Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Industry Secrets To Buying Ammo (What Nobody Tells You)
An option for finding ammo that lots of shoppers haven’t considered.
Why Everyone Likes Lever Actions
As my friend Darryl Bolke says: “Museum guns are the last ones to get banned.”
The What & the Why – Selecting an Instructor
“Be careful in selecting an instructor and do your homework before laying down your money.”
On the same topic, you might also enjoy 5 Key Factors For Choosing Your Gun Instructor.
Why you should NEVER rechamber the same AR-15 round twice
This is important information for any of you who carry defensive firearms, pistols included. Re-chambering rounds damages them. Most shooters don’t know that. Read the article.
Brazilian Robbery Ends With Off Duties Taking Over
Watch the video and see how this shooting could have very easily gone much worse for the off-duty cops here. If bad guy number two had any desire to kill the cops, he could have shot them both in the back of the head from a distance of less than 10 feet. These cops got lucky.
For my cop friends, please don’t do stupid stuff like this. How do you think this guy would have felt about confronting the criminals if the ensuing gunfight killed his wife? It’s not worth it. You aren’t getting paid to get into gunfights on your days off. Let it go. “Not your people? Not your problem.”
With a Gun To Your Head: The Larry Goldstein Incident
Massad Ayoob analyzes a robbery and highlights the importance of waiting for the right opportunity to act.
Knife Laws and Regulations of All 50 States
Useful information for those of you who travel with blades.
Spheres of Violence 3: The Universal Language
“There’s a subtle link between language and violence that often gets overlooked; we take a look at how manipulation and coercion inevitably result in what we consider the ‘universal language’ – one we all speak and understand.
Violence.”
Criminal Mindset – Make Yourself Harder to Kill
“Examine yourself with a criminal mindset throughout the day and see your vulnerabilities. Examine where you work, shop, and even where you get gas. Actively pay attention to your habits and try to correct them. Corrections are often just simple subtle shifts in behavior, however they must be consciously made to be effective.”
Looking for Concealment
Matthew Allen is one of the few “out of the box” thinkers in the tactical industry. Check out his valuable insights on the relative merits of cover versus concealment. His website is also a veritable goldmine of quality information. I especially like his series “Dark Arts for Good Guys.”
For more cover/concealment information, check out Cover and Concealment
Universal Closed Guard – Jiu-Jitsu AND Self-Defense
Cecil offers some tips for improving your closed guard game on the ground.
6 Great Shoulder Stretches and Mobility Exercises
Tight shoulders? Read this.
For some additional exercise related content, you may also like The 10 Week Functional Power Building Program (Part 1). Overall, it looks like a very intense routine for people who want to gain strength and size. I saw a couple workouts utilizing high rep Olympic lifts as cardio. When done occasionally, it’s probably fine, but in general I save the Olympic lifts for strength and power generation and use other modalities (like kettlebells) for cardiovascular fitness.
5 Sure-Fire Training Drills For Your Concealed-Carry Pistol
Some very good drills for the beginning tactical shooter. If the only training you have is a CCW class, this would be a great place to start. If you are more advanced, try Four Key Systematic Drills for Handgun Skill Development.
You might want to start tuning up your rifle shooting skills before the coming election. For that, try Justin Dyal’s AR-15 Intermediate Level Shooting Drill: The 3×5.
If your ammo stash is looking low, try Tim Kennedy’s Dry Fire Drills.
What’s in My Bag? :: What Refugees Bring When They Run for Their Lives
Some real life “bug out bags” here. Take a look at this article about the items that Syrian refugees are carrying with them to ensure their survival during a real life urban “bug out.”
What a Bullet Does Inside Your Body & How to Survive a Gunshot Wound
“According to the National Safety Council, your overall odds of dying from a firearms discharge this year are about one in 514,000. Pretty small chance, as most of the soft spots on your body (around 80 percent) are not fatal areas when it comes to being shot. According to statistics, you have a 95 percent chance of surviving if you get to the hospital with your heart still beating.”
The Gunfighter’s Dream
I haven’t had the gunfighter dream in years. Unlike the author, I have never found that intensive training triggered my nightmares. Instead, I realized that my dreams were triggered by a subconscious recognition that my training was inadequate. I started going to the shooting range after every one of those dreams. They slowed in frequency. Now I train a couple times a week and I never have the nightmares described in the article.
Uncle Scotty Stories: 6″ Revolvers and Why I Stopped Carrying A Clamshell Holster
A former LAPD officer discusses why six inch (as opposed to four inch) revolvers were popular carry guns in the 1960’s and 1970s. He also describes the clamshell holster which seemed to be the SERPA of its day.
Concussion in Sports: Sideline and Emergency Department Evaluation and Management
Concussions are common injuries and can have lasting consequences. Here’s how to identify them and what to do for treatment. Although this article is in the context of high school sports, the same guidelines apply for you martial artists/fighters as well.
Do “Flash Knockouts” Happen Without Brain Trauma?
One more head injury post this week. Having experienced a few “flash knockouts” in car crashes, football hits, and boxing sparring sessions, this is a topic that intrigues me.
Planning for Predicted Post-Election Violence
“I don’t follow the usual preparedness blogger recipe for content, which involves stoking fear and urging the purchase of weapons and cloistering from the rest of society. I don’t find that to be a particularly good recipe for a functional society. We need prepared people setting a good example, helping others and leading the way. We need all citizens doing these things.
In the following post, I will distill my guidance further to help jump start your efforts. My usual preamble for such discussions applies here: I offer my guidance to anyone who wishes to help build a better prepared community, irrespective of their political leanings and candidates of choice. I urge every American of all backgrounds to better prepare themselves not just for post-election challenges but for the various perils we face year round.”
“Digital Exhaust Opt Out Guide” for Operational Security (OPSEC)
It’s 354 pages. Only the most interested are going to read it, but I can’t help but think that implementing many of these practices will prevent a lot of misery in the future.
Target Based Behavioral Conditioning
Have you ever considered that the targets you use in training could be producing Training Scars?
Texas Ranger Frank Hamer: Lone Star’s Lethal Lawman
If you are interested in gun fighting history, you owe it to yourself to read about Frank Hamer.
Shotgun Push Pull Technique
Those of you who favor shotguns for home protection need to master this skill set. It makes a phenomenal difference in your recoil control. Rob Haught Shotgun Basics will provides some additional tips to explain the technique.
The Second Fight: The Psychological Consequences of Self-Defense Shootings
Too few gun owners consider the aftermath of a defensive shooting well in advance of when it happens. H/T to Practical Eschatology for sharing the link.
Bought a Gun? – Read a Book
I own all of these books. This might be the best list of books for the new gun owner that I’ve seen in print. You should have all of the recommended books in your library.
37mm Pyrotechnic Launcher Rounds: Less Lethal, More Noise
Feeding your 37mm.
UNDERSTANDING THE GRAND JURY’S DECISION IN THE BREONNA TAYLOR CASE
This is probably the most succinct summary of the case that I have seen. Mas describes why the cops were not indicted and brings up another issue. The woman’s boyfriend shot a cop during the raid. He was not indicted for that shooting for the exact reason the cops were no-billed.
Rangemaster October Newsletter
Tom’s newsletter is extra dense this month. Lots of good articles and a couple of great shooting drills inside. Check it out. Opens to PDF.
Some of the above links (from Amazon.com and others) are affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn a small percentage of the sale price from qualifying purchases.
If you would like to further support my work, head over to my Patreon page.
