Eagle1's Blog

Reloads for self defense?

2009-05-28T08:57:00.001-04:00

With the skyrocketing cost of self defense ammo, I’m starting to re-think the issue of using reloads for carry ammo. The traditional mindset has always been that this is a no-no. Many years ago I had a long conversation with Massad Ayoob on this subject and he convinced me that it just wasn’t worth it to use reloads for a self defense scenario. His logic was that if you did happen to shoot someone, you did not want some prosecutor saying something like this: “Your honor, this crazed individual was not happy using standard, commercial ammo – no he had to concoct his own very own brand of super duper killing ammo”.

So I understand the argument, but does it really hold water? What if I carefully construct ammo that duplicates commercial ammo as best I can? My current favorite self defense ammo for the 9MM is the Cor-bon DPX with the Barnes all copper bullet. It penetrates deeply, expands reliably and defeats barriers better than anything else. The bad news is that it runs $35 to $40 per 20 round box – if you can find it. My cost to reload it is about $16 per box. I have developed a reload using this bullet that essentially duplicates the ballistics of the commercial load.

So my argument in court would be: “Your honor, because of the high cost of commercial ammo and the poor availability I chose to duplicate this load on my own. I would be happy to submit these reloads to whatever testing you deem appropriate to substantiate this claim”.

So what do you think? Am I being naïve and perhaps too logical, or am I on to something here?

One in the chamber

2009-04-09T08:34:00.002-04:00

For some unknown reason I have had a fair number of students in recent classes that are deathly afraid of carrying a gun with one in the chamber. Typically what they tell me is that they have heard too many horror stories about accidental discharges and are willing to sacrifice some speed for security.

On one hand I kind of have to applaud them for their devotion to safety. On the other hand, this philosophy just might get them killed. About 60% of law enforcement shootings are done with one hand. This is because the officer is either doing something important with his other hand or he does not feel that he has enough time to get his support hand in the proper position. Do you think he might have enough time to rack the slide first?

I believe that if you carry a gun for protection that it ought to be carried with a live round in the chamber. If you somehow feel uncomfortable with this then I would recommend the following drill.

Unload your gun, check it twice, rack the slide or cock the hammer and holster it. Draw the gun and pull the trigger. Cock and holster. Repeat as many times as it takes for you to feel comfortable drawing and re-holstering a "loaded" gun without inadvertently pulling the trigger. It may take awhile, but increasing your confidence is what the drill is all about.

2009 Forecast

2008-12-30T08:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm going to step way out on a limb here and gaze into my cloudy and snow covered crystal ball and make some predictions for the coming year:

Energy costs - they have nowhere to go but up. Kiss the buck and a half a gallon gas goodbye, you'll never see it in your lifetime again. Oh, we may have a couple more dips down to this level in the coming months but check back at the end of the year and let me know what you are paying then.
Inflation - well, the current trend is that we are in a pretty strong deflation. The prices of almost everything have dropped this year. But the truth of the matter is that the U.S. government can not operate in a deflationary environment. I mean, holy crap, how can Uncle Sam pay off a $10 trillion deficit with dollars that are actually worth more? Besides, they are now throwing trillions of dollars more to buy out anything that is deemed "too big to fail". Who says the Federal government is not too big to fail? I see us back to double digit inflation by the end of next year. If you own any government bonds or T-bills now is the time to sell.
Unemployment - we haven't even come close to the bottom yet with maybe even double digit numbers the U.S. by the end of the year.
Real estate - yep, still a long way to go on this one as well - probably another 20 to 30 per cent reduction from here.
Food - the prices will go up and the availability will go down. There will be more cases of tainted produce as more corners are cut. If you don't have a garden yet, this summer would be a great time to start and organic is the only way to go.
Crime - 2008 saw crime generally decrease across the U.S. but I think this is turning around as we draw to the end of the year. Look for much higher burglary, robbery and home invasion rates next year. If you do not have a gun safe this would be a good time to purchase one and trade in some of those soon to be worthless FRN's.
Stimulus checks - Oh boy, this will cause a real firestorm. According to my copy of Turbotax, the $1,200 "stimulus check" that I got last year is now causing my 2008 income tax to be $1,200 more than if I had not received it. What this means if Turbotax is correct (and I have not been able to refute it yet) is that Uncle Scrooge did nothing more that give us an interest free cash advance that it now wants back!!

Yes, that's a lot of gloom and doom for 2009. My mantra is the 3 G's - "gold, guns and gardens".
I believe that once we flush the poison from the system that the medium term future looks pretty darn promising. I look for techology to make some significant advances in the next few years to start to turn things around.

Happy New Year!

Book Review - Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry

2008-12-05T07:48:00.003-05:00

I highly recommend this book for anyone who carries a gun. It is written by Massad Ayoob who is one of the top trainers and gun writers around. I have taken his LFI-1 and LFI-2 courses (both are 40 hour classes) and I admit that his philosophy has molded a good portion of my thinking on this subject.

I certainly don't agree with him on everything (for example, he recommends the heavy "New York" triggers on Glocks and I don't) but I guarantee you'll learn something from this book. Also, I don't think we need to wade through 30 cases to prove that ball ammo overpenetrates.

His treatment of the whole issue of carry holsters is by far the best available. And his section on open carry is certainly one of the more fair looks at this very sensitive topic. There have been many changes in guns, holsters and ammo during the last few years and Mas does a good job of reviewing all of these.

For the cost of a box of ammo these days, this book is a real bargain. Don't pay $24.99 though, click on the picture and order it from Amazon.

BHO administration

2008-12-01T10:03:00.002-05:00

Many people are concerned that the Barack Hussein Obama (BHO from now on since I really don't want to even type his name) administration is going to be very anti-gun. I don't know if it will happen or not, but the reality is that today the perception is that it will happen.

My CPL classes are running about triple the rate of a normal year the last couple of months and most "assault" type of guns and standard capacity magazines have just about doubled in price. Most common pistol and rifle ammo is very difficult to find.

OK, so what is my prediction? First off, the personnel form that all BHO appointees must fill out has a question (number 59 out of 63) that asks if they or anyone in their immediate family owns a firearm - (see http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15835.htm for more info ).
This tells me that he is very concerned about guns despite all his rhetoric about believing in second amendment rights. And he has gone on record that he is in favor of the assault weapon and high cap magazine ban that was on the books during the Clinton administration. However this requires an act of Congress so it probably wouldn't happen during 2009 - especially since he has a whole plate of much more serious issues to deal with.

But, he has quite a bit of lattitude in regards to Executive Orders. I do think their will be a flurry of these soon after he takes office with most of them concerning importation of guns, parts and ammo. My recommendation is that if you have any interest in foreign made guns, magazines or ammo - you need to have these in your possession by January 20th. I'm thinking that anything AK-47 related will be hit hard. Also, things like Glock magazines (made in Austria), anything for the FN-FAL and foreign surplus ammo will dry up as well.

The good news is that we learned a lesson the last time and many of you have stocked up already. I'm guessing that there are literally tens of millions more standard capacity Glock magazines in the hands of Americans than during ban years. I would like to personally thank the BHO crowd for perhaps arming more good old red blooded American patriots than the whole Bush regime.

IPSC/IDPA

2008-09-20T07:27:00.002-04:00

The topic has come up several times recently if the "combat handgunning" type of competitions are good training for self defense shootings. After shooting both IPSC and IDPA for many years, here are my observations:

First, both of these disciplines are good at teaching you how to run your gun. Drawing, sight alignment, trigger control and mag changes must be done correctly in order to do well.

After that, I have some huge heartaches. One thing I found myself doing out there in the real world was agonizing about my 180. In a law enforcement situation you must constantly be aware 360 degrees and my competition training was hampering that.

Another bad habit that the competition teaches you is to start on an auditory beep - something that doesn't happen in the real world.

Drawing with your hands relaxed at your sides (or in a surrender position) also is not likely. How about sitting in your car with the seat belt on? How about dipping your hand in water to simulate sweaty palms? Or drawing with your support hand because your strong hand is injured? Or pushing away your attacker so you even have room to draw your weapon?

The competitions use 2 dimensional targets (that are invariably broadside to you) and of course human targets are 3 dimensional and are often in contorted positions. You must develop the ability to see the depth of your adversary and place your shots so they hit the critical organs.

And lastly, my number one reason for not liking IPSC/IDPA for realistic gun training is that it teaches you week in and week out, month in and month out, year after year - that when you draw your gun you need to shoot. It's like that old cliche that if all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. In these competions EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU DRAW YOUR GUN YOU ARE SHOOTING. Yes, I know that you are smart enough to know the difference but I'm telling you if you do it enough it becomes part of your psyche. I firmly believe that this affect your shoot/no shoot decision in the real world.

If you want to go out and have fun shooting, then by all means enjoy the competitions. Just don't think it will really help in a self defense shooting and will more likely hinder it.

4th of July

2008-07-04T09:21:00.003-04:00

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. The barbecues, the parades, the craft shows and of course the fireworks have all been longstanding traditions of mine on this day. Of course, shooting is another one of those traditions I stick to as well.

After the parade today my brother will be coming over and we'll do a bit of shooting. I am proud of the fact that I live in a country that allows me to do that. At least so far.

Recently the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment was an individual right and all of the gun people are happy. Quite frankly I'm scared as hell. If you remember, the vote was 5 to 4. We were just ONE vote short of overturning the whole right of Americans to keep and bear arms! This is way too close for comfort and is a good indication of what lies in store for us in the future.

Since the Supreme Court justices are on the bench for life (and are appointed by the President) I am very concerned about what this court might look like in a few years if we get a Democratic President. There is a good chance at least one new justice will need to be appointed by the next President.

My recommendation is to vote in August and November as well as stock up on guns, ammo and standard capacity (no they are not "high" capacity, they are just what the manufacturer designed in the first place) magazines.

I Survived

2008-06-19T06:25:00.002-04:00

There has been an interesting program showing on the Biography channel called "I Survived". It features true stories of people telling their tales of surviving some pretty bad events. The ones that have intrigued me have been the women who have been assaulted.

Last night I watched a program that I had recorded earlier and it was about a young lady named Melissa from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was home alone with her two year old daughter while her husband worked the night shift. She awoke to find a man on top of her with a knife to her throat. The short story is that he repeatedly raped and assaulted her and then tied her up and put her in the trunk of her car. He then drove around stopping a couple of times to further assault her. The entire ordeal lasted 12 hours.

One thing that keeps recurring during these stories is how submissive and passive these women are. I know that these are horrific events but many of these women had some good opportunities to defend themselves.

I teach in my classes that you should always fight in certain circumstances like being tied up, being taken to a different location or getting searched if you are carrying a concealed weapon. Although all of these women survived, there are many more in similar circumstances who don't.

If you get the chance, check out this program:
http://www.biography.com/isurvived/

Self defense basics - Part 2

2008-04-25T10:46:00.002-04:00

Awareness is one of the most important tenets of self defense. When you are out and about in public you should be very cognizant of the people around you. It should not be possible for someone to come up from behind you and scare you.

Bad guys tend to pick on people who are unaware or who appear weak. It's like the cheetah surveying the herd of zebras and trying to figure out which one to attack - the one with it's head down feeding is a likely target.

Now I don't want you walking around in a paranoid frenzy constantly looking over your shoulder for the boogeyman. You should train yourself to employ a constant state of relaxed awareness. You should be looking for people or situations that don't seem right. Is someone paying too much attention to you? Has the car behind you been following you for awhile? Sometimes it's just your sixth sense that indicates something is wrong. If you get those feelings, listen to them! Don't worry about being called rude, crude, or worse - you'll need to exit the situation.

One of the recurring themes I hear all of the time whenever I interview someone who has been assaulted is something like this: "I knew I shouldn't have gone out with that guy", or "I knew we shouldn't have gone to that party". Learn to listen to those feelings and act accordingly.

Tasers

2008-04-11T15:03:00.002-04:00

There is currently a series of three bills in the Michigan State House (5754,5755 and 5756) that would allow CPL holders to carry a Taser. Currently it is a 4 year felony for civilians to possess these in Michigan although about 43 other states do allow their citizens to use them.

I support this legislation as I believe it would provide another tool for citizens to protect themselves. I do know that there are people today who would never carry a firearm but would consider other "non-lethal" forms of self defense such as the Taser. I sell a lot of pepper spray to women who would never even consider touching a firearm.

The only reservation I have is the hassle necessary to carry one. First you have to have a CPL license (I guess they are doing this so that background checks don't have to be done) and you must receive specific Taser training. The units themselves are fairly expensive (at least $350) and must be activated after you purchase it.

If you support this legislation please let your Representative know.

Self defense basics - Part 1

2008-04-09T17:04:00.003-04:00

There is an old cliche that says "If all you have is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail". In the CCW world you may interpret this as "If all you have is a gun then every problem involves a shooting". Here are a few of my comments on this issue:

First, if you wouldn't go to a certain area or place without a gun, then you absolutely shouldn't go there with a gun. Think about it.
Many interactions with a potential bad guy do not necessitate pulling out your gun. Remember, you should never pull out a gun unless you feel justified in shooting. In Michigan this means that you are in fear of losing your life, or incurring grave bodily harm or forcible sexual penetration. Brandishing a firearm is a felony in most jurisdictions.
You may be in one of the many pistol free zones and therefore do not have access to a firearm.
Lastly, many assaults will happen so fast, or so close that you will not be able to draw your concealed firearm. At this point you must have a pretty firm grasp on how to handle the situation. At the very least you need to know how to create that time or distance that will allow you to employ your firearm. We'll explore this area in a future post.

Citizen's Arrest

2008-04-04T09:18:00.002-04:00

Someone asked me the other day if it is legal in Michigan to make a citizen's arrest. The simple answer is yes, it is. According to MCL746.16 :

A private person may make an arrest: (1) for a felony committed in his presence; (2) if the person to be arrested has committed a felony, although not in his presence; (3) if he is summoned by a peace officer to assist the officer in making the arrest; or (4) if he is a merchant, an agent or employee of a merchant, or an independent contractor providing security for a merchant, of a store and has reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has violated certain laws in that store, regardless whether the violation was committed in the presence of the private person.

The more complicated issue is whether you should. Arresting a felon is a difficult, and often dangerous job even for a trained law enforcement officer. I would not recommend it except in very specific circumstances - such as you are convinced that this person will injure or kill innocent people if you let him go. Remember, as a civilian, you have no legal duty to apprehend this felon. Generally, my recommendation is to be the best possible witness and to notify the authorities as quickly as possible. If you do feel this person is a threat than the prudent thing to do would be to detain him (at gunpoint if you must) and wait for law enforcement to arrive. Trying to handcuff or tie him up is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

6.8 EGR

2008-04-02T09:44:00.001-04:00

Here is my latest AR-15 build and my new all time favorite rifle. The upper is a lightweight Kotonics 16" with carbon fiber handguard and TA31 ACOG scope. The lower is a 6.8 Stag Arms with Geiselle DMR match trigger, Magpul MIAD grip and CTR stock with AR-Restor hydraulic buffer and Tubbs CS spring. The gun is finished in OD green Duracoat (yes, the EGR moniker stands for Evil Green Rifle). Overall weight (without the mag) is only 6.75#.

The gun is light, short and well balanced - perfect for CQB or stalking deer in the northern woods. My best accuracy so far is with Barnes 110 grain Triple Shock handloads at 1/2" at 65 yards with a velocity of just over 2,600 fps. I have no problem hitting a steel IPSC target at 350 yards every time.

The hydraulic buffer and spring make this lightweight pleasant to shoot - it feels much more like a 5.56 than the 6.8 SPC.

I believe that the 6.8SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) is the perfect caliber for the AR platform at it's too bad that it wasn't thought of 50 years ago. It was developed as a project for the US Special Forces and has a good following in that arena. Rumor has it that some countries are seriously considering it for adoption. the 5.56 is effectively a 150 yard gun but the 6.8 easily doubles that range.

So far I have shot 4 deer and one hog with it and all have been one shot stops with the last deer dropping in it's tracks. If I could only have one rifle, this would be the one.

Therapy Thursdays

2008-03-28T13:55:00.000-04:00

I have a tradition with a friend of mine where we occasionally get together on Thursday's and meet for lunch and do a little shooting. Yesterday was the first Therapy Thursday of 2008. Although the temperature was in the low 30's and the range was still covered in ice and snow we did not let the conditions slow us down one bit.

My buddy had a new MSAR STG AUG that he wanted to test. I have always thought that these were ugly guns but after spending some time behind the trigger their functionality is amazing. The balance is superb, even with the 42 round magazine and they weigh even less than a standard 16" AR-15. The gun came with a half power scope that worked fairly well although I think a red dot would be more versatile - particularly an Aimpoint T-1. This is certainly not a long range gun but I think it would be great in CQB situations - especially in a building.

The only negative comments I had was that it uses proprietary magazines (it would be nice if it used standard AR-15 mags) and the trigger has a long reset and fairly heavy pull. I did not have my timer with me but split times are much longer than a good AR.

I also brought out my new Kotonics AR-15 in 6.8 SPC to wring out but I'll leave that review for another post.

All in all it was a great day of good conversation and fine shooting.

2008-03-05T19:29:00.002-05:00

I have always had a long-standing dislike for a lot of the cheap Chinese crap that is imported to the U.S. The flashlights from the Chinese manufacturer Fenix are a whole different story and maybe are a little peak at what the future holds?

The first light on the left is the T-1 Tactical. It uses (2) CR123 lithium batteries and has two modes – 225 lumens (with about 1.5 hour battery life) and 60 lumens with about a 10 hour life. With a thick stainless steel head and anodized aluminum body, this thing is built like a tank. The illumination comes from the new Cree C-5 LED and features a 50,000 hour life. It weighs in at 6.7 ounces with battery and has a recessed push button tail cap switch and the end is scalloped for CQB use. And trust me when I tell you that 225 lumens is absolutely blinding!

The L1D light in the middle uses one AA battery and also has two modes. The general mode has settings for 9, 40 and 80 lumens as well as SOS. The turbo mode has 90 lumens and a strobe mode. I used this strobe mode in FOF house clearing scenarios and I can tell you it’s very disorienting for the bad guy. It only weighs 2.1 ounces with battery. It utilizes the Cree 7090 LED.

The little P1 on the right uses one CR123 battery and has settings for 12, 72 and 135 lumens as well as a strobe and SOS. This tiny little light only weighs 1.2 ounces with battery and is small enough to put on your keychain and also uses the Cree 7090.

Each one of these had their own little niche. My T-1 is parked in my truck door, I’ve added the L1 to my duty belt as a back up and the P1 is always in my pocket. These lights put out a lot more light than anything Surefire or Streamlight offers in a comparable size and are priced in the $50 to $80 range. As a bonus they come with a nylon holster, lanyard and extra O-rings. If they turn out as durable as I think they are going to turn the whole handheld flashlight industry on it’s head.

High Noon "Bare Asset" holster review

2008-03-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

High Noon “Bare Asset” Holster Review

I have to admit that for as long as I’ve been carrying a concealed handgun I have not been able to find an inside the waistband (IWB) holster that I liked. Every one I tried would dig into my side and would be very uncomfortable.

This has all changed with a friends’ recommendation to try the High Noon IWB holsters. I chose the Bare Asset model (and really, how can you go wrong with a name like that?) and had it in my hand 4 days after I ordered it. This holster is constructed of a very thin premium grade cowhide and features a 15 degree cant and a very solid steel belt clip as well as a tension adjustment screw. The clip fits my gun belt perfectly and does not move around at all.

This is the closest thing to wearing no holster at all and is very comfortable to wear either in front of the hip or behind the hip. The only negative comment I have is that it is so thin that it tends to collapse after drawing and this makes reholstering somewhat difficult. I guess it’s the one thing I’ll have to give up to gain the extreme comfort and conceal ability of this model.

Situational awareness

2008-03-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

We had a couple of 16 year old girls come running into the Sheriff's Department the other night. They were very excited and explained they had been getting gas at the local station and there was a guy in a van who was just watching them. They said the guy gave them the creeps and they had the presence of mind to memorize the license number.

When they left the station the van started following them. At this point they decided to drive directly to the cop shop and file a complaint and at this point the van drove off. These two cute little girls were able to give me a detailed description of the guy, as well as the van with the license number.

I took down all of their info and then told them how proud I was of what they did and the fact was that they could not have have handled the situation any better. I remarked that in my experience most adults would not have done nearly as well.

The moral of the story is twofold. First, be constantly aware of whats going on around you whenever you are out in public. And secondly, please teach your kids how to handle strangers who show too much interest in them.

School shootings

2008-02-23T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, we had another school shooting last week and I doubt if anyone is surprised anymore. Here are some facts to ponder:

According to published reports, the first police officer was on scene in 29 seconds, and there were 10 officers within 90 seconds
48 rounds of 9MM and 6 shotguns rounds were fired killing 5 people plus the gunman - all in about 2 minutes
The shooter was reported to have had mental problems and had discontinued taking anti-depressants because they made him feel like a zombie

So what can we learn from this? First of all, it sounds like the gunman was aware the police were on the way and ended his own life before they arrived. This response by law enforcement was incredibly quick and yet still failed to save 5 lives (although it may have been much worse with a slower response time).

I believe that the only thing that could have saved any of these students was that if some of them had been armed and trained in what to do in that situation. There has been talk of allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons and I generally agree with that if they have the proper mindset and training.

There is a giant risk to a civilian engaging the shooter in this situation. We are trained in law enforcement to immediately find the shooter and stop the threat - and even step over wounded students if need be. The adrenaline will be flowing and the problem is one of target identification - who is the good guy and who is the bad guy? If you are the civilian is this situation you will probably be so focused on the shooter that you may not see the police or hear their commands.

Don't get my wrong, I'm not saying to do nothing. I'm just cautioning you to be fully aware of your surroundings and to be looking for law enforcement to arrive. We are trained to enter with at least 4 people in a diamond or stack formation and this should be pretty obvious. I hope there comes a day when we read a report where the shooter is the only one killed or injured.

Pre-attack indicators

2008-02-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

The common misconception about violent attacks is that it is the scruffy dude in the ski mask who jumps out from behind the bushes. In the real world you are much more likely to be “interviewed”. This means that the attacker will approach you and engage in an innocuous conversation in an attempt to size you up.

Here is where your sixth sense comes in to play and you need to be on full alert whenever a stranger engages you. If someone is planning on an attack, it is very difficult for them not to exhibit some sort of non-verbal “leakage”. Here are some clues to look for:

Scanning – while talking to you they are checking out the surrounding area to see if it is safe for them to continue

Clenching – either their hands or jaws will clench and unclench and they may also rock back and forth from one foot to the other

Target glance – checking to see if you might be armed or telegraphing where they will strike

Fighting stance – taking a boxing style stance. This may be accompanied by removing of a hat or glasses

Hesitation in responses – they are planning the attack and unable to multitask

If you spot any of these signs you need to exit the situation immediately and/or be prepared defend yourself.

Tactical Flashlights

2008-02-12T14:12:00.000-05:00

So why do we need a flashlight if we are carrying concealed? First of all, the FBI reports that more than 80% of all officer involved shootings happen in low light and civilian shootings are probably not much different. The reasons for carrying a flashlight for the typical CPL holder are to locate and identify threats, to aid in movement, and to disorient attackers.

There are many different flashlights available and I’ll review some of my favorites in future posts. My criteria for selection is that they be durable, fairly small, have good battery life and powerful. I prefer a minimum of 60 lumens but would really rather have 100 lumens. The units with a strobe mode are great for disorienting subjects.

There are many weapons mounted lights available but I prefer a separate flashlight. One reason is that there are many times I want to use a light but don’t really want to point my gun at what I want to see. The second reason is that under extreme pressure you may get your switches and triggers mixed up. We call this in the firearms training world “a bad thing”.

If you do carry a flashlight you will need to practice the various flashlight/gun techniques and become proficient at shooting one handed.

Gun Cleaning

2008-02-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

I was brought up cleaning guns with Hoppe’s Number Nine. Although I learned to enjoy the smell, I never learned to like the solvent feel and the mess I generally made. For about the past 10 years I have been using water based solvents and primarily a common cleaner called Simple Green.

My ritual for cleaning my Glocks is to field strip, spray the parts with Simple Green, scrub with a toothbrush and use the nylon borebrush to the clean the barrel. Rinse off with very hot water and blow everything off with compressed air. The good news is that my hands are just as clean as my gun and since I do everything in the laundry tub there is no mess to clean up. If a bore, bolt or piston is particularly cruddy, I’ll soak it in Slip 2000’s 725 cleaner/degreaser for a couple of hours and then wash it off.

Using a few drops of Militec or Weaponshield on a Q-Tip, apply a thin layer wherever there is friction and you’ll be good to go. Total elapsed time for a Glock is about 10 minutes.

Press Check

2008-01-30T08:02:00.001-05:00

The practice of press checking (or visually and physically checking to see if there is a round in the chamber) does not seem to be as widely used as it needs to be. This is an administrative procedure you should learn to do with your pistol.

I see many students during class whose first live fire experience results in a “click”. This is usually due to the fact that they have inserted a loaded magazine but forgot to rack the slide. Occasionally it is due to the magazine not being fully seated and a round is not stripped when the slide is racked.

The procedure I use when I pick up a gun that has been out of my sight is to first remove the magazine and make sure it is loaded and then fully seat it and tug on it to make sure. Then I partially retract the slide with my support hand (I use the overhand method but you can put your hand under the slide as well) and look to see if there is a round in the chamber and physically touch it with my trigger finger just in case it may be dark. Make sure you keep all parts of your hand away from the muzzle.

Some guns have a loaded chamber indicator but it is often difficult to see and I like to use the same manual of arms for all guns. Please ensure that the slide goes back into battery. The last thing I do is rub my fingers across the top of the slide to feel that the barrel has in fact locked up with the slide.

If you get into the habit of doing this whenever you holster your carry pistol you will always know it is ready to go if you need it.

Ambidextrous Gunfighting

2008-01-28T07:29:00.001-05:00

When we do our firearm qualification with the Sheriff’s Department we shoot at a target of a bad guy holding the gun and I’m always amazed at how often that gun and/or hand and arm has holes in it. Also, during my force on force classes it’s very common for your gun hand and arm to be hit. Part of this is due to the fact that your gun hand is out in front of you between you and your opponent. Part of it is due to the fact that your eyes are naturally drawn to the threat.

The moral of this story is that you need to be able to shoot with either hand. Most of us rarely practice weak hand shooting but it is a skill you should develop. Like any other skill it will probably take thousands of rounds to really feel comfortable with it and yes, it’s yet another drill you can practice dry fire.

Learn how to shoot well with either hand and double your chances of surviving a gunfight.

Holstering

2008-01-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

OK, here is one of my pet peeves regarding gun handling skills. I was watching Personal Defense TV the other night and the host had to look at his holster each time he put his gun back in. Even worse, he was fumbling around trying to get it in. Now maybe he was using a borrowed gun and/or holster but I’m sorry, if you are putting this stuff on TV you need to at least have the perception of professionalism.

My point is that you should be so comfortable with both your carry gun and your carry holster that you are able to holster without looking. And of course the corollary is true – you are able to draw you gun without looking for the grip.

And yes, this is another drill that you do without going to the range. Spend some time developing this skill and you’ll look even better than the experts on TV.

Three safeties

2008-01-26T18:53:00.001-05:00

I've trained with Gabe Suarez of Suarez International for many years and consider him to be one of best instructors that cater to the civilian shooter. I believe in his training on the 3 safeties and I pass it on to you:

1). Your Brain, which is telling you to Shoot or Not Shoot, based on what you see. If your mind is not switched on and dialed in to the events around you, you have no business with a gun in your hand. Period.

2). Your educated trigger finger, which is indexed along the frame until the brain decides to shoot or not to shoot.

3). The mechanical safety/decocking lever (if present) – to be used just prior to holstering the weapon.

Anytime the weapon is in hand, the safety should be disengaged. When you decide to relinquish control of the weapon to holster, then engage the safety. Some team tactics school may have different ideas about this, but I focus on teaching private citizens most of the time and private citizens must fight on their own.

Witness the Glock pistol with which such a vast number of police, security professionals, and civilian defenders are armed with. Where is the safety/decocking lever? There is not one, and Glock shooters operate using the methodology we described. Is the Glock unsafe? No. So why would we consider a cocked an unlocked 1911 or a cocked Beretta 92 unsafe? They are just as safe as a Glock pistol.

Remember, we are in the fight to win. This usually means hitting the other man before he hits us. Anything that detracts from that mission, either tactical, technical, or equipment, should be discarded and replaced with a better system. When it comes to manipulating the safety, the better system is In Hand/ Safety Off -In Holster/Safety On.