1 Mar 00

Clarification:

A number have asked why I used 90gr 9mm ammunition instead of what I have often said I prefer in that caliber, 115-124gr bullets.

The reason is that in a suitcase one can get more rounds in the lighter bullet weight than would be the case with heaver bullets.  Sometimes non-tactical circumstances make hypocrites of us all!

Most police holsters there are level-one with conventional thumb-break snaps.  Unfortunately, the snap doesn't work well when the CZ-75 pistol is cocked and locked.  Several small, local manufacturers make acceptable leather, concealment holsters, nothing, of course, like Lew Alessi or Mitch Rosen.  Kydex is generally unavailable.  My friends there now all have Elderton Ky-Tac holsters and love them!  There is nothing like Kydex in hot, sweaty weather. 

I wore Second Chance's new Zylon Ultima body armor both to and from Africa and for much of the time I was there, particularly when I went on several ride-alongs with the Capetown Traffic Police to some of the city's garden spots.  It is amazingly thin, flexible, and light.  The most comfortable body armor I've ever worn.  Great stuff.  Glad I had it!

Since he first invented soft body armor, Dick Davis has been responsible for every significant advance in the technology since.  This newest innovation is no exception.  The first soft body armor was made by Second Chance.  The best still is!

/John

7 Mar 00

This from a friend who is a commercial airline pilot:

"John McCain was a flight instructor of mine during the Basic Jet phase of my Navy flight training at Meridian, MS in 1965.  I owe him a debt of gratitude for what he taught me about taking control of a jet and making it do exactly what I wanted it to do with precision and confidence.

Unhappily, I subsequently lost faith in John McCain.  A large group of airline pilots, faced with mandatory age-sixty retirement, who, like me, knew John from their military service years, were led by him to believe that he would lead a legislative push to overturn the infamous "age-sixty" rule.  After leading our group on, he dropped us cold when ALPA (Air Line Pilots Assn) showed up with PAC money in hand."

This is the one who is interested in political finance reform?

/John

7 Mar 00

This from a friend in the Philippines:

"Had the chance to examine and work with an ASP Baton yesterday. After an hour of practice, I could no longer get the forward most shaft to retract into the handle. I banged the thing on a concrete floor in an attempt to get the device to close.  No luck.

I then sprayed penetrating oil on the frozen section and left it to soak overnight.  Still no luck.

Pass this around to your law enforcement buddies. They may have experienced the same thing with ASP batons and perhaps can share a fix."

If you have comments, I'll pass them on.

/John

7 Mar 00

This from friend who is an ER physician in the Midwest:

"Last week I evaluated three gunshot victims in the ER and operated on one.

Victim 1:

Young male sustained gsw (handgun) to R neck in submandibular area.  Bullet with significant fragmentation ultimately lodged against skull base in mastoid region.  Small entrance wound without powder burns.  Massive swelling to lateral neck secondary to probable avulsion of occipital artery.  He was alert and verbal.  He'll be okay.

Victim 2:

Young male inside restaurant sustained close range gsw (handgun) to right forehead.  Golfball-sized swollen region on forehead with central stellate entrance wound.  No exit wound.  Venous bleeding and brain matter spontaneously expressed.  Flexor posture on right, 7mm midposition pupils.  Trace withdrawal on left.  CT showed bullet/bone

fragments from frontal entrance wound through basal ganglia.  Bullet lodged adjacent to torcular.  Rapid deterioration to brain death.  His only family was a father who had loaned him his car to go get lunch.  I escorted the father to the ICU bedside for ID

Victim 3:

Elderly male sitting in car in drive thru sustained gsw (handgun) to left parietal region.  Range to shooter was fifteen feet.  Oblique entrance wound with silver-dollar-size subgaleal hematoma.  He was combative but eventually followed commands.  CT showed 4x4 cm posterior temporal-occipital hematoma.  Bone/bullet fragments along trajectory.  The bullet fractured the occipital bone inner table but did not exit.  Entrance wound skin grayish discoloration/burned look with underlying punched-out skull fracture and linear fracture extending posteriorly.  Brain matter/blood spontaneously expressed from dural opening.  Upon opening dura, I found herniation of swollen brain/hematoma.  Deeper arterial bleeding from probable sylvian vessels and multiple bone fragments lodged deep in brain with hair strands and metal fragments.  I debrided and closed primarily after excising scalp entrance wound."

Lesson:

When using a handgun, the head is always a poor target, even at close range.  Of the three head wounds described, only one was fatal, and in at least two cases, the victim was alert and completely capable of defensive actions.  If you need to take someone out of the fight quickly, the chest and neck are the best targets.  Rapid, multiple hits are always indicated.

/John

7 Mar 00

From my friend in the Philippines:

"On the legal front, the Chief of the National Police has recently liberalized the number and type of guns one can own.  Previous limits were lifted, and the sole restrictions now remaining are submachine guns and other full-auto weapons.

At the same time, permits to carry handguns outside residence have been very slow.  Since the new chief took over in November, only fifteen permits have been issued (all to his friends and other politicians). This is in contrast to over two thousand per month during previous years.

The new Chief finally allowed rifles to be owned so that citizens have the capability to fight heavily armed criminals should they invade innocents' homes.  But, he won't trust the same populace to carry their legally

licensed guns for protection when they go about their normal routine. 

We live with what we have and then fight for what we deserve."

Lesson: This is the problem when unelected bureaucrats acquire arbitrary power at the expense of citizens' rights.  This is also what happens when local control is lost.  That national police chief couldn't care less about the plight of innocent citizens in some out-of-the-way place.

Therefore, be wary when someone gets appointed as the "czar" of something. 

Any time government at any level wants to "do" something for you, they remove the opportunity and the possibility of you doing it for yourself.

/John

14 Mar 00

At a Course last weekend in Los Angeles, one of my students carried a Glock-17 in a plastic holster made by a company called Fobus.  We've seen a few Fobus holsters in other courses.  They are inexpensive and, while they are not nearly as elegant as those made by Dave Elderton at Ky-Tac, Dave Wegner at Blade-Tec, or Gregg Garrett, they are at least functional.

Not this one!  A piece of plastic continuously pushed in the magazine-release button as the weapon was holstered.  The result was that the magazine kept falling out after the gun was drawn.  A quick swipe with my Cold Steel Scimitar solved the problem, of course.  This is the first example of this problem I've seen.

Another student carried a Witness pistol in 10mm.  It's basically a copy of the CZ-75 and worked about as well!  It experienced a failure to feed every fifth round.  The barrel was vented, and the venting did reduce the muzzle flip, but nobody wanted to stand next to it!  The student eventually abandoned it for another Witness pistol, this one in 9mm.  It worked only slightly better.

/John  

14 Mar 00

This from my friend in the Philippines:

"A local Army Unit adopted M16s manufactured by Olympic Arms.  ‘Select fire' is a proper description. Either it fires or it doesn't!  Examination of the defective units showed that the gas port in the barrel is off center and not mating fully with the gas tube.  The same weapon manufactured by Bushmaster, and in use with the National Police, are much better.

The M16 shall remain our standard service rifle for quite some time.  The H&K G36s would have been fine, but I can't see how any armed force can adopt them in large numbers, aside from those within affluent nations.

The Beretta 92DAO (‘D' model) that was adopted by the national police is plagued by its size to the point that many troops cannot grip the pistol well. The leadership has consequently approved the conversion of these guns to manual decocking, at the user's expense.

The only cops who go about life unharassed around here are those using personally owned weapons like Glocks and 1911s which are better suited to our hand sizes."

/John

21 Mar 00

I just finished an Advanced Defensive Handgun Course with several friends form the intelligence community in the Washington, DC area.  Of the twenty people there, most had 1911s (Kimbers, Wilsons, and Para-Ordiances).  There were several Glocks, and one Beretta 96 Compact.

It's interesting to see the perennial popularity of the 1911 among those who work in unwholesome environments.  When working with police departments on the East Coast, one usually sees Glocks and Berettas, but not with these folks. 

Carry ammunition for the 1911 was mostly 230gr Federal Hydra-Shok.

/John

21 Mar 00

From a friend with a PD on the East Coast:

"It's in vogue for everybody to carry some type of big knife.  Last week, while running a qualification course, I watched one of our officers, who is no amateur with a pistol, swiftly speed load his Buck 110 folding knife into the magazine well of his SIG 228!  He had placed his knife pouch in front of his magazine carrier.  The two apparently felt the same, and he withdrew the knife, indexed properly I might add, and shoved it into the gun."

Lessons: Don't put things of less importance than your spare magazine in front of it!

/John

21 Mar 00

This from a friend who just returned from a trip to Disney World in Florida:

"A ‘fanny pack' is an excellent concealment option for tourist attractions such as Disney World, blending in to that habitat perfectly.  Even my large Bianchi in black nylon generated not so much as a second look, and the Mickey Mouse patch I attached to the front was perfect camouflage."

'Safari vests' are sold there in the gift shop, so they are therefore quite common on the park grounds.  They also don't generate any particular scrutiny"

/John

21 Mar 00

Are subguns as intimidating as shotguns?

This is from a friend in a Midwest PD:

“During a drug raid at a local flop house last week, two suspects were located in the living room.  Terry was the first one through the door.  He leveled his pistol on the suspects and ordered them to the ground.  To his amazement they just stood there and ‘stared at me.’

His partner then came through from behind and leveled the subgun ( Steyr 9mm) on them, simultaneously repeating the command.  They dropped so fast that they nearly put dents in the floor!

No shots were fired”

/John

23 Mar 00

Training Female Students!

Two weeks ago Vicki conducted an all-female, Basic Defensive Handgun course in Nevada.  I assisted (too much at times!) along with several of our local instructors.

Our students ranged in age from one teenage girl (her father assisted with the students) to a successful business woman in her seventies.  Most were thirty-ish and married with children.  None had any substantive experience in the defensive shooting arts when they came to us.

I knew the class would be a distinguished experience when a woman I was coaching fired her first shot (from a Glock 19) and knocked down a steel place eight meters downrange.  The moment the plate fell, she burst into tears!  It was completely spontaneous, and the event took both of us by surprise.  Several others had similar experiences.

Vicki had great success!  At then conclusion of the course nearly all of our students were able to pass the practical test, and they all vowed to return for the next program.  They had overcome their fear and their doubts.  It was a great victory.

I am still a pitiable novice at this, but here are several things I learned and won't forget:

> Women are far more verbal than graphic.  Detailed, step-by-step instructions are necessary for each motor sill.  Unlike men, women don't visualize in great detail and thus won't fill in the blanks, and they won't go forward on their own unless they are confident they adequately understand the next step.

> This skill has a great emotional content when it is taught to women, particularly when they confront the reality that they are learning to inflict lethal wounds on human beings.  Men don't feel the emotion as intensely and don't display it as spontaneously.

> Women don't come to us with the mechanical skills which most men possess and take for granted.  The way the slide moves on the frame, the way cartridges are fed in to the chamber, even the act of charging a pistol magazine are not as intuitively obvious to women as they are with men with mechanical backgrounds.  One must thus slow down and explain these things thoroughly, lest students start regarding the pistol as a magical contrivance rather than the deadly simple machine that it is.

> When women cry, one must just let them cry and then get back to the task at hand without further delay.  Like vomiting, crying is something which cannot be controlled, nor should it be.  Female students must understand that crying is okay but that it will not bring a halt to training.  After the crying, the lesson resumes. 

> Male instructors, like me, must make an emotional connection with female students.  They need to understand that we have their best interests in mind even when we're not a patient or as delicate as they would appreciate us being.  When the emotional connection is lost, learning ceases.

I know much of the forgoing is politically incorrect, but the notion that men and women learn the same things in the same way is rubbish.  Of course, there are some men who tend to learn like women and visa versa, but the goal of the student and the instructor is always the same: the improvement of the student.  Many times, they can't come to us.  We have to come to them!

/John

24 Mar 00

"It's tough taking sides in an argument between Charlton Heston and Bill

 Clinton. On one side you have a classic actor trained to fake emotion

 for the camera, trained to win you over with a well rehearsed script and

 then on the other side you have Charlton Heston."

 -- Allyson Smith, San Diego Tribune, 3/22/00

/John

24 Mar 00

This just in from a friend in a position to know:

"Look for the US military to dump the M9 (9mm Beretta 92F) at their next opportunity and go back to the 45 ACP, probably an H&K."

/John

24 Mar 00

Did you see this in the "mainstream" media?  This from a friend in the US Border Patrol:

"Just last week in El Paso, two of our horse-mounted officers were chased by nine Mexican soldiers in jeeps.  The incident took place three miles inside the US.  They shot at our guys more or less continuously for nearly an hour.  We're extremely lucky they're such bad shots, as none of our guys were hurt.  We finally got some help on scene, and we took them all into custody at gunpoint.

What a surprise!  Next day Janet Reno ordered us to send them all back to Mexico, with their weapons, ammunition, and vehicles.  No charges.  No detention.  All they did was try to murder federal officers on US soil, nothing really serious!  As you can imagine, morale here is something to behold.”

/John

24 Mar 00

This just in from a friend who is a range officer with a large, metro PD.  Did you see any of this in the media?

"I had a chance to see one of those locking magazines that Glock has produced.  Our idiot governor has forced the State Park Police to adopt them (the governor's own bodyguard detail is apparently exempt; what a surprise!).

During the televised news conference where the locking magazine was first shown to the public, no one, not the governor nor any of the police officials present, including the chief, could figure out how to unlock the damn thing and render a gun which was capable of firing.  This was all despite the fact that during the various attempts the gun was pointed at everyone on the room several times as well as in every other conceivable unsafe direction. 

None of them were being shot at.  There was plenty of light to see what they were doing, and they had presumably rehearsed the act many times in preparation for the press event.  Still, none of them could get the pistol to where it could be fired.

Amazingly, instead of expressing concern for the safety of his troopers, the governor and his assembled gallery of yes-men all commented on how well the device obviously works!

We tested the device here at the PD range last night.  After much practice, it took the best of us a minimum of ten seconds to get our Glocks unlocked and ready to fire, and that was with enough light to see well enough to operate the lock.  In the dark, it took much longer, and many of us were unable to make it work at all.

In addition, we found that the magazine can easily be bumped and inadvertently locked without the officer being aware of it. 

Perhaps it is just me, but the problem of safety locks is like the dilemma of Descartes and the mind/body issue.  No matter where you say the intersection of the mind and body is, you still have to explain how they can interact.  No matter how deep in the mechanism you put the safety lock, if the gun can be made to fire, it can be made to fire at the wrong time.  But maybe it is just me who doesn't get it."

An additional concern is that officers, instead of securing their guns within a locked container, will simply flip a switch on the magazine and then leave them lying around.

Lesson: Public officials don't care about the safety of their officers any more than they care about the safety of citizens.  As always, you're on your own!

/John

27 Mar 00

Trigger "safety" locks!

This from a friend in MA:

"Last week in a local Massachusetts courthouse, an attorney was placing his handgun in a locker, as is required at this particular public building.  He was carrying on a state CCW permit.  

Apparently wanting to be 'really safe,' the lawyer drew his pistol and then attempted to put a trigger lock on it prior to placing it into the gun locker.  You guessed it!  As he was attempting to install the trigger lock on his loaded pistol, it discharged into a wall.  Fortunately, there were no injuries.  The attorney was not charged, and the whole incident was quickly buried."

Lesson:  Trigger "safety" locks should be banned from the face of the Earth!  I highly recommend against their use and the use of any other device which goes inside the trigger guard.

/John

28 Mar 00

This from a police range officer in Wisconsin:

"The Wisconsin State Patrol recently got a whole bunch of surplus M-16s from the government's North Star program, and quite a few troopers now have them in their patrol cars.  A number of local departments, including the Madison PD, have done likewise.  It's becoming more difficult, however, as the supply of North Star M-16s has now mostly dried up.  A few departments have opted for Mini-14s.

The point is that now that the WSP has broken the ice, shotguns are quietly being replaced with rifles in beat cars statewide.  Interesting how rapidly trends like this can take hold.  As you might imagine, there has been zero publicity!"

/John

28 Mar 00

Maybe there are at least a few intelligent people left!

This is from a friend in upstate NY:

"Two weeks ago our county legislature was discussing a bill that proposed 'mandatory trigger locks.'  We went to the meeting and brought an unloaded gun and a trigger lock, and proceeded to show them just how 'effective' such devices are.  We showed them how trigger locks are a veritable invitation to an AD.

By some miracle they actually got the message and 'determined to study the issue further.'  At the next meeting we were also there and pointed out how the proposed new law (like most gun laws) was self-contradictory, impossibly vague, and so poorly written that none of the lawyers in the group were able to say for sure what the law specifically required.

Apparently there are still some politicians with at least half a brain.  We won! The bill is dead."

/John 

29 Mar 00

We conducted a defensive handgun course last weekend in Texas.  During the course, two pistols experienced a blowout, a 239 SIG and a S&W P99, both in 9mm.

In both cases, the chambered, 9mm, hardball round blew out on the unsupported area of the feed ramp.  Both cases ruptured and leaked gas into the receiver.  The shooters suffered no injury, but both pistols were out of action afterward, one temporarily and one permanently.

In the case of the SIG, the gas leak blew out the extractor plunger, leaving the (now disabled) extractor and spring in the pistol.  We never recovered the plunger, but replacing it will get the pistol back into action.  There was no other damage.

In the case of the P99, the gas leak built up enough pressure to put a sizable crack in the polymer frame.  The slide and barrel were fine, but the frame was history.  It will have to be replaced.

At this point, I can't say if the incidents were caused by defective ammunition (It was a factory reload in both cases, but from different lots) or the pistol firing out of battery.

Such incidents are not common, but they do happen.  I had an extractor blow out on both a Kahr-40 and SIG 229 (357SIG) last year.  Again, no one was injured, but both pistols were rendered temporarily out of action.

Lesson: Never travel with only one gun.  When your pistol suddenly goes south, as they all can, you'll need a gunsmith (or maybe a gun dealer) to get you rearmed.  That probably won't happen instantly.  In the interim, you need another gun.

/John

30 Mar 00

From a friend who runs a large, commercial pistol range:

"I have witnessed many pistol 'blowouts' like the ones you described.  I have never seen ANY polymer-framed handgun survive such an event.  The frame is, without exception, destroyed by the leaking, high temperature, high-pressure gasses."

Lesson: That is the price one pays for carrying plastic pistols.  They are light and wonderful, but there is no way plastic is going to be as strong as steel or even aluminum alloy.

/John

31 Mar 00

On the Ruger Mini-14 and other rifles from a range officer in a large, Midwest PD:

"Most commercial Mini-14s come with light barrels which, of course, are definitely not designed for high-volume fire.  They heat up rapidly and promptly start stringing shots vertically.  Cook-offs are not uncommon.  The LE version has a heaver barrel, and that is the one I recommend for defensive purposes. 

The configuration of the Mini-14's front sight is such that it's easy to mistake one of the protective ears on the side for the front blade.  When that happens, the student, of course, shoots way off to one side.  We see this many times when students are shooting fast and/or in low light.  The same thing can happen with the AR-15, but, because of the way the front sight is designed, it is much less likely.

The folding stock that comes on the Mini-14 sucks!  It's too long for my short-statured students, and the metal buttstock is slick and routinely slips off the shoulder.  In addition, because of its insubstantial design, a comfortable and repeatable cheek weld is nearly impossible.  Folding stocks found on the Galil and the DSA/FN are vastly superior.

The bolt catch wears out quickly. The Mini-14s used by the ______ PD started failing to go to bolt lock on the last round after only 1,500 rounds, and now it is difficult to even lock the bolt to the rear manually.

Aperture sights are surprisingly difficult to explain to those who had never been exposed to military training.  Like you, I've found that many inexperienced students look right over the top of the rear sight instead of through it, consequently shooting way high.  We see this same phenomenon with the H&K MP-5 also.  Less so with the AR-15.

Our PD had Marlin carbines (9mm) until they fell apart, which didn't take long. The brass then decided to get military-surplus M-16s, but then attention-deficit-disorder kicked in, and they forgot.  Now, of course, it's too late.  M-14s are still available, but they are unsuitable for most small-statured people.

_______ PD bought surplus M1 30-caliber carbines six years ago, and they'll all still going strong!  No breakage and few problems.  The guys like to shoot them, and, within one-hundred meters, they are deadly.

Rifles are finally coming into the system, but it's a rocky road!"

/John

1 Apr 00

Sellier & Bellot 223 ammunition:

At an Urban Rifle Course today in Texas, a student brought a case of S&B 223 ammunition for his AR-15.  The case was sealed when he arrived.  It was new, factory ammunition.  Right away, he had problems loading and unloading his rifle.  It took a while for us to figure out the problem: The 223 Remington ammunition was mixed in with 222 Remington ammunition!  The 222 Remington case in similar to, but significantly shorter than, the 223 Remington case.

We rarely see something like this.  Of the one thousand rounds in the case, over half were the wrong caliber, and the two were mixed together, even within the same twenty-round box!

We have seen a lot of S&B ammunition in courses, particularly shotgun ammunition.  S&B ammunition is imported from the Czech Republic.  It has never been my favorite label, but it is cheaper than most other brands.  This incident has lowered their stock with us significantly!

Rifle cook-offs:

Thick, military brass, loose chambers, heavy barrels, and mild rifling all will decrease the likelihood of cook-offs.  Unhappily, most factory, ball rifle ammo does not feature thick, military cases, and many defensive, military rifles have been "targetized," which almost always means a tight, "match" chamber.  Severe rifling, such a one-in-seven-inch twist, also contributes to a rapid heat buildup in barrel and chamber.

Cook-offs are a real possibility in any rifle used in high-volume fire.  If you have to subsequently hold someone at rifle-point, this is a good reason to review your "low-ready" position.  Also, when slinging muzzle down, take time to adjust the sling correctly, so that the muzzle does not cover your lower extremities.

/John

3 Apr 00

From a friend in the federal system:

"It looks as if all the US Armed Services are moving towards non-lead projectiles for small arms.  The current talk is about tungsten bullets.  This will cause the new ammunition to fall within the "armor penetrating" definition.  The current SS-109 round, even with it's imbedded, carbide dart, does not."

/John

6 Apr 00

This from a trainer with a Midwest PD.  He is talking about his review of video tapes made of his officers during roll-playing, confrontational exercises on the pistol range:

"One thing that fairly jumps out is that most of our officers ‘creep up,' on dangerous suspects, often leaving cover and closing the distance to the suspect, in the open, in the process.  This is particularly prevalent when the suspect refuses to comply with, or appears not to understand, officers' verbal commands.

When our officers subsequently review the videos with us, they are invariably aghast at their impetuous behavior and indicate that they had no awareness that they were sequentially closing in on the suspect.  The exception to the rule are our guys with previous military training.  They steadfastly refuse to break cover!"

Lesson: The temptation, strong at times, to be drawn closer to a source of danger must be recognized and resisted.  Getting closer offers few benefits and many perils.  Stay back.  Stay covered.  Stay ready.

/John

7 Apr 00

Maryland gun bill.  This from friend who lives out there:

"The new, Maryland gun bill mandates ‘internal gun locks' on all new guns by 2003.  The term ‘internal gun lock' is not defined, and nobody seems to know what that means.  I guess all those pesky details can be settled after the vote.

Whatever it means, the Governor, like all good elitists, has no intention of enjoying the same handicap he is imposing on everyone else.  You guessed it!  Police officers, including those on the Governor's bodyguard staff, are exempt from the new law!  The Governor's personal safety is just too important to be trusted to people who have guns which might not work."

/John

7 Apr 00

From  Newaygo County, MI

"State Police were investigating a man-with-a-gun call.  This suspect had returned to a bar in a rural location out of which he had earlier been thrown.  When the suspect walked back into the bar, he was armed with a shotgun and began threatening staff and customers. 

Two troopers arrived and took cover behind their vehicles in the bar's parking lot.  The suspect came out of the bar (shotgun still in hand), saw the troopers, entered his car and fled, ignoring verbal commands to stop.  No shots were fired in the parking lot.  After driving a short distance, the suspect exited his vehicle and started running, still armed with the shotgun.  He ran into a wooded area where police vehicles were unable to follow.

The Troopers exited their vehicles and gave chase on foot.  The suspect stopped, turned around, and fired at the troopers. It was subsequently learned that his shotgun was loaded with #6 birdshot.  Neither of the troopers were hit as the suspect's shots were high and at some distance.  Troopers returned fire with 9mm handguns

Several such engagements took place as the chase continued.  The suspect fired a total of three rounds of #6 birdshot at the troopers.  The troopers fired a total of twenty-one 9mm rounds at the suspect.  Ranges were between eight and twenty meters.  In most cases the suspect was moving as the troopers were shooting at him.  Sixteen of the trooper's twenty-one rounds struck the suspect's body. 

The suspect died at the scene.  Neither trooper was injured."

Lesson: It cannot be said too often: The surest and fastest way to end a potentially lethal encounter is with deadly accurate shooting.  Good show on the part of these two troopers!   

/John

10 Apr 00

I've had observed good performance from most of the Kimber pistols students have brought to courses.  However, I just received this from a friend on the East Coast who works in a large gun store:

"This Saturday a customer showed me his new 45ACP Kimber compact, lightweight.  After digesting a mere 300 rounds (factory hardball), the pistol had a cracked slide.  Upon inspection I observed a very obvious three-inch crack through the top of the slide running lengthwise through the locking recesses.

In addition, the feed ramp on the aluminum frame was so soft that it was badly misshapen through repeated feeding of rounds.

We are not happy with aluminum-framed Kimbers!"

I don't own a Kimber, but I'm wondering what experience others are having with this brand.  I've been recommending them, but I no longer will if the above experience is common.

/John

11 Apr 00

From several friends in the training business who have had considerable experience with Kimber pistols:

"Out of a dozen I have seen students use, fully half have had repeated problems and needed to go back to the factory.  Five of those pistols went back more than once.

The factory has been hard to deal with too. They refuse to acknowledge problems.  The happiest campers are those who got guns the first year they were on the market. Those folks love their guns and have had zero problems.  Problems started after the initial glowing reports on the guns in the press. The factory got huge orders and cranked up production."

"With aluminum-frame 1911's , I think you need either the one-piece feed

feedramp/barrel or a steel feedramp insert in the frame. High performance ammo typically chews up soft, aluminum feed ramps."

/John

11 Apr 00

As long as the discussion is quality control, I just received this from a friend in a large PD:

"One of our deputies is an armorer at Ft ________.   He has 500 Berettas (Army M9, the Beretta 92F) in his armory.  As of December of last year, 135 were deadlined with cracked locking blocks and/or broken firing pins. These pistols have an average of 3,000 rounds through them!"

/John

12 Apr 00

More info in the Beretta M9 from a friend on active duty:

"In the _______ Battalion, where they literally put tens of thousands of rounds through their Beretta M9s, they found that the locking blocks broke fairly often (don't have a round count but usually after only a few thousand rounds) but more importantly, they found that the older, Italian-made slides were breaking after 2,000 rounds, and older US-made slides were breaking after 3,000 to 4,000 rounds. 

After the new ‘modified' slides were installed, the Italian-made ones broke around 11,000 rnds, and the US-made ones broke at around 13,000 rnds.  However, the modified slide did prevent the rear of slide from coming off the frame during discharge and subsequently rocketing rearward giving the unfortunate shooter ‘Beretta face.'

Because of several ‘Beretta face' incidents, Seal Team Six abandoned the Beretta and selected the SIG 226."

/John

13 Apr 00

This from a friend in with a Sheriff's Department on the West Coast:

"The suspect was a VERY large male who had been drinking.  He threatened uniformed officers with a knife and was promptly shot by one of our officers who was using a Remington 870 loaded with WW one-ounce rifled slugs.  Our officer fired once, and the suspect was hit in the stomach (through and through).  The suspect was temporarily stopped in place, but then ‘shook it off' and reinitiated his attack on the officers.  A second officer then fired his Glock-21 loaded with WW 230gr SXT +P ammunition.  The single bullet struck the suspect in the upper arm.  The suspect later stated that the shotgun slug ‘hurt,' but that the pistol bullet felt as if he had been ‘smacked in the arm with a hammer.'  After being hit with the pistol round, he precipitously stopped his attack and meekly surrendered.  He had had enough!

The suspect lived, but, his arm was so badly damaged that surgeons were compelled to amputate it below the wound site.  Internal injuries from the shotgun slug were also extensive."

Lesson: No matter what you're shooting, when your life is in direct jeopardy you need to fire as fast as accuracy will permit and continue to fire as long as the threat persists.  If this suspect had been hit a dozen times or so, we would all be arguing over which round killed him, not talking about what he was able to do after he was hit with a single round, even a twelve-gauge slug!

The notion that one should fire once or twice, then stop firing and "access" the attacker's condition, even though the attack has not been stopped, is fatally flawed.  The time spent "accessing" would be better spent shooting.  When your life is threatened, you hold nothing back!

/John

18 Apr 00

I just learned that United Airlines puts a row of  seven "Fs" under your name on your luggage tag to indicate you have declared a firearm in your checked baggage.  Other airlines probably have a similar system using different codes.  Heavy bags and baggage containing live animals are similarly singled out with special codes.

Several federal agencies have recently complained to United about a rash of thefts of guns being transported in suitcases, now that baggage handlers know what the “F code” means.

Lesson: Declare guns at your peril!

/John

18 Apr 00

More Beretta Info:

“I managed an indoor shooting range in _________.  We signed up with Beretta for their Range Program, where they supplied us with rental guns.  We obtained five Model 92s to rent primarily to our military customers.  After less than 2,000 rounds each, locking blocks began to break.

At first, the Beretta representative replaced the broken locking blocks at no cost.  Then, the price went to $60.00 a pop.  As the guns saw continued use,  slides and frames began cracking.  After four months of moderate use,  all five guns were out of commission.”

/John

18 Apr 00

With regard to commercial air travel, this is from a friend on the East Coast:

"If you want serious entertainment at the expense of bureaucracy, buy an airline ticket at the airport counter with cash.  Announce that you are checking multiple firearms, and then decline to show any kind of identification.

I do this regularly.  It violates Farnam's rules about keeping a low profile, but, if I comply with all rules created by people with small souls, mine may start shrinking to fit.  I believe it is a civic duty to compel bureaucrats to follow their own rules.

When buying airline tickets, I pay cash (drug alert), declare several firearms in my checked luggage (hysteria), and refuse to show ID (cardinal terrorist alert) for no other reason than it is my right to do so.

In practical terms, it sometimes takes four levels of weak-minded gate agents, supervisors, and managers before they sheepishly admit that flying via commercial air carrier without showing a government-approved identification is perfectly legal.  Neither the airlines nor the FAA can require any species of identification from you.  It usually takes an extra five to ten minutes to get the issue sorted out, but it's never taken more than twelve.

Note that you need no permit of any kind to travel with any number of firearms as long as they are packed correctly.

Puppet-like, airline employees will swear most solemnly that they all know for a fact that you are required by FAA rules to show them an ID.  They are dead wrong.  The only thing FAA rules require is that they hold your luggage off of the plane until you actually board it.  THIS IS A GOOD THING.  When airlines pay special attention to your luggage, you can be sure it won't be pilfered or stolen."

Lesson: Taking a stand always involves personal risk, but if no one ever took a stand, none of us would be here.

"The national budget must be balanced.  The public debt must be reduced.  The arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled.  Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt.  People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Marcus Tullius Cicero in Rome, 55 BC

/John

19 Apr 00

I just received this from a friend in the federal system:

"I just got off the phone with __________ from the FAA.  FAA just made contact with United, and the airline confirmed that they do indeed place a row of "Fs" on the baggage tag of any bag that contains a checked firearm.  They indicated they do this for the following reasons: 

>To comply with the Brady Bill, and

>That the ramp personnel have expressed a 'safety concern' if they do not know that the bag contains a firearm.

As for the Brady Bill, ATF has advised me that it is a violation of the bill to place any such identifier on a bag.  'Just the opposite' says United!  I think we all know about the ramp/baggage handlers' real concerns, and why they like the bags marked!

FAA has sent a message back to the airlines to get a clarification on who

advised them of the so-called Brady Bill requirement to identify the bags.

Once they get back to me, I will contact United for an explanation.

All I know so far."

Lesson: Gun owners in America are like Jews in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.  We ARE the new Jews!  We are mercilessly harassed and persecuted because of what we believe, and our tormentors never let the law get in their way!

/John

22 Apr 00

A friend, whose house was flooded recently, reported that a quantity of rifle and pistol ammunition which was being stored in his basement at the time was consequently submerged for three days under several feet of water.

There was Russian-made rifle ammunition in 7.62X39 which was packed in twenty-round packets, individually wrapped in waxed paper.  Some of it however, had been unwrapped and was stored in bulk.  There was also a quantity of Remington, Winchester, and Cor-Bon pistol ammunition (38Spl and 45ACP) in factory, cardboard boxes.

The waxed-paper packets of Russian rifle ammunition were never penetrated by water at all.  After salvage and upon being unwrapped, the ammunition inside was completely dry.  However, the unwrapped ammunition was okay anyway.  It all fired normally.

The Winchester, Remington, and Cor-Bon pistol ammunition was recovered in soaked, cardboard boxes which fell apart when opened.  The ammunition had been in direct contact with water for three days.

All the Winchester and Cor-Bon ammunition fired normally!  It was unaffected by the soaking.  The Remington ammunition did not fair as well.  Only twenty percent of it fired.  The rest were duds.

/John

26 Apr 00

Just received from a friend in South Africa:

"As you probably have heard, the situation here is becoming unbearable. In Zimbabwe, Mugabe's ‘veterans' (read that, ‘thugs') are hiding behind the ‘land' issue, but what is really happening has happened in China, Korea, Vietnam and in all the other Marxist takeovers.  It's the way Marxists always ‘govern, through intimidation and terrorism.

The Government in this country is, of course, supporting Mugabe, and this foreshadows what is surely going to happen here too.  In fact, the murder of white farmers takes place down here with monotonous regularity (several every day), and the news is routinely greeted with the collective yawns of government officials and police.

In the local job market, the official byword is, ‘blacks only need apply.'  By government decree, virtually all jobs are now ‘reserved' for blacks.  For me and my company to even be considered for municipal construction contracts, I was told flat out that I must have a black partner.  Laws are now being enforced which compels all private businesses to submit regular reports to the government on their plans to ‘uplift' the black employees.  Read that: only blacks are to be hired and only blacks are to be promoted ... if you want to stay in business.

Violent crime is so epidemic, it's not even news anymore.  Everyone here knows that the eradication of white farmers and white-owned businesses is planned and systematic.  Highjackings, rapes, murders, and a host of new guns laws designed to eliminate the private ownership of all firearms are just the tools being used by the Marxists to consolidate their hold on political power.

We are all very frightened."

/John

26 Apr 00

This from a friend in an overseas security unit:

"We experimented with lasers on two pistols, a USP in 40S&W and a Walther P99 also in 40S&W.  With both pistols, shooters took way too much time looking for the dot. When they found it, they took even more time trying to get it centered on the target. After all this, they were so confident that the shot would land where the dot was that they just jerked the trigger, landing the shot low and left.  All in all, it took much longer than without the laser! When the range got smokey, we could see the path of the laser beam.  When we used 135gr Cor Bon, the laser became erratic in its brilliance even though the battery was fully charged. Seems the recoil impulse of the Cor Bons caused the contacts on the laser to loosen. Similar to the problem of Sure Fire bulbs breaking when used on shotguns.  We won't be using lasers!"

Lesson: Don't be bedazzled by every high-tech gadget that comes along.  Count of your own courage and your own abilities, not techno-"solutions" to all the ills to which flesh is heir.  Lasers are for losers!

/John

26 Apr 00

From another overseas friend:

"Some local government security units were issued HK 53s, which is an MP5-sized weapon, but chambered for 5.56mm.  Initially, they were envied for being given such hardware.  But, when these people actually shot the guns, they quickly changed their minds! Even with plugs and muffs on, the blast was so bad it was disorienting, worse even than that on the seven-inch-barreled M16s that some units use. Flash was solved by Vortex flash hiders, but, considering these rifles are deployed to security teams who routinely have to shoot from cars, it was not a pleasant development. Many have gone back to CAR 15s, M4s, MP5s, UZIs and the like. Sometimes newer isn't exactly better."

Amen!

/John

2 May 00

From a friend in the Philippines:

"Over here, to get a license to even possess firearms and ammunition, you have to get ‘clearances' from the local court, the mayor, and the local police. In addition, you need clearance from the Directorate of Intelligence of the National Police. After that, you need proof of having passed a drug test, a neuro-psychological test as well as a gun safety seminar. These requirements must accompany your application along with a certificate of employment and a current income tax return or bank certificate. This process must be done separately for each and every firearm you apply for.  It routinely takes months.

If you are applying for a Permit to Carry Firearm Outside Residence, you will have to submit a current clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation, in addition to the aforementioned documents. The Permit specifically mentions which gun (make, model, serial number and caliber) and how much ammo you may have on your person (normally 50 rounds).  Permits to Carry are not issued for long guns only handguns. Normally, you may only be issued one permit to carry, unless your ‘position,' (read that: ‘government connection') facilitates the issuance of additional PTC's.

Foreigners may not have guns unless they are members of a diplomatic mission, or are transients in country for competition."

/John

8 May 00

From a friend in the area:

"A Los Lunas police officer was shot in the leg this morning while serving a search warrant.  No criminals were involved.  The officer's own shift commander did the shooting. Officer Paul Gomez was listed in satisfactory condition today after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound to the left leg.  Los Lunas police officers were at local residence executing a drug-related search warrant.  A suspect was on the floor being held at gunpoint. 

The preliminary investigation indicates the bullet in question (brand and caliber unknown at this time) came from the service revolver of Gomez's supervisor, Lt JR Wroten.  During the arrest, Wroten had his finger on the trigger of his pistol as he was transferring it from his strong hand to his weak hand as he was in the process of retrieving his flashlight when the weapon accidentally discharged. 

The errant bullet went all the way though Gomez's leg, fracturing his femur and ultimately embedding itself into the deck flooring.  The range was four feet.  Gomez will likely be permanently disabled."

Lesson: Missing bad guys is not our biggest problem with law enforcement firearms.  Shooting ourselves is!  Accidents like the one described above are completely preventable.  We never seem to have to time or money for training until AFTER something like this happens.

/John

11 May 00

Did you see this on any major network?  As with Hillary Clinton, any time Nelson Mandella so much as clears his throat, the American media predictably grovels and slobbers at his feet.  Not this time! 

"Speaking at a UNICEF function in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandella urged the 'public' to 'Pick up rifles and overthrow tyrants who have amassed vast, personal fortunes while children go hungry.' "

The 'public' is, of course, his political supporters.  The 'tyrants' are, of course, his political opponents.  Taking his cue from the Clintons, Mandella insists that rounding up and exterminating one's political opponents is just fine, so long as it is done "for the children." 

Lesson:  It's coming this way

/John

12 May 00

Steyr M9

I finally had the opportunity to examine a copy of the Steyr M9 yesterday.  I've yet to have a student bring one to a course:

The M9 is a plastic-framed, self-decocking autoloader, with a trigger-tab safety, similar to that found on Glocks.  The trigger is light, with very little take up (most of which is provided by the trigger tab itself).  The link is shallow and distinct.  People who like light triggers will like it.  My opinion is that the trigger is too light for general issue.

It features the "trapezoid" sighting system.  Curious, but we've been all through this before with the "Guttersnipe" sight and others along similar lines.  They are all interesting but inferior for defensive shooting to the standard, notch-and-post, pistol sight we're all used to.

The M9 also "features" a manual, internal lock, which renders the gun sterile until it is manually unlocked.  The lock is operated via a special spanner wrench provided with the weapon, but it is difficult to operate the lock without pointing the gun at yourself.  One could also (with a little effort) operate it with a paper clip.  It's there primarily as a barrier to children, not determined and resourceful adults.

What concerns me about "internal locks" is that, when they become common, politicians will quickly pass legislation requiring that guns be locked (sterilized) all the time, even when they are needed in a high state of readiness.  Politicians will, of course, exempt themselves.  The best way to sterilize a gun is to unload it.

The only time I could imagine that I would want such a gun sterilized would be when traveling via air.  With the gun in a checked bag, one might want it sterilized since he can't get to it anyway.

All in all, the M9 looks to be perfectly functional, but inferior to a Glock.

/John

15 May 00

Last weekend I had a student in an Advanced Defensive Handgun Course bring a Colt Python.  Like most Pythons I've seen, it was delicate and temperamental, but he got through the course with it.

He was using a new speed loader made by Dillon (of reloading machine fame).  I had not seen it before.  It was compact, yet each cartridge had its own ejection spring, so that it was not possible for a cartridge to hang up in the shell of loader itself.  The cases ejected automatically as the loader was pushed forward.  "Ejected" is probably not the right word.  It was more like a projectile jettison.

In any event, they proved reliable and extremely positive.  I consider this design to be significantly superior to either the HKS or the Safariland speedloader. 

/John

19 May 00

Last week we had a student use a Para-Ordinance pistol in their new DAO configuration.  The pistol's hammer spur cannot be maintained in the full-cock position, so it is a genuinely self-decocking pistol.  It still features a two-position, manual safety in the conventional position.

The designers have managed to decouple the hammer spur from the hammer itself.  The hammer itself actually stays cocked, but the hammer spur goes forward, making the pistol look as if the hammer is down.  Pressing the trigger draws back the hammer spur, repositions it in full cock, and releases it.

The trigger press is actually similar to that of a Glock.  The take up (which draws back the hammer spur) is only four pounds.  It then stacks up at the end and breaks at about six pounds.  The hammer is actually eighty-five percent loaded when the slide goes forward.  Pressing the trigger provides the last fifteen percent.

However, unlike the Glock, the reset (link) is deep, and one must let the trigger all the way back in order to start the next shot.

The pistol performed well, and the student went through 1,200 rounds during the weekend's exercises without experiencing more that one or two minor stoppages.

The double-column grip on Para-Ordinance pistols is too fat for me, but, for people who don't like the "cocked-and-locked" appearance endemic to the Colt/Browning design, this pistol may be attractive.

/John

23 May 00

Recoil "buffer pads" on 1911 pistols:

We just completed an Advanced Defensive Handgun Course in Texas.  We were, of course, in cocked-and-locked country!  Only two kinds of pistols were present, 1911s and Glocks.  Even our female students, who, because of their small size, would have been far better off with smaller pistols like Kahr-9s, all had full-sized 1911s.  They struggled mightily!

Every one of the 1911s present had a plastic recoil buffer impaled on the recoil spring guide.  Many or the buffer pads were brand new, but several were badly worn and already breaking up into pieces.  I insisted they all be removed for the duration.  Several students were not happy at the notion, but I did insist.

The ostensible benefit of buffer pads is that they prevent direct, metal-to-metal contact upon recoil and thus reduce wear.

Unhappily, recoil buffer pads on 1911 pistols has two inherent problems:

>They rapidly wear, break into pieces, and the pieces migrate about until they jam somewhere and cause the whole gun to seize completely.  I've seen this happen so often that, as noted above, I insist they be removed at my courses.

>They prevent the operator from being able to close the slide (when it is locked to the rear) by pulling it the rest of the way to the rear and then releasing it.  It is thus only possible close the slide by depressing the slide release, and often even this can be done only with great difficulty.

On balance, recoil buffer pads are a can of worms, and I highly recommend against their installation on any serious pistol.

/John

24 May 00

This from a friend who works with the Baltimore, MD PD.

"Two Baltimore police officers, upon searching a man arrested on minor nuisance charges ('consuming alcohol in public,' a charge that rarely results in a trial or a jail sentence) last week, failed to find a Taurus 45ACP autoloading pistol in the suspect's jacket pocket and a second, fully charged magazine for the pistol in his rear pants pocket.  The Taurus pistol was fully loaded and ready to fire.

The pistol and magazine were missed a second time when neither were discovered during a standard, entry search when the suspect was delivered to jail personnel by the two arresting officers.

The pistol and magazine were only discovered by internal jail personnel during a third search, this one a standard, strip search after the suspect was inside the jail. 

An internal investigation is under way.  The suspect incurred a gun charge and was released on $1,500.00 bail.  The two arresting officers remain on duty during the investigation."

Lesson: This kind of nonchalant carelessness is endemic among those individuals and departments who don't take the job seriously.  We must all examine our own attitudes daily to make sure this kind of gaff doesn't occur on our watch.

/John

26 May 00

The Battle of Monongahela, June 1755

Braddock's English regulars (supplemented by a few American "provincials") were the finest soldiers in the World, it was generally assumed.  Stunning and splendid in their tight, white trousers, red coats, and powdered, white hair, they walked stiffly, looking like fearsome robots from another planet.  In fact, when wounded, instead of crumbling (as one who wore loose clothing would), they stood motionless for a few moments, then toppled like a domino.  They were assigned to assault and capture a French outpost, called Ft Duquesne near present-day Pittsburgh, PA.

Of all the European invaders, the local Indians disliked the French the least.  The French were interested mostly in trade, but had little interest in establishing permanent colonies.  The French also allowed themselves to be absorbed into Indian culture.  The English, on the other hand, were interested primarily in the permanent acquisition of real estate and had not the slightest interest in Indian culture, which they looked upon with condescending disdain.  Indians thus considered the British, more than any other European immigrants, the principal threat to the continuance of their way of life.

Braddock would teach these impudent Frenchmen, and the mostly-naked savages with whom they had allied themselves, a lesson they wouldn't forget!  In fact, the Indian contingent at the fort was not even counted in Braddock's intelligence reports.  After all, at the first cannon shot, they would panic and flee like mice, surely.

Braddock's approach had all the stealth of a circus parade!  The French and Indians heard their clamorous advance from a long distance away and then waited in ambush along their likely route.  When the French forces pounced upon the British formation, the surprise was complete.  The flabbergasted British troops tried to form their ranks and return fire, but their numbers were calamitously slashed by French musket fire, not from ranks, but from individual soldiers and Indians firing from covered positions.  The unthinkable had happened.  Fighting "Indian Style," uneducated savages had beaten back the finest soldiers in the World! 

Braddock himself was mortally wounded during the battle, and his badly mauled army was forced to withdraw.  On his deathbed a few days later, Braddock's last words were, "We shall better know how to deal with them another time."  Prophetic enough as it turns out, but Braddock himself would not live to see it.

The lessons learned at the Monongahela on that summer day in 1755 were not lost on a young American officer by the name of George Washington who was there and who himself had barely escaped with his life.  Two decades later, Washington, fighting "Indian Style," as it came to be known, would engage British regulars on other battlefields, secure in the knowledge that vaunted British regulars could be beaten.  The proud-to-a-fault British, still in denial, would have to learn the same lesson all over again!

Lesson: What defeated Braddock and his army at the Monongahela was arrogance.  Arrogance and inflexibility have been the undoing of more than one aspiring military commander.  An unwillingness to face the truth squarely will undo any of us if we allow it.  Denial is for losers!

/John

28 May 00

Some interesting rifle notes from my friend in the Philippines:

"In conversations with several Ranger sergeants over here, I have taken the following notes:

Our Rangers are heavily engaged with local insurgents and are in armed contact with them nearly every day.  Casualties (mostly gunshot wounds) are common.  They use mostly M-16s as personal arms.  They prefer the full-length model over the CAR, and are partial to twenty-round magazines for field use, although thirty-round magazines are considered okay for checkpoint/sentry duty.

With thirty-round magazines, just enough shift can occur to alter the angle of feed and cause malfunctions.  This is particularly true when the operator uses the magazine as a forgrip or digs it into the ground when firing from prone.  The phenomena is unusual with twenty-round magazines, but common with thirty-rounders.

As noted above, short magazines are much easier to use when firing from prone than are long ones, particularly for thin people.

They say when they establish contact, one can never get to the ground too flat or too fast!  None of them use bipods, as they position the body too high.

They all use slings and have their rifles with them, loaded and ready to go, constantly.

I've not met a single, seasoned soldier who employs full-automatic fire.  All use carefully aimed fire exclusively, and typically comment that it is only the greenhorns who go full auto, usually as part of a panic response.  After these new folks had seen their first fight, they quickly learn to seek and identify targets, then take them out with carefully aimed, individual shots.  In fact, the experienced guys indicate that they are not too keen on sharing ammo after the noise dies down, and the rookies have discovered that they are already halfway through their last magazine!

I may seem coarse, but it is their way of underscoring the importance of each round issued to each individual.  It emphasizes each one's responsibility for his own survival and his ability to meaningfully contribute to the unit's survival and ultimate victory."

Well said!

/John

1 June 00

Confirmation from another friend in the Philippines, this one serving with an American bureau advising local police:

"They do prefer twenty-round magazines for the reasons mentioned.  Most of the M16s here were manufactured over twenty-five years ago, so there can be considerable play in the magazine well after seating/reseating magazines so many times.

Victory is impossible without fire discipline.  Americans during the Korean War decisively demonstrated that surgically accurate, disciplined, semi-auto fire is more than adequate to stop charging hordes of attackers, especially with an ass-kicking rifle like the M1 Garand!  Whoever came up with the "mad minute" concept in the Vietnam War was certainly a friend of Olin and other ammunition contractors, but no friend of the rest of us.  The Vietnamese Ranger battalion that I served with in 1967-1968 never practiced it.

For Scout/Rangers here, ammunition resupply is not nearly as reliable or consistent as was the case in Vietnam.  Ammo conservation is thus mandatory, particularly during extended operations.  On the other side, local Muslim insurgents get most of their ammo from the black market, run by local military personnel!"

/John

2 June 00

From Tucson, AZ:

"Front page story, today's newspaper.  Sunday night about 9:30 in Tucson a 31-year-old jogger was attacked by two males attempting to rob him.  One of the attackers pulled a knife.  Jogger produced a 9mm pistol and drills him with a single shot, through-and-through the left chest.  Robbery suspect goes down.  Second suspect surrenders without further incident.  Jogger holds both at gunpoint until police show up.

Police interview result: Jogger has valid CCW.  Jogger says: ‘.....I thought my life was in danger...' and not much more.  He is not charged.  Police said he apparently acted appropriately from start to finish.

News media interview result: Jogger says: ‘.....I'm surviving....' and ‘....I wish it had never happened...' and not much more except to insist that his name not be disclosed which, to date, it has not been.

Suspect number one, 32-year-old Ramon Soto, remains in fair condition at Tucson Medical Center.  Suspect number two, 24-year-old Eduardo Reyna, remains in police custody, charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.  Bond set at $5,000.00, pending arraignment."

Lesson: The two Chinese characters which, when placed together, is translated "luck" are the one representing "preparation" and the one representing "opportunity."  This jogger was ready to confront the scum of the world, even though he had no desire to do so.  Thanks to his alertness and preparation he is alive and well and went home to his family that night.  Of course, in our shallow and self-centered age, the media will describe him as "lucky" and his attackers as "victims of gun violence."   

/John

3 June 00

From a student:

"Over Memorial Day weekend, two friends and I decided to drive from Denver to Las Vegas for some gambling and a Bruce Springsteen concert.  I was hesitant to even bring the Glock 23 which I used during the Course, as I was traveling with two quintessential grass-eaters, who would have been uncomfortable with even the presence of a gun.

Weighing the risk and benefits, I ultimately decided to pack up my pistol in its pistol rug (in transport mode) and toss it into my suitcase.  I never mentioned it to anyone.  It was on our way back to Denver that I was shocked back into the actualization that we, as gunmen, don't get to choose the moment when we're challenged by unwholesome circumstances.

We were traveling east through the vacuous Utah desert when it became obvious that we were about to run out of gas.  I had been asleep in the back of the car when we passed the last gas station.  As a precaution, I retrieved my pistol from my bag, loaded it, performed a chamber check, then stuck it into my waist band and covered it up with my shirt, waiting for the inevitable moment when the engine stopped.  A spare magazine went into my pocket.

The moment came exactly fifty-one miles away from the nearest gas station.  We pulled over to the side of the freeway as the engine died.  A hasty cell phone call brought us the news that AAA was at least an hour away.  We sat there and waited, but not for long!

A rumpled Jeep Wrangler stopped, I thought to render assistance.  However, the driver parked twenty yards in front of our car.  Three dirty, unkempt men instantly exited and started walking toward us, saying nothing. 

I assumed my interview stance, started moving laterally, and, when they got within ear shot, I called out to them, ‘May I help you gents?"  No response.  I then thanked them for stopping but indicated that we were okay and didn't need any help.  Still no response.  Abruptly, they looked at each other and returned to their Jeep, all without saying a word.  They left, and we never saw them again.  Shortly thereafter, AAA arrived with some gasoline, and we were on our way once more.

I had prepared myself for a real emergency, even though I had not realized it until it actually happened."

Lesson: Victimizers are not fighters.  My friend made them nervous enough to break off their attempted contact and look for easier victims.

Much of what we teach has nothing to do with shooting, but it is just as important.

/John 

3 June 00

I just finished the 2000 NTI at Harrisburg, PA.  Details will follow, but I want to report on a serious shooting injury which occurred on the range here yesterday.  You may hear about this, and I want to get the facts straight now.

One of the live-fire, tactical challenges involved a 360-degree range.  The script required the participant to enter a school yard, ultimately enter the school building itself, and then search until he found his toddler relative.  The toddler was then to be extracted and removed from the school.

As he entered the exercise, each participant learned that the Trenchcoat Mafia had taken over, and that shooting was ongoing within the building and on the school grounds. 

The entry point was a narrow "doorway" (constructed of earthen berms) obscured by a shower curtain covering the entrance.  Each participant was escorted by a range officer to the shower curtain.  When ready, the range officer would position himself directly behind the participant, and both would enter.

It was the range officer who was shot by a participant.

As he entered, each participant was greeted by four, armed (three-dimensional, rubber mannequins with four-inch diameter, rubber "hit cores") criminals, who had to be shot until they were all down.  When I went through, I expended sixteen rounds (9mm 124gr Cor-Bon) at this juncture alone, and I still (with slide locked to the rear) had to kick the last guy in order to persuade him to fall!

With these four bad guys dispensed with, the participant then moved to and entered the school building and proceeded with the rest of the exercise.  The participant was entirely on his own.  No range officer was there, just the participant.  The participant could shoot in any direction and engineer the problem any way he wanted.  Doors opened at random, exposing threats.  After the toddler was located and ultimately rescued, and the participant was out of the building, the exercise was called to a halt, and the participant was required to holster before exiting the active area.

At the beginning, the range officer exited the problem (backward) as soon as both he and the participant were through the curtain.  When the initial four targets were engaged, the range officer was long gone.

I was not on the range when the incident happened, so I didn't witness it personally, but here are the facts:

The participant involved is a competent, seasoned gunman who has attended the last several NTIs.  He is no novice and is well respected by all of us.  Likewise for the range officer.

The range officer was shot at close range.  The bullet (40S&W 155gr truncated cone hardball from a Glock 35) entered at a downward angle, entering just below the belt line on the right side, passing through and through, and exiting the right buttocks.  The bullet subsequently struck the ground and was never recovered.

The injured range officer was treated by several physicians who where there participating themselves and immediately evacuated to a local hospital.  His femur as damaged and a plate had to be inserted to complete his treatment.  However, an outright recovery is expected with no permanent disability.

The participant indicated that he started engaging the initial four targets, then caught movement out of the corner of his eye.  He spun around, and discharged his weapon in the direction of the range officer who was still behind him.  He recognized right away what had happened and immediately stopped firing.

I can testify from personal experience that the NTI mannequins are extremely lifelike and shooting them is about as close to shooting real people as I ever want to come.

The incident is still being studied, and changes in protocol and future exercise design may follow as a result.

However, the NTI is an exciting event, and it is open only to seasoned, professional gunmen.  In past years, a number have been invited, discovered to be inadequate, and never invited again.  The men and women here are all exceedingly competent.  When high-speed gunmen participate in sophisticated tactical challenges like this, there is always significant risk, no matter how careful and "safe" we all try to be.

That is the lesson, and we all agreed that we must go on with this and continue to advance the art, despite this, the first NTI shooting injury.

/John

5 June 00

More news from South Africa:

"You may have heard of all the drama related to our transport services between the black-owned minibus/taxi organizations and the black-owned bus services.  The taxi people are forcing the busses out of the townships by trapping the bus, shooting the drivers to death, and subsequently burning the bus.  Passengers and bystanders are commonly hit with stray bullets as the most commonly used weapon is a Soviet AK-47 on full auto."

/John

6 June 00

I've just returned from NTI 2000, conducted at the West shore Sportsmen's Club near Harrisburg, PA last week.  As in years past, there were several "static," live-fire drills, several dynamic, live-fire drills (this year including a 360 degree shoot-house which you entered and negotiated by yourself), and several dynamic, Simunition drills (involving role players) in ASTA Village.  On Saturday, there was also an optional "partners" drill in ASTA Village (using Simunitions).  This later drill was an opportunity to confront dangerous situations with a partner, who may or may not be armed.  In addition to the event itself, there were numerous seminars, lectures, and panel discussions by Andy Stanford, Greg Hamilton, John Holschein, Don Redl, Chris Wiggins, and others including me.

The NTI is open only to trained and experienced gunmen.  Even then, several are "dis-invited" every year, because they are obviously in over their heads.  UNSAFE GUN HANDLING, WHINING, AND SLOPPY MANNERS ARE ALSO INSTANT DISQUALIFIES.

To get the most out of the NTI, you need to HANG YOUR EGO ON THE DOOR AS YOU GO IN, lapse into student mode, and be prepared to have your mistakes and shortcomings pointed out.  PEOPLE WHO ARE COMPETITION ORIENTED WILL GET LITTLE OUT OF THE EXERCISE.  When running each challenge, you need to stop worrying about what you think some observer wants to see you doing and what "score" you might receive, and start worrying about how you're going to use all your skills to successfully negotiate the drill, with the understanding that there will probably always be a way it could have been done better

. 

It was, as always, a wonderful learning experience for me and an opportunity to go through rigorous tactical exercises that I didn't set up.

Here are the lessons which were most meaningful for me:

>It is burdensome but we must compel ourselves to LOOK ALL AROUND ALL THE TIME.  Again the year, I failed to see several targets which appeared behind me.  The problem is most acute when one is focused on a source of danger, and he is closely following unfolding reality.  Even then, he must snap his head around quickly, so that concealed threats are seen quickly and dealt with expeditiously. 

A good tactic is to "herd" threats and danger areas ahead of you as you move, so that you keep your back continuously exposed only to areas which are relatively safe.  You can then narrow the focus of your attention as much as possible.  A good tactic it is, but it is often not possible, and, when you have potential threat areas all around you (which is the usual situation), the only thing you can do is keep moving rapidly and keep looking all around, discriminating and acting as quickly and appropriately as you can.

MANY OF US LOOK, BUT DON'T SEE. This is because we often don't know what to look for or what form threats usually take.  Experience is the best teacher here.  Everything we see or otherwise detect is "filtered" in the brain.  Competent tacticians must therefore "tune their filters," so that threats, even hidden ones, are quickly detected and evaluated.  You thus must not just look "at" the window.  You must look THROUGH the window to see what is on the other side and not fall into the trap of looking upon the window itself as some kind of barrier.  You don't just look "at" the car.  You look INTO the car, so you can detect threats on the inside.  It's an acquired sill, but one which we all must continually refine.

>When confronting people the looks of whom you don't like, make eye contact (so they know you see them), and KEEP MOVING.  It's when you stop to talk with them or stop for any other reason that they will pin you in position and initiate their attack.  SO LONG AS YOU ARE MOVING, YOU ARE SETTING THE PACE AND CONTROLLING THE AGENDA.  They are forced to respond to you.  So long as you expose them to a new reality faster than they can adjust, a successful attack is extremely unlikely.  They never catch up.

WHEN ATTACKING PAIRS, MUGGERS WILL ALWAYS TRY TO SEPARATE YOU.  So long as you are in a position to support each other, again a successful attack is unlikely. 

We were all amazed and troubled at how easy it is to kidnap children, even when a parent is nearby.  One practitioner went through ASTA village with his eight-year-old son.  The boy was successfully kidnaped so fast, the father (only a few feet away) was unable to respond effectively.

In at least one case, separated partners ended up shooting each other!

>In the live-fire exercises, shots impacting in the "thoracic triangle" receive the highest score.  This is as it should be, but I find that when I have my front sight high on the chest of the bad guy, I precipitously lose the whole thing when he ducks.  I thus prefer to hold my front sight on the navel area.  That way, I'm confident that he won't be able to get away from me, no matter how he moves.  The consequence is that some of my shots are low, as I tend to start shooting in the navel and then move into the upper chest with subsequent shots.  It's a conscious decision on my part.  I'm trying to persuade Skip to incorporate into the live-fire problems targets that "duck."  Practitioners who consistently place their front sights high on the chest may then see the downside of doing it that way.

>We must all be careful not to succumb to the temptation to "think only within the box."  In one live-fire exercise each practitioner had to give the RO ten 45LC rounds prior to the stage beginning.  So, each of us knew there would be a Colt or Ruger SAA in there somewhere that we would have to use.  Sure enough, that was the case, but, in my mind at least, the image of that SAA was so strong that I didn't see an ax handle which was also there and which I could have used.  I didn't see it, because it didn't fit the image of what I was looking for.

In another, similar case, I had to serve as a juror in ASTA Village and was compelled to leave my revolver with the bailiff who locked it in a lock box as I walked into the courthouse.  When I reclaimed my revolver, I, of course, swung the cylinder out to confirm that it was still loaded.  It was, but I failed to see that two of the cartridges had dented primers.  I "SAW" WHAT I THOUGHT I WANTED TO SEE, NOT WHAT WAS ACTUALLY THERE.

>In one Simunition drill, a criminal rushed up to me and stuck a revolver in my face, holding it with two hands, demanding money.  I decided a disarm was the best option and executed it immediately.  I used the two-handed disarm technique, and it worked perfectly!  My astonished attacker tried to fire, but it was too late.  The shot missed widely, and I had the gun.  In a case like the, I'm not sure what besides a disarm would work.

>In the past, all the live-fire, building stages required an RO to be with each practitioner all the time, in order to prevent him from getting disoriented and firing a shot backward or in another unsafe direction.  With all those stages, I consciously go only at seventy-five percent, because I'm always concerned about the safety of the RO.  I'm not comfortable going any faster.  This time, in the 360 degree problem, the practitioner was on his own, with no RO present.

For the first time, I was going at one-hundred percent.  I was spinning around and shooting behind me with no hesitation and moving through the building very rapidly.  YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO CONTROL THE PACE OF THE EXERCISE.  It unfolded before you, rapidly.  Doors opened.  Threats were exposed.  Targets moved.  You had to react.  It was exhilarating, but exhausting.  I found myself hyperventilating, and my legs were shaking when the problem ended.  I shot this stage twice, because there were so many learning points in it.  Going through exercises at this level of stress is extremely beneficial. 

I found myself on the verge of panic several times, and I discovered that THE BEST ANTIDOTE FOR PANIC IS FOCUS.  Focused rage is a powerful ally.

I really hope more stages can be set up like that in the future, but it is no place for amateurs!  The mannequin targets are all dressed and VERY real looking! 

>In the live-fire buildings, MUCH OF MY SHOOTING WAS ONE-HANDED.  My left hand was continually tied up opening doors, getting obstacles out of the way, and holding rescued children.  Maybe we need to spend more time on one-handed shooting! 

>In the low-light portion of the ASTA Village exercises, I discovered that, IF YOU FLASH YOUR FLASHLIGHT IN A PERSON'S EYES FOR A MOMENT, THEN TURN IT OFF, MOVE, THEN FLASH HIM AGAIN, AFTER A FEW REPETITIONS HE BECOMES DISORIENTED.  This trick was used by several practitioners to bewilder and confuse potential muggers in the darkened parking garage.

I might think of more things, but the forgoing is what sticks in my mind the most.  We all owe Skip, Jim, and the entire NTI crew a debt of gratitude for putting the event on. 

Statistics show that most people who commit murders with guns, when they actually committing the murder, are handling a gun for the first time in their lives!  So, most opponents one might encounter in the real world are not nearly as formidable as the ones found at the NTI.  Thus, if you are satisfied with your performance there, you're probably in good shape.

The NTI is something I recommend for all my instructors.  I'm looking forward to next year!

/John

6 June 00

Several wanted to know what I shot the NTI with this year:

I used a Glock-19 and a Kahr 40.  In the Glock I used Cor-Bon 124 gr HP, and in the Kahr I used Cor-Bon 150gr HP.  The Glock was in a Ky-Tec (Dave Elderton) Braveheart (inside the waistband) holster.  The Kahr was in a Ky-Tec pocket holster.  All functioned perfectly!

/John

6 June 00

From further inquiries:

My guns were concealed under a brown, Concealed Carry Clothiers sleeveless, summer-weight vest from Walt Brewer.  I keep a notebook in the right-hand pocket to lend stiffness to the side of the garment as I draw.  I wore it on and off the range.  It worked great.

/John 

8 June 00

This from a friend with the New Jersey State Police.  We all know the NJSP has been looking for a replacement for their aging H&K P7-M8s.  Here is the latest:

"We were told the our P7s would be replaced with Glocks.  Our P7s are over sixteen years old, and we're now having a twenty percent breakdown on the range every time we fire.  That is, twenty percent of the guns go down and have to go the armorer to get patched up every time we shoot.  The situation is horrible!  The troopers have no faith that their guns are going to work.  They're all just old and worn out.

In fact, we had a trooper killed in 1996.  A contributing factor was the fact that his P7 went down in the middle of the fight with a broken spring.  That is when the replacement program went into "high gear," or so we were told.

Four years later, and nothing has happened.  Our idiot governor appointed an attaboy goofy (retired FBI) to "study the matter."  Goofy is afraid we "might be sued" if he makes a decision.  Our safety is apparently not important.

The result: Our idiot governor and spineless colonel just spent nearly a half million dollars of gun replacement money to buy a bus and sent it as far west as Kansas City in an effort to recruit minorities (two DWI CONVICTIONS doesn't make you ineligible, as long as you're the right flavor!).  Our safety continues to be a non-issue.

Now they just announced that they were buying NEW P7s from H&K at an exorbitant price, but only as an "interum/emergency measure" while they continue to "study the problem."

If they have such utter contempt for us and our safety, I wonder how the safety of citizens ranks on their list on concerns!

No one will stand up for us.  Moral couldn't be lower."

/John

13 June 00

This from a friend in Baltimore.  A "good" shooting:

"On 31 May 00 an eighteen-year-old robbery suspect was shot to death by a Baltimore City PD officer.  This is the seventh shooting by the Baltimore PD this year, the third fatality.

Our officer confronted the suspect (who fit the description of the robbery suspect being sought) after a foot chase.  The suspect turned toward the officer and had something in his hand.  The officer commanded him to "drop the weapon."  There was no compliance.

Our officer then fired several shots (exact number not yet determined, but it was more than two) from his service handgun (Glock 17, loaded w/WW 147gr SXT). 

The suspect was struck in the head and upper chest.  He collapsed immediately and was pronounced dead at the scene.  The object in the suspect's hand was, in fact, a gun (9mm, brand not reported).  It was found a short distance from his body.  It was discovered to be unloaded.

Our officer was unhurt."

Lesson: When you have to shoot to keep from getting hurt, shoot carefully and adequately to end the fight quickly.  In this case, the officer had been running and was probably out of breath.  In spite of all that, he did his duty with precision and determination.  Good show!

/John

16 June 00

This is from a recent student:

>Watching the front sight and completely ignoring the rear is wrong.  I think some of my shots were high, because my front sight was way above the rear.  It is easy to become too comfortable and not pay attention to the basics.

>When engaging a target, one must fight hard to remember that there is more of the world around you, which could contain additional threats, than just what is in front of your gun.  YOU HAVE TO FINISH THE JOB AND DRAG YOURSELF BACK TO THE REST OF THE WORLD QUICKLY, EVEN IF IT HURTS.  Tunnel vision is not a good thing.

>When pushed physically to an extreme, your mind, if focused and determined, can operate successfully, even when your body begins to fail.  I found running out of air, but continuing to shoot and hit was proof or this.

>The ability to consistently shoot accurately is far more important than caliber selection.

Excellent observations!  These important skills must be exercised regularly, lest we become irrelevant.

/John

17 June 00

This is from a friend in a large PD in the Midwest.  The subject is Tasers:

"We had an exciting incident here last week. A suicidal man in his forties pulled into our police department parking lot in his van and announced he was going to kill himself.  He was holding a utility knife to his own throat.  He was alone in the van.

In response, we boxed in and subsequently immobilized his vehicle using our vehicles and Stop Sticks.  One of our officers then began talking with him through the opened door on the driver's side of his van.  Another officer covertly positioned himself with a Taser M26 on the opposite side of the van.  The only shot he had was a poor one, through the open passenger-door window.

Some time passed without success, so we decided to introduce the suspect to twenty-six watts of electricity.  Our officer fired the Taser through the open window. The probes struck the subject on the right side and hip.  He suddenly dropped the knife and went into convulsions.  We then approached the vehicle and assisted the suspect to the ground.  He was, of course, immediately searched and restrained.

The suspect recovered after several minutes.  He commented that he had a severe, burning pain in his kidney but had otherwise returned to ‘normal.'  He was subsequently transported to a local hospital.  No permanent injury was reported.

I had previous experience with the old, seven-watt Tasers and, like you, was not impressed.  Then, our department hosted a Taser Instructors' Seminar earlier this year in order to introduce everyone to the new units. To become an instructor, one must endure a one-half second ‘hit.'  The normal delivery time in a real situation is five seconds.  After that experience, Lord, I do not want five seconds!  I had no control of myself during the shot, and experienced intense pain.  That day, I became a believer, and now that we have applied it in the field, I am thoroughly convinced of it's value.

It offers an effective force option with a twenty-one-foot range, that I don't think anyone can ‘out desire.'  In the case described above, chemical agent would have been difficult to use effectively, and a bean bag, if used, could only have been fired at an extremity.

As it turns out, the Taser we actually used was a loaner from the company.  Ours are on order.  The company representative had left one with us saying, ‘Hey, you may be able to use this.'"

/John

18 June 00

This is from a friend who is a contract trainer in a large, East Coast PD.  He does a lot of Simunition exercises and role playing with his officers:

"I am absolutely convinced that, when threatened, IF YOU DON'T MOVE IMMEDIATELY, YOU WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON YOUR FRONT SIGHT RATHER THAN ON THE THREAT ITSELF.  Tunnel vision comes crashing in, and moving immediately helps to break it up and keep you in the fight.

Effective management of anxiety helps one to transition from Orange to Red smoothly, without becoming overloaded and shooting blindly (panic shooting)."

Sage advice from someone in a position to know.

/John 

28 June 00

This from a colleague in the training business:

"Last Saturday at one of our ‘permit classes' a young lady arrived with a new, Taurus 38Spl revolver (snubby), with a ‘key lock' behind the hammer.  They all come that way now.  It's a new ‘safety' feature.

As she was shooting, the revolver suddenly locked up and thereafter could not be made to fire.  The thing just stopped without the key ever having been used to lock the firearm. Under the recoil of multiple shots, the locking screw apparently decided to operate itself!

She didn't have the key with her, and we had to loan her another pistol in order for her to finish the course.  Not very comforting, to say the least!"

Lesson: If your defensive firearm comes with attachments and gizmos placed there solely for political correctness, get them off the gun immediately, before they cost you your life! 

/John

28 June 00

Live-fire House.  This is from a colleague who regularly runs live-fire training scenarios in his training building on his range.  Some good points:

"Last weekend I ran several shooters through our live-fire house.  The scenario placed the student at a house he had never seen before and, due to exigent circumstances, he was obliged to clear the building himself and not wait for police.

The front door opened into an ambush with three armed, bad guys (mannequins) in the first room.  In the same room there was a body on the floor with a pistol laying next to it.  There was only one other mannequin in the house.  It was unarmed and located in a closet in a bedroom.

Observations:

>Only two students even observed, much less engaged, bad guys through an open window next to the door.  All saw the window.  Through it, bad guys were plainly visible, but MOST PERCEIVED THE WINDOW AS AN IMPENETRABLE BARRIER and thus failed to actually look THROUGH it or consider shooting through it.

>Not one student saw the pistol laying on the floor.  Most never even saw the body on the floor.  When the weapons in the hands of the bad guys were first perceived, tunnel vision came crashing in and prevented students from seeing other important parts of the puzzle.

>When engaged, no legitimate target was in excess of nine feet from any student.  Yet, I had to patch up many holes throughout the building!  Excitement and tunnel vision caused many to forget their front sight.  ‘Panic shooting' was exhibited by more than a few.

>Although the mannequin in the bedroom closet was unarmed, several students blasted it at once when I yelled ‘Hey you!'  Some even sheepishly commented that I ‘pushed them to shoot.'  How unfair of me!"

Lesson: Training not done under some level of stress will probably not be accessible when you are under the stress of an actual incident.  Training, if it is going to be of any use at all, must be stressful.  Even otherwise competent shooters, who train regularly but under relaxed conditions, typically lapse into "divide overflow" when confronted by real stress.   

/John

3 July 00

A sagacious observation from a friend who is a training officer with the State Patrol:

"While we were sitting around the picnic table with relatives, my sister (who has never handled a firearm in her life) asked for the mustard bottle (squeeze type) to be passed.  I complied with her request and in so doing held the bottom of the bottle which caused the top of the bottle with the nozzle to point at her.  Without hesitation, she protested, ‘Hey, don't point that thing at me.'

It immediately dawned on me that common sense dictates that one should not carelessly and inadvertently point weapons at one's self or others, even if the ‘weapon' is no more harmful than a mustard bottle.  Yet, we see it all the time, caused by people who are a little too casual about safety.

How interesting it is that my sister, not even a gun owner, much less a seasoned gunman, still instantly recognizes a situation that puts her safety in jeopardy.  But, how may ostensibly highly trained and seasoned officers with my department menace themselves or others daily with the careless and nonchalant handling of their duty weapon, and give it scarcely a thought!"

/John

4 July 00

New weapons:

At a Defensive Urban Rifle and Shotgun Course in the Midwest last weekend, we had an officer bring an H&K G-36 rifle.  A female student used an M1 Carbine.  Another student used a Robinson Rifle, and another brought a new Remington 870 shotgun.

The H&K G-36 is a military, 223 rifle with an integral, optical sight.  It is a Class III item that cannot be imported for commercial sales, but this particular police department has a number of them, and they are issued to individual officers.  This same department was at our class last year when the rifles were new.  After a year of significant use, they're holding up well, and are useable by most officers.  They love them!

I continue to be impressed by the reliability and usability of the M1 Carbine, particularly in the hands of small-statured people.  My female student (who was small, even for a woman) was able to heft and deploy her M1 Carbine with grace and precision.  Her movements were smooth, and she was deadly accurate.  When she tried to use an AR-15, she was awkward and clumsy.  Her M1 Carbine functioned throughout the entire weekend without a single hiccup. 

The Robinson Rifle, manufactured in Utah, is most impressive.  It is a 223, military rifle and is patterned after the second-generation Stoner design.  It uses a gas piston (rather than a gas-activated bolt carrier) and takes AR-15 magazines.  It is well put together.  I still like the first-generation Stoner System, but this new rifle has a lot going for it.

Remington is now putting a lockable, manual safety on their 870 shotgun.  I assume they are now doing the same with all their weapons, or soon will.  The trigger-block, manual safety button now has a key slot which is designed to accept a special key (supplied with the weapon).  One can now "lock" the manual safety into the "on" position.  If this is the new trend, I wonder how many people are going to be murdered as they are desperately trying to get their firearms into a condition where they can be made to fire.  Encumbering perfectly good guns with these dubious "safety devices" ultimately serves only to make them unreliable.  Guns that won't shoot are like cars that won't start.  Something for the grass eaters.

Finally, the City of Chicago, IL Police Department has issued external trigger locks to all of its officers and has announced, with much fanfare, that they now require all officers "lock their gun up" any time the officers are actually working.  We'll see two things: (1) A rash of shooting accidents as officers or their family members try to install trigger locks on loaded guns, or try to remove them from loaded guns.  (2) Officers murdered in their own homes by criminals who are now confident that they can break in without any risk of getting hurt.  I wonder if the Mayor and Chief of Police (who obviously regard to lives and health of their officers as expendable) have locks installed on the guns that are protecting them!

Happy 4th to everyone!

/John

4 July 00

Kahr P9:

I've been carrying a polymer-framed Kahr P9 (9mm) for several weeks now.  Last weekend I had an opportunity to give it a good workout.

This is the best pistol Kahr has made!  Extremely reliable, slim, light, and easy to carry.  It carries equally well in an IWB holster or a pocket liner.  I've used both, made for me by Dave Elderton at Ky-Tac.

The biggest complaint we've had about Kahr pistols is their weight.  The P9 finally addresses the weight problem.  You hardly know you have it on!  Good show from Kahr.

/John

4 July 00

An interesting discovery by a friend who is in charge of training at a large PD in the Midwest:

"We here have found huge differences in shooters' scores when they shoot using only an unattached flashlight compared with shooting two-handed in low/ambient light.  They do much better two-handed in low/ambient light!

I think that it is more than just the necessity to fire with one hand unsupported.  I think that the most important factor is manipulating the flashlight and the weapon independently, at slightly different times, and in different ways, requires that shooters use both halves of their brains in a synchronized manner.  Many are just not used to doing that.

Our officers who fire 85%-95% in any two-handed drill drop to 70%-80% in the flashlight qualification.  This statistical data surprised all of us when we instituted our flashlight-only qualification.  I thought that it would be a bunny course, and that we would have to tighten it up.  Not so.  We had to leave it be.  It was already formidable, judging by the scores."

Lesson: We're all still learning in this business.  There are many things none of us understand very well.  I am compelled now to look into this.

/John

4 July 00

Comments from my friend in the Philippines:

“M1 Carbine ammo is still produced here for export to other countries like Cambodia. Apparently, the Carbine is alive and well over there. Given the small stature of Asian troops, it isn't a bad choice.

‘Internal lock’on  870s?  That is a regrettable decision on the part of Remington.  The pump shotgun has one of the simplest manuals of arms going. The introduction of such problematical devices into an otherwise simple system will do little more than negate the respectable reputation of the pump shotgun.”

/John

5 July 00

Gary at Taurus responded to my quip of 28 June 00 on the reported failure of the internal lock now being installed on all Taurus pistols:

"Before joining Taurus two years ago, I shared your skepticism about (internal) locks. I am also an NRA certified safety instructor. After checking the Taurus Security System (TSS), I was more than satisfied that it has advantages none other can offer and is a worthwhile safety option, as mechanically sound as transfer bar ignition on a revolver or the grip safety on my Government Model.

I carry for personal protection, and my having a firearm at hand has prevented personal injury and harm to others on several occasions. Nevertheless, my unattended firearms are locked separately from ammunition, and the Taurus Security System makes that a very convenient safety precaution to take.

Without any previously known failures of a disengaged TSS to remain disengaged, we are curious to test the firearm in question and ascertain whether the system was properly in the unlocked position. As you can see from the enclosed graphic, the mechanism has been built to lock securely, requiring a twisting motion, and does not lend itself to spinning freely even under the force of recoil. In fact, the TSS is installed on every Raging Bull ever made and I am unaware of any similar occurrence when the key was properly rotated that quarter turn with a distinctive click to announce proper disengagement."

/John

8 July 00

From on of our instructors:

"I finally saw the new Remington 870 locking, crossbolt safety.  It uses a small ‘key' - actually a tiny L-shaped piece of metal that inserts into the crossbolt in order to turn the safety between one of two positions (‘on' and ‘off'), slightly less than ninety degrees apart.

There are detents which are intended to keep the safety in the desired position.  Unhappily, I was able to easily turn the crossbolt with my fingers from the unlocked to the locked position, without using the key.

Once in the locked position, you HAVE TO use the key to unlock it.  The detent in the operating (‘off') position is non-locking while the detent in the disabled (‘on') position is locking!  It appears that the new crossbolt safety is not interchangeable with the old one.

On the copy I examined, the lock could unintentionally engage in the middle of a fight, immediately rendering the gun useless."

Lesson: The manufacturers are obviously rushing "internal gun locks" into production so fast that there is no time for adequate testing.  Americans are being asked to "beta test" all these new gimmicks with their lives!  Politicians and manufacturers obviously view us as expendable.

/John

9 July 00

From a trainer in the Federal System with regard to the new locking safety on Remington shotguns:

"Can you picture it?  Police shotguns with a lockable, manual safety, which is always locked (either intentionally or inadvertently), locked in a lock box, locked in the trunk of a locked patrol car! The only thing that would be "safer" is to never take it out of the shipping carton!"

/John

10 July 00

From a friend in the Midwest:

"On July 5th, at about 10:00pm, while traveling on the Interstate, we came upon a roll-over accident that had just happened.

As we stopped, I saw a person attempting to direct traffic, but he didn't know how, didn't have a flashlight, and he was standing where he would surely have been injured.  So, I ran over to him, took out my SureFire flashlight, and used it to effectively and safely direct the traffic until the local police arrived.

Like you, I carry my Surefire in an Elderton Ky-Tac carrier on my left side, just behind my spare magazine.  It occurred to me afterward that there was no time for me to go back to the car and get a flashlight.  The fact that I had the flashlight on my person made it possible for me to act immediately, which likely prevented additional accidents.  Glad I had it!"

Lessons: I carry a Surefire on my person all the time, just for situations like the forgoing.  There is seldom any no time to "get" ready, you must BE ready.

/John

10 July 00

From a friend in the Federal System:

"The State of Massachusetts is ‘requesting’ that local FBI special agents install trigger locks on all FBI firearms not actually being carried on the person.  The request is specifically directed at weapons carried in the trunks of FBI vehicles,  ie: shotguns, AR's, MP5's etc, and guns in the homes of FBI agents.

No amount of calmly explaining the illogic of carrying 'perfectly safe, therefore perfectly useless' guns has been persuasive.  So far, our local SAC (Special Agent in Charge) has told the State of Massachusetts to go screw themselves.  However, given the political climate in Washington and the fact that this is an election year, all that could change.  What self-respecting politician would hesitate to sacrifice the lives of a few insignificant FBI agents in order to get elected?"

Lesson: In the eyes of politicians, police are as expendable as everyone else.  Only the body guard details of those same politicians can count on not being asked to disarm.

/John

11 July 00

This is from a colleague in Ohio:

"Two of our officers were chasing a man driving a stolen pickup.  During the chase, the pickup collided with another vehicle and rolled over.  The suspect was able to partially extricate himself from the pickup and, after doing so, immediately started shooting at our officers.  Our officers promptly returned fire.  The suspect was struck multiple times and died at the scene.

What the two involved officers and the other officers who arrived shortly thereafter didn't know was that the suspect's girlfriend was two cars up when the accident occurred.  Upon seeing the roll-over in her rearview mirror, she turned around and came back.  She pulled up BEHIND our officers (who were all confronting the fatally wounded suspect) and opened fire on them with a handgun and a shotgun.  Our officers were unaware anyone was there and were thoroughly astonished by gunfire erupting behind them!

After firing just a few shots, the woman fled and was captured without incident a short time later. Luckily, she failed to hit any of our people.  Our guys survived, but through no fault of their own!"

Lessons:

(1) You need to be always looking behind you.  It's not just in Africa that people make a science of sneaking up behind their victims.

(2) Don't relax too soon!  Peirce Brooks taught us that axiom decades ago.  We forget it at our peril.

/John

11 July 00

This is from a friend in active service with the USMC.  Something which should make us all think hard about traditional methods and philosophy with regard to weapon maintenance at the user level:

"Our Assistant Division Commander recently returned from inspecting one of our battalions, concerned that the M16A2s were ‘not holding up well,' according to the armorers.  There were severe accuracy as well as functionality problems.  After a study by our people and Colt, we found that the problem did not lie in the weapon itself, but rather in the Marines.

The Marine Corps was (and is) still adhering to the old policy of exhaustively cleaning weapons for three, consecutive days after each day of firing.  This is a carryover from the days when we used corrosive primers, but, as so often happens, the practice continues long after the reason for it has long since vanished.  The practice was originally instituted in order to prevent bore pitting of unlined, steel barrels back in the days when we used primers which produced salt when they burned.  The salt was then deposited in the bore and, of course, attracted moisture which, in turn, caused rusting.  Thorough scrubbing over several days was required to get all the salt out.  Non-corrosive primers became the norm in the 1950s, and bore rusting and pitting subsequently became far less of a problem.  Chrome-lined barrels also helped reduce rusting.

However, fifty years later our battalion armorers are still holding 'white glove' inspections of all small arms.  In order to get their weapons ready for such inspections, over a period of three days Marines are using steel bore brushes to clean barrels, which actually strips away the chrome lining.  They also use oven cleaner and other corrosive preparations on the aluminum receivers and other parts.  All this is done so that rifles will not stain the armorer's white glove.  Never mind that the barrels are shot and the receivers and internal parts are all corroded.

Most Marines (albeit better trained in marksmanship than is the case with the other services) still really don't know much about guns or shooting, other than what they read in Guns & Ammo.  Officers who compose policies and regulations know even less and are infinitely more concerned about their next promotion than they are about the safety and readiness of their men.  We thus continue to maintain an obsolete system of care and maintenance.

While I believe in keeping our weapons functionally clean, I have continuously campaigned against 'white glove' inspections, all to no avail.  ‘White glove' inspections are so entrenched in the Marine Corps mentality that I may as well suggest urinating on the flag!"

Lesson: Any time there is a conflict between reality and your map, it is your map that is wrong.  Reality is always right!

/John

12 July 00

More on Beretta pistols from a friend in a large PD that issues Berettas:

"I have carried and used a Beretta M96D (40 S&W) for five years.  The pistol is accurate and reliable.  It feeds all ammunition well and rarely has a stoppage.  Unhappily however, it breaks with alarming frequency.  When broken, it is typically out of action until fixed our armorer.

I have a copy of an internal report our department has put together.  Here are the details of the repair history of one of our guns.  The following is typical for this gun in our department:

96 03 11 Issued, 0 rnds

96 04 08 Chamber bulged.  Barrel replaced, 1,400 rnds.

98 02 03 Trigger return spring broken.  It and recoil spring replaced, 7,500 rnds.

98 02 18 Trigger bar spring broken.  Replaced, 7,800 rnds.

98 05 15 Cracked chamber.  Barrel replaced again, 9,120 rnds.

99 10 18 Broken locking pin on takedown lever.  Replaced, 11,835 rnds.

00 01 07 Recoil spring replaced (routine), 13,747 rnds.

00 02 04 Broken trigger return spring again.  Replaced again, 15,802 rnds.

00 04 12 Broken locking pin on takedown lever again.  Replaced again, 18,006 rnds.

00 04 17 Broken locking block; frame cracked; slide damaged.  Pistol deadlined, 18,683 rnds.

The ammunition used is mostly commercially remanufactured 180gr at nominally 950f/s.  Pretty wimpy stuff.

Normally, our pistols are closer to twenty-thousand rounds before the frames break.  We have had a lot of pistols come from the factory with oval and/or weak chambers."

Lesson: The forgoing pretty well typifies the unhappy history of the M96.  M92s (9mm) hold up slightly better.  The drop-lock system used by Beretta is inherently reliable and accurate, probably more reliable than any other pistol operating system.  Unfortunately, it just isn't very durable. 

/John

12 July 00

This from a friend in a local PD with regard to a shooting involving officers from their department which took place several weeks ago.  Some valuable lessons here:

"A two-man beat car from our department responded to an ‘unknown disturbance' call at 11:00pm.  Upon arrival on the scene, our officers found a woman and two men engaged in a shouting match.  All three subjects were standing in the open driver's door of a car that was parked at the end of an alley.  Our officers blocked the entrance to the alley with their vehicle.  Both officers then exited, and one began the usual battery of verbal commands. 

One of the two male subjects abruptly stepped around to the front of his car.  His hands were cupped around his crotch.  Our officer commanded him to get his hands in the air.  The man responded by calmly lifting a five-shot snubby revolver to eye level and pointing it at our officer, all without saying a word!  The officer and the suspect were separated at that point by only six feet.

Our officer did not have his gun drawn.  Upon seeing the gun in the suspect's hand, our officer immediately bolted laterally and subsequently ran behind a nearby dumpster.  His quick, lateral movement probably saved his life!  The other officer, a sergeant, moved in the opposite direction and took cover behind a parked van.

Gun still in hand, the suspect then walked toward the sergeant.  The suspect began firing at the sergeant as he continued to walk toward him.  Our sergeant immediately returned fire using his pistol.  Unfortunately, the sergeant's fire was mostly ineffective.  On the range, he typically fired low and left.  That pattern carried through.  At a distance of fifteen meters, most of the sergeant's rounds struck the concrete in front of the suspect.  One struck the suspect in the right foot, but it is not clear if that shot was a direct hit or a ricochet.  In any event, the sergeant's fire did not stop the suspect, who continued his assault.  

The other officer, firing from behind the dumpster and at a range of twenty meters, struck the suspect twice in the chest, once in the hip, once in the buttocks, and once in the wrist of the non-gun hand.  His hits were effective.  The suspect faltered, dropped to his knees, and pitched over forward.  The other two suspects cowered behind their vehicle.

The suspect fired a total of two rounds.  Both missed.  He attempted to fire at least two more.  His revolver was found with two empty casings, two live rounds with dented primers (duds), and one live round with an intact primer.  The suspect survived his wounds and is currently hospitalized.  Our local judge set his bail amount at only $150,000, because ‘neither officer was actually hurt.'  We'll surely try to do better next time!

An interesting side note: The officer who did the effective shooting was NOT wearing his ballistic garment.  He had ended his shift, but was bored, so he called the sergeant and asked to be picked up, so he could ride along for a while.  In the interim, he had taken off his vest!"

Lessons:

(1) WHEN IT'S LEAST EXPECTED, YOU'RE ELECTED!  This was the first officer-involved shooting this department has had in many years.  It was the last thing either officer thought would happen that night.  The initial circumstances were not particularly galvanizing.  SUDDENLY, THINGS WENT IN THE TOILET WITHOUT WARNING.  The officers here had to make the transition from Orange to Red to Black very quickly.  As the officer who was not wearing his ballistic garment discovered, there is no time to "get ready." 

(2) WHEN YOU BLOCK A SUSPECT'S ONLY AVENUE OF ESCAPE, DON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN HE BECOMES VIOLENT.  Even rats fight when they are cornered!  Be careful what you wish for.

(3) YOUR OPTIONS PROGRESSIVELY EVAPORATE THE CLOSER YOU GET TO SUSPECTS.  When verbal commands are ignored, the tendency is for officers to take a step closer and then repeat the command.  The ignorance of verbal commands is number one among documented, pre-assaultive behaviors.  That is the time to get further away, not closer!

(4) MISSING DOESN'T STOP FIGHTS, NO MATTER THE VOLUME!  The sergeant engaged in what we call "panic shooting." Some naively believe that a large volume of unaimed fire will dissuade violent suspects.  Believe that at your peril!

(5) SUDDEN, LATERAL MOVEMENT MAKES YOU A NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TARGET.  We must practice it all the time.  We can no longer stand in one place, draw, and shoot.  We have to be moving.

/John 

12 July 00

From Master Skip.  This bears contemplation:

"Your posting on the officer who avoided being shot by side stepping instantly is an infield example of what we have been able to

demonstrate at our ATSA Study Group. 

We have demonstrated in repeated studies that, even at six feet and less, a quick side step will cause the bag guy's first shot to miss about seventy-five percent of the time.  There is also a time interval of almost a second until his next shot.  The attacker must discover what happened and reorient himself.

Immediate side movement is much more likely to save your life than is a lightning draw (without lateral movement).  The most that a lightning draw gives you a tie.  Each of you shoots the other at about the same time. 

Lateral movement gives you time, time for you to deliver accurate fire and time for your pistol rounds to take effect.  In the meantime, the probability that you are shot is substantially reduced."

/John

14 July 00

This is from a colleague on the East Coast:

"A local police officer was recently shot at close range (five feet) with twenty gauge, number six birdshot, which entered the armhole of his vest and is mostly still embedded in the front wall of his chest.  He and a fellow officer responded to a domestic dispute in which the subject had used his vehicle to purposely block a police car into his driveway and had defied various police commands.  When the subject came out of the door of the house, the officer sprayed him with OC.  The subject immediately ran back into the house, and the officer pursued him only to find that the subject had retrieved a shotgun.  The officer still had the OC bottle in hand when he was shot.  The officer was able to exit the house, and was helped to cover behind a vehicle by his fellow officer.

The house was soon surrounded by police, but the subject had already fled in the dark from a rear exit.  He was apprehended the next morning.

The injured officer, who was initially in critical condition, is now out of the hospital, but will be quite a while in physical therapy for his injuries.  If the shot charge had hit him a few inches higher (neck/head), he'd most likely be dead.

I think some of the important points are:

1.  Someone sprayed with OC may become irrational and violent, so you must be prepared to respond immediately with a higher level of force if necessary.

2.  An uncooperative suspect who runs into an area you haven't cleared, may be doing so to access a weapon.  Be prepared for this possibility.  If you are following close behind him as he runs into the uncleared area, you will have very little reaction time if he grabs a weapon and then turns on you."

/John

16 July 00

This from a LEO friend in South Florida.  Some good learning points here:

"It was ‘bike week' in Datona.  My wife and I went to a local restaurant called the Lone Cabbage.  They are reputed to serve good alligator and other local cuisine.

When we walked in, I was wearing shorts and an oversized T-shirt that covered my snubby revolver in a strong-side IWB holster.  There were several motor cycles parked outside, and, in retrospect, we should have passed the place up to begin with.  However, we decided to go in anyway.

Bikers were well represented at the bar, and, one at least one apparently saw or suspected a gun under my shirt.  As I passed him, he made a swift and silent hand sign to the guy next to him - a 'gun' symbol with his hand and a gesture toward his right hip.

I didn't see the gesture, by this time spreading down the bar, but my wife did.  She whispered in my ear that she had seen the silent communication.  We elected to continue right out the back door and onto the boardwalk."

Lessons:

>Most sheepeople are so self consumed that wouldn't notice a gun if it fell on the floor!  However, bikers and others who have regular contact with police can be very perceptive in that regard.  Concealed guns must remain discretely concealed all the time.  My friend was a little too casual in that regard, as are we all sometimes.

>The best time to leave is BEFORE things go in the toilet.  My friend correctly left the area immediately the moment he became aware that his status was compromised.

>When you're with your spouse or other family member, work it out ahead of time that, if either one of you sees a problem in the making, the evacuation signal is mutually understood and executed by both of you immediately.  When immediate action is required, that is not the time for discussion!

/John

24 July 00

This from a friend in the NJSP:

"Two weeks ago, our Colonel had a few ‘random Troopers' (read that: ‘set up') test several new handguns as replacements of our broken down fleet of H&K P-7s.

Several weapons were tested by these people (who, like our Colonel, wouldn't know a pistol from a flower pot).  SIG, Glock, H&K USP, Beretta, and S&W were supposedly all in the running.

The word is that a S&W polymer-framed gun has the fast track."

/John 

25 July 00

We just completed an urban Rifle/Shotgun Course in the Northwest.  Some interesting developments:

The range had no gravel.  It had a dirt base, and, due to the dry weather, a fine dust quickly coated everything.  All rifles had a coating of fine dust, which became thicker as the day went on.  We had a number of Colt AR-15s in the program, and all immediately developed functionality problems, mostly feeding and ejection difficulties.

We also had an Israeli Galil (223) and a Romanian Kalashnikov (7.62X39).  Both, equally dirty, continued to function without so much as a hiccup.

One student had a FAL (308).  It worked just fine, until it started going full auto!  At first it doubled.  Then, it started firing five and six rounds full auto.  Of course, we pulled it off the line.  However, there is the first time I've ever seen an FAL do something like that.

Politically correct, ten-round magazines now being supplied with AR-15s are most unsatisfactory.  Unreliable and poorly put together.  If you have an AR-15, be sure to secure an adequate supply of "real" magazines.  Then, deposit the ten-rounders in the nearest garbage can.

/John

26 July 00

News from the NJSP:

"It's official!  The S&W/Walther P99 has been selected by the NJSP to replace the H&K P7.  The replacement program will take at least a year to make its was through the entire department."

News from the Philippines:

"Those tasked to select the ‘official' police service handgun were so enamored by the press Beretta enjoyed in the USA, they never really considered any other gun seriously.  The DAO version (92D) was chosen for the same reason.

We Asians are not built like you Americans (We're much smaller), and many of us have great difficulty managing a big pistol like the Beretta with our small hands.  The DAO trigger exasperates the problem.  Recognizing this, our police hierarchy, in its infinite wisdom, has authorized the conversion of DAOs to DA/SA, at the option of the individual officer.  The individual officer also bears the total expense!"

News from a colleague in Texas:

"High-dollar 1911 clones are popular here, but I see little to recommend them, particularly when Kimber makes an excellent one for $700.00.  I seldom see a Kimber fail.  By contrast, the tight, high-priced ones fail by the numbers!

Speaking of which, we've had two Norinco 1911s here.  Both ran flawlessly for our entire five-day Program.  That involves firing a minimum of twelve hundred rounds.  Neither of the Chinese pistols had had anything done to them.  They were both fresh from the box."

/John

28 July 00

I had a conversation this evening with a seasoned tactical officer with a large metro department in the Midwest.  He is very concerned about the lack of commitment to quality training by police department brass:

"With the economy at its present level, large departments (not unlike the Army, Navy, and Air Force) are having great difficulty meeting staffing quotas.  Most are seriously understaffed, although they try to keep that fact quiet.  California departments are recruiting as far east as the Chicago area, as is the Metro DC PD.  It seems that everyone who actually wants to be a cop already is one!

Police departments have always counted on an endless reserve of naive, young military dischargees to fill their ranks.  Not so any more.  Only departments (mostly, small, suburban ones) who are offering substantial salaries and other benefits are meeting staffing goals.  The rest go begging.

The upshot is that realistic training has suffered.  Chiefs apparently don't want to scare away potential recruits and new hires with strenuous training.  In fact, one large, Midwest police chief recently admitted (in private) that settling civil litigation arising from "problem shootings" by its officers was still cheaper than instituting a department-wide, competent training program.  The money issue looms far more significant than injury and loss of life.

In Illinois, a recent training accident with a 38Spl blank cartridge left an officer with a significant portion of his left quadricep blown away.  He will likely suffer permanent disability and deformity.  Incidents like that send chills up the spines of chiefs and politicians alike.  The result is that a "no risk of injury" policy quickly spreads among departments.  The effect is pointless, sanatized "training" which just wastes time and does nothing to enhance officer survivability and safety."

Lessons:

>THERE IS NO LEARNING WITHOUT RISK.  "Risk-free" training is an exercise in self deception.  Competent training will always involve risk.  The alternative is bunny training which produces little more than animated targets.  Trainers need to stop worrying about "upsetting" and "stressing" students and start thinking about the deaths and injury competent training will prevent.

>THERE IS NO LEARNING WITHOUT PAIN.  True learning always involves exertion, discovery, and, yes, pain.  Discarding dear falsehoods and pursuing the True Way is always painful, even stressful.  "The realization of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom."

/John

28 July 00

From a friend in the Philippines who recently attended their annual, local Gun Show:

"Chinese and Spanish guns are everywhere, everything from revolvers to Tokarevs, PPK clones, 1911 clones, 870 clones, and lever-action 22s.  Prices are dirt cheap.  Sales are brisk!

The Colt XS 1911 line was offered by only one dealer.  Nice factory gun, but the price is prohibitive.  We have a price problem down here with anything imported from any County (such as the USA) that has a strong currency. 

Same dealer had a Kimber.  Same problem on price.  They're just not going to move down here at those prices.

The local company that makes 1911s under the ‘Charles Daly' brand for sale in the USA had a big display.  Guns are well made and reasonably priced.  I don't know about the USA, but they're hot sellers here!

One dealer imported a batch of Ed Brown ‘Classic Custom' pistols.  Stainless lower; blued upper. Fit and workmanship were disappointing.  For a gun that sells for a bank president's monthly pay over here, I expected better. Pass on this one.

There was a Russian-made, Kalashnikov-looking, twelve-gauge, autoloading shotgun on display.  It attracted a lot of attention.  It is marketed locally under the ‘Saiga' name.  Looks similar to the USAS Daewoo.  Something for the kiddies.

S&W was not represented, but Taurus was.  They were proudly showing their extensive line of titanium revolvers.  However, ‘airweight' revolvers are just not very popular here.  Ditto with alloy-framed 1911s. Since it is so difficult to replace a broken gun or get one fixed down here, no one wants a gun that is likely to need repair or replacement any time soon.  Robust guns are the most popular, despite the size and weight.

‘Less lethal' options had a big presence.  Local permits to carry concealed are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, at least for those who bother with such formalities.  Without money and political connections, it's tough to get one.  ASP batons, pepper spray in every imaginable configuration, Tasers and other ERDs, etc were all on sale.  Before this year, all that stuff was hard to find.

Of course, knives were everywhere too. Spyderco, Cold Steel, Benchmade, and even the pricey ‘Masters of Defense' series all sold briskly.

As in your Country, people here want to be armed, and, as in your Country, government assurance of ‘safety' are greeted with disdainful incredulity."

/John

29 July 00

These revealing observations from a friend in LA:

"I was in a movie theater last weekend when the fire alarm went off.  Lights came on in the house, but the exit stairs were poorly lighted.  I used my Surefire light (which, like you, I carry all the time) to illuminate the stairs.  Interestingly, everyone was using only the right-hand side of the stairwell.  Seeing this, I used my light to illuminate the left side and then subsequently opened the left-hand door, which (You guessed it!) no one was using.  When I used the light, people followed me as they would an usher.

Last night, I attended a local rock concert.  A group of young people were mistakenly seated one chair too far over, which put one in my seat.  When I turned on my Surefire to clearly show them that they had left an empty seat by mistake, all ten got up and moved over to let me sit down and were very polite in doing so.

Lessons:

Sheepeople predictably revert to blindly adhering to set routines, even in life-threatening emergencies.  This holds true, even though evacuating a building quickly calls for innovative solutions, such and using both sides of the stairs.

Using a flashlight in a crowd instantly establishes you as a leader and compels compliance, particularly among sheepeople who are accustomed to unquestioningly following directives."

Having a Surefire flashlight you all the time is a good idea!

/John

30 July 00

Saratoga:

"The Eighteenth Century, the ‘Age of Reason,' had produced great thinkers such as Rousseau, Voltaire, and Samuel Johnson, as well as great men of action, such as George Washington and Benedict Arnold.  A man who would also surely change the course of history, but does not rank among the 'greats' in any category, was John Burgoyne.

‘Gentleman Johnny' he was called by bored society ladies in London whom he routinely romanced.  In fact, his gambling, outlandish clothing (He was called a ‘macaroni,' a term referring to a person who engaged in eccentric dressing and other forms of self-advertisement), and numerous sexual indiscretions reached such legendary proportions, that Parliament ultimately sent him to America, just to get him out of town!

Burgoyne had displayed some military talent, though his main aptitude was, as noted above, in politics and socializing.  However, he was exceedingly arrogant and a rueful slave to his own whims.  Like so many present-day politicians, he was a moral weakling.  That proved his fatal flaw and ultimately denied him the prominent place in history he coveted but never qualified for.

The strategy was for Burgoyne's force to sail down Lake Champlain from Quebec, ultimately invading New York.  General Howe would simultaneously advance up the Hudson Valley.  When the two armies linked up, the rebels would be divided and ultimately crushed.  It was a grand plan!  But, like so many naive, military master plans, it soon fell victim to deadly accurate rifle fire delivered by determined Patriots who were resourceful frontiersman as well as inordinately capable marksmen, expertly led by the likes of Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan.

The ultimate confrontation took place at Saratoga.  While he dithered, Burgoyne left his forces in the open too long.  One-by-one, his soldiers were struck by musket balls and rifle bullets.  Before he knew it, his force had been demolished.  The military genius he thought himself to be quickly developed feet of clay.  After more dithering, he unpretentiously surrendered to the Patriots in an effort to salvage himself and what few men he had left.

Burgoyne was the first Crown General to surrender to the Patriots.  He would not be the last!  Upon his release and repatriation, Burgoyne was stripped of his commission and, now disgraced, sent back to London.  Not one to sit around, he quickly took up residence with Susan Caulfield, a well known singer and actress, and was soon a popular item in London society once more, his defeat at Saratoga now a distant, albeit painful, memory.  He would never command troops again.

Neither Burgoyne, nor Arnold, nor Morgan fully grasped the importance of Burgoyne's defeat.  Benjamin Franklin had been in France trying in vain to persuade the French king to ally with the Patriots.  The king thought the entire rebel movement was insubstantial and would collapse at any moment.  However, when he heard of the surrender at Saratoga, his mood changed.  He abruptly ordered a fresh war against Britain and a new alliance with the fledgling American nation.

As it turns out, Saratoga was the turning point of the war."

Lesson: Never underestimate the importance of good works you do.  You may be living through a turning point and not even know it!

/John