Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Guns for Granny – Choosing A Gun for the Elderly or Infirm
Some tips to solve a problem we will all be lucky enough to face someday.
Hair Triggers
Massad Ayoob discusses the pitfalls of a trigger pull weight that is too light.
Confessions Of A New Red-Dot Shooter
If my eyesight worsens or the technology and mounting options improve significantly, I may reconsider; but until then I’ve decided to remain dot-free on my defensive handguns. I have more important things to do in my life than spending a massive amount of time working on mastering a new sighting system that will likely only improve a very small segment of my shooting skills.
Why is police training so awful?
“An individual may own a measure of responsibility for their skill level, and certainly does so for their decision-making and actions on the job; however, the agency owns responsibility for their employment, job title, and duty post. If an individual with inadequate job-related skills is still on the job—it’s not at all their fault that they are still employed or on duty. And, in fact, even the inadequate skillset may not be at all their fault—especially if they were “damaged” during their entry level or in-service agency training through poor training structure and delivery methods. (More on this concept applied to remedial training here.)
The fact of the matter is that, while there are many highly skilled police officers and many equally skilled and dedicated police trainers, aggregate police training, especially with respect to use-of-force and clinical tactical skills is, in a word, bad.
This isn’t usually because there’s something necessarily wrong with what’s being taught. It’s because the training structure is broken. Fundamentally, training delivery in most law enforcement programs is misaligned with how the brain learns information—at a neurological level.
In other words, during most police training, students can’t learn this part of the job effectively. Unless a student arrives at the training possessing a pre-existing skillset in these areas, it is physiologically impossible for them to develop a high-level one—at least based on the official program of instruction.”
How to Use Shooting Sticks from the Standing Position
Shooting off of sticks is a useful skill to acquire for either a police marksmen or hunters. Even though I don’t teach precision rifle classes any more, I did serve as the primary sniper for my agency for more than a decade. I always carried a shorter set of sticks in my rifle deployment bag.
Ben Stoeger Full Class Practical Shooting Washington
If you were ever curious about Ben Stoeger’s training, you can watch a large part of one of his classes here.
Road Warriors: Keeping Your and Yours Safe on the Road
Advice for those of you who spend a significant amount of your time living out of a car.
Dealing with “That Guy” and Thoughts on Celebrity Instructors With Dave Spaulding
“We are seeing the Ill-Informed being led by the Stupid”
Civilian AED Ownership. A Story of Why.
Jonathan and I (along with a bunch of other folks) responded to a cardiac arrest together last week. Jonathan deployed his personal AED because the large hotel/conference center where the emergency took place didn’t have one. Read this article and think about purchasing an AED if you host vulnerable populations in your classes or at your range.
Compensators for Concealed Carry: Are They Worth It?
I’m not a fan of compensators on a self defense pistol. Most folks actually need to shoot a bit slower in a defensive encounter. Running .15 splits on the street leads to a situation where you will fire 2-3 extra rounds AFTER your brain tells you to stop firing.
Henry US Survival Rifle 1,000 Round Review
I once owned the Charter Arms version of this rifle. I wasn’t a big fan. Now that the statute of limitations is up, I can probably confess that I had mine disassembled and hidden in my dorm rooms when I was in college. At the time, I still did a bunch of small game hunting with a .22 rifle. I didn’t want to leave my normal squirrel rifle in my car on campus and guns were forbidden in the dorms. The AR-7 was my solution. I could carry this one in and out of the college dorm in a backpack without anyone knowing.
How to Survive (and Prevent) a Carjacking
Counter-Carjacking advice from Mike Seeklander.
41 Radio Frequencies for Preppers to Memorize
Not firearms related content, but I know a lot of my readers are also interested in amateur radio and emergency communications.
The Hammerless Revolver: Still A Viable Option
As I write this post, I have a hammerless revolver (equipped with a clipdraw) tucked in my waistband. For some more revolver content, read Part Three of the Revolver Guy’s series on the new S&W Lipseys revolvers.
Illicit Tactical Progress: Mexican Cartel Tactical Notes 2013-2020
What I’m reading…
Firearms Training For The Next Generation Part One: The Ruse
Some tips for your kid’s first trip to the range. If you liked this one, check out part two of the series: The Rifle.
Lakewood Church Active Killer Response Leaves A Lot To Be Desired
A frighteningly inept performance by most of the cops.
If you want some better guidelines for church security teams, read Thoughts on how places of worship should handle concealed carry permissions. I disagree with the author’s assertion that the only armed people in a church should be the security team, but he has a lot of other quality ideas.
Bad Data: Reports of Decreasing Crime Are Lies
Taking a deeper dive into the real statistics. For some more information about crime trends, read The Crime Rings Stealing Everything from Purses to Power Tools.
Four Key Systematic Drills for Handgun Skill Developement
A logical collection of progressively more difficult shooting drills for improving your abilities. Need any more drills? Try:
Rangemaster Advanced Bullseye Course
Pushing the Boundaries of the Tactical Lever Gun
I own four lever action rifles and am a big fan. If I had to use one in a defensive encounter, I feel confident I could prevail. With that said, unless you live under legal restrictions that prohibit more effective rifles, you are likely better off with something else for defensive purposes.
Here’s a question to ponder. If you were going into a gunfight, would you rather show up with your .30-30 lever gun or an old SKS semi-auto? Most of my knowledgeable gun friends would choose the SKS. Those same folks also think that the SKS is a horrible combat rifle and would never choose it over an AR-15 or AK-47. If the SKS is sub-optimal and the lever gun is worse than that, why are you tricking out your lever gun for a defensive role?
Heart Rates And Stress
If you are still citing Bruce Siddle’s “research” about heart rates from the early 1990s, please stop. It’s been thoroughly debunked.
Some of the above links are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
