Paul G. Markel

Host at Student of the Gun Radio

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Articles

No-Nonsense Kit for Personal Defense: Part 2

1 month ago | shoot-on.com | Paul G. Markel

by Paul G MarkelDuring Part 1 of our discussion regarding “No-Nonsense” kits for personal defense, we considered choosing gear for daily concealed carry and home defense. The first installment could be thought of as what I should have on me or close at hand when there is a 1-percent or less chance that I will be attacked or my home invaded.
Gun Culture or Gun Community: There IS a Difference and It’s An Important One

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

We have two competing ideals these days. One says, “It’s all semantics, it doesn’t matter what words you use, it all means the same thing.” The other ideal or way of thinking is that words mean things. I can recall The Great One, Rush Limbaugh, repeating that phrase and hammering it home, time and again. And so, we have the phrases “gun community” and “gun culture.” Can those be used interchangeably? Do they mean the same thing? Does it matter? That all depends on just who you ask.
First Look: EOTECH’s Vudu 3-9×32 SFP Super Short Rifle Scope

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

The product of this scope might be a little confusing. Breaking it down, Vudu is the name of the magnified scope product line from EOTECH. The 3-9 means variable magnification power from 3X power all the way up to 9X power, and 32 indicates a 32mm objective lens at the front. Oh, and SFP stands for second focal plane. The reticle is positioned in the second focal plane and doesn’t change in size with an increase or decrease of magnification.
Self-Defense Basics: You Need to Learn How and When to Shoot…and What to Do Next

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

The saying goes, “Anyone can teach you how to shoot. Some people teach when to shoot. Almost no one talks about what now?” When we consider the subject of legitimate self-defense training that involves firearms, we must understand that there should be three goals for that training, not just one. We’re going to consider all three goals here and discuss why each one is as important as the others and how proper mindset governs them all. Let’s take a look at the How, When, and What Now of training.
Do vs. Don’t…Giving and Taking Self-Defense Advice

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

Having spent four decades in the gun culture, I am sometimes amazed at how certain platitudes or pieces of dogma are still floating around. Some of the pseudo-advice bandied about in the gun shop when I was a teenager, who just hung around and listened, can still be found as comments on FacistBook and the comments under YouTube videos.
Personal Defense: Sorting Reality from Fantasy in ‘Your Gunfight’

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

“American gun owners tend to live in the fantasy world of my gunfight.” So said one of my firearms trainers. He further went on to explain that, “Men make choices based upon some concocted version of what they have decided their gunfight will be if and when it happens.
Building No-Nonsense Kits for Personal Defense: Part 1

1 month ago | shoot-on.com | Paul G. Markel

by Paul G MarkelI’m torn between being envious of the new gun owner today and feeling pity for them at the same time. Allow me to elaborate. When our dear editor asked me to take on the topic of building a practical or no-nonsense kit for home and/or personal defense, I began to consider what is available today versus what was available when I was a young man with a wife and a new baby.
Learn Self-Reliance: Raise Chickens

1 month ago | shootingnewsweekly.com | Paul G. Markel

Many moons ago, when Lyndon Johnson was the President of the United States, I was born in Detroit, Michigan, not Warren like some posers who claim to come from the “mean streets of Motown.” Despite what you might have heard, growing up in the Motor City in the 1970’s was not that bad for a kid. You learned which streets you could walk on and which ones you did not dare to. However, by 1983, when we lived off of “Six and Gratiot” the city was taking a hard turn for the worse.
Serious Considerations for Compact Revolver Carry

2 months ago | shoot-on.com | Paul G. Markel

by Paul G MarkelWhile the war over which company will produce the most popular polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol has been waging on, one style of concealed carry handgun has been quietly trucking along without much fanfare. I must admit that it had been a good while since I focused deliberately on the compact double-action revolver. That was until we at SOTGU received an inquiry: “Can I bring a revolver to your handgun class?”My emphatic answer to that question was, “Yes, absolutely.
Picking an Apocalypse Rifle: Century Arms BFT 556

Jan 22, 2025 | shoot-on.com | Paul G. Markel

by Paul G MarkelBefore I had completed the Apocalypse Pistol article for our intrepid editor, I knew that I wanted to do an Apocalypse Rifle review using what would be essentially the same criteria. Among these specifications would be hard use in a potential TEOTWAWKI, civil unrest, or societal collapse situation. Subsequently, we are talking about the most severe of potential environments: extreme cold, dust/sand/debris, EMP, and the disruption of the standard supply chain.