Training When the Weather Turns Cold

Here in Ohio it is definitely fall, and the weather is starting to turn colder, which it will continue to do until everything thaws out next spring.  So, I thought I would dedicate this post to giving some ideas for how to train when the weather is less than perfect.

The best way to train, is just like you would if the weather was perfect.  Cold, windy, overcast day?   Great, put on a coat, and go to the range!  Not only is it more likely you will be the only person there, so you can optimize your training time, but I am a firm believer in training like you will fight.  I will add a caveat here.  I understand that some people view firearms as purely for recreation or sport, and don't really think about them as defensive tools.  If you fall in that category, then maybe you are content with just shooting when it is nice outside, or indoors.

But, if you carry a firearm for defense, do you just carry it outside when it is 75 degrees and sunny?  Then why would that be the only time that you go to the range?  The changing seasons bring new challenges to carry a defensive sidearm, and your training should reflect that.

Odds are that you are wearing more, heavier layers of clothing.  Have you practiced drawing with those extra layers on?  There is a big difference between just sweeping a t-shirt out of the way, as opposed to a winter coat.  The winter coat allows you to conceal a full-sized handgun easier, but also complicates the draw.  So, go to the range wearing your seasonally appropriate outerwear, and practice drawing, and firing in it. Are the sleeves positioned in such a way that you can move adequately to draw and fire?  Or do they restrict your movement?

Equally important, do you wear gloves when your hands get cold?  When is the last time that you tried drawing and shooting your handgun, or even just shooting your handgun, with those gloves on?  Is the trigger guard on your pistol big enough that you can get your gloved finger into position?  Do you know how to index your finger on the trigger to pull slow, steady, and straight to the rear while wearing your gloves?  What about operating the rest of the controls on your pistol with gloves on?  Or performing malfunction drills?  Or reloads?   If you are going to be wearing gloves, these are things you need to consider.

As the days get colder, they also get shorter.  It is not uncommon for people to leave in the morning for work when it is dark, and then get back home after the sun has already set in the evening.  If this sounds like your winter, when is the last time that you tried to do any low-light shooting?  Does your pistol have night sights or a laser to help you properly index your shots before firing them?  Have you taken the time to check the zero if it does?  Are you carrying some sort of hand held flashlight to illuminate any potential targets?

These are all things that people who don't live in tropical paradises need to consider as the seasons change, because they should affect your gear, tactics and training.  You don't necessarily need to go out to the range in a monsoon, but if you do, more power to your.  You will almost certainly be the only person there.  But, when we as humans experience discomfort, like being cold, we tend to start to internalize everything, and just focus on our own misery.  If you go to the range when you are in such a state of mind, it will force you to stop internalizing, and focus on other things, like firearms safety, and how well you are shooting.  So, it adds a little bit of adversity to your range trip, which will help you get outside you comfort zone, and push yourself, to increase your skills.

You can always hop in the car and crank the heater on the way home, so there really is no excuse for not training in less than perfect weather.  It will teach you a lot about your gear, and more importantly, about yourself.

After Action Report: "The Bulletproof Mind" with LtCol. Dave Grossman

I had the opportunity yesterday to attend a Bulletproof Mind seminar, put on by Buckeye Firearms Association.  In my opinion, training doesn't do any good if you don't take the time to analyze and reflect on the experience in some way, hence why I am writing an "after action report."

I will be upfront and say that I was biased in a positive way towards LtCol. Grossman even before attending this seminar.  I have had a copy of his book "On Killing" for several years, and it actually traveled with me to both Iraq and Afghanistan.  I read it a few times while in the service, once before my first deployment, and then again while I was in Afghanistan.  And several others in my platoon read my copy as well, especially in Afghanistan, where we had a fair bit of kinetic contact with the Taliban.  And it seemed to do a lot of good for a lot of us, and helped my friends understand what was going on in their heads.  So, I already had high hopes for the seminar yesterday.

I am a firm believer that you have to train the "software" just as much as the "hardware" when it comes to self defense.  If you are serious about self defense, you use your defensive mindset every single day.  You may be carrying your gun every day, but you certainly don't need to shoot it in defense everyday.  Your mind is actually your single best defensive weapon, and you can probably avoid or deter the vast majority of threats, just by being alert and observing your surroundings, and recognizing a threat when you see one.  So, if all your self defense training consists of is going to the range and punching holes in paper, to me, it is deficient, and you should expand your horizons.

I am not going to try to paraphrase or give away any of what LtCol. Grossman covers in his seminar.  But, some of the topics covered include:

• Current threats in society, and some of the causes for violence in society.
• Possible future threats that society will face
• Some of the Psychological aspects of self defense
• Physiological reactions to threats
• The psychological aftermath of a defensive shooting

I really enjoyed the seminar, and got a lot out of it.  I think that it was a good reminder of why I go through the daily hassle of strapping on a pistol before I head out the door.  If you have been getting lax in your carry habits, it might be a good thing to attend the seminar.  I would also very highly encourage any recently returned veterans who have been deployed to combat overseas to attend, as someone who fits that category, I found it extremely worthwhile.  I personally also think that it could be quite beneficial to someone who is on the fence about carrying for self defense, or even  anti-gun people, if they would attend.  I think it could help pull the wool from over their eyes, and see what is going on in society.  LtCol. Grossman conveys the information in an intelligent manner without any false bravado, and does an excellent job of keeping the crowd involved and interested.

So, if you have a chance to attend one of these seminars, or anything else presented by LtCol Grossman, I would highly recommend you take the chance.  It is just as valuable as a day at the range, and will help round out your defensive training, adding more tools to your tool box.  I actually thought the day went extremely fast, and at no point was looking at my watch wondering when it was going to end.  I also like that the BFA does this as a fundraiser, it is well worth the money, and I have no problems with giving them money with all the work they have done for us in Ohio, especially the month before an election.  You can also pick up his books, or some books he was written forwards or had other input on, up at the seminar without needing to pay for shipping (I bought a copy of "On Combat," and added several more to my wishlist.)  And, if you have an old dog-eared copy of one of his books that traveled the world with you you can probably get it signed, and have a minute with him to talk about where the book has been.

Pushing Yourself at the Range

Many of us, myself included, do not get to the shooting range nearly as often as we want to.  Of course, if I had my choice, I'd be at the range every day.  So, that means that we need to make the most of our time on the range.  A caveat here, if you do not have a solid foundation of skills, go back and read my last post, about building up basic shooting skills, before you attempt to push your comfort level.  But, if you can consistently hit where you want during slow fire at a static range, then start challenging yourself.  Remember that safety is always paramount while you are handling firearms, and all the rules of firearms safety should be obeyed at all times.  Also, be sure to obey the rules of whatever range you are shooting at.  I am fortunate enough to belong to a private shooting club that is more lenient on what they allow than many indoor or public ranges that don't allow things like drawing from a holster on the range.

So, what are some things you can do to challenge yourself at the range?  The easiest that can be done at almost any range is increasing the distance, and/or decreasing target size.  Decreasing the target size can fairly closely simulate extending the range you are shooting at.  It isn't exact or perfect, as somethings like wind calls, and learning the trajectory of the bullets flight can really only be learned by shooting at longer ranges.  But, it still will present more of a challenge.  If you have the ability to shoot at longer ranges, then take advantage of that, and work your way out to longer and longer distances.  On my last shooting trip, here was one of my shooting positions:

I was shooting a pistol, the Ruger Mark III .22/45, at 50 yards, supported on the hood of my vehicle.  Yes, those white things in the distance, specifically the rectangle in the center of the 5 targets, was my target, at this range, with that pistol.   I worked my way out to 50 yards during my range time.  Everything under 25 yards was done offhand, standing with no support.  But, I made sure I had good groups at 7, 10, 15, and 25 yards.  For me, I considered good groups to be all rounds within 2-3 inches, while keeping up a tempo of a shot every couple seconds.  After I was getting the results I wanted at 25 yards, I decided to move back to 50.  I have shot a pistol at 50 yards before, but I was really more of making noise than seriously attempting to make longer than normal pistol shots.  I did also allow myself the use of a support device (the hood of my vehicle), while utilizing proper cover for these shots.  The odds of ever needing to defend myself with a pistol at a distance of 50 yards, while I have a vehicle handy are probably approximately 0%, but, it seemed like a good experiment.  And at any distance, if I can move to cover and support my shooting position, I will.  So, how did I shoot?

I fired several magazines from this position, but this was the first one, so it seemed the most fair to put a picture of it up there.  All 10 rounds were on the piece of paper, and if you take out the flier at the bottom, it is about a 4 1/2" group, which I am pretty happy with at that distance.  I wasn't using premium ammo or anything either, just normal Federal bulk pack high-velocity .22:

Some other ideas if you want to push yourself at the range:  Shoot while moving, or after pivoting.  Move towards/away from the target, side to side, and at the diagonals (see my note on safe behavior above).  Practice drawing and shooting.  Practice drills like a double-tap, Mozambique or failure to stop drill.  Practice multiple target engagement, where you have more than one target, and need to put rounds on each, in proper sequence, as fast as possible.  Shoot with your non-dominant hand.  Shoot from different positions than usual, shoot while using cover.  Induce stress and fatigue, do calisthenics for 60 seconds before engaging your target.  

Really the possibilities are endless, and limited only by your own imagination.  But, if all you do is stand static at the range, square to the target, you are never going to challenge your abilities and allow them to grow so that you can use more advanced techniques.  So, next time you find yourself at 7 yards, shooting slow fire, consistently putting all your rounds where you want them, find some way that your range allows to spice your range time up, and make the most of it.  If you have solid fundamentals, you may surprise yourself.

Walk Before You Run

Shooting is actually a fairly complex activity, there are a lot of small things you need to be aware of and control in order to shoot well.  Things like sight alignment and picture, your breathing, your position, trigger control, and follow through.  If you don't take the time to build a solid foundation for your shooting skills, you will not be able to advance them to more advanced methods.

Everyone wants to go to the gun store, buy a gun, and then go straight to the range, and shoot precisely while hanging upside down on spy-rigging under a helicopter.  That actually may be a bit of a stretch, but I think that is the attitude of some shooters.  They don't want to take the time and build that solid foundation.  But the truth is, if you can't shoot accurately during slow fire, you can't do it during rapid fire.  And the same goes for movement, if you can't shoot where you want while you are standing still, you aren't going to be able to do it while you are moving.  So, while you may want to go straight to more advanced techniques and skills for self defense, make sure you have the building blocks to do so.

If you don't know how to build those blocks, or you don't know why your bullets aren't going where you want, find someone who knows how to teach others to shoot that is willing to help you.  Rifle and pistol shooting share most of the same fundamentals, becoming better at one will help you become better at the other.  Shotguns have a few more differences, but becoming a better shooter in any discipline will help you across the board, provided you remember the differences.  But some sort of basic instruction will help inexperienced shooters build a solid foundation so that they can move on to more advanced skills.

I can often look at a student's target, and identify what the problem is just by seeing where their hits are at the range.   Most of the common issues people have when shooting have tell-tale patterns that manifest themselves on the target, and experienced shooters can diagnose them.  If you have problems with more than one of the fundamentals, focus on fixing one of them at a time.  Aiming and trigger control are the two that should be focused on first, because they have the largest effect on downrange results, then you can work on breathing, hold control, and follow through,  And as you become more proficient in one fundamental, you have to keep practicing that fundamental as you move on to the next one.

Only after you have the basics down, should you worry about things like drawing a pistol from a holster and shooting, or shooting on the move.  It is going to take some time, and some rounds downrange in order to get to that point though.  But I will cover more about pushing yourself and your comfort zone at the range in my next post.

Some Magazine Basics

One topic that people seem to confuse on a rather regular basis is what is a magazine, and what is a clip.  In the picture above there are both magazines, and clips.  First are the four magazines, starting from the left, a 30 round AK-variant magazine, a 30 round Magpul Pmag for 5.56 rifles, a 15 round Sig 226 9mm magazine, and a 6 round .45 ACP Glock 36 magazine.  On the right side are two clips, a stripper clip holding 10 5.56x45 cartridges, and a 5 round stripper clip holding 7.62x54R for Mosin Nagant rifles.  When looking at the two groups above, it is easy to see that there are some differences between magazines and clips.

So, what are the functions of each respectively?  The four detachable box magazines are used to hold ammunition in a semi-automatic firearm, and able to be quickly replaced.  They are inserted into the magazine well, and remain in place while operating the firearm.  The clips, on the other hand, are used to reload magazines.  The Mosin Nagant rifle, and the vast majority of other bolt action rifles, have non-detachable box magazines.  This means that they are internal to the rifle, and are usually loaded through the top of the action, with the bolt pulled to the rear.  Instead of having soldiers try to load loose rounds by hand in the heat of battle, most military bolt action rifles had the ability to be loaded with stripper clips.  The bolt was pulled to the rear, the clip placed into some guides cut into the receiver, and then the rounds pushed down into the magazine.

Stripper clips can also be used to reload detachable box magazines.  As you can see in the picture above, there are metal stripper clip guides that can be placed onto magazines.  Then you insert the stripper clips into the guide, and simply push the bullets down into the magazine.  Loading a 30 round AR-style rifle magazine with 3 stripper clips is a whole lot easier and faster than loading 30 loose rounds by hand.  

Magazines really are rather simple mechanical devices, but the picture above shows the components, which are common for either pistol or rifle magazines.  There is the magazine body, a piece of metal or plastic formed to hold the rest of the components.  The magazine follower, which is the usually plastic piece on top of the spring, which is that the last round in the mag pushes against.  The spring itself, which may or may not have a plate on the bottom to help keep it level and from binding, and the base-plate.  

Even though they are so simple, there are a number of things that can cause a magazine to malfunction.  In semi-automatic firearms, a very high percentage of malfunctions are magazine related.  The springs can go bad with use over time, thankfully that is usually very easy and cheap to fix.  The P-mag follower above is an anti-tilt follower, which is why it has the two long pieces of plastic on the sides.  This keeps the follower level while in use, and keeps it from binding, preventing proper feeding.  Not all magazines have that characteristic, so whenever possible, it is desirable to get magazines that do.  For some magazines you can also buy aftermarket anti-tilt followers.  Also, the feed lips which hold the rounds in the magazine at the top, and allow the bullet to line up with the bolt and chamber, can over time spread out due to the constant pressure on them, which can allow double feeds and other malfunctions to happen.  Also the base plate can become damaged, and allow the spring and bullets to fall out of the bottom of the magazine, although that is fairly uncommon, unless the magazine suffers a hard impact, like being thrown on concrete.  

Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion on the magazine vs clip dilemma, and provided some basic knowledge about one of the important aspects of semi-automatic firearms. Next time you think about asking someone to hand you a clip, remember the picture below.

AR-15s: Iron Sights vs. Optics

For the purposes of this post, I am mostly going to focus on AR-15 style rifles, but the same can be applied to other platforms.  But, if I started straying from that lane, I could have an almost endless blog post, so I will try to stick with AR's.  By the way, "AR" does not stand for "assault rifle," it stands for "Armalite rifle."  Armalite was the company that first produced Eugene Stoner's direct gas impingement rifle, and the name is now used to describe civilian, semi-automatic versions of the rifle, regardless of manufacturer.

So, one of the first things people want to know when they get a new AR seems to be: "What optic should I put on it?"  And honestly, my answer to that question for a new user is usually not to put one on.  As I will outline below, I am not anti-optic.  I do believe, however, that you should always learn iron sights before you move on to other aiming techniques.  That applies to lasers on pistols, as well as optics on rifles.  99% of pistols you pick up will have iron sights.  For rifles that percentage is lower because a lot of rifles meant to have scopes mounted don't come with sights.  But, if given the chance, you should still learn them, and you should have them on your rifle.

So, what are some advantages/disadvantages of iron sights?  First the good, when it comes to the traditional AR set-up.  They can be very accurate, in Marine Corps boot camp recruits shoot out to 500 yards with iron sights, at human sized targets, and most get a high percentage of hits.  They also are generally easy to make adjustments on for different ranges, and for the wind.  Once you get the sights zero'd, you can mark their positions, and it is easy to return to that zero after making adjustments.  It is also generally very hard to break your iron sights, they are rather robust, and can take a good amount of abuse.  The bad is that with the standard set-up, there is no contrast between the color of the sights, which can make proper sight alignment hard to achieve.  Also, since it is a peep style sight, it is hard to shoot accurately with both eyes open at distance, which reduces your field of view.  Also, there is no magnification to assist in aiming and target identification.  Below is a picture of a typical AR-15 with the standard iron sights and carrying handle

In the last decade, the U.S. military began issuing optics to everyone in combat arms, and in my humble opinion as a former infantryman, that is one of the biggest technological leaps in infantry small arms post World War Two.  Particularly the Marine Corps ACOG, which doesn't require batteries, is very rugged, easily compensates for range while helping you judge distance, and has a low power of magnification.  For general use, I like the 3-4 power range for most rifles.  If you are trying to enter into precision competitions, that probably isn't going to be enough magnification, but, for general use inside 600 yards or so, that should be plenty to get you on target.  It is powerful enough that it is useful, but not so powerful it detracts from what modern optics do so well.   My rifle currently has a no magnification red dot sight on it made by Aimpoint, however, if I wanted to, I could buy a 3 power magnifier with a flip to the side mount to use in conjunction with it.

So, what is it that they do so well?  The first thing is they help with quick target acquisition.  Not only do many of them have some sort of illuminated reticle, it means you only have one focal plane to focus on, so there is no sight alignment that you need to take time to line up.  You can also usually adjust the brightness and size of the dot, for different conditions or more precise shooting.  And in low/no light conditions, the illuminated dot is much easier to use that black on black iron sights, allowing for faster, more accurate shots.

The next advantage has to do with something that is known as the Bindon Aiming Concept.  I am not going to even attempt how the concept actually works inside our body, but with a red dot sight the advantages are quickly obvious.  With a low magnification red dot or holographic optic, like 0-4 power, if you have the optic in front of your dominant eye, and have both eyes open, you don't really see the optic itself.  Your sight picture is basically the dot or reticle floating in the air in front of you, and your hits go where you place the dot on the target.  It is hard to explain in text, but very easy to show students, and it is very easy to tell when it clicks for students using optics.  The faster target acquisition, better target identification abilities, and full use of peripheral vision are some of the main reasons I believe the military went to issued optics.

So, now for the downsides on optics.  First, quality ones are expensive.  The top holographic sights are made by EOtech, the top red dots by Aimpoint, and then Trijicon has their ACOG line, which are kind of fiber optic.  You can look through their catalogs, but you are looking at spending at least a few to several hundred dollars for one of these optics.  Next is that they can break, especially the ones from lower tier manufacturers.  Also, the batteries in them can die, although with some it isn't too much of an issue.  The Aimpoint I have on my AR-15 has a 50,000 hour battery life on some of the lower settings.  And they add extra bulk and weight to your rifle.

Now, the good news, is that as you can see in the picture above, you don't actually need to choose between the two. Many people run both an optic, and what is know as a Back Up Iron Sight (BUIS).  A BUIS is a stand alone rear sight, some of them fold, some of them don't, that replaces the rear sight in the traditional carrying handle.  I prefer non-folding for most applications, because it is one less moving part to break, and I can transition instantly from the dot, to iron sights.  This option really is only available if you have a removable carrying handle.  If you have a rifle with a permanent carrying handle, I would recommend sticking with the iron sights.  While they do make mounts that allow you to put an optic or scope on the carrying handle, that generally places the sight too hight above the bore axis of the rifle to work well.  It also is generally to high to get a good solid cheek weld, and can make shooting a bit uncomfortable.  But, back to removable carrying handle rifles, you can have both a BUIS, and an optic.  If you want to run a full sized scope, you can still find a folding BUIS that can fit under the rear of the scope, so that you can take the scope of and use it if you need to.  But I am of the opinion that you should always have a BUIS in case your optic fails, which also means you need to know how to use irons.

One of the great things about the AR family of rifles is that they are very versatile, and you can adapt them to fit a lot of different roles.  From hunting, to target shooting, to high power competitions, to defensive usage.  There are hundreds of different sight options for them, and you need to find the one that works best for you. But hopefully this post shed a little bit of light on the options, and will help guide you along the way to selecting the right one for you.
 

Selecting a Home Defense Shotgun

For well over a century now, one of the go-to firearms for home defense has been a shotgun.  Over that time, a large number of myths have developed about shotguns, and their effectiveness and use.  I am hoping in some of my future posts to address some of those myths.  This post is going to focus on some of the characteristics you should look for in buying or assembling your own home defense shotgun.



Shotguns generally have two main uses in modern times.  The first is for different types of hunting, and different types of clay pigeon shooting, like trap, skeet, and sporting clays.  The second is for defensive use, either by law enforcement and the military, as well as by civilians.  While you could take a shotgun suited for hunting and use it for defense as needed, that is not ideal, and neither is the reverse.  Hunting/sporting shotguns can be any style of action, semi-automatic, pump, and break actions including side by sides and over-unders can all be found to fulfill this role.  You can also on occasion find bolt action shotguns designed for deer hunting, which are kind of odd-balls, and don't really fit in with the rest of the types of shotguns.  Common features on these shotguns regardless of actions include long barrels, usually over 26 inches, interchangeable choke tubes, and a small magazine capacity.  Many jurisdictions limit the number of rounds a  hunting shotgun can hold, often to three rounds.  So, even though a standard Remington 870 pump action shotgun can hold 5 rounds, the magazine tube needs to be plugged in order to legally hunt.  Be sure if you intend to hunt, you know the firearms laws and restrictions for the jurisdiction you intend to hunt in, because they vary throughout the nation.  They also usually have simple sighting systems, like a plain bead front sight.


Defensive shotguns have different traits that make them more suitable for the role.  They generally have shorter barrels, usually between 18.5 inches, and 20 inches.  The shorter barrel makes the shotgun more maneuverable indoors, as well as helping clear doorways because there is less out in front of you for someone to grab, or for you to accidentally have sticking into a room, giving away your position.  They also have larger magazine capacities where allowed by law, sometimes up to 8 rounds for a tube magazine, or 10 rounds for a detachable box magazine.  The larger capacity does add some weight at the front of the gun, but doesn't add much bulk, and allows you to stay in the fight longer before reloading.  They often do not have interchangeable choke tubes, and generally have a fixed choke, which has one of the more open patterns, like Improved Cylinder.  There isn't a need for different chokes on a shotgun like this, because their intended use is usually at very close range.  They can have more complex sighting systems, like rifle sights, night sight beads, or ghost ring sights.  They also may have a weapon mounted light, and some way to carry spare ammunition on the shotgun.   Below are some examples of home defense shotguns, a semi-auto Mossberg 930 SPX, pump action Remington 870, and a side by side Stoeger Coach Gun.

While you can use a hunting shotgun for defense, or a defense shotgun for hunting, it is not ideal to do so.  It is possible to have one shotgun, and modify it for either use.  This is easiest accomplished with a pump action shotgun.  The two main contenders on the market today are the Remington 870, and the Mossberg 500.  If I was only going to own one shotgun, it would be one of these two.  As they come from the factory, both usually have a 26 or 28 inch barrel, and a 5 shot capacity.  Both companies also have different grade shotguns, which get more expensive with the upgrades.  The biggest difference between the base model 870 Express, and the 500, are the locations of the controls, including the safety.  So, if you are looking for a shotgun, try to get your hands on both, and see which controls work best for you.

The base model is already set up pretty well for most kinds of hunting.  The barrel is long enough to swing well and provide good patterns, and the shotgun often comes with a magazine plug to reduce capacity for hunting.  You can also find 18.5 inch barrels for both of these shotguns readily available.  By removing the plug, and swapping the longer barrel for an 18.5 inch barrel, you have a good choice for a home defense shotgun.  That way you have one shotgun that can fill pretty much anything you need it to, with just the change of a barrel, which can even be accomplished without tools, in under a minute.   If I was going to own just one shotgun, the above set up is what I would use.

There are a plethora of accessories on the market today for defensive shotgun, but I like to keep mine rather simple.  I add a sling, a light source, and some way to carry extra ammo, and leave it at that.  I covered weapon mounted lights in a previous post, but I think they serve a good purpose on a home defense shotgun, and are a good investment.  You do need to ensure you buy a quality light and mount that will be able to withstand the recoil from a shotgun.  And position the light in a place where you can activate it using your normal hand position during firing.  They do make some excellent fore-end replacement units for pump action shotguns that allow you to operate the light with your forward hand, while cycling the weapon even.

For holding extra ammo you can add a side-saddle, which my 870 has, on the side of the reciever, or an elastic buttstock sleeve.  Both work relatively well, and the elastic sleeve is not model specific.  The slings that are designed to hold extra shells generally don't work, because they prevent proper sling use, as well as adding a swinging pendulum of weight under the shotgun that disturbs your aim.  But, a quality sling that allows you to use your hands while maintaining control of the shotgun is a good idea.

I prefer the standard style buttstock on my shotgun.  Most of the folding stocks I have encountered don't have a very tight lock up, and make noise and don't provide a good cheek weld.  Similarly, I don't like pistol grip only stocks.  You lose the ability to properly sight the shotgun, and it intensifies recoil.  They look really cool in the movies, and have limited real world use for breaching shotguns, but for home defense, I like an actual buttstock that allows me to get a good cheek weld, distributes recoil throughout my body, and lets me use the sights on my shotgun.  And fore-ends with pistol grips tend to feel a bit awkward to cycle, and add extra bulk to the shotgun.

I also don't like lasers on shotguns.  With most shells, a shotgun fires a pattern of pellets, which spreads with distance.  Unless you are shooting slugs, which have major over-penetration concerns for home defense, a laser is just going to give a general idea of where you will hit.  Keep your home defense shotgun as simple as possible, it doesn't need a whole lot of bells and whistles.  In fact, bells and whistles may detract from it's usefulness.

Which brings me to my next point.  In the picture above, one of the shotguns doesn't look like the rest.  That shotgun is a Stoeger Coach Gun.  Some people may say that it is obsolete as a home defense shotgun in the 21st century, I would disagree with them, but there is a caveat.  The advantage of a coach gun is that it's overall length is short, even shorter than my pump or semi-auto with their short barrels.  It is also much lighter weight than either of the other two.  And, since it has dual triggers, if you want or need to, you can shoot both barrels at once.  Which brings me to my caveat.  The reload of this style shotgun is rather slow, requires fine motor skills, and it has a very limited capacity of two shots.  So, if you are going to use a shotgun like this for home defense, have something to back it up, like a defensive pistol, so after the first two rounds are fired, you can transition to something with more capacity if needed.  This is a technique that goes back to at least the post-Civil War era in America, with a short side by side shotgun to begin an engagement, backed up by a handgun.

Hopefully this answered some of your questions about selecting a home defense shotgun.  In future posts I hope to explore some related topics, such as shell selection, as well as addressing some of the myths surrounding shotgun usage.  If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to post them, and I will try to address them as soon as possible.

Thoughts On Taking Cover

I realize that it has been a couple of weeks since the last post, but hopefully things have settled down for me enough that I can get back to my post a week goal.

In this post I am going to go over something that needs consideration relating to having a defensive mindset and situational awareness.  And that is the difference between cover and concealment.

Concealment is a barrier that obscures you from the threat.  If you are hiding behind a bush, or an interior wall, then you are behind concealment, not cover.

Cover is a barrier that protects you from the threat.  If you are behind a mound of packed dirt, a cinder block wall, or the engine block of a vehicle, then you are most likely behind cover.  Now, take note that I said most likely.  That is because firearms come in a wide variety of powers.  What provides you cover from a .22LR, may not be able to protect you from a 12 gauge slug.

So, what constitutes cover is a changing concept, and also cover can deteriorate with repeated hits.  But, generally speaking, if there is a threat trying to shoot you, you should get behind the most solid piece of cover possible, and then evade or engage accordingly.

What I am not advocating is to sit there and try to determine what type of gun you are being shot at by, and then looking for appropriate cover, because there isn't time for that.  But, a lot of what is used as cover in TV and the movies, is actually concealment.  A car door is really just a couple pieces of sheet metal with some trim and glass, and can be penetrated with many handgun rounds.  A wooden table or couch are definitely concealment, as is an interior wall, and most doors.

Some things that generally make good cover are packed dirt (there is a reason the military still uses sandbags), concrete, thick gauge metal, and thick trees and pieces of wood.  Be aware of the threat of ricochet with any of the hard surfaces as well.

Pretty much the worst thing you can do if there is a lethal threat, is stand still.  It can greatly increase your chances of survival  if you move, especially towards cover.  Concealment is better than standing still, but not as good as cover.

So make sure you understand the differences between cover and concealment, and learn how to recognize what cover is.  If you have the opportunity, you may want to run some tests to see what kind of things qualify as cover, just make sure you do so in a safe manner.  Also, you can check out the link to the "Box O' Truth" he has a lot of tests on penetration capabilities of different rounds, that may be rather eye opening.

A Secret For Getting a Good Deal on Pistols

Firearms are a very front-end heavy investment, and there is no way around that.  For a self defense handgun, I truly believe that you should buy the best pistol you can afford, after all, you are depending on it to protect your life if you ever need to use it.  Pretty much all of the firearms from reputable makers that I would feel comfortable carrying for defense, are in the $350 and up range, with a couple of exceptions.  And  for someone who isn't a "gun person" that sounds like a lot of money to spend on a pistol.

But the truth of it is, that a pistol from a reputable manufacturer is going to be better made, and have better features.  It will be constructed of better materials, and probably has a good warranty from the maker (you can verify this before buying by seeing what the manufacturer's warranty policy is).  And a firearm from a reputable maker will last a lifetime of shooting for the average user.  So, if I have a $400 handgun, that I use for 40 years, it works out to under a dollar a month of use.  Which is why saving up and buying a quality handgun is always a good idea.

Now, a lot of the more common and popular handgun brands cost five hundred dollars or more, with several thousand dollars being possible.  And that is a lot of money to spend on a handgun, I understand that.  So, I have found a way to get quality made firearms at a much lower cost than retail for a new gun.  Within the used gun market, are what are known as "police trade in guns," and these are often some of the best buys you can make.

When a police department decides to switch out firearms platforms, often their old duty guns get sold to dealers at low cost.  This means that these batches of police trade ins are comprised of firearms that have been in common use with law enforcement in the past decade.  This isn't just limited to pistols either, I have also seen police trade in batches of Ruger Mini-14's, and Remington 870 Police shotguns.  I have also seen most of the sidearms that people commonly want for defensive purposes, like pistols from Sig Sauer, Glock Smith and Wesson semi-automatics and revolvers, Beretta and Kahr.  These firearms often sell cheaper than a normal used gun of the same model, because the dealers buy them in bulk.  Often they sell for half or two-thirds of the new price.  For example, in the past I picked up a $1,000 Sig 226 in 9mm for five hundred dollars.  A lot of these pistols also have night sights on them, because they were used by police departments, and while they aren't as bright as new night sights, they are often still usable.

There are a few downsides to the police trade in firearms.  First of all, is that they generally have some finish wear.  These pistols have generally been carried a lot, and shot very little (usually only for yearly qualifications), so they have holster wear.  I don't really have a problem with these, because my firearms are tools, and they are going to acquire holster wear from use.  The other main problem is that you don't really get choices on what options you get.  If you go on Sig Sauer's website, you will see that they have a lot of different trigger styles, and upgrade packages for the 226.  The 226 that I bought was the normal variant, with their traditional DA/SA trigger.  So, if you want a particular upgraded model, police trade ins probably aren't for you.  You also don't know how many rounds the pistol has had through it, and every so often springs do need replaced in pistols, especially your recoil spring.  But with the money you save, you can spend a few dollars for a new recoil spring.  Another issue is that usually larger dealers buy up the batches of trade ins, so you either need to live close to them, or pay a transfer fee to your local gun store.

Overall, I have found police trade ins to be an excellent value, and a way to buy pistols that I may not be otherwise able to afford.  I can tolerate some finish wear and needing to replace a couple of springs, in able to get a great functioning and shooting firearm.  And here is a picture of some of my favorite police trade in pistols:  The top row is a Smith and Wesson Model 64 revolver, and the aforementioned Sig 226 9mm (you can see some finish wear on the muzzle end of the slide) and the bottom row is a Glock 36, and Sig 220.  Notice that with the Glock finish, and the stainless steel on the Model 64 the finish looks fine.

Weapon mounted vs. handheld light sources

As a civilian, it is very important to be able to identify a threat before you engage your target.  The majority of civilian defensive conditions occur in low-light or night time settings, so having some sort of illumination device handy is important.

Night sights and lasers can both be great additions to a defensive sidearm.  Night sights contain a small amount of a substance called Tritium in them, which glows in the dark.  That allows you to obtain proper sight alignment, even in the dark.  Another added side effect is that if you have them on your nightstand gun, you can use them as a reference point in the middle of the night to know where the pistol is, without the need to fumble around blindly.  The main downside is cost, but usually for $100-150 you can get a set installed on your pistol, and they also make rifle front sight posts and shotgun beads with tritium.  The other downside is that they don't last forever.  Tritium has a relatively short half-life, and so the sights dim over time, and need replaced after 10 or 15 years or so.

Lasers can also have definite advantages for defensive use.  They make a very visible aiming point on your target, and you don't really need to worry about sights.  In target range practice, you should work on mastering aiming with sights before you rely on the laser, but, in at the average ranges in a defense scenario, a laser is a definite advantage.  They also have their downsides.  They are more expensive than night sights, and run off batteries, which can fail when you need them most (which is why you should know how to use your iron sights too).  Also, due to the trajectory at which a bullet travels after it leaves the barrel, which is some variation of a parabolic arch, the laser is only truly on target at a set distance.  Aside from that set distance, some sort of Kentucky windage is needed.  


Now that I have covered some basics on those sighting aids, back to illumination sources.  You have two main options, a weapon-mounted light (WML), or a handheld flashlight, both have advantages and disadvantages, which I will cover.  I am not going to attempt to convey proper methods for using/holding flashlights in this post, that is something best covered in actual training.


The handheld flashlight is the simpler of the two.  Some traits that you want to look for if you are going to buy a flashlight for defensive use are a momentary switch, something durable, with a long battery life.    Surefire, Streamlight and Fenix all make suitable flashlights.  You want something small and light enough to carry and conceal, but not so small that it isn't bright enough to use.  For reference, I often carry a Surefire 6P LED, or a G2.  I prefer flashlights with tail end on/off switches, I find them easier to manipulate properly.  I like them to have a temporary on/off, and as well as a constant on/off capability. That way I can use light sparingly if needed, or leave it on without my hand cramping up from holding it too long.  The main disadvantage of a handheld light is that you need to modify your grip on whatever firearm you are using, be it a handgun or a long-gun.  It is also one more thing that you need to carry and control.  But it can also serve as an improvised weapon in your off-hand, for using hammer-fist strikes or a similar technique at close range.  Also, with the brightness of modern hand held flashlights, you can use them to temporarily blind/disorient the threat.  

WML's seem to be more en vogue these days, sticking with the current "tacti-cool" craze in the firearms industry.  The advantage to them is that they let you keep both hands on your firearm for a more solid grip, if they are set up properly, you don't even need to modify your grip.  And it keeps everything contained in one package, there is nothing additional you need to grab.  One downside is that if you mount a WML on a pistol, it adds bulk and weight onto the sidearm.  If you are carrying the pistol concealed, that is a big consideration.  Make sure that you function test your sidearm with the light on, it order to make sure that it operates properly with the different balance and weight distribution.  You also need to get a specially made holster in order to fit the combo, because you aren't going to have time to put the light on the gun in a lethal situation.  This adds cost, as well as makes concealment more difficult.  For long-guns, WML's make more sense to me, mounted far forward to reduce barrel shadow, and in a position where I can either operate the tail switch with my forward hand, or with a pressure switch running back to where my hand normally is, or both.  Pressure switches can be great, but they can fail, the wiring can go bad, and they have a higher likelihood of getting bumped accidentally when you don't want them to.  However, either on a pistol or long-gun, you need to make sure you buy a quality light that is capable of absorbing repeated recoil without damaging the bulb and internals.  This is especially true for a light you are going to mount on a gun with a high amount of recoil, like a 12 gauge shotgun.

But, the major difference between the two, and biggest disadvantage of the WML is this:  you have to point your gun at something in order to illuminate it.  If that thing is a threat, then that is okay.  But if that thing isn't a threat, then it is a major issue to muzzle someone or something with a loaded firearm.  A cardinal rule of gun safety is "don't point the gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy."  And if you are searching into dark corners with a WML, you are almost certainly violating that rule.  A handheld light can be used independently of the firearm, you can scan the whole area while keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction.  You can illuminate an area in a non-threat scenario, without pulling out your sidearm.   Or by using proper technique, you can use a handheld light to illuminate the area your muzzle is pointing.

I do believe that both systems can serve an important role, but you need to be cognizant of which one is proper for your situation.  When I am out and about, I usually have some sort of handheld light on my person, and use it fairly often for simply illuminating something.  But, at home, my defensive long-guns have WML's on them, which I have trained to use during my time in the Marines, but I also keep a handheld light handy, and which one I will use depends on the situation.

Being able to identify your target, and also being able to control your muzzle are both very important in a high stress threat situation.  I think that having some sort of light source handy, at least during low-light or night time is a good idea, for more reasons than just defensive use.  I hope this has been informative, as always, if anyone has questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.  Shoot straight.

Why Do I Need Extra Ammo?

I hear this question on occasion from students: "Why do I need to carry spare ammo?  I'm a great shot, and I don't go to bad parts of town, that just seems like too much trouble."  So, in this post I am going to try to shed some light on why I believe it is prudent to carry spare ammunition for your defensive sidearm.

The first reason is that you really do not want to run out of ammunition in a gun fight.  That is one of the worst things that can happen.  If you are already developing a defensive mindset, and becoming aware of your surroundings, and carrying a pistol for defense, concealing an extra magazine or two really isn't any harder.  Especially if you are carrying a snub nosed revolver, or a sub-compact semi-auto that has a capacity of 6 or more, this applies.  You may be able to put all of your shots in the 10 ring at a static range, and that shows you have the fundamentals of shooting down very well.  But life gets a lot different when there is someone shooting at you, with bullets cracking over your head, and your body gives you a massive dose of adrenaline and other chemicals into your blood stream.  You get tunnel vision, you lose fine motor skills, you focus on odd aspects of what is going on, your heart-rate increases, you get out of breath easily.  You should be moving, and your target is likely moving.  That makes it significantly harder to be able to put your bullets where you want them.  Additionally, you don't know how many threats you may face, it could be a sole attacker, but criminals rarely work alone.  And there is no guarantee that one or two rounds will stop each threat, and you should shoot until the threat is stopped.

This is one of the reasons that you should push yourself in training, and take yourself out of your comfort zone.  If your range lets you practice draws, shooting on the move, magazine reloads and malfunction drills, take advantage of that.  Don't just stay static on the range and punch holes in paper.  That way you can learn how to do complex things while under stress.

So, maybe you have a high-capacity semi-automatic handgun you carry, and you read that last paragraph thinking "If 17 rounds doesn't get me out of the situation, nothing will."  Well, that is your opinion, however, with any box-magazine fed gun, the magazine is usually the weakest link in the cycle of operation.  Magazines are mechanical and work based on springs, which means they can fail.  And with a non-working magazine, your semi-automatic just turned into a single-shot pistol.  The majority of malfunctions in a semi-automatic are magazine related.  Or what if your magazine release latch somehow got pushed in during all the stress, and your magazine goes flying onto the deck?  It is a lot easier to grab a new magazine from your waistline than scrambling in the mud for it.  Or if the base-plate got knocked off of your magazine while grappling on the ground, and the spring, follower and bullets are now in the mud too?  If for some reason your magazine or ammunition has failed, often the best solution is to replace it. So, having a spare magazine or two to reload with is an excellent idea.

So, maybe after that paragraph, you are thinking "I carry a revolver, so that doesn't apply to me!"  In which case, refer back to the earlier paragraph, because you probably have a 5-6 round capacity.  If you are in the revolver category, it is probably also a good idea to carry your spare rounds in some sort of device made to hold them.  There are speed loaders, speed strips, and moon clips, and you need to find what works best for you, but all of them make the loading process much faster and easier.  You don't want to be fumbling around in your pocket for loose rounds while you are reloading in a threat situation.  For a revolver spare ammo is usually carried on the strong side, in order to facilitate a proper reload, as was taught to the military and police for decades.

For semi-automatic carriers, usually just taking a magazine and throwing it in your pocket is not ideal.  The reason for that is that it means the magazine will not be in a consistent position when you grab it.  Having your magazines in a consistent position will help make your reloads a lot faster.  That way you can build solid muscle memory and know what your body needs to do in order to reload quickly.  So, your magazines should be in a magazine carrier, preferably on your weak side, to facilitate a smooth reload.  I usually buy double magazine pouches, and carry two spare magazines.  That is a personal choice, and I decide if I am going to conceal one magazine, I can conceal two.  But there are single magazine carriers available.  An additional advantage of having the spare magazines on the weak side of the waistline is that it helps balance out the weight I am carrying, and actually makes it more comfortable for me to carry a full sized pistol.  With just the pistol on my belt in a holster, after half a day or so, sometimes it gets uncomfortable, with the magazines opposite the pistol, I don't notice the weight all day.

I believe it is prudent for someone who takes defense seriously to carry at least one reload for their firearm.  I don't think that as a civilian I need to carry the hundreds of rounds that I used to carry as a Marine infantryman in combat zones, however, a spare magazine or two still makes a lot of sense.  If you have any comments or questions about this, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

EDIT:  As a response to a comment below, questioning the viability of situations that would require more than 8 rounds, here is an addendum:


Steve,

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.

Maybe it isn't the far fetched scenario of having to stare down 9 guys like Snake.  Maybe it is one guy that is high on some strong drugs, like PCP, or a determined attacker.

The man who was supposedly on bath salts and eating another man's face was shot 4 times before the threat ended.  And since a police officer shot him, it is fairly safe to assume it was with a service caliber weapon and modern hollowpoint ammo.

In the 1986 Miami FBI shootout, one suspect was shot 6 times, the other 12.  That event is what prompted the FBI to go to more powerful, higher capacity pistols than the .38 revolvers most of their agents carried.

David Brown Jr, in Dallas Texas, killed one police officer and a bystander, before he was shot 9 times and killed by another officer.  He was high on PCP.  Once again, multiple rounds from a service caliber and defensive ammo.

I am aware that all of those examples are police shootings, and maybe you think they don't apply because of it.  But, for information about performance of modern defensive ammo, that is one of the best sources. But one, or two determined attackers, or attackers high on something that makes them feel no pain, can easily take multiple shots before the threat is over.

Shot placement is key, but it is very hard to put a shot in the right place while moving away from the threat and towards cover, and with all that physiological stuff I mentioned before going on.  The areas of the human body that need to be shot for instant incapacitation are rather small.

Some states do have a duty to retreat, and those requirements differ from state to state.  And since I am not a lawyer and can not give legal advice, I am not going to comment on what the law may or may not say.  Lethal threat scenarios are too dynamic and fluid to make a judgement call on something like that unless you have all the information.

But, I think that assuming the 6,7,8, rounds in your pistol is enough may be wishful thinking with the behavior some drugged up criminals exhibit.

I do agree that other sorts of training are very valuable as well.  As a trainer, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my own skills.  "If the only tool you have is a hammer, pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail" applies here.  Beyond all the firearms disciplines, firearms retention, open hand skills, defensive knife skills, and improvised weapon skills are all excellent additions.  And of course, developing an acute defensive mindset is the more important defensive training of all.

Thank you for your response.  If you like what you read in my blog, feel free to share it with your friends.  Hopefully this helped clear up any issues you had.  Take care.

Why Waistline Carry Makes the Most Sense to Me

While staying on the topic of the last thread, which was why it is important to have a complete concealed carry rig, as opposed to just a holster, today I am going to discuss why waistline or belt carry, makes the most sense to me.  Belt carry is the most popular way to carry a concealed handgun, and for good reason.  It keeps the firearm in place, is comfortable with the right rig, conceals well for most, and offers a rather fast draw time.  With a proper rig, you can also conceal a full sized handgun without too much of a problem, provided you are wearing appropriate clothing.  If keeps the handgun easily accessible in case you need it, and doesn't require you to cross over any of your own body parts, or flag, with the muzzle of a loaded firearm.  But it is not the only way to carry a firearm, some of the other options include pocket carry, shoulder holsters, ankle carry,  and I will explain some of the pros and cons of each of those.

Pocket carry is the only way that I carry a pistol aside from waistline carry, and is a viable option for the most part.  Now, when I am talking about pocket carry, I don't mean just take a pistol and jam it in your pocket with  your keys and cell phone.  You still should be using a holster for pocket carry, and a number of manufacturers make pocket holsters.  I am partial to the Desantis Nemesis for this role, as it stays in the pocket during the draw.   A pocket holster provides two functions, first, it protects the trigger to make sure no foreign objects can interact with it, and second, it helps break up the outline of the pistol.  If you are wearing skin tight jeans or pants made of very thin material. pocket carry probably won't work for you, because the pistol will print (be visible through the fabric).  Also, if you are going to pocket carry, the pistol should be the only thing in that pocket, put your keys, cell phone, knife, wallet or whatever else goes in your pockets somewhere else.

But, pocket carry allows you to still have a rather fast draw time, and you can have your hand on your pistol without alerting anyone (something you can not do easily with belt carry).  And with the right pants it conceals rather well, and can be carried in styles of dress where belt carry is not possible, like business casual.  The biggest drawback of pocket carry for me is that it really limits what firearms you can carry.  When I pocket carry, it is with a S&W 638 snub nosed revolver, whereas my normal carry pistol is currently a Sig Sauer 220.  So, I am carrying a pistol that is harder to shoot because of the shorter grip and sight radius, with less rounds, a slower reload, and a less powerful caliber.  But, the gun in your hand when you need it is better than the one at home in the safe, so, if due to how I need to dress I can't carry my preferred gun, pocket carry with a small revolver or semi-auto beats being unarmed.  So pocket carry is an option, just keep in mind most pants pockets won't hold a full sized pistol, so you sacrifice in things like magazine capacity and ease of shooting for your carry pistol.

Next is shoulder holster carry, which honestly I have never really had work for me.  Some people say they get it to work, and in my experience, that is usually tall skinny people.  One of the few advantages of shoulder holsters is that they let you carry even larger pistols than belt carry, especially with a vertical shoulder holster.  If you want to carry a Smith and Wesson N or X frame, this is the way to do it (although, those are more appropriate for big game hunting and would be open carried in my opinion). But usually unless you have decently thick fabric in your cover garment, the harness prints through.  I also don't like that the holster is not stable while you are carrying, it can move around, and I like my holster to be consistently in the same spot.

My two biggest issues with shoulder holster carry is that first, you need to reach across your body to draw.  Now, if you spend a majority of time seated, like working as a driver, a cross draw belt holster or shoulder holster might make sense.  But, if someone is already at bad breath distance from you, and you need to reach your hand across your body to draw your pistol, that is a rather simple move for the bad guy to block.  And what  if he has already knocked you down and is literally on top of you?  He can just pin your arm down with a leg or hand, and you can't draw.  In that instance, it is easier for him to draw your pistol.  But, my biggest issue with shoulder holsters is that you pretty much have to flag a part of your own body with the muzzle of a loaded handgun during the draw.  Usually that part of your body is your off-side arm.  I am a firm believer in the firearms safety rules, including to never point a weapon at anything you don't want to shoot.  I do not want to shoot myself in the arm, or any other body part.  So during a high stress lethal situation, I don't want to have to flag any part of my body with my loaded firearm while a chemical cocktail inside my own body is doing things like decreasing my fine motor skills.  So, for me, shoulder holster carry is not an option.  It looks really cool in the movies, but doesn't seem really practical for real life.

Next up is ankle carry, which also seems really cool in the movies.  But is probably the worst of the "mainstream" ways to carry a pistol.  First of all, it isn't very comfortable a lot of the time, and can make you feel unbalanced as you walk.  Like pocket carry it basically restricts you to small semi-automatics or revolvers, meaning your pistol is going to be harder to shoot, and have a smaller capacity.  But the real downfall of ankle carry is the draw method.  If you are standing and need to draw, you have to expose the top of your head to the threat, which isn't something I ever want to do, while simultaneously moving your head closer to the bad guy.  You also are compromising your balance if you try to bring your leg up to you, which would make it much easier for someone to knock you over, and gain a dominant position where even unarmed they could do significant damage.  If you are sitting down the draw is a little bit better balance wise, but you still may have to expose the top of your head.  And if you are already on the ground grappling with someone, you can pretty much forget making it to your pistol.  Ankle carry can also be hard to conceal, because if your pants leg rides up during movement, you are no longer concealing your pistol.  So, ankle carry is not a method that I would recommend.

In my opinion, waistline carry, either inside the waistband, or outside the waistband is still the best option, which is probably why it has been the preferred method since pistols began to be made and be carried a couple hundred years ago.  It is the best balance between conceal-ability with a service sized handgun, comfort, and accessibility and speed during the draw.  I know that there are several other methods of carry that people have come up with, but for now I chose to stick with the methods outlined above.   If anyone has questions about any other specific carry method, feel free to contact me, and I will answer your questions.  Thanks for reading, I hope everyone learned something this post, or at least read something that makes them think about concealing differently.

More Than Just a Holster

The last few post I have written were more about the "software" side of things, dealing with a defensive mindset and and associated topics.  This one is going to be a change of pace, and go back to talking about the hardware and gear side.  Holsters and carry rigs are pieces of gear that often do not get the attention that they deserve, and without the right gear, it can be very difficult to successfully conceal a handgun.  I conceal full sized service handguns (like a full sized 1911 or Sig 220) on a regular basis, and am able to do so because I have put the time and effort into finding the concealed carry set-up that works for me, and the money into buying it.  I am going to focus for this post on waistline, or belt carry, as it is how most people successfully conceal handguns for defense, and it has a lot of advantages.  In a future post I will cover more ways to carry, like shoulder holsters, ankle and pocket carry.

A lot of people go buy their gun, and get their permit, and then use the cheapest holster they can find for their gun.  This is often either a Kydex belt slide that a lot of makers now ship with the gun, or a nylon one size fits many holster from the local gun store.  To me this is the equivalent of buying a high end sports car, and then putting the cheapest discount brand of tires you can find on it.  Will they do they job, maybe, but, you can probably spend a little more money, and get much better performance out of the product.

The holster is actually, in my opinion, not the most important part of a carry rig.  It is tied in importance with a good, purpose made gun-belt.  By gun-belt I don't necessarily mean a gunslinger rig for a six shooter from an old western, or even a police style duty belt.  But, there are companies and manufacturers out there who make belts specifically designed to hold up and distribute the weight of a handgun.  You can find dressier leather ones that can be worn when needed, or more casual nylon belts that usually have a polymer stiffener in them.  You can determine which works best for your fashion needs, but having a good gun belt is a must.  When I started carrying I was just using whatever belts I owned from the department stores, and concealing a full sized 1911.  I noticed two things, first, is that the top of the pistol had a tendency to flop outward, making it harder to conceal, and second, that I was needing a new belt every month or two, because they couldn't take the abuse.  By the time I had gone through 3-4 belts, it wound up costing me more than the $60-100 a good gun-belt would have cost me, and then I had to buy the gun-belt too.  Most things in the firearms world, are a front end heavy investment.  But spending a little bit more upfront usually saves you money in the long run, belts and holsters are no exception.

I would rather have a good gun-belt and mediocre holster, than a good holster and mediocre belt.  A good belt makes a properly designed holster more concealable.  Now, holsters are still important.  Your basic choices are leather, a plastic like material known as kydex, and nylon.  Now, I have never found a nylon holster that works for me.  They are generally cheap, generic holsters with weak attachment points that don't work particularly well for any gun.  They offer no retention (the ability to keep the firearm in the holster), and make re-holstering more difficult because they collapse on themselves when empty.  So, I don't really like them as an option.  Between leather and kydex, it really is your choice, both have advantages and disadvantages and can be found in comparable price ranges.  First of all though, over time, either one will cause finish wear on your pistol.  Carry wear is a fact of life for a pistol that is going to be carried for defensive use, and something which the owner needs to be aware of.

But, taking a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of leather.  Properly made leather holsters really can be beautiful works of art.  They can come with elements made from exotic animal skins, like shark or snake, and in different colors.  When made and properly boned for a firearm, they can offer excellent retention.  With the addition of some sort of reinforcement at the opening, one handed re-holstering is simple, and the material is flexible, so that it molds to the shape of your body for better concealment.  Some of the disadvantages are that sometimes new leather holsters can squeak like a new shoe, and if not dyed properly it can bleed onto clothing.  Over time the leather can lose some of its shape, although this usually takes years with a well made holster.  Leather is not the most durable material in the world, and can be damaged if it gets wet.  Leather holsters are still mostly made by hand, so there can be a wait of weeks or months for a holster custom made for your gun, but this wait can be worth it for a holster that you will use for years.

Kydex also offers some advantages and disadvantages.  Retention with kydex is usually excellent, and there is no need to reinforce the opening, because the material is rigid to begin with.  The material is very resistant to the elements, and able to take a lot of abuse before it is really damaged.  It is generally more utilitarian looking than leather, a trait which some people enjoy.  It doesn't really mold to the user, so sometimes there is a slightly more difficult time concealing a kydex holster.  It can also be harder to break in if it is a bit too tight when it comes from the manufacturer.  Kydex can usually be had a with a slightly shorter length than leather, although this depends on the maker and their demand.  Also, if made improperly or too thin the kydex can be brittle.  Kydex can also be rougher on your clothing with daily use, although with daily use leather or kydex can wear through fabric.

Whichever one you choose, make sure you do some research, and buy a quality made product.  Some reputable holster makers also offer trial periods of up to 30 days, where if you don't like the product for some reason, you can send it back.

The last part of my carry rig is a spare magazine carrier.  I will detail all the reasons why I think carrying spare ammunition is prudent in a later post.  But, I will say that spare magazines on my offhand side balance out the rig better, and make it more comfortable for me to carry all day.

When you are going to be carrying a sidearm for defense, make sure you make the investment in well made gear that will help you do so effectively, and also give you years of use.  Spending a little bit more up front can help you avoid the dreaded "box of holsters" that many of us who have been carrying for a while seem to accumulate.  This is just a short glimpse into things to consider when you are going to start shopping for carry rigs.  If you have more specific questions, feel free to contact us and we will share our knowledge with you.  And if you have a question you would like to see a post on, contact me through this blog, Facebook or Twitter (@lmtactical), and I will put a post up.

Have a Plan at Home

Remember back during grade school, when you would have fire drills, or maybe tornado drills if you live in an area like Ohio that is subject to tornadoes?  Or maybe earthquake drills if you live along a fault line.  Or any number of other drills for some sort of disaster.  Looking back you make look at such drills at pointless, or maybe at the time you were just happy because a fire drill meant you had 5 less minutes of class.  There was actually a very good reason for having such drills, and that is because the human mind sometimes has trouble thinking coherently when confronted with a situation outside the normal circumstances, full of unknowns.

The purpose of such drills is it helps to build a known routine that your body and mind can revert to in case of such a situation.  I remember one time during grade school there were funnel clouds in the area, and when the sirens went off, every student knew exactly what to do.  I can only imagine the chaos that would have occurred had we never done a tornado drill.  There is a reason that military and law enforcement constantly train for a wide variety of scenarios.  In the military you have months or years of training before you are deployed to a combat area, and there is a very good reason for that.  Because it helps your body adapt to adverse situations.

Similarly, creating a defense plan could be a good idea for you and your family, and is something you should consider, especially if you have others living in your home.  That way it will take some of the unknown out of the situation if you ever have some sort of home invasion occur.  The plan can really be as simple or as detailed as you want, actually, just having a basic plan may be the best, because it is most versatile.

Now, what I am not suggesting is that you hear a bump in the night, and the try to be Rambo and clear your entire home.  That is actually the last thing I would suggest, unless you have extensive house clearing training and experience, and a team of people with similar training to do it with you.  Clearing a structure by yourself is an extremely dangerous, and practically impossible thing to do.  There are a lot of techniques that you need to know how to do, and unless you are trained in the proper ways to do it, I would strongly, strongly suggest not to do so.

A much better plan would be preparing your home and supplies in such a manner that they aid you in the defense of your home.  Make sure you have good locks on doors and windows, motion lights, possibly a security system, and other physical deterrents that will help keep out all but the most determined attacker.  You can never make a structure completely impenetrable, even the mightiest castles in history fell to sieges.   But, you can harden the defenses of your home, for minimal fees, that will help make your home more secure.

Aside from changes to the physical structure, have your supplies ready to go, and a plan on how to use them.  If you have others, like children living with you, have a plan to consolidate all of your family members into one room.  I would suggest for children, to have them stay put in a safe spot in their room, until you come get them, so family members are not running around in the dark.  Find a safe way to keep a firearm and ammunition around your sleeping area, just make sure that unauthorized users can not gain access to it.   Three in the morning when something awry has just woken you up is not the time to be loading magazines.  If you have other adults living with you, signing up for some quality team/partner tactics training would be an excellent idea, so that both of you would be on the same page.

Have a good flashlight handy so that you can see in the dark, and learn proper techniques for how to use one in a defensive role.  Have your cell phone or home phone by your bed, so that you can call the proper authorities.

Reinforce the door of whatever your "safe room" is going to be, in order to create a barrier once your entire family is in the room.  One idea that I have heard as well that I like is have a spare key in the safe room attached to a new chem-light.  That way, after you call the police and the dispatcher tells you that have arrived, you can activate the chem-light and throw it out the window to them, so that they can enter your home and find any possible bad guys that may be inside.  If anyone else has any unique ideas that they like, I'd love to hear them.

Just as I think every home should have a plan what to do in case of natural disasters or fire (a fire plan can be as simple as setting a rally point at a place away from the house where all family members should go in case of a fire, so that everyone can be accounted for), every home should have a plan in case of a man-made attack or invasion.  It doesn't need to be elaborate or flashy, but everyone living in the house should know it.  A person's home is their castle, and you should be able to defend it according to the laws of the area in which you live.  Making sure you know your state's "Castle Doctrine" or other home defense law is also of vital importance.  But, make sure you have a plan, its better to spend some time developing the plan and never needing it, than needing a plan and not having one.

Thoughts on selecting someone else's gun for them

A question that often comes up during classes is: "What gun is the best for me?"  And my answer to this question is always the same:  "I don't know."  I don't say that answer because I want to be mean, or because I lack knowledge of a variety of different firearms makes and models.  But the truth of the matter is, a shooter has to choose their own gun be it a rifle, pistol, or shotgun.  This is because there are a myriad of factors that go into what makes a firearm a good choice for a particular shooter.  So, just because I may think the pistol on my hip or rifle in my hands is the greatest thing since sliced bread, it may only be that way for me, for someone else it could be a bad choice.

The over-riding factor in the decision making process should be: "What is the intended purpose of this firearm?"  I am not going to use an over-under shotgun for concealed carry, and I am not going to use a pistol to shoot trap or skeet.  This is probably about the only level that I will talk about others with when it comes to selecting their gun.  And then I will only point them in the right direction, offering a variety of options within their price range.  I may point out differences as it applies to how the firearm will fill the desired role, but once a shooter is on the right path, the rest of the selection process is up to them.  Everybody is built differently, so they need to see what points and fits right for them, what feels good in their hands.

One area of the shooting world that I see the phenomenon of someone besides the shooter choosing the gun fairly often is with newer female shooters.  Now, I will say up front that I think women who want to enjoy the shooting sports is a great thing, and should be encouraged.  But, I think that it does a dis-service to newer female shooters, and have seen that is can be very discouraging for them, when someone buys them the gun they think they should be shooting.  The general trend I see in firearms when this happens is that the resulting firearm is a sub-compact type semi-automatic or snub nosed revolver, which almost always have a short grip.

At first glance to an inexperienced shooter in a gun store, this may look like an ideal choice.  It is small, so it should be easy to conceal, and is lightweight, so it is easy to hold.  Many firearms makers also have variations of these models especially tailored to females, though color choices or some other method.  Now the new shooter goes to a class or a range with their new firearm someone told them was the best for them, and really does not enjoy shooting the gun.  They have trouble hitting the target, the trigger pull is very heavy, and the recoil is intense.  So shooting their brand new gun isn't much fun for them, and they don't want to do it much, if any.

There are many reasons why this is the case, but I want to highlight a few of the main points.  The first is that a short barreled pistol is not a firearm for an inexperienced shooter to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship on.  The sight radius is the distance between the front and rear sights, and directly impacts practical accuracy of the firearm.  Notice I said practical accuracy, which is how well a human can shoot from a normal firing position, as opposed to mechanical accuracy, where the pistol is put into a rest, and the only human interaction is the pulling of the trigger.  The shorter the sight radius on a firearm, the more any errors in aiming are magnified while firing a shot.  This is one of the main reasons a rifle, which may have a 20" sight radius, can generally be fired much more accurately than a pistol with a 3-5" sight radius.  Also most of the "pocket pistols" have very rudimentary sights, which make getting proper sight alignment more difficult.

The short grip and lightweight of these pistols also complicate shooting them.  Usually a shooter can not fit their whole hand on the grip, often only two fingers, leaving the pinky finger awkwardly placed compared to shooting a full sized pistol.  It can be very hard to get a consistent grip on a small pistol, and consistency in habits is one of the keys to good marksmanship.  Also, the lack of a full grip means the pistol can move around more in the hand during recoil.  And these pistols generally recoil a lot, because of how lightweight they are.  A .380 ACP or .38 Special can be a potent round, and when you are firing it out of a gun that weighs less than a pound, it can be downright painful.  With a sub-compact 9mm, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W or .45 ACP, it can be even worse.  And if a new shooter thinks a gun is painful to shoot, they aren't going to want to shoot it.   So the fun experience of learning how to shoot is tarnished by a difficult, painful gun to shoot.

I will say that I have seen some newer shooters, male and female, who shoot sub-compacts very well, but in my experience they seem to be the experience instead of the rule.  So, if you are a new shooter looking to buy a gun, or you know someone who you want to get a gun for, do yourself a favor, and let them pick it out.  Go to a gun store, and let them handle a lot of different types, and find the one that feels good to them.  Or even better, come to a class like ours where we have a wide variety of handguns from sub-compacts to full sized that our students can shoot, and find what shoots best for the individual.  But, no one except the shooter can really saw what gun is going to work best for them, so they shouldn't let someone else choose their gun.

Developing a Defensive Mindset Part 2, the OODA loop

I am going to continue with the trend from my last post and talk again about developing a defense oriented mindset.  In the last post I talked about developing and maintaining situation awareness, using Jeff Cooper's color codes.  As I touched on briefly, the human mind and body is tuned for defense, and has little built in tools that help us survive.  Often these tools aren't even used consciously, but instead are embedded in our genetics and instincts that we are born with.  Which makes sense really, because without the tools, survival would be a lot harder.

One of these tools is the body's  response system and cycle to a stressor, which is referred to as the OODA loop.  Although people had almost certainly noticed the loop before, the person who is credited with really looking at it in depth and developing a theory as to how and why it works was Colonel John Boyd, USAF.  Col. Boyd was one of the best military thinkers and strategists in the second half of the 20th century, and his theories have far reaching effects that go beyond just influencing the battlefield.   He was also a fighter pilot and responsible for helping to develop several of the fighter aircraft of the time, as well as doctrine for them.

The OODA loop is a theory he developed about the human response to an event or stressor.  It stands for:

Observe
Orient
Decide
Act

These are all the steps your body goes through when something unexpected happens.  You use your senses to observe the event, and gain as much information as possible about it in a short amount of time.  You orient the data and information in relation to your perspective.  You then decide what action you are going to take in order to react to the event.  And finally you act based on the results of that decision.  And then the process repeats itself.

While the process may all happen extremely fast, in a quickly evolving and fluid situation, things can change in the middle of your cycle, and then you have to start over again.  I am sure that the application of this theory as it pertains to a fighter pilot is very easy to visualize.  Being in a plane, dog-fighting with an enemy, where the only limit on space is the ground and the flight ceiling of the aircraft, would require a pilot to be able to process the OODA loop very quickly.  If your enemy keeps making decisions that render your decided actions useless, you can never catch up, and never get ahead to gain the advantage.

To use a simple example to illustrate the point of how the OODA loop works.  If someone throws a ball at you, and you try to catch it, you are using the OODA loop.  You observe the ball in flight, orient the data in your mind to calculate what your positioning needs to be to catch it, decide how you are going to catch the ball, and act by catching the ball.  If your OODA loop doesn't process fast enough, the ball hits your or flies past you while you are still trying to figure out how to catch it.

Another simple example of the OODA loop shows how the cycles process, and why it is good to be able to process them faster.  Say you are walking down a sidewalk, and the only other person walking on it is coming straight towards you.  Normal western custom is for both people to veer to their respective right side, so that people don't run into each other.  So, in your first cycle, you observe the individual walking towards you, orient yourself to the data, how far away they are, how long it will take to close the distance between the two of you ect..., decide to veer to the right as is normal custom, and then take a step to the right, to avoid running into the other person.

So, what happens if as you step to the right, the other person steps in the same direction, into your new path?  You now need to run through the loop again, in order to once again avoid a collision.  If they keep running the loop faster than you and stepping in your way, they can block your path.  Now, I am not going to recommend doing this to random individuals on the street, as people usually don't take very kindly to having their path blocked, but this is an experiment that you could do with friends or family.

By now I hope the defensive applications for this theory are becoming apparent.  If you are in a self defense situation, three of the keys to survival are speed, surprise, and violence of action.  I will have a blog post later that covers those keys in more depth later, but the surprise part is where the OODA loop really comes into play.  In the vast majority of self defense scenarios, the victim is already behind the eight-ball when it comes to surprise.  Unless you manage to pick up on visual cues from your attacker through situational awareness, you have no idea someone is going to pose a lethal threat to you.  So after that threat, you need to quickly process all the information while you observe the situation, orient the data to your perspective, decide what action to take (fight or flight), and act.  If you do nothing, you are an easy target.  If you do what the attacker expects, you are an easy target.  If you do something unexpected to defend yourself, you processed your loop faster than the attackers, and re-gained the element of surprise for yourself.  And then as long as you keep processing it faster now that you have the momentum, you can survive, because the attacker can never complete his loop, because you are acting while he is still deciding what to do.  Inaction in the face of force is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make.  And inaction is caused by indecision, which comes from not being able to decide, because you never reach the decision/action steps due to the fluid nature of an event.  So, being able to process the cycle faster is what can give you the upper hand in defending yourself.

Once you understand the OODA loop, it really becomes applicable in much more than just a military or defensive role.  It is used in sports, in verbal debates, in politics, and in business.  And the more you understand it, and the more you use it, the better you become at it.  The better you become at it, the faster you process through the loop while making the right decision.  So, the OODA loop is probably worth a bit more thought and mental development on your part.  Its something you never think about until you learn the theory, but once you learn the theory and understand the OODA loop, it is an invaluable mental tool.  Start with smaller examples, and then you can see how the more complex ones develop, but really, the complex examples get simpler, because you just go through them one loop at a time.