Written by: Greg Ellifritz I had an unusual experience at the range today. The gun I was shooting blew up in my hand. In a 20+ year career as a full time firearms instructor, I’ve seen a few guns blow up. I blew up a Kahr PM-9 once (stupidly) shooting reloads from an unknown […]
Shooting Drill- “The Test With No Name”
I found this drill in the “Skills and Drills” section of The Firearms Rack Website. John Johnston from Citizens Defense Research came up with the drill. It requires either a Langdon LTT-1 Target, or two B8 Targets separated by two more one inch square targets. According to the link above, the drill is run as […]
Five Deadly Fallacies of Hand to Hand
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you are undoubtedly familiar with the writings of Justin White from Mad Science Defense. Justin recently contacted me about running a few of his most successful articles as guest pieces on my blog. He is closing down the Mad Science Defense site and is focusing […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 18, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. The New Rules of Engagement If you only consume one piece of content from this post, make it this one. In Michael Bane’s podcast, he discusses how the criminal threats we are training to […]
Free Books- Part 212
Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website. You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day. These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]
Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I found a very interesting piece of research linked up on the Practical Eschatology website. The report “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective” provided the conclusions researchers amassed after interviewing more than 400 incarcerated burglars. The study proposed to answer the following questions: 1. What motivates […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 11, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. The Backpack Gun Project Thanks to Lucky Gunner for the kind words and the link to my book! For more bag carry advice, check out Vertx Commuter Sling. Strife Happens: What to Do […]
My New Favorite Electronic Hearing Protection
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Most of you collect guns. Sometimes I feel like I collect hearing protection. When I started shooting at five years old, no one wore eye and ear protection. After all, “it was just a .22.” When I started shooting K-frame revolvers and shotguns more seriously in my […]
2020 Open Classes
It seems that people are itching to train again after the Covid-19 layoff. All but two of my remaining classes in 2020 are completely sold out. The two that are still open don’t have many open seats and are likely to sell out as well. If you still want to train with me this year, […]
The Future of American Policing
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I had two different friends send me messages last weekend requesting my thoughts on what policing is going to look like in the future. I thought about it quite a bit and here are my predictions. We have to recognize that police are a part of our […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 4, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. 5 Lost Secrets Of The Combat Handgun Mas shares some secrets from the old timers. Mr. Ayood was exceptionally prolific last week. You may also like his articles Is the 1911 Dangerous to Carry? […]
Free Books- Part 211
Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website. You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day. These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]
The Chapstick Trick
Written by Greg Ellifritz Do any of you shoot with a tactical light mounted on the rails of your self defense or police duty pistol? If so, you have likely experienced immense frustration trying to remove the burnt carbon residue from the light’s lens after a long shooting session. The lenses get […]
“I’d just run away”- Are you fit enough to escape?
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I find it endlessly fascinating to listen to my students’ thoughts about the “best” course of action to take in a crisis situation. Especially when teaching female students, I hear a one very common response. Whenever I ask the students how they would respond to a challenging and dangerous situation, […]
Tactical Training Scenario- Daytime Rape at a NYC Subway Station
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Imagine you are standing on a subway platform in a big city anywhere in the world. A 25-year old woman is standing nearby waiting for the train to arrive. Suddenly, a man approaches the woman, throws her to the ground, and attempts to rape her. Lots of folks are watching. […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 28, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Staying Alive in the Brave New World Michael bane shares some valuable survival information. On the same topic, you should also read WARNING: Armed Conflict in America Is a Turning Point. Are You Prepared? […]
Shot in the Back! How does it happen?
Written by Greg Ellifritz With predictable regularity, the media and various civil rights groups become indignantly incensed when the cops or an armed citizen shoot a criminal in the back. It somehow violates society’s ideal that all confrontations should be settled “face to face” and be a “fair fight.” That doesn’t happen very often […]
Traveling to Mexico During a Global Pandemic
I’d been twitching for awhile. I hadn’t been out of the country since February. In a normal year, I travel outside the USA at least four times for a total of about six weeks. This is the first year since 2006 that I haven’t already taken at least three international trips by this […]
The Firearms Manifesto Part One: Your First Gun
Written by Greg Ellifritz It’s like clockwork. At least once a week, I open my email and see some version of the following question: “I’m worried about (your choice: crime, the declining economy, right wing politicians, mutant zombies, societal collapse, left wing politicians, etc) and want to buy a gun. I don’t have […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 21, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. The Top 5 Low Round Count Drills Ammunition is expensive right now. Here are a few valuable low round count shooting drills to keep your skill levels up. Do you have some ammo stockpiled? […]