At just about every class we teach, we have a certain percentage of folks that show up with carry pistols with extremely light triggers. Earlier this year, we taught a class out on the west coast for a large Sheriff’s Office. This office has a VERY liberal firearms policy that accepted various types of aftermarket parts, and exceptionally light trigger work. There were some M&Ps, Glocks, and M1911s with triggers that weighed in ounces. On duty pistols. Continue reading
Let me start by saying I am all about training in all forms. As long as the skills you are working are beneficial to your overall goals then we are good to go. What started me thinking was when a civilian student asked me, while in a basic level handgun class, why we didn’t offer aerial marksmanship training, I was actually at a loss for words for a few seconds while trying to figure out if he was serious. Turns out he was.
Is training to do this really within the context of how you live your life?
Apparently he had read all about aerial marksmanship training and wanted to find out where he could get this type of training. You know, “just in case.” I had to ask what he did for a living. Turns out he sells electronics, but, “…thought it would be a good skill to have.” I tried to explain to him that it was highly unlikely that he, or any average citizen would ever need to “bungee up and hang in the door.” Not that it wouldn’t be a really fun thing to do, but was it the best use of his training dollars? Was it in context with his daily life?
I can’t imagine a better way to prepare for training than to place it within the context of your daily life. The time and money we have for professional training is so scarce these days that getting the most out of every round, every minute of range or dry-fire practice time only makes complete sense. Before training, take the time to put it in context. Use visualization techniques to set the tone. Is that target placed in such a manner as to duplicate what you might see at home, the office or your favorite restaurant? Do all of your draw and fire drills start from standing while facing the target? Is this a realistic expectation based on your everyday interactions with potential threats?
Only you can decide what is appropriate for your skills and abilities. Keeping your training within the context of your daily life, within the boundaries of reason, will pay off for you in the long run. Stay focused on what fundamental skills you need to master and set yourself up for success. Sure it is not as sexy as flipping the selector over to full auto, or spider rapelling while engaging multiple targets, but are those things in context with who you are and the life you lead? Stay Safe & Keep Training!
I have been running a Trijicon RMR-02 Mini Red Dot Sight on my duty pistol for some time now. Earlier this year in March, after intentionally dropping the pistol while training with my back-up gun I noticed a significant zero shift. I re-zeroed the sight and did not have any more issues. Unfortunately, in early October, I experienced a repeated problem with the sight losing zero. So the sight went back to Trijicon for warranty repair.
Robert Vogel does not need much introduction—his bio http://www.vogeldynamics.com/bio/) and accomplishments (http://www.vogeldynamics.com/accomplishments/) speak for themselves. As with many other world class shooters, Bob is down to earth, humble, practical, and easily approachable. This class at Chabot Gun Range, in the hills above Oakland, CA, started with a 2 hour discussion on his approach to shooting based on his competition, LE, and hunting experiences.
He went over equipment first. At this time, Vogel shoots primarily Glocks for competition, LE duty, and CCW. At the class, he was shooting a G34 with Warren Sevigny competition sights using a wide notch rear aperture and a red fiberoptic front (he replaces the fiberoptic rod about every 3 mo). Interestingly, he uses fiberoptic front sights on all his pistols–competition, LE duty, and CCW. He feels they work just as well for him as tritium sights and reports never having any problems with breakage or fiber loss, but he does install them correctly.
Under normal circumstances, I still carry a firearm like a plainclothes assignment rather than a washed up retired guy. I usually carry a compact duty gun (currently HK P30), a Surefire E2DL, and a Strider SMF folder and DB fixed blade, along with a hideout Ti HAK. I use a HK P2000SK as a second gun at times in a small fanny pack. Old habits die hard, and this is probably overkill for most. On occasion or as required by dress I will carry items more in line with a size that most folks would consider for daily concealed carry. Because I have to sacrifice in size, does not mean I have to sacrifice in performance. I have obtained some outstanding items recently that offer huge performance in a smaller package.
Raven Concealment Phantom Holster provides a stable platform for the M&P pistol while providing excellent concealability.
This is my M&P 9mm Full Size with my favorite daily carry rig: the Raven Concealment Phantom Rig. With the 1911 and M&P, this holster has just about replaced all others in terms of usability and comfort.
Some ATEi and Sentinel Design love on Tim’s Glock 17 RTF.
This Glock 17 RTF serves as the test platform for my RMR 07. Though Hilton, Erick, and other 10-8 crew have gone through more RMRs in the past several months than underwear, I wanted to put some time in on the concept so I don’t go the way of the Blackberry (remember those?)
Note that most of the folks that comment about how their RMR’s are working just fine appear to only have low round counts through the platform, or don’t really shoot them at all. I will report back at 1000 round intervals assuming the optic holds up that long.
SOURCES:
It’s always a fun day on the range until…It’s not.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing right in front of me. I was literally within inches of him as he rotated the muzzle of the cocked 9mm pistol up under his chin with his finger on the trigger. I found myself reaching in with my left hand pushing the gun away from under his chin and grabbing it with my thumb in-between the hammer and the slide. I’m not sure if he was resisting or not but I ended up hitting him on the top of his right wrist to break his grip on the pistol. I now had complete control of the weapon and with it back in a safe direction I quickly made it safe. All the while this was going on, my shooter had no reaction or expression on his face and my thoughts were turning towards my loaded sidearm in my holster. Thankfully he either didn’t think about it or he thought better of wrestling with me for my own gun. Either way, I was truly lucky! Continue reading
Just a fun day at the range with non-shooters having fun and bonding.
As a firearms instructor for a large academy, I tend to see a lot of people from all walks of life and with a broad range of experience and skill. Some come to us having never touched a firearm in their lives. Others have had quite a bit of professional of training and they just want to learn the latest and greatest techniques. Those people are there by choice and typically are pretty well balanced and focused on safely learning. Sometimes we host events for corporate demonstrations or team building. It is at this point where the people we see start to vary widely. Many are not gun people, some have little experience and a few are well trained and safe. Every once in a while we run across the unpredictable variable. This recount is about one of those variables. Continue reading
I have been carrying a 9mm HK P30 for my primary pistol for a while after having epic issues with my last newly purchased Glock 19. I have been very happy with the HK P30 with its out of the box performance. It is disturbingly reliable, has consistent and very positive extraction and ejection (even without a magazine), is more mechanically accurate than its more popular competitors, and actually doesn’t need anything done to carry as a working pistol. Mine is a V2 LEM that is the heavier of the LEM set-ups. It has the HK luminescent sights that are not tritium (due to a ban in Europe), but do work really well when simply hit with a light. I set my guns up with small back straps and side panels. The P30 is one of the most adaptable pistols made to tailor the grip to an individuals taste.
Atlanta Arms and 10-8 goodness.
Those who have been around the pistol competition circuit are already familiar with Atlanta Arms & Ammunition, but many who regularly practice on the range or in classes may not be familiar with this excellent company. Many of us at 10-8 regularly shoot this ammunition at matches and for practice and for good reason: the ammunition is clean, consistent, accurate, and reasonably priced.
Founded in 1976, Atlanta Arms and Ammunition has built its reputation on manufacturing first quality ammunition for competitors. Just a few shooters that use Atlanta Arms and Ammunition: the US Army Marksmanship Unit, Max Michel, Phil Strader, Rob Leatham, Jessie Duff, and the Glock Shooting Team.
Atlanta Arms offers a variety of loads appropriate for a variety of sports, matches, or training events. The ammunition is available as factory new, or factory remanufactured. We at 10-8 have shot quite a bit of the remanufactured ammunition and can attest to its quality and consistency. Take a look at their website and find the load that best suits your needs.
Benelli M4 with MESA Tactical Urbino
I have always been a fan of the quality and durability of MESA Tactical products. Let me also say that I am a, “buy-once, cry-once,” type of consumer. I need it to work when I need it and I don’t want to ever find myself wondering about if my kit will work or malfunction when I need it most. With the need to shorten the length of pull on both my pump-action and semi-auto shotguns, I installed MESA Tactical Urbino stocks on both my Remington 870 and my Benelli M4 Shotguns. They quickly solved the problem I had which stems from being cursed with arms the length of a T-rex. Continue reading
Little that goes into one side of a car will exit the other side. You need to test what you use against a real car.
Day 2 started by de-briefing the vehicle assault / hostage rescue done by LAPD SWAT several years ago. Learning points including rehearsals, intelligent bad guys, observation skills, communication and un-expected actions by hostages.
We shot a four-door American made sedan with our duty rounds. The best performing handgun rounds were Black Hill’s 185 grain Barnes all-copper bullet and Federal’s bonded 230 grain jacketed hollow-point – both making it through the car to the exterior wall of the far door. While there are better options for vehicles, the .45ACP and full-power 12ga slugs performed decently. Continue reading
Knowing how to successfully take down bad guys in cars is an important skill – especially for working street cops and some in the military. Defending against bad guys who want to get into your car is an equally important skill set for everyone – but that is a different class.
Last spring, Tim Lau and I, along with several other law enforcement officers, spent two full days with International Tactical Training Seminars, aka – ITTS, and its lead instructor – Scott Reitz, working on our ability to take down a car occupied by one or more Bad Guys.
There are a number of Vehicle Assault courses out there for those who can take them. The ITTS class is built around a manageable multiple officer cell using handguns. And it takes its tactics and techniques from those proven viable by specialized teams in the greater Los Angeles area. The tactics and techniques taught can be used with shoulder fired weapons. Continue reading
What does one do if they want to add more weight, velocity, power or speed to something already existing? Some would answer, “Build it bigger?” In a way that is what Colt Defense did when they began building their LE901 carbine in .308 Winchester. Colt built a bigger hammer when they launched their new platform to get into the .308 market. For almost a decade Colt sat idly by watching other manufacturers jettison their iteration of an AR10 weapon into the hands of sportsmen, Law Enforcement and Military users. But just this past summer the launch of their bigger hammer hit the market and now the company identified with the rampant pony now has a larger caliber black rifle to offer supporters.