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Fr. Frog's Guidelines for the Real World

The following collection of "rules" pretty much covers things. If you have an addition to any of these categories that you think should be included email them to me by clicking here.

Marksmanship

1) Beware of the man with one gun.
2) Fancy guns, sights, and gadgetry do not make up for a lack of marksmanship. (This though applies to a lot of other activities too.)
3) If you can't do it with a .30-06 you probably can't do it with anything else.
4) If you can't do it with a 2 MOA firearm you probably can't do it with anything else.
5) Sight picture and trigger control are life.
6) Practice, practice, practice!
7) A close miss is still a miss.
8) Smoothness first, the speed will come.
9) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
10) Most gun writers are pathological liars.

Internal Ballistics

1) There ain't no magic powders!
2) Details! It's in the details.
3) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
4) Most gun writers are pathological liars.

External Ballistics

1) There ain't no magic bullets!
2) Divide the range at which someone claims to have shot their deer by 4 to get the real range.
3) Always get as close as possible.
4) Don't believe manufacturer's claims.
5) In the battle between velocity and accuracy, accuracy always wins.
6) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
7) Most gun writers are pathological liars.

Terminal Ballistics

1) There ain't no magic bullets!
2) Only center hits count
3) Make the biggest diameter hole you can to let blood out and air in.
4) Make the deepest hole you can to insure that vital organs and nerve centers can be reached and destroyed from all impact angles.
5) "Service" your threat until it is no longer a threat.
6) No small arm can guarantee 100% instant incapacitation of a determined adversary--man or beast.
7) Don't believe manufacturer's claims.
8) Inconsequential increments are meaningless.
9) Most gun writers are pathological liars.

Gunfighting

1) Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.
2) Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
3) If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
4) Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movements are preferred.)
5) If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
6) In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
7) If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.
8) Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
9) Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. Don't trust an untested gun.
10) Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
11) Always cheat = always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12) Have a plan. A bad plan quickly executed is better than no plan.
13) Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
14) If your attack is going according to plan, it's probably an ambush.
15) Use cover and concealment as much as possible.
16) Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
17) Always tactically reload and threat scan 360 degrees at the conclusion of the action.
18) Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
19) Decide to be AGGRESSIVE enough, QUICKLY enough.
20) The faster you finish the fight, the less shot up you will get.
21) Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."
22) Anyone who claims they know everything about gunfighting is a jerk.
23) Don't rely on a single weapon system. Know how to efficiently use all kinds of different weapons.
24) Remember that after your assailant is down that most likely one of his friends is waiting to kill you.
25) The only thing you ALWAYS know, is you NEVER know!
26) When you least expect it, EXPECT IT.
27) If there is any doubt, there is NO doubt.
28) The are few interpersonal relationship problems that cannot be solved by the judicious use of high explosives or napalm.

Gunsmithing

1) All you really need are a good trigger and good sights
2) You can remove metal but it's hard to put it back
3) Sharp edges belong on a knife
4) Better too loose than too tight
5) You won't find an Allen wrench or a Torx driver in the boonies
6) Better a stock too short than too long
7) "Kool" won't save your life or bring down a game animal
8) Don't over lubricate

Life in General

1) Good manners are always in good taste. Treat others the way you want them to treat you.
2) Better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.
3) Be kind and courteous to everyone you meet but have a plan to kill them quickly if necessary.
4) One cannot have too many good books, to much good wine, or too much ammo.
5) Cats are a good judge of character.
6) Learn something new every day.
7) Good grammar is a sign of a sharp mind.
8) Your word must be your bond.
9) Stay alert!
10) True friends that will stick by you no matter what are a rarity. Cherish them.
11) YOU are responsible for what happens to you.
12) You are NOT entitled to an easy life and luxuries.
13) Always do the right thing. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
14) Flowers say "I'm sorry," chocolate says "I love you."
15) Don't do stupid things, don't associate with stupid people, don't go to stupid places, and don't live in stupid areas.
16) Do not rely on the government for anything, especially your survival. Anyone who says, "I'm from the government and I'm going to help you" is NOT your friend.
17) Don't be upset by people who don't like you or who speak ill of you. They are the ones who will never know the pleasure of your friendship.
18) Don't throw rocks at people with guns. Don't stand next to people who throw rocks at people with guns.
19) Enjoy the little things in life too.
20) Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and confirm it.
21) Money doesn't make you better than someone else. It is just a convenience on the road of life.
22) You won't have trouble if you are prepared for it.
23) You cannot personally solve everyone's problems, nor should you feel that you have to. You need to take care of yourself too.
24) The magnitude of one's stupidity is amplified by one's position in society. "
25) Morons are equally distributed among time and space, so it does not matter where you go. You are very likely to find at least one in a location where you least expect it."
26) It's not what you look like nor what people think of you that defines you, but rather what you do.
27) Pay close attention to everything, notice what no one else notices. Then you will know what no one else knows and that's always useful.
28) Don't stand out or call attention to yourself. The squeaky wheel get close attention and the nail that is standing up gets hammered, and those who are paying attention will note you as a potential subject of interest.
29) Agents of the government and politicians all lie to you and are not your friends.

Faith

1) God is the one in charge, but don't expect him to just do everything for you. He gave you a brain and muscles for a reason.
2) Pray daily.
3) Showing Christ's love does not mean you have to accept as "OK" every behavior of every person. It just means that you have to treat everyone with respect and compassion.
4) You will be a better witness by example than by bible thumping.
5) God doesn't care if you are Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, or whatever. He cares about how well you follow his directions.
6) When you talk to God, remember to listen.
7) God doesn't expect you to walk on water. He just wants you to get out of the boat.
8) Don't ask God to do difficult things FOR you, ask Him to help you find the strength to do difficult things for yourself.

Cooking

1) Don't overdo the seasonings.
2) An unwatched pot usually boils over.
3) Simple, hearty food, is the best--especially when shared with friends.
4) A day without red wine is not a complete day.
5) Fresh baked bread negates the cholesterol in butter.
6) Use fresh ingredients.
7) The most critical ingredient in a recipe you are working on is the one you ran out of last week.
8) Electric stoves keep cooking once the burner is turned off.
9) Homemade cinnamon buns are considered a health food.
10) Use real butter.

Woodworking

1) Don't buy cheap cutting tools.
2) Measure 3 times, cut once.
3) You can make a board shorter, you can't make it longer.
4) A properly aligned table saw will get out of alignment at the most critical cut of the project.
5) Don't believe dimensions given in a project's plans until you have checked them.
6) A sharp pencil will always be on the other side of your work area.
7) Before beginning to screw and glue check the fit of all pieces.
8) A dull cutting tool is worse than having no tool.

The following was sent to me by a friend Jock Elliott and I thought it would fit nicely on this page

Elliott's Laws

1) Elliott's Law of Success: You can go an awful long way with a firm grasp of the obvious and radical application of common sense. (With thanks to Gordon Powell)
2) Elliott's Law of Perversity: If everyone is doing the same thing, it's probably time to do something else.
3) Elliott's Law of Computers: The productivity gains we get from computers we eventually give back in the time we spend screwing around with them.
4) Elliott's Good Advice: Any Time: If it starts to smoke, pull it out. (Discovered at a weenie roast).
5) Elliott's Observation: We are all in it together; it cannot be otherwise.
6) Elliott's Law of Mechanical Engineering: Problems that can't be solved with duct tape or bungee cords probably shouldn't be tackled anyway.

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Updated 2007-12-14