Author: hsoi

Snub Carry

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

A few years ago, Karl Rehn adapted the KR Training Defensive Pistol Skills course for “small guns”, dubbing it Defensive Pistol Skills: Back Up Gun (BUG). It serves a couple purposes.

First, for those people that opt to carry a small gun on a regular or semi-regular basis. Maybe you prefer that Glock 26, snub-revolver, M&P Shield, Kahr, or other such small gun. Maybe this is what you carry all the time, or maybe it’s what you carry in the summer because you wear less clothing and it’s easier to conceal a small gun. Or maybe it’s an infrequent thing, like you just slip a snub into your pocket when you run down to the corner store. Either way, smaller guns are harder to shoot – they really are an “advanced/expert” gun, not a beginner gun. Being able to learn some practical skills and techniques for using that small gun is quite useful.

Second, for those people that carry a small gun as a back-up to their primary gun (hence the “BUG” acronym). Carrying two guns isn’t paranoia, it’s preparation, it’s acknowledgment that mechanical objects can and will fail (probably when you least want them to). It’s a way to quickly arm an unarmed other person. There’s utility in having a BUG, and utility in knowing how to transition to it and skillfully use it.

One of the masters of the snub revolver, Claude Werner recently posted an article on the different modes of carrying a snub revolver. The snub gives different options than a traditional full-sized service pistol, and Claude enumerates options and the pros and cons of each.

He talks about:

  • Pocket
  • DeSantis Clip Grip (or other methods, like a Barami Hip-Grip coupled with a Tyler T-Grip)
  • IWB
  • OWB
  • Belly Bands
  • Shoulder holsters
  • Ankle holsters

Of course, there are other modes of carry, but those are the ones he covers.

For me, I admit it varies depending upon circumstance.

I never do ankle. I wear shorts in the summer, and often when I wear long pants I have footwear that covers my ankles (e.g. boots). I know some that use this method, and it’s especially useful for folks that have to sit all day (especially in a vehicle).

I’ve never done a proper shoulder holster. One time on a long road trip I did wear my snub inside the inner shirt pocket of a 5.11 concealment shirt; it was my secondary, because it’d be faster to get to from a seated position. But I didn’t like that too much because it was imbalanced, and made the shirt ride abnormally — the fabric didn’t move like a normal shirt would, the shirt hung awkwardly off me. It was OK for the ride, but I’m unlikely to do that again. But a proper shoulder rig I’m not against, if I can conceal it properly (but I rarely wear coats… it’s Texas, and it’s hot).

Never done a belly band, but I do own a SmartCarry. Tried it for a while, will use it on the rare occasion when it’s the best/right option, but honestly? It makes going to the bathroom a cumbersome event, so I save using it for when there’s no other option.

OWB is fine, if you can support it. I’ve got a C-Rusty Sherrick U.S. High Ride, which is perfect for the application. I like the high ride and the fact nothing descends below the belt. Thus, you could wear OWB with just a shirt and have no concealment problems, or at least, it’s the same problems you’d have with IWB, without the IWB annoyances.

IWB for me tends to be with my Kolbeson Leatherworks leather AIWB. Honestly, I can’t remember the model name (and Josh doesn’t make them any more), but it was designed specifically for snubs and AIWB carry, with a reverse 5º cant, which makes a big difference in ride and draw (vs. say no cant). I prefer this method for my snub, but AIWB doesn’t work so well for me when I’ve got a gut going. See all my postings about weight lifting. 😉

The DeSantis ClipGrip is what I’ve had on my snub for a few years now, and it’s my preferred grip. I’ve been trying other things, but it just hasn’t worked out. What set me down this road was Claude’s combination of Barami & Tyler grips, but they just didn’t work for me. The DeSantis has worked quite well. I don’t use the cip portion much any more, but it’s there and an option.

Most often, when I carry the snub, it’s in a pocket. It’s a matter of my body these days, enough stuff on my belt, and so it works. But it does really suck on the draw.

Anyways, that’s my experience. Read Claude’s article for a good discussion on the pros and cons of each method. There is no one perfect method, as you can see. It’s all trade-offs and sometimes you have to go with what the situation dictates. While I grant the importance of consistency, of “same way every time”, well… as Hogel likes to say, “you can’t play golf with only one club in the bag”. 🙂

Situational Awareness and Positioning (part II) The Tueller Principle

/ hsoi

One thing I love about Claude Werner is he skewers a lot of doctrine, be it just tacti-cool bravado and cliché, or even well-established fact touted by respected trainers. There’s much methodical thought put into what he writes, speaks, and teaches. This examination of The Tueller Principle is case in point — let’s bring some reality into the mix here.

tacticalprofessor's avatartacticalprofessor

place yourself in the best tactical position.

Positioning

In 1983, Dennis Tueller wrote a groundbreaking article entitled How Close is Too Close?  As a result, the terms the “Tueller Drill” and the “21 Foot Rule” have become well known. The Tueller Drill is even incorporated into the NRA Personal Protection In The Home Course.

However, in a 2008 interview, Dennis notes that he doesn’t use those terms, instead referring to it as the Tueller Principle. His original article relates the concept of a ”Danger Zone” and the need to “place yourself in the best tactical position.” The revolutionary, for the time, concept he came up with was to measure Distance/Time Relationships of Armed Encounters. By doing so, he brought about a much greater understanding of the concept that distance is your friend.

The article also emphasized using cover and placing obstacles between yourself and an attacker. The context…

View original post 668 more words

2014-07-07 training log

/ hsoi

Based upon Paul Carter’s Strong-15 (LRB365)

Phase 2-3, Week 2-3

  • Squats – cycle goal: 325
    • BW x 10
    • BW x 10
    • bar x 5
    • bar x 5
    • 150 x 5
    • 175 x 4
    • 205 x 3
    • 225 x 2
    • 240 x 1
    • 265 x 1
    • 275 x 1
  • Pause Squats
    • 210 x 3
    • 210 x 3
  • Deadlift – cycle goal: 445
    • 205 x 5
    • 250 x 4
    • 290 x 3
    • 330 x 2
    • 350 x 1
    • 365 x 1
    • 375 x 1
  • Deadlift – Back off
    • 310 x 3
    • 310 x 3
  • Leg Curls
    • 40 x 20
    • 40 x 20

Today was the first day that things felt a little heavy, a little labored. Not much, but not as “light” as the past 4 weeks were. Not sure if it’s truly getting heavier, or if I just wasn’t into it. I haven’t slept much lately and last night I crashed out much earlier than usual and then slept in much later than usual too… so I got a lot of sleep, and the only reason I got out of bed was beacuse I knew I had to get moving… else I probably would have taken another hour or more in bed.

Either way tho, things felt solid enough.

One different thing was trying some EliteFTS Heavy Knee Sleeves. I’ve been wanting to try knee sleeves for a while, they went on sale, so I picked up a pair. Hard part is what size to get… the sizing chart is funky, but there’s a video that is to help. Thing is, following the video advice, I should get the 4XL’s, which seemed silly — I’m not a huge lifter, so what do guys like Stan Efferding get? 6XL? or just squeeze into 4XL? I got the 3XL instead. Seems alright. They are snug, but not hard to slide on. Makes me wonder if I could have gotten 2XL. They didn’t move or anything, and if anything it’s more trouble to get them over my foot/heel, but not a massive effort.

How were they? Certainly kept my knees warm. I squatted in them, then started deadlifting but the bar kept running into them so I took them off. Didn’t like it so much, put them back on, and felt better. I’m pretty sure I’m getting nothing out of them, but they did feel alright — felt warmer, knees felt a touch better. We’ll see if it’s just in my head or a real effect tho.

They were warm tho… sweaty of course… and so all the rubbing they did, with the sweaty legs, and I was itchy as hell. But apart from that, no big deal. I will keep using them on squat and deadlift days and see how it goes.

I’m also spending more time doing that stretching — lay down, pull the knee to the chest, stretching out the glutes and hamstrings. Still too soon to tell, but I can say that I didn’t feel the same tension/pain today when I was down in the hole — still some, but not as acute. So… maybe this.

Sunday Metal – Top Metal Albums 1990-2000 – #4 Carcass

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

When Metal-Rules.com posted their Top 30 Metal Albums 1990-2000, I thought it’d make a fun list for Sunday Metal.

#4 – Carcass – Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious

“Incarnated Solvent Abuse”

Looking for something different to drink?

/ hsoi

Wife sent me a link to this article about “5 Colonial-Era Drinks You Should Know“.

The 5 are:

  • Flip
  • Stone Fence
  • Syllabub
  • Rattle-Skull
  • Sangaree

Flip sounds most interesting:

To make a basic colonial-style flip, fill a pitcher with two beaten eggs, two ounces of rum and a tablespoon of superfine sugar (or molasses) and beat to combine. In a saucepan, heat eight to 10 ounces of brown ale over a low flame until it begins to steam. Slowly pour the warm beer into the rum-egg mixture, then pour the drink back and forth between vessels until blended. Decant into a pint glass, shave some nutmeg over the top, and serve—it’s sort of like drinking liquified earth, but it has its charms.

On the surface, it sounds a little scary to try. But yet, it’s somehow compelling.

Stone Fence is pretty straightforward, and I’m sure I’d dig it. It’s basically a shot of dark rum then you fill the rest of the class with hard cider. I like both of those things, so I bet this could be good. Of course, the real fun is finding the right cider to pair with the right rum. This requires some serious investigation and research. 😉

Syllabub seems like too much trouble to make:

A syllabub is a sibling to posset, but uses wine or cider as its base and gains visual drama from the cloudlike egg whites that are spooned on top. Want to try it? In a measuring cup, combine five ounces of inexpensive floral white wine (these days, try Torrontes) with two or three ounces of cream, a spoonful of sugar, and the juice of half a lemon. (In lieu of sugar, a nontraditional tablespoon of maple syrup can add sweetness). Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, beat two egg whites with a dash of sugar until somewhere between frothy and peaked. Decant wine mixture into a favorite glass, spoon over thickened egg whites, and shave over some nutmeg. The flavors are akin to lemon ricotta cheese.

Despite all the trouble, doesn’t seem tasty enough to go through the effort. Of course, if someone made it for me and shoved it under my nose, I’d take a taste.

Rattle-Skull:

On its surface, this blend of dark beer, rum, lime juice, and nutmeg doesn’t seem to differ much from the other rum-based drinks of the day. Yet it packed a wallop from its proportions: three to four ounces of hard liquor (usually an equal split between rum and brandy) are dropped into a pint of strong porter, tarted up with the juice of half a lime and then showered with shaved nutmeg. This bad-ass drink is a dangerously smooth and stultifying concoction.

That sounds like it will live up to its name.

Sangaree perks my interest too:

Instead of Rioja or some other Spanish red, this wine-based punch drew on fortified wine such as Madeira or port. Combined with lemon juice, sugar, and nutmeg, it was served singly in its own glass, rather than from a communal bowl. Using fortified wine lends the drink a slightly more brooding quality than sangria.

I love a good port. Alas, the recipe lacks proportions so…. will have to research more before trying this one.

Because you know… life isn’t always about guns, lifting weights, and heavy metal music. Sometimes you gotta relax. 🙂

 

2014-07-04 training log

/ hsoi

Based upon Paul Carter’s Strong-15 (LRB365)

Phase 2, Week 1

  • Wide, Neutral-grip Pull-ups
    • BW x 2
    • BW x 2
    • BW x 1
    • BW x 1
  • BB Rows
    • 135 x 10
    • 135 x 10
  • Meadows Shrugs
    • 70e x 12
    • 70e x 12
  • BB Curls
    • 45 x 20
    • 45 x 20

    • Man… this was… nothing. Granted, as Strong-15 progress you are supposed to ramp down on the assistance work. But man, there’s almost nothing today. I was in and out quickly and felt like I was just warmed up when it was all done. Ah well, it’s how it goes.

    That said, I noticed all week as I worked on assistance stuff that I found myself putting more effort into what I did do. I made sure every rep counted, good tempo, good form, really feel and work everything. It showed me that I’m not always putting everything in that I could and should… something it’s just crankin’ out the reps. A good learning point.

    krimelabb – heat maps

    / hsoi / 2 Comments

    krimelabb, a fantastic website for analyzing crime data in the City of Austin, has added “heat maps” to their data visualization tools.

    Jack Darby, the man behind krimelabb, shared a few tricks with me about using the website.

    One of the best tricks? Use “99999” as the zip code — that gives you city-wide data. The thing with the heat maps is they are relative to their data set, so when you view a heat map for a small area with little crime, the maps “look bad” because relative to that data set, an incident of 1 is pretty hot. So the heat maps work better in things like viewing crime city-wide — helps put things in better perspective.

    So let’s see here…

    Heat map for aggravated assault in Austin, 2014 to date

    Imagine that — downtown (6th Street), I-35 and Rundberg, Riverside and Pleasant Valley.

    Heat map for homicide in Austin, 2014 to date.

    Same.

    Heat map for rape in Austin, 2014 to date.

    Same places, adding in the University of Texas area.

    Anyways… you get the idea.

    Remember John Farnam’s maxim: “Don’t go to stupid places; don’t associate with stupid people; don’t do stupid things. We will add to that, be in bed by 10 o’clock.”

    You can spend hours getting lost in the krimelabb data and visualization tools. And while you do, you’ll see how much Farnam’s maxim holds true — both for people that get in trouble (because they don’t follow his maxim), and for how to avoid trouble (by following his maxim).

    You’ll also see that while there are worse parts of town than others, you’ll discover that no part of town is immune, no time of day is immune. Crime happens everywhere, any time. Just because you weren’t a direct victim today, just because you didn’t hear about it on the news or read it in your news feed, doesn’t mean it’s not happening around you — look at the data.

    2014-07-02 training log

    / hsoi

    Based upon Paul Carter’s Strong-15 (LRB365)

    Phase 2, Week 1

    • Bench Press – cycle goal: 245
      • bar x 5
      • bar x 5
      • 115 x 5
      • 135 x 4
      • 155 x 3
      • 170 x 2
      • 180 x 1
      • 190 x 1
      • 200 x 1
      • 160 x 16
    • Incline Press
      • 105 x 10
      • 105 x 10
      • 105 x 10
    • Flat Flye
      • 65 x 20
    • Pushdowns
      • 45 x 20
      • 45 x 20

    Been short on sleep the past few days so it was drag-ass out of bed. But you gotta keep going, press on. I’ll nap later.

    Session went quick. I just didn’t dick around. Load next plates, get back on the bench and move. Just keep moving, and probably only took modest rest during the singles. Else it was just get in, get out.

    As I keep with Strong-15, I don’t see it as a program I can use year-round. If I opt to enter a meet (and it’s on the list of “someday soon” things to do… not a high priority, but yeah I’d like to do at least one), I could certainly see using this as a cycle for meet prep. But regular work? I admit, I’m wanting to fall back to 5/3/1. Of course, I haven’t tried out Base Building yet. As I thought about it, I’m going to get through this cycle, then probably do at least 6 weeks of Paul’s Base Building, then see from there. But I tell you… I’m tired of being fat. All my weight loss efforts have failed, so I’m now pretty close to trying to the Renaissance Periodization group. I read nothing but good things about them. I’m thinking to get through this Strong-15 cycle, then give them a shout and see about a 6 month program with them. During that time I don’t know what my lifting would be… probably do the Base Building because Paul’s alluded to how that program can work alright during weight loss times — you just adjust maxes and keep pushing yourself the same.

    Defeating a Media Blackout

    / hsoi

    John Buol makes a good point about perceptions, image, reputation… how they matter, and how improving them helps us all.

    John Buol's avatarFirearm User Network / American Gunsmith

    The sport acquired a bad image due to its association with bookies and drunks. It became associated with bars and pool halls, the sort of places known to attract illegal gambling and other questionable activity. Moralists and Prohibitionists denounced the coarseness of life of anyone who played.

    Several times, in the United States and abroad, this sport was outright banned. For a time, several states made it illegal to maintain any facility or equipment. Congress contemplated a 20 percent tax on the sport.

    Despite all the negative media and attitude, within one generation the sport made a complete turn around.

    It cleaned up its act, actively promoted events and recruited more participants, moved to better establishments, and attracted women. The sport became attractive because the places were cleaned up, more events were held and publicized, becoming more accessible to more participants, classes were held so people could learn the game…

    View original post 96 more words

    Deconstructing the numbers

    / hsoi

    Okay bad news here folks. More than guns, the media causes mass shootings.

    From a pure numbers standpoint, mass shootings are statistically meaningless. If you look at the FBI Uniform Crime Report there were 12,765 non-negligent homicides (manslaughters/murders, non-LEOs and accidental). Of them ALL kinds of firearms were used in 8,855.

    Now if you want to bump the numbers to scare people about guns you add in suicides. Ohhh big scary of the 38,364 suicides in 2012, 19,000 plus were done by firearms.
    http://www.cdc.gov/violencepr…/pdf/Suicide_DataSheet-a.pdf

    Now, depending on who you ask CDC or other sources, there are between 487,000 suicide attempts (self-inflicted injuries) yet the same source implies there are 959,100 attempts. Another source I read says hospitals treat over 2,000,000 suicide attempts a year. I give you these numbers because whether you vote for 487,000, 959,100 or two million suicide attempts you really have to dig in the CDC numbers to find that in the same year there were only 169 suicide attempts with guns. So it’s pretty obvious that people who are serious about ending their lives use guns. Oddly enough, statistically the most reliable way to kill yourself is by jumping in front of a train, which has a 0% survival rate. Thing is if someone is that dedicated to taking their life, they’re going to find a way, guns or no. So adding in suicides to bump number of ‘gun deaths’ is a red herring.

    Okay so back to homicides. Here’s the booger depending on the locale, the numbers of those killed have criminal records upwards to 90%. Allowing for ‘known’ perpetrators the average again comes out to about 95% having criminal records. In short, an overwhelming number of shootings are between those involved in the drug trade or gangs. This especially in the big cities — where most homicides happen. The only way to hide these numbers (and arguably this inconvenient truth) is to include Wyoming and Kansas rednecks shooting each other over messing with their wives. That statistically reduces the professional criminal element common to most homicides.

    Now not to sound callous, but innocent people who are gunned down in ‘mass shootings’ seldom top 50 of the yearly homicide rate (12,756 in 2012). But they do make for great media coverage and fear.

    Now, growing in Los Angeles in the 1970s, the first time I was involved in a drive by attempt was around 1974 (I was on my way to buy comic books). The shooter missed and I went along my way. I had several classmates who were shot or shot at in this manner. The key point is these incidents were never reported by the media. It was considered criminals trying to kill criminals

    In the ’80s and early ’90s the media started covering drive bys. And they increased. To the point that homicides reached an all time high in the US. Gang members would rush home to see how many stations covered their drive bys. The publicity translated into fame.And gang related drive bys went wild.

    That’s also an issue when it comes to spree shooters. Although statistically meaningless in how many bodies they produce, the media coverage inspires people looking for fame.

    – Marc MacYoung