Written by Greg Ellifritz Jeff Chudwin is a firearms instructor and retired police chief from whom I’ve taken a couple training classes. He is amazingly knowledgeable and readily shares the wealth of information he possess. Jeff compiled a list of maintenance checklists for AR-15 style rifles and sent them out to […]
Riot Survival Compendium
Written by: Greg Ellifritz With almost two months of non-stop rioting in Portland and lots of other big demonstrations in other parts of the nation, lots of folks have contacted me about re-posting some of my riot survival articles. Here is my best advice… Stay away from any scheduled protests, riots, uprisings, […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 31, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Short Barreled Rifles vs Pistol Braces A high quality analysis of the issues involved with having a short barreled “pistol” with a stabilizing brace. I think these are exceptionally handy. When I’m driving out […]
Ammo Shortage: Is the 10mm a Good Self Defense Round?
Written by Greg Ellifritz I’ve been getting a few questions from readers about the 10mm auto for self protection. With the current ammo shortage primarily affecting the common defensive calibers, some readers are seeing 10mm ammo still available online and in gun stores. Is it worthwhile to own a 10mm defensive handgun in […]
Pepper Sprayed for not Wearing a Mask
Written by: Greg Ellifritz People are losing their shit. It’s almost like the world has been turned completely upside down in a very short period of time. In my police job, the calls about erratic behavior, mental illness, and alcohol/drug abuse have increased significantly in the last couple months. There are a lot of […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 24, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Hold Tight To The Past “The upshot of all this? Ain’t much new under the sun. Sometimes we need to get away from being explorers of new shooting worlds and become archaeologists instead, digging […]
Don’t be a CCW Idiot
I’m guessing that most of you who are active in the firearm-related blogosphere have seen this story. If you haven’t, please check it out: Gun fell out of man’s sweatpants and discharged, fatally striking woman outside Trend Bar in St. Paul Manslaughter charge for man accused of fatally shooting woman outside St. Paul bar […]
“Don’t Run in a Straight Line” and other Bad Advice
Written by Greg Ellifritz When listening to experts describe how to flee from an attacker who is shooting, the most common statement heard is “Don’t run in a straight line.” Many people advocate running in a zig-zag pattern or running in a crouched position instead. A target that is small or that moves randomly […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 17, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Avoiding The Ambush Excellent counter-ambush advice from Jeff Chudwin. Three Videos Of Robberies Teach Us Different Lessons “No one is coming to save you.” Smith & Wesson: A History Very interesting […]
More Info on Weapon-Mounted Lights
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Earlier this week, I wrote an article covering issues involved in the use of weapon mounted lights. I had a couple readers write me to request some clarification on my position. Here are two examples of the questions they asked me. “When I’m searching my house, most often, my […]
Issues with Weapon Mounted Lights
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I spent all of last week attending Massad Ayoob and Marty Hayes’ Deadly Force Instructor class as a student. We spent some time discussing the use of weapon mounted lights and the safety concerns associated with them. It caused me to realize that I haven’t written about this topic […]
How to Help a Cop During a Life-Threatening Struggle
Written by: Greg Ellifritz As we see more officers attacked by rioters and more police stations under siege, I’m getting this question more often. If you want to help a cop under attack, this is how to do it. And be sure to read PART TWO, how you can help a cop even if […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 10, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Is Hollowpoint the Best Defensive Ammo for Concealed Carry? In most calibers, you should be carrying hollowpoint bullets for defensive purposes. One can argue that solid bullets have advantages in .22, .25, .32, .38, […]
Lessons Learned from a Home Invasion Attempt
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I was working day shift police patrol when a call went out at about 9:00 a.m. I was dispatched to a very large house in a nice neighborhood. The dispatcher said that the resident had called to report suspicious activity. The resident said that she had heard someone banging on her […]
Your Tactical Training Scenario…Injured Hands
Written by: Greg Ellifritz Take a quick look at this news article…. Phoenix police make arrest in priest murder A man broke into a church rectory and attacked the two priests who lived there with a tire iron. The first priest ran to his bedroom and grabbed his revolver. He tried to shoot the […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- July 3, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. PCC Showdown: H&K SP5 vs Kalashnikov USA KP9 vs CMMG Banshee I get a lot of questions about pistol caliber carbines. I’m really not the right one to ask, as I don’t own any […]
Surviving the Mob
Violent protests, mob action, and rioting scenarios fill up your news feed. Lots of folks are contacting me about mob violence issues. Let’s look at some of the issues involved… To date, the majority of mob violence events have occurred in very large public gatherings and at the sites of large political protests. […]
Some Commentary on Last Weekend’s Snubnose Revolver Class
Written by: Greg Ellifritz On Saturday, I taught my first open-enrollment class since February. That might have been the longest break I’ve had from teaching in more than a decade. My teaching skills are rusty. My voice is fried. But the class went well. It was a snubnose revolver class that was full […]
Weekend Knowledge Dump- June 26, 2020
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. The 3- E’s of Being Elusive (or Rude) High quality advice on managing unknown contacts (or creepers, as the article calls them). My standard line in situations like those described is “I’m sorry. I […]
Words of Wisdom
Written by: Greg Ellifritz I was recently re-reading Mark MacYoung’s book “In the Name of Self Defense.” It’s an amazing resource for anyone interested in better protecting himself.. I want to share a quote from the book: “Until you: 1. Develop the ability to take a hit without having an emotional meltdown 2. Have […]