Tools and accessories and practical uses
There are plenty of things I’d love to throw on an M4 that would be fun to try out, lasers, grenades, IR, night vision ect. but the reality is I really don’t need those, and with how much battery usage I would be using, I don’t really want to have to tack on another accessory that is gonna fail on me when I should really just operate with out it. Battery life can vary depending on the type you use, but there have been big improvements in the last couple years. The problem I see with people using lasers outside of their homes is that the laser is set for where the POI is at a fixed range and people that are less trained don’t realize that it’s not really going to improve your accuracy.
Rifle offset on the AR15 is something that needs to burn into a novice shooters head. I can’t think of too many other firearms that have an offset like that and for close range fighting, especially in a hostage situation, you can easily miss your opponent and hot the wrong person. Laser Grips Laser usage at close ranges, that are adjusted for POI within close ranges can be a help if you are using your home defense weapon, but for using lasers outside of your home, the bullet won’t hit where the laser dot is and is really just a guide.
I have had an above average level of firearm training, but I am very much aware that I’m no expert. I think anyone that claims to be an expert tends to have the wrong attitude and will eventually fall victim to complacency. There is a pretty well known youtube video of an “expert” showing students about firearms as he ends up putting a bullet into his foot in front of a class of school kids. One of the most important things I have learned about close and personal fighting with firearms is rifle and pistol sight differentiation. On a rifle you can shoot a bullseye at 300yds with your ACOG, but at 6ft, you might end up putting a bullet 3 inches over a bad guys forehead due to the barrel and optic offsets.
I was not a big fan of putting flashlights on rifles until I started working in the field and realized that having a light on a rifle was the most practical thing to have with a firearm after having bullets. It may sound funny to hear such a simple observation, but it’s true. How many times during the day do you think you’ll need to pull a firearm for defense in your home and how many times do you think you may need it at night? Most criminal activity occurs in low light and not having a light means not identifying your target.
Why Laser Sights? Immediate Decisive AdvantageThe answer is short-and-sweet: Lasergrips provide you with instant and overwhelming advantages you wouldn’t otherwise have. Laser sights simply help you shoot better, with greater speed and accuracy, which translates into increased confidence—even in tense and threatening scenarios, when hours and hours of vigilant training can disappear in a haze of panic and confusion.
I’ve often noticed that some of the most experienced shooters I know that you would imagine could probable carry a Argentine FAL concealed actually all carry very small and lightweight firearms. The J-Frame seems to be the number one, but I have been noticing that there are a few very reliable autos being made by Ruger and Kahr. I understand the need for training, but there have been drawbacks to many of the snub nose revolvers I have fired. Number one, they tend to have terrible triggers and the sights are so small they are hard to use. I’ve put plenty of lead downrange, but I have done tests with 5 shot revolvers and the difference between double action trigger pulls and single can be significant. If you’ve only got 5 rounds, you have to make every round count.
There has been much talk over the last 2 decades about lasers and flashlights being a liability to an operator more so than an asset. In about 45 seconds of teaching closer quarters combat and inside the home self defense, a laser is an obvious outing of a users location. I understand that if you are trying to sneak around your house and take out a threat, a laser that is turned on will tell the threat you are near. Flashlights run the same risks if they are used incorrectly, but try and tell a SWAT Team to enter a dark room and determine where a threat may be hiding and whether or not an innocent bystander is hiding in the dark.
Which gun is best for CCW? Which caliber is better than X? 9mm Vs. 45acp, which has more stopping power? I’ve been shooting guns for decades and carrying for close to 30yrs. I remember the early days when I was carrying a full size 1911 because I expected the worst and wanted the biggest possible gun I owned to be on me 24/7. As the years went by I got more involved in reloading bullets for handguns and then I started to notice the differences from caliber to caliber. I was amazed at the number of guns that are being used nowadays that all shoot the same bullet, but at different velocities.
There area a lot of good upgrades one can do to a firearm, a fighting rifle should be customized to fit an operator. Advanced Technology makes some quick and easy upgrades for your shotgun or carbine that can give you better grip or balance. Shotgun shell holders on the buttstock or riding side saddle is a practical tactical upgrade you can do on your remington 870. The fiberforce stock for the MAK90 is a way to legally get around some firearm bans and are a big step up compared to the stupid thumbhole stocks. Attach a rifle sling that fits yoru purpose from Blue Force Gear, they come in 1 point, 2 point and 3 point attachements. Minor firearm modifications make need to be done to attache rifle slings, but do some research on various rifle sling configurations to see what works for you.
Man in the training in the self defense school will argue about the use of lasers on firearms. Lasers are used for as many diverse reasons as any tool. You can use a laser to direct someone to a target, highlight a threat, targetting a threat and using the laser dot to give you an approximate point of impact. When lasers first came out, there was evidence that operators were using them to aim and for close quarters fighting, sometimes aiming is not necessary and will slow you down in getting the first hits in. Hits count and the first hits usually go to the winner.