Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Irons vs Optics: Why Pistol Optics is the Clear Winner
Justin’s thoughts on pistol mounted optics. He’s right. But I still run iron sights. I can still see them clearly and shoot well with them. At this stage of the game, with a shortened life expectancy, it doesn’t seem to be worth my time and effort to learn a new system.
The RevolverGuy’s Reading List
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I’ve been slacking a bit in posting recent Revolver Guy content. These posts will make up for that. To start, check the link above. It’s one of the mots comprehensive revolver book lists I’ve ever seen. You might also like:
The Smith & Wesson Enhanced Boot Grip
Revolver Gunsmith Roundup, Part I
SAC Tactical Revolver Class AAR
Trigger Reset Simplified : 3 (or More) Reasons Why Everything You Know About it is Probably Wrong
A sensible look at trigger management. I was taught to pin the trigger and then “catch the link” in most of the firearms schools I attended in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I don’t think it’s the most effective way of teaching rigger management today.
OST Target Stencil – Save Some $
Using a stencil to turn your old Amazon boxes into USPSA targets.
Armed Lifestyle Magazine
Some articles that many of you will enjoy.
12 Ways To Get More Out Of Your Next Firearms Training Class
Very good information for you to study before your next shooting class.
.22 LR VS .32 ACP – Short Barrel Ballistic Gel Test
Both of these calibers are laughed at by ballistic “professionals” who warn you never to carry either defensively. How well do they perform in real life?
Here are some more .32 acp gelatin tests.
ARs for Bear Defense: Practical Choice or Potential Disaster?
Can you use an AR-15 for bear defense?
Ahead of the Crowd
Intelligence sources for monitoring civil unrest.
Lethal Force Vs Pepper Spray: Is There Ever A Justification?
The late Marty Hayes discusses the legal use of deadly force against someone using pepper spray against you. I see a lot of criminals using pepper spray now, especially in large crowd violence scenarios and group “takeover-style” robberies. You should be mentally prepared for this possibility. I have been confronted by criminals armed with pepper spray in my police career. I did not shoot them.
Appendix Carry vs. Strong-Side Carry: Which Concealed Carry Method Is Right for You?
Advantages and disadvantages of both carry methods. If you are interested in the topic, you may also like Frontal Carry.
Neuroplasticity on the Range: Designing a Firearms Training Regime Around the Mind
“When building a shooting program intended to function as a personal defense mechanism, the shooter’s neural networks must function effectively under threat, requiring stress inoculation as a vital component of program design.”
Technique: (Slide) Rack City, Rack Rack City
Two weeks ago, I included an article in the knowledge dump about “proper” ways to close the slide after a reload. I used to be somewhat militant about recommending “the best” way of doing this. Now I don’t care so much. I let students use the slide release, overhand grip, or slingshot the slide. All of those methods work. This is a comprehensive look at all the positive and negative aspects of the various methods used to chamber a round in a semi auto pistol. As long as the student gets the round chambered quickly, it really doesn’t matter so much to me how he does it.
Better Than Free: How To Differentiate In The Age Of AI
In a dump a couple weeks ago, I posted an article about how AI is altering the material we read. This is a followup to that article. It describes eight categories of items that people will pay for even if the AI alternative is free. This is where all of us should be concentrating our entrepreneurial efforts.
Fanny packing: Criminals increasingly stashing guns in tourist staple
This article is now five years old. If anything, the trend is now even more popular than it was when the piece was originally published. As fanny packs (now worn over the shoulder) become fashionable urban attire, criminals are starting to carry guns in them again. Keep your eyes open when you see someone carrying a fanny pack this way.
For what it’s worth, the only armed criminal I ever arrested who was carrying a holster was a jewelry store robber who carried two pistols in an old school Uncle Mike’s neon green gun fanny pack.
Precision, adaptability and response: The need for LPVOs in equipping today’s patrol officer
I switched from a red dot to an LPVO on my police duty rifle back in 2015. I can think of several situations where the LPVO gave me an advantage in real-life tactical situations.
Free Targets And Downloadable Resources
Download and print some free targets for your next range session.
HOW TO SUTURE: DIY GUIDE TO WOUND CLOSURE METHODS
Some systems collapse medical skills.
Although not a skill most of you should be doing, this article will be valuable for advanced practicioners.
Stop the Killing. Stop the Dying. — TacMed USA
Continuing on the topic of medical skills. You may also enjoy The SALT Method: Triage and Treatment for Mass-Casualty Incidents.
An Official Journal Of The NRA | Skills Check: The Meltdown Drill
Try Steve’s “Meltdown Drill” here. For another shooting drill, try Practical Pistol Standard Course of Fire.
The Pistol in British Military Service during the Great War
Very cool 38 page PDF document covering WWI British pistol use and training. The training and standards advocated here are more advanced than what we currently use to train our modern-day cops. It’s sad to think that we’ve actually lost ground in 100 years of “progress.”
“These cover grouping, rapid and snap shooting, at a variety of ranges, and engaging targets whilst advancing on foot. Shooting is to be conducted with both right and left hand, single and double action, to tight timings. One practice involves firing at targets whilst moving down a trench. There are mounted practices for those for whom they were appropriate.”
“He advocated the use of instinctive shooting at close ranges and using the sights for longer distances. Tracy’s stated “War Shot” standard was the ability of a man to hit a 12” by 16” rectangle, with one pistol shot at ten yards, in one second.”
For other articles about older pistols, also check out:
Remington Handguns Pt. 1: The Old Era
Eight Of The Strangest Self-Defense Pistols Ever Conceived
The Lifetime Likelihood Of Needing A Gun For Self-Defense
My friend Alex does a really good job analyzing these statistics.
Fight Cancer Like a Man: A Breakthrough Treatment for Prostate Cancer Without Surgery, Radiation, or Sacrificing Your Manhood
What I’m reading….
Random Thoughts on Counter-Ambush For Police
Criminals and terrorists ambushing police officers has become exponentially more common in the past few years. Cops are looking to alter their tactics to more safely approach their calls. We don’t have to re-invent the wheel here. South African cops have been getting ambushed for a long time. Here are some tips from a leading South African police trainer about how they prevent police ambushes.
How To Shoot Handguns At Long Distance
Few people shoot handguns at really long ranges. Even fewer do so with iron sights. If you are an antique like myself, this old school technique commonly called “shooting out of the notch” works really well.
Considerations for Fighting With a Little One at Your Side
This is an article that all of you armed parents should read. It presents some out-of-the-box thinking on the topic.
“My husband and I are fairly evenly matched when it comes to our defensive skills. But while I sometimes struggle to carry just one of our children, my husband can collect all three of them in his arms and carry them with ease. He’s also the family breadwinner. He’s capable of getting the rest of our family to safety and can provide for our children long term if I don’t survive a violent encounter. That makes flipping traditional gender roles a smart choice for our family, and it might be for yours too.”
Quote to Ponder:
“Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson.”
— Alan Cohen
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