Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Five Harsh Truths About Gunfights
“The truth about gunfights will never be comforting. However, understanding and accepting the world as it is rather than how we’d prefer it to be is a big step in being prepared.”
“Back to the Future” – Learning to Run a Snub-Nosed Revolver
Thoughts on the role of snubby revolvers. If you are interested in this kind of training, join us for RevolverFest. This podcast will give you a taste of what to expect.
Partners – Time Can Get Help To Your Side
Advice for my cop readers.
When Owning an AK-47 Becomes a Courtroom Liability
The type of weapon you use to defend yourself shouldn’t matter to a jury. Unfortunately, it often does. I worked an expert witness case last year where a man was convicted after what I believe was a lawful self-defense stabbing. The knife he used was one of the factors the jury mentioned as a reason to convict him.
How to choose the right “live fire training” concealed carry course
Important considerations for choosing a defensive firearms trainer. Each of the groups the author talks about has members who will teach a relevant and worthwhile class. Each also contains a small subset of idiots who don’t know what they are doing and only get by based on the reputation of other (more competent) members of the group to which they belong.
The Ultimate Guide to Safe Dry Fire Practice
If you can’t get to a good live-fire training class as mentioned above, the next best thing is dry practice. If you are going to do that, make sure you do it right.
History of WWI Primer 183: US Colt 1911 Documentary
I don’t personally carry 1911-style pistols for defense, but I really like history. This documentary is the best historical description of the development and implementation of the 1911 that I’ve ever seen. Thanks to Mas Ayoob for originally sharing the link.
A good complement to this video would be Claude’s article The Evolution of Military Revolver Training.
Why I Think Murder Is Plunging
The world seems more chaotic than ever. Crime is rising everywhere. Why is the murder rate receding? Lots of folks talk about how medical advances are keeping more people alive after being shot. The author has an interesting perspective about that theory I hadn’t considered before.
Also on the topic of crime stats, check out Trends in Carrying Handguns Among Florida Adolescents: 2002–2022.
Free Printable USGS PDF TOPO! Maps
Free printable topographic maps for any area in the continental United States.
Yarrow – The “Plant Doctor” for Your Yard and Garden
One of my favorite medicinal wild plants. Lots of folks also use mushrooms as medicine. If that describes you, read Deadly Doubles: The Poisonous Look-Alikes of Magic Mushrooms to make sure you aren’t confused about your fungi identification.
The American Rifleman General Purpose Rifle
What features make a good general purpose rifle? You might also like to read In the Modern Era, Iron Sights Aren’t Marksmanship Fundamentals from the same site.
Decompression toy gun set
I have advocated using toy guns for classroom demonstrations. It is far safer than using live firearms. Tom Givens recently shared this product on his excellent Patreon page. I just ordered two of these toy guns and will be checking them out. This is the toy revolver I use in my class for demos.
My African Safari Nearly Ended in a Shootout
Reading articles like this one was one of my favorite pre-internet pastimes. I’m sad that articles containing a combination of a good hunting story, elements of self defense and emergency preparation, as well as a societal narrative describing a failed state are becoming rare in today’s AI-generated clickbait content.
I did a photo safari through Zimbabwe back in 2019. It was dangerous then. It sounds like it is worse now.
While we are talking about failed states, read State Terrorism: Spying on Citizens. It describes the methodology that the Venezualan government used to control its citizenry.
Smart folks might treat both articles as a primer for what may happen here someday.
Pistol Suppressors
Testing pistol suppressor effects on velocity and accuracy.
Best 3 carry methods for running
Thoughts about carry methods while running.
THIGH HOLSTERS FOR WOMEN: The Best Holster for Skirts and Dresses
Continuing with the topic of unconventional carry locations.
The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild
What I’m reading…
Listen to this podcast if you want to hear more about the book from the author.
Tips On How To Easily Repair Rimfire Dry Firing Damage
How to fix dry fire damage to your .22 caliber firearms.
The Fallacy of Losing Fine Motor Skills in High-Stress Tactical Situations
“The belief that fine motor skills are useless in high-stress environments is a fallacy that can mislead training doctrine. Tactical professionals should reject the myth, focus on realistic repetition, and ensure that critical weapon manipulations are stress-proofed for the realities of lethal force encounters.”
Three Drills for the B-8 Target
Three very challenging pistol shooting drills. If you carry a snubby revolver, try The Three Round Pressure Cooker instead.
THE COUNTER AMBUSH…AND THE S&W SHIELD X
Sherman discusses counter-ambushes and debriefs one of his ambush experiences as a armored car guard.
Antiseptics In Survival, Pt. 1
A deep dive into some of the concepts I teach in my medical classes. Make sure you read Part Two and Sterilizing Medical Equipment Off The Grid as well.
What were the motives of the Minneapolis school shooter?
More information about this heinous crime. If you are studying this event or school shootings in general, you’ll also want to read Unmasking the Minneapolis Church Shooter.
Modern Infantry Marksmanship Solutions
What is the role of static known-distance rifle training for combat soldiers? I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Proper training in slow fire stationary target shooting is not- as some have claimed- a detriment to later development in rapid fire…How can any method that will assist you in developing the ability to make sure hits be detrimental?”
– Ed McGivern
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