WARRIOR TALK NEWS

Beretta Storm - Part Four

Part Four

I’ve discussed the Beretta CX4 Storm at length here, here and here.  I want to finish up this series with a discussion on upgrades and accessories. The Storm is a great performer out of the box but there are few things that will make it even better. 

Accessories

I wouldn't presume to tell anyone how they should set up their gun...but it wouldn't be much of an article if I didn't share my opinion on it.     

What you do to the gun depends on how you intend to run it.  Rails are easily added that let you mount all manner of lights, lasers, forward grips, and tactical bottle openers.  If adding stuff helps you be the best fighter you can possibly be, go for it.  Options are a great thing.

However, in my opinion: the defining qualities of the Storm are its light weight, its balance, its small size/length, and its snag-free, "aerodynamic" body.  The last article was about how the gun handles; to me that's what differentiates it from other weapons.  A minimalist approach here will capitalize on the gun's attributes, keeping it light weight and low drag. 

These are my opinions guys, based on how I would run the gun.  How you run it and what you want will be up to you; I hope these ideas are helpful to you.

 

Leave it off

Lasers - To me, lasers make sense as a training tool.  There’s a place for them in proactive situations, such as lying in wait for an intruder coming up the hall (setting an ambush).  However, I think red dot optics are more useful over a wider variety of situations; to me a laser is just one more thing to keep off the gun. 

I would only consider adding a laser if it was a good quality laser/light combo that's light weight and simple as possible. 

Pressure switches are convenient, and probably not so bad in a house gun.  But for my purposes, cables hanging off the gun are a negative.

Personally I think a better investment is one of Roger Phillips' Point Shooting classes.  We should get the best equipment we can, but I always prioritize skill development over gadgets.

 

 

Extra rails and VFGs - Unless you have it SBR'd or find that it really enhances the handling for you, I'd leave off the forward grips and the extra rails.  No, they're not a lot of weight, but more stuff is more stuff, and they add points to snag.  This gun is very svelte. I’d keep it that way.

My opinion - no VFG necessary on a Storm.  If you use one though, it should be as short as possible.

 

Spacers - If your name is Gigantor and your arms can reach into the next county, you may need the spacer in the butt stock to shoot it well.  But if not, consider removing it.  Experiment so you know what works best for you. 

In my opinion, for this gun’s niche it should be as short as possible.  

The gun to the right has three spacers...that guy must have orangutan arms!

 

This gun actually had the stock shortened...  More effort/expense but if that's what it takes to make it work for your needs it's worth it.

Flash hider  - For a pistol caliber?  Why?

 

Barrel shroud - Exactly what purpose does this serve?  Makes it longer and a little more barrel heavy…how does that improve the handling? 

There's something to be said for a gun that looks cool, but I just can't see adding stuff that doesn't enhance its function. 

 I’d rather SBR it, thread the barrel, and get a real can.  Or have a custom made integral suppressor…now that would be cool.

 

I guess if you want to add it just because it ticks off "the shoulder thing that goes up" lady, okay, I respect that.   

Just my opinion but there's too much stuff on this gun.  However, some very nice work has been done on it.  The silly thumb-hole strap thing (STHST) has been cut off, as have the stock sights and sight covers.  A customized top rail extending the length of the gun has been added, and topped off with back-up folding irons.  Not too shabby.

 

Stick it on

Top rail and optic - Primary fighting weapons should have an optic (backup and/or pocket pistols being the exception). 

A quality red dot such as a Trijicon RMR facilitates amazing things if your marksmanship skills are up to it.  Eyeball shots at room distance?  Consistently fast and easy body shots at 100 yards? 

We do that in class with RMR'd Glocks. 

Imagine an RMR'd Storm. 

 

 

 

One side rail and a light - A close quarter fighting gun should have a light.  One side rail instead of the whole tri-rail set up would be sufficient.  The retractable rail is an option, though it seems a little flimsy to me.  A flashlight in a VLTOR mount on the top rail might also be a good option.

The gun to the right is kept very simple.  One side rail for a light, and an optic.  Done.

 

Mag pouch - For the home defense role, consider a mag pouch attached to the gun.  I prefer leaving stuff off, but in the home you may not always have the time/ability to grab your fighting bag with the extra mags.  Unless you keep a mag pouch on your tactical pajamas, keeping an extra mag or two onboard the gun is a reasonable compromise. 

Sling (maybe) - A long gun should almost always have a sling.  However, as a niche weapon to be used in the home or particularly in a vehicle, I would rather not have one.  I'm usually opposed to quick detach slings because they can come loose when you least want them to, but for the intended purpose here it might be a good compromise.

 

Pistol - Maybe the best accessory for a Storm is a pistol with matching magazines.  Because you needed an excuse to get another pistol.

 Modifications

Ahhh...922r and the joy of Federal regulations.  The short story - if you start doing certain things to the gun, you will want to keep the thing compliant with 922r.  Much of the information I found on the Storm was conflicting, and BATFE hasn't responded to me yet.  The best information I found indicates that BATFE considers the Storm to have ten (the legal limit) of the relevant 922r parts.  Depending how you define it, I think it actually has more than that, but the gun was approved for importation into this country "for sporting use," so it seems they pegged it at ten parts. 

I would have liked to add definitive information regarding 922r compliance, but a.) I'm not a lawyer, b.) this article is too long already, and c.) write your own damn letter to the BATFE.  Based on my research, the modifications below will comply...but it doesn't matter what I tell you, it's what they tell you that matters. 

So with that disclaimer, here is what I would consider.

• Absolutely: Add the Sierra Papa trigger/hammer upgrade.  This will give you a crisper trigger pull, allowing better marksmanship at longer ranges.  The steel hammer and aluminum trigger also count towards compliance with 922r, bringing the number of applicable parts down to eight.  This is an absolute necessity if you decide to make some of the modifications below (assuming you care about 922r, and I think it's smartest to do so).

 

The Sierra Papa parts are well-made. The folks there are friendly and very helpful.  

•  If you can: SBR it if that is legal in your state.  Some folks think getting the tax stamp eliminates the need to comply with 922r, but this is not the case (at least based on some of the BATFE letters I have seen). You're still responsible for compliance.

 I think this one is just about perfect: red dot, SBR, short as possible, quick detach sling. An SBR should retain a short, simple VFG.

• Nice to have: Install a charging handle on both sides.  We must be able to run the gun ambidextrously regardless of which side the charging handle is on.  But with the Storm it's such an easy upgrade, at such low cost, so why not do it?  Enhanced functionality...and if you don't like it that way you can always remove it and have a spare.

 

• It depends: Add the Sierra Papa steel guide rod and buffer upgrade.  The polymer guide rod is plenty strong enough for shooting, so if your Storm is simply a dedicated home defense gun then I wouldn't say it's necessary.  However, there is the possibility of the guide rod breaking during disassembly/reassembly (an uncocked hammer can potentially catch this piece and snap it - this is why the gun should be cocked prior to disassembly).  For those who would consider discretely carrying this gun disassembled, you can imagine the circumstances of reassembly would be stressful.  This upgrade is good insurance, and you never have to worry about breaking it while cleaning. 

 

•  Do it but be aware of 922r: Cut off the silly thumb-hole strap thing (STHST).  It's there for 922r compliance reasons and makes some manipulations a little more difficult than they need to be.  This should take your 922r count back up to nine.

 

Some of the guys I've spoken to don't mind the STHST, and some even like it.  If that's you, great.  It's one less compliance issue you need to worry about.  Me, I think the handling benefits make the effort worthwhile...and if some folks consider a pistol grip an evil feature, well hey that's enough for me just on principle.

 

• Do it but be aware of 922r: The barrel should be threaded for a suppressor.  Assuming you have added the hammer/trigger upgrade and cut off the STHST, threading the barrel should bring you back up to the ten parts for 922r. 

 

If you want to ensure compliance, I suggest that you write the BATFE (you might want to use less sarcasm than I do).  If you noticed the weasel word "should" above, that's on purpose.  The parts count/legality depends on the judgment of the BATFE agent that writes the response to your letter, and I have seen conflicting information on this point. 

 

More important than how you set it up is how good you become with it.  Run it through its paces so that you know for certain what works for you, and what does not.  Practice, and become an expert with it...no matter how you set it up. 

 

That was a lot of words on the Beretta CX4 Storm.  Given today's political climate, perhaps a few short words would have been better: get one while you still can.

Snow Storm - Part Three

Part Three

In Part One, I discussed the rationale for the PCC, and started a conversation on why the Beretta CX4 Storm is an excellent choice.

In Part Two, I shared some impressions about the gun, some noteworthy features, and briefly discussed shooting it.

Let's turn to what I think is the most interesting aspect of the Storm: how it handles. 

 

Lighter and easier to use one handed than the Uzi

 

Lightweight and Well-Balanced - I've already mentioned the weight; lower weight means easier handling in general.  The weight and short overall length make this gun very handy in a vehicle.   Ditching the VFG and SBRing the barrel would help even more.

 

Perhaps even more important than weight is balance.  I have an AK74 that is very light, but its balance makes it difficult for me to run to my maximum ability.  My FS2000 is heavier, but its balance allows me to do almost everything easier.  The Storm is lightweight and balanced.  These attributes alone make it a winner in my book.

 

 

Intuitive - Every weapon has a learning curve, but the Storm is very natural and easy to learn and use.  The faster you learn how to use it, the faster you can become fight-focused rather than weapon-focused. 

 

The controls are laid out well, very similar to where they are on a pistol.  The pull of the charging handle is easy, a real benefit to family members.  It's not as satisfying as yanking on the charging handle of an AK, but it's an improvement over the Uzi in my opinion.

 Virtually all the controls can be reversed, allowing you to customize the gun to you.  This is a handling advantage.  No matter how you set the gun up, you still need to train with it and make those skills second nature...but the more natural it is from the start, the better you'll be with it.

 

 Moving and Shooting - Some guns are easier to use while moving and shooting, particularly with challenging footing such as the snow we shot these pictures in.  The Storm just goes where your hands go, very easily, and allows you to focus on keeping your footing and hitting your target.

  My variation of the takeoff (the "Japanese Takeoff" - an article and video is on the way) allows good footing in slick conditions.  Easy to do in the snow with a Storm.

 

Mag Changes - Another handling advantage is that mag changes are almost identical to your pistol.  However, as with any weapon, you need to practice this skill A LOT, and some of the mags are easier than others.  The standard 15 rounder of the 92 for example, and the 8 round 45 pictured here, are shorter than the pistol grip, making it more difficult to handle.  The longer mags for the .40 and 9mm are easier, but you'll need additional practice with them as well because they're longer than your standard pistol mag.  Still, for most people I think this is probably easier than mag changes with an AK.

 

Streamlined -  Look at this photo:

 See any rough edges on it?  Neither do I. 

As much as I love the Uzi, it's almost all rough edges.  Look, I'm an AK guy, so I can appreciate a gun that leaves a few love marks (Seriously Honey!  These are from my AK!!).  But it's refreshing to see a gun that was obviously designed to not snag anything.  For the niche this gun is likely to be employed - close-quarters, indoors, vehicle operations, pulling out of a sneaky bag in response to an active shooter event - aerodynamic is a handling advantage.

 

Completely ambidextrous - Even without changing any of the controls, this is a very easy gun to run on both sides.  One skill I practice a lot is shoulder transfers, changing the gun from right side to left and back again.  The way I had Dad's Storm set up it was THE easiest and fastest carbine I've ever practiced transfers with. 

 

The gun I handled started out with long Vertical Forward Grip (VFG).  We didn't get any pictures of it, but later we removed the grip and front rails, and I found that transfers were even easier without the VFG.  Transfer the butt stock to the left shoulder, maintain backward pressure with your left hand...and just slide it back into the firing grip as your right hand grabs the fore-end.  It is much easier to use this "sliding" method with the Storm than with other guns such as the Uzi.  (Try the same thing with an FS2000 vs. an AK or AR.)   

  

Going to the left shoulder is easy even in a vehicle. 

 

Yes, preferably you'd be stepping on the gas instead of shooting if you can help it...

 

 

 

Or step on the gas while you shoot. 

 

You're not going to hit anything this way but the Storm easily allows the option for suppressive fire as you get away.

 

 

 

 

I prefer the Storm without a VFG, but if it improves your handling of the gun then go for it.  If the gun is SBR'd like the one above, it becomes a safety issue and I'd recommend a very short VFG.  No sense shooting your support hand.

 

Different from a "Rifle" - Although the Storm isn't a bullpup, its balance and light weight make it handle like one.  In some ways it's like a scaled down FS2000.  There are some movement patterns and shooting positions where you can treat it like a big pistol.

The Storm is less bulky, but it's longer than the FS2000.  Handling is similar.

 
Some angles in a vehicle are more like using a pistol.

 

 

Transition to the left shoulder is even easier if you handle it like a pistol.

 

In the WT after-action discussion on the recent SMG class in Prescott, SI Instructor Greg Nichols commented:

"I believe the Uzi to be faster in operation than the HK (MP5) and easier to one hand shoot. I believe that having the mag and well at the balance point of the HK makes it slightly easier to [shoulder] transfer than the Uzi."

 Comparing the Storm to the Uzi - even with a full-length barrel the Storm is easier to shoot one-handed than an SBR'd Uzi, and it's certainly easier to transfer shoulders.  As to which is faster in operation, I think it's something of a toss-up, and really depends on which platform you are more comfortable with. 

   

The Storm is an excellent tool at bad breath distance...

 

It handles like a pistol, allowing for easy one-handed manipulation and allows the other hand freedom to block and strike.

 

 

Getting off the X in the 5 o'clock direction. 

Once again, the Storm's design allows you to handle it like a pistol. 

A better example for pictures  would have been to go to the 7 o'clock. 

Going to the 7 o'clock with a rifle like an AK or an AR requires a transfer to the left shoulder, as well as moving the left hand to the pistol grip.  With the Storm, simply transfer the gun to the left shoulder but leave your right hand on the pistol grip...much faster and easier than with a traditional rifle set up.

 

I'd rather shoot with it, but it makes a decent impact weapon.

 

Dropping to Spetsnaz Prone doesn't make as much sense in an open field like this...unless it's slick and you can't get off the X quickly.  Dropping straight down, fast, out of the bad guy's sight may be your only option.

 

Sometimes the gun is empty and there's no time for anything else.  Hit the b*stard. 

I intended to write one simple article on this gun...and it grew into four (really, that's it, no more!)  Next time I will talk about accessories and potential upgrades. 

Snow Storm Part Two

Part Two

In Part One I shared some ideas about the niche and benefits of Pistol Caliber Carbines and began discussing how the Beretta CX4 Storm is a solid choice for that role.  Here's Part Two...

The Storm has been around since 2003, so I won't go into all the gun details.  However, here are a few items I find noteworthy…

Caliber and Magazines

The 9mm and 40 S&W CX4 models are designed to be compatible with magazines for several Beretta pistol models - the 92/96, the PX4 Storm, and the 8000/8040 Cougar.

In other words, a 9mm or 40 S&W gun will accept multiple mag types; all that's required is changing a magazine insert and a mag release button (they’re reasonably cheap when in stock).  The inserts are conveniently stamped to tell you which mag type they accept.

The table below displays the part numbers needed for a given mag type, as well as the available mag capacities. Just buy the appropriate insert and release button, and you can switch mags.

 

Beretta offered a nice variety of 9mm mag options with the 92 and PX4 styles.  Perhaps there's a good reason they don’t offer more than 17 rounds of 40 S&W, though it seems to me it wouldn't have been such a stretch to cook up a 20ish round mag.  And they didn't even bother with more options for the 8000/8040 Cougar.

 As for the 45 ACP...8 rounds?  That's it?? 

The 45 CX4 Storm takes the 8 round magazine of the immensely popular 8045 Cougar pistol (that's sarcasm for those who don't speak it). 

I guess we can't fault Beretta too much for the lack of foresight on this one, but with the 8 round Cougar/CX4 45 mag, Berreta managed to make a magazine that is useless both in New York and everywhere else.  (More sarcasm.)

The least Beretta could have done was offer an insert option for the PX4 45...it IS called the PX4 Storm after all (CX4 is for Carbine, PX4 is for Pistol). That would have at least allowed a 9 and 10 round option.  Maybe they just got tired at that point. I certainly got tired just writing this section.

Sierra Papa has an aftermarket solution to this problem that looks promising.  It's a little spendy, and there's effort required to modify the factory magazine.  But if you like 45 ACP, and like even better the sound of 16 rounds in the magazine, maybe that's just the ticket for you. 

The version I shot was a 45, and since this gun seems destined to stay in the family I ordered two of the mag conversion kits.  I haven't had the opportunity to convert the mags yet, but the parts look very solid and the quality looks excellent.  Plus, the folks at Sierra Papa are very friendly, helpful, and informative.

Left to right: Glock 21 mag (for comparison), Sierra Papa 45 mag extension, Beretta 92 20 round mag, Beretta 92 30 round mag.  The Sierra Papa looks like a solid piece of kit. 

 

Except for the cut outs in the grip, the factory 45 mags are actually shorter than the mag well.  This is yet another reason it's silly there isn't an extended 45 magazine (though I'm sure the compatibility is a driving feature for the hoards of Beretta 8045 users out there). 

I found the best way to get these to seat was a hard palm strike: hit it with the heel of the hand lined up with the grip cut-outs. 

 

Somebody offers a 10 round extension for the 45, but at this point I'm sick of researching magazine options.

 

 Disassembly

 It’s easy. 

1. Remove the mag.  Hopefully you don't need to be reminded of that step.

2. Cock the hammer by pulling back the charging handle (necessary because the polymer spring guide rod and buffer can be broken during disassembly…this is an argument for purchasing the steel guide rod). 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Push out the "Disassembly Latch;" it can be pushed out from either side. 

 

 

4. Slide the upper from the lower.

 

 

5. Pull the bolt assembly back until the charging handle is lined up with the round area just in front of the ejection port.  Remove the charging handle.

 

 

6. Pull out the bolt.  I didn't have time to disassemble it further but this much is adequate for most cleaning.

 It's not quite as easy as an AK, but it's close.

 

 

The Bolt

 While we've got it apart, let's discuss the bolt.  Warrior Talk member Goodspeed(TPF) shared a good deal of information on the Storm with me.  (At one point he owned six of them!  Two each of 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP.  I have Storm envy.)  He describes this better than I can:

 Many people may not realize just how heavy the slide mass is in the Storm, especially compared to other similar carbines. This aids in a few areas.

 First, it allows the recoil springs to be lighter which makes the bolt easier to cock enabling those of weaker stature to still easily charge the weapon.

Secondly it helps to soften felt recoil as a heavier slower moving mass is easier to control than a much faster, lighter one.  Enabling much faster follow up shots. It also helps to lengthen the service life of parts compared to other PCCs. One example would be a Marlin Camp Carbine, which will beat its stock to death if not properly maintained.

And finally it aids in proper safe and reliable function with the use of +p or +p+ ammunition. I am a big lover of faster moving bullets for certain purposes and I have to say the Beretta Storm has never let me down. I have fired high pressure 9mm from many other Carbines and experienced not only bulged cases but also case ruptures, and that was with standard pressure ammunition. When you introduce +p, +p+ and NATO pressure ammunition to some other PCCs they fail miserably and even become dangerous to the shooter. I have never experienced this type of failure (or any failure for that matter) with either my 9mm Storms, or my .45 Storm when shooting higher pressure ammunition (no +p is available for the .40).

   

This bolt is set up for right side ejection.  This is the left side of the bolt, the ejection port cover can be moved to the other side for left handed shooters.

 

 

The right side of the bolt with the empty ejection port. 

 

 

Another view of the bolt, this time in comparison to the bolt of a Marlin Camp Carbine.

 

A view from the top this time, also next to the Camp Carbine bolt.  Besides giving you a good idea of the mass in the Storm's bolt, this also givea a good view of the spring guide rod.  This piece is polymer, offers a weight savings over steel, and is plenty strong enough during operation of the gun.  However, it can be broken during disassembly if the gun is not cocked prior to starting the breakdown process.  Aftermarket steel guide rods are available.

 

Weight

Beretta's website says the gun weighs 5.75 pounds unloaded (most of that weight is the bolt).  When comparing to an Uzi, which I think is surprisingly handy and quick on target, the Storm is a featherweight.  If weight is an issue - often the case for family members - the Storm is a better choice hands down.

 

Reversible Controls

 The Storm is the perfect lefty gun: with the exception of the bolt release, EVERYTHING is reversible.  I didn't have time to mess with changing the extraction, mag release, or safety.  As a right hander, things are laid out pretty much where they should be (it's sort of a pistol/rifle hybrid), so personally I probably wouldn't change anything.  For righties, shooting left will just require some practice to access all the controls fluidly.  (Though I intend on running the gun with a lefty set up before posting Part 3...)

 

 Charging Handle

 One thing I did experiment with was switching the charging handle.  It's simple and takes seconds:

1. Follow steps 1-5 for disassembly as noted above.

2. After you pull it out, stick it in the other side.  (Don't take that step out of context.)

3. Reverse the disassembly steps to reassemble.  You can do all this faster than it takes to read these instructions.

I would keep the handle on the left, though as an AK guy I don’t mind it on the right side at all.  I've seen a few guys who have modified their AKs for charging handles on both sides; I always thought this looked like fun but it's not something I'd spend the money on.  With the Storm I'd do it in a heartbeat.  The hardest part is going to Beretta's website and ordering one.  I found it on their site without even looking for it (they call it a cocking handle by the way, and as of this writing it's only $19).  While you're at it, you can ask them why they don't offer higher capacity .45 magazines...I'm sure they've never seen that comment before.

  

 

 

 

 

Double charging handles - looks kinda funny but it gives you options.

 

Reassembly

Reassembly is easy and fast.  With practice I think it could be done quick enough to make the Storm a viable concealed carry option for response to an active shooter event.

I rarely carry an Uzi, but when I do I remove the barrel and stow it in a laptop bag (SBRs are illegal in WA, so I must retain the 16 inch barrel).  Retrieving the gun from the bag, reinstalling the barrel, and tightening down the barrel nut can be done very quickly.  Particularly with TSD’s RMR UZI top cover, you have a much better weapon platform than a pistol and it can be in service almost by the time you've gotten behind cover. 

  Suarez International Instructor John Chambers demonstrates deploying the Uzi from a laptop bag.

 

Is reassembling the Storm as easy as screwing in the barrel of an Uzi?  No, it takes a bit more dexterity than that.  Under stress, especially on the move, it would be easy to drop and misplace the disassembly latch.  In terms of fast and easy reassembly, the Uzi wins without contest.

But in terms of actually carrying it around all day…at roughly three pounds lighter than the Uzi…there's no question I’d rather carry the Storm.  Three pounds may not sound like a lot, but that strap on the laptop bag does start to wear on your shoulder after awhile.

 

Lighter than the Uzi and fits in a briefcase.  Awesome.

The Storm above has obviously had the barrel cut.  Less obvious is that the stock has also been shortened. The upper is roughly 16", the lower is 17.5", assembled it is 23.5" long. With the accessories it is just over 6 lbs.  The barrel is 11.25".  Chronograph tests revealed a roughly 20% decrease in velocity after being chopped, but still much higher than the average 4" pistol barrel.

The Storm's overall length is 29.7" (without the buttstock spacer).  A 30 inch rifle is a little big to pack around in a non-descript way.  (The Storm is actually just a shade longer than the FS2000, though lighter and less bulky.)

 

Broken apart, the upper and lower of the Storm are almost 21 and 19 inches respectively.  Unless they're modified that's too long to fit in a laptop bag, but with proper foam packing they could certainly work in a small gym bag.  Slide the halves together, insert the disassembly latch, load the mag, and run the charging handle...BANG.  You're in business. 

 

Responding to an active shooter event falls into two categories, reactive or proactive.  In a reactive scenario, the problem is up close and personal, and you have little or no time to think.  You either run for cover, or you draw quickly from concealment and deal with the problem as best you can.  A proactive scenario scenario means you have time, at least a few seconds, to decide how you should respond...run away, sit there like a fecklessly wondering WHY...or take out the b*stard who is shooting people.  (If given the opportunity, I know which choice I will make.)  

In the proactive scenario, the Storm will give you a better tool than a pistol.  If it is carried broken down, it will require fast assembly.    The concern here is the potential to lose the disassembly latch.  It would be easy to drop and lose this piece while assembling under stress.  Keeping an extra on hand, perhaps even attached to the gun in some fashion, is good insurance.

 

Here's another look at the disassembly latch.  Ridiculous 8 round 45 magazine looking forlorn in the corner. 

 

Rail options

Beretta offers a top rail for optics, a removable tri-rail allowing for attachments on both sides and the bottom, and a retractable rail under the barrel.  To extend this rail you simply push in the sling attachment and pull out the rail.  I like the retractable rail option, and though I doubt it would take a lot of punishment I would probably use it to attach a light.

Personally I'm not a fan of hanging lots of stuff on my guns; I like to keep it as light and snag-free as possible.  But if you like rail options, the Storm has easy buttons.

 This gun came with a Burris SpeedDot.  It is...okay.  There are much better options. I would go with an RMR instead.

 

Shooting it

We went to an outdoor range the day after Christmas.  It was cold, really cold, but it was clear and bright.  Good for what we intended.  We didn’t have long and just came out to function check it and make sure the thing was zeroed.

Dad took his first shot, aiming at a small black bullseye at 25 yards.  Neither of us could tell where the bullet hit…until I looked through the spotting scope.  Dead center of the bullseye, we just couldn’t see it.  Yep, it was zeroed. 

We did some more shooting. Nothing technical and no measurements so I can’t tell you what the spread was, but it was plenty accurate enough and very consistent. 

Sights

I’ve seen some complaints about the plastic peep sights on the Storm.  I’d prefer steel but honestly I didn’t have a problem with them.  (At least on a bright clear day.  I need to run the Storm in less light.)  I shot mostly using the wider aperture (labeled “SR” for “short range”…you can guess the smaller aperture was labeled “LR”) and found they were decent and worked well enough at the ranges we shot at.  They fold down for use with the red dot, a nice feature.

The Burris SpeedDot was okay. It was certainly faster than acquiring the sight picture with the “irons."  And while we could certainly hit the target with decent accuracy, we didn't get the same consistency as with the peep sight.  I zeroed them to the point they were “close enough” but I didn’t get them to a point I was happy with.  The adjustment knobs felt cheap and did not inspire any confidence.  Does it work?  Yes.  But for the kind of consistent accuracy and confidence I want in this weapon -- you should be able to hit eyeballs with a dot at room distance -- I wouldn’t count on this optic.  The Storm is plenty accurate, and it needs a dot that's up to the task.  I would choose a Trijicon RMR.

 

Trigger

The trigger could be better.  The trigger and hammer are both polymer, and while time has proven that they are durable, it's definitely not a satisfying trigger to run.  The gun itself is clearly accurate and a better trigger would help the shooter take advantage of that.  I’m told the Sierra Papa trigger/hammer upgrade is a worthwhile investment and plan on trying it.  The SP trigger is aluminum and the hammer is steel, and I'm certain they give a much crisper feel. 

 

Mag Changes and Malfunction Clearing

The range didn’t allow for any movement drills, so all our shooting was stationary.  I did some snap shots, shooting more for speed than accuracy.  No problem at 25 yards.  The Storm almost points itself.

I also did some speed shooting with mag changes.  This wasn't so easy thanks to the short 45 mags, and the fact that my fingers were really cold by that time didn’t help.  If this were my gun I would spend a lot more time working mag changes.

Dad also had some old, crappy 45 ammo…I actually regret that we put that stuff through the gun at all.  However, it provided a great opportunity to clear malfunctions, because much of it wouldn’t fire.  Running that bolt to get a fresh round in couldn’t be easier.  We only ran it with charging handle on the left side…I wish I’d thought to change it over to the right.

Recoil

Given that Goodspeed(TPF) has experience will all calibers of the Storm, I’ll quote him on recoil:

I have to say that the 9mm Storm shoots the softest followed by the .45 which "pushes" more than it "hits" you. I think I enjoy shooting the .45 the most just because of how it recoils. The .40 has the snappiest recoil of the 3, especially when shooting loads such as the Cor-Bon 135gr loading (which works very well on Deer). Now keep in mind, this is relatively speaking, of course. Compared to a 30-30, the .40 is a pussycat.

Overall Impressions

Comparing the Storm and the Uzi - I still enjoy shooting the Uzi more, both for fast shots as well as more carefully aimed shots.  Part of that may be the caliber difference; the heavy Uzi soaks up all the 9mm recoil, and while the 45 Storm has very tame recoil, it does jump a bit.  Mostly I think it's the trigger.  The Uzi trigger won’t win any prizes but still feels better to me than the Storm.  I will say this, however: shooting in the temperatures we were, the polymer stock and rubber cheek piece of the Beretta Storm is much more comfortable than the cold steel of the Uzi’s folding stock.  That may be an important consideration in your area of operations.

My overall impression is that Storm is very accurate and easy to shoot.  It’s very handy, quick on target, and easy to clear malfunctions.  I would have liked to shoot it more, but didn’t want to shoot up all of Dad’s ammo.  Besides, I was cold and feeling soft right after Christmas.

What I find most interesting about the Storm is how it handles.  I’ll discuss that in Part Three.   

Snow Storm (The Beretta CX4)

Part One

I had planned on driving, despite the winter road conditions.  I like driving through wintry mountain passes, even if it isn't the wisest thing to do...it provides a little bit of adventure, and I enjoy the solitude.  Plus, I wanted to do some vehicle training with my FS2000, and this is more easily accomplished where I was headed. 

As it happened, nature didn't agree to my plan.  All the mountain passes were closed, so I bought a last minute ticket from Seattle to Boise and counted myself lucky that I got to see my family for Christmas.  Long story (and flight, by way of Oakland) short, I made it home. 

Unfortunately it was more trouble than it was worth for me to fly with the FS2000...but I got to do a bit of training with something new (for me anyway).  My brother got Dad a Beretta CX4 Storm for Christmas…

Guns like the Storm, Uzi, MP5, pretty much any Pistol Caliber Carbine/Submachine Gun (PCC/SMG - I'll use the term PCC because it's more descriptive) never aroused much interest for me.  Sure, I had shot them and thought they were fun, but it was just not a platform that I thought I had a use for.  I never was and never will be on a SWAT team, kicking down doors and clearing houses.  Between my pistols, rifles, and shotguns, I figured I pretty much had every likely situation covered.

At some point however, I began to see wisdom in the use of a PCC – carrying/using in a vehicle, concealed in a lap top bag to respond to active shooter events, and most particularly for home defense. 

Much has been written about the benefits of PCCs. Here is a quick summary of why the PCC excels for close contact fighting indoors, and why in my opinion, it’s the best overall weapon for home defense:

• Muzzle blast - Whether you stick with the stock configuration of a 16 inch barrel, or shorten the barrel length after getting your SBR approval (which you should do if your state allows that), the muzzle blast from a PCC just doesn’t compare to a rifle/shotgun.  "Tame" is an understatement.  I'll trade the devastation of a shotgun blast for retaining my  night vision in the fight.

 

• Noise - It's inconvenient to lose your hearing during a fight.  Firing a rifle/shotgun indoors is something best avoided if you can help it.  If your hearing isn't important, so be it...but the ability for you and your family to hear and communicate over the roar of shotgun fire might come in handy.  If you don't have the opportunity to compare the sound of shotgun/rifle/PCC/pistols indoors, shoot them side-by-side outdoors.  It's not at all the same but it will give you some idea.  In class I've found that PCCs seem tame even next to suppressed AKs. 

• Ease of use - In my opinion, a PCC is easier to shoot than any other platform, pistols included.  This is especially true for other family members.  The Storm in particular is a very light weapon.  It's handy and compact, soft shooting and very gentle to handle.  As much as I appreciate the therapeutic properties of the rough edges of an AK, not everyone in my family does.  Easier on the hands and body is a shooting and fighting benefit for most people.  I would not hand my mom a Remington 870 if I could help it.  But a Berretta Storm?  You bet.  I'd give it to her, get a beer, and watch the fun.

• Recoil - Virtually non-existent when compared to shotguns and many rifles.  Easier to get multiple rounds on target.  Low recoil also helps with...

• Accuracy - The low recoil in conjunction with the additional points of contact on the stock make the PCC a very accurate platform.  In terms of accuracy, anything you can do with a pistol, you can do easier with a PCC.  The strength of the pistol is its small size and concealability, which is not an issue with a bedside gun.  Accuracy indoors is also easier than a rifle in my opinion, given the points mentioned above.

• Fun - This is a serious consideration in my opinion.  Something that's fun to shoot will get more training time, and more training time equals more proficiency.  Maybe you prefer shooting a 12 gauge 870 to a PCC...but does your wife?  Your kids? 

This reasoning led me to start researching PCCs.  I had fired a Beretta Storm in the past, and I did like it, but it wasn’t a platform I took very seriously.  It seemed to me to be something of a novelty – a nice gun, but not something to put a lot of confidence in. 

I decided instead to purchase and train with the Uzi, and when I saw that Suarez International offered an SMG class, I signed up immediately.  (And I’m very happy I did, it was a groundbreaking event!)

The Uzi didn’t agree with me at first.  The controls are laid out well, and while the gun is very intuitive to some, handling the Uzi just didn’t come naturally to me.  There was a short period when I actually regretted buying it, but I was determined to learn a new platform and just kept practicing, a little every day.  Then one day everything seemed to change.  What at first seemed like a very heavy gun suddenly felt very lively in my hands.  Handy, quick on target, murderously easy to point shoot.  Mag changes that seemed awkward were now as smooth as with other platforms.  Shoulder transfers, transitions to pistol…no problem.  Going into the December 2012 SMG class, I was confident with the weapon and had a grand time shooting it.  It was a pleasure watching some of the other instructors who were vastly more experienced with it, and learning and sharing ideas with different instructors and students was one of the highlights of the training year.

After learning and becoming confident with the weapon, I came to really love the Uzi.  It’s solid, tough, reliable, and easy to shoot.  It’s also easy to shoot A LOT - I found that in some drills I fired almost double the number of rounds that I would with an AK.  I had brought extra ammo for the class, but found I had used well over half my total round count after day one! 

Coming home, the Uzi was promoted to my bedside gun.

 

But this article was supposed to be about the Beretta CX4 Storm…

Having come to deeply appreciate the Uzi, when I learned that Dad had a Storm on the way, I was excited to pick it up again and give it another try.  Only having a few days with the family, I picked it up and handled it at every opportunity. 

One thing that quickly became apparent was that the Storm seemed much more intuitive than the Uzi.  Weapons are individual things, so perhaps this is only my experience, but in my opinion the Storm is an easier, more approachable and user-friendly gun than the Uzi (and I say that as a big fan of the Israeli 9mm!)

I will share more detailed impressions in Part 2, but in short I was very impressed with the weapon.  Light, handy, and much tougher than I originally gave it credit for.

The Storm’s size and weight make it an excellent vehicle weapon.  This one would be even better with a shorter Vertical Forward Grip (VFG), or better yet, in my opinion, no VFG at all.

The barrel goes outside the window just a bit holding it in the normal shouldered position.  SBR this thing and you could probably keep the whole thing inside the cab.

Modifying to a pistol grip, even a full length barrel doesn’t go outside the truck cab.  This technique can be used in any situation where retention is an issue.

Light weight and easy handling aren’t just for vehicles and indoors.

The Beretta CX4 Storm is an excellent example of a gun that combines all the qualities one is looking for in a PCC.  In Part Two I will discuss some of the notable features of this fine weapon.

UZI sight-in distances: point blank range analysis

By Alex Nieuwland and JD Lester – Suarez International Staff Instructors

As you can see, the UZI is basically a big pistol. Thanks to its stock, however, even moderately trained personnel can easily push its useful distance out beyond “normal” pistol range, and we therefore need to look at it more like a rifle than a pistol. One of the questions that came up in class recently was: “Alex, what is the best sight-in distance for my UZI?” That is a good question, because a poor choice of zero can have adverse consequences at longer ranges, as we’ll see later in this article.

To answer this question intelligently, we can use a concept that comes to us from rifle ballistics called Point Blank Range Analysis. To determine our point blank range, we must decide what the smallest target is that we are trying to hit, and what ammunition we are going to use. We plug that into a ballistics calculator and calculate at what distance the curved flight path of the bullet will cause us to hit the top and the bottom of the target, while we aim straight at the target.

 

I chose 4” for the height of the target, because the height of the sights over the bore of the barrel of my UZI is 1.8”, so I will be almost 2” off somewhere along the trajectory. I chose to use Winchester 124 gr 9 mm NATO, because that is the ammunition used by NATO in its UZIs. The Winchester site lists the ballistic coefficient (basically, how aerodynamic the bullet is) of their 124 gr bullet as 0.166. I did not have a chronograph yet, so for my calculation I chose the velocity found by Ballistics by the Inch for a 124 grain 9 mm Luger bullet out of a 16” barrel: 1243 fps.

Plugging those numbers into my NightForce Exbal ballistics calculator yielded a zero point of 92 yards, with hits at the top and bottom of the target at 54 yards and 105 yards, respectively. This shows that, with a careful choice of zero point, I should be able to hold dead-on out to 105 yards, and still hit a 4” high target. Choosing 6.5” (the size of the dot in my RMR at 100 yards) as the target size yielded a zero point of 109 yards, good out to 127 yards. That’s exactly 100 meters, the zero point suggested by the original UZI manufacturer (IMI).

These zero points, however, are all the second intercept of the bullet with the line of sight. I prefer sighting in rifles using the first intercept, before going out to longer distances to verify the zero, because it’s just a whole lot easier. To find the first intercept, I plotted this solution using the ballistics calculator at handloads.com and Microsoft Excel. You can see the calculation for the first solution below. The bullet starts at 1.8” below the line of sight, crosses the line of sight at 15 yards (1st intercept), climbs to about 2” above the line of sight at 55 yards, and then starts to drop, crossing the line of sight again around 92 yards (2nd intercept). Around 106 yards, it is 2” below the line of sight, but by 150 yards, it is already 12” below the line of sight.

 

I verified this solution at the range. I carefully zeroed my UZI at 15 yards using the RMR, then moved to 50 yards (the maximum possible at this range). At 50 yards, my hits were 2.5” high. Close enough for me.

I also tried 158 gr 9 mm subsonic ammunition with this zero. The slower 158 gr bullets take longer to get to the target, and should therefore drop more at the same range. They did: at 50 yards, the hits were 3” below the point of aim, for a total drop of 5” compared to 124 gr 9 mm NATO.

115 gr 9 mm Luger is a lot more common than 124 gr 9 mm NATO, so I also used Exbal to calculate the point blank range for 115 gr 9 mm Luger with a 0.142 ballistic coefficient at 1295 fps. The calculated zero point was 93 yards, maximum at 55 yards, minimum at 107 yards. For this, a first intercept at 15.5 yards worked better than a first intercept at 15 yards. 

 

For the suppressor-inclined, here is the solution for 147 gr 9 mm Luger with a 0.2 ballistic coefficient at 1073 fps: 83 yard zero point, maximum at 48 and minimum at 95 yards. Note that it was zeroed at 13.5 yards, and note the drop at 150 yards: almost 17”.

 

The graph below shows what happens if a zero point of 7 yards is chosen with the 124 gr 9 mm NATO load (btw, the zero point distance should be measured from the muzzle, not from where you are standing). The point blank range of this zero point is only about 15 yards. Beyond 15 yards, it is too high according to the 4” target height specifications set earlier. I’d say that this zero is too close, and better results can be obtained by moving it out further.

One issue that has come up while I was doing this, is the difference between UZI iron sights, and RMR sights. There are two kinds of iron sights for UZIs: Model A and Model B. The pictures below shows my Model A sights, and JD Lester’s Model B sights.

 

The Model A front sight consists of a threaded drum topped by with an off-center front sight post that is screwed into a hole in the receiver. A nut and a lock washer keep the front sight from unscrewing under recoil. The front sight is used for both elevation and windage adjustments. Model B sights have the elevation adjustment in the front sight, and the windage adjustment in the rear sight. The Model B front sight has a detent to keep it from unscrewing under recoil. Each model comes with two flip-up apertures: 100 meter and 200 meter. Each model sight requires a different sight adjustment tool. You can buy the one for the Model A sights here.

JD’s (Model B) front sight is almost bottomed out. My (Model A) front sight is cranked up as high as I can get it without having it pop out of the hole in the receiver, and I was barely able to get a 10 yard zero. A more distant zero would require a longer front sight post. The UZIs currently shipping from Vector Arms are all equipped with Model A sights from Israeli-made UZI parts kits, so we can be reasonably sure that these sights used to work for a 100 meter zero. I’m guessing the difference is caused by the 16 inch “Pinocchio” barrels that Vector has to install to comply with Federal law. If you run into this issue as well, there are a couple of ways out of it: find a longer Model A front sight post (which I have been unable to do), SBR your UZI, or relegate your iron sights to the role of backup sights and install a Trijicon RMR sight.

I went with the last solution. My RMR sight is installed on a TSD top cover and co-witnessed (more or less) with the iron sights. I have filed off the top half of the 200 meter aperture to have a better view of the dot. Be aware that parallax error (how high the dot appears to be in the RMR) can affect things as you are sighting in the gun. I use the lower half of the aperture to minimize this source of variability. Eventually, I will blacken the exposed metal to lessen the glare of sunlight reflected into my RMR sight.

So, the complete answer to the question at the start of this article is: “That depends on your ammunition, the maximum difference between the point of aim and point of impact that you find acceptable, and your sights.”

The easy solution, in my opinion, is to go with 124 gr 9 mm NATO, a TSD top cover with RMR (whenever they become available again) and a 15 yard zero.

Care to comment? You can do so in this thread on WarriorTalk.

Submachine Gun Gunfighting in Prescott

By Chris Upchurch, Suarez International Director of Marketing

Last weekend we held the first Suarez International Submachine Gun Gunfighting class. Gabe has been pushing the SMG or Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) for quite a while. We’ve had students bring SMGs to our rifle classes (I had one student run the first day of Rifle Gunfighting with a full-auto Uzi) but this is the first time we’ve gotten enough interest to hold a specific class.

We held our annual instructor summit on the Thursday and Friday before, and many of the instructors stuck around to help teach the class. In addition to Gabe and myself, we had John Chambers, Randy Harris, J.D. Lester, Doug Little, Dr. John Meade, Greg Nichols, Alex Nieuwland, Jon Payne, Roger Phillips, Don Robison, Dr. Keith Seto, Cullen Smith, Wayne Uhrman, Scott Vandiver, and Brent Yamamoto. There were nine students, so this class had one heck of a student-instructor ratio.

By far the most common weapon in the class was the Uzi. We’ve been selling these at One Source, so that’s not really a surprise. Most were in their stock configurations with 16" barrels, but two were SBRed (both Gabe’s that he loaned out to students). The only Mini Uzi in evidence was Gabe’s, the others were all full size. In addition to the plethora of Uzis one student brought a semi-auto HK UMP .45 and another an FN PS90. Scott Vandiver was the odd man out with a 9mm AR.  

From top to bottom: The Uzi, Mini Uzi, FN PS90, HK UMP .45, 9mm AR.

We had a couple of full auto guns in class. Randy Harris brought his FA Uzi (with suppressor), while one of the students had a Swedish K.

Suppressed Uzi, top, and Swedish K, bottom.

Both Gabe and I had loaned our Uzis (all of his Uzi's in Gabe's case) out to students, leaving us SMG-less.  I carried my FS2000 during the class and Gabe got some use out of his AUG, as well as his own FS2000.

Gabe with AUG, top, and FS2000, below.

A few students were kitted out in full LBE and a couple carried extra mags in a shoulder bag. Most either carried extra mags in mag pouches on the belt or worked out of their pockets.

Saturday

We started out with the usual admin stuff: waivers, the safety lecture, etc. Gabe had all of the instructors introduce themselves, followed by all of the students.

We launched into a fairly extensive discussion of the context of the submachine gun. This is very much an in-between weapon, with some of the qualities of a pistol and some of the qualities of a long gun. You can shoot it much quicker and more accurately than a pistol, thanks to it having four points of contact, yet it lacks the noise and muzzle blast of a full power rifle. SMGs can be very compact, particularly when SBRed, allowing carry of a long gun in environments where a full length rifle, or even a SBR in a rifle caliber, would be impractical.

Underarm assault.

After the lecture, we started with some dry work. Gabe explained the different ready positions and had the students practice moving between them and shouldering the rifle from each position. He demonstrated how to reload the Uzi and talked a bit about our philosophy of of retaining magazines when possible. As one student put it, “Ammo don’t come in magazines.” If you blithely discard your magazines you will eventually end up with a single shot club.

Shoulder transfers with an AUG and Uzi.

At Suarez International we’re real big on ambidexterity, being able to fight effectively from both sides. Part of this is the ability to smoothly transfer the rifle from one shoulder to the other. Gabe demonstrated the procedure. This is actually a bit different with a SMG than it is with a rifle, because with many submachine guns (including an Uzi, particularly one with a vertical forward grip) you don’t need to move your hand from the forend to the magazine well.

We finished up the morning with transitions to pistol. With a two-point sling we can transition pretty much the same way we do with the rifle, dropping behind our head so it hangs it diagonally across the back. Several folks in the class were running one-point slings. While we continue to prefer two-point slings for most situations, a short weapon slide an SMG mitigates some of the disadvantages of a one-point sling. It should be considered, particularly with SBRed subguns that are on the smaller end of the spectrum.

With this, we broke for lunch.

Randy Harris, checking out the Swedish K.

Gabe, demonstrating the proper shooting position with the AUG.    

After lunch we moved on to live fire. Gabe started with the basics of marksmanship as applied to the SMG. He emphasized body position and trigger control. We worked this a bit dry, then started with some live fire. We shot a series of three round bursts at five yards, ten yards, and twenty yards. The students generally started shooting fairly slowly, but were encouraged to speed up their trigger fingers as the drills progressed.

Shooting from the prmary shoulder.

Randy's suppressed full auto Uzi.

During a break I shot a bit of video of Randy Harris shooting his suppressed full auto Uzi. The big can on there makes it very quiet with the subsonic ammo.

After shooting from the primary shoulder we did the same from the support side shoulder. This was a bit less familiar to most students but they did quite well. Finally, we meshed the two sides together with the transfer drill, moving the rifle from one shoulder to the other and back again. They all worked through a magazine or two doing this.

Next up was getting off the X. Gabe talked about why we like getting off the X, including his experience outside a convenience store in Southern California. He gave the clock angle lecture and described why we prefer getting off the X to the forward oblique angles if possible.

Moving to the 3 o'clock.

He turned it over to Jon Payne to run the drills for the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock directions. He started with a dry pacing drill, having everyone walk right and left in front of the target, to get them used to moving with the weapon shouldered and changing shoulders on the move. The key here is to get your toes and hips pointed the direction you want to move, to avoid sidestepping and backpedaling.

After getting everyone comfortable moving with the rifle, Jon moved on to getting off the X to the 3 o’clock. He had everybody run the drill dry until they had it down pat, and then we went live. Next up was the 9 o’clock direction. This is a bit more complicated for most people since right handers have to incorporate a shoulder transfer as they get off the X. Again, we practiced it extensively dry, then went live.

Randy and Roger demonstrating the virtue of the forward oblique angles.

Randy Harris took over to teach the forward oblique angles: the 1 o’clock and 11 o’clock lines. He started by saying, “Roger and I are going to have a gunfight” (the folks on WT have been waiting for this for years). Using verified empty guns, he and Roger Phillips demonstrated how getting off the X to these angles effectively lets you get way off the X very quickly, disrupt the adversary’s OODA loop, and acquire his flank or even get behind them. At Randy’s invitation, John Chambers stepped in and demonstrated how the unique balance characteristics of guns like the Uzi or a bullpup can let you do some pretty wild stuff. One of the things he demonstrated was the ‘Hebrew homie’, extending the Uzi or bullpup and using it like a big pistol.

John Chambers demonstratres the Hebrew homie with an AUG.

Brent Yamamoto and some students getting off the X to the 1 o'clock.

Randy had everyone work the forward oblique angles dry. After everyone had this down cold, we went ahead and did it live.

Getting off the X to the 11 o'clock.

For our last instructional block of the day, Roger Phillips went through the takeoff concept. Roger has been responsible for a lot of our evolution in this area and he does a great job presenting it.

The Takeoff.

This finished up the formal training day for us. We had quite a variety of weapons here, so afterwards there was quite a bit of shooting other guy’s guns. Randy Harris kindly let me shoot his full auto suppressed Uzi. With the added weight of the can on the front there’s hardly any muzzle rise. I also had a chance to shoot a student’s full auto Swedish K, which was a real blast.

Randy shooting the Swedish K and J.D. Lester shooting Randy's suppressed full auto Uzi.

Chambers transitioning to a TSD Classic Bowie after running the Swedish K empty.

After having our fun, we adjourned to a local mexican place for a nice dinner. Frankly, as fun as shooting the full auto guns was, this kind of fellowship with like-minded people is one of the highlights of the class.

Sunday

We reconvened on Sunday morning. Gabe asked if anyone had spent a lot of time seeing their sights the previous day and segued into a discussion on point shooting. Not so much the methodology, but the context where we use it. There are some trainers out there who are adamantly opposed to any form of point shooting, but as Gabe put it, “Limited experience gives limited perspective.”

A student asked about the recent shooting in New York where a pair of NYPD officers confronting a man with a gun hit several bystanders. This turned into a very interesting discussion of mindset (if you haven’t seen Gabe’s mindset DVD, I highly recommend it).

After the lecture and discussion we split the class into two groups. One group went over to the 100 yard range and practiced some longer range shooting with the SMG. The other group stayed on the main range and worked some more on getting off the X. After about 90 minutes, the two groups switched.

Over on the 100 yard range, we started out at 25 yards doing some shooting from a kneeling position. Position shooting with an SMG takes a bit of adaptation. They generally have a much shorter handguard than the rifle, which gives a bit less flexibility in hand position (in return, requiring more flexibility in body position). The further an SMG is from the standard rifle form factor (such as the PS90) the more adaptation it requires.

Kneeling with the Uzi and FS2000.

Sitting with the Uzi and PS90.

We did some work from kneeling, sitting, and shooting from supported positions, starting at 25 yards and moving back. In addition to looking at these as shooting positions Greg Nichols also demonstrated addressing 360 degree threats from positions other than standing. After everyone shot steel out to 75 yards or so, we started taking shots at some of the range’s steel targets set up on the hill. Most folks were able to ring the big steel gong up near the top of the hill at about 250 yards. Many were able to do so with their pistols as well.

Supported positions with submachine guns and bullpups.

Greg Nichols demonstrates 360 engagement from kneeling.

Over on the CQB side, Roger Phillips led the students in putting some of the takeoff techniques he’d discussed the previous afternoon into practice. We used these to do some more work on the 1 o’clock and 11 o’clock lines. Compared to a rifle, the relatively short length and balance of the SMG allows you to do some interesting things, such as staying in the partial transfer (switching shoulders but not switching hands) considerably longer than you can with a rifle. The students ran a drill to the 11 o’clock entirely from the partial transfer.

GOTX with a partial transfer.

John Chambers demonstrated the one-handed shooting (the Hebrew homie) again and the students tried it out on a drill going to the 7 o’clock. Dr. John Meade stepped up to describe our after action drills (including the medical self-check) and ran the students through those.

The Hebrew homie with a Swedish K.

While the second group was doing this, Gabe and several of the SI staff instructors gathered at the back of the bay and played around with some dry exercises with the bullpups and Uzi. It was pretty impressive to see how fast an extremely knowledgeable group of guys. This half-hour discussion has really laid the groundwork for a revolution in rifle and SMG gunfighting that’s going to completely transform how we teach folks to shoot with bullpups and certain SMGs over the next year. I have seen the future and it is going to blow your mind.

Just a taste of what's to come from SI with the bullpup.

Gabe showing off some rifles.

During lunch, Gabe did a bit of show and tell, talking about some of the platforms we offer through OST. He showed off the HK system rifles: the V–93 and PTR91, as well as the SIG 556R. Moving on to the less conventional rifles, he showed off the bullpups: the AUG and FS2000. Gabe made a special offer to folks at the class who wanted to buy the FS2000 for a very nice price. After lunch everybody had a chance to shoot the different different rifles.

Once everyone was done having a bit of fun with our guns, Gabe drove his jeep onto the range and Greg Nichols and John Chambers gave a brief introduction to vehicle operations with a special emphasis on the role of the submachine gun and bullpup. The short length of these weapons makes them a lot easier to handle inside a vehicle than a full size rifles. Folding stocks on the rifle can offset this, but the fighting capability of a rifle with the stock folded is limited until you can get out and get it unfolded. The ability to shoot them one-handed makes them especially suitable for the driver, who will often need to shoot one-handed.

John Chambers and Greg Nichols demonstrate how handy SMGs and bullpups are in a vehicle.

The SMGs offer some advantages over weapons that fire rifle cartridges, particularly in terms of noise and muzzle blast. Shooting a full power rifle inside a car can be punishing (as anyone who’s done vehicle hides in our Guerrilla Sniper class can attest). That said, rifles offer some real advantages in terms of range and penetration (important if a situation involves shooting at other vehicles).

John and Greg lay down suppressive fire from Gabe's Jeep, dismount, and assault the target.

Greg and John demonstrated a live fire response to contact, shooting from inside Gabe’s jeep, then deploying out and assaulting the target (letting them shoot from inside his car displays some serious trust on Gabe’s part). Gabe demonstrated one of the unique characteristics of the FS2000: in addition to it’s short length, its forward ejection system means that cases dribble out the front. They’re often deposited outside the vehicle and if they end up inside, they’ll be dropped gently, rather than flying out the ejection port and around the passenger compartment. This is an underappreciated feature.

Shooting the FS2000 from inside the jeep.

Moving on, J.D. Lester and John Chambers demonstrated deploying the Uzi from two different covert carry options. J.D. showed how to deploy the Uzi from the Suchka Bag, as seen in his recent article on the topic. John Chambers showed how to deploy it from a very innocuous looking Dell laptop case. John doesn’t lock the Uzi stock shut, so he can just grab it by the butt of the stock and as he pulls it out of the bag, the stock will open and lock into place in one smooth motion as the gun comes out. Unlike the Suchka bag, the laptop case isn’t big enough to accommodate a 16" barreled Uzi. It works great for an SBRed gun, but if you don’t have an SBR you can also store the Uzi with barrel removed (reinstalling it only adds about 10 seconds to the deployment time if you practice).

Deploying the Uzi from a laptop case.

We finished up the class doing some extreme close quarters shooting with SMGs. We do this sort of thing in many of our pistol classes, but this is the first time I’ve seen it done with long guns. The effects of muzzle blast alone can be pretty devastating.

John Chambers demonstrating extreme close quarters shooting with the FS2000.

Warning: Doing extreme close quarters drills with a full auto Swedish K may cause face-splitting grins.

With that, we wrapped things up. Gabe handed out the certificates and we went our separate ways.

Final Thoughts

This class was really a unique experience. Having more than fifteen instructors meant that students got a huge amount of individual instruction. Gabe could call on highly experienced instructors with specialized knowledge like Roger Phillips, John Chambers, Greg Nichols, John Payne, and Randy Harris to teach particular material. If you ever have a chance to come to a class associated with one of our instructor gatherings you should be all over it.

The submachine gun curriculum is truly outstanding. There’s precious little SMG/PCC training available to civilians, and what little there is tends to be adapted from law enforcement training, or training designed to sell submachine guns to law enforcement (I’m looking at you, HK Training Division). A class like this, that teaches how to use a SMG for self defense is a must for anyone considering a pistol-caliber long gun for self-defense.

If I seem to mention bullpups almost as often as I do submachine guns in this writeup, that’s no accident. Bullpups and certain submachine guns have some similar characteristics that mean it makes sense to address them together. SI is getting much more into bullpups, and it’s clear that we’ll be traveling even further in that direction in the future. In addition to the class material, the instructors also kicked around ideas on how to employ these unique weapons. What we’ve done here will lay the foundation for some truly revolutionary new material.

Any chance to shoot something with a fun switch is a great pleasure, and I have to thank Randy Harris for letting me shoot his suppressed full auto Uzi and a student (Saladin on WT) for letting me shoot his Swedish K. Now the only problem is that I want both!

Truly an excellent class, with great fellowship among the students and instructors.

TSD Enhanced Uzi Video

 

Mobile users see http://video.tsdcombatsystems.com

Discuss the TSD Enahanced Uzi on Warriortalk.

Buy TSD Enahnced Uzi at onesourcetactical.com

The Uzi and Point Shooting Progressions

John Chambers

Suarez International/TSD Combat Systems Instructor

 

Memorial Day weekend found me hosting and participating in Roger Phillip’s Long Gun Point Shooting Progressions class in Liberty Hill, TX. I cannot say enough about how this training should be a mandatory part of your development as a rifle gun fighter. When you find yourself deep in the “OH S@#T” of an unexpected engagement, the Point Shooting skill set allows you hit targets faster, and more importantly, not get shot while doing so!

While all the other participants used the normal mix of rifles (AKs and ARs) I used this as an opportunity to find out more about a weapon system that SI has been studying extensively for the last couple of years, the Uzi. I have owned an Uzi for close to twenty years and have been SI certified to instruct the weapon since 2009, but this was the first opportunity I have had to run it through the Point Shooting matrix and what I learned was very enlightening. There are many advantages to the Uzi in a reactive and aggressive scenario and VERY few disadvantages. We already know that the Uzi is simple and reliable, but I also believe that I learned some things that others have not discussed, nor experienced.

The first advantage is quite simple: it is a compact weapon, even if it is heavier than one would expect. The weight/center of gravity is near the hands and close to the body. This close to the body center of gravity allows extremely quick directional changes of the weapon with minimal movement of the hands. When working the “golf swing” and “over the top” engagements I was able to get the muzzle on the target and engage with accurate fire faster than those using conventional long guns.

Another advantage that we get from the close center of gravity is that the weapon excels in dynamic movement situations. The more aggressively we move with a conventional long gun the more we have to be concerned with overshooting the target with the muzzle or losing control of the muzzle while running. With the Uzi, you move your hands to the point your eyes are focused on and the muzzle sticks to that point. Watch a figure skater or diver and you will see that the closer the hands are to the body, the faster the body can turn. This simple fact of physics is evident when dynamically driving the Uzi in movement.

The weapon’s stock and grip geometry also leads to exceptional accuracy in unsighted or instinctive fire. Quite simply the stock angle is MADE for underarm assault and hip firing! With a rifle with a straight stock like the AR or an AK with a modern stock, when you pull the weapon into your armpit and engage, it is very common for the rounds to impact high on the target. Part of the learning curve is to learn the sweet spot of that weapon when training with your “point shooters follow through” that allows you to have the weapon parallel to the ground when firing. With the Uzi you simply lift the weapon until the butt is tucked under your arm and the angle of the stock and the angle of the pistol grip combine to place the weapon perfectly parallel to the ground and you can put very accurate fire on the target. Roger and I took the Uzi past 20 yards and were placing accurate bursts of fire into the center of the target at ranges that many would believe is impossible!

This also carried over to transitions and shoulder transfers. The standard\ SI over the shoulder transitions or the LGPSP Bayonet Thrust transfers/transitions were quicker than anyone expected. A comparatively small movement of the hands and the weapon had moved and the target was engaged. This was especially evident with the Bayonet Thrust methods!

Prior to this class, if you had asked me about the usefulness of the grip safety, I most likely would have discussed disabling it and simply using the thumb safety. Not any longer! The grip safety is a major advantage when using this weapon with the PSP methodologies! When maneuvering the weapon in the “Baton Twirling” drills, it is driven into everyone’s head that you do not make these manipulations near the trigger. With a conventional long gun, this is very easy since you have the forearm, trigger, and pistol grip separated by the magazine well. Your hands are separated by at least twelve inches in most cases. However, due to the overhung bolt design of the Uzi, the magazine well is the pistol grip and by necessity, your hands are only separated by the width of the trigger guard. The grip safety is VERY comforting when making transitions, transfers and aggressive directional changes of the weapon. In fact I now use the Uzi in a similar manner to a Glock or XD. When it is in my hands and I am expecting contact may occur, I take the thumb safety off and leave it off. I simply loosen my grip so the grip safety is engaged and when firing, I naturally grip the weapon tighter and that will disengage the grip safety. It is very intuitive!

The Uzi is not a rifle. Even with the legally mandated long barrel it is still very compact and this size and balance advantage allows for some things that cannot be done with an AR or AK. Especially in dynamic movements off of the X to the 7:00 and 5:00 positions on the clock. When moving reactively off of the X to the 7:00 position it was totally natural to assume the “Hebrew Homey” position (see pic) and I was able to put very accurate center hits on the target. I would then execute a dynamic directional change and mount the Uzi into my shoulder pocket and engage the target with accurate bursts to the head. It was a very natural movement matrix. When moving to the 5:00, Roger taught us pull the weapon up and over our firing side triceps (see pic). With the Uzi, you can pull the weapon into a superb retention shooting position. Add in a dynamic directional change and you can have half a magazine into the target before they have realized you have moved.

The Uzi is also effectively recoilless, let’s face it, it is a nine pound 9mm! But as the Hebrew Homey shows, it allows some short cuts. One of the coolest “aha” moments that I had was that I was able to “zipper through the mount” in a similar fashion to “shooting through the draw stroke” with the pistol. I would engage the target from the hip and while I was moving the stock to my shoulder, I could place rounds on target while moving the weapon. It was the logical progression of “not being a slave to your mount.” And it was VERY fast, talk about shooting them to the ground!

So what are the disadvantages to the Uzi? Well the first is pretty obvious: terminal ballistics when compared to a rifle. But, used in the proper circumstances, it is not a real handicap. Is a burst of three 9mm hollow points to the face any less effective than a single 5.56 round? No, especially since it is so much faster to engage targets in a dynamic setting with the compact weapon system. The other disadvantage was a total surprise to me. The placement of the forward sling swivel flat sucks when performing transfers. It seems to always put the sling in the way of the left side firing hand and trigger finger. If we can develop a good method of attaching the sling forward, say around the front sight housing, it would be an advantageous modification.

To conclude, we discovered and confirmed that the Uzi is incredibly capable in the reactive CQB environment and it possesses advantages that other weapon systems do not. More to the point, I have determined that it will be an excellent study to explore the use of this weapon system in ways and in environments that continue to push the envelope on capability and expectations.

Stay tuned, this is just the beginning!

Comments from others who attended:

From Roger Phillips:  For a person who is and will always be a very aggressive learner, watching you run that Uzi in the LGPSP was a thing of beauty.  Who would have thunk guys like us, with all of our experience and knowledge, to learn as much as we learned in those two short days.  It's another exciting chapter of the fascinating study inside of the PSP family of courses.

The Uzi just made the big time inside Suarez International and John Chambers just became "the man" when it comes to the Uzi.

I know we say it on very special instances and in this case it is very accurate......... "nothing will ever be the same!"

From WT member "Golucky:"  Thanks again John for letting me trying the Uzi at the LGPSP course. I am building the funds to acquire this bad boy! I was very much surprised about the weight distribution compared to my AK. Folks, it is indeed very fast! It was pointed out in class, how you can hear the rounds from the UZI was accurately on target first, then the barrage from the rest of the tribe with AK's & AR's.

Click Here to Train with John Chambers

The Ultimate UZI SMG - From TSD Combat Systems

The more we work with the UZI, the more we appreciate it for close range semi-proactive applications, and for PDW duties.  And as we watch our various students operating the weapon, we identify those areas where it can be made better than it is.

Clearly, the first area is that of sights.  The iron sights are fine, but it is 2012 and the standard for all fighting weapons is in fact a red dot sight. 

We have seen UZI before with red dot sights, but quite frankly, the red dot sights that have been affixed to these Israeli weapons are abject trash suitable perhaps for an airsoft kid's toy, but not for a serious fighting tool.  When we were searching for a red dot that was strong enough for our pistol program we absolutely discounted all of the units on the market except for the Trijicon RMR.  Yet nobody had made a mount for this top shelf RDS....that has been remedied. 

This TSD Combat Systems UZI/RMR Top Cover Unit comes affixed to the UZI top cover, and provides complete cowitness capability through the rear sights.  It takes the Trijicon RMR, and only the Trijicon RMRs. The top cover and mount are welded together and then finished in black powdercoat.  This gives the UZI SMG/Carbine a capability heretofore unseen in a PDW.  Precise shots are possible beyond what was possible with iron sights only.  Read what the RDS application has done for the handgun, and then imagine what it is capable of with an additional two points of contact as provided by the UZI.

Another area we moved into is the charging handle.  Not an issue for many, but if the shooter is small in stature or lacking in physical strength...or even if they simply want a less cluttered sight picture, this TSD Combat Systems UZI Charging Handle is what they need.

Made of hardened steel, and black powdercoated, it is totally ambidextrous and can be mounted to the right or the left of the SMG.

It is contoured and scalloped in design to accomodate a finger, or two depending on hand size.  It is totally devoid of any sharp edges and as comfortable to use as possible.

Finally, the thing needed for the SMG is a modernized magazine.  Our TSD Combat Systems UZI Mag is a finished in black melonite.  Eqipped with new springs, the magazine also has a follower that is dehorned and finished in our prorietary AquaTerra finish, making the entire magazine impervious to any environmental conditions, but also equipped with a follower that has extremely lubrious properties, insuring reliability. 

Between the great UZI packages offered by One Source Tactical, and the exciting new products being brought out by TSD Combat Systems, there has never been a better time to move into the UZI platform.

UZI Packages Available At One Source Tactical

Running The UZI

At Warriortalk we have been discussing the modern applications of the Submachinegun.  Some might scoff at such a thing, citing the wholesale move away from the SMG by the world's armies in favor of the short assault rifle. But in reality, what the SMG was capable of in the 1990s, it is still capable of, and in proper form, it has some serious advantages over the SAR (short assault rifle). Our favorite, based on availability as well as simplicity and ruggedness, is the time honored UZI.

In the realm of the pistol, the SMG is king, and the UZI a strong contender for the crown. The UZI SMG beats the shotgun for anything except a very narrow spectrum. Don't believe me? Shoot a shotgun qual with the UZI and then report back. But before you do, try to shoot an SMG qual with the shotgun.

Compared to the pistol used in the proactive application, the UZI wins again. Go find the most difficult pistol qual you can find, and then shoot it with the UZI. Begin finger off trigger but in a contact ready to begin.  It will be very simple to meet the times and accuracy standards. It is easier to hit, and hit fast and repeatedly with a weapon like the UZI with multiple points of contact and a cheekweld. That someone can use a pistol well is not the issue. That same person would do better with an UZI. You can prove it to yourself at will if you are honest. One important advantage is that while the UZI SMG is not run like the M4 or exactly like the AK, it is run exactly like a handgun.

The UZI has both a grip safety and a sliding thumb safety under the firing hand thumb.  We have found that in administrative mode (carrying slung, or in a bag) he use of the safety is warranted.  But once the weapon is in hand, that safety is disengaged and the grip safety is the only safety.  Think of it as an XD, and run it like a Glock, allowing your trigger finger to be the real safety.

The magazine release is very similar to the various European Pistols with a heel release.  The "speed load" advocates will jump on this as a failing of the system.   It is not.  The "speed load" concept was a foolish doctrine devised on the playing field to promote the use of the 1911 over the revolver back in the early days of IPSC.  Don't fall for it.  Very few SMGs or infantry rifles are set up for "speed loading" in the playing field context, yet can be reloaded very quickly.

With the UZI, the L-Shaped magazine clamp has been very popular.  One IDF vet reports that every single UZI he ever ran was equipped with these.  It allows a very smooth and drama-free "proactive reload" in the same manner as what is taught for a handgun.  In short, grab the bottom of the on-board magazine and press the magazine release button.  Extract it, turn the wrist slightly, and insert the new magazine.  The run the bolt to chamber a new round.  This maneuver, like on the Kalashnikov Rifle, serves as both a reload and a malfunction clearance maneuver.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like the AK-47, FAL and other martial weapons, all of these maneuvers should finish by running the bolt. With the UZI, operation of the bolt is very reminiscent of running the slide on your Glock.

The UZI magazine has many similarities to the Glock magazine (and other similar 9mm handguns).  It fits easily in any pouch designed to carry a pistol magazine.  In clandestine environments where a low profile is required, one can keep the UZI nearby with an L-Shaped Magazine configuration in place and an extra 25 round magazine on-person.  The reload is amazingly similar to the typical handgun reload.

The operator removes the on-board magazine and stows it in the front pocket (or down the shirt, or in a dump pouch, or...).  Then he reaches back and accesses a fresh magazine.  The UZI magazine should always be carried as the last magazine so the operator knows its location and so it does not interfere with the reload of the hand gun. In this case, we have positioned the 25 round UZI magazine in a Blade-Tech mag pouch for a Glock 17.

 

The other area that is particular to the SMG is transitions to secondary weapons.  While it can and has been done with handgun to handgun, we see more of this with shoulder gun to handgun.

With the UZI, we like to add a VFG.  In this case we are using an old Israeli VFG we had in our "used pile" while we wait for the Crimson Trace Light/Laser VFG.  The Handguard rail is one of the excellent units we sell from Barrelxchange. The VFG can be used to guide and control the UZI out of position if you have not had time to deploy a sling, or prefer to work without one.

Move the UZI offline as you grab the pistol, and then carry on as usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the private citizen seeking a PDW that can truly go everywhere he or she goes, that can be wielded by strong man, stay at home moms, or kids, and that does not have the muzzle blast or penetration/reach characteristics of the short assault rifle, the SMG in UZI form may be the best answer. It served urban SWAT units for many years and it may be seeing a rebirth as the best answer for a private citizen's PDW.

Read More On The UZI SMG

For UZI and UZI Accessories

 

The Floating Gun

If you’re going to take your point shooting skills as far as the fight needs them to be, you’ve got to have it.

Suarez International Instructor CR Williams

I see it over and over again, and I still do it myself (not as often as I did, but I still do). I see them at classes, on the range practicing, in groups, watching others work, and when working by myself. Once you know what to look for they’re pretty easy to spot. They’re like chronic or recurring illnesses.

Let's call them the 'Welded Hand Syndrome' and the 'Locked-In-Position Syndrome'.

Welded-Hand Syndrome is characterized by an unconscious but nonetheless strong and determined reluctance to release the support hand from the grip of the gun. The shooter beset by WHS acts as if his or her hands have been super-glued and duct-taped to the grip such that they are unable to let go and shoot with one hand despite the position they are in or the angle to the target they are engaging. They will twist and turn and step, bend and flex, and move the wrong way trying to keep their gun on the target, unaware that they are in the grip of the Welded-Hand Syndrome.

Related to and often seen in conjunction with Welded-Hand Syndrome is Locked-In-Position Syndrome. LIPS is characterized by the unthinking drive to keep a pre-set arm and upper-body shooting position under any and all circumstances and no matter where the target is or how they are moving (if they’re moving) whether it is appropriate to the circumstances or not.

WHS and LIPS do occur in isolation but will most often be observed appearing together. Both syndromes have the same three primary causes: A lack of experience or training, a history of training that is totally or almost totally devoted to the proactive gunfight, and the tendency we all have to want to remain ‘squared up’ to something or someone that is trying to kill us.

Diagnosis of either or both conditions involves observation of the shooter in question to answer these questions: Is the position and placement of the gun appropriate to what the shooter needs to be doing with it? Does the shooter appear to be ‘bound up’ or in an awkward position? Is the shooter moving more slowly and awkwardly than they should be or in a different direction than they intend or that is appropriate to the situation? If the answers are ‘No’, ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes’, then WHS or LIPS should be suspected. Further observation is then necessary to confirm the presence and severity of the conditions.

Examples of Welded-Hand Syndrome and Locked-In-Position Syndrome:

Moving from right to left while attempting to keep a two-hand grip and squared torso. I did not deliberately cross-step, it occurred naturally as a result of my conscious desire to keep the same grip and upper-body position. You will see this unconsciously with those suffering from WHS and LIPS. If I had continued out of camera range, I would end up walking backwards.

Here I am moving properly to about 1:00, but because I refuse to release the grip or alter extension I would end up doing two things: putting the gun in range of a still-standing opponent, and curving back into the target instead of properly flanking it like I would prefer to.

(Full-size versions of all photos available at: http://photobucket.com/FloatingGun)

Effects of these conditions range from being frustrated about your ability to easily get good hits on a target that’s other than directly in front of you to your being killed in a fight because you can’t maneuver properly, move too slowly, are unable to get the gun into line like you need to, or from ineffective use of cover that exposes too much of your body to incoming fire. Given the potential severity of the effects, serious thought should be given as to how to avoid falling victim to these conditions. Fortunately, effective treatments are available and are simple (not always easy, but simple)  to apply.

Treatments are both corrective and preventive and may need to be applied on an ongoing basis.

 Treatments are as follows:

Learning and practicing ambidextrous use of all weapons. (At the least, getting as near to full ambidexterity as is possible.)

Learning and practicing one-handed shooting (of the handgun).

Learning and practicing to be able to shoot accurately with the gun below the eye-line, in other than dead-ahead directions, and held at distances ranging from in contact with your body to full extension.

The aim of the treatments is to develop the ‘Floating Gun’. This is a state in which you will automatically and without much if any conscious thought put the gun at the level you need and extended to the distance required in any direction of the clock face as the situation and the target you are engaging dictate. Sometimes one-handed, sometimes not, sometimes in one hand, sometimes in the other, sometimes held far away and sometimes in contact with your body, high, low, in-between, getting hits where you need them as you move where you need to without binding, bending, or twisting unnaturally. Furthermore, that point, that extension, that position, that direction, can and will change the moment the situation changes and the moment your relationship to the target changes. As you turn, as you change direction, as you change levels or speed or distance, or as the target does, so does your gun. It goes where it needs to be so that it can do what you need it to do.

 

 

 

This is a simple illustration of letting the gun float. Beginning in arm's reach of the target, I displace left as I draw and fire the first shot at waist level with the gun close in. I will continue to fire as I bring the gun up to eye-level to first a close-in two-handed shooting position and then, as I cross the 'T' of the target and then turn to advance along a parallel track, move to a more standard two-hand position. (Because of restrictions necessitated by the camera view range, I maneuvered in a much smaller area than if I were running this as a full-speed drill.)

 

 

 

Another way to answer the same question is to switch hands. Beginning from the same position and with the same initial displacement, I move the gun from right to left and continue the engagement. For complete development, both options should be learned and practiced.

Note that, unlike in the first examples, I was able at all times to move normally and naturally and did not have to cross my feet or become awkwardly 'bound up' to get the hits.

To best develop and keep updated on the use of the Floating Gun concept, therapy under the guidance of a qualified Suarez International instructor is highly recommended. Formal courses of treatment include Point Shooting Gunfight Skills, Close Range Gunfighting, Point Shooting Progressions, Advanced Close Range Gunfighting, and Advanced Point Shooting Progressions. Ongoing practice and training and refresher training is advisable, as without re-emphasis of the concept, Welded-Hand and Locked-In Syndrome will often re-occur. It’s happened to me; don’t let it happen to you.

Don't forget to work on 'floating' the long-gun as well:

 

 

PSP graduates will recognize this as the parallel-track approach to evasion and counterattack. I use a rifle here to illustrate that the concept of 'floating' is not limited to handguns. Long Gun Point Shooting Progressions will teach you more about this and is recommended for those wishing to become more facile in the quick and sure handling of the rifle or shotgun.

(I’ll get a bit more serious now: I believe there are two fundamentals that should not change no matter what you’re doing with the gun, and one fundamental that almost never should but can sometimes. The two things that should not change are your grip (the way you grip, not the tension of the grip), whether one or two-handed, and the way you work the trigger; these should always be consistent. The one fundamental that should almost not change is eye-hand, or eye-weapon, alignment. Even if the gun is below your line of sight, it should as much as possible be aligned with the dominant/shooting-side eye in order to have the best chance of hitting the intended target. As long as these fundamentals are satisfied, then the gun should be allowed to ‘float’ to where it will best get the hits you need.

Being able to float the gun does more for you than just to enable you to make hits from any position in any direction in an emergency, though that would be more than enough to justify the acquisition of the capability. Where employed deliberately, ambidextrous and one-handed facility with the weapon specifically will give you tactical options you will not have otherwise. For all these reasons, having the ability to float the gun is an all but must-have skill to everyone that carries and a definite must-have skill for the serious student of the gunfight.)

Take the time, make the effort, get the skill, and learn the Floating Gun. You will not regret it.

You be safe out there. And if you can't be safe, float like a butterfly and hit like the Hammer of Thor.

Tourniquets fears, revisited

John L. Meade, MD, FACEP

Director of Tactical Medicine, Suarez International

I got this email from a friend today:

There is a persistent belief among the general public (including an EMT I talked to yesterday) that applying a tourniquet means the limb below the tourniquet is a guaranteed total loss. How do we address this concern?

Simply tell them it has been conclusively proven that this is untrue.

a) People have tourniquets applied in the OR every day, for various orthopedic and vascular surgical operations. These are on for hours, without amputation.

b) Data being followed very closely from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan show that rapidly and properly applied tourniquets are saving lives at a dramatic rate, and not a single amputation has been caused by the tourniquets.

c) Addtional military data shows that in cases of isolated severe extremity hemorrhage, if the patient has a tourniquet applied rapidly, before shock sets in, the survival rate is 90%. If tourniquet use is delayed until after shock (which can happen in as little as 1 minute), survival is only 10%.

The issue of tourniquets causing amputations is a myth left over from many years ago. We now understand how to use them, when to use them, and how they should be constructed (size, materials, etc.). We instituted the use of a tourniquet protocol for the state of Alabama a few years ago, after seeing the fantastic data from the military. At an international trauma meeting just yesterday, I was told that the state of New York was going to copy the Alabama protocol to give their residents the same advantages.

We can teach you how to evaluate and treat trauma, to try and keep your loved ones alive until the ambulance gets on the scene. We have scheduled "Trauma Medicine for the CCW Operator" (TMCO) classes all over the USA. Register now, to beat the 2012 price increase.

And learn what most medical people don't even know.

The "Floating" Support Hand

When we look at the deployment of a rifle, we need to understand that rifle work is not limited to CQB.  The rifle is a weapon that can be used from zero distance to the limit of its intended use, which for the assault rifle is approximately to 300 meters.  Training beyond 100 yards/meters is difficult for a number of reasons.  Most ranges are limited to 100 yards and few people ever get the opportunity to really stretch their rifle's legs farther than that.  As well, few people have the opportunity to shoot in the field on a regular basis.  Thus the focus is CQB, almost to the exclusion of other distance intervals.  I believe this is a mistake,as students thus trained only get a part of the full picture.

In this article we will be discussing a concept that we have taught for many years, and that is the "Floating Support Hand".  Specifically the idea is that the support hand (alternatively called the "reaction hand", the "left hand", or by cave dwellers - the "weak hand") should not be anchored into a given position, but rather float to wherever it needs to go to facilitate the shot.

That position may range from the forward hold popular in competion circles, to the magazine hold popular in the MP5 days.  It all depends on what the target is, how far away it is, what position you are shooting from, and what the angle is.

The Forward Hold

This is from an article that was written by S.I. Instructor Dale Hunter for our Staff - Only Section. 

"With modern assault rifles, gripping the magwell as a default position is selling yourself short in terms of maximum effect on target. Usually the magwell is close to the balance point of the rifle. Ignorant riflemen say this allows quicker handling of the rifle. Physics state otherwise. Try holding a children’s seesaw at the middle/balance point; not very stable. Try moving the front axle of your car to the middle and see how well it rides and steers. We drive with the front wheels as far out aspractical.

Taking the car analogy over to riflery, we should be gripping therifle as far out as practical based on the shooters arms and position the shot is being taken from. This enables better leverage and control over the mass in front of the balance point thus permitting much quicker shot to shot recovery,transitions of targets, and less disruption of the sights while engaging on the move. Gripping the magwell is the same as gripping a vertical fore grip like a joystick and gives the same result of gripping a pistol too low; the mass is sitting on top of the hand discouraging effective control and causing the body to be reactive to the rifle."

Dale is correct about the benefits of this hold, and it is workable both on the move as well as stationary for snap shots.  At a Kalashnikov Force on Force class last year, Dale put in a stellar performance using this full speed, on a dead run against a very capable stationary adversary.  The results were that Dale was untouched while his adversary was peppered.     

While that particular hold has become popular in recent years, it - like many things in the weapons and tactics realm, is not new at all.  Here is an image of Rhodesian soldiers and their FALs.

The Middle Hold

This is the "traditional hold" involving placement mid way between the magazine and the forward end of the handguards.  This is not a "reactive" position as much as one useful for supported positions, or when accuracy at distance is paramount.

The Magazine Hold dates back to the days of the MP5 and is best suited for short SMGs such as the PPS43 and Skorpion as shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also useful in supported positions in order to mainatin the correct elevation while resting the elbows, such as in sitting position.

So do not get stuck to the handguard.  Doing so will retard your development as a rifleman.  Where do you run your support hand?  The correct answer is "It depends on what I am trying to do".

Class is over; now what?

By Don Robison,  Suarez International Tier 1 Instructor

So, it’s Monday morning and you’ve got your training class over the weekend fresh in your mind as you drink your morning cup of coffee and get ready for work.  All these questions keep running through your mind from Sunday night. I’ve got the training; now what do I do with it?  The instructor said I should dry practice and then verify my dry practice at the range.  My range will never let me draw from a holster or get off the X.  Since the last time I wrote about dry practice Suarez International has realized these questions as well and come up with some solutions for working on perfecting these skills, but more about that later. 

Let start with the dry practice and work on it.  Pick a skill and do it.  Practice it, don’t just go through the motions, but practice it as perfectly as you can. Watch yourself in a mirror or video tape it so you can review your tapes and pick your technique apart.  Video doesn’t lie; it also doesn’t make you look better than you are.  Be honest with your assessment of your skills and what you need to practice.  As Greg Nichols says; “Get it right and then get it fast.”  Don’t worry if you’re slow; everyone is slow with a new skill; it’s better to practice it slow and correct rather than fast and incorrect. 

The instructors and students you see who are correctly doing a skill fast and smooth didn’t get there by not practicing or by practicing the skill sloppily.  They got there by practicing hundreds sometimes thousands of repetitions correctly and then worked on getting the speed and fluidity. 

My range won’t let me get off the X or draw from a holster.  It would be easy to say “Find another range.”, but that is often easier said than done.  What skills can you verify at your range?  Obviously you can verify the fundamentals of marksmanship, but you can also do malfunctions drills at most ranges by having your training partner setup malfunctions for you.  You can also practice failure to stop drills at many ranges.  Some ranges also have “action ranges” or a range bay set aside that you can rent by the hour to draw from a holster and practice other skills associated with competition.  It may be more expensive than renting a single lane and may require some type of special “check out” from the range master, but nothing worthwhile is usually easy.  Check at your range or other ranges in the area to see what’s available.  I’ve also had some success in the past with range owners letting me practice skills they don’t normally allow like the draw stroke during their slow time of the week when the range is empty. Find out when that is and if it’s possible. 

Other possibilities are airsoft.  It’s not perfect, but a good airsoft gun will allow you to practice the mechanics of magazine changes, and the draw stroke.  Sometimes you just need to get creative.  As cliché’ as it sounds; there really is more than one way to skin a cat.

How has Suarez International taken the reins on refining the skills of our students?  We now have Suarez International Authorized Training Groups for SI class alumni for students to get additional coaching to perfect those skills they are learning in class.  These are training groups organized and led by the various Suarez International Instructors all over the country.  For example in August I led the first training group in my area.  We concentrated on the draw stroke to the first perfect shot and the fundamentals of pistol shooting.  Each alumnus who attended received four hours of individual coaching to perfect their draw stroke and fundamentals of shooting.  First we started with repetitions of dry practice.  Then we progressed with live fire.  We were able to break each skill down to individual parts and work on perfecting the individual pieces before tying them together.  The training groups are also a great way to get connected with other students in the area who you may not have met and who may need a training partner.  All of this for a nominal fee to cover range rental and supplies.  The only other requirement is that you have taken a class covering the skills being covered in the training group meeting i.e. if Close Range Gunfighting skills are being worked on you need to have attended the Close Range Gunfighting Class or if knife skills are being worked on you need to have attended the SI knife class.

Now get out there and find your nearest training group and take advantage of the opportunities they afford.

Don's class schedule in Florida

AR15/M4 Rifle Gunfighting in Iowa

The Long Shot

...and why you should work on being able to take it.

CR Williams, Suarez International Staff Instructor

Gabe's recent article about the shooting at the Carson City IHOP was, as such things tend to be, copied to and discussed on a number of gun forums outside of Warrior Talk. On one such I frequent some posters said that they would take the shot the BBQ owner did not, some said they did not feel capable of that shot at their current level of capability but would have tried to work to ranges and positions where they would feel confident of the shot. Others expressed a need to work on their long-range shooting. Some did not think they could get 'good enough' to be able to take the shot and some did not think their current carry weapon was up to the shot. Others raised concerns about stray rounds and whether you really could make an effective shot at that distance (between 70 and 100 yards). Still others declared that they carried for their own defense and would make a good report of what they saw but otherwise, if it wasn't their problem, they saw no need to try and be part of the solution. And there was a hint from one or two to the effect that they didn't see a need to learn to 'go long' even with this incident on the records. They, and others, correctly stated that the majority of shootings were going to be at shorter range.

It is true that times when you might need to go beyond 25 or 30 yards like this...and the shooter with the SKS on the second-floor walkway of a mall...and the guy that went into another mall with a shotgun...and Murray with his AR in the parking lot of New Life Church...and (for those in that Too-Thin Blue Line) Phillips and Matasareanu outside the bank, where both range and precision were at a premium...

...rare as  they are, are still a not as rare as you want them to be. It has happened before, it will happen again.

And when it does happen again, who will they be aiming at?

What if next time it is NOT 'somebody else's problem'?

One of the reasons we carry is because we can't depend on the police, right? We can't base our strategy of defense and survival on the hope that a cop will be right-there-right-then when something lethal starts happening, right? Then why are you going to depend on someone else there being able (and willing) to take that long shot? If the next man with the rifle is aiming it at you, or someone you care about, is your strategy for dealing with it going to be to hope that someone else with a gun is there and able to take the shot you can't make?

You don't depend on the police being there, but you are going to depend on the smaller probability of another gun-carrier with that skill-set to be there? Why should you?

 

 It's not as distant-looking if you're not a camera, but it still looks long.

Regardless, you can learn to make the shot.

 

 

Not only that--learning how and practicing to make the long shot can help you in other ways as well:

It is a way to practice fundamentals without specifically practicing fundamentals.

Shooting long, whether with regular sights or a red dot, stresses the fundamental principles of good shooting as much, if not more, than standing five or ten yards away from a target and thinking "grip, stance, picture, alignment, breathe, press". The need for solid basics is paramount. The slight twitch of a trigger or fractional-degree skew in sight alignment that puts you off an inch or two at ten yards is going to be a clean miss at fifty or a hundred. Consistent trigger work and the steadiest hold and/or position you can get before taking the shot appears to be the most important, but every fundamental has to be done well for the long shot. Training and practicing this kind of shooting is a way to push yourself into developing solid basic shooting principles that carry over to every shot you will ever have to make.

It will help with closer-range precision shooting.

We acknowledge the possibility that we might have to move from COM to a small-area or even pinpoint target. Besides specific practice for that possibility, working on the long shot is a way to help prepare for the close precise shot. The same fundamentals are as important; repetitions of anything that stresses those fundamentals is good; and your subconscious can be conditioned to not panic about any very small target you have to hit, whether it is a torso at 75 yards or somebody's right eye at thirty feet.

The better you get at it, the more confidence you will have in your general ability and the more confidence you will have about almost any kind of shot you have to make.

Marc MacYoung calls it the "Monkey Brain". It's the part that takes over when things like madmen pointing rifles at you or your family happens. One of the things it does is look for familiarity, something you have done or experienced that is like or close to what you're experiencing now. If it can't find something like that or close to like that, there will be a greater tendency for you to panic and/or make the wrong decision about what to do. The greater the range of knowledge and experience, the more likely the Monkey Brain can latch onto something and the less likely you are to lose yourself to indecision and maybe outright panic. The confidence of knowing your limits and knowing what you've done gives your survival controller more to work with and you a better chance of staying alive past the end of the event.

Better to have it and not need it than...

It's like a seatbelt and insurance, ladies and gentlemen. You put it on and set it up without ever expecting to need it. But understanding that there is just enough of a possibility that you might have to use it, you do it anyway. Just in case...

Kelly McCann, by admission, is not a point shooter and never has been. But in his Combative Pistol DVD, McCann tells how his mind was changed about learning point shooting by someone he talked to at a conference. McCann saw the need to go beyond his current sphere of capability in case he ever was in a position where he couldn't get to the sights in time. He might never, ever need it, but if he did need it, he needed to have it.

Kneeling, standing, unsupported, supported, none of the above---whatever you need to do, you can learn how do to it.

Perhaps you do as well...just in case...

Here, then, are four reasons that training to 'go long' will be useful to you. Assuming no physical limitations to prevent it, most people can learn to make shots of fifty to one-hundred yards and beyond and maintain that ability without having to invest huge amounts of time and effort. It is not a special skill, it is an extension of skills you already have, and worth it to you to get them even if you never, ever have to do it to save your life. Even if you never do manage to get to where you can go to a hundred yards or more, shouldn't you at least make the effort to find out how far you can go? What price "in the event" would you pay to know for certain that you're good out to fifty yards or seventy-five yards and no more? Why not take a little time to know how far you can reach with your short-barreled carry weapon? Why not find out what to do to be sure of your shot at over twenty-five or thirty yards?

Why not?

The first two shots weren't in your direction, which was fortunate. You, your wife, and your daughter were within easy killing distance when the crazy guy opened fire. You got them down and put some fire on him quick and got one hit, you think, but he's still shooting and now it's a gunfight. You and the family are behind the engine block of one car and he's thirty or thirty-five yards away behind another one alternating shots at you and whoever else gets in his vision, and he's got a rifle. Can the car you're behind keep you sheltered? What if he starts moving again? But all you've got is little parts of him and his gun when he shoots at you or somebody else---wait--under the car, the foot or ankle, somebody did that to stop a shooter one time!* At least stop him from moving or maybe shooting more...almost thirty-five yards and so little for a target... He's shooting again! IT HAS TO END....

So tell me: If you're on the target end in this situation, what would you want to be running through your head?

OhGodOhGodOhGod I hope somebody else has a gun and can take the shot!

I CAN MAKE THIS set-up-sights-on, I CAN MAKE THIS HOLD HOLD NOW...

Here's my confession: I can't do all of this as well or in as many cases as I want to...yet. Here's my word to you on it: I'm already working on being able to and will continue until I can, or at least know where my limits are. I will have the option even if I choose not to take it.

What are you going to do?

Be safe out there. If you can't be safe, be dangerous--from as far away as you can be.

*Matasareanu at the North Hollywood Shootout, stopped by a round in the ankle fired by a SWAT officer under a car, if you want one historical reference. His partner Phillips was stopped first by a hit on his left wrist and then his right hand. Phillips suicided, Matasareanu bled out from multiple wounds before medics could reach him.

Train with CR Williams.

Train with an SI Instructor near you.

Conditioned Response

          

Conditioned Response
By Scott Vaughn

    Have you ever wondered why we train in and with weapons, tactics and combatives? The reason is to learn the best techniques for our application and how to train and develop the muscle memory, those instinctive values, so we ingrain into our muscles and minds the Conditioned Response! What makes or allows us to respond/react to a given stimulus? If a car slams on the brakes at a distance of 500 feet ahead of you and you are travelling at 60 MPH, how do you react? If you see this as it happens, you probably start braking to a controlled stop, if necessary. Of course, if you are not paying attention at the time the car slams on the brakes and moment you realize this has occurred, the car is at a distance of 50 feet in front of you and you are travelling the same speed as above, what is your reaction now? Most likely you stomp on your brake pedal while trying to veer the car into a path to avoid the crash. Maybe you don’t try to veer but only slam the brake. Maybe you only veer and no brake. However you handle this crisis, it will most likely be different than the response to the first mentioned situation. Agreed? The response taken is conditioned, whether from years of driving experience or a new driver lacking the driving experience to help make snap decisions. The difference in the response will be from experience, training, instruction or maybe yesterday’s movie. Yes, we have all been mentally conditioned all of our lives from media, school, peers, family, the neighbors, etc. How deeply fixed in your subconscious the conditioning is will help determine how you respond/react.

    These are all typically conditioned responses of a variety of people. The first instinctive reaction from the stimulus comes from the mid-brain and depends on 1: experiences we have been through in our life. 2: the wrong type of information instilled in our mid-brain (where our instinctive reactions are housed) for given stimuli. 3: the lack of training, experiences and mental conditioning. 4: ingrained/habitual reactions that we have developed through repetition of training and practice.

    Remember when we were kids? We were indestructible, we could do anything given the right chance, we would never get ‘old’ but always get stronger, faster, better, smarter and would live forever! We had not experienced life but only a fraction of it. Then most of us started driving and learned dangerous situations could happen fast, our fault or not. Some never made it through their first year of driving, but those of us that did, understood driving could be dangerous and not as easily done like we assumed from watching our parents or from television. Some continued to take chances and others didn’t. Some took drivers training to learn to be a better/safer driver and most others didn’t. Of those that took the driver training, did it ensure the successfully safe driving experience for life? Of course not as there are no guarantees in life, period! But it did help condition them with, hopefully, better responses to more stimuli while driving and faster reaction time from not having to think all the way through the response. In highly stressful situations, the fore-brain (the part of the brain that we use to think rationally) shuts down and the mid-brain takes over to instruct us to react from our mental conditioning. –Conditioned Response-

    When we were kids we started developing reactions or habits. Some of these habits we carried with us to adulthood. These conditioned reactions, habits, are hard to unlearn sometimes. If you don’t develop better, safer, quicker habits and just continue to feel what you do is ‘OK’, you will never reach your potential and ALL of the bad habits/responses/reactions can get you and/or yours killed! I’m reminded 4 times a month by those that attend my concealed carry classes. Most have been around guns a long time and have developed habits from their parents and friends for things like the grip, the way they look through the sights (one eye closed) and how to stand while target shooting. Even though they are shown the best way to do some of these, once a pistol goes into their hands, their old habits automatically take over! They also are reminded repeatedly throughout the class of gun safety rule # 3, yet when they finally get to handle their guns….finger goes to trigger for too many of them.

    When our men and women of our military go over a technique once, they are soon convinced they will revisit this particular lesson numerous times, sometimes until some are sick of it! Repetition is necessary to build the muscle memory for a conditioned reaction to combat that can save their life, and/or the lives of their friends. Most of this training is done under circumstances to build the best response to the situations they may face on the battle field. These consist of training in the rain, the cold/heat, with the sound of guns firing and bullets buzzing overhead! Conditioned response! Some martial art students learn maneuvers and techniques for combat. They train these moves repeatedly to develop the muscle memory it takes to use the moves automatically. Most of the training and techniques are new to these men and women but they still learn it, just like you can. Occasionally they fight under controlled circumstances to help develop the ideal conditioned responses to the stimuli shown to them via opponent.

    It is proven that training and experience can be developed properly and with it, conditioned responses for certain circumstances, i.e. FOF, CRG, 0-5 feet GF, etc. That trained and experienced people generally survive more than those who are not, is a given. My brothers and sisters at SI understand this and I think most others would agree. The difference is this: We study and train to develop the techniques that are proven to work under combat. We work to build the muscle memory and habits for those reactive situations we all know can happen anytime/anywhere. We put ourselves in the Lion’s Den to help condition the mind and body. The ability to make immediate decisions under stress needs to be developed. To fine tune the OODA Loop.

    If you can see the threat coming toward you from 100 feet away, how would you react? Think about this for a few seconds, but I think you already have a plan of some type for this situation. Maybe you get set in mind and body for the fight. Maybe you take off to avoid the fight, if you have this option. Possibly you move to cover or just haul ass out of there. Whatever you decide will depend on the situational elements: Inside or outside- Family with you or not- Dark or light- Raining or not- Armed with gun or knife- or not…. If, when you first realize the threat is there, you are 25 feet apart, how will you react? Maybe you freeze! Maybe you bust a ‘GOTX’ to cover or to avoid the BG’s attack or shot, possibly to line up the 2 BG’s to make your defense easier (yeah, we know multiple advisories are anything but easy). The relative distance between you and the threat will definitely make a big difference in the immediate level of necessity to respond with the best decision. If your BG is standing behind you holding a pistol to the back of your head and says “Get in the car and drive or die right here”, how will you react? Freeze and give-up? Or mess up your BG’s OODA Loop by explosively moving your head to one side while turning to wrench his shoulder and arm to control his pistol while you bash this POS in the face, knees, ribs, etc. to keep yourself/your family safe! You got it, Conditioned Response.

    Training is what we do at Suarez International. When is the best time to train for your fight? Yes, before the fight! Where is the best place to learn how to fight? You got it, Suarez International! Training people to fight with their hands, knives, guns and minds like Warriors. Helping to understand and develop the muscle memory, to build the mindset to think, act, train and fight like Warriors!

    We won’t teach you how to drive, but we will teach you how to fight with your gun from your ride! We want you to win your fight as bad as you do! Come train with us to help develop and/or sharpen your skills with SI. You are never too old or too young to become a warrior in mind, body and spirit.

      

The Quiet Enemy

There are so many clichés that come to mind when I think about how easily we are lulled into complacency, where we are slowly led to believe a lie. The frog in the pot of water comes to mind immediately. For the couple of people that don’t know, it goes like this, “Throw a frog into a pot of boiling water and he will immediately jump out, but put a frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly bring it to a boil and the frog will cook to death.” You see, the frog’s mind never hits the action mode in response to danger because the danger is not obvious until its too late.

So it is with us. We respond to imminent and obvious threats and actions easily and without thought. We respond to a car rushing toward us. We respond to someone screaming at us. We respond to a misbehaving child. What we don’t respond well to, what we can’t seem to recognize, are the quiet enemies in our lives. Laziness. Apathy. Gluttony. Lust. Selfishness. Greed. Comfort. Work. The list is endless.

These are the little things. The things on the margins. The corners we cut. The excuses we make. The things we don’t do instead of the things we should do. The things we do that we shouldn’t do. It’s a battle fought minute by minute and day-by-day. It’s a battle we are losing every day and the world is telling us its ok.

Except its not. Look, we should never major in the minors, but it’s the little things in life, the little battles won, that make the war easier to win. The battle we fight is one of attrition and we are our own worst enemy. It shows up in what we chose to eat. It shows up in what we choose to do, or not do. It shows up in how we treat those around us. Our laziness, greed, apathy, etc. is apparent in everything we do, if we just take the time to look for it. But we don’t.

So it is with training. Losing in a violent encounter doesn’t happen during the encounter. The battle is lost way before the fight. The battle is lost when we eat one more doughnut or when we decide to sit on the couch instead of getting up to train.  We lose it in our prayer life where we refuse to acknowledge God in our motivations and actions. We lose it bit-by-bit and day-by-day and we think its no big deal. We lose in our marriages, we lose in our work, we lose in our life because we don’t get up and do the hard work of being deliberate about what we are doing.

So, what are you going to do about it? What am I going to do about it? Start being more deliberate today. Look at your calendar for next year. Start to schedule your training year. What are you going to do weekly, monthly and quarterly? What refresher classes do you need to take? Where do you need to get initial skills training? Companies all over the world right now are working on their vision, strategy and budgets for their business for next year. We should do the same.

Here’s my plan for next year:

Weekly: Martial arts training 2 nights per week. CrossFit 2 times a week. Running 2 times a week.

Monthly: Teach a class either in martial arts or other combatives to hone my teaching skills and my own proficiency in certain topics. Half day solo training in shooting skills (movement, pistol, rifle, shotgun).

Quarterly: One seminar or training class per quarter.

It’s an aggressive plan, as it should be. I won’t hit it every time, but, like a budget, this is what I will use to measure my success next year.

When was the last time you slowed down long enough to actually think about what you’re doing, much less reflect on what you’ve done? I bet it’s been a while, if ever. Our constant busy-ness and pursuit of our own comfort keeps us from taking a minute to explore the small things in our lives that are literally killing us, or at the very least, making our lives miserable. Don’t let this year end the way it started and don’t let next year start the way this one did.

How Dynamic is Your Dynamic Movement?

Greg Nichols, Suarez International Staff instructor

First we must look at the two words as defined by Webster.

    Dynamic: (1): of or relating to physical force or energy: energetic, forceful

    Movement:
A = (1): the act or process of moving; especially: change of place or position or posture (2): a particular instance or manner of moving
B = (1): a tactical or strategic shifting of a military unit: maneuver (2): the advance of a military unit


So if we are looking at this topic of dynamic movement in the context of a gun fight what can we take away for Mr. Webster?  The action, weather exploding off the X, seeking cover, returning fire, breaking contact, or advancing on the enemy needs to be fast, forceful, aggressive, decisive, and deliberate.  Fire needs to be accurate, continuous, and vicious, we’re not spraying rounds all willy-nilly hoping to hit something.
   
Let’s break this down.  If you watch any movies or cop shows you’re probably aware of the Groucho walk, the bent kneed, heel to toe, awkward fashion of movement.  There is a purpose for this but if this is your idea of “Dynamic Movement” and you don’t operate on a daily basis with hard plates and a team you’re going to find this to be ineffective at best.  You see this done as a team because you only have a limited sector of fire or area of responsibility.  You are directing your movement and fire in that small direction as well as presenting your plates to receive incoming fire and meeting hostility with accurate fire to minimize the possibility of collateral injury.  From a partisan/CCW perspective the whole is to not get hit until you can access your firearm, find cover, go hands on, or escape and evade the hostile action.  The Idea of Dynamic Movement is explosive and deliberate as well as being deliberately explosive.  You'll notice in the picture of the draw stroke how high the cover garment is lifted and how deep the grip is on the weapon while already in motion.  Direct your attention to the transition picture and see how blurred his hand is driving away from the rifle to his side arm while deliberately maintaining control of the rifle.  In the FOF picture you'll see an example of the moving combat crouch as the assailant is dropping his torso off the targeted X to avoid the pistol fire.

I’m going to assume that I’m talking to the everyday CCW holder with a bit of training.  If you’ve heard the phrase “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” what they are talking about isn’t slowing down it’s being deliberate.  Your draw stroke is deliberate; from clearing your garment to your PTO, it’s deliberate. Breaking off the X, from the flinch to sprint, is deliberate.  Dynamic refers entirely to the force with which you perform these deliberate actions and movement is referring to displacing yourself from the line of fire and the acts of accessing you firearm and putting it to use to defend yourself or others.  What I’m getting at is when you run this dry are you just walking through the footwork and hand motions?  Are you practicing your draw stroke without a cover garment?  Do you prone out just to get on the ground or ease yourself to a kneeling position after strolling over to low cover?  If you are, you’re cheating yourself and your training in my humble and accurate opinion.  I'd take a sprinter fast GOTX over a blazing fast draw stroke any day.  The key is to not be hit while getting positive control of your weapon so that you can turn the tide and go on the offensive.  The pivotal concept of Dynamic Movement is momentum.  Momentum is everything in the fight.  We as the good guys won't likely start out with the initiative so as talked about before we need to take that back.  How do we do that?  Momentum!

                                                                                                          
Breaking off the X is resetting the bad guy's OODA loop as already established.  That takes us to a point of initiative 0 or in other words starts the engagement over from that point.  We then need to move the initiative to +1 in our favor as we don't want to waste the take off.  We do that by making our draw stroke efficient and dynamic.  This places duress on our aggressor, which takes us to initiative +2.  Now the trick is to keep that budding momentum growing.  We do that by moving dynamically and delivering fast and accurate fire on the enemy.  We are now at initiative +3 and own the fight.  This is only accomplished through dynamic movement.  Dynamic movement creates the neutralization of initiative and resets the OODA to allow us, through dynamic movement and accurate fire, to push the momentum of the fight back to our enemy.  Win the momentum, win the fight.  Once at initiative +5 you have to push to gain the advantage and work to keep your momentum.   Once you have it it's easy to build on, once you've lost it it's a bitch to get back.  This concept of momentum works both for the individual as well as team tactics.  There are historical references to many to list of momentum working as well as how bad things get once lost.  Lets put this into an order of importance 1st being GOTX and 2nd draw stroke.  The separation of the two is only .1 or .2 seconds.  As my PTO begins I begin to clear my cover garment.  What I'm referring to is having a deliberate draw stroke that ensures a good grip on the gun for positive control over just being as fast as you can.  Draw as fast as you are able to have positive control of the weapon or in other words, fast not rushed.  We as a culture need to get rid of the old Revolutionary War and Wild West shoot out mentality and start thinking PlayStation and John Woo. While this is an exaggeration it adds context.  Flair for flair’s sake is just wasted energy and stand and deliver is just stupidity.  Winning the fight through unconventional fire and maneuver leads to a safer outcome in an unsafe situation.  Think, Move, Shoot as Roger Phillips says.

Now the work, getting more dynamic is work.  Remember, liabilities to a persons mobility = risk. There are muscle groups that are important and action habits that need ingrained.  Let’s start with the hardware, the muscles.  A PTO is a full body action requiring the use of hands, arms, legs, and core body.  The hands and arms need to clear the garment, grab the pistol, make the draw stroke, and mitigate recoil. The legs need to load, make directional adjustment, and provide forward momentum.  The core body is driving your targeted x off the line of fire, twisting and driving to your direction of travel and orienting after the draw stroke to deliver fire on the threat.  To get these muscle groups in condition involves, practice and exercise.  I recommend the 2 part series of Combat Fit DVDs available at OST.  Add regular wind sprints (at your level of fitness) and directional changes from standing and moving.  For the software we look at several pieces of the whole.  The draw stroke involves getting positive control of the weapon.  The footwork includes the orientation to the direction of travel or the take off.  The body articulation progressing into the combat crouch.  The last item is the orientation of the weapon to target.  The Concept of movement vs. the Technique of movement are entirely different.  Grasping the technique so that you can perform it is important as it allows you to practice it until it's yours.  The concept is more important, you have to understand the why as much as you do the how so you don't end up putting a square peg in a round hole.  In the context of a fight improper understanding can get you killed.  All of this software is found in the SI classes at the intro level and above.  I found the Close-Range Gunfighting and Point Shooting series of DVDs to be a wonderful resource as well as Roger Phillips writings on continuums.

Always put 100% deliberateness into your movement and cover strategy, but be forceful about it, be Dynamic about it.  When you break off the X have a solid grip on your weapon, push your posture down off the line of fire, drive to whichever o’clock you move to.  Deliberately, dynamically identify your target and rain Hell upon him.  Dynamically and deliberately find and seek cover and throw yourself into the experience of it.  Scrape your knees and elbows up, blood washes off, clothes can be mended or replaced, skin grows back.  Get bruises and rug burns, smack your funny bone on the kitchen table because you dropped below the window sill too fast.  Understanding the difference between hurt and injured is important here, you're going to get skinned up doing it right but to push to the point of injury is counter productive.   It’s training, it’s supposed to make you stretch, take you out of your comfort zone and make you sweat.  Lets work together to put the Dynamic back into Dynamic movement.


   

TSD Combat Systems AquaTerra™ G-17 Pistol Slide

 
TSD Combat Systems AquaTerra™ G-17 Combat Pistol Slide

AquaTerra refers to "sea and land".  And that is exactly what this package is designed for - specifically to withstand any hostile environment an operator could possibly find on this earth. Whether you need to fight in the searing heat and weapon-grinding  sand of a middle eastern desert, in the salty gun-rusting cold of a North Sea oil rig, or in the rotting green mass of a tropical jungle, the AquaTerra system will withstand anything you could possibly encounter and deliver the reliability and accuracy that has become hallmark for TSD products. 

We begin with the TSD Combat Systems Match G-17 slide, precision machined out of aerospace quality 17-4, heat treated to a uniform RC 46 throughout (not just on the surface), and have them finished in our proprietary AquaTerra plating process.  This process creates a permanently lubricious surface that eliminates the need for any grit-attracting wet lubrication, or cleaning for thousands of lube-free, corrosion-free, trouble-free rounds. When slightly lubricated, overall wear properties are superior to any other finish or plating process commercially available today to civilian or military end-users.

The AquaTerra plating process produces consistent tolerances within ± 1 to 2 microns. The result is uniform plating throughout the slide, exceeding Rockwell hardness of any other finish commercial, OEM, or military (68-72 C) and an extremely low friction coefficient (.04). For our excellence-seeking customers, this means unsurpassed durability and reliability in any environment on earth. 

The TSD Combat Systems Barrel is machined from solid 416 stainless steel, and then hardened to 41 RC. These barrels hold tolerances to +/- 0.001" to 0.002" in all critical areas. Cut broach rifling is used, with 1:16 rifling, and a left hand twist. These are superior in every way to any other aftermarket drop in barrels available today and exceed the accuracy potential of the OEM units. Unlike the OEM units, you can use any type of 9mm bullet you wish to use without affecting reliability, accuracy, or safety in any way.

The Trijicon RMR included in the package has been tested to pressures equivalent to depths of 66 feet/20 meters, meeting the requirements of an Advanced Open Water Diver.  As added assurance, the sight is double sealed with a polymer adhesive strip to provide even greater protection from the elements.

TSD Combat Systems is defined by its quest for excellence and is currently re-defining the meaning of “state of the art” in the world of small arms.  Unparalleled reliability, exacting accuracy, and martial elegance in any environment on earth. 

 

MORE INFO HERE

 

Package Includes -

 

AquaTerra finished TSD G-17 Slide

TSD Combat Systems Match Barrel

Trijicon RM02 Red Dot LED Sight

TSD Suppressor Sights

All slide internals

TSD Pistol Case & Lube

The Shotgun - Force Multiplier for Civilian Small Unit Tactics

JD Lester

Suarez International Staff Instructor

The role of the shotgun in Civilian Small Unit Tactics should be as a specialty weapon, as it is in MIL / LEO operations. 
There are several uses of the shotgun in this role. The two that most often come to mind are breaching and its use by the lead member of a patrol moving through terrain that has dense vegetation. 
For some LEOs this is the only authorized long gun available to patrol officers. Some areas are not rifle friendly for citizens to own, or they simply think the shotgun is good enough to do everything they might need it to do. (The countless times I have heard phrases that would make one think that the shotgun imparts great marksmanship skills to the user or that no skill at all is required….) 
As previously discussed in several threads on WT, the shotgun is a niche weapon and not a “Do All, Only Gun You Will Ever Need.” Pump actions and semi-autos can both be used and each type has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.
By considering the MIL / LEO applications, we can establish the shotgun’s use for civilians conducting SUT type operations. 
Considerations for both urban operations and conducting rural patrolling operations will be discussed here. 
Both uses should be as a supplement to the primary weapon carried when possible. Don’t let it slow you down as it will not be a force multiplier if you are not in condition enough to carry the weight of an additional weapon and its ammunition. 
If a shotgun and a pistol are the only tools at hand, knowing how and when to employ the options in the shotgun’s wide array of ammunition choices is critical.

 Urban Use of the Shotgun: 

Breaching: Use of the shotgun to gain access through an exterior or interior door by defeating the lock or hinges using the ballistic force of the shotgun round.

Structure Defense: Using the shotgun’s ability to launch projectiles rapidly into threats, coupled with the ability to use slugs for mounted avenues of approach allows choke points in or near the ingress / egress points of structures to be covered by fire. 

Rural Patrolling Use of Shotguns: Terrain is a limiting factor not only for our movement techniques but also for the employment and capabilities of the weapons we carry. Some of the lighter, faster cartridges in use can be deflected from their intended point of impact by heavy vegetation, as seen in some of the IMG DVD offerings. This can be where a shotgun supplementing the primary carbine can be of use, as has been done during past wars by military units. 
I am not saying abandon your favorite carbine and just carry a shotgun in the bush. I am saying that the light weight carbine firing a light weight bullet might not offer the optimal performance you desire in certain types of terrain. 
During movement in heavily vegetated terrain the shotgun can provide a high volume of projectiles to facilitate a break contact drill. 
One type of patrol where a shotgun would be devastatingly effective would be a deliberate ambush in an area that has moderate to heavy vegetation. Think small waterway or rural road denial operations. 
We like to use the most causality-producing weapon we have to initiate an ambush. The shotgun can fill this role as it is unlikely that civilian operators will have belt fed machineguns, claymores or other anti-personnel mines. They are more likely to have the capability to employ a shotgun to initiate the ambush. Semi automatic shotguns shine in this area because of the rate of fire they can bring to bear onto the bad guys moving into the kill zone. 

We know the Saiga 12 is the premier fighting shotgun. However, employment of this system might not be the best option for this mission. Remington models 11-87 or an 1100 might be a better choice. Some Pros and Cons of each system are covered below. (Please note: Less common shotgun designs like the MKA 1919 are not discussed here.)

When we reduce the length of our barrels to make the shotgun a faster and easier to employ long gun we also reduce the capacity of the tube fed guns. When we add large capacity magazines or drums to the S-12 the height and weight are affected. As with most things there is a tradeoff: What you are willing to accept or what you have on hand will dictate how you can apply the shotgun to your specific mission requirements.

Let’s look at the options in the semi-auto shotguns that could fill this role and compare them.

 
Saiga-12 (converted to AK configuration)
Pros: 
Same manual of arms as our AK rifles. 
Rugged and reliable. 
Accessories and spare parts are available.
Folding stock option for compactness.
Drum and large capacity magazines are available which lead to the ability to rapidly reload the shotgun and rapidly change to use of slugs for anti-vehicle use. For example: 20 rounds of buckshot or slug before need for a reload. Buck and slugs could even be mixed in the drum. 
Cons: 
Platform availability and cost to convert to AK configuration.
Reliability and cost of drum magazines and other high capacity magazines. 
Size of drums and high capacity magazines can impede a good low prone position, but can be mitigated by careful selection and preparation of the firing position. 
Another trade off for noise and movement once in the ambush to prep the firing position. 
Loaded weight of drums is another consideration.
Requires a little more maintenance than the AK rifle. 

Remington 1100 or 11-87 
Pros: 
Cost and availability make it more apt to be found in gun cabinets in the US than an S-12. 
The availability of extended magazine tubes, which require the trade off of added barrel length and weight for the extra capacity. For example, The 22 inch barrel with magazine extension would offer 8+1 rounds of buckshot.
Tube magazine does not interfere with low prone position.
No additional magazines are required.
Repair / spare parts are readily available. 
Cons:
Minimum of 5 rounds before needing to reload on a standard configured gun with no extension tube.
Reloads take additional time and are slower under stress and the accompanying reduction in fine motor skills.
No folding stock option. However, pistol grip full stocks with shorter length of pull are available. 
Frequent operator level maintenance required to ensure reliability. 
System uses gas seals which, if they become worn or fail, can cause the gun to not function properly. 

Some thoughts to consider:
Should it be a purpose driven force multiplier or a supplemental one? 
This is what I have on hand, how can I best employ it? 
I have my AR or Pistol Caliber Carbine how can this added weight help me/us inflict greater damage to the bad guys?


End Part I

Are You Afraid of Change or just too Comfortable to be Cutting Edge?

-Suarez International Tier 1 Staff Instructor Jon Payne

 

We often are so comfortable with the past that we can stagnate and fail to see progress or recognize what the future can be? With technology changing so fast, can you really afford not to be on the cutting edge?

Let’s talk about the AK for a moment. We’ve all seen the Chicom Poster “Keep That Crap off My AK!” How long did it take us to get past that? First we added folders because it just made sense to make the rifle easier to store and carry. The next move was to add a flash suppressor because we wanted to dampen the fireball coming from the AK’s muzzle and a compensator just isn’t needed on a semi-automatic rifle. It wasn’t long until we began mounting Aimpoint Micro’s on our AK’s using the Ultimak Rail. If you add a flashlight to the package you have a real squared away CQB rifle. Up until a short time ago an AK set up in this fashion was the apex of the Kalashnikov Fighting Rifle. If you had a Rifle Dynamics custom build with all these features, it just didn’t get any better, could it?

 

Early this year I witnessed an AK that shot under an 8” group a 300 yards! That is hitting heads at 300 yards. This AK had an American made 12.5 inch barrel, a Texas Weapon System Dog Leg Rail Gen II, and a 3x ACOG. That rifle more than proved to me that when it comes to the AK you get out of it what you put into it! I don’t think we would’ve ever seen an AK capable of that kind of accuracy if SI had stayed with, “it’s good the way it is, it can’t be improved” attitude.

 

One of the groups of people that get stuck in their ways is handgun shooters. I remember back in the late 80’s when several Police Departments issued revolvers. You could hear the rank and file, “Automatics jam”, “I’ll take my 6 for sure.” You would’ve thought they’d still be carrying wheel guns on the Space Shuttle (I did guard a Space Shuttle carrying a S&W model 15 a few years back). As a matter of fact, if you had transported Wyatt Earp forward in time to 1988 and shown him an issue revolver off a cop’s belt, he would have stated how similar it was to his revolver! By 1991 most Police Departments either issued semi-automatic pistols or allowed their officers to purchase their own pistols.

 

Not all pistols are created equal and some designs rose to the fore-front. One of those designs was the Glock. Glock was the first successful readily available polymer framed pistol and is about as tough and reliable as a handgun can get.

 

When I was introduced to carrying the Glock pistol it was out of necessity. The town I used to work in had been hit by a 15-20 foot tidal surge during Hurricane Ike and was several feet under water. I was not about to use my $1600 Custom Shop Kimber in water that had so much stuff in it, it could be referred to as H3O. I happened to have a spare Glock 23 that I kept around for a training pistol so I strapped it on got in my boat and began doing what I got paid to do. I never went back to carrying the 1911. Soon after during a class with Gabe it became apparent my issued night sights were great out to 50 yards, but after that the front sight was just too wide. I learned in that class there were more modern and effective sights available.

 

 

The most important upgrade a Glock service pistol needed was good sights. Just adding Warren Tactical Sights improved the Glock quite a bit. The Warren’s give you a clean sight picture with a wide notch in the rear and a thin defined front sight blade. Getting reliable hits at 100 yards with a Glock 17 equipped with Warren’s is very do-able, but require strict adherence to the marksmanship fundamentals. Things were about to get easier. Almost like “cheating”.

We have all seen red dot sights on race guns and they were huge ungainly affairs, but the guys using them in competition were beating those who weren’t using them. Like I said, things were changing. Trijicon introduced the RMR as a backup sight for their ACOG. The RMR (which stands for Ruggedized Miniature Reflex) was small, light, and tough. When the Technical Service Division Combat System’s ran with the idea of putting a concealable reddot sight on a pistol something different emerged.

 

Can you really compare an RMR’ed TSD Combat Systems Glock to a stock Glock 17? I really don’t think so. With TSD’s package, chest hits at 100 yards isn’t such a feat anymore and they’re eye ball accurate out to 10 yards. Besides being so much easier to shoot, they hardly add any weight to the pistol, and don’t interfere with your ability to conceal your sidearm. Learning to use the RMR on the TSD Glock is as easy as getting you’re sight alignment and sight picture with your iron sights. The beauty of using suppressor sights with a RMR is it allows you to co-witness and really shortens the learning curve. Once you pick up the dot on top of your irons, you no longer have to focus on the front sight. You can focus on your target and just superimpose the dot to get surgical hits. Currently, I’m the only peace officer in Orange County Texas to be qualified with a TSD Glock.

 

This is a very exciting time to be a part of the Firearms Industry. I’m beginning to see things that were science-fiction become science-fact. I’m seeing platforms continue to evolve with improved accuracy, and improved ergonomics without loss of reliability. If all this technology is available why wouldn’t you use it to its full potential? Are you afraid of change or are you just too comfortable to be cutting edge?

 

 

 

 

Flashlight in the Hand

Avoiding  the Profile Individual/Deterring the Profile Individual/Dominating the Profile Individual by Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor

This is basically the same lecture that I have been giving since 2005 inside of my low light courses. This lecture is a combination of Col. Cooper's lecture that I heard through a third party back in 1999, teachings from Gabe Suarez from 2002, and some very recent formatting tips from Randy Harris. This information has been around for a very long time, but I have never seen it combined with the "flashlight in the hand" philosophy.

 

"The flashlight in the hand" philosophy is the tactic of carrying a small, powerful, tactical flashlight  in your non-dominant hand whenever you are in a risky area after the sun has gone down. Whether you are walking the dog, exercising, or making a run down to the grocery store/Wal-Mart, if you are going to be in a public place after sundown, it is the tactic of always carrying your flashlight in your hand.

The main reason for you to do this is because the vast majority of the times that you may need your flashlight, in a self defense situation, if it is not already in your hand you will most likely never get it into your hand. The number one reason for carrying a flashlight is for making the identification (ID) of the hands and the waistbands for weapons, since our visual acuity is cut in half in low light.  It is the hands that kill and the waistband is where bad guys (BG) usually keep their weapons. The number two reason for carrying a flashlight is to disrupt the vision of the adversary. A bright light in the eyes not only disrupts the adversaries vision but it allows the good guy (GG) to work behind a wall of light. When the adversary can no longer see you, that causes doubt and uncertainty. This uncertainty may be all that you need to deter an attack.

 

A flashlight is not necessarily a fighting tool. I do not need the flashlight to make the hits. It is much more valuable as a physical deterrent (BG cannot see GG) and a visual disruptor (BG's vision is 5% of what it was just a second before.) If you need to fight with the light on you are creating a constant focal point to attack. If you can disrupt that adversaries vision, turn the light out and move, there is no focal point to follow, there is only blinded bewilderment! Even if they recover, you can take their vision again. We have all heard "A flashlight is a bullet magnet" but this does not have to be the case if you "see what you need to see" and "blind as you need to blind" then turn the flashlight  out. If you remove the constant focal point the liabilities of the bullet/knife/club magnet decrease. It is the lessons of when to use the flashlight and when not to use the flashlight that are the most valuable of the lessons. Being able to shoot with the flashlight in conjunction with the gun is mildly interesting, that is entry level knowledge. Knowing when to blind, when to turn the flashlight off, when and where to move, and when to turn the light back on is the advanced knowledge. This knowledge is not possible without thorough testing inside of low light FOF and from both sides of the coin. You have to be both the GG and the BG to learn the lessons as they need to be learned. The reality is that all of this knowledge is useless if your flashlight is at home, in your car, or even in your pocket. If it is not in your hand when you spot the profile individual, it will probably never make it into your hand.

The term "profile individual" (PI) speak for itself. This has nothing to do with race or sex. Trouble and danger comes in all races and in both sex. Trouble and danger has a very distinct look and feel, if you have been around the block a couple of times, you know what I am talking about. If you cannot recognize trouble and danger you may just need to be removed from the gene pool. Recognizing  trouble and danger starts with profiling. Forget about all of those politically correct idiots out there and let's get down to the bottom line. If you do not profile you are a fool! There is a very low danger level from a well groomed man in an expensive business suit or a elderly couple taking a walk in a park. But there is a higher danger level from groups of urban youths, especially in bad parts of town or where poverty is rampant. This is all just common sense here.

If you are out at night, doing whatever it is that you have to do, and you see a PI that is going to cross your path here is a very quick overview of how to handle the PI.

 

Profile; It always starts with profiling! We must profile who is in our general vicinity while we are out after sun down. BG use the cloak of darkness to hide themselves and to hide their intent. Without profiling everything else that follows is worthless. Making the ID on a PI is the first piece of your back story. Back story is very important stuff, nothing happens inside of a vacuum. Collecting and building good pieces of back story allows you to build the information to facilitate making  the decisions that you are going to have to make. The more pieces the better the back story, the better the back story the quicker you will be able to work through your OODA loop. If you make a PI and he has orientated to you, the next thing that you need to do is as follows.

Avoid; Make a directional change to your movement and begin looking for other players. Choose a direction that will require the PI to re-orientate to you. If there is no re-orientation, that is a good thing, but keep your eye out for any other players/accomplice's along with the original PI. If the PI re-orientates to you, you have just succeeded in forcing the BG to show you his hand. You have created the second piece of the back story to further facilitate your decision making process. You now know the BG is keying on you. There are not coincidences! In low light you cannot allow the BG to close ground on you. You must stop his ingress! Here are some basic concepts to help stop the BG from closing ground you. The next two thing listed may need to be put into action simultaneously, but they are set down in order of importance.

 

Command; With a commanding voice and in conjunction with a flashlight in the PI eye's order them to "Back off!" In low light, with a quality flashlight the PI will see nothing but the light. You will have disappeared to him and all he will see is the source of the light and you will be cloaked behind a wall of light. If the first "Back off!" and blinding does not work, that is the third and another huge piece of the back story. Give them one last chance (the fourth piece of the back story) and  get louder and more "street." Sometimes the street only understands "street"........."BACK THE F**K OFF! While the commands and flashlights are being used you will most likely want to doing two other things simultaneously.

Move/Monitor; It is my opinion that you should mitigate the urge to stop and square up to your adversary. I feel that you should keep moving in order to disrupt the adversaries ability to begin working through his OODA loop. By continuing to move you take away the adversaries ability to take a snap shot of the battlefield which is very important to developing a plan of attack. As you command/blind/move you should again monitor the area for any other accomplices. Since you are hidden behind a wall of light to your primary adversary, you should be able to look around quickly for other players, without the primary adversary even knowing that you have taken your eyes off of him. If the PI is still re-orientating to you, you probably have enough back story (fifth piece) to articulate reasonable fear. Some people feel that they need to ID the weapon, but FOF training has proven that action beats reaction. If you are unable to ID that something is very wrong, with all of the back story that has taken place, you may be deep into the very worse of positions.......denial! This is where all of your training comes to the forefront. This is where you find out if "your line in the sand" has been thought through well enough. This is where all of your "what if" mental preparation has really prepared you well enough. This is where you find out about the reliability of your gut feeling, and your ability to act on it. This is where it gets as personal as anything that you have ever dealt with.

If in your mind you can articulate that it is go time, then it is on.

If the threat or weapon has been identified that leads us to the next phase of the fight.

 

Access; When the line in the sand has been crossed, keep moving, access your weapon, and get to work. It is time to fight with everything you have. Accessing your weapon, from concealed carry, with a flashlight in your hand is a skill set that you must own. There are two methods that you need to know, the one hand draw stroke (circular flagged thumb) and the clearing of the garment with the flashlight hand (three digit crab claw.) Which one you use is situational and user dependent. This draw stoke from concealment is the most likely thing that you are going to blow, your "flashlight in the hand" draw stroke needs to be to the point that you have it down cold while moving. With these two draw stroke methods you have the option of keeping the flashlight in the eyes or turning if off. Either way, the adversaries vision is going to be extremely limited. If you keep the light on and draw, everything that you do is cloaked by the wall of light, but the direction and pace of your movement can be tracked through the visual connection to the light source. If you turn the light out, you cannot be tracked periodically, but the adversaries vision will eventually return. Of course you can always give him another blast of light and take it away again. Once you have accessed the weapon and driven it to the focal point it is time to take care of business.

Negate; Negate the threat with fast and accurate hits while either hiding behind the wall of light or under the cloak of blinded darkness. I cannot possibly express how important it is to have the "double edge sword" knowledge and experience of fighting from both sides of this confrontation. Without this firsthand knowledge and experience, you have no clue of the true dynamics of the fight and the power and the limitations of the "flashlight in the hand" philosophy. Experience leads to confidence, confidence leads to absolute knowledge, absolute knowledge leads to total domination. This is where you want to be, anything short of that means that you have not put in the work and you are not as ready as you think are. Fighting at night is a skill set that can only be obtained through proper preparation to prevent piss poor performance. If you have not put in the time......face that fact for the fact that it is. Reading this article is simply not going to get it done!

Once the  primary adversary has been negated and determined out of the fight it is time to move on to the next progression.

 

Scan; BG's tend to travel in packs. Just because you did not make any accomplices early on does not mean that there are none. You are going to need to scan 360 degrees to make sure that there are no other players that may need your attention. Scanning may  best be done while moving to a place of cover or tactical advantage. Whether you scan with your flashlight or not depends on the ambient light and the presence  of darkened areas. Remember the rule of thumb, "if you are in the dark, stay in the dark, if you are in the light, light up the dark." Once you have verified that there are not other players to engage and verified that the primary has not reanimated it is time to move onto the next step of the progression.

Reload; Now that there is a lull in the fight it is time to top off your gun. If we accept the fact that "if the flashlight is not in your hand at the start of the fight, it will not make it into the hand" philosophy then it would seem wise to be able to load your gun without stowing your flashlight. The "three digit crab claw" allows for a "reload with retention" all while keeping the flashlight in your hand. If you are concerned about the effects of the adrenaline dump, you can stow the flashlight for your reload. Either way, get that gun topped off.

Evaluate; The next step is a medical evaluation of yourself. Since the fight is still not guaranteed to be over I would try to mitigate lighting yourself up or putting away the flashlight. The "three digit crab claw" can still feel the body for wet spots. Another option is to shove the flashlight in between the pinkie and ring finger of the gun hand, bezel up (consistency across categories) A quick lighting of the ground for blood droplets may be acceptable. If you find a wet spot in the groin area, you are going to have to ID the color of the fluid. If you find yourself to be ok medically, it is time to proceed to the next step.

 

Proceed/Police; Due to the fact that there are some places that if you do not get the heck out of there immediately , you could be fighting the whole neighborhood. It is not always as clear as "call the police and wait for them." Sometimes you are going to have to get the heck out of there, then call the police and arrange to meet them somewhere. Unfortunately, it can be even worse than that. You may have to get out of there and never say a word to anyone. There are places in this great Country that do not allow good people to defend themselves or their loved ones from evil. In this case, since you primary mission is to get home and continue to take care of your loved ones you may just need to proceed on with your life without bringing the police in. It is a shame that there are places in America that are like this, but it is what it is! A good person needs to make it home to his/her family and not allow laws that are contrary to God's law from keeping you of fulfilling your primary mission in life.

 Like I said at the start of this article, much of this has been around for a very long time. I have just put my spin on it from within the "flashlight in the hand" philosophy. If we look at these ten things that we need to do to make it through dealing with a profile individual, it may look like it is next to impossible to remember. This is where Randy Harris suggests uses a mnemonic device to help aid this philosophy in being easy to remember. Most mnemonic devices are a little cheesy but easy to remember.....this one is not different.

PACMANSREP

Pacmans rep was if you were smart enough and fast enough you could succeed in life and avoid all of the goblins. From the very start of the encounter......and all the way through the encounter, If you can remember this cheesy little mnemonic device, you can avoid the profile individual, deter the profile individual, and dominate the profile individual.

See Roger's schedule here

Discuss this here

 

The Best Defense is a Good Offense……

By

Don Robison

Suarez International Tier 1 Staff Instructor

 

It’s a bit cliché’ but often said that the best defense is a good offense.  What does that mean?  To me; that means always be on the offensive.  All over the internet we hear people expounding the idea of the “defensive mindset”; I say hogwash.  A defensive mindset is the mindset of a person who doesn’t plan or take measures to better ensure their safety or the safety of their loved ones; they sit around waiting for something to happen so they can defend themselves against it.  A person with an offensive mindset is always thinking, they are always planning ahead and doing things to mitigate the risk of being attacked. 

What kind of a person are you?  The defensive mindset person pulls into a gas station hops out of their car and fills up with gas.  The offensive mindset person pulls into a gas station takes a look around and assess their surroundings, looking for possible problem people, areas, and avenues of approach and formulates a plan of action for the what if scenarios.

It’s 1 a.m.; you need to stop at a gas station along the interstate because you are down to an eighth of a tank of gas. You find a gas station and pull in to the end pump and get out of your car and start pumping gas.  Out of the shadow on the end of the building a young misunderstood youth walks to the back of your car without you noticing and demands your wallet or he is going to kill you.  You have three choices fight, flight, or comply with his request and hope he goes away. The gas hose is behind you cluttering your exit route and you didn’t notice that the gas station had put trash cans and displays between the pumps.  You’ve been to some training classes so you’re going to fight.  You waited until something happened and then were forced to work out a plan to defend yourself.

Let’s look at what you did wrong in the above scenario.

1. You didn’t assess the area you were pulling into.
2. You pulled into the pump on the dark side of the building where those up to no good have good concealment.
3. You had poor situational awareness of your surroundings after you exited the car.
4. You left yourself really only two options; comply or fight.

I won’t say comply is never a good idea because there are always exceptions. I also don’t think starting the fight from behind the OODA loop is a good option either. Trading punches, slashes or bullets is never truly a win, even if you come out on top. Your victory cost you more than it should have cost you and how is your family going to fair while you’re recovering from the trading physical damage?   In the above scenario a lack of attention backed you into a bad scenario where you didn’t need to put yourself. In my opinion; this is a defensive mindset.  You waited until something happened and then worked out how to defend yourself.

 

It’s 1 a.m.; you need to stop at a gas station along the interstate because you are down to a quarter tank of gas. You find a gas station and pull in to the parking lot.  As you pull in you’re looking around the area and notice the only pump open is the one on the end nearest a dark corner of the building and there are some misunderstood youths hanging out by the store entrance.  You decide to drive to the gas station up the street and not possibly place yourself in a situation where you’re uncomfortable.

Let’s look at this scenario and see what you did right.

1. You assessed the area before you fully committed yourself to it.
2. You decided to go somewhere else rather than put yourself unknowingly in a bad situation.

What are the downsides to following this option? You can only do it so many times before you have no choice but to use whatever gas station you find yourself at or you run out of gas. Me personally; I start looking for a gas station just as the needle moves below a half tank and try to stop before it reaches a quarter. I like to give myself options.

It’s 1 a.m.; you need to find a gas station along the interstate because you just went below a half tank of gas and want to find a station before you reach a quarter tank. You find a gas station and pull in to the parking lot.  As you pull in you’re looking around the area and notice the only pump open is the one on the end nearest a dark corner of the building and there are some misunderstood youths hanging out by the store entrance.  You also notice that there are tire displays set up between the pumps so you decide to go to the next station. Upon pulling into the second station you find a middle pump open and there is nothing blocking you from moving between the pumps. You also notice some shady characters hanging out at the entrance and the end of the building. This is the only other gas station for 100 miles so you decide this is the station you need to use.  Before you get out of the car you take a moment to decide what avenue of approach you would use if you wanted to rob someone and take notice of what the shady characters are doing, where they are and if they are paying any “special” attention to you. You get out of the car and begin to pump your gas while keeping a scan going looking to see if there is any change in the attitude of those hanging out. You’ve positioned yourself so that you can get back into your car and drive off if you detect something out of place early. You’ve also placed yourself so that you can exit on foot between the pumps if you need to create distance and can’t get into your car.  With a little prior planning you’ve given yourself several options.

What did you do and what are your options?

1. You assessed the situation at both stations and decided on your best option.
2. You positioned yourself to be able to scan the area and continually assess what is going on around you; you increased your situational awareness.
3. By giving yourself the extra space you have an increased chance at stopping someone with a stern word before they can get close enough to be a significant danger to you.
4. You gave yourself two routes to escape should you choose flight over fight or comply if someone does get closer than you would like.
5. By giving yourself the extra space to scan you have also given yourself increased time if you decide you need to go to a weapon. You’ve also given yourself time to get a weapon in your hand first; discreetly of course.

 

From my perspective those who advocate good situational awareness, don’t go to stupid places, do stupid things, hang out with stupid people (the 3S rule) and plan ahead aren’t setting the stage for a defensive mindset, but are actually setting the stage for an offensive mindset.  Anytime you are proactive in thwarting possible threats you are putting up an offensive posture.  If you’re sitting around until something happens so you can defend yourself; you’re in a defensive posture.  Who do you want to be?

“Only You Are Responsible For You”

By Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor  

This is the last sentence inside of the Suarez International videotaped liability release. These are not just words! It should be the very core to your gun safety philosophy. It does not matter what you know or where you learned your safe gun handling habits. It does not matter where you train right now. Only you are responsible for your own safety habits.

This means that you need to look at what you have been taught or what you do and decide if it is really good enough. Remember, the most likely person that you are going to shoot IS YOURSELF!

“How good is good enough?”

 Is your gun handling safety habits really good enough?  When it comes down to putting unexpected holes into vital areas of your own body are you really doing the best that you can to mitigate this possibility, all while still learning to be combat effective?

Gunfighting is dangerous! Training to gunfight is also dangerous. The reality of the matter is that the more advanced that you get inside of your training, the more dangerous your training becomes. When we look at the reality of the fight and the likely issues that will arise inside of a fight, it is clear that we need to learn a lot more than just the optimal skill sets for the optimal situations.  The reality of the reactive gunfight puts us in sub-optimal positions that require our safety habits to be the very best that they can be. We need to understand that the whole competition based safety habits simply may not be good enough inside of a fight or inside of fight focused training.

 

We all should be at the point where we at least know the Four Basic Rules of Gun Safety.

(1)    Treat every gun as if it was loaded.

(2)    Do not cover anything that you are not willing to destroy

(3)    Keep your finger off of the trigger and outside of the trigger guard until you have made the conscience decision to shoot.

(4)    Know your target and what is in line with your target, behind and in front.

But these are very general rules that do not nail down specific safety habits.

In the past, Gabe Suarez has done an outstanding job of bringing a little common sense and reality to these rules. I would highly recommend that you check into Gabe’s take on the Four Basic Safety Rules. 

The point of this article is to talk about overlooked liabilities and bad habits, more so than rules. It is the overlooked liabilities and bad habits that really define your personal safety level. The mitigation of liabilities and bad habits are what allow you to proceed into advanced levels of training, all while keeping yourself as safe as you possibly can. I will be covering the top five overlooked liabilities and bad habits that I see inside of my courses.

Overlooked liabilities can be fixed inside of a two day course, but as an advanced instructor teaching advance students advanced skill set, I should not have to constantly babysit people through their safety awareness. I should not have to constantly point out that safety issues are being over looked. These are all issues that should be taken care before the course by wrapping your head around the safety concerns involved with overlooking basic concepts. Sure I will remind you, but really, shouldn’t this be something that I should not have to remind people of. The whole “You know that you are jeopardizing shooting yourself because you are overlooking some very basic concepts” conversation gets very old, very quickly.

Top Three Overlooked Liabilities

Loose Garments Around Your Holster

This is by far the most commonly overlooked liability by the students. It feels as if I could spend an entire course reminding people to tuck in their loose garments around their holster. Getting a loose garment caught inside of the trigger guard while reholstering will but an unexpected hole in you. Why would you risk such a thing over something so simple as keeping your under garment tucked in tight and your over garment clear of the holster?  All of my under garments tuck in a good 12” past my belt line to insure that that do not come untucked and end up in my holster or trigger guard.  When I reholster it is seen as an administrative process that is all geared toward a “Don’t shoot yourself stupid” mindset. My over garment is cleared completely before any reholstering is done. I have zero concern for speed or coolness factor. If I need to look, I look, because it is just administrative. It is my opinion that every time you head back to ammo up, you should take a look at your garments around your holster. A couple of seconds of cheap insurance mitigates your risks substantially. If your under garment is coming untucked, tuck it in. Furthermore, take that lesson to heart, go home and find a garment that will not come untucked. It is not brain surgery or rocket science, it is basic common sense! This is something that an advanced instructor should not have to point out!

 

Why do under garments come untucked?

They come untucked because of the “elbow up” portion of the draw stroke and the pivoting during “the turret of the tank” concept.  “A” shirts and Under Armor type garments work very well for me. They are tight, tuck in deep, and deal with the manipulation of the shoulder, without coming untucked.

Dress around your gun and test your garments before you show up in a course.

An instructor should not have to show you how to dress.

Untested Gear Inside of a Course

When you show up for an advanced course, it is all about the skill sets and the corresponding mental aspect of the fight that are being taught. Your entire focus should be on these two things. Heck that is what you paid for, right? This is not the place to try out untested gear! This is not the place to “try this and try that!” This is not the place to experiment! This is the place that you show up with what you know best and put it to use inside of the framework of the course.  It is my opinion that you should plan on working with the one set up that you know the best, plan on working one gun, one holster, and one ammo supply method that you know the best. This is not the place to try out four different guns or four different set ups. You are there to learn what is being taught. Take that knowledge home and dry practice with all of your other gear. Inside of a course, where the learning curve is steep, concentrate on the course…..not your gear. Some of the most unsuccessful students that I have ever had were hardware focused and not software focused. While everyone else progressed rapidly…..they struggled to keep up. While struggling to keep up, their safety levels suffered. An advanced course is a challenge all in itself. Do not make a difficult and dangerous endeavor even more so because you are hardware focused.

Some will read this and think that it is contradictory to the whole “Dual Appendix” form of training inside of SI’s most advanced courses. That would be a huge misconception! It has been written out many times to not show up in an advanced course expecting to go dual appendix unless you are absolutely ready for this type of training. These courses are not where you learn to go dual appendix, they are designed to take your advanced skill levels to the next level. You learn to go dual appendix in your dry practice, your airsoft training, and inside of the basic courses. If you are not ready to hit the ground running, do not participate in these advanced applications. Just because some students in the course have prepared themselves appropriately, does not mean that you have. And if you have not prepared yourself appropriately, deal with that reality and learn what you can without needless putting yourself at risk by biting off more than you can chew.

Having the intellect to say to yourself “I am not ready for that” is a positive trait. SI will never force you to do something that you are not comfortable with. We want to challenge our advanced student base, but even more so, we want you to go home with the same number of holes that you showed up with.

Watch for and get rid of any gear that might impede with your draw stroke. There should be nothing above your holster that could cause a snag on the gun or the hands. Take the lessons that we learned about chest rigs and CCW holsters and apply the same concepts across the board.

 

Untested Skill Sets Inside of a Course

The last topic touched on this issue. It is very common to learn untested skill sets inside of a course. The vast majority of the time this is not a safety issue. The vast majority of time that is perfectly ok and acceptable. It is when we get to the advanced training and the increase safety concerns that these issues need to be looked at more closely. This is the point where we (the instructors) need honesty from our student base. This is the point that we need the student to be honest with themselves and with us on what they are truly and safely capable of.

Everything that we learn should be run through a natural progression. This natural progression is what keeps us safe and what keeps us from biting off more than we can chew. Let’s look at one single skill set and take a look at the progression that should be involved to reach the advanced levels of the skill set. Let’s look at “Completely Ambidextrous” with the handgun skill sets. This is not something that you look at for a couple of minutes and then plan on jumping into an advanced SI handgun course to put into action.  That would be very unwise for everyone involved. Even if you are an advanced student, there are skill sets that require you to step back to the basics, to nail down the skills that will allow you to be safe. I went through a very specific progression to be at the point that I am comfortable with my skill level, to head into completely ambidextrous shooting with a handgun.

Here is what I would recommend.

Step back to the basics and run a “secondary hand” Defensive Pistol Skills course. Run the whole two day course with your off hand. All manipulations, all draw strokes, and all shooting with your secondary hand. Take those skill sets and bring them home and dry practice them until you have it down cold. Have the ability to run your secondary hand at, at least 80% of your primary hand. Take a “secondary hand” Close Range Gunfighting course and do the same thing, including the dry practice. Only then, after you have put in the time, step into an advanced course that runs dual appendix. We all need to recognize that it is secondary hand draw stroke and the uneducated secondary hand trigger finger that makes the dual appendix training a very high skill level skill set and high safety risk.

Put in the work and never bite off more than you can chew!

Inside of an advanced course is not the place to try to figure this all out!

Top Two Bad Habits

 Slamming Your Gun Back Into Your Holster

In the past, I have covered in depth my concerns with this epidemic.

I've trained a lot of places and proportionally Suarez International students are the most squared away group of students I've ever worked with. But even some the very best have ingrained slamming their guns into their holster.

Ingrained "slamming your gun into the holster" is not something that I can fix in two days.

The solution to the problem is not going to come out of taking a course with an instructor. The only solution has to be made by the person that has ingrained such a reckless and dangerous habit, to reprogram not just the way that they reholster, but to reprogram the way that they think.

The slamming of the gun into the holster comes across like an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. It's like the final emphasis put on something explosive.

The thing is that our explosiveness of the draw stroke, our movement, and our fast and accurate hits needs to be separated from the reholstering process. The "reluctant reholstering" process begins with our after action drills. We need to ingrain the fact that we pulled our guns out for a reason, in defense of life. We need to take that thinking and realize that you never want to reholster until you know for a fact that the confrontation is over. "Is he down?" "Did it work?" "Does he have any friends?" "How’s my 6:00?" "How’s my ammo?" "How am I?"

"Is this really over?"

This process allows us to change gears from the explosiveness of our initial response, to the slow, methodical, administrative act of reholstering the gun safely.

Let me make this clear. I am reminding myself just as much as I am reminding everyone else. As an instructor, when I am giving demo's, it is possible to think so much about the technique that I am teaching that I do not run through the after action drills as much as I should. But it is the after action drills and the mental aspect attached to them that allows for the down shifting the will dramatically cut down on the desire to slam that gun back into your holster.

IMHO, there is no way to over stress the dangers of slamming your gun back into your holster.

Murphy is a ruthless bastard. He will jump up and pound you mercilessly if you are not careful. I do not care if you have slammed your gun in the holster one hundred thousand times without a problem......eventually Murphy will take his pound of flesh!

 

Non-Robust Trigger Finger Index

This is my new pet peeve and the real catalyst for this article.

I am seeing all kinds of trigger finger indexes that would be considered all well and good inside of “The Four Rules.” But once again, this is not about target shooting holes into pieces of paper…..this is about preparing for a fight! How robust your trigger finger placement needs to be during target shooting is completely different from how robust it needs to be inside of the reality of the fight. This in turn, is simply not good enough for advanced fight focused training.

It is my opinion that your trigger finger should be indexed completely straight and up as high and possible/reasonable on the frame/slide.

If the trigger finger is straight, it is less likely to be effected by any sort of impact, jolt or jostle.

If the trigger finger index is up as high as possible/reasonable, this leaves us a larger “margin of error” if the gun is snagged on something during the draw stroke. This snagging, which could be due to an unwise gear choice or a Murphy moment on your garments, can lead to the gun feeling as if it is going to be ripped out of the hand. At speed, the gun feeling like it is being ripped out of the hand will probably lead to a convulsive gripping/tightening of the gun hand which can lead to a non-robust indexed trigger finger ending up inside of the trigger guard and on the trigger.  

Even something as simple as a grasp reflex, out of the startled response, can allow one to blow right through a non-robust trigger finger index.

This is something that I lecture on at the start of every course. But it is also a habit that I will simply not be able to reprogram out of an advanced student inside of an advanced course. The proper robust trigger finger index is something that needs to be ingrained before the student ever arrives inside of an advanced course. The more advanced the training is, the more important a robust index is. When we are talking about speed of the draw stroke, speed of the movement, versatile drawing/shooting positions, and possible awkward drawing/shooting positions we need to make sure that we are mitigating our risks. One of the very best things that you can do for yourself is to ingrain a robust trigger finger placement.  

As it stands, I have not “sent anyone packing” from inside of my courses. But this one issue (robust trigger finger index) may change that very soon. If you think I am making sense here, great! Show me your robust trigger finger index inside my courses. If you strongly disagree and plan to show up to one of my courses with a non-robust trigger finger index, please do not be surprise if I send you packing.

Remember, shooting yourself affects more people than just you!

If your overlooked liabilities and bad habits look as if they might affect Suarez International, my other students, or myself……I will ask you to leave.

This is the optimal trigger finger index that Suarez International  is now looking for.

 

Discuss this here

Find Roger's schedule here

 

 

 

You don't go to tank driving school to learn how to handle a car

The myth of learning from “professionals”

By Uli Gebhard, Suarez International Staff Instructor

 

I started taking firearms classes more than a decade ago and back then what really intrigued me and drew me into training was that the instructor was accredited by the FBI, an active SWAT officer or a member of a SOCOM group.

Sure – those guys look tough on their websites with their thigh holsters and M-4's but looking back, except for the basics of marksmanship they have little to offer for us lowly civilians.

Eight years ago I took a low light instructor course with one of these groups and while the systematics behind flashlight use and the coordination of flashlight and handgun were valuable, the tactics were geared towards the community of law-enforcement that the instructors originate from.

Most of it has very little relevance for me. If I have to use my gun in self-defense, I will not have a stack of guys behind me that will cover every angle of the room that I will be searching. Worst case, I will be alone in an unfamiliar area. Best case, I will be in my house and have my wife with her weapon watching my back. I need to learn from people who can relate to these boundary conditions and to fighting in a reactive mode.

What do I mean with this? As a civilian CCW operator, the only equipment that I have available when things go south is the gear that I carry. All I know about the situation that I am involved in is what my own senses tell me. I need to rely on what I see and hear to make my decisions.  I do not have the luxury of a dispatcher or fellow officer radioing information.

I can't hunker down and wait for backup. Our hometown has an average response time of seven minutes to 911 calls. With this in mind, the training I need has to consist of instinctive, stressproof and caveman-simple responses that will work to either end the fight decisively or tactics that allow me to get me and my loved ones out of danger.

Find the instructor in this picture - (hint, he's not the guy with the 5.11 vest)

 

Here is another point that law-enforcement based trainers often overlook – as a civilian I will most likely start from a reactive position. Other than most officers that have a dispatcher or fellow LEO telling them that they are heading into a dangerous situation, I will most likely find out that I am in trouble when things start unraveling.

Sure – most tactical operator based training will lecture on the OODA loop and to stay vigilant in your alertness. However, very few will teach you how to go from reactive, seeing things going south and you being the target, to proactive, where you force the bad guy to react to your actions, which provides you with a critical tool to dominate the fight.
And sorry folks – just planting the feet, followed with a fast draw, double or triple tap and quick scan left and right does not cut it.

I did a little test with my eight-year old today after seeing a turn-stand-and-deliver video on youtube. At first he thought it was cool. I had him stand behind me point his finger gun at me and told him to yell "bang" when he saw me move. When I copied the movement from youtube, I was three-quarters through the turn when I heard "BANG". We did the same thing again, this time with me moving aggressively off the X. His "BANG!" came with his finger-gun stretched out at the empty space before him. My eight-year old's perspective of "cool" changed somewhat after that.

Stand-and-deliver technique is used for the lowest common denominator in the Police Academy. It is used to make sure that even a class of cadets with no gun exposure and minimum understanding of firearm safety will be able to practice safely.

Do those tactics work for the civilian who starts fighting by himself or herself from a position behind the curve? Most likely not. The OODA loop lecture and being aware of your surroundings is nice, but local LEO's taught me without knowing that this as your only tactics has severe flaws. I've had several instances where a plainclothes police officer or Sheriff's deputy was in the checkout line in front of me. His jacket was off, his gun exposed in a level 2 holster and the badge nicely visible on his belt. Low-risk neighborhoods seem to foster complacency, since these officers more often then not let me get close enough that - had I had bad intentions - their gun would have violently changed owners.

No one is immune from being temporarily distracted. Strapping your three-year old into the carseat while trying to get the overly tired older sibling to quit whining can have a slightly negative effect on the way you keep an eye on your surroundings. There are times where you will not be able to spot every potential threat that comes within your sacred 21-foot safety perimeter.

When that happens stand, draw and deliver – the standard police operator response - does not work.
Look at all the videos that tacticool schools field on youtube – you will barely ever find an instructor, let alone a student that employs aggressive movement or combatives to change the odds in his favor. You also may want to ask yourself if these schools will truly teach you the sophisticated movements that their advertisement shows executed in perfection only by their instructors.

On top of this I live in California. We are limited to 10 rounds in the mag. This means that reloads need to be stress-proof and allow reliably holding onto a partially spent magazine. Again, standard police training is dropping the mag. Of course, equipped with let's say a Glock 22, an officer carries a whopping 46 rounds on his person. A civilian in CA with the same gun and two spares has 15 less than that – if he or she carries two spares. Absent of swift and reliable backup carrying two spares would be advised.

Let's take a look at the instructors. Often times they will wear fatigues of some sort, carry their guns on a duty belt or in a thigh holster. It does not take a rocket surgeon to figure out that this is not exactly a CCW suitable attire. This kind of gear may deliver an outstanding performance during a high-risk entry with a five-man team, but it does not work for a civilian operator who needs to bring his weapon into the fight from concealment. To take this further, training with such gear on the range while using something different on the street will deliver false confidence.

To come back to the California or New York State type restrictions: Those nice AR's that most schools show as their main rifle are a ten-shot-then-toss-fixed-mag-weapons in these states. Yes, most have a bullet button or something similar – a device that makes a swift and stress-proof reload close to impossible. A rifle with this kind of limiter installed is unsuitable as a fighting rifle. Don't get me wrong, the AR15 is an outstanding weapon platform, but only if it can be run as it was intended. My rifle students stick to what they can legally use and bring Saigas, Mini-14's, M-1A's, SU-16's or even lever action rifles to class. Try finding a law-enforcement based training group that will advertise classes for these popular rifles.

Glock and Levergun - this may be all that is available to you. 

Can your training school teach you using these weapons effectively?

I'm not trying to bash Police Training, but let's keep it in the proper context. Civilian CCW operators have a completely different frame of reference and hence we need training that is tailored to these needs. I recommend you look for the civilian experiences that the instructor has. Has he/she been carrying a weapon for a number of years and do they show up to class with their CCW gear? Can they teach you how to change the odds in your favor with tactics of decisive movement? Can they prep you with combatives that will buy you the time and room to access your weapon if you start from a reactive mode? In short does your instructor live what he or she is teaching you?
Or will they tell you “Well, you know, when I see things going down, I call dispatch on my cell with “Officer in distress” before I hold out my badge and draw my gun."

You need training that covers your specific situation as an armed civilian and that training needs to come from an armed-civilian's perspective.

After all, you don't go to tank driving school to learn how to handle a car....

 

Find out more about Uli Gebhard's courses here.

See all of our California courses here.