Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Running A Pistol Slide: Clam Shell, Sling Shot, or Slide Release? Or Who Cares?
At one point in time, I had very strong opinions about this topic. Now I’m firmly into the “Who Cares” category.
Common Pistol Malfunctions: A Beginner’s Guide to Safe Gun Handling
A Girl and a Gun has posted several articles on the topic of firearms malfunctions in the last couple weeks. For more, check out:
Pistol Malfunctions: Recognize. Diagnose. Respond.
4-Minute AK Fixes
Some very ingenious AK improvements for you home tinkerers. You might also like Unbreakable? Not Quite: Common AK Failure Points.
AR-15 Precision Long Range Shooting Basics
For those of you more interested in ARs than AKs. No matter which one you choose, you will benefit from learning Long-Range Rifle Fundamentals: The 6-Step Routine. And for one more article on the topic of AR-15s, here are some sensible upgrades for your rifle.
Defeating the Covert Accomplice: Part II
I posted Part One of this series a couple weeks ago. Here is the follow up.
HOT Weather Concealed Carry | Tips To Get You Through Summer
Some warm weather CCW tips.
Off Body Carry: What Do You Have To Overcome
For those of you having problems with the concealment principles in the video above.
Stop Shooting in a Straight Line: The Case for Target Depth Training
Make sure you regularly add some distance transitions into your practice sessions.
Is the Opioid Epidemic Over?
Some really good information about the current status of opioid overdoses in the United States. You should read 7 Things EMS Providers Should Know About the Opioid Epidemic in 2026 as well.
Training Program for New Ruckers
Rucking (fast walking while carrying a load) is an excellent exercise. I do it several times a week and find it easier on my joints than long distance running. This article provides a good beginner’s workout template.
You can carry a backpack full of weight, but for efficiency I use the Zelus 20 pound weight vest. It adds a load in a comfortable manner that keeps you from becoming miserable. The Zelus vest is inexpensive and far more comfortable than any other weighted vest options I’ve tried.
Gunshot Wounds to the Chest: Three Life-Threatening Problems
A solid overview of how to diagnose and manage penetrating chest trauma in the field. You might also like When Active Shooter Medical Doctrine Fails at the Point of Wounding.
Tactical Pens: Ultimate Covert Defensive Tool?
My advice for using “tactical pens”:
Use a metal pen that doesn’t look “tactical.”
Don’t try any fancy joint locks, takedowns, or weapon disarms.
Hit the bad guy as hard as possible as many times as possible in the head/neck/collarbone area.
It’s not rocket science
Does Entropy Explain Why Crime Is Dropping?
A possible explanation for why the crime rate is dropping so rapidly. For more good news, read ATF Backpedals on Training Ammo, Barrel Imports
The Ghosts of Guerrilla Memory: How Civil War Bushwhackers Became Gunslingers in the American West
What I’m reading…
How To Field-Strip S&W Revolvers
A very useful video for learning how to detail strip your Smith and Wesson revolvers. The best reference book to help you out is JB Wood’s Revolver Assembly/Disassembly.
For a bit more revolver content, check out Revolver Legends: Five Shooters Who Changed Handgun History and Mastering The Revolver Reload.
Tips for Babywearing and Conceal Carry [2026] ⋆ Primer Peak
For those of you with little ones.
Where to Shoot
A valuable resource to find ranges close to your location.
Tell me you don’t know how to ‘Gray Man’ without telling me you don’t know how to Gray Man…
“The point is that clothing, bumper and window stickers, and overtly in your face slogans plastered on everything of a certain style, and any number of other indicators are expressions that declare you identify with a certain lifestyle. ‘Tactical Folk Dress’ is as blatant and predictable as Emo, Goth, Scene, Pride Ally, etc. and is its own brand of branding.
When you choose to be expressive, you aren’t a gray man. When you choose to wear the T-shirt declaring you’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6 you aren’t being unobtrusive and low profile. You might not be open carrying, but it is probably the next best thing. Wearing gun brands or other identifiables is as indicative as printing while concealed carrying. It gives people information about you.”
One more “gray man” article here: You’re Not Fooling Anybody
Beretta’s 20-gauge A300 – Part Deux
Erick does a great overview on this 20 gauge option and the defensive loads available for it. I second his point about recoil. This shotgun isn’t the best choice of you want the lightest possible recoil. It’s the right choice for someone who can’t hold up a heavier shotgun.
Dark Arts for Good Guys: Break on Through to the other side
With the world’s current events, this might be useful information for some of you trying to deal with road blocks.
Gas Station Fight Leads To Prison Sentence | Active Self Protection
The most frustrating thing I have to explain to new concealed carriers is the fact that a punch or two does not generally rise to the level of “deadly force” under most state laws. Don’t believe me? Ask the guy who is now spending 20 years in prison.
Quote to Ponder:
“I think you could kind of see it as a criticism creation balance sheet. And if you’re criticizing more than you’re creating, you’re sort of withdrawing from the system more than you’re adding. And even if you get close, it should be 10 to 1, right? Some people are critics, right? Whatever. But for the most part, you should be contributing way more than you are.
You know what’s a great way to do this? Go on somebody’s Twitter and look at how much is original content and how much are quote tweets. If it’s tons of quote tweets and presuming that it’s not just, this is awesome and I really like this, which no one is doing, go, you’re extracting from the system more than you’re adding to it.
It’s always people who have never written a book that say, this is so badly researched, this is so lazy, this is this way, this is this way. I’ve noticed when it’s really visceral criticism of the book, they tend to have a profile which is criticism of everyone else’s attempt to do anything. The loudest shouts come from the cheapest seats.”
– Freya India
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