How Light Can They Go?

Lightweight carry guns are easy to carry, but hard to shoot. Finding the right balance of size and comfort can be quite a challenge.

By Sheriff Jim Wilson
                      

Just the other day I noticed a firearm manufacturer is introducing a five-shot, .38 Spl. revolver that weighs just 9 ounces. Now, I think I understand what gun makers are doing with these super-light defensive handguns, and it is actually two things.

The first is manufacturers are spending a lot time and research experimenting with the various new, lighter materials to see what will work in firearms and how well it will work. Materials like titanium and scandium, while not new, are relatively new to the firearms industry, and we have already begun to see numerous valid applications for their use.

The second bit of reasoning seems to be the theory that the lighter and more comfortable the defensive handgun is to carry, the more likely that the defensive shooter will have it with him when the balloon goes up. And there is some validity in this argument, too. A defensive handgun, and the skill to use it effectively, are worth nothing if you aren’t armed when you need it.

I do have a concern, however: Super lightweight guns in defensive calibers have an increased amount of felt recoil. They may be comfortable to carry, but they often are not comfortable to actually shoot.

And the simple fact is that one is never going to be good with his defense gun if he doesn’t practice a lot with it. Regardless of the old saying, it is not enough to just have a gun. You’ve got to be able to make decisive hits with it quickly and accurately.

So, how light can we go with a defensive handgun? Frankly, I can’t answer that question. It is up to each individual to find his comfort and performance level. I will simply suggest that the lighter the gun and the shorter the barrel, the harder it is to make quick hits in the vital zone. And it is something that is certainly important to remember and consider before putting out your hard-earned money for the latest and lightest.

You must remember, it’s not what you carry that matters, it’s what you can do with it when the chips are down.

Surviving Anywhere

By Paul Rackley

When a Nevada man went missing in the Seven Troughs mountain range with his girlfriend and two children an all-scale search was conducted. They were discovered after surviving two days in below freezing temperatures because James Glanton stayed calm, kept his group together and knew a little bit about survival. Glanton was able to start a fire, and eventually used the spare tire as fuel to keep the family from freezing. While I don’t want to take anything away from this very capable man, I can’t believe that he went into a wilderness area in winter without some sort of survival pack.

Both of my vehicles are loaded with food, matches, lighters, tinder, road flares, a first-aid kit, water, blankets and medications. While the main kits are carried year round, I customize certain items depending on the time of year, i.e. don’t need blankets in July. I mostly created my own, but there are pre-made kits available from companies like ASAP Survival.

Food items, which are replaced periodically, include Snickers, M&Ms, crackers and peanut butter. I also like to include dehydrated meals and MREs. If the family and I are traveling or heading into the hills on a daytrip, I always stash my MSR WhisperLite International stove and a canister of fuel. I’ve even been meaning to throw in some instant coco and coffee, along with some instant soup mixes.

Other items that I like to carry are a folding shovel, ratchet straps, bungee cords, multiple knives and a couple of extra coats, but some people say I take being prepared a little bit overboard. These same people say I'm paranoid, but voices say they're wrong.

You can store gear in a backpack, which allows easy transport if needed, and many vehicles, especially SUVs, have neat little hidden areas that can be used to keep items out of eyesight. Also, spare tire wells are usually oversized, providing room for long-term items.

Problems can occur at any time, and the best way to survive and prevail is to be prepared. The Glanton family survived, but almost every year, there is at least one story about someone becoming stranded and dying in Old Man

Commands

 

We have the gear, we have the mindset, we have the law on our side. Remember that the words we use when confronting armed assailants are also important.

By Sheriff Jim Wilson 

 

 

Imagine you have just confronted an armed criminal and you have the drop on him. Now you want to disarm him and take control of him until law enforcement arrives. Some will use the command, “Put your hands up!” Others may say “Drop the weapon!” while others will order, “Show me your hands!”

In fact, none of these commands may be the best method of dealing with the criminal.

If you think about it, in each case you are ordering the subject to move. Once he starts to move, you now have to decide if he is moving in order to comply with your command or moving in order to press his attack. It is a reaction-time issue. If you hesitate in trying to determine what the attacker is actually doing, he may be able to beat the drop on you.  That is, he may well be able to get a shot off before you can evaluate his actions and make the proper response.

I would suggest that “Don’t move!” is the best order to give to the attacker. I often followed it up with the admonishment, “If you move I will shoot you!”
Once you determine the criminal is willing to comply with your order, you may follow it up with other commands. I never liked the idea of telling someone to drop a firearm—too many bad things can happen. I would rather tell him to bend over slowly, very slowly, and put the gun on the ground.

All of this is best done once you have taken advantage of protective cover. Then, it is a good idea to command the criminal to put his hands on his head, turn away from you and lie face-down, spread-eagle on the ground. If you can get the attacker in this position, he is not going to be able to move very fast should he decide to attack.

Finally, when dealing with a criminal who won’t follow commands, or when dealing with more than one attacker, it is far better to create distance and use protective cover. In the end, your goal as an armed citizen is to stop the attack, not apprehend the criminal. We hold them for law enforcement only when they are willing to comply. Giving some thought to your commands and using commands that will accomplish your goal is important and will undoubtedly be critical to your own safety.

Kimber Tactical Entry II .45 ACP Pistol

	Designed for uniformed professionals, this full-size 1911 successfully blends custom features shooters want with the accuracy the job demands. By B. Gil Horman

Kimber recognizes that not all 1911 pistols are used in the same way. Gun collectors look for unique or historically accurate models, while casual target shooters are looking for solid, basic guns at an affordable price. However, for those who step into a law enforcement or military uniform every day, their 1911 sidearms become a vital piece of equipment. To meet the needs of professional operators, Kimber has produced a variety of purpose-built pistols. One of them is the Tactical Entry II full-size 1911 pistol chambered in .45 ACP.

This 1911 pistol successfully blends the custom features many 1911 owners are looking for with the functionality and reliability professionals require to succeed. The matte-black steel slide features front and rear cocking serrations and is topped with a set of low-profile fixed Meprolight Tritium three-dot night sights. The match-grade stainless-steel barrel is 5-inches long, cut with traditional six land-and-groove rifling and is supported in the slide by a stainless-steel match-grade barrel bushing.

The recoil assembly consists of a full-length stainless-steel guide rod and a 16-pound round-wire recoil spring.

The stainless-steel frame is treated with the tough KimPro II finish in matte gray and milled with a full-size military-style 1913 Picatinny rail that will accept a variety of light and laser accessories. The mainspring housing and frontstrap of the grip frame are checkered, as is the underside of the traditional round trigger guard. The pistol arrives with a low-profile steel magazine well installed and a blued-steel eight-round magazine fitted with a polymer bumper base pad. The grips are constructed of a gray and brown wood with a double-diamond checkering pattern and the Kimber logo.

The slide release and the round-button magazine release, on the left side of the frame, are both checkered for improved operation. The hammer, a skeletonized combat type, is paired with an extended beavertail grip safety. The ambidextrous thumb safety features short, slim combat-style paddles that ride close to the grip panels. The match-grade aluminum trigger is advertised as leaving the factory with a 4- to 5-pound trigger pull. The digital trigger gauge confirmed the claim, demonstrating a trigger pull of 4 pounds, 12 ounces for this particular pistol.

When packing the Tactical Entry II, I was interested in testing out a carry system that matched the gun's law enforcement and military purpose. One company that understands the need of its professional customers is US Peacekeepers. Its Rapid Deployment Pack (RDP) was designed with fast access in mind. The dedicated pistol pocket contains a universal loop-and-hook holster that fits most service-size autos. The exterior pouches are designed to house spare pistol or AR-15 magazines, and the roomy main pocket can be pre-filled at the factory with a tactical first-aid kit. Because the RDP is designed to accommodate a variety of support gear, it could be used as a first-responder kit, a bug-out bag or a concealment system for civilians. These handy bags are available in black, tan or OD green.

Taking the Kimber Tactical Entry II to the shooting range proved to be a real treat. The finish of the pistol was flawless and all of the components showed an excellent level of fit and craftsmanship. All of the controls were snug but smooth in their operation. The tight-fitting slide was smooth to cycle.

The white highlights of the three-dot sights were slightly larger than in other systems, which made them easier to see. For those who have smaller hands, like I do, the fine-line checkering of the grip makes all the difference in making a full-size 1911 feel comfortable to shoot.

The trigger was very smooth, with a short, crisp break that's difficult to find in any pistol except for a well built 1911. However, it should be noted that super light triggers like this one require plenty of practice on the range for shooters who are new to the platform before being carried in the field.

Heavy triggers require practice in order to keep the pistol on target as the trigger is cycled, but light triggers need to be well-understood so as to avoid touching off a round too soon or unintentionally.

The blued-steel magazine provided with the pistol performed flawlessly, as did a pair of the new Wilson Combat #500C-HD ETM HD/+P eight-round magazines. The heat-treated MAX flat-wire springs have a maximum strength up to 25 percent stronger than standard springs and are guaranteed to never require replacement, even after high round counts or daily extreme-duty use. With their low-profile steel base pads, these magazines were just the right length to work with the magazine well of the Tactical Entry II.

Taking advantage of the Picatinny accessory rail, the pistol was tested with the new Streamlight TLR-2G green laser and light module. The highly visible 522 to 542 nanometer laser emitter has been cleverly placed inside of the LED light housing. This has the dual benefit of setting the laser closer to the bore axis of the pistol while providing the same level of shock, dirt and moisture protection as that of the LED. A single 3V CR123A battery provides 1.5 hours of run time for the 200-Lumen light only, 1.25 hours for the light and laser together or 9 hours for the laser only. This module was easy to install and remained sighted in through the entire testing process.

Formal and informal ammunition testing demonstrated a level of function and accuracy right where they should be for what is advertised as a match-grade service pistol. There were no failures to feed, jams or malfunctions of any other kind while using ammunition ranging from affordable bulk FMJ loads all the way up to premium jacketed hollow points. Accuracy was evaluated using five, five-shot groups fired from a bench rest at 25 yards. The best single group of the formal testing, 2.49 inches, was produced using ASYM Precision Tactical 230-grain jacketed hollow points. The ASYM load also produced the best average of 2.71 inches, followed by HPR HyperClean 185-grain jacketed hollow points with a 2.89-inch average and Barnes Bullets new TAC-XPD all-copper 185-grain +P hollow points at 3.09 inches.

For those who love the 1911 platform, the Kimber Tactical Entry II represents an excellent find for the cost. Currently, this pistol has a suggested price of $1,490, with real world prices that are about $200 less. I've seen folks invest upwards of $3,000 in a custom-built 1911 and not get the level of accuracy this pistol produces right out of the box. It's a handsome gun loaded with features that arrives from the factory ready to go to work. Whether you are looking for a full-size pistol for work or personal protection, this one is a keeper.

Manufacturer: Kimber; Kimberamerica.com
Model: Tactical Entry II 1911 Pistol
Action: Single Action
Caliber: .45 ACP
Slide: Matte Black Steel
Frame: Matte Gray Stainless Steel
Grips: Laminated Double Diamond Wood
Sights: Fixed 3-Dot Meprolight Tritium Night Sight
Barrel Length: 5”
Overall Length: 8.7”
Height: 5.5”
Width: 1.28”
Weight: 40 ozs.
Capacity: 8+1 Rounds
Twist: 1:16” RH
Rifle Grooves: 6
Accessories: Hard Case, Lock, Owner's Manual, Bushing Wrench
Suggested Retail Price: $1,490

The Deadly Zone

 

Avoiding close-in confrontation is the best way to stay alive.

By Sheriff Jim Wilson       

 

 

 

A recent study shows that, for the first half of 2013, over half of the federal law enforcement officers who lost their lives in action were killed at distances from 0 to 10 feet. What this means is anyone can be a good shot at close range. A law enforcement officer, of course, has a different task than an armed citizen. He must close with suspects in order to conduct an investigation or to make a custody arrest.  The armed citizen should simply not allow suspicious persons to come so close.

In our busy world, I know that task is often difficult to accomplish, but it should be our goal.

Anytime we see potential trouble or said trouble approaching, we should be in Condition Orange. That doesn’t mean we draw our defensive handgun, but it does mean we are alert and ready to take action.

Ideally, we would attempt to stop approaching trouble via verbal means, assuming the trouble is not armed.  If we cannot stop his approach, then it is up to us to create distance. Move away from the suspect, but don’t turn your back on him. Even better, while creating distance, it is a good idea to get something between us and the stranger, preferably something that will serve as protective cover.

Therefore, you can see it is vitally important for most of our pistol practice to center around a quick, smooth presentation and two quick shots to the vital zone of the target. If you can accomplish that task in a second or less, from concealment, then you have come a long way toward having an effective defensive plan.

Again, we are of course not going to shoot every stranger who comes inside the 10-foot limit. Nor are we even going to draw our defensive pistol the vast majority of the time. But, we are going to clearly understand we might have to exercise the armed self-defense option, and therefore our attention had better be focused on the business at hand. Obviously, the vast majority of these encounters do not include violence of any kind. But don’t let that cause you to ignore the dangers of the Deadly Zone.

Home Surveillance Options for the Budget-Conscious Homeowner

 

• Tumblr
• StumbleUpon
• Print

By Lisa  Metheny
     

 
According to the FBI,  a home burglary (also known as a home break-in) happens every 13 seconds and is the most common threat in our homes. Because of this disturbing trend, more and more homeowners are now starting to take a pro-active approach when it comes to protecting their homes and personal property. Some are turning to professional security companies to offer round-the-clock monitoring while others are looking for do-it-yourself options.

Trail Cameras as Home Surveillance

It should come as no surprise surveillance equipment manufacturers are now catering to the average homeowner. The good news is with the increased popularity of surveillance equipment, the price tag for such systems are slowly coming down, but can still be pricey. However, there are a few options for budget-minded consumers. A quick Internet search, or even a trip to a home improvement store, will most likely yield you several options for surveillance equipment. Try looking for surveillance equipment in other, non-typical outlets such as hunting and wildlife monitoring equipment, baby monitoring, agricultural and farm suppliers such a horse and cattle equipment store and even at your local resale shops.

The Bushnell Trophy Cam HD with night vision is an excellent choice for do-it-yourself home surveillance.

A good outlet for video equipment is wildlife or livestock surveillance cameras. Although these types of video surveillance cameras are very similar if not the same as the equipment sold for home surveillance. Often these models offer a subtle, less flashy exterior finish in less-than-glitzy packaging, which often translates to a lower cost. For example, Bushnell offers a budget-friendly option is the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Trail Camera 8.0 MP Night Vision HD Video camera with video and audio capability. Although hunters typically use this camera to keep an eye on game movement, you can use it as a surveillance apparatus for your personal property. Easy-to-use with a one-year battery life, this unit is a good option for around $230.

More DIY Surveillance Alternatives

Another cheap alternative is simply to make your own video surveillance system. All you need is a camcorder, video feed wire and some type of monitor. This is where rummaging through a resale shop comes in handy. With a little know-how, it is relatively easy and cheap to rig-up. For example, outdated, older-styles of camcorders are great, as long as they are in working condition. You can often find these types dirt-cheap at garage sales and resale shops because they have been replaced by smaller, current models or require the hard-to-find tapes. Some sizes are more challenging to mount, however they still do make great, affordable options and intruders can’t help but notice them which can be a good deterrent. Mount the camcorder in the desired location then connect a video feed wire connected to a TV or computer monitor and you have an inexpensive surveillance system.

Many folks are discovering their home computers or even handheld devices make great surveillance equipment. By simply purchasing a webcam and some monitoring software you are on your way. Webcams prices range from as low as $10 depending on the quality. Monitoring software varies depending on your computers requirements.

Thanks to a shaky economy, more and more people are looking for ways to live on a shoestring and with a few of these ideas it is possible to monitor your personal space inexpensively. With a little ingenuity, you can create your own version of eye-in-the sky.

How do you keep your home safe? Share your tips in the comment section.

Team VTAC Street Fighter

Does Your Safe Room Have an Emergency Exit?

 

A safe room in your house is vital, but so is a plan to escape from it should the situation warrant.

By Sheriff Jim Wilson 

 

 

 

By now I hope every serious defensive shooter has established a safe room in his house as part of his family’s home-defense plan. In addition, he has worked out the best and quickest way to get all of the family gathered in that room and he has figured out what equipment needs to be stored in that room. 

But, I wonder how many have worked out a plan for escaping from that room, and the house, should such action become necessary.

In theory, we move to the safe room and become ensconced until the police can arrive and put things in order. In the event that the home invaders get into the room before the cavalry gets there, we have the advantage of being the defenders and can generally hold our own. As a rule, one doesn’t like the idea of leaving the house and turning it over to criminals.

However, a fight is going to be what it is, not what we imagine or hope it to be. If we have children in the safe room, it might be the better part of valor to get the family out of the house before the bullets start flying indiscriminately. Should the invaders set the house on fire, it would certainly be a good idea to make a quick exit. I am sure you can think of several other scenarios that might require an orderly retreat.

“Orderly Retreat” are the key words to consider. Did you put external bars on all of the windows? If so, how do you plan to get past them? Does the family know to go to a certain neighbor’s house in the event of a home invasion? Have you discussed this possibility with that neighbor? Do you have some other safe meeting place in mind? Is everyone in the family well versed as to where that place is and how to get there?

Having an orderly retreat plan should be a part of everyone’s home-defense strategy. It is important to evaluate your particular situation and location, and then develop a plan customized to fit your needs. 

It’s the smart thing to do.

LaRue Tactical Optimized Battle Rifle (OBR)

 

The LaRue Tactical OBR features the same rugged construction we’ve grown to expect from the company, and the performance to match.

By Steve Adelmann              

Austin Precision Products is not exactly a household name in the shooting industry. However the company’s more-familiar brand—LaRue Tactical—is well known in military, law enforcement, competition and basement-commando circles. Wear a LaRue hat for a few days, and you’ll be surprised at the diverse group of folks familiar with the name. I’ve had store clerks, doctors, teachers and even a Baptist minister recognize the LaRue brand. Over the past few years, shooters have come to expect three things from the capable and patriotic folks headquartered near Austin, TX: ingenuity, quality and products that are backed to the ends of the Earth.
 Like many military snipers, I became familiar with Mark LaRue’s work in the mid 1990s through his company’s Upchuck self-resetting targets. They made the cumbersome task of setting up steel for unknown-distance field shooting worth the pain of the inevitably bruised shins and smashed fingers.  Few shooters will complain about watching a hunk of freshly shot steel drop like a rock, then slowly rise, ready for more copper-jacketed lead thrashings.

                          

Several years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense became aware of lightweight, durable, tactical riflescope rings made by LaRue. Previously, only steel rings had been made to stand up to the rigors of combat while remaining reasonably sized. Steel is heavy. Heavy sucks when you live on your feet and survive by remaining mobile. The lucky recipients of LaRue’s rings were impressed with their sleek profile, high strength and requisite light weight. Several years and untold combat operations later, LaRue Tactical is a permanent fixture on the armaments map, with products ranging from simple mounting bases to complete rifles.

Though it looks like a mildly tacticalized AR-10 on the outside, the OBR sports a host of upgrades designed for the most demanding shooters.

When I heard LaRue was gearing up to build a 7.62 NATO sniper-grade rifle based on its 5.56 NATO platform, I began laying the groundwork to test one. Many firearm manufacturers hold back sample rifles from first production runs to ensure writers get to evaluate them. True to the company’s very dedicated missions to get a product right before releasing for sale and to ensure military and LE needs are taken care of first, LaRue’s new Optimized Battle Rifle (OBR) didn’t exactly jump into writers’ hands overnight. That was OK with me—I’ll wait as long as need be to ensure the folks laying their lives on the line get what they need before I ever see a sample.

My test rifle finally arrived in June 2010 in a padded hard case, complete with two of LaRue’s excellent 20-round magazines. I’ve already written about the high quality and reliability of these mags, and they continue to have an excellent track record with all .308 Win. ARs into which I feed them. One unique OBR mag feature is a nifty (and patent-pending) modification that aids in feeding.

Anyone who has unloaded high-capacity rifle magazines by hand knows it’s a pain and the larger the cartridge, the bigger the pain. AR .308 Win. mags have a nasty habit of grabbing cartridge rims in several places along the way as rounds are pushed forward, such as when feeding or stripping by hand. As near as I can tell, this is caused by the vertical ribs stamped into the magazine body.

Where a numbskull like me considers this a nuisance, a smart guy like LaRue knew this also somewhat retards cartridge feeding. His solution is a horizontal bridge between the two rearmost ribs at the top of the magazine, and the result is a much smoother feed and strip.

Part of the rifle light weight is attributed to the SureFire FH762 flash hider/suppressor adapter.

My sample gun wore an 18-inch barrel, although 16.1- and 20-inch variants are available. LaRue offers many OBR furniture options, mostly from Magpul. Mine arrived with a standard A2 stock and grip. Shooters familiar with LaRue products know it doesn’t build anything with light duty in mind.

The OBR remains true to this mindset—robust, rugged and yet very comfortable in hand. The free-floated fore-end is bolted to the company’s proprietary upper receiver, creating an ultra-rigid mounting platform that includes a continuous top rail running the length of the handguard. The rail has 20 MOA of slope built in to preserve enough adjustment to allow dialing in long ranges when using optics with limited internal elevation movement. The tube’s gripping surfaces are sleek and smooth. So smooth, the non-railed area refused to accept an adhesive hook-and-loop fastener when I tried to mount an ATPIAL tape switch. It wasn’t my rifle, so the usual blob of contact cement wasn’t an option.

Unlike most free-floated barrels, side rails are limited to a 3-inch section, located toward the front at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions. This makes sense to me, as most lights and lasers tend to be mounted forward, but some shooters may find it limits their options. Threaded holes along the bottom allow add-on modular rails with a 3-inch rail coming standard at the 6-o’clock position. The upper receiver has an ejection-port cover and integral brass deflector, but does not have a forward-assist assembly.

The gas block incorporates LaRue’s Port Selector Technology; using an easily adjustable, two-position regulator that allows normal gas flow for unsuppressed firing and a restricted setting for suppressor use. I’m a big believer in adjustable gas regulators. LaRue’s rifle uses an ingenious system to adjust gas flow. Instead of the usual method of opening or closing the gas pathway by impeding it with a screw or plug, the OBR has two gas ports. Setting the regulator to the left position opens both ports for unsuppressed firing while the right position closes one of the ports.

A very stout PRI M84 Gas Buster charging handle ensured easy manipulation of the chrome-plated bolt-carrier group, while directing some of the receiver gasses away from my face. The OBR’s stainless steel firing pin incorporates a captive spring, preventing firing pin/primer contact when a round is chambered or in the event of a hard impact at the muzzle.

PRI’s M84 Gas Buster charging handle eases operation of the bolt and directs gasses away from the shooter’s face.

Both receivers are CNC machined from 7075-T6 billet; the latter incorporating an integral trigger guard large enough to permit the use of gloves. Both the bolt and magazine releases are semi-shrouded to prevent inadvertent activation. The magazine well accepts Knight’s Armament, DPMS, Remington, Magpul, C Products and Brownells standard .308 Win. AR magazines.

I have never fired, tested, built or come into contact with an AR that has the OBR’s tight tolerances. The upper receiver tang doesn’t just fit into the lower’s rear tang slot, it mates with it. The rifle’s halves were harder to get apart than a pair of barnyard goats. In the gun world, that sort of fit is a good thing, on the farm…not so much.

Range Work

My initial firing impression of the OBR was it was a bit jumpy on the front end when fired prone. I attribute this partially to its light-for-caliber overall weight, as well as the SureFire FH762 flash hider/suppressor adapter. SureFire’s muzzle device tames flash effectively and helps manage recoil to a small degree. But it really shines in terms of both flash and recoil control when mated to a suppressor. For non-tactical shooters who prefer better
braking, but do not want the hassle of more ATF paperwork, the 5⁄8-24 threads of the OBR’s muzzle permit mounting a dedicated muzzle brake. I mounted a SureFire Scout light with a KM2 IR lens and an M93 throw-lever mount with an Insight Technology ATPIAL IR aiming laser on the front rails before assuming a good bipod-supported prone position. The Geissele Automatics Super Semi-Automatic, two-stage match trigger measured in at 2.5 pounds for the first stage and 2 pounds for the second stage, allowing a smooth pull and clean break for each shot.

Once I settled into the gun, the shooting session went very smoothly. The rifling’s slower rate of twist preferred lighter projectiles in the 150- to 168-grain range. The test target that accompanied my rifle showed a .735-inch five-shot group using Federal 168-grain ammo. My results largely mirrored this target, with averages slightly higher, but tighter groups with three out of the four loads tested. LaRue guarantees the OBR will shoot less than 1 MOA, and my test sample certainly exceeded that goal.

Overall, I put 205 rounds through the rifle with no hiccups. The machined, free-float tube remained cool throughout the test, in spite of the Carolina heat.

A chrome-plated bolt-carrier group enhances reliability by minimizing the effects of fouling.

LaRue Tactical has turned out a well-engineered, finely crafted implement. The OBR will fit into several categories, depending on barrel and stock configuration. Whether intended as a carbine-length battle rifle, a designated marksman platform, a hunting partner or a long-range tool, LaRue’s .308 ought to hold up its end of the bargain in terms of accuracy and reliability. Knowing the quality of this company’s work, I feel safe in predicting anyone in possession of an OBR can count on handing it down for generations.

For a look at the OBR in action, click here.

Manufacturer: LaRue Tactical; (512) 259-1585
Caliber: 7.62 NATO
Action Type: Semi-automatic, direct-gas-impingement system
Capacity: 10 or 20 rounds
Barrel: 16.1 inches, 18 inches (tested) and 20 inches; LW50 blackened steel
Sights: None; continuous Picatinny rail for mounting optics
Rifling: 4 grooves; 1:11.25-inch RH twist
Stock: A2-style buttstock and pistol grip (tested), numerous other options
Trigger Pull: Two-stage; 2.5 pounds first stage; 2 pounds second stage
Overall Length: 37.5 inches
Weight: 9 pounds, 11 ounces
Accessories: Two, 20-round magazines, hard case
MSRP: $2,995 (with A2 flash hider)

Cool vs. Tool

Is that high-speed accessory hanging off your tactical shotgun a useful tool or a cosmetic enhancement to impress your friends?                          

By Chad Adams

The “Black Gun Revolution,” the explosion in popularity of all things black, semi-automatic and tactical—fueled by the growing abundance of AR-15-style rifles—has had a tremendous effect on shotguns as well. More companies than ever offer some sort of tactical or home-defense shotgun, both pump and semi-automatic. Whether black or some pattern of digital camo, many of these shotguns come direct from the factory with a wide array of what were once exclusively aftermarket accessories.
  And aftermarket accessories have continued to flourish, since shotgun owners never tire of finding new ways to hang seemingly anything and everything off their scatterguns. But for anyone taking their first foray into the tactical-shotgun market, some accessories have more practical merit than others. Here’s a quick rundown of some common shotgun accessories, weighing their tactical benefit versus their flat-out coolness.

                       

Tacticool: Heat Shields

I know you’ve seen these on old Winchester 97s and Model 12s from World War I, therefore many of you believe they are a necessity, as if use by our doughboys makes them divine. However, in my years as a Marine, whether in the field or aboard a ship, I never saw a shotgun fitted with a heat shield. Moreover, nobody puts as many rounds through a shotgun as do practical-shooting competitors—they don’t use them, so you don’t need one.

A crew-served, belt-fed machine gun is a great place for a heat shield. A shotgun is not. But hey, they look pretty righteous on your Mossberg 500, so if it’s all about the cool, I say go for it.

Tactical: Shell Carriers

Few objects look as mean as a line of 00 buckshot riding like a row of gnarly teeth on the receiver of a tactical shotgun. And few things are as useful. While we may gear up with all sorts of ammo holders when we go to the range, the fighting shotgun is the one gun above all others where you “fight with what you got.” That means the ammunition you have in and on the shotgun is all you can reasonably expect to use under stress.

There are several makes and models on the market that can collectively more than double the payload you carry into a fight. And if 16 or more rounds of buckshot don’t solve your problem, well, you’re probably in the “Red Dawn” remake. But don’t worry; you never have to reload in the movies.

Tacticool: Pistol Grips

I can see some of you physically recoil at the ludicrous notion of a pistol grip being anything but the most tactical of enhancements to a shotgun. But here’s the deal, unless you are law enforcement or active-duty military on a door-kicking entry team and use a pistol-gripped pump gun with a stand-off device to bring the pain, then you really don’t need a pistol grip. The simple fact is this: Pistol-gripped shotguns are more difficult to shoot well. Our accessories should enhance accuracy, not diminish our ability to hit the target.

However, there are some exceptions for civilians. If you have a reason to stow a shotgun in a small space or work in wilderness country where toothy critters roam and you’ve determined this is the size you need, then for you, the pistol grip is still very much a tool. But if you’re like me and your pistol-gripped 870 is relegated to obliterating soda cans with your buddies, then you have a tacticool shotgun my friend. Like Fonzie said, “Be cool,” and rock that pistol grip by shooting from the hip on your next range day.

Tactical: White Light

While it’s one of the most tacticool accessories you can add, it also happens to be the best decision-making aid. A high-output white light is, in my opinion, the best accessory you can add to any defensive firearm.

“In 1986 SureFire introduced the first light designed specifically for mounting on handguns,” said Derek McDonald, SureFire’s vice-president of marketing in a recent statement. “This light (equipped with remote switching) was quickly adopted by SWAT teams, including LAPD’s D-Platoon.”

Since then, we’ve seen the weaponlight portrayed on TV attached to pistols, carbines and shotguns.

More importantly, countless police officers, military personnel, training academies and tactical schools have codified the skills and doctrine that enable the white light to deliver a decided advantage against an adversary. Despite any reports to the contrary, until we all have night observation devices, the white light is here to stay.

So What?

It’s hard to argue civilians absolutely need a bayonet lug, stand-off device, pistol grip or seemingly miles of Picatinny rail. But the kicker is this: Who makes that decision? While I may subjectively question the merit of any one of these items for home defense, I will happily admit to owning guns with all of these accessories and more.

The point of this article is not to shame any one device, rather to get us thinking intelligently about the purposes for which our firearms and accessories are used. That makes us smarter consumers and therefore better advocates for firearms in general. While we may not “need” a bayonet lug, when is the last time you heard about a crime being committed at bayonet point? What is so “evil” about pistol grips and Picatinny fore-ends and the like? And if I want any one of those items, I believe the Second Amendment protects my right to have one.

Range Medicine

 

Practical first-aid steps that can save a life.

By Paul Markel 

“I don’t dial 911”—a popular slogan seen on t-shirts and placards—is often accompanied by the picture of the business end of a handgun. We all get the implied message. Innumerable articles and editorials have been written addressing the critical time gap between when a 911 call is placed and when law enforcement arrives on the scene.
 Most of this publication’s readers understand deadly force encounters unfold in mere seconds. Dialing 911 and cowering under the bed is not the best way to address a felonious assault.

                         

That being said, how many folks who wouldn’t simply dial 911 and hide until the police arrive feel perfectly content to place that same call and wait patiently for an ambulance? This irony was driven home recently during a conversation with a close friend.

The War on Terror has taught us many hard lessons and one of them includes the effectiveness of tourniquets. A lengthy study conducted by the U.S. Army dispelled many of the fallacies commonly associated with its use, and today first responders are taught tourniquets should be placed as high on the limb as possible, then tightened until the blood stops flowing.

He was on the range working with one of his rifles when a medical emergency occurred. A few shooting positions down, another shooter had a violent “rapid disassembly of parts” due to a bad handload.

My friend was first alerted to the situation when another shooter started waving his arms yelling, “That guy blew up his gun and he’s bleeding pretty bad.” There was blood everywhere. Having first-responder medical training, he was able to assess the situation and use his trauma kit to stem the blood flow. It worked out well in the end.

When discussing this incident, the most striking issue was the lack of preparedness by most everyone at the range. Aside from a Band-Aid or two, no one else on the range had any kind of emergency medical kit.

The emergency medical plan most folks had was to call 911 from their mobile phones and wait for an ambulance to arrive. Ironic indeed that folks who have no problem defending themselves against a violent attack have little or no plan to deal with life-threatening medical emergencies.

The bandage roll can be used as a handle to tighten a pressure dressing.

Life-Saving First Aid

First of all, get some training. Buying a gun doesn’t mean you can shoot. Purchasing a first-aid kit doesn’t miraculously give you the skill to use it, either. Family first aid and CPR training are nice, but the basic courses really don’t address deadly serious issues like gunshot wounds.
Initially, you need to realize there is a difference between a typical first-aid kit and a trauma kit. The boo-boo kit generally has comfort items.

It often includes Band-Aids, aspirin, a tube of Neosporin, perhaps an alcohol wipe or two, maybe a small roll of medical tape, and 2×2- or 4×4-inch gauze pads—items for injuries that are non-life-threatening. Trauma kits are for life-threatening injuries: major blood loss being the number-one killer.

Tourniquet: Myths and Misunderstandings

A couple of years ago, there was a negligent discharge resulting in a wound on my local shooting range. The shooter in this case discharged his pistol into his upper thigh, severing the femoral artery.

Fortunately for him, there was a surgeon on the range that day. The doctor immediately assessed the life-threatening injury and put a hasty, improvised tourniquet on the man’s leg. Without a doubt, the improvised tourniquet saved his life. Although an ambulance was called, the victim would have bled to death in the 10 minutes it took to arrive.

The M.E.T. (left) and C.A.T. (right) tourniquets are lightweight, easy to carry and a lot faster than improvising a rig while blood is leaking.

The Global War on Terror has taught us many lessons. One of the biggest as far as immediate casualty care goes is the proper use of tourniquets. A severed artery in the arm or leg can kill in a matter of a few minutes—not 5 or 10, but 2 or 3.

Arterial bleeds generate bright red spurting blood. Every time the heart beats, blood pumps out. If you are in the field or at the range and sustain a major bleeding injury, the blood flow must be stopped as quickly as humanly possible. Waiting to use a tourniquet as a last resort, after all other means have failed, can be a death sentence for someone with arterial bleeding.

I can put more oxygen into your lungs. I’ll blow it in. But, I can’t give you more blood. The blood you have in your body is all you’re going to have until we get you to the ER. A couple of basic rules for tourniquet use are to place them as high on the limb as possible and tighten them down until the bleeding stops. Think of it like shutting off a garden hose. If the victim is conscious it’s going to hurt, but it’s better than bleeding to death.

Contrary to the popular myth, the use of a tourniquet does not ensure amputation of the limb. Every day in the United States, surgeons operate on arms and legs with medical tourniquets applied to them. These tourniquets may be in place for hours without permanent injury to the limb.

The U.S. Army conducted a three-year study of tourniquet use in the field. After examining hundreds of cases, the Army did not find one instance where a tourniquet was the cause for amputation.

Pressure Dressings and Bandages

Next to a tourniquet, the most important form of blood control is a pressure dressing or trauma bandage. Tourniquets are used to stop arterial blood loss. The pressure dressing stops the next most dangerous type: venous bleeding.

A pressure dressing can be as fancy as a military “H” bandage or as simple as a roll of gauze and an elastic Ace bandage. There are special hemostatic bandages such as QuikClot Combat Gauze. This gauze strip is impregnated with an agent that speeds up coagulation.

Properly applied, a pressure bandage is tight and should cover the wound completely.

As the name implies, a pressure dressing not only soaks up blood, but also applies direct pressure to the wound to stem blood flow. Pressure bandages are placed directly on top of the wound and tightly secured. By keeping the bandage roll in your hand, you can use it as a handle to snug the bandage down securely over the wound.

Head wounds are prime candidates for pressure dressings. Even small cuts or lacerations to the head/scalp bleed profusely. A well-placed bandage can stem this blood flow quickly and efficiently.

Eyewash—The Most Neglected Form of First Aid

Sterile eyewash is one of the most-often-forgotten items that should be in a first-aid kit. Airborne foreign substances are a fact of life at a shooting range and if you get something in your eye—even something as simple as gun oil, a Kamikaze gnat or dust—you’ll be glad it’s there. In a pinch, bottled water will also work.

Check your first-aid kit. I’ll bet you don’t have sterile eyewash in it. If you do, congratulations you’ve earned a gold star, you are among the very few. It’s not until you really need it that you realize the value of eyewash. Yes, you can use a bottle of water if you have it, but do you always have bottled water?

Every time you press the trigger on a firearm, stuff starts flying around at high velocity. Burning propellant gases, bullets, shot, brass from semi-automatics, etc. are all moving at great speed around you. Even something as innocuous as lubricating oil can be an eye hazard.

During a recent training session, one of our students sustained a simple eye injury. The shooter was wearing safety glasses, but cried out that his eyes were burning. Originally, we thought he might have taken some gas or dust in the eyes. He was led to an eyewash station and thoroughly flushed his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, we discovered he had applied a very heavy amount of Break-Free to his pistol. When he fired, a cloud of oily vapor enveloped his face.

Dust, sand, even tiny insects all present an eye hazard in the field and at the range. A bottle of sterile eyewash is worth its weight in gold should a foreign object find its way to your eyes.

Advanced Trauma Care

Chest seals, decompression needles and nasopharyngeal airways are valuable additions to your trauma kit, but without the advanced training to use them effectively, you can do more damage than good to the victim.

As with any type of training, you can stay basic or move on to more advanced learning. Just how far you go is up to you. Gunshot trauma to the chest (lungs), while life threatening, can be effectively treated in the field.

A punctured lung often leads to a condition called tension pneumothorax. This occurs when air enters the chest cavity, collapses the injured lung and puts pressure on the heart. Sucking chest wounds can be treated with specially designed chest seals and decompression needles.

Airway maintenance is essential as well. If your victim is conscious and talking to you, he has an open airway. No problem. However, if the person is unconscious when you get to them or loses consciousness, you need to ensure that his airway is open and unobstructed.

The nasopharyngeal tube, popularly known as the “nose-hose,” is a fast, effective way to maintain an open airway on an unconscious victim. The nasopharyngeal tube falls into the same category as needle decompression and chest seals. They require advanced training and attempting their use without proper technique could further injure the victim.

First-Aid Kits

On a more basic level, boo-boo kits are important and serve a purpose. Even small cuts and scratches can ruin your outing. An infected cut will definitely ruin your week. Basic first aid for cuts, scrapes, etc. is: clean (rinse with water), sanitize (wipe down with alcohol or apply anti-bacterial cream) and bandage (dress the wound with a clean bandage and secure it in place with tape).

Aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever is always good to have on hand. Benadryl or some type of antihistamine can be effective first aid for insect bites and skin irritations from poison ivy, poison oak and severe allergic reactions.

Parting Thoughts

If I have swayed you and you’ve decided to investigate the topic further, you’ll need to research both training and gear. From the training side, Tactical Response of Camden, TN, offers a course called Immediate Action Medical. The two-day class addresses all forms of trauma from gunshot and knife wounds to explosions.

Gunsite recently announced its new Emergency Medical Preparedness course. This is a three-day program to deal with traumatic injuries on the range and in the field.

As for gear, Combat Medical Systems, Tier-One Quality Solutions and North American Rescue all offer trauma kits of various shapes and sizes. All three companies offer products with tourniquets, pressure dressings, chest seals, nose hoses and carrying cases.

We go to the range or field to enjoy ourselves for recreation, and no one wants to think about life-threatening injuries. Nonetheless, it’s an imperfect world. Bad things can and do happen to good people. First-aid kits and training are like good insurance—I’d rather have it and not need it than the other way around.

Para Bellum - Preparing For the Worst

                                              

 

Are you prepared, gun-wise, for a societal breakdown?

By Steve Adelmann     

Have you seen the movie “Something Wicked This Way Comes?” Unfortunately, I have, but aside from bad acting, ’80s clothing, a weak plot, terrible special effects and the 94 minutes it sucked out of my life, the movie had one thing going for it: a catchy title.

 

That phrase is on my mind more and more these days, except it is not an evil (and cheesy) carnival owner who threatens us, it is genuine trouble on a global scale.                               

                                                     

A quick scan of news headlines, market trends or simply paying attention to the nearest protest yields multiple red flags. Attitudes and conversations with just about anyone tell me I am not alone in my thoughts. I have no idea how the country will be doing when this column is printed, but I am positive things will not be any better than they are as I write it. Actually, they may be much worse.

 

So what should you do about it? Prepare. In this case I am talking about preparing your firearm game plan for a sustained societal breakdown—imagine a violent mob or gang is within a half-mile of your residence, intent on taking whatever or hurting whomever they want, and then plan accordingly.

 

Like most other folks, a handgun is my go-to choice for dealing with an immediate threat in the home or at close range on the street. But, I will choose the rifle’s ability to keep bad things as far away as possible if I see them heading my way. If trouble is inevitable, make use of any warning to be as well armed as possible. Get your go-to gun out of mothball storage and have it within arm’s reach at all times. Deployed troops learn to live with rifles strapped to their bodies, always. The practice is now taught in Basic Training, which makes a lot more sense than some of the idiotic parade stuff we did a quarter-century ago. There is no handier place for your primary fighting tool than across your body or in your hands. Plop down $40 for a decent tactical sling and get used to it. Consider that gun an extension of your arms and don’t get caught without it when the heat is on.

Fodder
 

The U.S. military’s switch to the new “green” ammunition has resulted in excellent prices on surplus 5.56 NATO M855 ball ammo. M80 ball overruns have pushed more surplus 7.62 NATO FMJ ammo to the market, too. Both are good general-purpose rounds to keep on hand in case the premium stuff becomes scarce. AK ammo—particularly in 7.62×39 mm—is very cheap and still available in sealed tins. The 40 rounds of .308 Win. my local hardware store keeps in stock will be scarfed up during the first 5 minutes of a crisis, so I know better than to rely on purchasing ammo around here.

 

Several retail outlets offer bulk deals on ammunition in the most common rifle chamberings, so stock up—now—on what your rifle will digest. Be sure to store ammo in a location that is temperature and humidity controlled. Old ammo cans with intact rubber seals make good containers, but place desiccant packs inside each one, and avoid leaving them in extreme heat or cold. Buy as much spare ammo as you can afford and store safely. Some is better than none, and a lot is better than a little.

 

Properly cared for ammo will last for many years, so if things get all rosy again, have fun with it at the range or will it to your heirs. Ammunition has real value, unlike the dollar, so it will be useful for barter, too.

 

You may not convince your neighbors to have gun or caliber commonality, but consider doing so within your family. Logistics will be much simpler if your family firearms are the same—anyone will be able to pick up another’s rifle or spare ammo in a pinch. Remember to plan for spare magazines, including extras to replace those lost or damaged during a protracted emergency. Think months, not days.

 

During a protracted and potentially violent crisis, your primary arm cannot be too close. A simple, inexpensive and effective combat sling like this B-Sling from Sheriff of Baghdad will be indispensable.

 

Gun Gear

A wide variety of equipment is available to carry extra ammunition and/or magazines. Find something comfortable enough to wear for at least a few hours at a time, handy enough to get on quickly and able to carry extra personal gear like medication, a light, knife, etc. If you have never had to live in, run with or go prone while wearing a military-style assault vest, borrow one, fill it up and try these tasks before you spend a week’s pay on the latest “rack” system. Many models were designed by people who meant well, but never fought while wearing a full vest. Less bulk and greater simplicity equal more agility, comfort and the ability to wear for longer periods.

 

A spare parts kit is also a good idea. At a minimum, extra faster-wearing parts like extractors, firing pins and springs are good to have around. Maintain a set of critical parts for each rifle you plan to have in someone’s hands during a crisis. I recommend at least one spare bolt for each rifle type, too.

It will never expire, so if the worst never happens, you have a part that will be useful down the road.

 

Think about a backup plan for optics, too: iron sights, a backup scope—something that allows you to aim the rifle if your primary sighting system is damaged when there is no way to get a replacement.

 

Training

The best rifle is not worth a lick if you cannot use it fluently under stress. Practice practical shooting.

 

Shoot at partially exposed targets at or beyond the distances your house/yard/property may present. Shoot in hasty, uncomfortable positions and in low light, if possible. Learn to shoot from cover and understand the ballistic differences between cover and concealment. Ensure someone else in your family is able to implement the home-defense plan without you present—you may not be there when trouble strikes, or you may need help.

 

The concept of a zombie apocalypse used to get a passing laugh. It is no longer a joke. Such talk is now thinly veiled code for a violent, man-made catastrophe. Do not be complacent with your approach to defending your family when—not if—things turn nasty. The rifle in your hands may well become the great equalizer you need to keep bad people away from you and yours. I truly hope I am wrong about where we are headed, but I will be ready if I am right. I hope you will be, too.

Worst-Case Scenarios

 

Practice at the firing line is critical, but in a gunfight things go bad fast. Do you know how to stay in a fight where calling a time-out is not an option?

By Paul Markel                   

“The root word in ‘gunfight’ is not gun, it is fight.” That one sentence sets the tone for all firearms training at Tactical Response of Camden, TN. All of its material is designed to help shooters achieve victory, should they ever be called upon to defend their lives or those of their families with a firearm. The school’s two-day Fighting Pistol course provides invaluable training, including some self-defense techniques that will help you respond should you get caught in a less-than-ideal situation.
 Marksmanship is the cornerstone of any type of rifle or pistol training. It is the foundation upon which we build. I recall a firearms instructor at an unnamed school telling me, “We don’t teach marksmanship, we teach combat shooting.” That’s all well and good, but shooting fast without the foundation of solid marksmanship is simply an exercise in noise making and brass generation.

                        

Step number one is to establish a solid marksmanship base—front-sight focus, smooth, deliberate trigger press and follow-through. Unfortunately, many shooters are satisfied with step one. If your goal is to shoot tin cans or paper targets and that’s all you ever wish to do with your handgun, then marksmanship is all you need. However, if your desire is to protect the lives of your family, you must go a step beyond the basics and learn the proper response should things not go as planned during a gunfight.

The world is not a square range. You don’t get time to warm up and check your gear. When evil creatures choose you as their prey, you must be ready to give it all you’ve got. Your starting point should be a victorious mindset. Resolve to defeat any challenge put before you and you will defeat any opponent. You will never give in or quit.

Worst Case No. 1: Knocked Down

In general, humans don’t like being on the ground—especially on their backs. When I was in the police academy our defensive-tactics instructor admonished us that, “Sooner or later every fight will end up on the ground.” With regard to being on the ground, I had another teacher tell me, “The good news is, once you’re down there you can’t fall any farther.”

How does all this apply to armed defenders? It’s an imperfect world. Despite your best efforts, you may end up on the ground and on your back. It could be you got caught by surprise and were knocked to the ground by an attacker. Less dramatic, but still feasible, is the chance that in your haste to move to cover you tripped and fell. We all do it.

It’s not so important why you are on the ground, but what you do once you are there. You can’t call some kind of tactical time-out. There will not be a referee to step between you and your attacker, giving you a chance to get back on your feet. You’ve got to fight your way back up.

Step one, if your pistol is still holstered you need to find it and get it out without muzzling yourself, roll over, off your holster to ensure you haven’t trapped the gun between your body and the ground.

Draw the pistol. If you have time to assume a two-handed grip, do so. If not, fight on with one hand.

As for what to do with your feet and legs, armed or not, it’s a good technique to bend your knees and pull your feet back. This loads your leg muscles to deliver kicks to your attacker and push him away.

Muzzle discipline is paramount from the ground. Your muzzle must clear your knees, legs and feet—if you shoot yourself it still counts.

Remember, you need to fight your way up. When practicing this drill, fire a couple of rounds from your back, then roll up to the sitting position and fire a couple more rounds. Next, move up to the kneeling position and keep fighting. Finally, you’ll return to your feet still fighting and engaging the target. Universal safety rules apply—if you’re off target, your finger is off the trigger. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy, and that includes your legs and feet.

Worst Case No. 2: Stoppage

Knowing how to clear a stoppage, like a stovepipe, can be the difference between life and death. In the vast majority of cases, a forceful tap on the bottom of the magazine, followed by the vigorous racking of the slide will clear a stoppage and chamber the next round, putting you back in the fight.

Firearms are simply machines made by the hands of men. The vast majority operate without flaw 99 percent of the time. It’s the 1 percent that gets you. Decades ago, when I was a young Marine, an instructor explained to me that I had the rest of my life to fix a certain problem—how long the rest of my life would be was up to me. Airborne troops have a similar saying: In an emergency you have the rest of your life to deploy that reserve parachute.

Consider this: You are forced to fire your handgun to protect your life, the pistol fires once and then fails to fire again. If your pistol has malfunctioned in a fight for your life, you have the rest of your life to fix it. That might be 5 seconds or 50 years. It depends on your mindset and skill level.

If your pistol goes click instead of boom, you most likely have either an empty chamber or a bad round—either way you need to remedy this situation, quick. This action is best ingrained in your neuromuscular pathways through repetitive motion training. During the Fighting Pistol course, a few plastic dummy rounds were mixed into our live-ammo count to help deeply ingrain the procedure for clearing stoppages.

When you handle your pistol, each time you charge it you will seat the magazine firmly with the palm of your support hand and rack the slide forcefully to the rear allowing the full strength of the recoil spring to chamber a round. Never mind using modified or enhanced slide locks or releases.

This is the “Tap, Rack” drill that you need to perform over and over again until it’s second nature.
It’s that simple. If your pistol does not go bang when it is supposed to, tap, rack, reassess. Always reassess to determine if the use of deadly force is still warranted and to ascertain if the target is visible and within range.

Never reflexively snap off a round. This same drill is applies to a stovepipe or chamber obstruction.

Worst Case No. 3: Injured Hand

In a real fight, one of your hands might sustain an injury, rendering it useless. Practicing loading, chambering a round and shooting with one hand—both strong and weak appendages—can save you in a fight for your life.

One of the most-notable instances of single-handed shooting saving the day was the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout. Numerous FBI agents were on a rolling stakeout looking for heavily armed bank robbers. They found them. Special Agent Ed Mireles, after receiving a debilitating wound to his left arm early in the attack didn’t give up—he stayed in the fight.

Mireles sought cover behind a car and worked his shotgun, a Remington 870 pump, one-handed until it was empty. He then drew his Smith & Wesson service revolver and advanced on the two felons. Firing only with his right hand, Mireles’ determination and skill stopped the criminals from escaping or harming anyone else.

Many folks have a tough enough time holding their pistol with two hands, much less one. Competence with the dominant or non-dominant hand takes deliberate practice. Begin by holding the handgun in a firm grip, then punch it out toward the target as if delivering blow with a closed fist.

When your arm is extended in this way your hand will be slightly canted inboard—that’s OK. Don’t waste time trying set the pistol up in perfect vertical position. Focus intently on your front sight. Imagine driving your front sight into the target.

Because shooting with one hand, particularly the weak-hand, is so difficult, it is vital to practice.

Most people will only practice what they are good at and skip challenging drills. This is the opposite of correct—especially if you truly hope to improve your skills. Many pistol instructors would suggest breaking your training into thirds, devoting equal amount of practice to strong-, weak- and two-handed shooting.

Parting Thoughts

There is much more to personal defense than owning a firearm. Along those lines, there is more to fighting with handgun than basic marksmanship. However, marksmanship is most definitely the foundation onto which we build our fighting skills.

Physical conflict is adversity. There will be confusion, pain and fear. Things will go wrong when you least expect it, often at the worst possible moment. A deadly attack is the greatest combination of emotional and physical stress you will ever endure, except perhaps your wedding day.

God has blessed you with adrenaline. It will mask a lot of pain and give you strength in your large-muscle groups. Conversely, your coordination and fine-motor skills will diminish greatly when it kicks in. Your sense of time and space will fog.

One maxim ingrained in students who attend a Tactical Response class is you will not simply default to your training. In a life-or-death crisis, you will default to the level of training you have mastered.

Regardless of how many times you practiced or how proficient you became at a certain drill or technique, physical skills—and that includes fighting with a gun— are perishable. Learning the skill correctly and investing the time it takes to maintain that skill should be a top priority in your self-defense planning. If the last time you fired a pistol was in the Army in 1985, I’d venture to say your weapon-handling skills are a bit rusty.

Learning to fight with a handgun is like purchasing life assurance. Life insurance only kicks in when you are dead. Life assurance, on the other hand, is useful while you are still above ground.

Camo Basics

A Former SOF Sniper teaches how to conceal yourself

                               

By Steve Adelmann          
                                           

Military snipers are taught the main “target indicators” that will get them noticed in any environment are unnatural movements, sounds, smells and poor camouflage. These same indicators cause the many “Busted!” moments that seem to frequent our hunting excursions each season. While good shooting skills and equipment are vital to hitting your intended point(s) of aim, avoiding these target indicators will get you into position to take those shots in the first place. Proper camo is probably the least understood skillset when it comes to remaining hidden in the field. It also happens to be an area that evolves rapidly with technology and lessons-learned. I routinely apply the lessons of proper camouflage from my own sniper/reconnaissance-heavy Army career to my hunting today.

                                                      

Whether you are on the hoof or in a static position, the key to visually blending in with your surroundings is to break up your outline with colors, shading and shapes that appear natural. Use a backdrop such as a large tree trunk, rock or dense thicket whenever sitting in one position. Snipers sometimes use Ghillie suits to blend in, but these are not the ridiculously shaggy outfits commonly seen in movies and hunting catalogues. An effective Ghillie relies heavily on natural vegetation from the area being hunted, along with a few shredded burlap strips (jute) and a camouflage base material, such as an old set of camo coveralls or fatigues. Unfortunately, even simple Ghillies are bulky and tend to get tangled up in heavy vegetation. Walking to a treestand in one may prove more troublesome than it is worth. Commercial leafy wear-type products effectively bridge the gap between regular clothing and Ghillies. Being conservative with the amount of things hanging off of your clothing and gear is usually a safe bet.

An effective paint job blends color, adds shadow and diminishes a gun’s high points.

Fortunately, camouflage clothing has come a long way since the days when Maj. Robert Rogers and his Rangers dyed their buckskins green during the French and Indian War. The best patterns use subtle, shadow-like effects and multiple natural color combinations. No one pattern works in all environments, so having different blends from which to choose helps. Striped patterns tend to work better in reeds and areas with dense, vertical undergrowth, while blotched and speckled patterns are more suitable for leafy or sparse areas that get sunlight.

Don’t forget about your other equipment: every year I see hunters decked out from head to toe in good camo patterns while carrying semi-gloss stocked rifles and shotguns with lustrous blued barrels.

Gun camo isn’t new, but since many companies use a “one color fits all” approach, be prepared to break up the color scheme when you suddenly realize your flat dark earth rifle doesn’t blend into an autumnal landscape. Here are a few tips for camouflaging yourself as well as guns and equipment:

• 

  Camo colors and shades should match the environment as much as possible. Large, natural objects make excellent backdrops for static positions, eliminating the skyline effect.
  Eliminate shiny surfaces and unnatural colors wherever possible.
• Break up a gun’s long axis by painting or taping lines perpendicular to the barrel and stocks.
• Airbrush starter kits are cheap, but a few cans of earth-tone spray-paint will do the trick, too. Remove oils and grease from all surfaces you intend to paint. Plug your muzzle and close the action before applying the paint.
• When painting optics, tape around all joints and cover all lenses. Check to ensure you aren’t voiding your scope’s warranty by painting it.
• Camouflage tape is a temporary and changeable way to break up a gun’s color and shape effectively.
• Use dark colors to dampen the high points (brass deflector, bolt handle, etc.) and light colors to brighten shadowed spots.
• Remember, unconcealed faces and hands stand out in the woods (ask a turkey hunter).
• Wear white on the lower body and vegetation colors on top when in the woods when there’s snow on the ground.
• Don’t confuse concealment with cover. The former hides you, while the latter protects you from incoming fire. Unless you hunt jihadist whitetail, concealment ought to be the main focus of your efforts to hide in plain sight.

We strive to ensure our shooting skills and tools are up to the task of making clean kills, but effective hunting involves more than just pulling the trigger. Hunting any quarry successfully depends on your ability to move stealthily into an area, observe and identify targets without being detected and then shoot well. Employ camouflage that is as close to your natural environment as possible while avoiding the other target indicators, and you will stand a much better chance of success.