Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
One-Handed Shooting and Why You Should Learn How to Do It Efficiently
A lot of people don’t put in enough time practicing single hand shooting drills. Fix that.
How to Spot Cheap Counterfeit Guns Before You Spend Your Money
This article is erroneously titled. It doesn’t cover counterfeit guns, but does cover counterfeit accessories. The counterfeit accessory market is far larger than the counterfeit gun market. It’s a topic to which you should pay attention.
Triggers
Aaron describes how failures in training could be the impetus to identify and rectify conditions that may lead to real life failures.
Female Deputy Responds With Excellence
My cop friends should watch this one. It illustrates a problem that I see happening more and more frequently. Notice how her first reaction to the criminal’s gunshots was to get on the radio? That response is less than ideal. There is a time to talk and a time to shoot. Once the bad guy started firing, it was time to shoot. Solve the problem first. Then call for help.
40 more maps that explain the world
Understanding these 40 maps is like having graduate degrees in history and geography.
Solo Female Travel in Europe: Complete Travel and Safety Guide
If the link above inspired you to travel a bit more, you should check out this article about best practices for female solo travel in Europe. Most of the advice is applicable to males as well. She has a great perspective about people providing travel advice:
“Most women are nervous about visiting Europe because they’re not sure whether it’s safe. Many of these women have well-meaning relatives and friends who tell them that sure, Europe’s safe if you have a man with you, but it’s not safe for a woman on her own.
Those well-meaning relatives and friends are wrong. They’re coming from a place of love and concern, but they’re wrong.
I always tell travelers to consider the source. Who is giving you this advice? Ask yourself the following questions:
Does this person travel?
Does this person travel in my style of traveling (i.e. backpacking as opposed to resort travel)?
Has this person been to this destination?
Has this person been to this destination recently (in the past 3-5 years)?
If the answer is yes to all of these, chances are you have an accurate source and should listen to what he or she has to say. But if the answer to one or more of these questions is no, you should seek out opinions elsewhere.”
HICK’S LAW IS JUNK SCIENCE
If your instructor mentions Hick’s Law, run away as soon as possible. Read both this article and the Hock Hochheim piece linked within.
Thoughts on Instruction and Conflict
Dave has some great thoughts about what to look for in a combative firearms instructor.
“A person who has faced physical danger willingly possesses a level of personal knowledge that someone who has merely taken a training course or read a book cannot comprehend. You see, most anyone can share what they have been told, but only those who have faced a life threatening situation can share it in the first person…re-telling someone’s war story is not the same.”
Do We Train to Assure Officer Success or to “Check the Box?”
A four-part article looking at the effectiveness of various police training methods.
“These studies consistently inform us that the average officer, within months of leaving an academy, will only be able to describe how a given suspect-control technique should be used, but the officer will have little ability to actually apply it effectively in “a dynamic encounter with a defiantly resistant subject.” Even simple skills like baton strikes may be ineffectively delivered in a static environment in as soon as two months after completing the training. Other clinical skills, including communication and decisions skills, taught in the same fashion, appear to deteriorate as rapidly.”
Read Part Two as well.
The Anatomy of a Self-Defense Shooting, Pt. 3
This is the third and final installment of a very informative interview with a man who was criminally charged after a defensive shooting. Read this to see how the aftermath entirely ruined his life. It isn’t a happy story. Having self defense “insurance” might have saved this guy years of turmoil. There are lots of good plans available, but the only one I’ve ever used is from the ACLDN.
Talking to Your Kids About Gun Safety with Julie Golob
For those of you who have little people running around your house.
Why the Best Snub Nose Caliber is .32
This article is almost enough motivation to get my little I-frame S&W Model 3o out of the gun safe.
Hard Lessons: Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
A thorough analysis on the debate about knife versus gun.
Field-Expedient Lubrication
“Slime the shine” is a great recommendation.
Just in Case
Have you ever considered that you might suffer an injury to your dominant hand/arm requiring you to carry your gun on the weak side? Do you have a selection of weak side holsters for your carry gun in case this happens?
Glock Airsoft Review
A new option for those of you looking for a training or force-on-force pistol. This airsoft gun is comparable in price to the Umarex or KWA versions. The author also did a video review of this training aid.
Good Things in Small Packages- A Brief History of the .22 Rimfire
You firearms history buffs will enjoy this article.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care Training
I occasionally have readers write to me because they don’t have the time, money, or desire to take a battlefield medicine class. Instead, they ask me to provide links to free videos they can watch for “training.” Sorry folks. Watching a video is not “training.”
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t valuable videos to watch. This is one of them. If you can’t get to a medical class, at least watch this video and do some practice on your own.
H/T to Practical Eschatology for sharing the link.
Patient Transport in Austere Settings
One more medical article for you this week. This is a topic that doesn’t get enough attention in most medical classes. My friend Caleb Causey from Lone Star Medics teaches excellent classes covering these issues.
Video Analysis – Street Robbery
How did that “I’ll just run away” plan work out for her?
Why I don’t use the “best” ammo
Sound defensive ammunition advice from Ralph Mroz.
Defensive Shooting: How to Find a Gun That “Fits” You
There is much more to knowing if a gun fits your hand than any type of subjective “feel.” Tom Givens describes the more important aspects of gun “fit.” Thanks to Karl Rehn for digging up the article.
The Border: A Novel (Power of the Dog)
What I’m reading…
I’ve enjoyed the realism depicted in all of Winslow’s novels. This is his newest book. I’m looking forward to getting farther in to it.
Are Cops Afraid to Make Arrests?
A few of the many reasons I advise young people not to pursue a career in police work.
“Practical” AK Mud Test
A very amusing AK torture test. Language not safe for work.
For more funny AK content, watch AR Guys VS AK Guys – Part 2.
COOL ON THE RANGE, DEAD ON THE STREET: A Hard Look at Shooting Techniques, Part II
Common sense firearms training advice.
Basic Survival Skills Everyone Should Know
This list certainly appears to be useful. How many of you really have all of these skill sets? Do your kids know how to do these things?
If you don’t know what the author is talking about, it’s probably best that you get some training. Your local outdoor gear store will often have classes on these topics if you are motivated enough to make the effort to learn something new.
Repairing a split shotgun stock
This is a common problem in older long guns. If you are an adventurous hobbyist gunsmith, you could take on the repair project all by yourself.
The Retardation of the Firearms Industry
“Most of the people you see promoting the industry today have no experience, no background, and no idea how to properly test, evaluate, or describe the proper application of a product. Keep that in mind as you research your next purchase. Experts are there. They’re just sitting quietly in the corner and not running around like a five year old in a toy store, drooling over each item they see in fancy packaging. Be smart and take some time to learn who’s helping you make decisions about YOUR needs.”
Skills Check: Bolt-Running Speed Drill
A shooting drill to help you increase the speed of operating your bolt action rifle.
Non-1911 Magazines: We Test A Passel of Them Head to Head
A review of aftermarket magazines for a variety of handguns. My experience on the range generally agrees with their findings. I DO NOT recommend any Pro-Mag or Triple K magazines for any weapon.
#1250 – Johann Hari
As many of my long term readers know, I am fascinated by the increase in opiate addiction in this country and its resulting increase in criminal activity. This podcast does a really good job explaining the root causes of addiction. The most pertinent information starts at the 20 minute mark and continues for about a half hour. The guest’s book is an excellent resource as well.
If you want even more information about the true causes of addiction, listen to my friend Emanuel Sferios’ podcast called Kill the Drug Warrior Inside Yourself. This podcast might be a bit challenging for my readers who are ultra-conservative politically or who have a fundamentalist religious ideology. My cop friends should listen to it just to hear some perspectives from “the other side.”
There’s No Such Thing as a Dangerous Neighborhood
After nearly a quarter century of police work, I’ve come to believe that the “broken windows” theory of crime is seriously flawed and may cause more harm than good. This long form article explains some of the reasons why “broken windows” policing isn’t really the best model to embrace.
Rangemaster March Newsletter
Tom has some excellent articles this month. Give his snubby revolver drill a try.
Tactical First Aid & Collapse Medicine with Greg Ellifritz
Thanks to Justin for the great review of a recent medical class I taught. If you are curious about the content of my tactical first aid courses, check out this AAR. For additional course reviews, take a look at the Class Review page on my website.
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.
