WARRIOR TALK NEWS

Interactive Gunfight Training

By Brent Yamamoto, Suarez International Instructor

What will you do in a gunfight?  What are your capabilities?  How will you fight to your goal, and how can you avoid getting killed? 

Do you know, or do you just think you know?

These questions and many more are answered in Force on Force training.

In the martial arts world, the training progression basically goes like this:

1. Solo training: learning, performing, and polishing the fundamental techniques.  Punching, blocking, kicking, etc.  Building gross and fine motor skills. 
2. Impact work: hitting stuff.  Focus mitts, kick shields, the heavy bag…things that allow you to feel impact, generate power, and condition your body. 
3. Partner training drills: interaction with a partner in controlled sequences; building control, dexterity, and the ability to apply techniques against a live partner without killing each other.
4. Sparring: either performed slowly under very controlled circumstances…or strapping on the armor and just wailing on each other.  Sparring is basically practice for beating the snot out of a moving target that is punching back at you, while avoiding damage yourself.  It allows you to see what works…and what does not.

The gun world is similar, but generally leaves some things out.

1. Dry practice: the equivalent of solo training in the martial arts, this fundamental level of training shouldn’t be underestimated.  All the advanced stuff is predicated on a solid background and eventual mastery of the fundamentals.  Dry practice improves our marksmanship and polishes all aspects of gun handling.  It’s the foundation of everything we do.  And it’s virtually free (unless of course you put a bullet through the TV).
2. Live fire: the equivalent of hitting the bag.  Important and absolutely necessary because you must know where your bullets are going, and develop the confidence that you can put them where you want.   

For most people, that’s where their firearms training stops. 

 

I doubt anyone would consider punching the air and hitting the bag to be sufficient preparation for the fight of their lives.  Necessary, yes, but hardly sufficient.  And I would argue that shooting stationary targets – though an important aspect of training – is less valuable to our overall fighting skills than hitting the bag.

Force on force is the gunfighter’s version of partner training and sparring drills.

“But it’s not real!” some say.  Well, sparring isn’t ‘real’ either.  The reality is that no matter what kind of fight training you do, you must make concessions to safety.  You have to go to work on Monday – preferably with everything in roughly the same spot as it was on Friday. 

Virtually all sparring and martial sports have limitations and only focus on aspects of the fight.  Sometimes you emphasize grappling, sometimes striking.  Paper targets emphasize marksmanship. 

Force on force has its limitations (primarily that you know the scenarios will usually result in a gun fight...it removes the Orient phase from the OODA loop), but as a training tool it’s about as close to the real thing as you can get.  Moving targets, multiple bad guys, drawing from concealment, shooting on the move…these are real skills that are applied in the real world. 

No, it’s not a real gun fight…but I don’t know many folks who are willing to train shooting live bullets at each other.  There is no substitute for seeing the real elephant.  But force on force, though only a training tool, will give you the experience of knowing that you can prevail in a desperate encounter.  That will increase your odds if the real elephant visits you.

Some consider it just a game.  But facing a live opponent, one who is intent on shooting you, and intent on not getting shot…how is that more of a game than standing still shooting at a paper target??

It comes down to this: if you want to know how to fight, you have to fight.  

Do you have what it takes?  Do you know...or just think you know?  Find out.  Click here for upcoming force on force classes.  

M4, SIG 556 and FS2000 sight-in distances

Alex Nieuwland - Suarez International Staff Instructor

Repeated discussions about .223 / 5.56 mm sight-in distances, and the need to zero my FN FS2000, inspired me to crank up the ballistic calculator again. In a previous article, I looked at 9 mm trajectories for UZI carbines. In this article, I’ll be using Point Blank Range analysis to examine sight-in distances for .223 rifles. 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.

First, let’s look at my AR. It currently has iron sights with a 2.6” height over bore. According to my chronograph, my 62 grain M855 ammo has an average speed of 2940 fps out of my 16” barrel. According to the Federal website, the ballistic coefficient of this bullet is 0.307. Using the ballistic calculator at Handloads.com and Microsoft Excel, that results in the following trajectories for the popular AR sight-in distances (25, 36, 50 and 100 yards).

The red lines indicate plus or minus 3.5” from my line of sight, and represent the tolerance I’m willing to accept for my Point Blank Range Analysis. When I plug these numbers into the Point Blank Range Analysis tool of my NightForce Exbal ballistic calculator, it suggests a zero point of 264 yards for the second intercept.

As you can see from the graph, that means a first intercept between 30 and 40 yards. The 36 yard zero comes closest to this. This is also the zero chosen by the US Marines - as well as the Taipan - so that gives me confidence in my calculations.

These same graphs would also apply to any other 16” rifle with a 2.6” height over bore (like, for example, the SIG 556).

Now, my FS2000 is a little bit different. First of all, its barrel is longer (in its 17.4" current configuration), and I have chosen to add a tall riser to my Aimpoint H1 sight. The longer barrel length gives me an additional 40 fps (2980 instead of 2940 fps). The tall riser shaves a little bit of time off the time I need to find the dot because I don’t need to scrunch my face down on the wider stock as much, but gives me a 3.5” height over bore.

 

Plugging those numbers into the Point Blank Range Analysis tool of ExBal gives a 276 yard zero. You can see that this second intersection means a first intersection at 50 yards in this configuration.

 

Conclusions

Net, as you can see from the graphs above, the 36 yard zero works best for .223 with a 16" barrel and 2.6” height over bore. With a 3.5” height over bore and the longer barrel of an FS2000, however, a 50 yard zero works better. Next time I’m going to discuss sighting in M4, SIG 556 and FS2000 rifles over breakfast/lunch/dinner, I’m just going to pull up WarriorTalk News rather than drawing all of these graphs on a napkin again!

Addendum

Suppose I had one of those nifty SIG 556 pistols…. How would that work with its 10” barrel, a 2.5” height over bore, and the same ammunition? Well, I don’t actually have one of those, so I can’t take it to the range and do measurements, but from the .223 data at Ballistics By the Inch, we can see that when we go from 16” to 10” barrel length (a 38% reduction in length), we should only lose about 10% of the speed of 62 gr ammo. Interesting, no?

Here is the graph for a 40 yard zero with 2.5” tolerances (for better active-shooter-face-shooting-ability):

Plus or minus 2.5” out to 240 yards from a 10” barrel? That should do just fine, if the shooter is up to it ;-) 

Individual Movement Techniques for Rural Patrolling - Part 2

By JD Lester – Suarez International Staff Instructor

 

Previously I wrote on the techniques for individual movement that we might be required to use during rural patrolling. I will expand on some of the factors that affect IMT as well as some other points of consideration in this article.

Volume and Effectiveness of Enemy Fire - IMT is not always used due to volume and effectiveness of enemy fire. It can be used both reactive and also proactive, I covered the reactive use in the last article so this time we will concern ourselves with the proactive use of the techniques. 

A few examples of proactively using IMT are listed below:  

• We have seen the bad guys first and want to initiate the contact so we simply go prone and high crawl to a more advantageous position with less chance of our movement attracting attention.  This will work equally well if we decide to "let’m pass" and do not become decisively engaged.
• If we are going to occupy a surveillance or ambush position we do not want to silhouette ourselves getting into position so we stop short and crawl into the position.  
• Crossing a linear danger area needs to be done as quickly as possible to avoid detection so the rush or more of a "careful hurry" is applicable to use once you have found the most suitable crossing site.  

 

Micro Terrain - The use of micro terrain allows us to decrease the ability of the bad guys to visually detect us while moving or static. The use of the micro terrain in the open area photographs below gives a good visual example of this. 

Standing tall in the open can attract bullets just like leaving your flashlight on while clearing a structure.  

 

Taking a knee at short halts, and if available, use of micro terrain can reduce the ability of the bad guy to spot you. 

During long halts going prone keeps the silhouette to the minimum.

This is the same position as the previous photo from the 12 o’clock.



Fighting Load - My fighting load in this example is pretty spartan, by using the Terrorist Interdiction Bag (TIB), it allows me to quickly tailor a load to a specific mission and get on with what I need to do.

On my belt are the essential 1st line items of equipment , one rifle mag, one pistol mag and my RMR'd G17 AIWB.

The uniform I chose to wear was a set of ACU's that had some sand box wear and a mix of green, tan, and pearl grey dye applied. It blended nicely in the wood line, but no so well in the open area. I tend to not walk out in the open areas as it is easier to be spotted and can make for a lot of reactive IMT.

The boots are some comfortable and sturdy desert boots that have good tread and provide ankle support. The lighter colored soles are another good feature. Sticking with the HEAT (hippy earth tone) camo concept applies to footwear also. I have busted more than one hide site by spotting a couple of solid black boot soles that caught my eye. So unless you have a lot of controlled burns in your area that keep the ground charred, the black boots can get you busted.

 Also note in the photos in Part 1 & Part 2, I have a few target inticators that really stood out in the enviroment I was operating in. The colored patchs, headgear, watch, red zipper pull on the TIB and eye pro are easily seen which provides target indicators for the bad guys. A more suitable type of headgear would be a bush hat to break up the outline of my head and changing eyepro or incorporating one of the camo veils.   

  

Route Selection - We want to take the most covered and concealed route possible to the objective, giving us a better probability of a successful patrol.

As mentioned above avoiding open areas is prefferred to help us remain undetected. Other areas that should be given the same consideration during planning and execution are roads, trails, streams, and pipelines which are all natural lines of drift. You can still use them as navigation aids to hand rail just ensure you have enough stand off from them to remain undetected by any Listening / Observation Posts (LP/OP).

 Armies and police forces the world over are very prone to establishing check points on roads and rivers because it is logistically easy to do. So avoid the Lines of Communications (LOC) however, know where they are should you need to use one to rapidly egress the area. (Speed vs Security) 

Cover - Once again know what it is and what only provides concealment.

 

 

An example of good cover. In this situation firing over the cover rather than around it provided the best field of fire for this overwatch position.

 

In this photo I have pretty good concealment sans the target indicators I mentioned pereviously.

I hope this article has sparked some intrest in this subject and gets some warriors to training. Click here to get your kit dirty with some good training.

 

 

 

The MG-G4 Ultralight AR Lower

One Source Tactical is proud to announce the availability of the MAG Tactical Systems Gen 4 lower receiver, the lightest AR–15 lower available today. The entire stripped lower weighs just 6 ounces. The GEN 4 is approximately 35% lighter than an aluminum receiver and is still a metallic component. No plastic, carbon fiber or polymers. The GEN 4 receiver is made of a proprietary magnesium alloy.

These lowers are shockingly light. We got one of them in for evaluation and when I picked it up there was a moment of cognitive dissonance. My brain was saying ‘an AR lower should not be this light’. Even after handling it extensively the light weight still surprises me every time I pick it up. This would be a great lower for any application but it's really going to shine when paired up with a pencil barrel and lightweight handguards.

The lower is extremely well made, and you can tell the attention to detail that went into the design. This is not just a standard aluminum lower done in a lighter-weight alloy. Certain areas are carefully reinforced, while areas that don’t have to be so beefy are cut down or skeletonized.

The MG-G4 lower is in stock and ready to ship at One Source Tactical.

GET IT HERE

The Ultra-Lightweight AR

When Eugene Stoner was designing the original AR–15 rifle, one of the main design objectives was for the rifle to be very lightweight. Indeed, as adopted the M16A1 tipped the scales at just 6.5 pounds. In the years since, heavy barrels, picatinny rail attachments and other additions have pushed up the weight of the average infantryman’s rifle considerably.

Despite this trend, advances in carbon fiber and polymers have made it possible to move in the opposite direction, towards an even lighter rifle. For instance the CAV–15 MKII lower is a full pound lighter than a conventional AR lower.

While a lighter lower is definitely a benefit, a lot of the added weight is actually in the upper. Pencil barrels have been around since the days of the original M16. While they passed somewhat out of fashion, they are still available and make for a very lightweight, quick handling rifle.

Picatinny rail systems have pushed up the weight of the modern combat rifle, both because the rail systems themselves can be quite hefty and because they offer the seemingly irresistible temptation to keep attaching stuff. Conventional, non-railed handguards offer a lightweight alternative, but this means forgoing the benefits of a free float forend and the ability to attach any hardware. New technology has once again provided a solution. Carbon fiber hanguards, such as those from Lancer Systems provides free float handguard systems that weigh almost nothing, yet provide a free float forend and the ability to mount small pieces of picatinny rail forend in strategic locations. Resisting the temptation to hang everything but the kitchen sink off the rifle is not a problem that can be solved by technology.

Combining these features: a polymer lower, pencil barrel, and carbon fiber handguard, and you can put together an exceptionally lightweight rifle. I borrowed a pencil barreled upper with a Lancer carbon fiber handguard from our General Manager, Tom Cornelius and mated it up with a CAV–15 MKII lower. This combination weighs in at just 5.5 pounds. This is almost unbelievably light compared to the average AR–15, and the light weight makes the rifle exceptionally light and handy. Throw on a small, light optic like the Aimpoint Micro and this would be a truly great lightweight carbine.

Get the the CAV–15 MKII lower at One Source Tactical.

Owning The Night - Which Path?

Gunfighting has always been an ongoing study. There are innovations being made constantly, both in the tactical (aka skills) and technical (aka gear) areas. It is a mistake to focus exclusively on one, and ignore the other. For example, one may have very good night combat skills, but his ability to apply will be severely limited if all he has is a 5 shot J frame with a mini maglite. On the other hand, a man with a PVS-14 and an OTAL laser that has no tactical skills will not fare any better. The key then is to have the technical to match the tactical. And when one considers that the tactical is more easily improved than the technical, it makes sense to start with the best kit possible, and then grow into it.

One strong concern for many has always been the "fight at night" thing. Like all conflicts we can divide them into reactive and proactive.

We can typify the "reactive" event as follows. You are walking to your car in a dimly lit parking lot at 11:00 PM and are suddenly and unexpectedly attacked by two thugs. We are not looking at total darkness, but rather at a situation where there may not be enough light to read the Wall Street Journal, but certainly enough to see aggressive physical action directed to you. No need for any lights, lasers, or anything else in a reactive event such as this. The key to victory is the ability to move quickly, and shoot with the visual elements available. Some of these elements may include lasers, mini red dot sights, point shooting, etc.

There is also the "proactive". Proactive is far different in that you are not "surprised", but rather have knowledge of what is happening. Having this information, one can get ahead of it rather than being overtaken by events. In years past, trainers offered lip service to the proactive low light problem by teaching the Harries position, or the Surefire hold. A small sub-art was born around the use of the small handheld/weapon mounted flashlight as manufactured by Surefire, Streamlight, etc. Where these sub-arts lack is in the almost exclusive focus on "white light" and its use in "target identification".

In fact, target identification is only a small part of the problem, and actually quite simple for most of us. Think of this - your wife and two children are behind you in your bedroom. How much actual "target identification" do you need for that 6 foot tall figure with the big knife sneaking around at the end of the hallway?

Other aspects of the problem include operator safety, and I think that takes precedence over target identification. I ran an experiment in class a few years ago. We had an impromptu conflict of sorts during a low light section. One student, a sales rep for a flashlight company, was advocating the blinding and debilitating effects of a super bright candlepower strobe. That it would not only identify and distract the adversary, both desirable characteristics for the police, but make him incapable of any effective response on the source of the light. Always willing to test out a theory, I set up an experiment.

I took a super bright light and inserted it into a cardboard target, lens toward the firing line. I took two military police guys in class, and had them face away from the target. They were armed with MP5 SMGs. I had them close their eyes and wait. Their instructions were that when I yelled "fight", they were to turn and engage the source of the light as they moved off the X. As they stood by, I turned on the light in the target bright and strobing. I then got out of the way and yelled, "fight!"

In a few seconds, both operators had moved off the X and peppered the target with about twenty rounds each. The flashlight was miraculously not hit, but the target was fairly well destroyed. The bright strobe prevented them from getting a sight picture (like all good guys use), but it did not prevent them from point shooting it a cumulative total of over forty times even if they were "blinded by the light".

Moral of the story is this - The use of light may identify your threat, but it will also give away your position and safety.

Solution to both identify the threat positively while at the same time keeping you totally safe? That is the tactical application of modern technology - night vision.

To put its position in the realm of history, consider these things. What would Custer have given for several armed and armored Humvees at Little Big Horn? What would Napoleon have given for modern Air Support at Waterloo? It is that much of a game changer.

That the technology is desirable is not an issue. Usually the only concern is cost. Custer and Napoleon would have loved such an advantage...but they would have had to pay for it. All advantages, whether flying a plane, diving to the bottom of the ocean, or driving 200 mph, will cost. And being able to positively identify a face as friend or foe across a large room, and kill it if a foe, also has its price. But in the realm of "fighting at night" it holds the position of being the ultimate solution to the problem.

How costly is it? A complete home defender set up is no more than one would pay to set up a good sniper rifle kit (rifle, optics, and accessories). The main point of discussion is often whether one could save money by opting for an apparently less expensive Generation 1 or 2 unit over a Generation 3. I do not think that is a good option, and here is why.

Whatever you buy has to fulfill the mission. The mission can be defined loosely into thirds. Each third is important. Those thirds are; maintaining operator's position hidden, positive identification of the threat in darkness, and finally, the ability to deal with the threat successfully. Not one of the thirds, but implicit in the exercise...it has to work. We tested a number of popular, economy-priced units and many failed to work out of the box!

The lack of brightness as well as resolution in the Gen1 and Gen2 tubes isolates the operator from his surroundings. Situational awareness is severely compromised. With these units, one can see a blob, but there is no comparison in identification with what you get in Gen 3. You will often hear that Gen 1 and gen 2 units can be made better with the use of an IR light. That is true, although nowhere near what a true Gen 3 unit will provide. But regardless, you should consider that night vision units are common today and a constantly running IR light will be as much a detriment to you as a constantly running white light, if your adversary is also equipped with Night Vision.

Finally is the issue of lifespan. Generation 1 - Expected lifespan is 1500 hours. Generation 2 - Expected lifespan is 2500 hours. Generation 3 Expected lifespan is 10,000 + hours. Your Generation 3 unit will last over four times as long as the lesser quality and featured Gen 2, and close to ten times longer than any marginally-effective Gen 1 unit.

NIGHT VISION UNITS AVAILABLE AT ONE SOURCE TACTICAL

M4 Sniper Week - Designated Marksman School with John Chambers in Coleman, TX

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend John Chambers’ M4 Sniper Week - Designated Marksman School in Coleman, Texas. This is a five day class combining his DMR and Advanced DMR classes.

John is a graduate of the Army's squad designated marksman training program and served as a designated marksman. Most of his service was in a Long Range Surveillance Unit, which has a lot of applicability for the sort of guerrilla small unit tactics that Suarez International teaches. He is exceedingly well qualified to teach a course like this.

Gear

This was not an easy class to fly out to. Sniper classes are fairly gear intensive, and combined with the class being five days long, it requires a lot of stuff. John was willing to receive a box of gear I mailed there for me, so I could limit myself to one checked bag, plus a carry-on. Even so, I had to be selective about what I brought.

My rifle for this class was a FS2000. The bullpup layout makes the rifle very compact, but it still has a 17.4" barrel. Gabe and I used his to make hits out to 500 yards at the Guerrilla Sniper class last September, which is really what made me to want to bring it to this class. Gabe was nice enough to loan me an ACOG, one of the LED powered TA02s with a .223 BDC reticle. This is some very good glass and I was glad to have it. I kitted the rifle out with an FN tri-rail forend, a subby VFG, and a short Versapod bipod on a American Defense QD mount.

Most of the students in the class brought various types of ARs. We had everything from stock M4s up to 26" long bull barrels. While the majority of the class had ARs, there were a few other rifles. One student brought an 5.56mm AK for his primary rifle, and several others brought 7.62x39mm AKs as second (or third) guns. On the .308 side, there were a pair of students with FALs, one with an M1A, and one SCAR 17. John brought quite a few rifles, including a nicely matched pair of DMRs: one in 5.56mm, the other in .308. He also brought his AUG, a Savage bolt gun, and a couple of .22s (rifle and pistol). He also brought out a cut-down Browning Auto 5 with some birdshot as a snake gun.

There was a great variety of glass on display. Probably the most common optic was an ACOG, but there were a substantial number of low power variable optics (1–4x, most commonly). A few folks brought much more powerful optics, up to a 6–24x.

For support gear, I brought along my Infidel chest rig. For many uses I prefer a war belt, but one nice feature of a chest rig (especially a fairly low profile one) is that it packs a lot smaller than a big war belt. I also brought along an Eberlestock Halftrack pack to carry the rest of my gear in. For additional optics I brought a pair of Burris binoculars, a Leupold spotting scope, and a Leica rangefinder.

I wore multicam to the class. Most folks had camoflage of one sort or another. Multicam was the most popular, but some had commerical hunting cammo, several relied on Hippy Earth Tone cammo, and one had a very nice set of the A-TACS desert pattern.

Travel and Venue

I flew from Phoenix to Austin on Monday and stayed the night at John’s house in Austin. His family’s hospitality was first rate. On Tuesday we stocked up for the trip and drove up to Coleman for the class.

The class is held on a large (dozens of square miles large) ranch near Coleman. The ranch’s guest facilities host hunters most of the time, but since there wasn’t anything in season at the moment, we had the opportunity to use them quite inexpensively. The bunkhouse is very well equipped, with four bunkrooms, a large common room, and a kitchen. John and I appropriated one bunkroom, and the students split up among the other three. Each bunkroom sleeps up to seven and has it’s own shower. The common room provided a nice place to hang out after class, and served as an eating area for dinner.

We were responsible for our own breakfast and lunch, but the folks at the ranch provided dinner every night. The food was fantastic, with lasagna, ribs, brisket, fish, and some of the best steak I’ve ever eaten. Five days of lodging and dinner, for just $175. At a lot of places you could spend that much on food and lodging in one day!

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning we woke early and had a bit of breakfast. A couple more students had come in during the night, and the remaining ones trickled in just before the class started at 9 o’clock.

After handing out the waivers and handled the usual admin stuff John gave the safety lecture. In addition to the usual four rules, he also talked about some stuff specific to this kind of class, including talking about the potential hazards of mixing a CCW holster and a chest rig. We also talked a bit about environmental threats, like heat, dehydration, etc. He also informed us that it was open season on any coyotes or hogs that showed their faces during the class.

He began the class by talking about the role of the designated marksman. Unlike a sniper, the DM is integrated into the maneuver element, such as an infantry squad. This means they need to be able to carry out all the roles of an infantryman, from patrolling to CQB. The obvious role for the designated marksman is to provide precision fire at long range on a designated target. Their other major role is to offer overwatch and fire support to a maneuver element.

John talked a bit about the realities of the role of the sniper and designated marksman. We hear all the some of the fantastically long range Hathcockian shots, but we hear about these shots because they are exceptional. The reality of sniper shops in Iraq and Afghanistan is that most are under 300 meters. On the law enforcement side, the average SWAT sniper shot is just 68 meters.

Moving on to equipment, John said he often gets the, “what is the best rifle” question. He really things that a good marksman needs three: a good semi-auto, a bolt gun, and a .22. The semi-auto is a lot more flexible and more adaptable to a range of roles, including CQB. The bolt gun allows you to employ a heavier caliber, more powerful rounds. It’s a good choice in a fixed position where only a few, very precise or long distance shots will be required. The .22 is a more specialized weapon, lacking in the range and terminal ballistic capabilities of its centerfire brethren. However, it’s inherent quietness makes it an asset in certain circumstances (even more so when equipped with a suppressor).

As far as optics go, he emphasized that for this sort of work you want something fairly low power. A variable with a low end of no more than 3x (with 1x or 2x being better) or a low power fixed optic like an ACOG. While a mildot reticle can be used in this application, John really likes BDC reticles, like the ones on the ACOG or some other optics.

John went through the fundamentals of rifle shooting. This stuff is very basic, but if you don’t have the fundamentals down, you’re not going to be successful in some of the more advanced stuff we’d be doing in the class. He went through the different shooting positions, talked about proper sight picture, and discussed trigger control. The job of shooting isn’t over once the trigger breaks. You need to have a follow through and proper trigger reset. Finally, he talked a bit about controlling your breathing and preventing it from disturbing the shot.

While the fundamentals are sufficient to shoot a tight group at close range, at longer distances we need to start talking about exterior ballistics. Wind has the biggest disruptive influence here, so we spent quite a bit of time talking about how to estimate wind. While John went through several methods for estimating wind based on cues in the environment, this is really something you have to learn by spending a lot of time out in the field. Once you’ve decided out how much wind there is out there, you need to figure out how that will affect the flight path of the bullet. John went through several quick and dirty methods for calculating this for .223 and .308.

One interesting thing John talked about was a method for shooter and spotter to quickly communicate wind holds. Rather than doing it in inches or mils, you use aiming points. Aiming point 0 is the center of the target. Aiming point 1 is halfway to the edge of a torso sized target (about 5"). Aiming point 2 is at the edge of the target. Aiming point 3 is five inches beyond the target, etc.

The last subject of the morning’s lecture was range estimation. John isn’t really a fan of many of the eyeball estimation methods. For serious rangefinding you need a laser or some sort of scope reticle. The ACOGs make this really easy. Each holdover hashmark is about as wide as a man’s shoulders at that distance. Mil reticle scopes require a bit more math, but you can range just about anything that you can estimate the size on.

We broke for lunch, then headed out to the range.

The first order of business was checking everyone’s zero. Most folks took small adjustments at most, but there were a few who needed to rezero (or just zero) their rifles. Some folks had some optics issues. We had one student whose scope was mounted way too far to the rear, providing insufficient eye relief.

After everyone was zeroed, John had them shoot a reduced-range Army Qualification Test (AQT). This is a series of reduced size targets allowing soldiers to qualify at 25 yards. This gave John a baseline for how well the students could shoot, as well as giving the students a reference point for how they were at the start of the class.

We spent the rest of the day working our way through the classic shooting positions, starting with prone. John showed the classic prone position (both the military and olympic variations), as well as using the magazine as a monopod. John’s a real fan of monopod prone. We worked it dry, then went live at 100 yards.

Next up was the sitting position. It’s more difficult to get into and out of than other positions, but it provides almost as much stability as prone, yet allows you to see (and shoot) over micro terrain or vegetation. John showed the cross legged and open legged sitting position. He also showed an interesting variation where you wrap your arms around the your knees for stability. It takes some flexibility to get into, but if you can it’s really a very stable position. Again, we worked it dry and then live.

Moving to higher positions, John demonstrated kneeling. Quick to assume, more stable than standing, but not as much as sitting or prone.

We rounded out the day with the standing position. In addition to the standard olympic standing, John demonstrated a variant with the hand turned the other way (thumb towards shooter). This works particularly well with guns with cylindrical forends like the AR.

The other variant of the standing position he showed us was putting the magazine well in the crook of your support side elbow and grabbing your strong side sleeve. This is really a very solid, stable position. Interestingly, it also works very well for bullpups, tucking the pistol grip in the crook of their arm.

We wrapped things up for the day and headed back to the bunkhouse for a great meal and good fellowship.

Thursday

It rained pretty good overnight, so John moved some things around so we could do our close quarters shooting in the morning and hope that things dried out a bit before we went out and did prone in the afternoon. One of the things that differentiates the designated marksman from the pure sniper is that the DM is expected to perform all the normal infantry roles including CQB. This requires the right skills, as well as equipment that allows you to use those skills effectively.

We drove out to a different shooting area, where a earthen dam created a nice big backstop. John went through some of the ready positions and demonstrated the proactive reload.

The live fire started out with some reflexive shooting drills, firing three round bursts from 5 and ten yards. Some of the folks with higher magnification scopes had some difficulty with this. I borrowed John’s AUG and put a few rounds through it. It handled very nicely and shot well. I tried shooting a bit with it from the left shoulder. It can definitely be done, but there are some complications compared to my FS2000.

Next up was the transition to pistol. John showed the preferred SI method for doing this, using a simple two point sling and dropping the rifle on your back so it hangs diagonally. We ran this a bunch of times dry, making sure everyone had it down, then ran it with live rounds in the pistol. Some folks were a bit rusty on their pistol skills, so John had me take them aside and work on the drawstroke a bit. We also discussed some holster options. We had a few folks with thigh rigs there, but as usual, many of them were way too low. A thigh rig should be run quite high, high enough that it’s easy to reach without stretching or leaning over.

We moved on to some of SI’s get off the X drills. We started out going to the 1 o’clock, which is fairly simple for right-handed shooters (we only had one lefty in the class). Going to the left, to the 11 o’clock, is a bit more involved. John had the students do this with a simple partial shoulder transition - keeping the primary hand on the trigger and the support hand on the forend, but moving the butt over to the support side shoulder.

Finishing up the morning, we did a bit of point shooting from the underarm assault position. Afterwards we drove back to the bunkhouse and had some lunch.

After lunch, we drove out to the area where we’d been shooting the previous day. John and I took a couple of targets out and set them up at various distances for a range estimation exercise. The students used the reticles of their optics to make a range estimate. If they had a mil reticle, they could use the known width of the targets to estimate the range. If they had an ACOG, they could use the width of the drop hashmarks to estimate the range on the torso sized targets. Other scope manufacturers publish the subtensions of their reticle, making it possible to range with them as well.

Our next drill was timed alternating rapid fire. This developed from the ‘talking guns’ concept that a pair of machinegunners can use to provide continuous fire on a target. You have a pair of shooters. One fires, as soon as the second shooter hears the first shooter fire, he shoots. As soon as the first shooter hears the second shooter fire, he fires again. With a good pair of shooters you can get over one round per second on a target at intermediate ranges. John said they used this in Iraq due to a shortage of .308 designated marksman rifles. Putting a lot of .223 rounds onto the target for maximum terminal effect.

After everyone had a chance to shoot the timed alternating rapid fire drill, we went back to working the various shooting positions, as we did yesterday. This time, we started at 200 yards, making some of the less steady positions a lot more challenging. Prone was pretty easy, and most folks were able to do quite well from sitting with a bit of practice. I dug out my tripod and used that for support when sitting, which is just cheating. Kneeling was a bit more challenging. A few folks took some shots from standing. I tried a couple using the position John demonstrated yesterday with the pistol grip in the crook of the support side elbow. I did pretty well with it.

We moved the targets out to 300 yards and did some more shooting, mostly from prone. I banged on the steel a bit trying out various prone options with the FS2000. It’s really quite versatile when it comes to shooting from prone.

We waited around until the sun dropped out below the horizon for a bit of low light shooting. John had everyone start out with some point shooting from the underarm assault position at close range. This also provided an opportunity to compare the effectiveness of different flash hiders. We had a variety, including quite a few GI birdcages, Smith Vortex, AAC, etc. There wasn’t a whole lot of variation between them. All did a pretty good job controlling the flash, but they did not eliminate it. On the other hand, we also had a pair of AKs with muzzle brakes instead of flash hiders. Both of these just created huge fireballs. Much larger and brighter than any of the other rifles. These would be big target indicators and definitely killed your night vision.

One student had a Gen 1 Russian night vision rifle scope. He passed it around and took a look through it. It’s definitely an improvement over no NVG, but it definitely showed the limitations of first geneation NVG.

John took a pair of chemlights out and put them on targets at 200 and 300 yards. With night adjusted vision, they were quite visible even at these distances. Even with the target visible, folks with non-illuminated scopes had some difficulty indexing their weapon on target. You can see the target, but not the sights. An illuminated reticle can solve this problem if the lowest setting on the sight is sufficiently dim. Some folks illuminated reticles were bright enough that it reduced their night vision enough that they couldn’t see the target beyond the lighted crosshairs. There is a very fine line here in terms of illuminated reticles.

Done with the night shooting, we headed back to the bunkhouse for a late dinner. Tonight’s meal was ribs and beef brisket, absolutely delicious. Along with some good beer and nice bourbon, it really hit the spot after a long day of training.

Friday

We started out the day shooting the AQT, as we did at the start of class on Wednesday. This time, John allowed only half the time, making students shoot the 20 round course in just one minute. Despite this, almost everyone shot better than they did on Wednesday. However, a few folks found they had developed some zero issues, and there were some malfunctions.

The folks with zero issues moved off to the side to zero their rifles, while the rest of us did some close range precision shooting at head targets at about 70 yards. Many students didn’t demonstrate the same level of accuracy on the head targets as they did on the AQT. The faces aren’t quite as distinct, and there’s a psychological aspect to shooting at a human face, even on paper.

After lunch, we did some basic team tactics work. Simple two man teams with each man covering the other when he moves. The key here is communication. The man who is going to move yells, “Moving!” The covering partner yells back, “Covering!” After hearing the reply, the moving man gets up and advances 3–5 steps and takes cover. When he’s in position, he yells, “Set!”. The two men switch roles and the process repeats itself. Everybody paired up and ran the drill dry about 50 yards up and back. The one thing that folks seemed to have some trouble with is doing the commands with enough volume. This may come from doing this dry, but when the gunfire is going off and you’ve got multiple teams involved, you need to really belt out the commands loud.

We moved back up on the hill and did some shooting at longer ranges. We scattered some reduced size steel targets at 200 yards. John and I moved two of the targets out to 400 yards and one out to 500. When we got back to the firing line we discovered that the 500 yard target was right in line with the fence, so we moved it out well beyond the fence to 600.

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some self-paced long range practice, with pairs of shooters shooting and spotting on the steel targets. Everyone was getting good hits, fairly easily at 400. At 600, it was more difficult, but everyone managed to get their dope at that distance too. A lot of people seemed surprised at their ability to hit at these distances. It’s not as difficult as some people think, and John is really good at teaching this stuff. The hardest part is probably spotting the little 5.56mm impacts way out at 600 yards.

I had a bit of difficulty this afternoon. I found that the ACOG on my rifle was a bit loose. I popped it off and discovered the screws holding the optic to the mount were a bit loose. After cranking the screws down I took a paper target and did a rough zero (you can use the 300 yard hashmark at 25 yards to get a pretty decent zero). After doing this I was able to go back and get hits out to 600 yards.

Back at the bunkhouse John talked a bit about camouflage and handed out some burlap for them to work with. After dinner the students got to work with the burlap and got ready for tomorrow.

Saturday

This morning we started out with a patrolling drill. John explained the basic principles of patrolling: planning, reconnaissance, security, command and control, and common sense. He went through some basic hand signals, to tell the folks in the squad to freeze, halt, get down, or cease fire. He talked a bit about formations: file and wedge.

We headed out into the woods in two teams. After about 100 yards John called a patrol halt. He had everyone kneel down in a tight circle (butt to butt, as he put it). There he talked about SLLS: Stop, Look, Listen, and Smell. The patrol leader signals this by taking of his hat and elbowing the team member next to him, who does the same and passes it on to the whole patrol. This is an opportunity to use all your senses, looking, listening, and even smelling for anything out of place.

When you’re ready to depart the patrol halt position, the team leader gets up first, followed by the rest of the team in order. As the team heads out the tail end charlie is responsible for checking the position and ensuring nothing got left behind.

We did a couple of patrol halts as we moved through the woods, then maneuvered back to the road. John used this as an example of how to cross a linear danger area. There are many methods for doing this, but the one John likes goes as follows: While the rest of the team does a patrol halt, the point man approaches the road and takes a look. If he decides its safe, he calls up the tail end charlie. The tailgunner sets up to provide security. The point man calls up the rest of the team and they head across the road in a rush. Once they’re across, the tailgunner crosses. We ran this a couple of times, then headed back to the vehicles.

John gave the two-man teams 45 minutes to construct and camouflage hasty sniper hides and set up a linear sniper ambush of a force moving up the road. The students got busy digging in, cutting vegetation, and gathering rocks and fallen wood.

After 45 minutes John headed out to about 300 yards and had me stand next to each position and see if he could see them. All of the positions were very well camouflaged. I walked out about 100 yards and took some pictures. Even from that distance most were very well concealed unless you knew exactly where to look.

With the positions evaluated, it was time to launch the sniper ambush. John’s instructions to the students were to engage all targets in their area of operations (the entire range, basically. On his shot, they began engaging targets. After a few minutes he called, “High priority target in the open, 700 yards” and had the entire class lay down alternating rapid fire on the 700 yard targets.

After giving everyone a chance to shoot a bit more, he called cease fire. During the debrief he pointed out that the order was to engage all targets. Everyone worked on the longer distance ones, but many of the short distance ones didn’t get engaged, including three of the reduced size steel targets at about 100 yards. Shooting the long range stuff is cool but these, if anything, represent the greater threat.

As we broke for lunch, John had everyone start thinking about vehicle hides. He also noted that this was a role that was very suited for a .22 rifle (or even a pistol with the right optic). Several students had brought .22s and John loaned out a pair of his. Firing a full power centerfire rifle inside a vehicle is a bit of an experience, so he asked everyone using a .22 to try with a centerfire rifle as well.

The students displayed quite a bit of ingenuity in coming up with shooting positions inside their vehicles. One of the first students to go actually managed a very quick shot working solo. He backed his pickup truck up to the firing position, rolled over so that he was facing backward in the passenger seat, and shout out the rear through the sliding window at the back of the cab.

Several teams used the back seat of an SUV, shooting out the rear window. They rigged up some rope for closing the window after taking the shot. Another popular option was sitting in the rear of a vehicle, shooting forward and to the right out of the passenger side windows. Of course, there was the classic, shooting out of a covered truck bed.

There was some interesting use of distractions, including screening the shooting vehicle from view with another, and setting off a car alarm in another vehicle to attract attention. One interesting thing we found, particularly with the .22s was that cranking up the music could cover up the shot almost entirely. So, “Pump up the base, put three in the face.”

As usual, the vehicle hides were one of the highlights of the sniper class. As one student said, “This just seems so naughty.”

We had about an hour left, and John let the students do some free shooting on the targets out there in the field. Two of the steel torsos were out at 700 yards and again, many students were pleasantly surprised at their ability to hit at those distances.

Heading back to the bunkhouse, we had an excellent dinner of fried fish. Again, a great evening of fellowship and camaraderie.

Sunday

We spent the final day on various interesting exercises. For the first, John instructed the two teams to move tactically to their shooting positions. Once there they were to engage all of the targets on the range, except the high value target. The HVT was identified as being dressed differently than everyone else.

The teams assembled about 50 yards behind the firing line and patrolled up to their shooting positions. The team leaders spent a bit of time allocating targets among their team members, then John kicked off the festivities with a shot from his rifle. Everyone opened up and began engaging the dozen targets scattered out in the field.

John let folks shoot for a while, then called fire on some specific targets. When things were done, the HVT (dressed in a yellow shirt) was unharmed, but the rest of the targets had been shot up pretty well.

One thing John pointed out is when assigning targets or fields of fire it’s more effective to get down as close as possible to their position (right next to them or even dropping yourself half on top of them) so you can see what they see and describe their responsibilities as clearly as possible. This also allows you to speak more softly (or to make yourself heard amidst lots of gunfire).

Our next exercise was some vehicle combat. Yesterday we did some shooting from vehicle hides, today would be a bit more dynamic. John set up several targets on the right and left side of the road. We loaded up two students at a time in the back of his truck and they engaged the targets on the move.

Frankly, this was a real blast. Shooting from a moving vehicle isn’t something most of us have an opportunity to do, but it is a lot of fun. Bouncing down a dirt road, even at relatively low speeds of 10–15mph is not a very stable shooting platform. Magnified optics are pretty much useless, and red dot sights not much better. This is point shooting territory, along with walking your shots on target based on bullet impacts (some tracer rounds would be quite useful, if they were available). It also burns through ammunition real fast. I’d blown through a 30 round mag before I even knew it.

After running it as one of the gunners, I rode along for a couple of runs as a photographer and drove for a couple of runs. When serving as the driver, I did a bit of shooting out the passenger side window one-handed using my FS2000. Not many rifles well balanced enough where you could do that effectively. However, my experience also pointed out why it’s generally better for driver to concentrate on driving rather than shooting. When trying to make sure I didn’t put any holes in John’s truck, I had some difficulty keeping the truck on the road.

After everyone had gone (some of them a couple of times) we broke for lunch. After lunch we started working on the culmination exercise for the class. One team would take positions up on the ridge and provide covering fire while the second team patrolled down to the right of the range in the treeline. The cover team would shift, then lift, their fire, allowing the second team to assault across the objective, retrieving a high value item (a rock with some orange engineers’ tape on it). As they clear the range on the left side, the cover team resumes firing and the assault team patrols back in the treeline on the left side of the range.

With all this shifting and lifting of fire, communication and coordination between the two teams is very important. John went old school on this, and gave the assault team a bright orange VS–17 panel (usually used to mark positions for aircraft). The assault team waves it when they’re ready to set up for their assault. At this signal, the cover team shifts their fire left, and only shoots at targets on the left side of the road. When the assault team is ready to launch their assault, the team leader throws the VS–17 panel out onto the range, signaling the cover team to cease fire. Once they stop shooting, the assault team advances across the target, shooting the handily provided targets and retrieving the ‘rock of orange destiny’. When they reach the far treeline, the cover team resumes firing, shifted to the right, so they only engage targets on the right side of the road.

Obviously, sending folks downrange during live fire is potentially pretty hairy. Its not something you’d want to try without a group of very squared away guys who have demonstrated their proficiency over the course of a class like this. John had everyone run through this dry, at a small scale using a bit of road to represent the range. We ran it several dozen times, switching roles between the two teams. When John was confident everyone had it down, we headed out to the range and went live.

The first iteration went fairly smoothly. There was a bit of difficulty locating the right rock, and the assaulting team’s line got a bit ragged as they moved across the objective. Once the exercise was finished, the two teams switched roles and did it again.

During the second iteration, I went downrange with the assault team to get some pics. The team stopped and threw the VS–17 panel at the wrong spot, about 100 yards short of the target. The support team ceased fire, then the assault team realized they were in the wrong position. They headed further downrange and made their assault on the objective.

After debriefing the culmination exercise, John had one last bit of fun. He had some of the plastic ‘Ivan’ targets that were really shot to hell, and wanted to give them an honorable retirement. He mixed up some Tannerite (an exploding target), put a jar in the heads of each of five Ivans, and set them out from 200–400 yards. The Tannerite jars were pretty small, so you needed to be quite accurate, but when they hit, the results were spectacular.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusions

This was really a fantastic class. The instruction was top notch, we had a great group of students, and everyone learned a hell of a lot.

Classes like this one are truly special. Having most of the students staying in the bunkhouse, eating together, and hanging out during the evenings builds a level of camaraderie and fellowship that going out to dinner and bumping into each other in the hotel lobby cannot match. Venues like this one, the Sugar Loaf Lodge in Anaconda, MT, and Warrior Skills camp in Georgia add another level to already great classes.

We had all the room that we needed, and still only used a tiny portion of the ranch. There was quite a bit of talk about what John should offer next year, with many people (including me) noting that it would be a perfect venue for our Rural Patrolling class. Keep an eye out, a class in Coleman is one not to be missed.

I was extremely happy with the FS2000. It shot well, and kept up with all the AR based DMRs in the class. The bullpup layout is an excellent way to get a full length barrel in a very short and handy package. It’s got great CQB capability and doesn’t give up reach in the DMR role for it the way an SBR would.

I really like the setup with a stubby VFG. With most rifles, magazine supported prone means one point of contact with the ground. With the FS2000, the magazine supports the rear of the rifle, while I can grab the bottom of the VFG to support the front. This fore and aft support makes for a very stable shooting platform, even in hastily assumed positions. If I’ve got more time I can deploy the bipod and either use my hand to support the rear of the rifle or swap out the 30 round mag for a 20 rounder and put a rear bag under it. It’s like the rifle was made for the DMR role.

The one area where the FS2000 initially seemed to suffer compared to other rifles was shooting off a bag. The short fore-end just doesn’t leave a lot of real estate to rest on a ruck. However, watching a student shoot his bipod equipped rifle off a bag I noted that it was actually the bipod, not the forend, resting on the bag. On the FS2000, the folded versapod bipod can be placed on a bag to provide support to the front end.

While the students did quite well, I think there will be quite a few equipment changes after this class. Some of the higher power scopes are going to be ditched in favor of low power variables or fixed low power sights like ACOGs. One student brought a couple of ARs with red dot sights and magnifiers, but he fairly quickly discovered they were no match for the ACOG he had on his M1A. They’re going to get swapped out for ACOGs at the first opportunity. The student with the 26" bull barrel AR definitely decided that it wasn’t the right rifle for this sort of thing (he spent much of the class shooting John’s 5.56mm DMR).

While the weather was generally great, it could be decidedly cool in the morning. Some folks seemed to wish they’d brought some more warm clothing. I had a fleece, gore-tex, and a watch cap, so I was fairly comfortable, though I did wish I’d brought my warm gloves instead of just a set of ‘tactical’ ones.

Central Texas must be about the most perfect environment on earth for prickly pear cactus, because the place is covered with them. My nice multicam boots are very comfortable, but their nylon is no match for prickly pear spines. Next time I’m out there I’m bringing some heavy leather boots instead.

Sometimes we get questions asking about the differences between the DMR classes and Guerrilla Sniper. The GS classes are focused on long range marksmanship, with a bit of fieldcraft thrown in. The 5 day DMR class (or alternatively, the pairing of DMR and Advanced DMR) covers pretty much the same topics as the 3 day GS class, with the addition of some rifle gunfighting, team tactics, and rural patrolling skills. This really grows directly from the definition of a designated marksman: a rifleman capable of delivering long range shots and overwatch who also has the skills and equipment to pull his weight as a member of an infantry squad. This class is really built around that definition and covers the fundamentals of it quite well.

Finally, I have to say that John is a really great instructor. While I’ve met him in other circumstances, this is the first class I’ve taken with him as a primary instructor. I had heard great things about his classes and he more than lived up to his reputation. This class is his specialty and it definitely shows. I would highly recommend the DMR classes, as well as anything else John is teaching.

Operation "Colorado Freedom"

We will show the socialists in Colorado that their oppressive laws on the people of Colorado are totally irrelevant by flooding the state with High Capacity
Magazines right under coming the New Iron Curtain in July.

We have sets of Magazines available to Colorado residents. These will ONLY be sold to residents of Colorado at the reduced rates, and only shipped to civilian Colorado addresses. We will not sell them to any official agency in the state, nor to any gun stores or dealers.

Freedom for Colorado - One Magazine At A Time

Behind The Lines In Colorado

We received the tragic news that the state of Colorado had gone over to the dark side and embraced the ways of Mordor. For an entire day we have been reading debates and rhetoric. Our good friends at MagPul are fighting and will leave the state if they need to. We congratulate them on their choice and we will continue to support them via the sales and endorsement of their products.

Nonetheless, The Suarez Group wanted to...needed to do, something to show solidarity with those stuck behind the lines in Colorado. Although we do not have the resources of larger companies, we want to do something notable.

We will show the socialists in Colorado that their oppressive laws on the people of Colorado are totally irrelevant by flooding the state with High Capacity M4 Assault Rifle Magazines before they close and lock the gates to the New Iron Curtain.

We have sets of ten (10) TSD Combat Systems M4 Magazines. These will only be sold to residents of Colorado at reduced rates, and only shipped to civilian Colorado addresses. We will not sell them to any official agency in the state, nor to any gun stores or dealers.

I know many want these magazines, but our beleaguered brothers need these more than we do.

www.onesourcetactical.com

How to See in the Dark: The History and Physics of Night Vision

by Chris Upchurch, Suarez International Director of Marketing

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Radio waves, microwaves, light, x-rays, and gamma rays are all basically the same thing: electromagnetic radiation. The difference between the electromagnetic radiation we use for transmitting music through the air, cooking food, lighting up a room, or looking at a broken bone is the frequency of the radiation.

Our eyes pick up only a very small slice of this spectrum, what we call visible light. Within this small slice, we perceive different frequencies as different colors. The portion of the spectrum we can see makes up the colors of the rainbow, from purple on one end to red on the other. Human beings make pretty good use of the portion of the spectrum we can see, but there are situations where other parts of the spectrum would be useful if we want to track aircraft, sense heat, see broken bones, or shoot somebody in the dark.

When it comes to night vision, there are really three parts of the EM spectrum that interest us: visible light, near infrared, and far infrared. Near infrared is the portion of the spectrum just below visible light. It’s very close to visible light and has a lot of the same characteristics, but our eyes can’t see it. Far infrared is further down the spectrum and has some very different characteristics.

Visible Light

The simplest way to see in the dark is to turn on the light. As the saying goes, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” The problem is that flashlights work both ways. It can do a better job making you a target than in helping you find a target. Sometimes this is necessary, but we’d like to find another alternative.

Active IR

The earliest night vision technology was active infrared. The near infrared is very close to the visible light spectrum making it relatively easy to build a device allowing the user to see in the near IR. Indeed, such optics were used in combat as far back as World War II. During the Battle of Okinawa, American troops used M1 Carbines equipped with active IR optics to locate and shoot Japanese infiltrators approaching American lines.

Because near IR is so close to the visible spectrum, in situations where there isn’t any visible light available, there usually isn’t any near IR available either, so we need to bring our own infrared light to the party. Active IR systems pair a near IR optic with an infrared searchlight (as seen on top of the M1 Carbine and attached to the main gun of an M48 Patton). The IR searchlight is only visible in the infrared spectrum, so it won’t give the users position away to the naked eye, but if the opponent has IR capability, we’re back to the same problem as using a visible light flashlight.

Image Intensifiers

The classic type of night vision that everyone thinks of when you mention ‘night vision goggles’ are image intensifiers. Unlike the active IR night vision described above, image intensifiers are completely passive. They do not emit any sort of signal for the enemy to pick up. Instead they take available light, both visible and near IR, from the environment and amplify it to create an image. Image intensifiers render the scene as a green and black image that everyone imagines when they think of night vision.

Because they rely on ambient light, image intensifying night vision optics will not function in complete darkness, they need some available light to intensify in order to create an image. In situations where there isn’t enough ambient light available you can use an IR illuminator to provide the light, but then we’re back to the same issues as the older active IR technology.

Image intensifiers were first developed around 1960 and saw service in Vietnam. Known as ‘starlight scopes’ these first generation systems were bulky and had rather poor image quality. While they amplify ambient light around a thousand times, they still need quite a bit of ambient light to function. Nevertheless, they did prove useful in combatting the North Vietnamese forces at night.

A second generation of image intensifiers were introduced in the late ’70s and early ’80s. These newer systems were far more compact and effective, providing approximately twenty thousand times amplification of the ambient light level. They proved a tremendous force multiplier during the Gulf War. General Barry McCaffery, commander of the 24th Infantry Division, proclaimed “Our night-vision capability provided the single greatest mismatch of the war.”

While image intensifiers had come a long way from the original starlight scopes of the Vietnam era, there was still more technological progress in store. The third generation of image intensifiers reached troops in the late ’90s and early 2000s, just in time for Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Global War on Terror. These third generation systems magnify ambient light levels up to fifty thousand times and boast much greater sharpness and detail. They do a much better job of handling varying light levels than earlier units, as well as longer operating lives.

Because image intensifiers use visible light, they have many of the same limitations. They do not negate camouflage, nor do they see through anything that would block line of sight like smoke or fog. They work quite well for CQB, but someone looking for a hidden opponent, a fighter pilot on an overcast day, or a tank commander on a smoky battlefield could use something that gets beyond the limitations of visible light and near IR.

Thermal Imaging

Every object gives off electromagnetic radiation. The frequency of this radiation varies depending on the temperature, the hotter an object is, the higher the frequency. You can see this in action on the burner of an electric stove: Turn it on and it will glow a dull red. Crank up the heat and it will come up to a bright red. Your average kitchen stove isn’t going to be able to get beyond red, but if you watch a blacksmith at work, you can see the metal he’s heating go from red, to orange, to white-hot. In fact, blacksmiths use the color of the metal to judge its temperature.

In order for an the EM radiation an object gives off to reach the visible spectrum, it has to be really hot (literally, red hot). For an object at room temperature the frequency of radiation that it gives off is much lower, far below the visible spectrum and even below the near IR spectrum used by image intensifiers and active IR scopes. This is the far IR spectrum, also known as the thermal infrared or emitted infrared.

Thermal imagers pick up this radiation and convert it to a usable image. Because it relies on radiation given off by objects it is entirely passive, thermal imagers do not emit any sort of signal that can be detected by the enemy. Unlike image intensifiers, thermal imagers do not need any ambient light. Even in complete darkness, objects will still emit thermal IR radiation due to their temperature. The far infrared spectrum where thermal imagers work does a much better job of penetrating smoke and fog than visible light or near IR, making them particularly useful for aircraft and armored vehicles that need to operate in smoke or cloud obstructed environments.

Because it senses surface temperature, thermal imagers are very good at detecting things that are warmer (or colder) than their surroundings. This makes it well suited for locating vehicles, structures, and warm blooded animals (including humans). It’s not as good at differentiating things with similar surface temperatures, such as parts of the natural environment. Great for finding folks, not so great for walking around in the woods.

The earliest thermal imagers entered service in the 1970s. Aircraft were among the first applications, where the technology was known as Forward Looking InfraRed or FLIR. The ‘Forward Looking’ part of the name was to differentiate it from older IR sensors that looked sideways or downward and used the aircraft’s motion to sweep across the landscape. The term FLIR continues to be used even in contexts where ‘Forward Looking’ isn’t really applicable.

Thermal sights soon found their way onto tanks (and anti-tank weapons). However, their size and weight meant that man-portable systems for use with small arms would not be fielded until the late 1990s. Even then, they were much larger and heavier than contemporary Gen 3 image intensifier optics. Since then, technological advances have made thermal sights smaller, lighter, and less expensive. At this point units are available that are comparable in size and cost to regular NVGs.

Conclusion

We’ve come a long way since the first World War II era active IR scopes. Todays units are far smaller, lighter, and more effective. They truly make it possible to ‘own the night’ and fight almost as well in complete darkness as in broad daylight. On the flip side, these advances have magnified the difference between those with night vision and those without. If you have night vision and the other guy doesn’t, it provides an enormous advantage.

Technology And Owning The Dark - 2

The method most basic, for using a Night Vision Monocular in conjunction with a handgun goes like this.  Hold the monocular in your support side hand and bring it up to your non-dominant eye.  How close will be up to you, but understand that there is a glow given off by the unit and holding too far away will not only illuminate your face but also reduce your visual acuity through the unit.  Adjust the optic so you can hold it as close as possible. This will remain in place as you move through the area.

It is suggested that you attach a neck lanyard so that if you needed both hands free you could drop it on the lanyard and instantly be able to operate whatever you needed with the support hand without loss of the unit.

When moving, you can bring the pistol into a compressed ready such as SUL, or a modification of SUL.  This allows you to move efficiently without excessive exertion, or projection of the pistol into unknown areas. 

The main point to remember is that in total darkness, if you are equipped with night vision, you can see things you normally could not and thus move with an ease that would not be available otherwise.

Although we are assuming that you can see and your adversary cannot - to a certain degree - remember that night vision, like body armor, is quite common and the opposition may also be equipped with it. 

As well, other target indicators such as sound, smell, shine, etc., remain a concern so be quiet and stealthy. The idea here is to start and finish the gunfight without the other guy knowing you are even on the same planet as him.

When the need to engage is presented, bring the pistol up in the usual one-handed shooting position.  Notice that my TSD Glock is canted slightly in what we jokingly refer to as a "half homie".  This is actually a bullseye shooting position known as the McMillan Tilt, invented by Marine Olympic pistol champion Bill McMillan. I won't go into the benefits of this here, but try it for yourself.  If it works use it.  It works well for me.

Now to the matter of the eyes.  Keep them both open of course.  If the target is within three yards, just point shoot him.  If you need more precision such as if taking a small part of the target, such as a head shot, you will need to refine what you see.   Here is how.

If using tritium sights, pick up the dots with the shooting eye and keep scanning the target with the non shooting eye.  The two images will come together via the binocular capability of the eyes.  It will need to be learned and developed, but is quite fast into use. The only disadvantage of the tritiums is that they do produce a glow that can be picked up in total darkness.  Nothing is free so consider the advantages as well as liabilities of tritium sights.

Using the MRDS/RMR, as in our TSD Combat Systems packages is even easier, and the dot appears as a bright green dot centered on the threat using the same methods. The MRDS/RMR does not produce the shine/glow that tritium does.

Finally is the use of the laser.  Ideally you would have an IR laser mounted on the pistol, so that you could refine alignment without any notice given to the opposition.  While there are IR pistol mountable lasers, I have a Surefire X400 mounted on my TSD Glock.  The reason is that there is a need for a white light in these scenarios and currently there are no factory produced white light units with IR lasers.

Unless you will be using a head mounted NVD, you have one hand to hold up the NVD and the other for the pistol.  Nothing is free to go get the flashlight on your belt.  So I sacrifice stealth at the moment of shooting for greater flexibility in application. With the visible laser, simply align everything and only activate the laser the instant before firing so you do not compromise your position with it.

More studies on the practical combative application of night vision technology for the individual coming soon.

****************************************************

LOW LIGHT COMBAT TECHNOLOGY

One Source Tactical is holding a special group buy on night vision units and ir rifle mounted lasers until February 17th.  To get 10% the cost enter the code "NIGHTVISION" at checkout.

Technology and Owning The Darkness

The city had been stalked by a rapist. This guy was good. We thought he was an ex-military guy or an ex-cop. He left no physical evidence, and managed to hit every night for the last ten days regardless of how many units had been deployed to the area and how many days off had been cancelled.But it was not hard to avoid those “high profile” patrols. They drove around giving a very good, and loud, rendition of the “illusion of security”.

That was the modern administration’s answer to violence – to look like you were really trying hard until the bad guy got tired and went away .I had been out on foot in the alley. One of those coincidences of happenstance and good preparation I suppose. There had been a call of a suspicious person, right where I was on foot.

Initially, I thought a resident had seen me moving through the alley. I had a plain black raid jacket with the “POLICE” lettering sufficiently and purposely worn off so it covered all the shiny bullshit I was required to wear. I donned it when out on foot and probably looked more like a burglar than a police officer. I called in via my radio that it was Code 4…meaning it was only me. Dispatch acknowledged and I kept walking, silently in the dark. Then I heard it.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was one of those sounds that simply do not belong. I stopped and took a knee, listening hard. There it was again. Some sort of metallic and non-rhythmic sound. Definitely man-made. I moved toward the sound..trying hard to not make any myself.

A night vision unit!? Yes.

In those days I had my side business working and had a much better rate of disposable income than the average line officer (much to the dismay of ever-heavier administrators). One of the things I added to my kit was a third generation night vision monocular. I bought it from Cory Trapp and paid the princely sum of $900 back in the mid 1990s.

I looked at the problem with a very practical eye. I needed to be able to see in the dark, that much was obvious. But my goal was not simply observation, but also being able to act upon what I saw. In my context it would mean either shooting, or going hands on violently and proactively. I needed to both be able to shoot with the NVD, but also to be able to secure it if I needed to hit someone or to load/fix the pistol.

Securing the unit in a pouch seemed the most protective but I knew I would not have the time to do that. I settled on a neck lanyard made from 550 cord. I rigged the monocular with a lanyard around my neck so I could use it as needed and then drop it and have hands-free as needed as well.

My Glock 24 had a white light mount on it but the intention was to not use it to search, but only at the last moment when I knew what I had, lest the light alert my prey…I mean…the suspect.

I had developed a way to use the Trijicon Tritium sights in conjunction with the NVD (Night Vision Device). I would hold the monocular over my left eye. With it I would scan the area I was examining. If I saw a target that needed to be shot, I would bring the pistol up and look for the tritium dots with my right eye. I found that the binocular characteristics of human vision would integrate the three dots against the blackness with the green illuminated scene my left eye was picking up. This would yield three dots hovering over the targeted zone.

There was absolutely nothing defensive or reactive about this and the intention was to be able to hunt bad guys in the dark with zero warning. If I could have added a sound suppressor, I would have. That was 1995!

It is now 2013, almost twenty years later. Technology today has surpassed what I had back then. While I am a minimalist when it comes to techniques, I am also firmly in the camp that we should use modern technology. There is a tendency in the Civilian Tactical Community to want to minimize more than just techniques. I think that is a mistake.

Why send a letter when we have email?

Why carry a bag of coins when we have credit cards?

Why walk when you can drive a BMW?

Why rely on antiquated equipment, or worse, purposely handicap yourself in a fight, when there are easier things?

We need to identify the fight. A reactive fight is something we get into. A proactive fight is something we go to. And yes my friends, there are those two angles regardless of your profession. In this discussion we will focus on the PROACTIVE FIGHT, meaning that you go and look for the fight. There is little use for flashlights, much less, night vision in an unexpected reactive gunfight. 

One scenario - your door gets kicked in at 0400 HRS. Its dark as a rhinoceros rectum. You hear footsteps and voices through your house. Any light you turn on will make you a target for the enemy that you cannot see.

Here is your First Option - Turn the lights on...or a flashlight, and exchange gunfire with them on equal footing. From experiments we have done, a bad guy need only fire toward the light...he doesn't care how many it takes to dump you.

Your Second Option - Use night vision technology and alternative sighting tools, such as IR lasers, to locate, move to contact with, and eliminate the adversary unseen. Which one is safer for you?

Owning the night is not about having the brightest flashlight or the newest flashlight technique. While lights are desirable in their niche, the technology has moved beyond them being the only thing available. To really own the dark, the modern defender will utilize some form of night vision in conjunction with his other tools. Body armor is already a common addition to many defender’s kit bags. It should be the same with modern night fighting technology.

Today there are IR visible lasers available to everyone, as well as high quality Gen 3 Night Vision Units. As well, there are handheld Infrared Viewers that used to be limited to helicopter use in my time. Like anything else, quality will cost and the top quality units are not for those on food stamps.

In addition, there are ways we have developed to use the RMR/Red Dot systems in conjunction with the NVD that make my 1995 system look like a Wright Brothers plane compared to a modern fighter. If you are ready to take the first step to really owning the darkness, take a hard look at the night vision technology and the IR laser technology. The epiphany will be like the first time you realize that you could win the fight decisively without being seen or shot.

“Night vision devices let you own the night. Flashlights just let you borrow some of it for a little while.”

Chris Upchurch – SI Staff Instructor.

In a few minutes I was on him. He was dressed in black like me. He had a large screw driver in his hands and was working quietly to pry open the window of a residence. I watched him in the green hue of the NVD, and brought my Glock up silently, the three tritium dots hovering like three fireflies in formation on the center of his back.

For a moment I was tempted to do as my friends in the “surveillance detail” often did…yell “Hey” and then shoot him in the chest as he wheeled around. But I had exceeded my quota for at least the next year so I brought the pistol back down slowly.

I loaded my left leg and swung the hardest Muay Thai kick I have ever sent. I heard his femur break with a gratifying crack.

As he screamed, I slowly pressed my mic, “Three L Seven I need Code Three back Up…..”.

 

BUY TIER ONE NIGHT VISION TECHNOLOGY AT ONE SOURCE TACTICAL

The Greatest Danger to the American Way of Life?

So lets think of this for a moment. Just for fun now...

Who or what is the greatest actual threat to the American Way of Life?

First lets consider communism. Communism was considered dangerous enough a generation ago (as dangerous as the Nazis) that the west conducted a decades long cold war.  They fought it with proxies in the third world, and spent so much money that we collapsed their economies. In
today's parleance it would be called a "War On Communism".

Some say communism is dead, but its ideology continues quite strong. The "sheep's clothing" has
morphed from Leninism, to Socialism, to Communism, to Liberalism, and now to "Progressism". It is however, the same wolf.

Next we consider "terrorism", and those who wage it...the terrorist. Here I am referring to the
original terrorist characterized by Osama and his boys, not merely to someone labelled as such. No need to really go into what they are, or their operational means.

So who is really the greatest danger to the American Way of Life?  That life, which is comprised of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Discussion At Warrior Talk is Ongoing

 

Zeroing The M4

A discussion about zeroing the M4 will get as heated as which type of motorcycle is best...or what religion will get you saved soonest. Nonetheless, here we go.

The first thing to consider is what are you trying to hit? A zero suitable for hitting clay birds on a hillside at distance may not be the best one for hitting men. And one for hitting men in a close urban area may be different than one for hitting then way across the canyon. We need to consider two things. One consideration is what is the actual target zone, and the other is what can you see of it?

Our focus here is personal combat so the target is a man. Simple enough. Although others may disagree a man has two distinct target zones connected in the middle. Think face and chest, with a connecting zone at the neck. Nobody teaches shooting at the neck because if you do that you may as well shoot them in the face, but take it from me...shooting a man in the neck - even accidentally - will close the festivities very quickly.

So lets say the face is a 5" circle sized zone...more or less. The chest, frontally, is about a 10" by 18" rectangle...again, more or less. The neck area being a shape sized the same as the face connecting the two. Any hit there with a centerfire rifle will be pretty good. The closer to the centerline, the better.

Now, how well can you see that target and its "impact zone"? A target on the range, standing there mocking you with its willie waving in the breeze is one thing. A man hiding behind something exposing only a part of himself is quite another. As well, distance plays a part. In Guerrilla Sniper we do a segment on target visibility. The more a man gets to 300 yards and beyond, the more difficult he is to see with the eye...even on a flat and cleared range. If he takes a knee, he is lost at 400. If he goes prone, he is invisible past 400. Its not that you can't see "something" it is that you may not discern it as a target, and secondly, your sight may not be sufficient to align your rifle on it.

Remember the discussions on the "assault rifle" concept, and how the Germans wanted to be able to hit well out to 300 or so. This is why. For this discussion we will contain it to the red dot type of sight...like an Aimpoint T-1.

A rifle with an ACOG with BDC, or a Mil-Dot will require different issues. Now we are also assuming that you are adequate to the task of shooting and there are no fundamental issues that would preclude you hitting as long as you are zeroed. Perhaps an optimistic assumption, but we move on regardless.

Your zero should be such that you can hit a face within 100 yards, and a body out to say 300 yards (maybe out to 350) quickly and without much concerns about hold over-under. That means that if you see an enemy at ten yards, you put the dot on his face and press...in a second or less. If you see him at 25 yards...same thing. If you see him at 100 yards, you can reactively hit him in the chest...or proactively (since you have a bit more time) in the face. Then as the distance grows, you can see the threat, put the dot on his chest, and press off the shot, hitting him in the target zone, without need for any concerns other than the act itself.

There are four zero ranges that are commonly used and their adherents defend their position like a sexual preference. These are the 25 yard zero, the 36 yard zero, the 50 yard zero, and the 100 yard zero. 

These have been named for the first point of coincidence of the line of sight and path of the bullet without getting into a lengthy and tiresome discussion about external ballistics. These zeroes all have two points where the bullet will intersect the line of sight. A close coincidence, in the case of the 50 yard zero...at 50 yards...and a farther coincidence...in this example, 200 yards. The trick is to keep the highest part of that path of travel as close to the target zone of the man as possible. All except the 100 yard zero have two coincident points.

All drops mentioned are approximations.

The 25 yard zero is popular in mass military and police training as it is easy to get guys zeroed and ranges are usually limited. The 25 yard zero will be on at 25, and rise to a height of over 9 inches at 200 yards. Guys will have to know the distances accurately as well as the hold overs to hit a fleeting target past CQB range. For a short barreled rifle like a MK18, Colt Commando type, that may be fine, but if anything is expected past 50 yards, this may not be the best option.

The 36 yard zero is favored by the US Marines. Those gents can shoot and this zero is well thought out. A 36 yard zero will be on at 36 yards, and slightly low inside of that due to sight offset. But it will stay inside of 5" all the way out to 300 yards and then drop 5 inches at 350 and about 13 inches at 400 yards.

The 50 yard zero will be 1.5" low at 25, zero at 50, and hold within 4 inches high or low out to
250 yards. At 300 it is already about 6.5" low and at 21 inches low at 400 yards.

The 100 yard zero seem to have gained some popularity lately and it is a good zero, holding low 5.75 inches at 250, but drops hard beyond that. At 350 it is a foot and a half low. With a scope equipped with a caliber specific-BDC, I would follow their directions to use the BDC. An ACOG TA01 for example, lets you hit out past 700...if you zero at 100.

Look guys...the idea is not range convenience, but rather to be able to hold center, with little or no holdover issues for the distance at which one anticipates use. With an assault rifle...which the M4 is, that should go out to 350-400 yards.

I am looking at thoracic cavity hits as the target zone. I want to be able to hold center at all distances and hit w/o needing to determine what range we are at. I think it is easy to determine close enough - too far away, much more than 200 or 350?

AND....it goes without saying that zeroing at 36 and calling it good is emphatically NOT what we are saying. Zero at 36, but verify at 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400 and 450. Proper zeroing will take an entire afternoon, and not just a few rounds once.

For a general purpose M4 assault rifle, one that may be tasked for CQB surgery as well as engaging adversaries out at intermediate distances, and equipped with a red dot, I believe the 36 yard zero to offer the best return on investment with the least drama. Try it out on a ballistic calculator with your load and then take it to the range and tell me what you think.

Told ya it would controversial.

The Evil, The Ignorant, The Delusional, and The Children

By Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor


I know some people are going to disagree with the tone of this article. Many people on the same side of the gun control issue as me are going to say that resorting to name calling is not the way to go. But when you look at how effective the same tactic has been used against the pro-gun supporters, it raises question about how efficient and effective our strategy and tactics have actually been. Pro-gun people have successfully been demonized by the anti-gun crowd and that crowd can be divided up into three groups, The Evil, The Ignorant, and The Delusional.

The Evil

The very worse of the three groups are The Evil. These are the people who have been voted in as public servants and who have sworn to uphold The Constitution. Yet, at every opportunity these evil servants have broken their oath and have time and time again voted themselves more power while taking the power away from those that they have sworn to serve. Often these evil moves come from a position of elitism. They believe that they are better than the people that they serve. They believe that they are smarter than the people that they serve. They believe that they and their families are more important than those that they swore to serve. They act as if they are doing what is best for us, all the while looting the people that they serve of their rights and their freedoms. They have one goal in mind and that is to grab as much power as they can for themselves and the government that they serve..........yes, the government that they serve. See, The Evil do not serve the people, they serve themselves and they serve the government. They do not care about the people and to the exact same extent they do not care about The Children. How can The Evil ones care about The Children when they make it more and more difficult for a parent to protect their children, all the while guaranteeing armed security for their own children. This hypocrisy and elitism is the ultimate form of obvious evil.

It is an elitist attitude that reeks of a "I do not care if your children die due to your inability to protect them, but I will assure that my children are safe from the evils of this world" stench.

The problem with this attitude is the fact that these elitist hypocrites are the ultimate evil in this world. They want to convince The Ignorant and The Delusional that they care about children being killed when in fact they are actually creating a situation where even more children can possibly be killed. Most politicians are educated and know the history of America, The Constitution, and the historical evils that tyrannical governments have perpetuated on its people. Far more children have been killed by tyrannical governments than by mentally ill people with assault weapons. Those numbers would not even be close. But once again it is not about "for the children" it is about using a tragedy to grab the power and when the public servants grab power for themselves, inherently that obtained power goes to the government.

The Founding Fathers put The Second Amendment in place to protect the people from a tyrannical government and our public servants know that. A vote for gun control from our public servants is a vote for a tyrannical government, a vote against the Constitution, and a vote against our children. This is an undeniable evil and this evil is being perpetrated right now in this country. I am not saying that there is going to be a genocide committed against the people of this country tomorrow. What I am saying is that things are being put into place here that have been put into places in the past that has led to a number of the most heinous genocides that this world as ever seen. These are historical facts and if you do not believe them you may want to do some research on gun control and the genocides that have followed. If you cannot rattle off at least five genocides of the past, that followed strict gun control, your knowledge level may need a quick update. The information is out there for those that actually want to find it.

Obviously, The Evil cannot do this all on their own, they need help from a very large group of useful idiots. These useful idiots can be public servants, the media, and the public at large. They may or may not fall in the category of The Evil because they may not be smart enough/knowledgeable enough to understand the evil that they perpetrate. But even so, they are still on the side of evil and the tools of evil. These people fall into two groups, The Ignorant and The Delusional.

The Ignorant

The word "ignorance" is not an insult. Every one of us is ignorant about something. The Ignorant can be ignorant in many forms, but inside of this topic the three greatest forms of their ignorance comes down a lack of knowledge of America History, American Government, and World History.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" George Santayana

The Ignorant have their ignorance used against them. But that can be curtailed by gaining the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions. The Evil want The Ignorant to remain ignorant so that they can keep using them as the tools of evil. If The Evil can convince The Ignorant that The Founding Fathers were bumbling buffoons that did not understand the advancement of technology, then The Ignorant can be convinced that The Founding Fathers did not see the advent of assault rifles. If The Evil can convince The Ignorant that The Second Amendment had nothing to do with making sure that the people can protect themselves from a tyrannical government, then The Ignorant would not mind Americans being disarmed. If The Evil can convince The Ignorant that just because the government disarmed its people does not make it a tyrannical government, then The Ignorant would not fear having Americans disarmed.


Ignorance can also be taken advantage of when crime statistics of disarmed societies are not spoken of. There is not one case of guns being taken and crime statistics not climbing. Criminals fear an armed public and as soon as it becomes a crime to own guns or to use a gun in self defense the criminal element ramps up its attacks on the unarmed law abiding people. These are all facts that can be found if The Ignorant want to move past being used as the tools of evil.

The Evil prey on The Ignorant. They lie and they deceive. They use and they abuse. The number of ignorant, throughout world history, that have helped The Evil commit unspeakable forms of brutality and genocide on their own people is astounding. Imagine the pain and the guilt of that betrayal. Imagine believing that you were doing the right thing (for the children) due to ignorance, only to find that you were on the side of evil all along and many more children paid with their lives due to your ignorance. That reality would have to be a fate worse than death. This is possibly happening right now in this country, things are being put into motion that can possibly lead to a tyrannical government ruling this country with an iron fist. I believe this to the extent that I am concerned about even writing this article.

Ignorance is not a curse, ignorance is not a death sentence, ignorance is something that can be eliminated with an open mind and the search for "the truth." The Ignorant are like the undecided voter. They are the ones that will be the deciding factor in this gun control issue. They are the ones that will decide the children's fate. Do we throw the baby out with the bath water and put into motion the likelihood of America turning into a tyrannical government? Or do we look at the facts of gun violence against the children and understand that a mentally ill individual with an assault rifle is not near the threat level of The Evil and a tyrannical government.

The Delusional

While the ignorance can be educated, The Delusional cannot. The Delusional are those that do not deal or live in reality. They are the ones that believe that all guns can be rounded up and that would be the end of the threat against our children. They believe that a "gun free zone" should extend throughout this country and that that is the only answer to gun violence. This level of delusiveness completely baffles and escapes me. It is as if there is a form of mental illness that perpetuates an utopian dream that will simply never be part of the human experience. Man has perpetrated evil on man throughout the history of man and that is not going to change any time soon. The only people that comply with gun control laws are the good people. Evil people will not comply (and that is why the evil public servants have excluded themselves from the gun control laws.) That would mean that the vast majority of the people that still had guns would be evil people. What part of this do they not understand? What level of delusiveness would you have to be in order to believe such obvious impossibilities? Are they really so blinded by their delusions and their lack of rational thought that they are unable to see the facts of gun confiscation throughout the world, the effects on crime soaring, the historical governmental abuses, and genocide?

The only other group of people that would still have guns would be the good people that are willing to go to jail for the rest of their lives in order to protect their loved ones/children.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

I am pretty sure that the delusional do not understand the above quote due to their obvious lack of rational. But, what we are talking about is a willingness to do anything to protect our loved ones and especially The Children.

I am sick and tired of The Evil, The Ignorant, and The Delusional using "for the children" as their excuse to destroy America. It is you.......The Evil, The Ignorant, and The Delusional that perpetrates and perpetuates the evil that endangers The Children and The Grand Children. Do not come at me with your outright lies, your fabrications, your agenda manipulation, and your politicizing of a tragedy to further your evil intent. You can preach your lie "for the children" but there is only one side of this fight that is truly about The Children and it is not the side of the Evil, The Ignorant, and The Delusional.

Discuss this here.

See Roger's schedule here.

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.

Right and Wrong…obsolete right-wing concepts?

Dr John Meade

Director of Tactical Medicine

Suarez International

I have been contemplating the fact that one half of our society seems to approach things very differently than the other half. This is a deep divide, and worth considering.

It seems that the liberals (or progressives, or leftists, or Democrats, or socialists, or whatever you want to call them) view the US Constitution as a “living, breathing document”, rather than something that must be followed as written. They sometimes propose laws or regulations that promote their point of view, but are confronted with the fact that the proposal is unconstitutional. Rather than accepting this, they just argue harder that regardless of the conflict with the Constitution, we should do it anyway.  Conservatives, on the other hand, view the Constitution as a Divinely-inspired document that has lit the lamp of freedom throughout the world, and should be changed only with the greatest deliberation.

When someone commits mass murder, the liberals say the person is sick, and the instrument used (or society) is to blame. Conservatives simply call the murderer evil. Liberals tend to believe that criminals are pushed into a life of crime because of bad childhoods, and often convicted wrongly. They tend to feel cops are Neanderthals and corrupt, but expect these same cops to come running instantly to protect the liberal from whatever might be happening.

Liberals tend to view all religions as equivalent, and all are to be tolerated to the same extent. However, they also believe that everyone would be better served if they simply avoided serious religious commitment, and focused on being “a good person”. They feel depending on God is foolish, but depending on government is smart.  In fact, they believe that the answer to most problems lies in more government action, regulation and control.

According to liberals, right and wrong are relative terms, rather than absolutes. This moral relativism leads to a lack of strong steering, of course. There was a time when everyone in the USA agreed on the definitions of Right and Wrong. Newspapers and movies did not glorify wrongdoers, but told stories as morality tales. Jack Webb always caught the criminals. Rational people agreed these were miscreants, rather than misunderstood.  Perhaps this is why Western Civilization is foundering, while Islamic Culture is growing stronger daily. Regardless of your opinion of their beliefs, they have strong adherence to a set of rules. They view the world quite rigidly, and see clear division between what they view as right and wrong. This makes them strong.

So what can we do? Must we roll over and give up? Should we bury all our guns and hide? Or go live “off the grid” in the woods? Would this save our way of life?

I recommend have a two-pronged approach to dealing with the shifting of our society to the left. First, help move it back toward the right. Teach your children well. Introduce shooting and self-reliance to those who didn’t grow up with these concepts. Work within your local political system to get right-leaning people into positions of influence, such as the school board, city council and sheriff’s office. If you can write good opinion pieces for the local newspapers, do so.  You might just influence someone to our way of thinking.

The other portion of this two-pronged approach is developing an attitude that you are not dependent on government, nor are you beholden to them. You figure out ways to thrive, regardless of what silly intrusive regulations are enacted. Some call it “walking between the raindrops”.  You look for opportunities in what others view as oppression. If for some reason backyard gazebos are required, sell lumber. Improve your skills and education to make yourself a more desirable commodity in the market. Look for ways to maximize your income in ways that keep more in your pocket, rather than handing it all over to the tax man. If you are living in a state with bad laws or economy, move to a better state!

Don’t give up and accept defeat. Your values are legitimate and worthy. Hold tight to those values, and look for ways to live them to the fullest, regardless of the political environment.

Dr. John Meade is Director of Tactical Medicine for Suarez International , and a board-certified Emergency Physician. He is a reserve police officer on a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team, an EMS medical director and an NRA certified instructor. He may be contacted on WarriorTalk, or his website at www.statdoc.com .

Individual Movement Techniques for Rural Patrolling

By JD Lester – Suarez International Staff Instructor

"I’m Up, He Sees Me, I’m Down!”

This phrase has been used in military training to drive home the relevance of exposure time during the practical application of moving under direct fire.  Where this phrase becomes applicable to us is its use as “reminder dialogue” in training, which can also carry over to the fight.  It is very similar to talking yourself through an After Action Assessment after the gunfight. 
 With the widespread use of low powered variable optics and red dot optics which allow for quick target acquisition, limiting our exposure time has become very important.  Having an optic on a gun reduces the OODA loop of the bad guy due to the reflexive nature of their use: no sight alignment is required in the shooting solution which results in less time to acquire, sight and fire.  I think over time the cadence of the phrase has changed to reflect technology. If this phrase was being used during the revolutionary war and civil war era’s fighting, the soldier probably could cover a bit more distance than today.

Individual Movement Techniques (IMT)

3-5 Second Rush – The Rush is a full-on sprint to close as much distance to a piece of suitable cover in the least amount of exposure time. It is usually used in an open area that provides little or no cover or for covering short distances between scattered pieces of cover.  The distance covered will vary due to several things, physical ability, fighting load, effects of the bad guy’s fire, and terrain to mention a few. Rushing with the rifle at "High Noon" lends itself to fighting using the underarm assault position to engage an unexpected threat. It also allows for a natural arm swing while running with the arm not holding the rifle. This is where the phrase "I’m Up, He Sees Me, I’m Down" comes into play most often. It gives you that measurement in your brain for about how long you have been exposed. 

 
                                                                                                            

High Crawl – The High Crawl starts from the prone. The rifle is cradled in the arms and you use the knees and elbows to power the body. This technique is not as fast as the rush, however, it keeps you lower to the ground and helps you displace from where the bad guy last had sight of you after your last bound. This technique, used in conjunction with micro terrain, can get you the rest of the way to good cover. The High Crawl is also relatively easy to fight from.   

  
Low Crawl – The Low Crawl also starts from the prone. The rifle is grasped by the sling and sling attachment point with the forend lying on your forearm. This technique is best suited for when none of the above techniques will work due to terrain, lack of cover, or effectiveness and volume of fire. The head is turned to the side, the arms are used to pull and the feet and legs to push the body. Basically you use your head to dig a trench for the body. Not required but a ballistic helmet could be considered a good piece of kit (comfort item) for this technique. This technique is the slowest which provides the lowest silhouette and is the hardest to defend due to the head being turned to one side. This can be modified for our use by not turning the head to the side since we probably won’t have a ballistic helmet we can scan and have better situational awareness.
 

Note: Personal protective gear such as quality elbow and knee pads are not necessary to accomplish any of the individual movement techniques however, those items are highly reccomended. The uniform I am wearing in the photos has pockets designed to hold a thin foam pad for each knee and elbow.   

Factors that affect IMT

Volume and Effectiveness of Enemy Fire – The effectiveness of the bad guy’s fire will factor heavily on the IMT that you use.  An example of this is when the enemy fire is sporadic and not effective, a series of rushes might be all that is needed to get you to cover or allow you to disengage from the contact. 

Terrain - Terrain affects everything from rate of march to the different types of equipment that it takes to operate effectively. Be prepared to deal with what is in your area or any area you might end up in.

Micro Terrain - Know how to identify Micro Terrain and use it to your advantage. That small depression or washout in a field might provide you with adequate cover or at least occlude you from the view of the bad guy.

Fighting Load - This is dictated by your mission. If you are living out of your rucksack, you need to drop ruck and fight. Having all your kit with you when you die from lack of mobility doesn’t do you any good. This is where 1st 2nd and 3rd line kit becomes very important. Peel it off as necessary to fight and win.

Points to Consider

Route Selection - We select routes to take us to and from our objective usually based on a map reconnaissance.  Don’t be a slave to your map. The terrain on the ground usually is not as it is depicted on the map unless you have some really good mapping assets.  Adjust your route to provide you the best cover and concealment and keep your patrol safe.

Speed vs Security During Movement - Sacrificing security for speed sometimes may be necessary to make a hard time or exfiltrate an area and put some distance between you and the bad guys. However, doing the hard thing right over the easy thing wrong is usually the best course of action. Getting on a trail or road because you are wet, cold, tired, and hungry could be a bad decision.  “Bad decisions lead to last decisions.” 

Cover - As you are moving through an area you should be selecting points of cover that you can move to should you become engaged right now.  This is applicable to everyday movement as well as actively patrolling an area. Knowing what is good cover and what is not should be high on the list of good things to know. If you are able to conduct some weapons effects testing it behooves you to know what your ammo and the potential bad guy’s ammo will and will not punch through. 

Lastly, get out and train with the kit that you plan on using. It will let you know what needs changing and what works well.

 

 

THE ZURICH WEDGE

THE SIG 556 ZURICH WEDGE (Patent Pending)

The SIG 550 Series of rifles is a blending of modern western manufacturing and engineering with the old world simplicity of Kalashnikov's design. The SIG retains the reliability that the AK-47 is famous for, but offers refinement and accuracy standards only seen in Western European weapons.

That notwithstanding, many of our students and customers have noted a looseness in the upper and lower receivers. While it is known that such tolerances are there to enhance reliability, it would be welcome if there was a way to increase the tightness between the receiver halves without affecting reliability. Some notable designers have postulated that such a uniform tension would increase accuracy.

That practice is common in the M4 world where worn receivers will the tightened up with polymer or rubber wedges. The only issue with these is that under adverse conditions they have been known
to break apart, possibily malfunctioning the weapon. Enter the Zurich Wedge.

The Zurich Wedge was designed for friends of ours who are members of a European Special Unit using the SIG rifles in a CT role. The Zurich Wedge is manufactured from heat treated spring steel
and when installed, will create a uniform tension between upper and lower receivers, providing a rock solid rattle free stability without affecting reliability in any way. The Zurich Wedge is installed under the Pistol Grip screw with the "T" to the rear. When in place, and the rear pivot pin is pressed
into place, the receiver halves will be locked up tighter than a swiss safe.

As far as accuracy enhancement, that has as much to do with the ammo and the shooter, but in our test rifles, both SIG 556Rs, we noted a reduction in group size by .15" in one rifle and .25" in another. If you are running a SIG 556, the Zurich Wedge is an essential addition.

BUY IT HERE

 

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.   

Active Shooters - Final Solution

Since the killings in Connecticut, we have heard all manner of proposed solutions to these problems. Most of the solutions proposed smack of stupidity and cowardice…and a few other things. In this article I will state why I think these events occur, and how to best stop them.

I begin with the assumption that man is evil and selfish – and dark. If left in the wilds, to his own devices,to live as an animal, man becomes a predator with nothing to curtail the drives to eat, rest, and procreate...by force. It is only civilization, and with it, morality, or the sense of right and wrong, that elevates man from a self-serving animal, to the status of human being. 

In our western civilization, right and wrong is defined in the book that has defined our culture from the first century – the Bible. If we remove the Bible, and its Author, from our society, we immediately lose the authority to define what is right and what is wrong. And in modern America’s idiotic desire to “never offend anyone”, we have sacrificed the definition of what is right and what is wrong, for some sense of approval by those who are wrong. Americans do not care if they are called, but do not call them intolerant. God is who defines good and evil, and right and wrong.  But Americans don’t want to hear about that…it might offend someone.

The problem is that without the light of good that our biblical culture brings, there is nothing holding back the darkness. And when nothing holds that back, the forces of evil grow stronger, and you see them flex their muscles in Columbine, Aurora, and in Connecticut. Want to stop that from happening again? Really stop it? Invite the light of good back, and the Source of that light and see how society changes.

Now that will not happen overnight, and it will never happen in the most left-leaning regions of
America.

So what to do in the interim?

The socialists in America from their fearless leader on down to the socialist dog catcher that voted for him want to remove guns from society. Good luck I say. They cannot even tame illiterate goat herders in Afghanistan with their “give peace a chance” nation-building policies.

The NRA wants security guards at every soft target.

Nice idea but who is going to pay for that. After all, even the noblest, self-sacrificing Lancelot needs to pay the rent. Retired cops? Really? Please let us not assume that every man or woman that has worn a badge is the sort that will attack the gunman. Not every retired police officer was a SWAT cop. The retired, 300 pound, nice-old-guy with heart problems may make the soccer moms feel good but sorry, he will not be much help when Freddie Kruger shows up with a Deputy’s stolen rifle and a handful of psychiatrist-issued feel-good pills.

No disrespect…just plain cold and ugly reality. 

“So what the hell do we do?” you ask. 

The answer is right there. But it is not an answer that is "on the payroll", or answers to anyone in
Washington, or requires any Senate subcommittee. Let me tell you what the answer is…answers are. 

The role of “Protector” cannot be assigned. You cannot order a Pekinese to turn into a Pitbull. It is a self selected action.  

The mother that protects the students from the killer has self-selected as protector.  

The father that runs into the burning building to save the child self-selects as protector.

What parent would not die for their child if that was the choice? But wait…we are on to something. Death is not required. What parent would not "risk their life" for their child? I know I would in a second without a second thought. And by extension, what parent would not "kill for their child"?

Let that hang in the air for a moment. 

Two points and two points only. We do not need any blithering rants from Biden nor any of his familiars. The solution is as plain as day. Who will protect the innocents? The families of the innocents themselves will protect them…as it has been since the days of Christ.

1). Abolish all “gun free” zones. Not that any bad guy with a gun actually observes those limits anyway. Case in point, from Aurora to Columbine and from Connecticutt to San Ysidro…it did not
stop the killers did it?

But it did in fact stop the self-selected protectors that might have taken their weapon with them, save their inherent desire to obey the rules. Had good guys with guns been there and killed the killers, how many lives would have been spared?  

Who is guilty for those murders as much as the devil that pulled the trigger? The architects of the gun free zones.

2). Arm the fathers and mothers. At schools, search through the parents list. How many of them fit the role of self-selected protector? I will bet in those ranks you find combat veterans, working cops, retired cops, and martial artists, that if empowered by the forces they respect (the local Sheriff…or the school) would volunteer two, maybe three hours per week to stand in the gap, armed and ready, to protect their children...and the children of others with their will, skill, and courage.

There is no greater motivated fighter, than a man fighting for his home, his brothers, or his family. No badges, or grants, or approval from Washington, or the NRA is needed. What father would not have given his life to be there in Connecticut with a pistol to kill the killer before those children were sacrificed on the altar of politically correct, egalitarian, gun-free America?

The solution to these horrific events is simple and clear to any that want to find them. Most of America, however, specially its leadership, does not really want a solution, only to use these events as opportunities. They are far too busy using the dead children as a stepping stone to gain support for their agendas from the ignorant and the cowardly.  

Gabe Suarez 

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.

How to stop a threat.....or when bullets really matter

By Brian Brzowski, MD, FACS.  Suarez International Tactical Medicine Instructor

 

Guys (and gals), with all the discussion on magazine capacity and the lethality of assault rifles, we need to revisit the fact that shot placement is one of the most critical elements of ending a violent encounter.  While a firm believer that all American citizens have a Constitutional Right to magazines of whatever capacity they choose and to calibers and firearm construction of their liking, we may soon see a time when we are permitted fewer rounds of a lower ballistic effect.  It becomes paramount that we understand where our bullets need to go in order to have their intended effect.

First, we need to recall that it is well-established that the body has enormous capacity (albeit with great individual variability) to function after sustaining tremendous damage.  Reference my comments in these WT forums and previous documentation on the Miami FBI Firefight involving determined criminals and how long one can continue to fight despite receiving lethal, center of mass hits.  Likewise, it is understood that there are fight-ending anatomic areas in the body that we can target with our shots.  Our techniques need to be designed to direct fire into these regions, especially if we find ourselves forced to use smaller capacity magazines. 

I am intentionally excluding the harder to hit areas such as the hands/forearms/etc that can render an adversary functionally incapable of operating a weapon, and the less-motivated attacker who may voluntarily call off the fight from a painful or frightening injury to the genitals/face/etc.  For our purposes, we're only going to consider the body parts that shut off the electrical control of the body (nervous system) or rapidly and nearly instantly deprive the muscular and nervous systems of sufficient oxygen to operate (major blood vessels and heart).

Most are familiar with Central Nervous System shots that are popular with snipers.  The area targeted is the brainstem: 

 

Relatively speaking, this a small target, but it is literally the “light switch” of the body.  Significant damage to the brainstem will most reliably immediately end all purposeful actions on the part of the bad guy.  This area does meet our criteria to target.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Injury to other areas of the central nervous system such as the larger cerebrum does not consistently end the attack and shouldn’t be one of our primary targets.  The thicker skull in this area does a good job of protecting the brain, and there are many reports of bullets simply bouncing off the bone and causing no significant injury. 

 

      

 

 Interestingly, I personally cared for a gentleman who was stabbed in the head with a large fixed blade knife.  We removed the knife in the OR and discharged him home the following day with no permanent deficit whatsoever.  His xray closely resembled this one:

 

 

The spinal column outside the skull is vulnerable to injury from gunshots but represents a narrow target that does receive some protection from a boney cage.  Furthermore, disruption of the spinal cord will only affect the function of body parts at and below the level of injury making targeting this region ineffective as an immediate fight-stopper.

Pelvic shots as man-stoppers are controversial in many circles, and understandably the pelvis does not qualify as an area we should primarily target for reasons discussed elsewhere.  A BG wearing body armor is the exception.

This leaves us with the anatomic area that presents the largest target and has a high degree of immediate impact on our adversary to target with our shots:  the heart and great vessels.

 

 

The heart is a pump that circulates blood through the great vessels.  The great vessels are those large conduits carrying blood to and away from the heart and are comprised of the aorta, the vena cava, and the pulmonary artery and veins (see the blue and red structures in the illustration).  Oxygenated blood flows from the heart through the great vessels and supplies the body with the circulation needed to maintain function. Our central nervous system is exceedingly dependent on this oxygen-rich blood and can only work for precious seconds without it.  Interruption of this process by damaging the pump (heart) or disconnecting the pipes (great vessels) is a fight-ender and worthy of making our primary target. 

 

 

 

 

However, it is important to recognize where these important structures are, so let’s look at the surface anatomy.  

 

As one can see, the heart and great vessels are located rather high in the chest.  In fact, contrary to popular understanding, the traditionally taught “center of mass” does NOT include the heart and great vessels. 

 

 

 

 

 

If one compares the surface anatomy image above to the traditional target below, you can see that the center 10x ring only includes the lower portion of the heart at the very apex of the ring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For these reasons mentioned, I have transitioned to more anatomically-appropriate targets in my Tactical Medicine classes.  If you come train with me, you will see targets such as these sold by LE Targets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, presently I use high-capacity  magazines.  From point shooting distances, I will continue to “zipper” the BG.  From greater distances, the RMR sitting atop the slide will help me direct my shots into the high chest and cranio-ocular region, leaving the pelvis available as another option if the situation dictates such a tactic. 

As always, we must remember that shots on the BG are bad for him and good for you.  However, when we have precious few rounds to expend, as with a pocket pistol or with future legislation possibly limiting the capacity of our magazines, keep in mind the priorities for targeting.