A well regulated militia being necessary to the July/August 2019 Volume 9, Issue 4 security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Random Shots Disclaimer The opinions expressed in Random Shots are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily represent the positions of any other individual or Edited and Published by organization. Gary Evens, Rangemaster and NRA Certified Firearms Instructor & Range Safety Officer Violent Criminal Actors hundreds of incarcerated VCAs. In one instance, the VCAs where shown videos of people walking. Some of those people had been victims of crime before. In the vast majority of cases, the VCAs were able to easily pick out who had previously been a crime victim based only on how they walked. Some of the other facts that Dr. Aprill pre- sented were disturbing. Most VCAs began their criminal history while they were still children, and most had already spent consid- erable time in prison. The average amount of time a murderer spends behind bars in the United States is just 8 years. Obviously, the threat of being arrested and sent to prison is not a deterrent to these individuals. Indeed, for many VCAs, going to prison is the In late February, I attended a day-long satisfaction (and excitement) they get from equivalent to going to college or graduate Buckeye Firearms Association-sponsored causing others to suffer pain. school for normal people. He said that at seminar at the Makoy Center in Hilliard, One of the surprising tidbits of information any one time there are about 150,000 mur- Ohio featuring Dr. William Aprill from Dr. Aprill provided is the process VCAs go derers walking around free in the U.S. Aprill Risk Consulting. Dr. Aprill is a men- through to select who will be a victim. Eve- tal health professional and firearms instruc- ryone they meet is a potential target but tor. A former deputy sheriff and deputy instead of going through a “decision tree” to U.S. Marshal, he is a recognized expert on decide who to attack, they use a simplified the behavior of violent criminals. Around process that basically consists of a “go/no 350 people attended, about 20% of them go” signal to decide who to attack—i.e. a being women. “decision trunk”. That “go/no go” signal is I found his descriptions of how violent often simply how the prospective victim criminal actors (VCAs) think and act to be walks (i.e. their gait). If they walk with their quite enlightening. It has been said before, body erect and are looking around, they are and Dr. Aprill did so once again—they bypassed. If, on the other hand, they are (VCAs) don’t think like we do. For the walking around distracted, with their heads most part, they suffer from antisocial per- down and looking at their cell phone, etc., sonality disorder and, as such, they lack any they are a good candidate to become a vic- empathy for others, most especially their tim. victims. They are only interested in fulfilling Dr. Aprill was able to collect data about their own needs, which often consist of violent criminal behavior by interviewing things their victims have, and the personal “As a society, our attraction and attachment to handguns is based on the American past, on the convenience of a handgun, and probably on a basic misunderstanding of the handgun’s limits.” — Clint Smith Volume 9, Issue 4 Random Shots Pa ge 2 pistols that I had acquired up to this point, but the difference in their grip angle made them impractical substitutes for the center- fire self-defense handguns that I normally use, but the 22/45 was a different story. It uses the familiar M1911 grip angle and thus should be a closer approximation to my centerfire pistols’ grip angle. The one con- cern that I had about using the 22/45 was the gun’s extremely light weight. The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite Model semi- automatic pistol is a great plinker/training If you are concerned at all about protecting pistol. The receiver/barrel shroud is made yourself from crime, it is vital to understand measuring about ¾-inch wide by just over of lightweight aluminum, while the grip the kinds of things that Dr. Aprill talked ¼-inch tall with four of those hits all touch- frame is made from glass-filled nylon about in his seminar. Hopefully the Buck- ing (see the holes marked in blue in the ac- (similar to polymer plastic). The result is a eye Firearms Association will bring him companying photo—the ones marked in red pistol that weighs a mere 25 oz. (empty). back again. I understand that the Dayton where from shooting my Mark IV Competi- My Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite Model has a Chapter of the ARMED Lady will be host- tion Model pistol)! The group was centered “Diamond Grey” anodized aluminum re- ing Dr. Aprill in September to again present less than ½-inch below my point of aim. A ceiver—other colors are available. It has a his “Unthinkable” seminar about violent little tweaking of the elevation adjustment 4.40-inch tensioned barrel that is threaded criminal behavior. and I should have the 22/45 hitting right to accept a suppressor, muzzle break, etc., where I wanted it to. -- G.R. Evens and has adjustable sights. Its overall length is 8.40 inches, the width is 1.22 inches, and This is where I started to struggle and get the height is 5.50 inches. The trigger pull frustrated. Once again adjusting the rear My Ruger Obsession weight out of the box—as measured on my sight proved to be a challenge as it had Lyman digital trigger pull gauge—was an when I sighted-in my Target Model and average of 3 lbs., 11.6 oz. It comes stand- Competition Model Mark IVs. However, ard with two magazines and an accessory rail this time instead of having a windage adjust- mounted on it from the factory. MSRP for ment problem I had an elevation adjustment the 22/45 Lite Model is $559, but I was able problem. It did not seem to matter how to get mine for over $140 less. many “clicks” I turned the elevation screw—or which direction I turned it—my One of the things that I discovered about hits all seem to be in the same place. the Mark IV 22/45 Lite, and other Mark IV 22/45 versions, is that their magazines will Once again, my point of aim was the bot- Part V: The Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite work in Mark III 22/45-series pistols, but tom edge of the center black square and you I decided to get the Ruger Mark IV 22/45 the Mark III magazines will not work in the can see where my hits were, clustered near Lite Model for use as a small-caliber substi- Mark IV guns—something you need to be where my original 5-shot group with this tute for the 9mm pistols that I routinely aware of if you are considering upgrading to pistol was (see the accompanying photo). I train with during many of the classes that I the Mark IV and already have earlier 22/45 shifted my point of aim to the upper left take and as a loaner gun for students to use models. (It does appear that Ruger may be square and once again my hits were low. I when I am teaching a beginners’ handgun using the newer Mark IV baseplate on the made more elevation adjustments, including class. A few years ago, I had purchased a spare Mark III 22/45 magazines that they running the adjustment screw all the way in Kimber .22 LR Conversion Unit that fits on are now selling as the baseplates appear to my Colt (and Ruger) Model 1911 pistols. I be identical. If so, get the ones for the Mark like it but have had one problem that I just III because they are selling locally for about can’t seem to solve—the gun tends to have $10 less than the Mark IV magazines.) a failure to feed with the first or second I couldn’t wait to get this lightweight pistol round in the magazine, no matter which out to the range to see how it shot—and magazine I use—I have four different ones how well I could shoot it since I was not for it. I had also previously purchased a used to a lightweight pistol like this one. As S&W M&P22 as a training pistol for the is my usual practice, I started out at the M&P9 pistols that I have, but found that range at 7 yards—when I do my initial while its shape is the same, its light weight shooting at an indoor range I usually start at did not represent the centerfire pistols at all. 5 yards—and I used a pistol rest. I used my And, the backstraps are not replaceable on usual sighting-in target, five 1-inch black this .22-caliber version of the M&P. squares surrounded by a ¼-inch grid. My I was impressed with the Ruger Mark-series first five shots went into a small group Volume 9, Issue 4 Random Shots Pa ge 3 both directions. Eventually I got some issues I had. time to go back to the 7-yard range and see movement of my hits, as you can see when I the results.