Month: June 2009

I named a drill!

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Over at pistol-training.com, ToddG and Scott Warren of Warren Tactical were working on a new drill. Here’s the skinny:

Earlier this week, I [ToddG] was shooting with Scott Warren (of Warren Tactical) and we worked on something he’s adapted from one of Rob Leatham’s drills. It’s a pretty straightforward transition routine. You start withfour steel chest plates at a range of 10yd, spaced three yards apart. On the buzzer, draw and engage one shot per target back and forth for 20 rounds. Goal is 100% hits in less than 10 seconds. Note that you do not “double” the targets on the end, you shoot them once and then reverse direction. So the sequence is: T1-T2-T3-T4-T3-T2-T1-T2, etc. There are no makeup shots. If you miss a plate, it’s a miss … move on to the next plate.

Trouble is, the drill needed a name, so ToddG had a contest on the website to name it.

I posted my submission:

1. “Target Transition Drill”. Not a sexy name, but a practical one. Tells you exactly what the drill is about.

2. “4×20 Transitions Drill” (or “4×20 Target Transitions Drill”). Again tells you what’s going on, and can even open the door for variations to be made and appropriately labeled, e.g. 5×25, 3×10. Once you know the base drill (and name), it’s easy to perform variations on the drill by just calling out the numbers.

That’s all I’ve got for now.

I just got an email from ToddG saying that I won!

The drill is going to be known as the “4×20 Transition Drill”. I don’t know why the name was chosen (ToddG didn’t say), but I’d like to think it may have to do with my explanation. That is, once you know the drill, you can just change up the numbers (5×25, 3×10) and viola you have variations… as this drill was a variation on a Rob Leatham drill, it’s fitting.

Now that I think about it, I do wonder if the name should be revised slightly, e.g. “4x20x10” that is, 4 plates, 20 rounds, 10 seconds. But that’s up to Scott I guess.

Anyway, I won a set of Warren Tactical Glock sights. Now I just need a Glock to put them on! 🙂  I have been eyeing a G20.

Whoo!

Going back for more

/ hsoi

That place I visited? Shortly I’ll be returning there, going back for more. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. I’m excited, nervous, and looking forward to it. No idea what will happen, but I’m expecting it to be fun and enlightening.

If it goes as I’m hoping, I’ll be able to stop all of this mystery and reveal things.

Stay tuned….

See? Socialized medicine works… we’ve got proof!

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

From John Farnam:

15 June 09 On socialized medicine, from a friend and physician: “I recently returned from Canada, where I practiced medicine for many years until I finally, in disgust, immigrated to the United States. The state of socialized medicine there is now even worse (if such a thing can be imagined) than it was when I left. The national government created seventeen ‘Regional Health Authorities,’ that pay no attention to provincial boundaries. Each is responsible for ‘ managing’ health-care decisions in their geographic area. When it became clear that didn’t work, the government responded by creating a health-care ‘ Superboard’ that dictates to regional boards. Government’s solution to messes it creates is, without fail, ‘more government!’ The net result has been fewer doctors, fewer nurses, but an ever-expanding army of ignorant bureaucrats, none of whom deliver any health care to anyone. Hospitals continue to be chronically understaffed, and waiting times for even simple medical procedures has now increased to the point where they are, for all practical purposes, unavailable. Who can afford it, come to the USA to get done what needs doing. The balance of Canadians tolerate this disaster, even as they watch their own family members languish in pain and die needlessly. They have been indoctrinated by the liberal media who tells them that they, as individuals, are insignificant. Only the government, and those in it, are important. Americans who look to Canada as a ‘shining example’ of socialized medicine are like investors who buy junk bonds, because their broker tells them, with a straight face, that junk bonds are actually better than blue-chip stocks. Those brokers, like socialists in Washington and the media, are no more than cheap hucksters, talking endlessly about the precious-few good points, while deliberating hiding the multitude of horrifying issues with national health systems like Canada’s. What ever happened to ‘full-disclosure?’ It’s time to shout down these lying con-men. The alternative will be a medical meltdown that defies the imagination. Believe me, I’ve seen it!” Comment: Is this what we thought we wanted? /John

See? Socialized medicine works. Medical care adminstered by the government works! We have proof! Witness Canada.

(I’ll stop being sarcastic now).

Fools learn from their own mistakes. Wise men learn from the mistakes of others.

I fear the number of fools in my nation is growing. I’d love to be proven wrong.

Illusion of safety. Are you a fool or a wise man?

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Previously I had posted a response to Rebecca’s feelings on guns. One thing she wrote:

Do I carry a gun in my house? Never. Do I believe in the right to bear arms? Yes. But I believe there should be stricter regulations. I believe that fear is the worst possible reason to carry a weapon and therefor will never understand why so many feel the need to “protect their families,” especially when housed in gated communities in middle-class suburbs, alarms activated.

John Farnam recounts a story of a couple who lived in an upscale, gated community in the “high-rent” part of town… and their house was broken into while the couple was at home, car stolen and wrecked, property stolen. In fact, they owned a gun but didn’t carry it. The biggest thing? Their illusion of safety was shattered. It’s a shame it took something horrible to get them to wake up. The incident could have been far worse. How does the saying go? Fools learn from their own mistakes, wise men learn from the mistakes of others? Are you a fool, or a wise man?

“I didn’t fight to protect this shit”

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

Read the heart-warming story of Danny Hurley, and how he got held at gunpoint and handcuffed, for taking a picture of a B-24 Liberator.

My article title comes from this part of the article:

But according to one of the crew, they had ID’d me as one of theirs, and the tower knew and tried to call it off. But once the wheels were set in motion, it could not be stopped. The pilots were pretty much cool and laughed at me and were even willing to escort me to take more shots. One old-timer gruffed under his breath, “It’s the U.S.A., not U.S.S.R. — I didn’t fight to protect this shit.” One even offered me his seat on a ride.

Don’t we all feel safer now?

Oh, I’m excited

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Just got back from visiting a place. I liked what I saw. Going back on Wednesday for more.

Details coming….

David Bowie anyone? Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

Updated: No, I’m not going Ziggy Stardust or anything like that.

Photographic Scenario Progressions

/ hsoi

Courtesy of SouthNarc, a set of PSP’s — Photographic Scenario Progressions. From the website:

PSP’s (Photographic Scenario Progressions), authored by SouthNarc, serve the purpose of illustrating overarching concepts and tactics employed in various conditions that approximate “real life” confrontations and problems. They are not merely meant to be used as static “step-by-steps,” but rather exemplify general principles that can be abstracted for a variety of encounters and situations.

You have to scroll down the page a bit to find them (they’re at the bottom). But while you’re on the page you can see where SouthNarc is teaching and what he teaches.

While you’re at it, check out his articles on hardware (knives) and software (your brain).

To camp, to camp

/ hsoi

Older two children begin a week of summer camp today. Should be a fun and exhausting experience. 🙂

We’ve recently started up with 4-H and so far it’s working out to be a good fit for our family. We’re still ramping up with the program, but so far so good. This is a “fishing camp”, so the kids will get to go fishing every day of the week at spots around town. That’s been my big problem with fishing around here is I don’t have a boat and most fishing around here is boat-oriented. So if the kids end up learning a bunch of good bank-fishing spots in town and techniques for fishing them, that’ll be awesome and we can take further advantage of that on our own later on.

Sunday Metal – Crowbar

/ hsoi

Crowbar was a band I had always heard about but never got into until a few years ago. I remember them being touted as a “heavy” metal band because of the respective sizes of the band members. Hearing how Phil Anselmo produced an album. I remember when former Wrathchild America guitarist Jay Abbene filled in for a little while. Then of course Kirk Windstein’s work with Down.

My buddy W is into Crowbar and played stuff for me. I dug it. Thick. Sludge. Heavy. Brutal. What really sold me on them was seeing them live. They came through Austin. The show was Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Alabama Thunderpussy (R.I.P.), and Suplecs, on COC’s “In The Arms of God” tour. Seeing Crowbar live made me a believer. They crush.