15 July 01

>From a LEO and trainer in Michigan:

"I just completed an extensive Simunition workout with the department. The "Zipper" technique works every time! I found if I shot bad guys from the navel up, I consistently got superior results, and it didn't matter how the bad guy moved. I was able to stay with him.

Another valuable lesson: One-hand shooting, particularly with the weak hand, is an extremely important skill- and sadly deficient with most of our officers. When rounding corners I would switch hands (mirror-image Weaver) to whatever hand was the closest to the door frame. This worked really well for keeping most of me behind cover. The problem was that my weak-side skills were not everything they should have been, and I thus did a lot of missing. I'm correcting that deficiency without delay!"

Lesson: In training, we spend too much time practicing only those skills we're already good at. Other important skills, such as weak-hand shooting, are often overlooked, because practicing them tends to make us look awkward and clumsy. We need therefore to worry less about how we look to others during training and more about exercising ALL critical skills!

/John

16 July 01

>From the Wound Ballistic Review, Fall 2000:

"Compared to a 9mm, the 357SIG has decreased magazine capacity, more recoil, as well as greater muzzle blast and flash. Yes, at best it offers no gain in bullet penetration and expansion characteristics. What it the point of this cartridge?"

In an Editorial Comment section of the same issue:

"Apparently SIG's point is to sell guns by pandering to the ignorance of those who still believe that bullets with more velocity invariably cause increased incapacitation."

My comment: The forgoing is written by laboratory bound, jelly ballisticians. I'm astonished that they find the 357Mg revolver cartridge so wonderful and the 357SIG (with ballistics identical or slightly superior) so "pointless." This is the same kind of spiteful attack that they leveled at Evan Marshall and Ed Sanow when Evan and Ed had the audacity to disagree with them in print. Apparently, anyone who might have another perspective is "ignorant." I don't believe this bunch is doing any good service to our industry.

/John