All posts tagged Defensive Shooting

Putting a safety on a firearm

There are many things to concern yourself with when you choose to carry a firearm.    People training to  hit holes on paper and maneuver themselves around a firearm range, but if the shit hits the fan, not everyone is mentally prepared for a fight.   Many that have become victims of crime tend to be the most proficient at my training courses because they know what the receiving end of crime feels like.   Having that feeling is not something the less experienced will easily learn to know.   I have personally witnessed people freeze up in hostile situations that I would normally think would be fighters and sometimes people can just become off balance and loose themselves.

Everyone has a different reason for carry the firearm that have chosen to carry and that is your personal choice.   I have issues with carrying firearms that are high maintenance, but to each his own.  One thing to consider when carry a firearm out in the open though is to have some level of retention device.   I am not big on using these for CCW, but for open carry, it’s wise to have something like the Blackhawk holsters that have a locking device that is easy to release but a BG that tries to grab a hold of your gun in a fight will have extra fiddling to do if they want to get a hold of your Sig Sauer, Glock or Springfield XD.

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Tactical vests and firearm retention

Gun vests are as diverse in application and gun holsters are.   There are various types of vests for specific missions and some of the best ones to get are the ones that you can configure yourself.   Not everyone needs to carry 12 gun magazines for their M4 Carbine and most of that would even be considered extreme for a combat soldier.   I am a big fan of leg holsters because my primary fighting weapon is an M4 rifle and I don’t like the idea of putting a handgun up on my vest because it’s one more thing for my rifle sling to snag on.   Eotac and Woolrich Elite vests suit me better because they are softer and don’t have a holster for retaining a firearm, it’s all magazine and gear and the pistol magazine holder is inside the pockets, not outer pouches.

I am also not a fan of vests that carry tons of rifle and pistol ammunition, it’s good to be able to carry a backup handgun incase your primary goes down, but I’m more inclined to bring a spare bolt and firing pin so I can replace most broken parts on my M4 in only a minute.   Having 2 or 3 Wilson combat magazines for my 1911 is all I need for most practical purposes.  If I need more handgun ammunition than that, I might as well pack a few grenades and be able to call in an airstrike, too.  If you are wearing a tactical vests, in my opinion, it’s cross draw, or it’s a leg holster for your handgun.

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The cost of firearm instruction

I have several DVDs in my collection that are from various firearms instructors, Gabe Suarez, Clint Smith and Rob Pincus to name a few.   I would have to say that some of their DVDs have good points and some are kinda weak in others.   I think Clint Smith’s DVD’s are introductory and very good for breaking someone in to shooting, but most of the DVDs that I have watched from his collection are not as advanced as the stuff coming from Magpul.   I have never been to Thunder Ranch so I’m not going to downplay or say that place isn’t a good place to go, I’ve never been there, but have heard good things although I know there are various levels of training going on.

The Magpul Art of the Tactical Carbine volumes I and volume II are outstanding firearms instruction for those looking to up their skills.   It wasn’t the same old shooting positions and malfunction clearings that you tend to see from others.  There are some really advanced gun handling skills as well as very well done communication skills.   It always takes me 2 or 3 runs at watching the DVD to soak it in, but I have been very impressed with the Magpul DVD series.   Soon I’ll get a chance to watch the Shotgun one and give you my thoughts.

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Don Hume H715 holsters, are they reliable?

Concealed carry is a market that has dramatically expanded in the last 10yrs.   I can hardly believe it has been almost 10yrs since September 11th, but that event changed a lot of peoples opinions about being safe in your own Country.   With an economy that is sluggish, there have been more types of crimes in neighborhoods  that were safe where home invasion  are not that uncommon anymore.   Recently there were several home invasions against elderly people because they were easy targets.  There are things you can do to prevent yourself from being a target, but being able to retreat into your home and be able to stop a threat is important.

Inside the waistband or IWB is the most common method of concealment, but it is not the only one.  There are too many variables for me to get into right now, but Don Hume holsters are very reliable and the disclaimer for anyone that I would suggest carry IWB should be that they get a good reliable belt.  Gun belts are the key to keeping your clip on gunholster in it’s place and not coming off.   I have noticed that a lot gun holster makers have modified the designs of their clips to make them stronger.  There will always be some restriction on comfort and movement with a holster like this, but it will take some time and tolerance to get use to.

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Revolvers and magazine capacity

I guess I’m getting old when I have to refer to my  years of chatting on gun boards because they seem to be something from so far in the past now.  Blogging and tweeting and Facebook seem to have replaced the discussion forum format.  I have watched so many of my friends transition from full size autos to small Kahr semi-autos and the Ruger LCP.   The .380 is still revered as underpowered, but when most people think about the likely hood of dealing with a threat and how much firepower they will need and how much weight they want to tote around, people are going with smaller firearms.

I’m not in the camp that thinks that the smallest caliber gun is fine, but if that’s what you want to carry, I won’t condemn it, but you better train to be able to fight with it.   One discussion that still rings in my ears from the gun forum years was that the 1911 pistol was out dated because magazine capacity was only 7 or 8 rounds while most modern 9mm service guns held 13-19rds.  Wilson Combat magazines have made the firearm more reliable, but it’s still a very heavy gun. Magazine capacity was the big thing in the 1990s but not so much anymore.   Most Police now have quick access to an M4 and over loading a handgun seems to be a thing of the past.   Do people still look down a 5 shot revolver now that all of those .380 pistols only  hold 5 – 7 rounds?

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Laser grips? Are they any different now?

Just like the white lights that could only be mounted to trigger guards and the lasers that mounted the same way, gun manufacturers have been modifying their firearms so that can all be accessorized.  It’s really easy to spot some of the older model Sig 228 and Sig 229 guns because they don’t have rails.  Now it’s pretty much the law of the land to have a rail on your handgun because so many understand the need for using a white light.  Just like everything that has to do with firearms and caliber debates, you have to know what the task at hand is and know what tools will work to get the job done.

I agree that the best place to put a laser is probable right inside the barrel and beam it out of the exact same spot the bullet flies out of, but right now that is impossible.   Lasermax and Crimson Trace laser grips have different approaches to getting the same job done, and it’s really what your preference is.  For close up fighting, once you get your laser setup for the ranges you wish to do combat training or defensive training in your laser will work, but side mounted lasers will become inaccurate once you get out of your comfort zone.

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NAA Guardian, pocket gun options

Many of my shooting buddies have been CCW for 1-2 decades longer than I have.    I have watched the evolution of weapons they have carried over the years and they have all ended up carrying guns and calibers that I would never have wanted to carry before.   In my opinion it was always about how much damage the bullet could do, followed by reliability, and finally durability.   I was always turned off by some of the pocket semi-autos that I cam across because the recoil tended to be pretty nasty.   I am not afraid of shooting 50 BMG rifles, but I don’t like shooting too much recoil in a handgun.   I know an individual that actually has developed nerve damage from shooting too many heavy handguns and if it hurts after I shoot it, I don’t want to carry it as a CCW gun.

My first adventure into CCW was with a friend that had 20yrs more experience than I did.   He showed me he had evolved to the NAA guardian .380 pistol and that in his opinion, it was the only gun he could carry at work with any level of comfort.  My only issue with some pocket guns is that they are so small that I can’t feel them, and I like to know I can feel the gun on me at all times.   The real issue I have noticed with NAA Guardians is that you have to really pay attention to the round counts you have put through your gun and how many you put through your NAA Guardian gun magazines and rotate out the springs before you have any issues.   The NAA Guardian is strictly a CCW gun and will handle some of the hotter loads for the .380 compared to some of the Kel-Tec counterparts.   I was fortunate enough to test out some of the Rohrbaugh R9 pistols next to the NAA Guardian and the only thing the R9 had over the NAA Guardian was the trigger pull.

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The FN 5.7 as a defensive weapon

I first saw the 5.7  in all it’s glory with what I would consider to be AP ammo.   I heard a few people mention that they thought that this gun should be illegal, but ballistically it couldn’t do anything that the much more common M855 or SS109 could do.   Yeah I know that a criminal might prefer a handgun to defeat a police officers armor, but the last Police Officer killed here in Pennsylvania was killed with an SKS with standard ammo and a 30rd magazine that actually jammed.   The SKS can take detachable magazines, but I have never seen them hold up as well as the AK family of guns with these mags.   The 5.7 has the ballistics of something close to the 22 magnum, and even though that is not a very powerful stopping round it is as effective as the person carrying it.

I don’t know of any reliable 22 magnum semi auto guns, I know a few pocket revolvers that were fun to shoot, but if you want a small and light semi auto with similar 22 magnum ballistics and has a much  higher capacity, there’s nothing wrong with packing the 5.7 FN.  I think there are better calibers for duty officers, but there are a number of gun holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa that can be had for this gun.  Unfortunately the piece of crap that killed our soldiers at Fort Hood used this firearm arm very effectively, but hopefully anyone reading this will know that every firearm used in the hands of a good and law abiding citizen is an asset to society.

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Shoulder holsters being banned from Defensive training?

I first heard about this 3 years ago when I was taking a class, and I’m glad I didn’t bring my Uncle Mike’s vertical holster with me when I was taking the class, but it really wasn’t that style that was an issue.   Understandable so,  shoulder holsters, if not properly used, can be a hazzard to people behind the firing line, especially if it is a vertical rig.   Everyone seems to think of the Galco holster The Miami Classic when they think of that style of carry, but not all holsters are like that.   They look cool, but standing next to several people with that style of carry isn’t going to  be safe when everyone is holstering and un-holstering.

I do not think that shoulder holsters are less safe, and I personally think they are very practical for people that do a lot of driving, and it’s one of my favorite ways to carry a large size semi-auto.   Paddle holsters and OWB holsters are hard to draw from in the seat position and Bulldog holsters along with Uncle Mikes make very inexpensive holster rigs.  The Bulldog holsters have a double magazine pouch which gives you a little bit more weight distribution.   Shoulder holsters aren’t the best for CCW because the straps can ride up on you, but if you wear the appropriate clothing they can work.

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Keeping it lightweight and simple

I know the idea of keeping it simple may mean carrying a larger auto and no spare magazines for concealed carry, but my idea of keeping it simple is usually pocket carry.     Sometimes people can go overboard with the CCW and even though you are well withing  your right to carry a gun legally, if you are packing too much gear, there’s a pretty good chance you will eventually be outed or “made” by someone that you don’t really want to know what you are carrying.   I have had atleast 2 times in my life where someone I barely knew, figured out real fast that something metal on my belt line, that wasn’t where my cell phone was. was there.

Every time you walk past someone in a close environment, there is a good chance you will get an “excuse me” and they will bump up against you.   People don’t realize how often it actually occurs, but elevators stares, doorways ect, are known for bumpin.   Carrying at social environments like business meetings is something that even more bumping can occur.   Sounds funny, but I speak from experience.  Sometimes I carry a Kahr K9 in 40 in one of my many Galco holsters that is an ankle holster.   This is one of the best ways to avoid bumping and being made in a white collar or close quarters social environment.   Find a good gun shop that allows you to try them on.

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