Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Beware!
I’m starting this week’s dump with some sage advice from John Farnam. I believe your tribal identity statements are more likely to get you killed between now and the upcoming presidential inauguration than at any other time in recent history. Publicly pronouncing that your team is better than the other team (in either sports or politics) is nothing but egotistical masturbation. I hope my readers are smart enough not to catch a bullet or a beatdown for a politician that gives fewer than two shits about your personal well being.
Training Weak Hand Shooting is Important
I agree with the author and spend a dedicated portion of every single training session working weak-hand only shooting drills.
AR-15 Magazine Faceoff: Best of the Best
Comparing AR-15 magazines. If you don’t have enough, pick up some extra soon. I predict they will become increasingly more difficult to find as we approach the election. For what it’s worth, I use the P-mags and the Brownells aluminum magazines exclusively in my ARs.
And on the topic of possible shortages related to our nation’s politics, I hope you all have your ammunition supply taken care of. If not, read Ammunition Shortage Alert: Strategies for Effective Preparedness. After you follow Alonso’s recommendations, keep stockpiling until you have a lifetime supply of practice ammunition.
Pat Mac on How to Use a Self-Defense Flashlight With Your Firearm
Pat McNamara writes about some important issues regarding real-life defensive flashlight use. His point about cover is one that many of my readers don’t understand. Keeping about an arm’s length away from your cover is a good guideline…except when you are working with a flashlight or taking fire from above,
In very low light, we want the light extending beyond the edge of the cover. That keeps the light bounceback off of nearby walls from illuminating your position or blinding you.
BOLO: Beware Counterfeit Sig Romeo 5 Optics
I think a lot of people could do far worse than using the Sig Romeo optic. I have one mounted on an AK-47. It has been flawless for me for more than two decades of light use. With that said, be alert for the counterfeits.
Outfitter Insights: The Best Bear Handgun
I posted an article in last week’s dump about handguns for bear self defense. Here is another perspective for those of you who live in bear country.
Empathy for the Devil: Interrogating Terrorists in Guantanamo Bay
What I’m reading…
My friend T.C. Fuller recently published his account of working as an FBI agent interrogating terrorists at Gitmo. I read a pre-release copy and really liked it.
Back in the day a couple of task force agents I worked with did some TDY duty down there as well. They never talked about their interrogation work. TC’s book provided great insight about an aspect of law enforcement that few people understand.
Much Ado About Ejector Rod Length
You revolver shooters will appreciate this thorough examination of ejector rod lengths and the implications of having either a longer or shorter ejector rod.
Lipsey’s Ultimate Snub And Return Of .32 H&R Magnum
While on the topic of revolvers, this is a top notch review of what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite wheelguns.
The 200 Rep Kettlebell Snatch Workout
This is a really simple and effective workout routine for those of you wanting to improve your tactical fitness. If you don’t know how to do the kettlebell snatch and are afraid to learn, you could probably get equally good results by doing swings with a heavier kettlebell. It seems similar (but less intense) to the 10K Kettlebell Swing workout I’ve done in the past. If you want to make it more challenging, do a few reps of another heavy compound exercise during your “rest” breaks between snatch sets.
Book Review I’ve Killed Men (Jack Ganzhorn, 1910)
I think this book is a worthwhile addition to your library.
Practice with Back Up Guns
An often overlooked skill to practice…drawing and shooting a backup gun from the position it is normally carried. Not many cops do it regularly.
Here’s an easy suggestion: Strap on your backup gun during your shooting practice sessions. When doing drills with the primary handgun, draw and finish the drill with the backup gun whenever you run completely out of ammo. One of the reasons you might transition to your backup is when your primary is completely out of ammo. Why not program that response and get some practice rounds with your backup at the same time?
Why is Structure Clearing so Difficult?
You might recognize a couple of the folks pictured in this article.
Secret Service Guns And Gear at the Trump Assassination Attempt
Some of you might find this information to be interesting.
research as leisure activity
Guilty as charged. And I’d hazard a guess that this piece describes a lot of you as well.
“I’d also say that pretty much every writer, essayist, “cultural critic,” etc—especially someone who’s writing more as a vocation than a profession—has research as their leisure activity. What they do for pleasure (reading books, seeing films, listening to music) shades naturally and inevitably into what they want to write about, and the things they consume for leisure end up incorporated into some written work.”
BATTLE SIGHT ZERO (BZO): Who has it right?
Probably the single most authoritative work I’ve read about zeroing AR-15 rifles with open sights. My ARs are all zeroed at 50 meters as the author suggests. I zero my sniper rifles at 100 meters.
Self-Defense: No Charges in Fatal Harrisburg Pepper Spray Incident
Although things turned out favorably for the shooter in this case, I’m betting he and his family’s lives have been irreparably altered by this incident. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to shoot a criminal armed with pepper spray in most cases. As riot season is spinning up, I urge you to come up with a plan for this type of violence. Rioters have commonly used pepper spray all around the country in the last couple years.
The High Standard Practical Shotgun Course
If you are going shooting this weekend, break out your shotgun and give this old school qualification a try.
When Should You Counter Ambush?
Having a gun is important. But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important.
Random Thoughts on The Gunfight That Never Was or “The Old Man Gotta Be The Old Man”
My late friend Marcus was a master at “soft skills.” This is a problem area for many of my Millennial-era and younger students who sometimes struggle with in person communications issues. Read and learn. These topics are critically important and generally go unaddressed in both gun and martial arts classes.
As we are discussing “soft skills,” you might also want to read If You Go To Guns You Failed.
Bullet Setback: Fact or Fiction? Understanding the Real Risks
A lot of CCW carriers unload and reload their guns daily without being aware of this problem.
How to Shoot a Rifle
Valuable rifle shooting advice.
Inside Snapchat’s Teen Opioid Crisis
Having worked as a cop for many years when my state was leading the country in opioid overdose deaths, I follow the issue very closely. But I don’t use Snapchat and I don’t have any teenage kids. I had no idea about the facts this article brought up. You parents and cops should read it.
How Effective is Pistol Ammo at 100 Yards?
The Cliff’s Notes version is that the heavier bullets in each caliber performed best at longer ranges.
“Welcome to Thunderdome, Brother.”
“Welcome to Thunderdome. Decide now how you’re going to manage what comes next and what example you’re going to set moving forward.”
Paul shares some excellent advice about weathering our upcoming storms, both literal and figurative.
Strengthening Your Weak Links
“As a firearms/self-defense instructor, one of my more popular classes is a scenario-based “force-on-force” class. Armed with an airsoft handgun and other inert training tools, attendees navigate simulated scenarios based on real life events and deal with role-players portraying contentious strangers in interactions that may or may not lead to violence. Observing several hundred of these scenarios play out over the last four years, I can count on one hand the occasions someone faced negative scenario outcomes because they couldn’t handle or shoot their gun well enough. If someone’s self-defense scenario went poorly, it was typically for reasons other than their pure shooting skill. Attendees rarely leave pledging to practice shooting more, and instead typically realize there are other completely neglected areas in which they need to improve.”
Nobody cares about YOUR gunfight
Your gunfights will always be anomalies. So are those of all the instructors you venerate. It’s useful to keep those facts in mind.
Pepper & Sticks
Mandatory reading (and listening and watching) for my cop readers. The Taser isn’t always the answer. I messaged the author as soon as I read the article. I think he and I might be the only people on the planet who have read the book he cited in the article.
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