Evil Princess and I are still basking in the afterglow of several great days at Pin Shoot 2018 in Central Lake, Michigan. That quaint little town is a wonderful vacation spot, made better for us in the gun culture by the iconic Pin Shoot hosted by Richard Davis, the inventor of soft concealable body armor.  The event was known for 24 years as the Second Chance Shoot, and returned last year after a 19-year hiatus, now dubbed The Pin Shoot.

We got to meet old friends and make new ones.  We were happy to see some enthusiastic Millennials, though overall, it was still a pretty “gray” crowd.  Even so, there was the warmth of shared values across the generations.  There were new events: .22 shooting for the kids, and some submachinegun action, hardware provided.

Will have more pix, vid, and news for ya soon, but here are some photos to get you started.

Hate to use a cliché, but…wish you were there!

.45 GAP brass flies as the Evil Princess shoots pins off the top tier with her Glock 37 pistol, fitted with Diamond sights.

Shooting can be a family affair at The Pin Shoot. From left, Dan, Dakota, and Levi Hauserman pose with the Glock pistols they won for coming in first in the three-person team event.

Denny “Rolling Thunder” Reichard blasts pins with his trademark Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum.

27 COMMENTS

  4. Wish I was there, too! Surely, Pin Shoot must be one of the most fun firearms events in the world. Looking forward to more coverage, Thanks.

  6. I’m glad you’ve put up a picture of the Evil Princess but how can you call her this as i am sure she’s a lovely lady.

    As regards the Pin Shoot then I’m glad this is still going as i well recall when i did this back in 1995 and the enjoyable time that i had.

  7. Kudos to a fun shooting event but someone needs to remind the lovely young lady in the picture of rule #3, “Keep your finger off the trigger until sights are on target and you’re ready to shoot”. Sorry to be critical but I worry that if someone puts their finger on the trigger when they know the gun is unloaded, they may slip up and put it on the trigger when the gun is hot.

    • I can’t help wondering if a private citizen with no connection to the fire department would have been treated more harshly.

  12. Mas, I remember reading an 80s article you wrote on the Second Chance shoot of the day (there was a reference to tracer fire shot across the lake in some long ago year, lol) and how much fun it was. I’m glad to see the shoot resurrected and that you guys had a blast. Also, I’m interested that EP picked the Glock 37 45 GAP platform when she could have had pretty much any pistol she wanted. Why did she go with that set up?

    • Good questions, Paul. The “tracers across the lake” incident goes back to the mid-70s, when the match was open only to cops. A Thompson liberated from a large department’s armory, .45 ACP tracers from God knows where, and “alcohol involved” put those guys in a mode right out of Joe Wambaugh’s novel “The Choirboys.” Good thing no one was hurt.

      The EP is a big time Glock fan, doesn’t especially care for 1911s (or other “primitive weapons” as she puts it, LOL) and doesn’t have big hands. The Glock 37 in .45 GAP has exactly the same grip dimensions and trigger reach as the Glock 17 and 34 9mm pistols she shoots in other competitions, and the 200 grain Speer bullets took the pins off to her satisfaction.

      • Thanks Mas, I’ve followed you ever since I bought my first handgun, a 4″ S&W 586 in 1984, which I wish I’d kept. Being a southpaw, Glocks are a natural for me, but even though I have larger than average hands the compacts 19 & 23 seem to be the best mates for me, Gen 3 and beyond. The first book of yours I read was The Truth About Self Protection, I’d like to see you do an updated version, and I also have digested The Ayoob Files since the very first edition.
        Keep writing and teaching us please!

  13. Hey Mas.

    Would you run an update on best choices for defensive ammo? I’m guessing that with all of the technological developments, the last article you wrote is not up-to-date any longer.

    Thanks
    Chris

  14. Mas – This is off of the current topic but might be a suitable issue for a future topic.

    What do you think of the current efforts in the State of California to re-define the use of deadly force by police officers?

    • I think — and hope — if and when it passes into law, the objective reasonableness standard will be clearer therein.

  15. The above photo of Dakota, and Levi Hauserman why is Levi finger on the trigger and pointed toward Levi Hauserman. I hope she uses better safety on the range then she used here in this photo.

  16. Mas
    Risking turning serious…I have not seen a better video which illustrates the danger of close combat situation with a motivated and energized opponent. Forgetting ALL the legal and political aspects to the case, this is great clear hi res video of attacker charging, getting a torso shot…ONCE…and then continuing attack in seconds. It takes 4 young strong cops to finally bring him down. I fear my 66 yr old body wouldn’t stand up more than 3 seconds with this BG. Lesson learned by me….keep shooting until threat is really ended. Love to hear your thoughts…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0glGDL7WI

    • Mike, it’s hard to say much without seeing the guy’s med reports and toxicology screen. Reportedly it was an abdominal hit, but I have no info on the wound track, the load the officer used for that single shot (which, I have to say, did stop that particular attack on him), or what was going on inside the assailant.

Comments are closed.