit moulds 3/9 a screw wiper [attachment for ramrod to hold cleaning patch] 1/3 – finished the Riffle this morng: Shot her afternoon in the Stadt House [State House] yard, not quite          Sighted.

January 12, “put a sight to my Gun.”

January 13, “Paid Joseph (Mr. Rittenhouse’s Journeyman) for makg Box, Loops &c. for my riffle 15/…finish a charger [container to hold a single predetermined measure of powder] to load with, go out with Mr. Rittenhouse to shot, the Brich Box [patch box] opened & I lost all my Bullits & wiper.”

January 16, “Cleaned my Gun, am very Idle”

February 4, “made a shot-Bag.”

February 5, “spent in trying to sight my Riffle.”

February 6, “ditto.”

February 7, “ditto.”

February 8, “ditto.”

February 9, “making piece with springs to prevent the Eye being hurt by the kicking of the Gun.”

February 10, “ditto. in soldering hard solder use chalk to prevent an old place undoing.”

February 11, “ditto.”

February 16, “shoting the Riffle.”

February 19, “shot several times in a small piece of Papier at 100 yds. distance.”

February 27, “shooting with Riffle.”

February 29, “went to see Mr. Rittenhouse who tells me he has often heard Rifflemen say, that when they shot large loads, they could never shoot true, if so, Mr. Rittenhouse accounts for it in the Manner, that the air suddenly pressed together till it will not go closer, the Ball glances off in another direction, as in the instance of Lighting flying so very crucked, which goes strait in a Vacuum.”

March 2, “shot my riffle in the Stadt House yard, left the Barrel & Lock at Mr. Palmer’s.”

Peale was among the first to struggle through many of the distance shooting problems that technology has tried to make easier (or more precise). He had to contend with hand-loaded rounds, a tedious enough art form on its own. He tried to get sighted in at 100 yards on a paper target. He packed his range bag and rushed off to shoot, then dropped all his bullets. On top of that, he tried to sight in the rifle for 4 days… while suffering from scope bite likely on every shot. On the fifth day he started working on a spring mechanism to blunt the force of the scope. 

Fortunately for us, time and invention have interceded. We now have proper eye relief. 

Resonant Breathing

When you’re in a position to pull the trigger (and hopefully hit the target where you’re pointing), breath is vastly important. On the one hand, pulling the trigger at the right moment in your breath cycle can determine whether you pull your shot. A little pause, usually during or just after the exhale, keeps things still.

But I’m not here today to talk about timing your trigger pull. Instead, let’s take a look at how the breath influences the body… and how controlled breathing can be harnessed to help the body stay calm under pressure. Most of the functions of the body are automatic – from your heart beat to your digestion. Breathing is normally mindless too, but can be controlled when you desire it. Breath is normally done at a pace and depth that answers the body’s needs. To utilize the breath, you’ll need to flip that idea on its head: it’s time to use the breath to tell the body how to act.

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How To

The process is simple:

1. Get into a comfortable position, whether seated or laying down. 
2. Inhale for a count of 5 through your nose
3. Hold for a brief moment
4. Exhale for a count of 5 through pursed lips
5. Hold for a brief moment
6. Continue breathing in this cycle for at least a few minutes.

This set of steps is best performed in a seating or prone position. If you’re sitting behind the rifle and have a few moments to settle your nerves, a few rounds of Resonant Breathing can help stabilize your body.

The Idea

Resonant breathing is a uniquely-paced breathing exercise. Rather than settling into a timeless rhythm or counting numbers, you’ll be sticking to a set number of complete breaths per minute. In this case, 5. At a pace of 5 full breaths per minute, each breath is allotted 12 seconds. This means you’ll inhale for 5 seconds, pause for one, exhale for 5 seconds, then pause again. 

Resonant breathing, also known as coherent breathing, has been shown to maximize your heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the slight difference in timing between beats, perhaps as small as 30-100 milliseconds. 

Your body is constantly working to balance two sides of your autonomic nervous system: the parasympathetic (the deactivating side of things, also known as “rest and digest”) and the sympathetic (for activating, also known as “fight or flight”). These systems compete constantly, trying to find the right balance for the present moment. In today’s world, our sympathetic nervous system often takes center stage, responding to (and adding to) stress. The sympathetic nervous system raises your blood pressure and heart rate to enable your body to respond to that stress.

There are moments when an imbalance is exactly what you need, such as a run-and-gun competition. During that time, you’ll want your body focused on the active portion of the nervous system (sympathetic) to allocate resources to your muscles, instead of having your digestion running strong (parasympathetic). Outside of the times when you’re predominantly using one system or the other, you’ll want them both awake and able to compete. They both need to be capable of responding to the outside world. This leads to variations in your heart rate – one side saying go faster, and the other saying take it easy.  

If you have a low heart rate variability, it means that one system is dominating the other. These days, it’s quite often the sympathetic nervous system responding to a myriad of little stresses. While each person will have their own optimum HRV, a higher variability is often a better sign for the body. This is a sign that both parts of the autonomic nervous system are in strong working order.

The fun side of this, of course, is that we can train our bodies to have a higher HRV. All you need is a diaphragm. 

The diaphragm is a muscular lining between the chest cavity and the lower organs, running along the bottom of your rib cage. The diaphragm has an unusual shape, as far as muscles go. It can turn convex or flatten out. When it descends and flattens out, it creates lower pressure in the chest cavity. The lungs inflate as air is pulled in. Then, the diaphragm curves up. The lungs are compressed, pressure goes up, and air flows out of your lungs. Meanwhile, the heart is trying to keep your blood pressure balanced. When your baroreceptors (pressure sensors) detect a decrease in pressure, they pass the info on to your nervous system, which in turn tells the heart to beat a little faster to compensate for the low pressure. Meanwhile, an increase in pressure pairs with the heart beating slower. The end result is the same – give your body the oxygen and nutrients it needs, to fulfill the requests that your nervous system is making for the different parts of your body.  

This loop of signals takes at least a few seconds to complete, but flows like so – decrease of pressure, baroreceptors inform the central nervous system about the change, CNS tells the autonomic nervous system to speed up the heart, the ANS tells the heart to accelerate, the heart accelerates, blood pressure increases to compensate for the earlier pressure decrease, and so on. The fact that this cycle is not instantaneous – that it takes time to complete – means there is a frequency under which this flow operates. 

For humans, this cycle operates at a frequency of 0.1 hz – about 10 seconds per cycle. Breathing at the same pace as your system is built to operate causes the two to resonate. 

Each person will have a slightly different resonant frequency. Finding your perfect frequency of breaths will optimize your heart rate variability, and help the whole nervous system out. If you have a heart monitor or smartwatch that enables you to keep track of individual heart beats, you can use it to find your perfect frequency. Start with the 10-12 second cycle of breaths outlined below, for at least a few minutes. Then, for another few minutes, try making the cycle 1 second shorter or longer. Then try 2 seconds. Somewhere in there, you’ll find the right length of time that maximizes your HRV. Each breath will most likely end up being somewhere between 7 and 12 seconds. 

If you don’t have the equipment to determine your HRV trends, this is a good chance to develop your mindfulness. Continue practicing different forms of pranayama and breathing awareness, and you’ll develop the awareness necessary to judge for yourself what feels right. Us humans have been chanting, praying, and singing in rhythms that resonate with our bodies for millennia, so I’m certain you are capable of it too. For now, a 10-12 second cycle is a great place to start. 

Please try your best to breathe with your diaphragm. The more effective your breath is, the more effective your practice will be. Try to be mindful and aware during each breath. Allow your senses to center on your breathing, and then expand to take in your whole body.  

Breathing deeply with the diaphragm, feeling your stomach expand and retract with each breath, can also stimulate your vagus nerve(s). The vagal nerve system runs from the brainstem, down both sides of the neck, networks with nearly all the organs, eventually leading down into the gastrointestinal tract. It largely acts as your body’s internal sense, helping your brain decide how to regulate everything lower down. It is an essential part of the parasympathetic nervous system. 

Shallow breathing may not do much to stimulate the vagus nerve, but deep diaphragmatic breathing does. An underperforming vagal system takes extra time to turn off the body’s stress and immune responses. This can easily lead to rampant inflammation, among many other issues. Stimulate your vagal system through deep, slow breathing, and in turn strengthen your parasympathetic response. 

For grace under pressure, all you need to do is breathe.  

Watch the News – Steve Dettelbach ATF Director Nominee Hearing May 25

We may be getting a new director of the ATF in the near future. The hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, so keep an ear out.

In case you want to read more on your own, I’ll include links to all quoted material and anywhere that I get statistics.

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Before jumping into the nomination, a quicker story. I’ll quote directly from Kimber’s site:

“Kimber Mfg. Inc. (“Kimber”) has discovered a quality issue involving the firing pin safety block of certain Kimber R7 model handguns. This recall affects certain Serial Numbers that were shipped from January 10, 2022 through February 14, 2022. 
Firearms assembled with the subject firing pin safety block may release multiple rounds from a single trigger pull.”

In case you’ve found yourself in possession of an accidentally automatic Kimber R7, take a peek at their page for more information.

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And now onto the main story: Steve Dettelbach. 

Let’s start with a look at Firearms News, where I first heard about this little event:

“The U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for Steven Dettelbach, President Joe Biden’s latest anti-gun nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), could start as early as next week.” 

In fact, it’s starting tomorrow. Keep an eye on the Senate for further developments. 

Following the failure of David Chipman, Biden’s got a new favorite for the head of the ATF.

Two of my main concerns: 

1. Is he anti-gun, pro-gun, or neutral?
2. Does he know what he’s doing? As in – does he know anything at all about firearms? 

Let’s take a look at his supporters first. We already know Biden is nominating him.  Another major proponent is the organization “Everytown For Gun Safety”, colloquially known as ‘Everytown.’ 

“Tell Your U.S. Senators To Confirm Steve Dettelbach As The Next ATF Director.
President Biden has named former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach as his nominee for ATF director. By confirming him for this role, our lawmakers can help make sure the ATF works to keep our communities safe.“

I’m of the opinion that, regarding firearms, education and understanding lead to safety. I think you and I can agree on three simple things: 

1. That criminals don’t quite care about the legality of the firearms they use to commit crimes.
2. In any crime involving a firearm, waiting for the police may mean waiting too long.
3. Restricting firearm possession affects legal gun owners. 

As we saw during the shutdowns and protests of the recent past, new gun sales and ammo purchases skyrocketed – there’s plenty of people out there who look to firearms as a safety net, and with good reason. If Mr. Dettelbach is indeed on the side of community safety, I see only one way to achieve this: Educate current and prospective gun owners to more effectively use the firearms that they are allowed to have. Bonus points if there aren’t any new restrictions on gun ownership. 

As an aside – and probably an important one – Everytown for Gun Safety is a project of Michael Bloomberg’s. This was the same organization who hired David Chipman, Biden’s previous ATF nominee, as a Senior Advisor. 

An article on Cleveland.com tells us, 

“He has a long history in the public eye. As an assistant U.S. attorney, he prosecuted civil rights and public corruption cases that remain synonymous with Cleveland. As the head of the office, he headed up prosecutions of violent gangs, domestic extremism, political corruption and civil-rights violations.”

And from the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action,

“Like Chipman, Dettelbach is a dedicated gun controller with a background that proves he would be neither fair nor objective as head of ATF. When running for Ohio Attorney General in 2018, Dettelbach endorsed gun bans, restrictions on lawful firearm transfers, and further expansion of prohibitions on who can lawfully possess a firearm. In short, it’s unclear what gun control measures Dettelbach doesn’t support.”

A nice bit of sass there at the end. 

I don’t see much effort from Steve to understand the side of legal gun owners. Nor do I see anything at this time telling me that he’s handled a firearm, learned to use a firearm, or even purchased one. His solution to crime in the community is to follow Biden’s lead in regards to guns. 

But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. I don’t know him as a person, so I’ll have to look at what his colleagues are saying. 

From the same Cleveland.com article, quoting Paul Flannery:

“He’s one of those guys that, if you’re in a position of leadership and you need something done, and done well, Steve Dettelbach has always been one of those types of people to do it. It’s why he has been successful.”

Paul Flannery is a former assistant U.S. Attorney who worked with and under Steve. 

This particular statement worries me. It’s almost as if this fellow is saying that he’s particularly good at following orders from higher-ups – and considering that his higher-up would be Biden, I’m concerned he will only allow double-barreled shotguns fired wildly into the air. 

From former FBI Agent and Defense Attorney John McCaffrey, we hear: 

“I think that Steve has what I would call ‘Potomac fever’. He very much wants to be involved in public service at the highest level, and he’s capable of doing it. That’s not a negative; that’s just a reality. He’s always had political ambitions.”

It worries me even more when someone has political ambitions. Political office, to some degree, is a means to an end. If you want to be famous – hey, that’s one way to do it. If you want to change things in your community, politicking is another way. 

For him to have ‘political ambitions’… I have to ask why. What is he hoping to achieve with political power? When his hearing comes around, I’ll be looking for one thing above all else: 

• Why does he think he’s the right choice to head the ATF? 

Let’s treat this like a job interview. Why is he the right fit for the job? It really comes down to what the employer is looking to get done, and whether he’d be the person to get that job done. The ATF is under the banner of the Department of Justice – the DOJ. The DOJ is headed by the U.S. Attorney General, one Merrick Garland. The Attorney General sits on the president’s Cabinet, and answers to the President. 

The position of Director of ATF nowadays requires Senate confirmation, and has since 2006. Regardless of the Senate, the fact that Biden nominated Steve to run the ATF likely means that the two agree on firearms. Despite the other letters in the acronym, I can’t imagine that alcohol and tobacco are as hot-button issues nowadays as firearms – nor can I find many statements from Steve on the other letters. 

Looking back at the articles, we come to this chilling line:

“Brown, the U.S. senator from Ohio, said Dettelbach’s record as a career prosecutor will hold up. He said he believes all 50 Democrats in the Senate will vote for Dettelbach, meaning that he would be confirmed with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.”

We are now in the 117th congress, with 50 republicans, 48 democrats, 2 independents… at least according to Senate.gov. Maybe the Senator from Ohio is being a little hopeful on his count, or maybe he knows something that we don’t. According to the Senate’s Periodical Press, the two independents (Sanders and King) are being counted in the Democratic side of things.

It’s also fun to note that Kamala, while campaigning during the last presidential election cycle, let slip,

“I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do – for personal safety.”

Well, Kamala, when the cards are on the table, let’s see if you vote on the side of the anti-gun lobby or on the side of personal protection. 

Anyway, it looks like we may have a rough time ahead if Steve gets confirmed. According to what I’ve seen, he’s good at following orders and sits firmly on the side of Biden. He’s interested in high political office, and has a track record of gun control, increased regulations, and more registration measures. 

Let’s take a look at one last line from CNN:

“If confirmed, Dettelbach would be charged with implementing Biden’s agenda on guns.”

Let that sink in for a few minutes, then call your Senator. 

And remember to keep an eye out for this topic’s buzzwords in the press: Rogue Gun Dealers. 

And if you’ve ever seen Steven Dettelbach at a gun range, please drop me a comment. I’m curious.

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The Site Has Begun

Welcome to Mindful Munitions, where firearms and mindfulness meet. Stay tuned for articles, reviews, news, and more!

I’m currently employed in the firearms industry full-time. Most of my experience has been with rifles, but I won’t deny that some handguns are quite nice.

Throughout all my shooting, I’ve come to realize that mindset is as important as method. Here’s a site with a little more dedication to mindset – especially being mindful. I see no reason why mindfulness and firearms shouldn’t be close friends.

Keep an eye out for more in the near future!