“When it’s least expected, you’re selected.” –John Farnam
Guns
KR Training 2014-08-30 – DLG-E Quick Hits
This past Saturday was an especially good one for me. KR Training was holding two classes: Defensive Long Gun Essentials and Skill Builder. But it was a slightly different day for me.
I was Dad, in addition to assisting.
Oldest was a student in the DLG-E class. You see, all this summer, Oldest has been “chore boy” at the KR Training ranch, mostly doing a lot of the lawn mowing (it’s a lot of acreage to mow). Karl gave him a slot in the DLG-E class as a bonus for all his hard work this summer (thanx, Karl!). Oldest is just starting down the road of formal firearms education. Sure I’ve showed him things and we go shooting when we can, but I firmly believe in the benefits of formal education and schooling. Plus, sometimes kids listen to others better, or at least differently, than their parents.
How’d he do? Fine. There’s certainly things for him to work on, but it seems he did well in the class. He certainly had a lot of fun and got to experience new things. One of which was going through the shoot house.
I did run the shoot house, and we did something different: we had verbal interactions. Instead of just using visual cues for target discernment, students were encouraged to interact with the photorealistic targets: “Stop!” “Show me your hands!” or whatever command they wanted to try. Then I would react in whatever way was appropriate, to help the student learn about the importance of making decisions.
What came out of this? While “bang bang” is fun, it’s just one — and arguable a minor — skill to master compared to others, such as threat management, or as SouthNarc calls it “Managing Unknown Contacts”.
As coincidence has it, Claude Werner was just on Ballistic Radio talking about this very thing. As I write this, I haven’t listened to that episode yet, but given the write-up, it seems quite relevant.
The other thing I recommend folks look at is anything from Craig “SouthNarc” Douglas regarding the topic of “Managing Unknown Contacts” (MUC). If you don’t get a chance to study with Craig, see if you can find a copy of his “Practical Unarmed Combat” DVD as it covers some basics of MUC. And yes, SouthNarc is coming to KR Training in March 2015 for his ECQC course.
Side note: one student in class (my friend Rog) was running a pump shotgun. He was shooting some Winchester PDX, both their buck and slugs. He had an extremely difficult failure to extract with a slug (probably a combination of a hot slug and dirty chamber — I put the muscles to good use and was able to eventually clear the chamber). The buck claims to have tighter patterns, and it is tighter than cheap buckshot, but it just cannot compete with Federal Premium FLITECONTROL buckshot. I wish Federal was paying me (or giving me free ammo) for all the promotion of their product, but alas they are not — we just have witnessed the performance and nothing can come close. Said it before, say it again: Federal Premium 12 gauge FLITECONTROL 00 buckshot, low recoil (1145 fps, vs 1325 fps) if you can find it, and 8 (vs. 9) pellet if you can find it.
The weather was great! Things are getting unstable here in Texas, with some rain finally coming down, but the predictions for more changing every hour. The morning looked like it might come down, but it just got better as the day wore on. Couldn’t have asked for a finer day, weather wise.
Plus I got to spend more quality time with my son. He’s not just Oldest, but certainly getting older. Time is precious.
Alas, I didn’t get to stay for the Skill Builder class as Oldest had somewhere to be. But hey… I couldn’t ask for a better day. 🙂
How to fix the M&P auto-forward problem
How to fix the Smith & Wesson M&P pistol’s auto-forward problem.
Buy a Glock. 🙂
I’m half joking, but also half serious.
I love my M&P9. I’ve also got a 9c and a Shield. I really do like them. There’s a lot about the ergonomics, overall capabilities, etc. that are just great. I’m generally quite happy with things. Yes, I had some problems with the 9’s accuracy when I first got it, which was fixed by replacing with a KKM barrel (seems many M&P’s had this problem). And interestingly, my 9c shoots better than my 9.
But the one thing that continues to stick in my craw is the auto-forward behavior, where seating the magazine — sometimes — causes the slide to go forward. I could see this as a feature — if it was reliable — but it’s not. It doesn’t always go forward. And I’ve had a few times when it did go forward but yet it didn’t chamber a new round. To me, that’s not a feature — that’s a bug. And IMHO it’s a bad one. The solution tho is simple: always rack the gun anyways. But now you lose a round on the deck, or you don’t. Maybe not always a problem, but it can add up in classes or shooting particular drills that need a particular setup. Some people suggest that you just watch what happens and react: if it forwards, go; if it doesn’t, rack it. But that doesn’t help the failure to chamber problem. It also has another side-effect… which I just experienced.
I went to the gun range with my friend foo.c. See, I’ve been discussing with some people about switching to a Glock 19 and being done with it. So foo.c brought his 19 out for me to use for a bit. What was most telling? The first time I seated the magazine. Of course, the Glock doesn’t have this auto-forward problem, but yet I acted as if I was addressing it: I was reserved in how I seated the magazine, and I was pausing to diagnose what was going to happen — bracing myself for what may or may not happen. When you’re in a situation where the problem is fully removed, then the compensations you make for that situation suddenly become glaringly obvious. I didn’t realize I was doing what I was doing. It bothers me. I should just slam the damn magazine home and get to business, but the nature of the beast: if it forward or not, if it chambers or not… geez, that’s causing some behaviors that are not good.
Could I overcome them? Sure, I could attempt to train around them, but again consider the side-effects it creates — that other guns do not.
So all things come back to… gee… is it time for me to dump my M&P and just get a Glock and be done with it?
All these years of not being a Glock fanboy, of jibing and jabbing my Glock-using friends. And now am I going to drink the Kool-Aid? Probably not that, but I’m certainly at a point where I care less about the gun and care more about myself. Glock: it works, it’s reliable, it’s got the track-record, it’s not sexy, it’s not frilly, but it gets the job done.
I’ve also said it before and I’ll say it again: the form factor of the 19 is tough to beat. Everyone makes “17-sized” and “26-sized”, but no one else makes a 19-size. I don’t know why, but it’s just such a perfect form factor.
So yeah… not switching yet. But I am thinking more and more about it.
In personal defense, physical fitness matters – Follow-up
Greg Ellifritz posted on Facebook, coincidentally, the same day I originally wrote about how, in personal defense, physical fitness matters. Greg was sharing an article from Aaron Cowan on the very topic of the importance of physical fitness in personal defense. It’s very much in line with my prior writings on the topic.
In Greg’s Facebook share, my boss-man, Karl Rehn commented:
and examples of armed citizens who lost their fights due to poor physical condition are where, exactly? I’m not saying that getting in shape is a bad idea. Better physical condition has a lot of advantages. But as with a lot of things that we are told “will get us killed on the street”, examples of it actually happening are difficult, if not impossible, to find.
Karl is correct. But I take odds with his stance. Is the lack of examples because we’ve collected data and evidence shows fitness doesn’t matter? or because there’s no data at all? I believe it’s the latter. Use of a gun? that gets put on the police report. But “subject is able to run a 10 minute mile and bench press 200 lbs.” or “subject is an out of shape fat-ass” isn’t on the police report checklist. I assert lack of examples is because there isn’t formal data collection on the topic.
I’ll agree with Karl that we cannot presently prove that “being fat and out of shape will get you killed on the street”. But that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that the stronger you are, the more “fit” you are, the better chances and more options you have available (and Karl does agree there). Plus, there’s a confidence and mindset factor that cannot be discounted.
Look at the Force Science articles I previously referenced. Is that not some scientific examination of how physical fitness can matter?
How about that store clerk in Houston who, earlier this month, used his semi-pro MMA skills to stop his store from being robbed? Granted his MMA skills contributed, but his physical fitness mattered a great deal as well because, as far as fights go, that was a long fight. Anyone can throw punches for a few intense seconds, but to keep throwing intense punches in a lengthy fight takes a good degree of fitness.
Or let’s bring it back home and look at how many students in our classes struggle because they cannot grip the gun hard enough to adequately manage recoil? Or get tired after an hour of holding a 5 lbs. gun at arms length. Or cannot handle the level of effort to get through a 3-4 hour class, especially in the Texas summer heat?
To me, it all comes back to a question I keep asking and no one has yet answered:
Name me one place – especially in this context of personal safety – where being weak is an advantage.
Granted, Greg, Aaron, myself, we’re biased because we all lift weights and are personally invested in improving our own physical fitness. We see the advantages. Heck, I see how getting fatter has hurt me in this realm, and am presently dedicated to getting off this fat-wagon. Yeah, maybe there’s no demonstrable proof that being fit and strong “will get you killed”. But to me, it’s more that being fit and strong is rarely going to be a disadvantage, and will do a lot to give you an edge. We always emphasize how you should take and make every advantage possible to maximize your ability to survive and win.
Again, I’ll leave you with something Mark Rippetoe said:
Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.
In personal defense, physical fitness matters
Seeing thousands of students a year in classes, one thing is clear.
Most people are out of shape. Yeah, a lot are too fat for their own good, but it’s also simple physical fitness. I see people having a hard time getting into and out of kneeling positions or getting winded just hauling their gear from the parking lot to the range. This isn’t good people.
I know. Harsh for me to say, especially about students. But the realities of personal defense tend to be pretty stark and serious, so sometimes you have to hear things you may not want to hear.
I was reading Force Science News issue 262. There was a discussion of a study done in Norway about physical fitness of police officers and the impact it had upon the physical control of suspects during arrest.
“The results of the physical capability tests are remarkable,” he told Force Science News. “These were the averages among the study subjects: bench press–235 pounds; chin-ups–15; long jump–8 feet 4 inches; time for the roughly two-mile run–11 minutes 53 seconds. The average participating officer weighed 181 pounds and stood just under 6 feet.
“In all likelihood, fewer than 10 per cent of officers upon graduating from any academy in North America would be able to match these performance standards. And from a fitness standpoint, that is when officers tend to be at their absolute peak.
“In one survey of 226 US officers with time on the job, only a minority felt they could ‘very well’ perform such relatively simple tasks as completing 21 push-ups, negotiating an agility obstacle course, performing 36 sit-ups, sitting and reaching 16 ? inches, and bench pressing their own body weight. And these tests are far less demanding that what the researchers in Norway used.
“In the study of physical exhaustion conducted by the Force Science Institute a few years ago, we found that the average officer’s pulse rate hit 180 beats per minute within 20 seconds of all-out exertion, such as would be experienced in a struggle with a resistant suspect. That represents a dramatic stressing of an officer’s physical system and capabilities.” For more about this study, go to:www.forcescience.org/fsnews/176.html .
Lewinski suggests that officers reading about the Norwegian study measure their own ability against the physical capabilities tests those researchers used, as cited earlier in this article. “The message for many officers,” he says, “will be: ‘Get to a gym! Do it now! Don’t wait!’ “
Yes, this is regarding law enforcement, and the nature of their job often requires physical contact and “wrestling” with a non-compliant subject. But it still has implications for the private citizen when it comes to your own personal defense.
How about the ability to run away? That’s certainly a great defensive tactic, but can you run? And if you can, how fast and how far can you get? Will your attacker(s) be able to catch you?
What if you had to climb over something, like a fence? Could you do it?
And what if you wound up in a physical struggle? Could you give your attacker at least some challenge? Or will you be a rag doll under their fists and boots?
Heck, if you get knocked to the ground, could you quickly and decisively get back to your feet?
I know these don’t seem like very challenging things, but I see far too many people who cannot do these things when there’s no pressure. You will not rise to the occasion and suddenly gain the skills of Brock Lesnar or Usain Bolt. This isn’t to say you have to be at their level, but I’m certainly you can be better than you are today.
Funny thing. The same day I wrote this article, Greg Ellifritz posted a similar such article to his Facebook page (must be something in the air for us all to be writing from the same point of reference about the same topic!). I’ll address Greg’s posting in an upcoming article.
Until then, I’ll leave you with something Mark Rippetoe said:
Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.
Bullet Ricochet
Did you know that when a bullet richochets, its angle of exit is generally less than the angle of entry? That is, after the bullet strikes the surface, it winds up on a new trajectory that runs almost parallel to the surface it impacted. This is unlike say a bouncing ball, that will exit at about the same angle as it entered.
This is worthwhile knowledge to have, as it has both offensive and defensive implications.
Watch this video, starting at about 3:36:
Consider the implications, both offensively and defensively.
(h/t Gabe Suarez)
You have to create a larger disparity of force
A motivated attacker isn’t going to be deterred by anything less than using more force against him than he is willing to experience. Rape whistles, yelling the word “no”, or racking a pump shotgun WILL NOT deter a motivated attacker. For that job, ruthless violence is the only solution.
Emphasis added.
Force disparity matters. And really, when it comes time for you to defend your life, you want the long-end of the stick. As Greg discusses, it’s what works.
KR Training August 2014 Newsletter — and Fall class discounts
Not only is the August 2014 KR Training newsletter posted, but it comes with news of some incredible discounts on classes for this Fall.
Sign up and pay in full before Sept 1 for any of these combo deals at a discounted price!
August 30 – Long Gun and Pistol Skills Tuneup
Defensive Long Gun Essentials + Skill Builder – take both for $100 or one for $70
Sept 13 – Got your CHL? These are the next step
Defensive Pistol Essentials + Defensive Pistol Skills 1 – take both for $120 or one for $70
Sept 27 – Learn to shoot like the pros. Shoot a sample match to try IPSC, Steel and IDPA.
Beyond the Basics + Competition Pistol 1 – take both for $120 or one for $70
October 4 – Get Started Shooting. Pistol and Rifle (or Shotgun) training all in one day
Basic Pistol 1 + Defensive Long Gun Essentials – take both for $120 or one for $70
October 25 – Every armed citizen should train to this level. Our most important courses.
Defensive Pistol Skills 2 + AT-2 Force on Force + Low Light Shooting – all 3 for $180
Already taken these but haven’t practiced the skills in awhile?
REFRESHER DISCOUNT: repeat any individual course you’ve taken before for $20 off.
Many courses will use the new shoot house and include shooting from a (stationary) vehicle.
We are bringing some ‘range cars’ out for the Vehicle Combatives class in September, and we’ll use them in some drills in our own classes this fall.
Students must register and pay tuition in full before Sept 1 to get these discounts.
Pocket carry sucks
I’ve carried my S&W 442 snub recently, dry firing with it too, so it was time to confirm a few things with live fire.
First, I hate pocket carry. It’s better than nothing, but it sucks on the draw. I think an important part of pocket carry is to create yourself time to get the gun out, because drawing from a pocket is painfully slow. This could be things like having your hand in your pocket already gripping the gun, because thrusting your hand in and grabbing is going to take time and be slow. It could be things like moving, distracting the attacker (e.g. throwing up an elbow), but these could be problematic because if say the gun is in your front pants pocket, now you move, you will bend, and this changes the geometry of your body and your pocket and you could foul your draw.
I’m still mulling over good solutions to this. I’m all ears to suggestions.
What’s a solution? Proper holster on your belt, positioned in an ideal position (e.g. between 1 o’clock and 4 o’clock). But still, there are times when pocket is the way you have to go, so having optimal procedures is important.
Also during the live practice I realized I haven’t been strict enough about my sight picture. The sights on a 442 are so horrible, and with the neon orange front sight ramp on mine, I found that in my dry practice I’ve been focused more on “seeing the orange” than ensuring textbook-correct sight alignment. Thus, my front sight was a little up out of the notch, and at 10+ yards I was going over the small steel targets. Shouldn’t be a problem at very close ranges (that whole “in a fight, front sight” meme), but I still need to tighten up.
But the big thing I got out of the live fire snub practice was more reinforcement that pocket carry sucks. But acknowledging that it’s a reality, so let’s seek some solutions to improve it. Comment below, if you’d like.
Snubbie practice
I’ve been reading a lot of Claude Werner’s stuff lately. It’s been a good refresher on a few things.
Recently, Claude posted the curriculum to his Introduction to “J” frame revolver class. I spent a weekend with Claude a few years back, and many of the things in his posted intro curriculum ring bells of familiarity. While reading the curriculum is no substitute for taking the class, there are some things you can glean.
First, Claude emphasizes fundamentals. If you’ve ever played a sport, you should understand this. No matter how good you get, the only way to get good is to master the fundamentals.
Second, Claude puts a lot of emphasis on the draw and first shot. Why? Because it’s critically important.
Third, did you notice Claude put a “Methodology” section? Everything is done for an articulable reason, and class is kept to a focused scope. Sign of a good teacher.
Fourth, one entry in the Methodology lists a wonderful thing about revolvers: the built-in ability to do the ball-and-dummy drill by simply spinning the cylinder between shots.
• Ball and dummy is achieved by opening the cylinder after a few shots, spinning it, and then closing it without looking where the fired case(s) end up. Do this once or twice per cylinder.
Try that next time you’re at the range. Draw and fire one. After the string is over, spin the cylinder and reholster. Draw and fire one; if it goes click, keep firing until it doesn’t go click, and make sure your front sight never dips. The fun part is, after you fire a couple shots, you get more dummies than balls, so the “when will it fire?” could be 1 trigger press away or could be 4 away, and you have to keep going and keep the sights steady and trigger press smooth. It’s a good drill.
Fifth, reloading from loose ammo. One thing Claude emphasized in class was scanning the scene around you while you reload – something I still do every time I reload my snub.
I admit, I’ve been carrying my snub more this summer. Not so much because it’s hot, but because of my weight gain and clothing fit issues (sigh but resolve to this issue is forthcoming). So I’ve been practicing and dry firing with the snub a lot. It still sucks to draw from a pocket holster. Plus, I’m finding some flaws in pocket holsters… enough to make me wonder about fabrication. But, another discussion for another time.
Stuff From Hsoi 