A Home Invasion Drill

One of the many gun magazines I subscribe to is Combat Handguns. Each month they have a section titled “It Happened to Me” where a person tells the story of how having a firearm saved their life.

This month’s story is about a woman who was home alone at night with her children because her husband worked a late shift. She heard a noise coming from downstairs and she grabbed her Glock and went to the top of the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a man with a knife who proceeded to charge up the stairs toward her. She fired six rounds at the intruder and ended up killing him. She later found out the man had a prior criminal history of burglary and rape.

Needless to say, this proves once again why it’s so important to have a firearm for self-defense. Just imagine what horrible things could have happened to this woman and her children if she hadn’t been prepared for a home invasion.

But it’s also a good reminder that we should practice a simple home invasion drill so that we know we are able to accurately fire towards the bottom of the stairs. What I mean is, for my own home defense plan I am going to go to the top of the stairs with my Glock 19 that has a Viridian C5L laser/light combination on it.

Obviously, if an intruder charges up my stairs threatening to kill me I need to be able to fire down the stairs and stop them. In my house, this is rather simple to do because I have a straight staircase. But I still dry fire down the stairs to practice doing this. (I only do this dry fire practice when nobody else is in the home.) I also practice using one of the walls at the top of the stairs as concealment and leaning out and firing down the stairs, ensuring I expose as little of my body as possible.

To make dry firing down the stairs a little more exciting, I also use the LaserLyte Plinking Cans. This is a new product from LaserLyte and it comes with three cans that are about half the size of a soda can. When you fire the laser training gun at the cans (and hit the target on the can) the cans tip over.

What I do with these cans is to set them on a chair at the bottom of my stairs. I then practice leaning out from the top of the stairs and seeing how quickly I can tip over each can.

Like I mentioned a minute ago, this makes dry fire more interesting and I get immediate feedback on whether I’ve hit the target or not.

If you haven’t practiced dry firing from the top of your stairs to the bottom or practiced the same thing while using cover I encourage you to do it this week.

Obviously, you don’t want the first time you’ve ever tried this to be when some maniac is charging you with a knife. Also, don’t forget to try this both during the day and at night while using your flashlight, whether it’s a hand held light or a weapon mounted light.

3 sling choices for your rifle

In my opinion, there are a few must haves for every rifle you own. First, you’ve got to have sights whether you’re using iron sights or an optic. Second, you’ve got to have a lighting system, and finally, you need to have a sling.

The truth is, I’ve never had someone show up to one of my defensive rifle courses without a sling (although I’m sure it’s happened elsewhere) but I have had people show up with “improper” slings that were not very comfortable and made for a long day of training.

Obviously, you don’t want to end up in this position or have a “cheap” sling that falls apart during your training, so let me share with you a few slings that I have on my own rifles and that you may want to consider too.

One of my favorite slings is the Viking Tactics Sling. The reason I like this sling is because it’s instantly adjustable. In other words, when you’re shooting from various positions you just press down on a metal clip and you can instantly shorten or lengthen the sling as needed.

I’ve had my Viking Tactics Sling for years and have never had a problem with it. The company also makes a padded version of the sling for increased comfort, and if you carry a rifle often this is the one you’d want to get. The Viking Tactics Sling sells for around $43, which isn’t a bad price at all.

Another of my favorite slings is the Wilderness Giles Tactical Sling.

I just put this sling on a new Ruger 10/22 I purchased. What’s nice about this sling is that you don’t have to drill any holes in the buttstock of your rifle. It just slides over the buttstock and you can put in on your rifle in a matter of minutes.

This sling is also extremely durable so you should only have to buy one of these in your lifetime. The Giles Tactical Sling is slightly more expensive than the Viking Tactics and sells for around $50. But still, that’s a small investment for a quality sling that you should never need to replace.

Other slings you may want to check out are the ones made by Magpul Industries. Magpul makes all types of solid products for rifles and their slings are no different. They’re easy to adjust and quick to detach. Magpul just introduced a new sling this year called the MS1 Sling System, which makes it even easier to modify your sling and get it exactly how you want it.

Of course, there are many other sling makers on the market, but you can’t go wrong by going with any of the three slings I mentioned above. All of them are $50 or less and well worth the investment for all of the rifles you own.

Nonsense from a Utah PD

Over the weekend, I gave a private shooting lesson to a young man who’s looking to become a police officer. This kid is having trouble with the shooting portion of the academy and came to me because he’s not sure he’s going to be able to qualify.

The truth is, most police department qualifications are a joke. They don’t raise the bar very high because they want to be able to get as many officers through as possible (I can say this because I witnessed it myself when I was a police officer). However, when you move up to the Federal level, such as FBI, Secret Service, etc., the qualifications do become more challenging.

So, when I heard this kid was having trouble qualifying at first I thought he might just be a terrible shooter. But before I started training him I asked him how he had been taught to shoot, the grip he was using, and how he drew the gun from the holster, etc.

Well… it didn’t take me long to quickly realize the (Utah) academy this kid was attending has instructors who are giving him horrible advice and these instructors have obviously not been keeping up with modern firearms training.

First, the instructors are telling this kid that he should barely be holding the gun with his gun hand, and that the support hand should be providing all the pressure on the gun. They literally told him that they should be able to walk up to him on the firing line and be able to slap the gun out of his hand because he should be holding it with such little force.

Now, it doesn’t take a genius to see the lack of wisdom in this advice. If you draw your gun and somebody were to attempt to take it away from you, is it really a good idea to hold the gun so daintily that they could quickly strip it from your hand?

Unfortunately, it gets even worse…

These instructors are teaching the old “cup and saucer” shooting grip. If you’re not familiar with this “google” it and you’ll see why it’s a bad grip that hasn’t been taught in decades by reputable agencies.

The grip that I recommend and that the top shooters in the world use is the Thumbs Forward shooting grip. This allows you to put a lot of flesh on the gun and when new shooters try this grip it almost always improves their accuracy.

Of course, I showed the kid the Thumbs Forward grip and I told him be needed to grip the gun harder and I better never be able to slap the gun out of his hand. But guess what? The instructors at this academy will not allow him to use the grip I showed him. They have told him he has to do it the way they teach shooting and nothing else.

And that’s the real reason I wrote today’s article because that’s what really annoys me.

Like I just mentioned, I use the Thumbs Forward grip and so do the majority of good shooters. But the fact is, the most important thing in the world is if you can hit your target. So if you come to me and want to try another grip and with this other grip you shoot better, then by all means, as long as you’re still obeying the 4 safety rules then use that other grip.

It’s a shame to see law enforcement agencies who are 1) teaching terrible firearms training and 2) who are not open minded and not allowing their officers to grip the gun a different way if it’s what works for them.

Whether you’re in law enforcement or not, I always recommend keeping an open mind because you never know when you’re going to discover a new shooting method that works better for you. But, when you find something that doesn’t, no instructor (police or civilian) should force you to shoot their way and their way only.

A laser for your home defense gun?

While at SHOT show two weeks go, I had the chance to check out numerous lasers. These days, a ton of companies make them and they’re smaller than ever, but do you really need a laser on your home defense gun?

Well, here’s what I would do if I were you…

The first and most important thing you need is a light. Yes, you can use a handheld light, but if you want to get a weapon-mounted light then I would get a light/laser combo. Most of these combos allow you to have just the light on, just the laser on, or both the light and the laser on at the same time, (which is what you want.)

Remember, you still need to use your sights even if you have a laser on your gun. It drives me crazy when I hear people say they can shoot from the hip or they don’t have to use their sights because they have a laser on their gun. The laser is just like any other piece of equipment: it can break or run out of batteries at any time, so you always need to know how to properly line up your sights and should always train this way.

Also, if you put a laser on your gun you need to zero it so that your laser and your iron sights have the same point of aim, point of impact. If, heaven forbid, you do have to shoot from a strange position and aren’t able to line up your sights, then you obviously want to make sure the round hits the target when relying on just your laser.

If you are heading in the direction of getting a laser, I would also make sure and buy a quality one. There are “budget” lasers on the market, but I’m a big believer in buying once and buying right. Plus, if you’re going to use this laser for home defense it’s worth spending the money in case a worst-case scenario occurs.

On my own home defense gun, I have a laser/light combo from Viridian. I went with the green laser because green lasers are brighter and easier to see than red lasers. Green lasers typically cost more, but I plan on having my laser for the next several years so it’s worth it to me.

On a final note, to dispel another myth, remember that you need to be prepared to use your gun any time it comes out of your safe. I’ve heard some people say that they’re going to buy a laser because any burglar will flee once they see they have a laser pointed at their chest.

If a burglar does flee because of the laser then that is a huge bonus. However, I wouldn’t count on it. So, if you’ve got your gun and laser pointed at an intruder and he doesn’t stop then you need to be prepared to use the gun to defend yourself.

So, do you really need a laser? Of course, that’s all up to you, but the laser is yet another tool that can make it easier to protect yourself.  

3 Guns from SHOT Show

Last week was the annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. To give you an idea of what it’s like, just imagine a chocolate lover getting to spend the week in Willy Wonka’s factory.

Over 1,600 companies exhibited this year and there were over 65,000 attendees. I divided my time between work and checking out new products, especially the new guns.

Like everyone at SHOT, I checked out the new Glock 42, which is chambered in .380. I’m a huge Glock fan and own multiple Glocks. One of the guns I carry most often is a Glock 19. However, I’m not impressed with the Glock 42 and wished they would have made it smaller, more along the lines of the Ruger LCP.

Like many folks have said, if I wanted to carry a gun that size I’d just carry a 9mm. But despite what I think, I’m sure the gun will sell like crazy and hopefully Glock will come out with a smaller version in the future.

I was more impressed with the Beretta Pico, which is also a .380.  

The Beretta Pico has been on the cover of almost every gun magazine known to man, but is still not available for sale. I’ve been told the Pico will be available to the public around April.

What I like about the Pico is that it’s about the same size as the LCP and it comes with real sights. It felt great in my hand and I look forward to shooing one when I get the chance. If all goes well, the Pico may replace my LCP as my new favorite pocket gun.

Another gun that impressed me during SHOT was the Beretta ARX100. This is Beretta’s new version of the modern sporting rifle. In other words, it’s trying to replace the AR-15 as the rifle of the future.

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the ARX100 was how much lighter it is than my AR. Most of the ARX100 is polymer, which is why it was light and why it would be more comfortable to carry in the field or at a multiple day rifle course.

With the ARX100, you have the ability to change barrels to multiple calibers. Eventually, you’ll be able to swap out barrels and be able shoot 5.56, .308, and .300 Blackout.

And if you happen to be a lefty, you’ll love the fact that the charging handle on the gun can be moved from one side to the other very easily. The Beretta salesman showed me how to move it in about 10 seconds.

Unfortunately, like the Pico, the ARX100 isn’t available yet. I was told it should also be ready around the April timeframe and this may be the next rifle I add to my arsenal.

Of course, there were dozens more guns released this year, but these were three of the most popular. If you have the chance to attend next year’s SHOT Show, I highly recommend it. But, do yourself a favor before you go inside and give yourself a limit on how much money you’ll spend (trust me on this one.)

No More Gun Rentals?

The other day, a friend of mine called me and said, “guess what just happened to me at the gun store?”

Apparently, he went to a store in Utah to rent a few guns before deciding on a new gun to purchase. I think this is a great idea and I always recommend renting a bunch of guns to make sure you end up buying one that feels good in your hand and one you’ll actually carry.

Well, when my friend got to the counter to rent the guns, the clerk asked him if anyone could vouch for his mental capacity within the last 24 hours. My friend thought the guy was joking, but the clerk made him call someone and verify he hadn’t been drinking, doing drugs, and wasn’t suicidal.

After the clerk had spoken to someone, he ended up renting my friend the guns. Obviously, this screening method is nonsense because my friend could have called anyone up to “vouch” for him. But it sounds like the store owner has been talking to a lawyer who probably advised him on this tactic to limit his liability.

In Florida, several gun stores have taken it a step further and have stopped renting guns altogether. One Florida store owner will still rent guns to people, except white males…

 “We don’t rent to any white male Florida resident who comes in alone. In the past 30 years, we’ve never had a suicide that wasn't a white male Florida resident who came in alone. They don’t want to mess up their families’ homes, so they do it here.”

The fact is, the vast majority of new shooters end up renting guns while learning about the sport. This saves them a lot of money during the time they’re deciding which gun they want. If more gun stores around the nation stop renting guns, forcing everyone who wants to try shooting to bring their own gun with them, then fewer people will be able to try shooting and realize how enjoyable it is.

I realize that store owners don’t want suicides in their ranges and I certainly can’t blame them, but there has to be a better way to prevent this. I don’t think discontinuing gun rentals is the answer because, as I just mentioned, there will be untold amounts of people who will never learn how to responsibly use firearms and how to protect themselves with a firearm.

Also, based on the statistics I read, the amount of suicides at ranges across the country is miniscule. However, it seems some store owners have overreacted based on this small percentage of people.

I don’t know what the solution to this predicament is but I am sure it’s not to stop renting guns altogether. The last thing we want to do is to stop encouraging people to learn how to protect themselves and to support the Second Amendment.

Double action or double/single action gun?

One of my favorite times of year will be here soon – the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas. This year, like every other, there will be firearm manufacturers releasing dozens of new guns and I’ll walk through their booths wishing I were a billionaire, just like I do every year.

Some of these guns will be double action only (AKA striker-fired, safe action), while others will be double/single action. I know that a lot of folks, especially new shooters, aren’t exactly sure what the difference is so I’d like to try and make it a little clearer today.

The two guns that I use often for concealed carry are a Glock 19 and Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm. Both of these guns are double action only. This means there’s no exposed hammer and that the trigger pull is the same every single time you pull the trigger. Double action only is rather simplistic, as you can see.

An example of a double/single action gun is the Beretta 92FS.

The first time you fire the gun, the hammer is down so you’ll be firing the gun in double action mode. This means you will have a longer trigger pull for the first shot. Once you fire this first shot, the gun cycles, which causes the hammer to remain in the cocked position instead of going down again. So, when you fire your second shot you will have a much lighter and shorter trigger pull because the hammer is already cocked the majority of the way.

The critical thing to remember with double/single action guns is that every time you’re done firing and are getting ready to put the gun back in the holster, you need to use the decocking lever. This decocker lowers the hammer back down into double action mode. In other words, for safety purposes, you don’t want to have the gun in your holster in single action mode.

When it comes to the two types of guns, the huge debate between shooters centers around the trigger pull. You see, some shooters want to have their trigger pull be exactly the same every time, while other shooters don’t care that their first shot is a longer trigger pull because then they get to single action mode and a shorter trigger pull.

There is, of course, no right or wrong answer when it comes to which type of action is best. It all comes down to personal preference. If you do decide to carry a double/single, remember to practice shooting the gun the way you carry it. I know a lot of shooters who “cheat” and only fire in single action mode when they’re practicing. But you need to practice coming out of the holster and firing the first shot double action and the rest in single action, just as it would be in a real gunfight.

And again, be safe if you carry a double/single action gun and don’t forget to lower your decocking lever before you holster or when you’re done firing a string of shots.

If all this talk has you totally confused don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it seems. Simply try both double and double/single action guns to see which one you prefer. You just might surprise yourself.