Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
The Unlived Life
I’m finding social media so contentious and full of such nasty political rhetoric (on both sides) that, for the first time ever, I’m thinking about deleting all of my accounts. Here’s something I’ve been contemplating. It’s short. Read the whole thing at the link above.
“…..It means that our lives exist on two levels.
The first level is the material plane. The practical world. The level of kids and cars and mortgages and taxes.
The second is the plane of potentiality.
The unlived life within us.
The books we might write, the enterprises we might initiate, the realized self we might become.
Are you unhappy? Frustrated? Miserable? Do you engage in rants on Facebook and Twitter? Do you take your frustrations out on loved ones, rivals at work, shoppers in the produce aisle at Piggly Wiggly? Have you recently bought a gun? Are you looking for ways to move to Zamboanga?
I’m not saying things aren’t crazy out there.
I’m not saying that dark energies haven’t been loosed upon the world.
I’m as freaked out as the next guy.
But what I am saying is that some of our angst, some of our anguish comes not from the travails of the moment, however dire they may be, but from something deeper.
I mean the gap between our lived lives and our unlived lives.
I mean Resistance.
When you and I know … when we feel in our bones the unrealized self we are or could become and know that we’re not living it out … the result is pain. The result is shame and anguish and self-reproach.
What we hate is not our fellow citizens across the political aisle.
What we hate is our own failure to step up to that unlived level.”
Sinister Manipulations – Pistols
As an instructor, you must master weapon manipulations with either hand so that you can best instruct your students. I’m betting that some of you have some significant work to do if you honestly evaluate your ambidextrous skill sets.
It’s NOT your Trigger Control
Any of you who teach shooting classes or coach shooters casually should really pay attention to what Mike Seeklander is discussing in this article. I use this trick quite regularly to fix those low left shots.
Meditations on Crowds
Some damn good advice about violent crowds.
Illustrated: The Ballistics of Contact Gunshot Wounds
The author is right. Contact shots do more damage. One death investigation class I took in my police career stressed that the hot gasses escaping the muzzle at contact distance generally increased tissue damage by 50%.
Yes, contact shots work well, but there is some nuance that most people don’t understand. In almost every case, shoving the gun into your attacker’s body makes you very prone to being disarmed. I’d rather keep my gun in a tight retention position than extend it away from my body to make the contact shot. I’ll accept a smaller bullet hole if it keeps the attacker from taking my gun.
J Frame of Mind: The Snubby’s Guide to Life
Carrying a snubnose revolver for defense requires different tactics and a different mindset than carrying a full sized semi-automatic pistol.
Mastering your Handheld Light
Firing a few shots at a static target with a flashlight in your hand does not even come close to making you proficient in all the skills you need to possess in order to be truly formidable in a low light environment.
Lockpicking – A Handy Skill for Preppers
“When we talk about prepping, there are several skills that typically come to mind, such as food preservation, self-defense, and wilderness survival. But there are also a few uncommon skills that are worth exploring. Lockpicking is definitely one of them.”
For more information on the topic, read My Generalist Lockpicking Kit.
Five Types Of AR Malfunctions And How To Address Them
This article covers malfunction clearance. While the procedures he advocates are the same as many other instructors, I think his terminology might be easier for a beginning student to remember.
“Load” and “Unload” makes a whole lot more sense for the beginner than memorizing the acronym “SPORTS.”
Looking for even more AR-15 articles? Read Best AR-15 Barrel – What to Look For.
Review: PHLster Enigma V2 Holster
John and Sarah sent me one of their enigma holster systems when they first rolled it out. I really liked it and still use the original holster a few times a month. When I saw they were bringing out an updated version, I bought two more. They just came in the mail yesterday. I’m excited to check them out. This a very versatile bit of gear, especially for those of you who don’t wear belts or need a deep concealment solution for dressier clothing.
What I’m reading…
Simulated Distance Dry Fire Target
A handy, printable rifle dry fire target. Set it up at 10 feet and you have targets scaled from 50 yards to 300 yards to practice with.
The Return of Carfentanil?
Carfentanil is the latest drug the media is focusing on to keep you in a constant state of fear and paranoia. From the linked article:
“While the increasing presence of carfentanil in the drug supply bears watching, it is also important to point out the amount of people dying who test positive for carfentanil is still a very small portion of those dying of opioid overdose. The MMWR report characterizes the carfentanil deaths as “rare.” Deaths in Connecticut and nationwide continue to decline despite this rise in carfentanil.”
Please do not withhold giving first aid to a person who is overdosing. You are not going to die if you accidentally brush up against a couple of grains of this powder while administering life saving care.
If you are at all interested in this topic, please listen to the Navigating Shifting Chemical Landscapes with Claire Zagorski podcast from Narcotica. Ms. Zagorski is a recognized expert in the field and provides a lot of vital information in this incredibly informative episode.
I’m Tired of Fear Porn
Speaking of fear and paranoia, it’s not just the topic of drugs that the media uses to manipulate you.
A Modest Proposal: A Truck Gun Might Be Unrealistic
I once carried a “trunk gun” (rifle and ammunition stowed in the trunk of a car) on a daily basis. If I’m going to get in a gunfight, I’d rather have a rifle than a pistol. After three decades of studying active killer attacks, I’ve only found two where a person was able to exit the attack scene, run to his car, obtain a rifle, and then shoot the killer. That’s TWO in more than 400 attacks since the year 2000.
I no longer carry a “trunk gun” unless I’m traveling out of state. When out of state, that gun will be used for fixed site protection upon my arrival and will not be kept in the car. I’ve concluded that “trunk guns” are far more likely to be stolen than used defensively.
The Press-Out (Part 3)
Part three of SLG’s informative series about this trigger manipulation technique.
Timer, Redux: “You Won’t Have Time to Aim”
Another perspective on the never ending debate about “point shooting” (and an opportunity to share a photo of my late friend Ed Lovette.)
Small Child Attacked By Dog In Parking Lot
I’ve been reading some recent news articles about some horrific dog attacks in my former home state (Ohio). This is a self defense situation that few people have mentally worked through. What would you do if you or your child was attacked by an aggressive dog? Watch this video. Even if the father had been armed with a gun, there wasn’t much opportunity to use it as the dog was on top of the young girl. What’s your solution?
Before my dog died, I always carried pepper spray when I walked her. Loose aggressive dogs don’t often attack adult humans, but they will attack other dogs. I’d rather pepper spray the attacking dog than shoot it if it is fighting with my own dog. The idea of shooting while trying to hold on to a dog leash in a situation like this seems quite difficult. Pepper spray for the win.
Interestingly enough, during the two serious dog attacks in which I was able to intervene (one at my cop job and one who attacked a woman walking her own dog on the sidewalk outside my house), I used an expandable baton. In one case, just opening the baton ran the dog off. In the other, I had to strike one of the two dogs that were attacking a jogger. After one baton strike, both those dogs ran away.
🤏🏻.32 ACP VS .380 ACP in Pocket Pistols! 💧 Federal Hydra-Shok 💧
Ballistic gelatin testing comparing two common pocket pistol defensive loads. If I carried a .32 acp, I’d definitely load it with the hottest European ball ammo loads I could find and would forgo counting on any expansion. Although the .380 acp load performed well in this test, that doesn’t always happen. I could make an argument for carrying ball ammo in my .380s as well.
How to Safely Carry In a Vehicle: Holster Considerations
Most of us spend a lot of time in cars. Have you thought about optimal carry methods while driving? It may not earn me any cool points, but I generally strap on a fanny pack when I’m driving really long distances. I find it to be a very good balance of comfortable carry and easy accessibility behind the wheel.
Honoring Women in Law Enforcement: Lou Ann Hamblin
Lou Ann is a great friend and an awesome trainer. I’m looking forward to teaching with her in a private class this fall. You ladies might like this interview as well as the interview I did with her a few years ago.
U.S. ARMY RESERVE MARKSMANSHIP TRAINING AND COMPETITIVE PROGRAM
If you are looking for some fun training/competition drills, download the PDF of the army’s “postal match” rules and targets at this link.
Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.
