Truisms that ain't necessarily true

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sacp81170a

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Just heard another old truism at my local gun shop yesterday and it got me to thinking. Here 'tis:

"Beware the man with only one gun, he probably knows how to use it."

I thought about that for a minute since I own two safes full of guns and I'm working on a third. Most people who I know that only own one gun never practice. I own several rifles and pistols that are all well worn from practice. How does this compute? (Answer: It doesn't.)

Anyway, I wanted to see if anyone else had any truisms they've heard that don't make sense to them?
 
I can't think of any gun related ones.

How about this: "Rules were made to be broken"


I think whoever makes a rule actually has the intention and hope that it should be obeyed. This is most likely the purpose for having made a rule.
 
How about

"An Honest man has nothing to fear from the Police"

Jefferson
 
I think the "beware the man with one gun..." line comes from the Olde West. Only kids and posers needed two guns. Watch out for the cowpoke with just the one...In fact, was this from a movie maybe? Or a book?
 
Most rules have an exception.

But there is no exception to the rule that everyone likes to be an exception to the rule.

pax
 
I always thought the "Beware the man with 1 gun" thing was silly. The only people I ever knew who only had one gun bought it, shot it maybe once, and then stuck in in a drawer for the rest of their lives, thinking they were now well-trained and protected.

I don't know if you could call these "truisms", but I always found them over-used and annoying:

"...goes 'bang' every time I pull the trigger..." (sounds like something a small child would say.)

"The only calibers I carry start with '4'" (guess I'll need to trade in my .357 for a .455 Webley)

And the practice of shortening a name with a 'y' to make it sound cute like "shotty" and "Winny".

But I digress...
 
I think the "beware the man with one gun..." line comes from the Olde West. Only kids and posers needed two guns. Watch out for the cowpoke with just the one...In fact, was this from a movie maybe? Or a book?
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Jeff Cooper.
 
The important part of a "truism" is buried within it. You've got to read between the lines, ferret out the intent so to speak.
 
I think the one gun quote has to do with putting all of your time and money into learning one rifle and learning it perfectly, not to do with the guy who only owns one gun and keeps it for bedroom protection and never practices.

I think there is something to be said for the "one gun" concept. Perhaps not totally literally, as you mentioned, but taking myself as an example (I assume I'm not the only one, but I could be):

I own a bunch of rifles. 3 or 4 AR-15s of varying barrel lengths, an AR-10, a PTR-91, FAL, a Garand, lever guns, bolt guns, etc. Many wear scopes. I shoot them all well enough to hit a man sized target, and I like having the whole array to choose from when I go to the range. I'm still thinking of adding an M1A and perhaps a Saiga and maybe one of the Keltec bullpups when they come out. Who knows?

The thing is, I certainly don't need a whole array of rifles. I don't hunt with any of them, I just like shooting them. But there is no doubt in my mind that if I went back 12 or so years, bought one AR-15, or AK, or various .308 rifle, or whatever, and bought a ton of ammo and mags for that platform, and only trained with one rifle, and one scope, and put all of the money I spent on the other guns into more ammo and more training, I'd know how to use that gun in my sleep.

As it is, I have to take out a log book when I take out a rifle to see what I sighted it in at. I don't shoot most of them enough to remember the ballistic drop tables. I don't mind having to do this, but if my life depended on me using a rifle I'd rather be the guy who owned one and knew it like a body part than the guy like me, who owns God knows how many and can only shoot them all "decently."
 
The thing is, I certainly don't need a whole array of rifles.
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Not wanting to dispute Col. Cooper's truism, I understand what you're saying. The problem comes when there are different functions you need your gun to perform. As an example, I carry a handgun on duty, but in the rack of my squad car is my 12 gauge shotgun, in the trunk are my RRA AR with an ACOG and a Remington 700 with a Leupold scope, my precision rifle. I train with all these on regular basis and they all have their functions and methods of employment.

There's no doubt that you would know your AR like the back of your hand if chucked all your other rifles and focussed your time, energy and $ on training for that platform. But, it wouldn't help if you were in a situation where you couldn't carry it. I didn't intend for this to devolve into a discussion of the merits of any particular "truism", I was just wondering if there were any other gun related truisms that others thought didn't make sense, especially when dropped into a conversation completely out of context.
 
I was just wondering if there were any other gun related truisms that others thought didn't make sense, especially when dropped into a conversation completely out of context.
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In that case, I'll throw in "a handgun is for fighting your way to your long gun."

That's a great idea, if I'm at home or within 20 feet of my vehicle. Other than that, my handgun is going to have to do.
 
"Beware the man with only one gun, he probably knows how to use it."
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I happen to believe this in the context Col.Cooper expressed it.

History proves a family with a single shot shotgun were able to put food on the table, protect property and persons.

Rudy Etchen used the same 870 pump shotgun 40 years later to win the Championship again he won 40 years before.

Carlos Hathcock with 93 confirmed kills was quite familar with a Model 70 in '06

I forget the gentleman's name...he used a Rem Nylon 66 to shoot 100,010 one inch wood blocks , tossed into the air.
Record still stands to the best of my knowledge, both the man, and the gun.

Jerry Mikulek , seems to know a revolver "a little bit".

Folks keep swapping platforms, fiddling here, messing with that.
Gun fit, correct basics, and get to where "that" is like an extension to you.
Nothing wrong with other platforms and all...still one should be "real well acquainted" with one. IMO
 
I happen to believe this in the context Col.Cooper expressed it.
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I agree, when taken in context. It's just that I personally know lots of people who only own one gun and never practice. In times past, you could expect that a larger percentage of the population hunted, whether it was for small game for the table, varmints and pests to prevent predation or just for fun. (Well, if you can call nights spent in the woods in Northwest Arkansas walking 15-20 miles followin' coon hounds up and down the hills "fun", but that's what my uncle Melburn used to do. Come to think of it, I learned quite a bit from that old gentleman.)

A depressingly common situation now is what others have pointed out, someone buys a gun for protection, takes it to the range once, and then it never impinges on their daily lives from that time forward. The days when every rabbit, squirrel, coon and possum within 20 miles lived in fear of uncle Melburn and his .22 are fading fast. :(
 
Other than that, my handgun is going to have to do.
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Especially when you don't happen to have your rifle scabbard strapped to your Schwinn. :D

(Boy, this may be a bad subject. There might be a few feathers ruffled here and there. Actually, that may be good... at least it makes ya think.)
 
sacp81170a,

Truth is, many folks today do not take the time to get a mindset, and learn any tool these days - not just firearms.

It used to be a parent/adults parented and taught kids how to be prepared for a storm for instance and the power going out.
I mean getting batteries in a flashlight, lighting a candle, trimming a wick on a oil lamp and putting in lamp oil.

We have folks grown that don't know come here from sic 'em if the power goes out, have no idea where the battery flashlight is, much less how to use it, you can forget figuring out how to use the oil lamp, and instructions on how to use a kitchen match is "so confusing" :p

These folks buy stuff, and somehow by the mere fact they have them, they are magic talismans against the dark.

Sorta like guns are magic talismans and "just having one" is all one needs to do.

;)
 
Sorta like guns are magic talismans and "just having one" is all one needs to do.
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That's just about the gist of the conversation I overheard yesterday. I don't recall exact words, but one guy was talking to another about how horrible it was that his security company was making him switch from a .357 revolver to a semi automatic. He then proceeded to demonstrate an almost total ignorance of firearms in general. It really did sound like he got most of his information from Hollywood. Later, at the range, he was basically unable to hit an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper from 7 yards about half the time(with his .357, he hadn't found a semi cheap enough to suit his tastes). I'd have been far more impressed by his arguments if he'd put all 6 rounds in a decent group. :barf:

I really hate it when folks who are supposed to carry a weapon professionally don't take it seriously enough to become minimally proficient.
 
"It's the Indian, not the arrow."

Bend the Indian's arrow and see if he believes that truism. It's a good sentiment, yer skills matter more than the hardware. Hammers don't work well on screws though.
 
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