Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.
Teaching Your Brain to Look Through the Dot
Jeff Gonzalez has some tips for better shooting with a pistol mounted optic.
The Biomechanical Reality of Incapacitation
In the last few knowledge dumps, I’ve highlighted some very well informed articles about firearm stopping power and the mechanics by which bullets actually incapacitate people. Here is yet another solid piece of scholarship on the topic.
Theory of a Grey Man
If you’ve been reading my site for a long while, you might remember that I often posted links to the Straight Forward in a Crooked World blog. Matthew was my all time favorite writer in the tactical world, but he stopped writing at his blog back in 2018. I’m happy to report that he is back writing again on Substack. I subscribed as soon as I saw he was writing again. You should too.
PRECISION POLICE PISTOL SHOOTING
For those of you who thing “combat accurate” is good enough.
Rangemaster October Newsletter
This month’s edition has a fun training drill and some excellent holster information.
Components of Precision Shooting – Guns 101
A few precision rifle shooting tips. If you read this and decide you need a rear squeeze bag, this one is available on Amazon for 50% off if you use coupon code YS62IMT.
The Intellectual Yet Idiot
It really is all about deadlifting…
NPE Carry: S&W Bodyguard 2.0 versus S&W 432 UC Ti
“A comparison of a best-in-class pocket .380 and a J-frame revolver. What exactly are revolvers bringing to the table in 2026? Intended mostly to be listened to, with some tangentially-related B-roll.”
You all know I’m a revolver fan, but I have to admit that Justin is correct with his analysis.
Flock’s Gunshot Alerts Could Sweep Up Lawful Gun Owners
Just in case you weren’t already suspicious enough about the Flock cameras.
Massive errors in FBI’s Active Shooting Reports from 2014-2025 regarding cases where civilians stop attacks
“Instead of 3.9%, the correct number is at least 36.6%. Excluding gun-free zones, it averaged over 52.9%. In 2025, it was 58.3%.”
The Racist History of Gun Control
Some facts you may not have known.
Back to the basics with Paul Howe
Common sense advice from Paul Howe. “Getting muzzle past meat” and “Not shooting from the back of the bus” are important concepts that aren’t getting adequately taught to our police officers.
Why is this happening? Read Certification Is Not Mastery: Why Instructor Development Is Broken for one of the problematic factors involved.
One Man In: The Explosive Firsthand Account of the Lone Special-Ops Commando Who Fought Off a Major Terrorist Attack in Kenya
What I’m reading…
If you aren’t into books and still want to hear the story, I highly recommend this podcast interview.
5 + 1 Drill
A great shooting drill for you revolver shooters. To turn this drill into a range session, run it two or three times as follows:
– Reloading with loose shells from the pocket
– Reloading with speed strips
– Reloading with speed loaders
– Strong hand only with the reload method of your choice
– Weak hand only with the reload method of your choice
Want a more challenging drill for your semi auto pistol? Try 99% of Shooters Can’t Pass This Test. Could You?
Gun Nation: What Really Matters in Terms of Self-Defense…By the Numbers
Some interesting statistics and their implications for the armed citizen.
Color Wheel: Shooting Lens Tints & Why They Matter
Which lens colors are best for your shooting needs? My shooting glasses (and the sunglasses I wore on patrol) are Oakley Prism Trail. They are literally “rose colored glasses” that instantly improve my mood. Besides sharpening everything, they make the sky and trees look amazing. When I put on those glasses, I’m instantly transported to a happier place.
46 Awesome 400m Sprint Workouts (Full Training PDF)
This workout looks absolutely torturous. With that said, if I had to get in peak cardiovascular fitness in a short period of time, I’d do something like this.
The Pros and Cons of IDPA [2026] ⋆ Primer Peak
For those of you interested in getting started with the shooting sports. IDPA is a great first step if you want to start competing.
History of the Second Amendment: Complete Timeline From 1328 to Today
Settle in for a solid history lesson.
Technique: The Revival of the Outdated Speed Rock on Social Media
I might be dating myself by revealing the fact that I was actually trained to do the “speed rock” by Chuck Taylor himself, the originator of the technique. It works great against cardboard targets. It fails spectacularly against an opponent who is skilled or merely exceptionally violent. Read Mark’s top-notch analysis on the topic. Just say no to the speed rock.
Ayoob: Should You Always Get Off the X?
Massad Ayoob understands that there are few absolutes in the tactical world. Real world best practices are often far more nuanced.
Tasers Are Generally Safe. The Data Are Generally Bad.
Taser info for my police readers.
7.62×39 Barrel Length vs. Velocity: What the Data Shows
How much velocity do you lose with a short barreled AK?
Wheelgun Wisdom: Running Double-Action Revolvers
Some wheel gun tips for those of you unfamiliar with revolver operation. For even more quality information on the topic, read The “Lost” Art of Revolver Reloading.
After-Action Report for Utah Valley University
The official analysis of last year’s assassination of Charlie Kirk. Opens to PDF. Continuing on the topic with government crime reports, last year’s Uniformed Crime Report Data was also released this week.
9mm or 5.7x28mm? Hornady Critical Defense – Ballistic Gel Test
I occasionally meet people who are rabid hype men for carrying the 5.7mm cartridge in a defensive scenario. In this test with clothing and a rib simulation, the 5.7 mm expanded to roughly .35 and penetrated to 14.” That is far from superior performance.
That’s the same performance you get from a 9mm hollowpoint that doesn’t expand. The 5.7mm is not a death ray. It just looks OK in this video because it was compared to a rather crappy 9mm load. I could name 10 different loads off the top of my head that perform better than the 9mm Hornady Critical Defense round with which he used as a comparison.
Why Ammo Prices Are Rising in Fall 2026 — And Why Stocking Up Now Makes Sense
If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you’ll recognize that I have often mentioned the cyclic nature of ammunition shortages over the past couple decades. It looks like we may have another coming up. You should already have a hefty stockpile of ammo. How much? I personally didn’t stop stockpiling until I had a lifetime supply of practice ammo.
In recent years, I’ve been shooting about 5000 rounds a year to keep my skill sets sharp with all of the different weapons I carry and teach with. If I’m being honest, I could probably maintain adequate skill levels if I fired a minimum of about 2000 live rounds a year. If my cancer just miraculously disappeared, I’d probably still only have a maximum of about 20 years left on the planet.
A “lifetime supply” of ammo sounds like a lot. But when you run the numbers, having 40K rounds stored up for practice (and remember, a lot of them can be .22s) doesn’t seem to me to be an unreasonable quantity. Ammo lasts almost forever if stored properly. Ammunition costs will only go up in the future. Anything you can stash away at today’s prices will be an investment that pays better dividends than your 401K account.
For more information about this topic, read If Copper Really Goes to $10 a Pound, Ammo Will Feel It
Officer Survival Leader
We lost legendary officer-survival trainer Evan Marshal this week. In the pre-internet days, Evan’s writings inspired a lot of young cops like myself and taught us how to do our job safely. As a broke college student, I spent way too much money on Evan’s three books on handgun stopping power. The ideas in those books led me to study 1800 shootings myself and to write my own paper on the effectiveness of various handgun rounds.
Quote to Ponder:
“Do not love half lovers. Do not entertain half friends. Do not live a half life…and do not die a half death.”
– Kahlil Gibran
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