Last call for Armed Response Class - Aug 25-26

If you are interested in registering, call me direct at 401-465-8484.

ARMED RESPONSE CLASS
Aug. 25 & 26, 2007
Harvard Sportsmans Club, Harvard, MA.
9AM - 5PM

Based on my book by the same title, Armed Response covers the mindset, knowledge, and tactics needed to defend yourself with a firearm before, during, and after a life threatening assault.

From learning what to ask before deciding to carrying a gun, how to carry and use a concealed firearm, and the legal issues and implications of using of lethal force, Armed Response is one of the most indispensable classes available.

Realistic, defensive shooting skills are emphasized including drawing from a concealed holster, engaging multiple targets, and shooting from cover, as well as real-life lessons about preparing to face a lethal threat, winning a gun fight, and surviving the ensuing court battle. This two-day class is a must for anyone using firearms for self-defense.

Day One:
Police protection
Responsible use of lethal force
Properties of survival
Body alarm reaction
Reaction drills
Armed confrontations
Aftermath of a shooting

Day Two:
Concealed carry techniques
Back up tools
Stopping power/Ammo selection
Drawing
Defensive Shooting

Equipment needed: Carry firearm with proper carry holster, at least 3 magazines (or speedloaders) and mag holders for at least 2 mags, 300 rounds of factory ammo, eye and ear protection, brim hat, concealment vest or jacket, sweat shirt, paper, and pen.

16 hours. $250.00
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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!

Cover and Concealment Revisited

Understanding the difference between cover and concealment is easy enough; bullets can not penetrate cover while concealment just hides you from view. Interestingly enough I often find both of them misused or under utilized.

Starting with cover, the most common mistake people make is defining object as cover when in fact they are not bulletproof. In actuality, not a lot of everyday items can act as true cover. On the street, cement walls, brick walls, telephone poles (if you are skinny) cars, and possibly public mailboxes (if the assailant is using weak rounds) can be used for cover but most other objects are relegated to concealment.

In your home, several inches of books on a bookshelf will work as cover if you can get the books between you and the assailant. Furniture, mattresses, and acrylic tubs are just concealment—cast iron tubs are probably good cover depending on the cartridge but I have not seen any tests on them. Looking around my own home, I don’t see anything else besides my car that would be effective cover.

Unlike what you see on TV and in the movies, car doors don’t make good cover. While I was at Mystic’s training facility in NM, I had an opportunity to see for myself by shooting a .40S&W FMJ into a car door. The rounds easily penetrated right through! The engine block is the only sure bullet stopper.

The problem that I see with many people using concealment is twofold; 1. they treat concealment as if it is cover. 2, they don’t treat concealment as merely concealment.

A common error in using concealment is thinking that since the bad guy can’t see you, he can’t shoot you. If you’re not behind true cover, he can shoot right through your concealment! If you duck behind cover, don’t stay in one place; MOVE! If your assailant knows where you entered concealment, don’t be there when he tries to shoot there. If you come out from behind cover to shoot, come out at a different place and/or a different height each time so your attacker can’t predict your movements.

People often forget that just as their own concealment can be shot through, so can your attacker’s. Very often in force-on-force scenarios I see people ignoring shoot through opportunities. Rather than shoot through a chair where they know an attacker is hiding, they walk around it to get a visual first. If the surroundings are safe to do so, light up the chair and shoot through the door!

First Aid Protocol

During the Tactical Response rifle classes that I took, James Yeager demonstrated the best first aid protocol that I have seen. First off, he has a large medical supply kit stationed where everyone can access it. But just as important as its availability, he told every student where it was kept.

Secondly, he checked to see if cell phones worked in the location of the range. This way, we would know if we could use them to call 911 if needed. If they didn’t work there, he would have told students where they could locate land-line telephones.

Thirdly, with a life threatening injury, getting the injured to the hospital as fast as possible may mean the difference between life and death. Yeager’s truck was emptied with keys in the ignition to be used for transportation to a hospital. Brilliantly, he had a GPS set to give directions to the nearest hospital. All someone had to do was to start the truck, drive, and follow the verbal directions of the GPS.

This protocol should be in effect for every public gathering, shooting event, or even an individual practice session. In an emergency, the importance of having immediate availability of medical supplies or the ability to get to a hospital quickly can not be understated.

I’m leaving for the future—Future Weapons that is.

Shortly, I will be heading out to a private military/law enforcement training facility to Roswell, NM with my friends from LWRC whose rifles are being featured on the TV program. www.lwrifles.com

I’ve done several magazine articles on LWRC’s piston AR rifles. Their piston design presents a dramatic leap in operational reliability and longevity. Since the bolt is actuated with a piston rather than hot, dirty gas bled from the barrel, the system runs cleaner and cooler. The dramatic reduction in chamber fouling increases reliability and the lower running temperature decreases the stress effects on component parts resulting in longer service life.

Knowing these advances were just the type of products that Future Weapons likes to feature, I tracked down the producers in England. Long story short, I got LWRC booked on the show.

The episode will cover LWRC’s entire product line including their standard 5.56 and 6.8 piston rifles and the new additions to their line up; a super short 6.8, a .308 and their .499 caliber AR.

My main purpose in joining them in NM is to have a ball! No, no… I meant that I will be participating in the production and will be writing a magazine article on the filming of the show.

Lots more info to come once the filming is done!

Long gun or pistol in the home?

I read several gun related forums at various times to keep an ear out for product news what people are talking about. One topic constantly amazes me; the discussion of what type of firearm to use for home defense. The fascinating aspect is that, by far, most people talk about using a shotgun or a rifle and downplay the use a handgun. What AR should I use? Is buckshot OK inside? Is birdshot a better choice?

For me, I much prefer a handgun for most aspects of defending the inside of my home. I certainly acknowledge that long guns offer far better stopping power compared to a handgun, but the reason I prefer a handgun is because it is more practical.

Working within the confines of a typical home, the reality of dealing with light switches, doors, and family members often requires that one hand be available for extraneous use while the other operates the firearm. When the subject comes up in my tactical handgun classes, I have each participant in the class handle a shotgun while opening doors, activating light switches in the classroom and guiding family members to the a “safe room”. Inevitably, each student is forced to hold the shotgun with just one hand, usually for an extended time. Each time, often within ten seconds, the person quickly realizes how heavy and awkward it is to handle a shotgun with just one hand.

Let’s look at it from a naysayer’s point of view. “Light switches can be activated by shoulders and elbows while maintaining two hands on the long gun.” That may be true, but under extreme stress that method probably won’t be easy, plus, the instinctive method is to use your hands, and under extreme stress most people revert to what is instinctive. “It only takes a second to use a door knob”. Ok, I agree, that is true.

Some may say that “family members should be trained on what to do in a crisis and should not need to be directed.” Well, let’s be practical. How many of us have actually trained with our family members? Of those who have, do you drill often enough so that every member of the family is completely sure of what to do by instinct and won’t panic if an attack comes? Will your family know how to react if the event occurs differently than planned? Will anyone panic regardless of their training? What do you do if you have small children? In many, if not most cases, a leader must take charge, direct the family members, and ward off the attack.

Let’s say that you have trained yourself to open and close doors quickly, turn lights on and off with extraneous body parts, and you have no one else living with you. Is a handgun still the best choice? In my opinion, again, yes.

In order to not give your position away and to prevent a gun grab when negotiating travelways through the home, a gun should not protrude beyond a corner or through a doorway. To survey around a corner or pass through a doorway, a long gun must be lowered or raised to keep it from view. Due to its length and weight, that’s not easy to do, especially so with just one hand. Additionally, if you are limited to one hand, it’s not easy to get a long gun back on target in a hurry from a raised or lowered position. Whether you have one hand or two on your weapon, it is far easier to negotiate doorways with a handgun.

While a short-barreled rifle or shotgun is most often the weapon of choice for law enforcement entry teams, there is quite a difference between an entry team and a typical homeowner. First off, police are highly trained and practiced. Secondly, they are a team. One officer can operate the doors and deal with innocents while other members make entry and take care of business.

A long gun does have a presence in my home defense plan. In case of a home invasion, my plan consists of getting my handgun, gathering my family and directing them and myself to a “safe room.” This room is the one furthest the from anticipated entry location, one that is the easiest to get to and to defend, and one that has a cell phone and long guns. I plan to use my handgun to get my family safe, then defend my safe room with a long gun.

In reality, there is a lot more to planning a home defense than what is written here and the principles presented have been greatly simplified, but you can see that a handgun, does indeed, have plenty to offer in protecting your family and yourself.

Barrett's Long Range Basics class - Magazine Article

I had the privilege of attending Barrett's Long Range Basics class a few months ago in Raton, New Mexico for an article assignment for the Barrett annual publication. Participants received training as a depot level armor, marksmanship skills, ranging, scope adjustments, and had lots of range time with the big 50. Starting at 200, we worked our way back to shooting at 1,000 yards. After that experience, the 200-yard range at my local club looks tiny! This class was very educational and a lot of fun. It certainly gave me the bug for long distance shooting.

Barrett Long Range Basics.pdf