Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Careful! The ATF Might Still Be After Your Pistol Brace
The latest on the pistol brace saga.
Why The 1911 Will Never Die
I’m not the biggest 1911 fan, but I know a lot of you like it.
A Path To Greater Accuracy
Some target options for savvy firearms instructors.
My Thoughts on Pepper Spray
I’m a big pepper spray fan. You should be too. These are the brands and canisters I personally use and recommend.
Gun Ownership in America: Surprising Statistics and What They Mean for 2nd Amendment Advocates
Interesting statistics you might want to peruse.
NO METAL & PLENTY OF NOSTALGIA: The “X-2” G10 Blade by Black Triangle
An option for those of you with magnetometers in your life.
3D Printed Double Action .22LR Revolver
Improvised gun and ammo ideas you may want to look at.
The First Gunfighter’s Sixgun
Everything you’d ever want to know about the Colt 1851 Navy revolver.
The Press-Out (Part 1)
I learned the press-out at the Tactical Defense Institute back in the late 1990s. The instructors there learned it directly from John Shaw. It’s an incredibly useful skill set.
Once you master the skill, try to shoot the same author’s Cold Heat shooting drill.
Instructor Issue: Communication
Important concepts. Read Part Two as well.
A driver plows into a demonstration in Munich, injuring 30 people
My cop readers should pay attention to this tactic. The road was closed down. The terrorist followed a police vehicle up to the roadblock and then quickly drove around the cop car when the barricades were opened to allow the cop car inside the perimeter.
M855 vs M193: What’s The Difference?
Ballistic and armor penetration testing of the two most common 5.56mm rounds.
What I’m reading…
Best Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense: A Practical Guide
Let’s talk shotguns for bit. In general, this is a good article about solid choices for shotgun defensive ammo. If you are interested in slugs, read Slugs for Self Defense. And if you hate shot guns, you may like The Case Against Shotguns.
Man Randomly Firing At Passersby in California Caught On Camera
These type of events are happening with more frequency. Have you ever thought about how you would deal with something like this?
Body language and threat recognition
A very good article from Massad Ayoob about recognizing pre-assault body language. If you’d like to read my thoughts on the topic, check out How to Spot a Bad Guy
Would-be Indiana school shooter had collage of mass murderers, court docs reveal
I’ve made the point in numerous articles before. Active Killers study previous mass shooting incidents and try to do “better.” This would-be school shooter acquired body armor. That’s relatively unusual but may become more common in the future. You cops should be taking rifles to these calls. You armed citizens need to be practicing long range head shots.
Those of you who are paying attention might also note the dramatic increase in female and trans active killers in the last couple years.
The cost of saving lives: Complications arising from prehospital tourniquet application
If you’ve taken my medical class, you might remember me discussing that not every bleeding wound needs a tourniquet. I actually believe we’ve gone a bit too far considering tourniquet use. Every cop I see who has been shot in a limb now has a pre-hospital tourniquet.
The research most of us cite in our classes comes from the military. Those guys have significantly more training and practice applying tourniquets than the average lay person. They also use quality products. Improvised tourniquets applied by lay people have a much higher rate of complication. The full text of the above article is here.
Tips: Best Way to Reload an AK
A few of the different ways you can reload your AK. If you enjoy this weapons platform, you may also like Comrade Kalashnikov’s Masterwork.
Elmer Keith’s Last Laugh
A lot of Gun Culture 2.0 folks don’t recognize the historical contributions that people like Elmer Keith had on our art.
Cheap .357 Magnum in a Snub? Fiocchi Defense Dynamics 125, 148 & 158 gr JHP – with Dan the Wolfman
Velocity and gel testing some inexpensive .357 magnum defensive ammo out of a short barreled revolver.
Saved from “Tyrants”, by Open Carry Douchebags
This article brilliantly echoes my opinion on the “open carry movement.”
“I’ve asked this before, and I’ll ask again: please, open carriers, stop “defending my rights”. You’re making things worse. People look at regular-guy gun owners like me, and they see you. You’re convincing the undecided that gun owners are heavily armed, crazed bullies.”
“If you carry an SKS into Chipotle to buy a burrito you’re a f**king idiot”
Life Expectancy in Police Officers: A Comparison with the U.S. General Population
I am a retired police officer in my early 50s. Do you know that I am only likely to live seven more years? Men my age who didn’t choose police work as a career are statistically likely to live 35 more years. For you cops reading this, are you sure you want to work as long as possible to maximize that pension? You may not have much time left.
A police mentor of mine died last week. He worked as a cop for 39 years and only enjoyed five years of retirement before he passed. Keep that in mind when you decide to work “just a few more years.”
Thanks to John Hearne for sharing this research.
Mounting Standards: 2025 Guide to Red Dot Footprints
For you red dot shooters.
Modern Day Gunfighting Lawmen
Pay attention to these guys’ stories. There aren’t many cops in today’s world with 20+ gunfights under their belts.
Point of Impact Shift: Why Suppressors Change Your Zero and How to Compensate
Did you know that your can might shift your point of impact?
More (Again) about Boyd and OODA
Claude does a deep dive into Boyd’s research.
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