Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Armed Citizen Considerations in the Time of the Active Killer
Some things you should be considering before engaging an active killer.
Chinese Tokarev Pistols–Military And Commercial Models
Everything you could possibly want to know about the Tokarev pistol. I still see these occasionally in third world countries.
Benefits of Shooting with Your Off Hand
There is a surprising amount of carryover from training the “weak” hand that improves strong hand or two handed shooting. If you are in a shooting slump, focus your training on improving your weak hand shooting skills. Everything else will improve along with them.
Three lethal 12-gauge slug offerings from DDupleks-USA
Have you heard of DDupleks? They are a European ammunition manufacturer that recently expanded into the US market. I saw video of some classified ballistic testing done by a certain three-letter government agency a few years ago. The DDupleks Steelhead slug performed better than anything else against vehicle bodies. That slug routinely out performed both 7.62 x 39mm and .308 rounds against car bodies and engine blocks. It was very impressive.
The Snub Nose Revolver is Not Dead
I agree! I carry a K-Frame airweight snub on my ankle every single day at work. If you carry a snub for defensive purposes, you must understand the dangers of plugging your barrel with a squib load. If you fire a round into the obstruction, you will blow up the gun. Watch this short video to see that happen. If the round you fire has a quiet or muffled sound, check the gun before firing another.
One more thing to note when shooting snubs, not all rounds hit where you are aiming. Make sure your chosen defensive load hits to point of aim.
Using Wadcutter Ammo for Self-Defense
Speaking of revolvers, I get lots of questions about what kind of ammo to carry in a snub .38. While I think the Speer Gold Dot and Winchester Ranger are probably the best choices overall, there is considerable merit to the idea of carrying full wadcutters as defensive rounds. This video explains that idea and why it might be a good one.
Cops Don’t Keep Festivals Clean: Hard Proof From Australia
Interesting study. Aggressive policing at concerts and festivals only reduced drug usage 4.8%. Police presence merely changed how drug users acquired their drugs. Instead of bringing them from home (where they have presumably been sourced from a regular dealer, and/or tested for purity), they are forced to buy the drugs from unknown dealers at the festival.
This leads to more medical issues as the consumers aren’t sure exactly what they are buying or the purity of the product. Some (maybe most) of the concert dealers sell adulterated substances that aren’t what the consumer thinks he is taking.
If the true goal is to make the concert environment as safe as possible, an aggressive police presence will cause more problems than it solves.
Avoid the Narrow Passes
Jeff Gonzales shares some excellent advice about dressing around a concealed firearm.
How to Use the Cupped Hand Blow and Long Cupped Hand Blow
I really like this shot. It looks like a “tactical bitch slap” but it really has some power behind it. The single worst blow I’ve ever taken while fighting in the padded suit was from a middle aged woman who hit me with one of these.
Even through the padded helmet, I saw stars, lost my balance and fell. I couldn’t move my jaw without pain for a week. Pay attention. There’s some gold in this video.
Jim Grover was the pseudonym of the combatives instructor Kelly McCann. Grover’s book Street Smarts, Firearms, and Personal Security is a valuable reference.
Herbal Antibiotics: An Eye-Opener
This article makes a good case for the future of plant medicines. Knowing herbal medicines and traditional healing techniques may be of tremendous value in the future. I’m grateful for my Natural Resources undergrad degree and my past life as a park naturalist and wilderness survival instructor. Start learning now before you actually need the skills.
FK Brno 7.5 Review, My Exclusive First Look: Part I
Rob Pincus gets the first look at a truly unique special purpose pistol from the Czech Republic. A lot of folks who want a handgun that shoots through soft body armor. They choose the 5.7 mm. This caliber seems like a much better option.
Body Language: Lower Your Victimization Profile, Because The Bad Guys Are Watching
A fairly comprehensive guide covering the research regarding body language and criminal victimization.
Do you teach it, or just talk about it?
A very valuable article for my police readers. It covers a comprehensive training plan to introduce tactical breathing as a way to reduce stress in new police recruits.
How to Use a Shotgun for Home Defense
Tips from several leading firearms instructors about how to more effectively utilize a defensive shotgun.
The “Other Side” Is Not Dumb
“Sharing links that mock a caricature of the Other Side isn’t signaling that we’re somehow more informed. It signals that we’d rather be smug assholes than consider alternative views. It signals that we’d much rather show our friends that we’re like them, than try to understand those who are not.”
If you liked this article, you will also like Thoughts on Conflict.
The Final Day: A Novel
What I’m reading….
Many of you are familiar with the classic EMP novel “One Second After.” Did you know that the author has written two sequels? This is the third in the series. If you want to see how people end up two to three years after the catastrophic EMP attack, this is the book you’ll want to read.
Common ground
Good training advice from Paul Sharp.
Officer-Involved Incident Teaches Can-Should-Must in Defensive Gun Use
In my close quarters gunfighting classes, I teach students how to use the pistol as an impact weapon (The Fine Art of Pistol Whipping). There aren’t a whole lot of situations where that skill comes into play, but this is one of them. If I was this officer, I would have closed the distance, wrapped up the suspect’s gun arm to gain control of his weapon, and muzzle punched the dude right in the teeth.
That’s a far better alternative than placing your drawn pistol on the ground to deliver a punch. With that said, I still commend the officer. He had the physical skills to resolve this situation without firing his gun. There aren’t many cops like that left in the world.
The burden of adult based learning in an Alpha world: A tale of willing ignorance.
Having served as the full time training officer for my police department for 13 years, I identify with the author’s struggle. As he says: “Most cops have met some personal status quo and no longer aspire towards a greater level of performance.” That is the absolute truth.
How do we fix that? The author believes you need an incredibly passionate training officer or firearms instructor. I agree. I’ve seen the results in my own agency when people who aren’t passionate about shooting, training, or fighting teach officers these skills. It simply doesn’t work.
This is a good read for any of my police officer friends or anyone who wants to improve police training in general.
Tactical Masturbation: Top 3 Stupid Human Tricks
“Though you may not have put a name on it, we have all witnessed tactical masturbation. Like the more traditional form of self-gratification, tactical masturbation might be enjoyable, or a good way to pass a short amount of time, but in the end it has little practical application.”
ALL NEW from Heizer!! Or Is It?
Here’s a new gun that we absolutely don’t need. If it runs as poorly as the Smith and Wesson Model 61 it was modeled after, it might be in contention for an award for the least reliable pistol on the planet.
The Return of the 8M3 Effect Bullet
Good news for those of you who use an AK-47 for defensive purposes. TulAmmo is now importing the 8M3 bullet into the USA. This round performs exceedingly well in human tissue. If I recall correctly, this is the round my late friend Paul Gomez told me to buy (it was occasionally available 15 years ago) when I got my first AK.
Sorting Out The Littlest Brownings
A neat article discussing the history of one of my favorite little pocket pistols. The Browning Baby is one of the tiniest pistols made and is quite reliable for a gun of its type. I regularly carry one in my front pocket as a backup gun when I’m off duty.
Do gun designers have your best interest in mind?
This is an important concept to recognize. A lot of gun designers don’t know much about defensive shooting. Knife designers know even less about knife fighting. The “experts” are nothing of the sort.
* Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.
