Lionquest Fitness

No video this week. I've been tied up with my first week of paramedic school and we've had revival services this week at my church. However, I received a very well thought out e-mail from a viewer who is a police officer in a major metropolitan city and who is also involved in emergency medical that I wanted to share.

"Thanks for your reply and I apologize in advance for the novel-length message.

I think you hit the nail on the head with what you said about convenient carry being constant carry. I want my EDC gun to be like my keys or my phone. Those are items which I carry daily and think about very little because they don't bother me to carry them. Also like those items, my gun just does the task it's designed for. It's boring and unremarkable otherwise.

I think there are a lot of people claiming on YouTube to EDC a lot more guns and gear on a daily basis than they actually do in real life. The idea that comfort and convenience have to be sacrificed so that a civilian can be armed and prepared for the most common forms of criminal attacks is silly. Not everyone can be a commando, but the gun focused internet sells the fantasy that everyone should at least be armed like one. This leads me to my next point.

The internet is full of experts, some with very impressive military backgrounds, demonstrating their high level of firearms proficiency and claiming that you, the average suburban American male, should do what they do. The problem is that most of what they have been trained to do is offensive and overt in nature (tactical!) when the needs of the armed civilian are covert and defensive in nature with evading trouble being the main goal.

Most firearms training is simply irrelevant to what people actually need to know in order to defend themselves. It ignores the realities of how and why criminals actually attack people despite decades of video evidence that shows how this happens (the "how" is where shooting becomes relevant, the "why" is where personal habits and demeanor are important).

Like any other predator, felons use speed, surprise, and violence of action to overwhelm their prey. Given that if you are attacked then it will likely happen without warning, you would want a gun that is totally reliable, and of course, so convenient to carry that it will always be on you just like your keys, wallet, and phone. Just as you demonstrate, a gun like this can deliver a shot group to the body within twenty feet that can be covered by a hand. This is more than adequate to stop a threat. This is also a level of on-demand accuracy nearly anyone can achieve with a little practice.

Lastly, while I'm no male fashion model, I do lift weights regularly and I like to look like a fit, fairly well-dressed man and not an unkempt ragamuffin. I don't want to have to wear a boxy fishing shirt everywhere I go to cover a large automatic on my hip. My j-frame 638 in the pocket is perfect for this. I can have it on me and wear whatever I want."

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 235

Lionquest Fitness

I decided to pull the Simply Rugged Video down after Rob Leahy reached out to me. I appreciate his gesture, and we'll put it down to miscommunication and misperception. I don't like doing negative reviews and I didn't like the way things were heading in the comments section. They were many people who reported very good product and service from Simply Rugged and others who had less favorable things to say. I didn't want it to devolve into a war of words.

Holsters are personal thing. What works for one might not work for another. They got my replacement holster out in a timely fashion and I should have it today. After a proper break-in period, I'll give it a proper review without the personality issues. I have a Kramer and an Azula I can compare it to.

Being an old guy, and a hardheaded one at that, old Cochise, my Model 64 S&W, has been calling to me lately. Call it a talisman gun but having that chunk of steel on my side is quite comforting. A snub, or even a polymer wonder, which I have a few, would be more practical and more convenient, but I shoot well with it and am competent with it.

I guess it goes back to that five-year-old boy watching reruns of The Lone Ranger on a black and white TV on Saturday mornings. The first time I ever held that Model 64 it flashed back in my mind to Clayton Moore, even though he carried SAA Colts, and it has been my favorite gun ever since.

Greg

3 months ago | [YT] | 187

Lionquest Fitness

This week's video is going to be a little different and not one I like doing. I don't like doing product reviews that are negative, but if I spend my hard-earned money on your product, I expect a little courtesy in my interactions with your company and a product that is usable and free from defects. There are companies in the firearm and firearm accessory world that I don't do business with for one reason or another. I've purchased defective or low-quality product from them, or I've had issues with their customer service. However, I try not to bury them. If you ask me my experience, I'll tell you and be honest but also realizing some people have had good results from that particular company or product and can get very defensive if you criticize it.

Such an example is going to be Simply Rugged Holsters, which is the company I will be reviewing. Many people have had good customer service and product from them. They are a family-owned business that have been around for several decades and have a reputation for stellar service and beautifully crafted holsters from the established firearm media and some of their top end customers. On the other hand, from searching online, in recent years there have been complaints about the quality of the holsters and the customer service.

I'm going to be discussing their Silver Dollar Pancake Holsters for small revolvers, their Sourdough Pancake Holsters for medium size revolvers, and their customer support. I also recommend this video from the Slim Cowboy. www.youtube.com/shorts/bQAR1y...

I plan on dropping my review Saturday at 10:30 PM Eastern Time.

3 months ago | [YT] | 137

Lionquest Fitness

No video this week. I didn't like the final results of the filming for some ammo testing. No so much the testing as the filming. So, I'll be back next week, hopefully.

3 months ago | [YT] | 196

Lionquest Fitness

My next video is about a sensitive topic, and that is being able to defend one's self when you are elderly and have a disability. I considered not monetizing the video because of the content and because videos over eight minutes get ads in the middle of the video whether you want them or not. But, I've noticed that Youtube will stick ads on other videos I didn't monetize, but then I don't get credit for them.

A gentleman had contacted me about an earlier video I had done about firearm self defense for the elderly. He had a problem probably not unique. He was disabled in his left arm, and he needed his right arm for his cane. I told him I'd think about it and see what possible solutions I could come up with.

Now a topic like this brings the trolls, the low drag, high speed afficiandos, and the wannabe experts out of the wood works. I don't claim to be an expert or want that appellation. I do appreciate valid suggestions; especially from people who are in that situation or have had years of experience assisting others with disabilities. In this upcoming video I am offering only possible suggestions. There is no guarantee of successful outcome.

The video should be up around 10:30 am, 6/21/2025, Eastern Standard Time.

4 months ago | [YT] | 245

Lionquest Fitness

Mysterious Ammo for a Mysterious Revolver

In my recent video about the older, blued Taurus 66 I'd found and purchased, I listed the Remington 357 magnum cartridges I shot in the video as showing on the box a muzzle velocity of 1875 feet per second. Originally I thought it read 1375, until I had shot a few rounds through a Taurus 605, realized it was a beyond hot round, and checked the box.

If you watch my video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUGLA... you'll notice that the third soda bottle I hit was thrown to the right of the shooting berm and into some very thick undergrowth approximately five yards back to the right and behind the target. Over the years I've seen some strange things happen when shooting reactive targets but this was one of the strangest.

I bought this box of ammo during a time when Walmart was unloading all it's handgun ammo. I searched out the Remington website at the time looking for information on this round. I found nothing, but this was also during the time of Remington's bankruptcy. I still have this box with about 70 rounds left. I only shoot it occasionally through some of my stoutest, full size .357 revolvers. I've tried it in my Rossi lever action, but they are a copper jacketed, soft lead bullet and won't load properly into the loading gate.

Is it really rated at 1875 feet per second, or is it a misprint? I don't know. I only reported what was on the box.

6 months ago | [YT] | 83

Lionquest Fitness

No video this week. I was working on one about the pros and cons of .22 LR Firearms for self-defense, but didn't like the final cut. It was my anniversary weekend with my wife so that took precedence, the video was rushed, the windy weather wasn't suitable for filming, and if I bore myself, I know I'll bore you. So anyway, this one is going on the backburner for now. Tune in next weekend. Until then, stay safe and stay fit.

Greg Newton

7 months ago | [YT] | 134

Lionquest Fitness

Guns and American Handgunner magazines are offering a special this weekend: $9.95 for a years subscription for both magazines together. You can find the details in their podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPfus...

1 year ago | [YT] | 83

Lionquest Fitness

My apologies for not getting part two of my head to head comparison of the Taurus 856 and the S&W 640 out sooner. Four days of heavy rain kept me from filming this past weekend. Now in reviewing my footage I've gotten this week I strayed from the comparison of the two firearms and got too far into the dynamics of close quarter violence. Bottom line, I felt it was too deep and too real for YouTube. As well, in light of recent events in the news, I didn't feel right about the direction the video was going. So, back to the drawing board.

On a positive note, I've learned a lot about both firearms I hope to share. Sometimes people get offended when you compare a relatively inexpensive brand to a brand that has a reputation for quality and a higher price tag. Not everyone can afford that higher price tag though. Sometimes the quality isn't there with that reputation. It is not uncommon for a company to get complacent and rest on past success. On the other hand you can't expect a budget price to buy you you a lasting heirloom. Corners get cut for mass production. Quality control suffers there as well.

Hopefully I hope to have something up soon. Thank you for watching my channel, and thank you for those who comment with positive support. Until then, enjoy these vintage ads.

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2 years ago | [YT] | 91

Lionquest Fitness

Tomorrow at midnight I'm putting up a tribute to Jeff Cooper - the Father of Modern Tactical Gunfighting. In WW2 few know he actually carried a Single Action Colt for a short time. As a young marine lieutenant he was stationed on the destroyer the Pennsylvania. Part of his duties were to reconnoiter areas in the Pacific the Pennsylvania bombed as part of a three man team.

My source for this information was the book "More the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived" by Paul Kirchner, who was a personal friend of Jeff Cooper's. His experiences on these highly dangerous reconnaissance missions answered a question for me as to his concept of a "Scout Rifle" which was a bolt action carbine in .308. It was the rifle he'd have like to have carried on those missions. His team was there for surveillance not a firefight and capacity wasn't as important as having a light, hard hitting rifle.

Barring anything unseen, the next video after the Cooper tribute will be on a simplified Bug Out kit and firearm. I've been very swamped after the new year with work and family and I've had little time for video making or correspondence.

Your Friend,

Greg

2 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 139