Been Busy…

It’s been a while since I have posted as I have been on the road for most of the last four weeks with just a few days in the office in between. Here’s some info on my trips;

FUTURE WEAPONS
I spent 5 days in Roswell, NM watching the filming of the Future Weapons TV show featuring LWRC’s piston rifles. They are featuring 3 different rifles, each in its own segment. The 2008 series starts airing in November of 2007. I don’t yet know which program they will be on but they will be worth looking for.

One segment was on LWRC’s piston PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) in 6.8 SPC. This ultra-short rifle (8-inch barrel) is perfect for close quarters fighting. The short barrel allows easy maneuverability in cars, tanks, buildings, etc. and the 6.8 caliber offers tremendous stopping power even with such a short barrel. It is amazingly controllable even in full auto.

LWRC introduced their soon to be in production SABR (Sniper/Assaulter Battle Rifle) for another segment. The new .308 piston rifle is designed to be used in dual roles; a 12-inch upper for assault duties, and the 20-inch upper for sniper work. The system offers a custom backpack so the 20-inch upper can be easily carried and switched over as needed.

Another new gun was highlighted, the LWRC piston IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle). Its unique design allows it to shoot in closed bolt mode in semi-auto and in open bolt mode for full auto operation.

I can’t give out too many details as a magazine article featuring a story about the filming will be soon published by a yet to be named magazine! Once I know, I will let you know!


NATIONAL TACTICAL INVITATIONAL
NTI was held May 30 through June 2 in new Cumberland, PA. It was a fantastic event which included realistic live fire scenarios and force-on-force training.

The goal of the NTI is to offer as realistic training as possible in real-life scenarios. This year’s theme was that participants were hired as an expert witness to testify in a trial. The trip entailed picking up luggage at the airport, traveling to a hotel, shopping trip a mall, trip to a doctor, meal at a restaurant, drinks at a bar, a lecture at a school, and testifying at court.

Along the way, unpredictable, yet troubling events occurred which you had to handle—in some cases you were armed, in others you were not. Since everything was blind—meaning you had no idea what to expect or what the scene that you were stepping into looked like—you had to think on your feet, instantly come up with a plan, and instantly execute the plan. Some participants plans worked better than others.

The dynamic of the force-on-force scenarios was different with every participant as the actors played off of how the participant acted. The live fire stages all used realistic 3-D targets dressed in clothing. Shooters had to determine who was good, who was not, and interact with all accordingly. Some of the shooting events even started without your gun!

This is a training event not to be missed. Check them out at www.teddytactical.com and read about them in an upcoming article to be published in Handguns magazine.


FIGHTING RIFLE and ADVANCED FIGHTING RIFLE CLASSES
I just finished 4 days of training with Jim Yeager of Tactical Response. All I can say is WOW –and I don’t say that lightly! These were two of the most intense classes I have ever taken.

It was non-stop from the moment we started until the end of the day. The class was not a shooting class and was not a rifle class, it was a fighting class! We did lots of tactical and team drills all designed with fighting in mind. When it was done, I felt like I just got off duty in Iraq! Beware, these are ammo intensive classes—we shot 1,000 rounds a day!

I recommend being completely familiar with your rifle and how to shoot before you take these classes. I will have an article about the Fighting Rifle class in the 2nd edition of the new Tactical Weapons magazine by Harris Publications.

After working with Yeager for 4 days, I highly recommend any class by Tactical Response!