I had a very good Christmas. I ate a lot of good food, got lots of presents and went to church. Speaking of going to church, my wife and I went with my father to his church. Sitting in front of us were 5 kids who I was pretty sure were going to kill each other.
The parents sat there doing absolutely nothing. Get this: They even let their son bring a Nerf dart gun to church. I’m pretty sure growing up if I had attempted to bring a dart gun to church it wouldn’t have gone very well. Anyway, I’m sure these kids will be on 60 Minutes one day for murdering their parents. Better them than me.
Regarding the gifts I got for Christmas, I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that I got a lot of good firearms books (more on these in a moment.) The bad news is that my wife must have gotten to Santa because he did not bring me a gun for Christmas, which is hard to believe, because everyone knows Santa is a Republican. But that’s okay, because I plan to get two guns next month, including a new 1911 to make up for what Santa didn’t bring me.
Now let’s get to the books I got:
I’m very fortunate to love what I do and to have my “work reading material” be something that interests me. I try and read at least two books a month on personal protection and firearms. The following books below are what I got for Christmas and what should keep me busy for the next few months:
1. To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth by Jeff Cooper
2. Jim Cirillo’s Tales of the Stakeout Squad by Paul Kirchner
3. No Second Place Winner by Bill Jordan
4. Surgical Speed Shooting by Andy Stanford
5. Practical Shooting by Brian Enos
6. 1911: The First 100 Years by Patrick Sweeney
Each of these books is written by or about some of the best firearms instructors on the planet, so I look forward to learning a thing or two, which I’ll in turn be able to pass along to you.
Other than the books, I got some new jacketed hollow-point self-defense ammo and my wife wants me to inform you that she got a blender… sorry a “hand mixer,” and some “super cute” clothes. Needless to say, I was slightly more excited about the books and ammo than the blender and shirt made by some designer I’ve never heard of.
Well, time to head to the range to get some practice in, but tomorrow I’m going to reveal the 2012 Concealed Carry Academy referral plan, which I really think you’re going to like and which could get you a ton of free training.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Why My Christmas Tree May Be The Death of Me
If you’ve ever been in law enforcement or in the military, you know that clearing a home at night is a difficult task, which you never want to do, and it becomes even more difficult during the Christmas season. Why? Well, the following story about how my wife and our Christmas tree are trying to kill me will illustrate this:
Like most people who celebrate Christmas, my wife and I already have our tree.
As soon as we got home, she and I set it up. I thought we were all good, so I sat on the couch and began to do some reading. About 30 seconds into my book, I was informed she did not like the location of the tree.
Well, about two hours later, after arranging every piece of furniture in our living room, we finally had the perfect spot for our tree, which by the way, was probably a millimeter from the spot we started off in.
Anyway, it was time for bed after that so my wife and I went upstairs and went to sleep, or so I thought. The next morning as I was walked downstairs into the living room my leg slammed right into our couch. As I grimaced in pain, I limped over to the light switch and flicked it on to realize the tree had once again been moved to a new location as had the couch.
Needless to say, I wasn’t a happy camper at the moment.
Luckily though, this incident only left me with a bruise on my shin and angst towards the Christmas tree in my house. However, if an intruder had come in that night it could have truly turned into an ugly situation.
What if I had been forced to confront an intruder and had smashed into the couch or tripped over it? What if presents had been all over the ground in a new location and I had fallen into the tree giving an intruder a chance to attack me or even run upstairs and get to my wife?
(As much as I tease my wife - who has a great sense of humor and actually proofreads everything I write - I love her more than anything else in the world and I could never live with myself if I had not been paying attention to my surroundings, letting an intruder get the better of me.)
My point is, your spouse, Santa, or the tooth fairy may rearrange your furniture without you being the wiser. So never take for granted that you’ve lived in the same house for 30 years and know the layout like the back of your hand.
If, heaven forbid, you do ever have to go downstairs to confront an intruder, take a flashlight with you and go slowly. And yes, I’ll admit when I went downstairs that morning I did not expect to be attacked by the couch so I did not have my flashlight with me, which is always next to my gun in my bedroom.
Like most people who celebrate Christmas, my wife and I already have our tree.
As soon as we got home, she and I set it up. I thought we were all good, so I sat on the couch and began to do some reading. About 30 seconds into my book, I was informed she did not like the location of the tree.
Well, about two hours later, after arranging every piece of furniture in our living room, we finally had the perfect spot for our tree, which by the way, was probably a millimeter from the spot we started off in.
Anyway, it was time for bed after that so my wife and I went upstairs and went to sleep, or so I thought. The next morning as I was walked downstairs into the living room my leg slammed right into our couch. As I grimaced in pain, I limped over to the light switch and flicked it on to realize the tree had once again been moved to a new location as had the couch.
Needless to say, I wasn’t a happy camper at the moment.
Luckily though, this incident only left me with a bruise on my shin and angst towards the Christmas tree in my house. However, if an intruder had come in that night it could have truly turned into an ugly situation.
What if I had been forced to confront an intruder and had smashed into the couch or tripped over it? What if presents had been all over the ground in a new location and I had fallen into the tree giving an intruder a chance to attack me or even run upstairs and get to my wife?
(As much as I tease my wife - who has a great sense of humor and actually proofreads everything I write - I love her more than anything else in the world and I could never live with myself if I had not been paying attention to my surroundings, letting an intruder get the better of me.)
My point is, your spouse, Santa, or the tooth fairy may rearrange your furniture without you being the wiser. So never take for granted that you’ve lived in the same house for 30 years and know the layout like the back of your hand.
If, heaven forbid, you do ever have to go downstairs to confront an intruder, take a flashlight with you and go slowly. And yes, I’ll admit when I went downstairs that morning I did not expect to be attacked by the couch so I did not have my flashlight with me, which is always next to my gun in my bedroom.
How Not to Get Shot by Your Dog
A fellow in Brigham City, Utah was out duck hunting with his dog when he accidentally got shot by the pooch. Now, I’ve never been duck hunting in my life but I’m pretty sure this isn’t supposed to be how things happen.
So how exactly did this fellow get shot by his dog? Apparently, he was in a boat with his dog when he decided to get out of the boat and put a decoy in the marsh. He left his shotgun in the boat along with his excited dog. Somehow, while running around the boat the dog stepped on the trigger and the gun fired.
Thank goodness it was only birdshot and the owner did have a pair of waders on, which helped mitigate the damage as well. However, he still had to go to the hospital and get 27 pellets of birdshot removed from his behind, which I imagine wasn’t very fun.
The thing is…
This accident, like most gun accidents, could have been prevented by following simple safety rules. You see, the first mistake this guy made was that he didn’t engage the safety on his shotgun.
Although I’ve never been duck hunting I do have a shotgun for home defense and I do train with it often. And when my shotgun is in my bedroom at night, the safety is on. I don’t want to have to worry about something “magically” getting in the trigger guard and discharging the gun.
In fact…
When I’m training and I’m not firing the gun, I immediately put the safety on. It’s a good habit to develop and ensures the gun won’t discharge when you’re not prepared to fire.
The second mistake this guy made and the rule that none of us should ever violate is pointing the gun at something you’re not willing to destroy. This guy obviously didn’t have the gun in his hand, but he had poor muzzle awareness and wasn’t aware that his 12-guage shotgun was pointing at him when he got out of the boat.
I don’t care if the gun is lying on your couch or on the seat of your truck and nobody is holding it. You still don’t want to have the gun pointed at you and heaven forbid you should ever look down the barrel.
This guy was lucky and this incident didn’t turn out too badly for him. However, the majority of the time when people don’t have proper muzzle awareness it ends up costing them their life or the life of someone they care about.
So please remember the four firearms safety rules at all times. And, be especially careful the next time you leave a loaded gun around Fido.
So how exactly did this fellow get shot by his dog? Apparently, he was in a boat with his dog when he decided to get out of the boat and put a decoy in the marsh. He left his shotgun in the boat along with his excited dog. Somehow, while running around the boat the dog stepped on the trigger and the gun fired.
Thank goodness it was only birdshot and the owner did have a pair of waders on, which helped mitigate the damage as well. However, he still had to go to the hospital and get 27 pellets of birdshot removed from his behind, which I imagine wasn’t very fun.
The thing is…
This accident, like most gun accidents, could have been prevented by following simple safety rules. You see, the first mistake this guy made was that he didn’t engage the safety on his shotgun.
Although I’ve never been duck hunting I do have a shotgun for home defense and I do train with it often. And when my shotgun is in my bedroom at night, the safety is on. I don’t want to have to worry about something “magically” getting in the trigger guard and discharging the gun.
In fact…
When I’m training and I’m not firing the gun, I immediately put the safety on. It’s a good habit to develop and ensures the gun won’t discharge when you’re not prepared to fire.
The second mistake this guy made and the rule that none of us should ever violate is pointing the gun at something you’re not willing to destroy. This guy obviously didn’t have the gun in his hand, but he had poor muzzle awareness and wasn’t aware that his 12-guage shotgun was pointing at him when he got out of the boat.
I don’t care if the gun is lying on your couch or on the seat of your truck and nobody is holding it. You still don’t want to have the gun pointed at you and heaven forbid you should ever look down the barrel.
This guy was lucky and this incident didn’t turn out too badly for him. However, the majority of the time when people don’t have proper muzzle awareness it ends up costing them their life or the life of someone they care about.
So please remember the four firearms safety rules at all times. And, be especially careful the next time you leave a loaded gun around Fido.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
6 Flashlight Shooting Techniques You Must Know
The majority of self-defense shootings occur during low-light or the night time. The exact statistics are all over the place, but I’ve most frequently seen them as saying 60% to 79% of shootings occur in these conditions.
It’s for this very reason that I recommend you have a flashlight and carry it with you. At the very least you need to have a flashlight next to your bed for home protection purposes. The flashlight I use is the SureFire G2X Tactical light, but you can’t go wrong with any of the SureFire models.
Once you’ve chosen your flashlight you obviously need to know how to use it for self-defense purposes. The first rule is to keep your flashlight in the same place at all times. If you’re going to carry a flashlight on your belt, make sure it’s always in the same location.
If you’re going to carry it in your left pants pocket, it should always be in your left pants pocket. This also goes for where you keep it in your bedroom. Every night before I go to bed I make sure my flashlight is where it’s supposed to be and that it hasn’t been moved or used by somebody.
Next, I would not recommend mounting your flashlight on your pistol.
This causes the major problem of pointing a loaded gun at everything you shine your light on. If your 16-year-old son is sneaking in the basement and you run down there to shine a light to see who it is, I doubt you want to point the loaded firearm at your kid.
Since you’re not going to have a light on the gun, you need to learn one of several flashlight shooting techniques. By far, the most popular technique is the “Harries” method. It was developed in the 1970’s by Mike Harries, a former Marine.
Simply put, if you’re a right-handed shooter you grab the flashlight with your left hand in the “ice pick” grip. In other words, the way you’re holding the flashlight should allow you to strike downward with force as if you’re stabbing someone. Also, your left thumb operates the pressure switch on the end of the flashlight.
Once you have a solid grip on the light, bring your left hand underneath the gun and put your hands back to back. When you are doing this do not cross your hand in front of a loaded gun, make sure and bring the light underneath the pistol and not in front of it. Maintain pressure bringing both your wrists and the back of your hands together.
Another popular flashlight technique is the Chapman…
Named after Ray Chapman, who won the world’s first pistol championship in 1975. With this technique you hold the flashlight in a “sword” grip and bring the flashlight alongside your gun. The thumb and forefinger grasp the light and your other three fingers wrap around your shooting hand. The major problem with this technique is that it was designed when the majority of flashlights had the on/off button on the side of the flashlight, unlike today’s tactical flashlights, which have the button on the end of the light.
The Ayoob flashlight technique was developed by Massad Ayoob, a well-known firearms instructor and author of many books, including In the Gravest Extreme. The Ayoob technique is very similar to the Chapman in that you hold the flashlight in the “sword” grip. The only difference is, instead of holding the flashlight underhand, you hold it overhand and you bring both thumbs together as if you’re shooting in the traditional “thumbs forward” grip.
Former FBI Agent and firearms instructor Bill Rogers created the Rogers flashlight technique. This is where you hold the light in between your index finger and your middle finger. You bring the flashlight up to the side of the gun and have your thumbs touch and your other two fingers wrap around your shooting hand. This method allows you to get closer to a two handed grip than any other flashlight shooting technique.
The Neck-Index technique seems to get more popular by the day and can be used with most flashlights, whether they’re big or small, and whether the pressure switch is on the end of the light or on the side. You use the “ice pick” grip for this technique and hold the flashlight right below your ear close to your jaw and neck. An obvious disadvantage of this technique is that the flashlight is directly next to your head so if a bad guy is shooting at the light you’re in trouble.
Of course…
I can’t talk about flashlight techniques without mentioning the old FBI technique. This is where you hold the flashlight in the “ice pick” grip up in the air and away from your body. The theory behind this technique is that you’ll disorient an attacker because they won’t know where you’re at and if they shoot at the light they won’t hit you. This technique is good for clearing a room, but if you have to hold the flashlight for an extended period of time your arm becomes tired very quickly.
Personally, the methods which I prefer are the Harries and the Neck-Index, but you need to figure out what works best for you. Also, don’t forget to practice reloads and clearing malfunctions with the flashlight. If you use a lanyard with your light you can simply let it drop and hang from your wrist when reloading. However, if you don’t use a lanyard, you’ll need to practice putting the light under your armpit with the light facing to the rear, when doing these exercises.
In addition to dry firing at home, don’t forget to take your flashlight to the range with you to practice these different techniques because you never know when a window will break at 3am and you’ll be extremely happy you learned one of these simple flashlight techniques.
It’s for this very reason that I recommend you have a flashlight and carry it with you. At the very least you need to have a flashlight next to your bed for home protection purposes. The flashlight I use is the SureFire G2X Tactical light, but you can’t go wrong with any of the SureFire models.
Once you’ve chosen your flashlight you obviously need to know how to use it for self-defense purposes. The first rule is to keep your flashlight in the same place at all times. If you’re going to carry a flashlight on your belt, make sure it’s always in the same location.
If you’re going to carry it in your left pants pocket, it should always be in your left pants pocket. This also goes for where you keep it in your bedroom. Every night before I go to bed I make sure my flashlight is where it’s supposed to be and that it hasn’t been moved or used by somebody.
Next, I would not recommend mounting your flashlight on your pistol.
This causes the major problem of pointing a loaded gun at everything you shine your light on. If your 16-year-old son is sneaking in the basement and you run down there to shine a light to see who it is, I doubt you want to point the loaded firearm at your kid.
Since you’re not going to have a light on the gun, you need to learn one of several flashlight shooting techniques. By far, the most popular technique is the “Harries” method. It was developed in the 1970’s by Mike Harries, a former Marine.
Simply put, if you’re a right-handed shooter you grab the flashlight with your left hand in the “ice pick” grip. In other words, the way you’re holding the flashlight should allow you to strike downward with force as if you’re stabbing someone. Also, your left thumb operates the pressure switch on the end of the flashlight.
Once you have a solid grip on the light, bring your left hand underneath the gun and put your hands back to back. When you are doing this do not cross your hand in front of a loaded gun, make sure and bring the light underneath the pistol and not in front of it. Maintain pressure bringing both your wrists and the back of your hands together.
Another popular flashlight technique is the Chapman…
Named after Ray Chapman, who won the world’s first pistol championship in 1975. With this technique you hold the flashlight in a “sword” grip and bring the flashlight alongside your gun. The thumb and forefinger grasp the light and your other three fingers wrap around your shooting hand. The major problem with this technique is that it was designed when the majority of flashlights had the on/off button on the side of the flashlight, unlike today’s tactical flashlights, which have the button on the end of the light.
The Ayoob flashlight technique was developed by Massad Ayoob, a well-known firearms instructor and author of many books, including In the Gravest Extreme. The Ayoob technique is very similar to the Chapman in that you hold the flashlight in the “sword” grip. The only difference is, instead of holding the flashlight underhand, you hold it overhand and you bring both thumbs together as if you’re shooting in the traditional “thumbs forward” grip.
Former FBI Agent and firearms instructor Bill Rogers created the Rogers flashlight technique. This is where you hold the light in between your index finger and your middle finger. You bring the flashlight up to the side of the gun and have your thumbs touch and your other two fingers wrap around your shooting hand. This method allows you to get closer to a two handed grip than any other flashlight shooting technique.
The Neck-Index technique seems to get more popular by the day and can be used with most flashlights, whether they’re big or small, and whether the pressure switch is on the end of the light or on the side. You use the “ice pick” grip for this technique and hold the flashlight right below your ear close to your jaw and neck. An obvious disadvantage of this technique is that the flashlight is directly next to your head so if a bad guy is shooting at the light you’re in trouble.
Of course…
I can’t talk about flashlight techniques without mentioning the old FBI technique. This is where you hold the flashlight in the “ice pick” grip up in the air and away from your body. The theory behind this technique is that you’ll disorient an attacker because they won’t know where you’re at and if they shoot at the light they won’t hit you. This technique is good for clearing a room, but if you have to hold the flashlight for an extended period of time your arm becomes tired very quickly.
Personally, the methods which I prefer are the Harries and the Neck-Index, but you need to figure out what works best for you. Also, don’t forget to practice reloads and clearing malfunctions with the flashlight. If you use a lanyard with your light you can simply let it drop and hang from your wrist when reloading. However, if you don’t use a lanyard, you’ll need to practice putting the light under your armpit with the light facing to the rear, when doing these exercises.
In addition to dry firing at home, don’t forget to take your flashlight to the range with you to practice these different techniques because you never know when a window will break at 3am and you’ll be extremely happy you learned one of these simple flashlight techniques.
Why reloading this way could get you killed
After teaching my concealed carry class on Saturday I headed over to the NRA range for some personal training time. Since I had just taught a class my gear was in a bunch of different boxes, and when I got to the range I couldn’t find my magazine pouch.
After spending a while looking for the pouch (which probably means one minute since I’m a man of little patience) I headed into the range with my Glock 19, and all my shooting gear, minus my magazine pouch.
Now, when I go to the range I take the sessions pretty seriously. I go there for a purpose, and I always do a series of drills to improve my shooting skills. One of the more advanced drills I do is where I have a target the size of a paper plate and right above it I have a target the size of an index card.
The drill consists of 6 rounds…
And you start with 4 rounds in the first magazine and 2 rounds in the second. I shoot the four rounds into the paper plate target, I reload, and then shoot 2 more rounds into the 3x5 size target. When I’m doing this I start with the target edged, then it faces and then it disappears within 5-10 seconds. (You’ll see why I say 5-10 seconds in a minute.)
Well, as I just mentioned, I didn’t have my magazine pouch on me like I usually do so I was forced to keep the magazine in one of my pockets. At first I tried the front pocket and I was grabbing the magazine out of it slower than cold tar running up a dirt road. Next, I kept it in my back pocket and it wasn’t much better. It was taking me about 10 seconds to finish the drill.
When I walked out of the shooting session…
My wife, who had been watching me, said: “You sure looked slow today.” I kept my thoughts to myself and just nodded even though I wanted to say “yes my dear, it took me as long as it takes you to get ready for bed every night to get the magazine out of my pocket.”
The point I’m trying to make is that I know several shooters who carry their spare ammunition in their pockets and Saturday’s shooting excursion once again reminded me why it’s a bad idea.
It takes way too long to grab the magazine from your pocket and perform a reload. It’s a heck of a lot quicker when you have a magazine pouch. (I use a simple Kydex single mag pouch.) And if for some reason you don’t believe me, go to the shooting range this weekend and do what I did. Do some timed shooting drills wearing your mag pouch and then do some drills with the spare mag in your pocket. After you do these, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me that spare ammo needs to be on your belt in a pouch and not tucked away in some pocket.
By the way, I did find my magazine pouch and next time I go back to the range I should be back to regular form and shouldn’t be hearing my wife say: “you sure looked slow today.”
After spending a while looking for the pouch (which probably means one minute since I’m a man of little patience) I headed into the range with my Glock 19, and all my shooting gear, minus my magazine pouch.
Now, when I go to the range I take the sessions pretty seriously. I go there for a purpose, and I always do a series of drills to improve my shooting skills. One of the more advanced drills I do is where I have a target the size of a paper plate and right above it I have a target the size of an index card.
The drill consists of 6 rounds…
And you start with 4 rounds in the first magazine and 2 rounds in the second. I shoot the four rounds into the paper plate target, I reload, and then shoot 2 more rounds into the 3x5 size target. When I’m doing this I start with the target edged, then it faces and then it disappears within 5-10 seconds. (You’ll see why I say 5-10 seconds in a minute.)
Well, as I just mentioned, I didn’t have my magazine pouch on me like I usually do so I was forced to keep the magazine in one of my pockets. At first I tried the front pocket and I was grabbing the magazine out of it slower than cold tar running up a dirt road. Next, I kept it in my back pocket and it wasn’t much better. It was taking me about 10 seconds to finish the drill.
When I walked out of the shooting session…
My wife, who had been watching me, said: “You sure looked slow today.” I kept my thoughts to myself and just nodded even though I wanted to say “yes my dear, it took me as long as it takes you to get ready for bed every night to get the magazine out of my pocket.”
The point I’m trying to make is that I know several shooters who carry their spare ammunition in their pockets and Saturday’s shooting excursion once again reminded me why it’s a bad idea.
It takes way too long to grab the magazine from your pocket and perform a reload. It’s a heck of a lot quicker when you have a magazine pouch. (I use a simple Kydex single mag pouch.) And if for some reason you don’t believe me, go to the shooting range this weekend and do what I did. Do some timed shooting drills wearing your mag pouch and then do some drills with the spare mag in your pocket. After you do these, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me that spare ammo needs to be on your belt in a pouch and not tucked away in some pocket.
By the way, I did find my magazine pouch and next time I go back to the range I should be back to regular form and shouldn’t be hearing my wife say: “you sure looked slow today.”
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