All posts tagged IDPA Shooting Skills

Pants options for the shooting ranges?

There have been many times I have gone to IDPA competitions or local shooting matches and seen guys pack up gear and be on their way because they are afraid of the elements.   One of the funny things about the shooting community is the number of prima donnas that dwell in it with expensive firearms, but won’t run them like the are capable of.  One of those elements that firearms should be able to handle is the rain.  Especially when it comes to  using Military style firearms.  Some hunting rifles may get messed up in the rain but there are ways of preventing that.  Cheap optics will also become know and fog up on you.

One of the best things to market for this time of the year is rain gear.  For some odd reason we get a lot of rain in the Fall and the Summer here in the Northeast and most tactical pants are just going to hold water or get saturated.  Cotton Canvas has a bad reputation for this but this year we have something new.  The Woolrich Elite WaterProof pants go well with the Elite Waterproof parka.   Unfortunately Woolrich is only making these pants in black at the moment, but they easily roll up and can fit in a range bag for those rainy days.   It would be nice to see something in the future that is Hi visibility though.

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Keeping spare parts around

This weekend I got a rare chance to actually get out and practice some urban combat tacticals and had the most fun I’ve had in awhile.   A few months ago I did some practical handgun defensive shooting training, but I kind of lost the feel of recoil and that’s not something i like to feel when I’m on the range.   I have in the past pushed myself to practice shooting defensively from a cold mindset.   What do I mean?  Nobody warms up to a self defense situation, sometimes you are thrown into it.

Once you have your safe gun handling skills down, there’s nothing wrong with pushing yourself.   I recently got a reminder about checking things on a firearm before training though.  I carry lots of spare parts for my AR15 bolt, but I didn’t have a stock tool or spare detent pin and springs.  I watched a few gun dvds, specifially the AR15 Armorer’s course with Dean Caputo.  One good thing about having something like this is being able to identify the parts that go in certain areas and what they are used for.

 

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Some feed back on gun dvds

Once I get everything setup in the new showroom, we’re getting a big ass TV for running some of the videos from the Make Ready DVD series.   The production on the DVDs has been pretty good so far, but I must admit I’ve only watched about 10hrs of video.   I’ve been itching for a really long time to get my hands on some of the modern Carbine Fighting techniques because I think this is the most practical training a Citizen can get.   Much like the old Militia mentality which has sadly been become a negative term and no longer a term for a Patriot, this should be common amongst young adults to know how to defend their Countries.

There are some pretty shabby people making gun videos and I don’t know the background on all of them, but you gotta check references when information when you are training.   There was a big stink a few years  ago about firearm instructors not checking the backgrounds of some of their students, but that’s another issue.   With so many people getting real world training and experience in Iraq and Afghanistan coming home and producing gun dvds that can help our society produce defenders of Liberty is pretty cool if you ask me.   I have several SWAT buddies that go through training and they liked the access to Paul Howe’s new Tac Pistol and Tac Rifle Operator videos.

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Firearm training and DVD instructional video just broader

I have a great many gun dvd’s in my collection and they are mostly of value, but I did have a few that I lent to a friend for comical reasons, but unfortunately they got lost and there’s no way in hell I’ll spend the money for another batch of them.    Now that DVD editing has gotten better and easier to do, more firearms trainers are taking to the camera eye.   There are several people that I would love to train with, but like many people I can’t take 3 days off from my day job.  I subscribed to the Outdoor Channel over a year ago, but sadly most of the shows I watch are producing so few shows that I’ve already seen the same ones 4 or 5 times and I’m itching for something a little more complicated.

We just got word that Travis Haley just got done shooting “Adaptive Carbine” training course and will be out in a few months.    Considering the names that I am seeing on the Make Ready gun dvds,  I’m sure that Fernando Coelho knows the people to get in front of the camera and how to sell a DVD.   I think all of these DVD’s are a great thing because the production is so well done and gun owners will have easy access to important tactics and safe gun handling skills.   I think there are too many people out there that own AR15 rifles that don’t know the proper ways to maintain or handle them.

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New DVD from Dean Caputo

I just started getting through another Make Ready DVD this week after last weeks Dean Caputo AR15 Armorer’s bench DVD.   The first 75% of the AR15 was all stuff that I already new about and I was really starting to think about skipping over a few of the chapters and getting to something new, but I sat and thought to myself that I can’t say I watched it if I didn’t see the whole thing.   It’s kinda like all of the people that go to Mass on Sunday and walk out after Communion, but the Priest gets pissed and says that Mass isn’t over yet.   Well, Dean Caputo wasn’t talking about God, but he’s been talking about the AR15 and the 1911 and according to some people, those are holy things.

The 1911 is probable the most tinkered with firearm that I know of.   I always think of the 1911 as being the GI Mil-spec gun and a lot of the 1911’s I have seen from Kimber and some custom shops aren’ t really 1911s to me.  I’ve changed sights and triggers on my guns but I mostly stick to GI looks and Wilson combat magazines.   The magazines have always been the weak points on the 1911 followed probable by the throat.   I have no real interest in using HP ammunition on my 1911s because I feel like I’m compromising reliability.   Dean’s DVD’s are very good for basic information and he gets into basic history, but the best  thing about the DVD’s is his thorough and organized manor of explaining the parts and how to trouble shoot.  The trouble shooting was something I was not aware of.

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Handgun flashlights should you mount it?

Should you put a flashlight on your handgun or should you keep it separate?   Go to an IDPA competition and check out the low light flashlight competitions and get back to me.   We see them dropped or competitors fumble them all the time.   We sell the Section 8 tactical Ultimate Retention Device which is a great an easy thing to add on to your finger when you are shooting but a less trained shooter is going to have some trouble getting use to using them.   Many handguns are now being made with rails under them and it’s becoming almost mandatory to have a white light on an M4 Carbine.

When you think about putting a light on a handgun, I would always suggest you think about what the gun is going to  be used for.   I believe that a home defense firearm should be configured to be used inside your home and sometimes that may mean not using a handgun, but an M4 Carbine or a shotgun with fragmenting bullets.   Streamlight flashlights can be mounted on handguns or rifles especially the TLR-1 light.   I’m a big fan of lights that are 110 lumens or more for home use because they will seem far brighter and easier to light up a room.

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IWB causing discomfort?

There have been several times recently where I have serious considered changing the type of gun I am carrying because after working 7 days a week in over time IWB has taken it’s toll.   I’m noticing I am getting bruising on the side where I carry my firearm and it really has gotten uncomfortable.   I find IWB to be the best concealed carry method for me, but it will catch up to those who carry all the time and do a lot of physical work.   My Sig 228 is a medium sized auto that is one of my favorite and I don’t feel like spending another $500 for a smaller firearm.

When you move from carrying a firearm inside the waistband and want concealment, you are probable going to have to consider wearing a vest or a jacket.   Once you get into Summer weather, a vest may not work for you at all all.  The Galco holsters that I like to wear as outside the pants holsters are the Galco Combat Master.  These have an angled slant to them which I prefer to defensive shooting.   Everyone has different body types and arm lengths so this may not work for you.  Many of my friends like the Roto holsters for the same reason.

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Has anyone made plans for a Mapgul pistol mag?

I’ve been getting good at sensing changes in the gun industry and I think we’re on the precipice right now.   Synthetic stocks are far superior to what was out a decade ago and machining has improvement so well on the AR15 design that even the direct impingement guns are superior to what was out a decade ago.   I think  if you have the money to spend, you can get a good DI gun that is as reliable as a piston gun.   On the discussion of rifle magazines, once you get to the point that you can drive your car over a magazine and then still reliable shoot it in your gun, you have arrived at the top of the mountain.

I think Glock magazines are pretty tough, but I’ve never seen somebody drive over one with a car and still have it run.  If anyone has seen a pistol magazine as tough as the Magpul Pmags let me know? Wilson combat magazines are the most reliable gun magazines, but I don’t think any 1911 magazine would hold up to a 200lb person standing on it let alone a 2 ton truck.   Maybe we don’t need gun magazines to be this tough, but I sure think that if we can improve the light bulb, we can improve the handgun or pistol magazines.

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Sig 230 for CCW

There seems to be a wave of .380 CCW and after watching this trend for almost 2yrs, I have to say that it does seem to be a fad.   I am aware of a Police shooting where a Philadelphia Police Officer was killed by a bad guy with a .380 pistol and I later found out that she was hit in the head.   I hate having to be so gruesome in talking about shootings like this, but carrying a firearm means you are carrying a tool that may kill someone in self defense and we all know we don’t want to use the cheapest tools in the tool box if we are worried about keeping something of value in good condition.

The Sig 230 handguns have been around for a long time and from my experience the only down side to them is the lack of a normal magazine release.   All .380 handguns should be viewed as minimal, I wouldn’t carry one as a primary weapon or use it for home defense.  I have Don Hume holsters for my Sig 230 for inside the waistband.   The clip on belt holster is very reliable and the gun is already thin enough that carrying IWB is a non-issue.   .380 ballistics are something  you need to look into and train your mind to implement your weapon accordingly.

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Favorite guns for IDPA

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend some of the IDPA National competitions in recent years and it has still amazed me that the 1911 is the number one firearm that is being  used.    I’ve spent enough time on the range to know that the 45acp is more consistent in knocking down targets and makes bigger holes.   The triggers on the 1911 design can be sweetened and even though there are some draw backs to the 1911 design, for competition, there aren’t any.   Glocks have a good showing because they have a consistent trigger design like the 1911, but they are very different to shoot.

I understand that many shooters will probable shoot a 9mm more proficiently over a 45acp and I have done personal evaluations of novice shooters and done comparisons.   The 9mm is easier to shoot and will most likely get you a higher hit percentage. For more advanced shooters, they won’t have problems with the 45acp.  Wilson Combat magazines are still the number one 1911 gun magazine that I see at these events followed by Chip McCormick.   Every 1911 design can be tweaked and modified just like a pile of Legos.

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