Eye and Ear Protection

My ears have had a "ringing" noise for nearly 40 years, mostly
from firing a machinegun without hearing protection.
It's "tinnitus", and it's too common in combat military, active and veteran.

The 7.62x51 ammo was loud, but even a 22 magnum handgun can cause this.
One girl at cc range qualification only had earplugs, and she had to walk out (wisely).

There are "ear valves" that are cheap insurance for those who need to hear
well until they fire a weapon. .If nothing is used for 10 or 20 shots, then
temporary partial deafness can interfere with any urgent situation underway.

At least ear plugs should be used in practice, and only if muffs are not available.
Even some muffs aren't good enough. .If you are firing 357, 40, 45, 9x19, or
similar, you might want to wear muffs over ear valves, or over ear plugs.
And if shooters next to you have loud guns, you will want both muffs and plugs.
(trust me on that; when your hair and shirt shake, ears beware)

Eye protection is mainly for an exploding gun; a result of barrel obstruction,
improper ammo, or gun defects .... but also for flying cases, sparks, and oil.
Shooting an ar15/m16 lefty often results in oil spray to the eyes, but it
happens even with semi pistols that have too much oil)
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http://www.bradycenter.org/

Need for Background Checks on All Gun Sales

"A new Brady report makes a strong case for Brady
background checks on all gun sales in America,
including those at gun shows."
"Allowing dangerous people such as convicted felons
and domestic abusers to buy guns without Brady
background checks threatens the safety of our
families and communities."

"U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg has introduced
legislation to close the gun show loophole that allows
people to buy guns at gun shows in most states
without passing a Brady criminal background check."
….

" In 2007, 181 officers died in the line of duty,
including 68 who were shot and killed with guns."
....

"The same weak gun laws that are enabling the supply to
Mexican criminals are supplying criminals in the U.S. as well."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There is an obscene loophole at gun shows. The problem is that
"private collectors" can in some states legally sell pocket guns or powerful
long-range guns with just a brief viewing of the buyer's driver's license.
Cash and carry ... no receipt ... no record of the transaction ...
no barrier for criminals and the mentally-injured.
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Large Yaw is Not OK.

I've read opinions that short-range bullets which hit a target sideways,
or at some large angle, are not such a bad thing in personal defense.
But while a jacketed bullet can do more damage if it turns in soft tissues,
bullets that must pass through glass, bone, or leather before reaching soft tissue
should be close to nose-forward until that time. This is even more important
for a bullet intended to expand or fragment in soft tissue.

Testing indicates that a 32acp fired from a 2.8" barrel (2.1" rifled length)
will arrive nose first, then tumble in soft tissue, ending up pointed toward
the gun. The center of mass is a bit behind the center of pressure during flight,
but spin prevents tumbling. When spin fades, the center of mass can then
turn forward, reversing bullet direction at the end of penetration.

This path of a stable 32acp (fmj) is as effective as some expanding designs,
even moreso if there are barriers prior to entry into soft tissue.
Also, since the air drag on a small stable bullet is low, and the small nose
concentrates its energy, penetration tends to be better than expected.
(This is consistent with a ballistic armor display indicating that energetic,
wide, and blunt pistol bullets do not penetrate as much as would be expected.)

Concealed guns are very limited by their short barrels, starting with
reduced muzzle velocity. If the rifling twist it too high, energy and
initial stability are reduced, with more yaw at the muzzle, then
possibly serious aerodynamic effects on a wobbling overspun bullet.

But if the barrel twist is too low, the tendency of the center of pressure to
overcome the center of mass increases, and non symmetric forces are not
properly cancelled by spin. (Rifle bullets at long ranges are a wider story,
particularly because vertical drop is very important.)

When a flat-tail bullet separates from a barrel, it gets an unsupported final push
from the powder explosion, likely adding a bit to existing yaw.
It's normal for a bullet from a short barrel to have yaw up to 4 degrees at that point,
which grows if there is aerodynamic instability. To control this, I "gather" that pistol
barrel twist should be between 1-in-12 and 1-in-16, with rifled length 6 times bullet diameter.
(Subtract case length from the breachface-to-muzzle length to get the "rifled length".)

Some popular pistols do not meet these parameters, and I would not trust them
unless there was good evidence that the bullets traveled nearly nose-first to target.
You can check for excess yaw/wobble by firing into heavy cardboard or
light-color foam slabs at 5 to 10 yards. There will be a faint gray smudge
on the cardboard/foam (powder residue); this smudge should be fairly round.
If you can arrange it, use a piece of soft wood for the target, to check for yaw and penetration.
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