Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Open carry – really, for jackasses.
Ralph says it best “No one likes a jackass.” Save the open carry for in the field while hunting or hiking or at organized political demonstrations. If you open carry in the grocery store, you aren’t helping the cause. You are being an attention-seeking douche.
Methods of Escaping from Handcuffs: An Overview
This is a useful skill to have…especially if you travel overseas.
MCS Podcast 47: High-Threat Mobile Ops With Max Velocity
A very informative podcast from Max Velocity where he discusses some of the considerations for moving by vehicle in a high threat environment. Max’s book Contact goes into greater detail on the topic.
Red Dot Update: Are mini red dots the next generation of combative pistol sights?
Dave Spaulding discusses the relative advantages and disadvantages of red dot sights for pistols.
Muzzle Brakes: Recoil Primer, Test Equipment & Rifles
Everything you would ever want to know about the physics and mechanics of rifle recoil. Part Two of the series covers the testing of brakes for 6mm rifles.
Tom Givens discusses auto pistol reliability
This short two minute video of Tom Givens showing how easily pistols can malfunction answers a lot of the questions I get in my close quarters shooting classes.
New DOJ Statistics on Race and Violent Crime
An interesting analysis of the DOJ stats about violent crime. You won’t see this in the national media.
Mass killings and school shootings are contagious
We’ve always warned about “copycat shootings” after a large active killer event. Here’s an analysis that shows our suspicions are correct. There is a heightened chance for another mass shooting in the 13 day time period after a previous mass shooting event. The only problem is that the research relied on databases from USA Today and The Brady Center for Handgun Violence. Neither of these are unbiased sources. The original study is reported HERE.
In the Opponent’s Shoes: Increasing the Behavioral Validity of Attackers’ Judgments in Counterterrorism Models
While I’m sharing academic studies, here are a couple more. This first one looks at how terrorists choose their targets. The second is about Comparing Death Rates from Mass Public Shootings and Mass Public Violence in the US and Europe. Both are worthwhile reads.
Random Thoughts on The Buggerance Factor
Some deep thoughts about training from my friend Marcus Wynne:
“How about letting people fuck up (safely) and solve their own problems, instead of hovering over them like a Jewish mother on meth? Have you ever noticed, on a firearms training line, how often instructors step in at the first sign of difficulty and solve the problem for the student?
What does that do to the student’s brain? What’s the (unconscious) message in that action?
What it does is train the student, while under stress, to look around for someone else to help them solve the problem, or to solve the problem for them.
What is the non-verbal message transmitted by those actions? “You aren’t capable of figuring this out by yourself; I’ll do it for you, and then next time maybe you’ll remember how I solved it….”
I firmly agree with Marcus’ suggestions. In fact, I’ve found in most of my classes that I get better results when I let students figure out their own solutions. In my close range handgun shooting and knife fighting classes, students work against resisting opponents. I tell them the goals of the drill and some minimal guidance and then let the work out the solutions themselves. When students have problems, we bring the issue up to the entire group and let the group create a solution. It works much better than merely forcing students to blindly follow my “script.”
Not only is Marcus a brilliant tactician and thinker, he is also a talented fiction writer…and he gets the gun stuff right. Check out his books on Amazon.com.
John Paul (THE subject matter expert) on Short Barreled Rifles (SBR’s)
Some information about short barreled rifles that you’ve likely never heard before.
Scope Mounting
A quick and easy guide to mounting your own rifle scope from American Handgunner editor Roy Huntington.
Loaded Magazine Weight Comparison
A lot of folks are looking to minimize loadout weight. Some want to carry the lightest rifle possible. A main source of weight in whatever gun you are shooting is the loaded magazine. Here’s a weight listing of several loaded magazines across four different calibers.
Self Employ or Die
Aaron Clarey has some very interesting perspectives about jobs and the modern day economy. If you like this article, check out his book Bachelor Pad Economics.
Why I like 9mm Ammo
Some good arguments for choosing the 9mm as your defensive pistol cartridge,
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* Some of the above links (from Amazon.com) are affiliate links. If you purchase these items, I get a small percentage of the selling price.
