Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Randomizing Training
Something to consider when planning your training sessions.
Be Hard to Kill – It Starts with the Mind
Getting your mind right.
“Flexible Impact Weapons”, part 1.
Some thoughts on saps as self defense tools. Since I retired, I have not carried my ASP batons a single time. There are occasions, however, when I’ll tuck a sap into my back pocket. Make sure you read the followup articles as well.
A Hard Look In The Mirror
Clint Smith’s thoughts about the role of the handgun.
Zeroing Target – 50/200 Yard Zero at 10 Yards
I zero my tactical AR-15 rifles at 50 meters. Here is a handy target that will generate the same 50 meter zero while shooting at 10 meters.
Throwback Thursday: Point Shooting
Col. Askins’ very detailed article about the methodology he uses to improve his point shooting abilities. Please note that point shooting requires MORE practice to become good than sighted fire.
“Hombres who are limited as to hull supply had better shy around point-shooting. It is a game that might well have been dreamed up by the cartridge makers themselves. It isn’t a pastime learned by snapping practice nor yet through the expenditure of a box of cartridges every second week. Powder has got to be burned, and by the keg!”
Thanks to James Keating for digging up the article.
Gosa on an Open Mind
Shane goes on a deep dive into firearms training history from the 1990s through the 2010s. For some more firearms training history and some good guidance for your current training program, you should also listen to this podcast interview with Karl Rehn.
The Myth and Math of the “Tactical” Tampon
Please don’t rely on tampons to control bleeding from gunshot wounds.
Revolver Toy Gun with Holster
I was inspired by my friends Tim and Ashton when I saw them teaching shotgun classes using a toy gun as a prop. When I teach revolver classes, I’ve previously used plastic replica revolvers. The problem with those is that the cylinder won’t open which limits how I can instruct manipulations.
I found this one on Amazon. It’s half the price of a plastic Blue Gun. The cylinder opens and the trigger pulls. It’s not super durable and shouldn’t be used in disarming drills, but it’s plenty good enough to use for safely demonstrating grip and manipulations without using a live gun in front of class.
You revolver instructors might find it valuable.
Murder rates: The smoking gun
A thorough examination of why the USA has a higher firearms homicide rate than most of the rest of the world.
The ‘Perfect World’ Bachelor’s of Tactical Sciences
A fun thought exercise.
Best Tactical Shotgun for Home Defense
A good list that provides an excellent comparison between most of the top defensive shotguns on the market.
Making a Combat Revolver
A detailed article about the tweaks one gunsmith performs in order to optimize a revolver for fighting purposes. You revolver fans might also like to read Getting More out of your Revolver Class
Revolver Fest
This is going to be one of the premier revolver training events in 2025. I’m happy to say that I will be among the instructor cadre. Register quickly. There are only about 35 more spots available.
Safe in the City: Reducing Your Risk
How to survive in the big city.
Most won’t want to admit it, but quite a few of my students and readers have very poor social skills. Their lack of social ability contributes to their discomfort around strangers. Their discomfort leads to fear, which starts them on the path of learning the gun, knife, or physical skills that I teach. I’ve discussed this problem at length with Claude Werner, Craig Douglas, and the late Dr. William Aprill. They see the same thing with many of their students.
Rather than going to a class that teaches how to make a sub-one second draw from concealment, many of our students would benefit more from a class that covered the basics of how to talk to people. We want to do the class, but it’s doubtful that anyone would show up if the class wasn’t about guns or knives. People don’t know what they don’t know. Social and verbal skills can be learned. Check out the tips in this article. If the socially awkward folks out there embraced even a few of these techniques, their interactions with other people would be much less frightening.
Mind 4 Survival: How to Face Any Crisis, Minimize Unwanted Struggle, and Live Your Best Possible Life
What I’m reading…
Psychological Features of Extreme Political Ideologies
“We argue that (a) psychological distress stimulates adopting an extreme ideological outlook; (b) extreme ideologies are characterized by a relatively simplistic, black-and-white perception of the social world; (c) because of such mental simplicity, political extremists are overconfident in their judgments; and (d) political extremists are less tolerant of different groups and opinions than political moderates. In closing, we discuss how these psychological features of political extremists increase the likelihood of conflict among groups in society.”
Gear 101: Silcock Keys For Urban Survival
When I was in college I worked for a commercial landscaping company. I quickly learned that a silcock key was an important tool to carry. Now I have them in all of my urban survival kits.
Competition and Combat Redux
“As valuable as competitive shooting is as training for gunfighting, it is not the sum total of the skill development needed to master self defense with a firearm. Shooting fast and accurately, on demand and under stress, is absolutely essential. And competition, and training for it, is the best vehicle for developing that level of shooting skill. But asserting that the ability to shoot at a high level alone will guarantee victory in a gunfight is as patently false a statement as telling an aspiring boxer that hitting the heavy bag at a high level will guarantee success in the ring.”
History – Revisiting Old Lessons
The internet is abuzz with speculation about the potential safety issues involved with a certain firearm. Erick reminds us that we have seen other similar safety issues in the cop world over the years. He details the days when our cruisers blew up when struck from behind and when out “bulletproof” vests weren’t. I lived through both of those scandals. In fact, way back in 2003, I was the first officer to provide video evidence of the zylon body armor failures. The picture above from the article is my personal vest that I shot up after I heard a cop had been killed while wearing the same type of armor.
Shooting While Pregnant: Is It Safe?
Information for my female readers.
How Much Ammo Is Enough?
One writer’s thoughts on how much ammo you should carry on your person, shoot in practice, and stockpile at home.
Best AR-15 Slings
This is a solid recommendation list. I have more than my share of AR-15 rifles. They all have slings from this list. I prefer the V-Tac, the Magpul, and the Blue Force Gear slings. All work very similarly and are quite comfortable.
Everyday Carry Essentials
What should we carry when we leave the house, and why should we carry it?
Sacramento Police SWAT OIS: Hostage Rescue Analysis
A valuable tactical analysis for my police readers.
Some of the above links are affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.
