I recently read another blog that prompted this installment. Honestly this is something that I have preached for years, but few listen. If you don’t get it then read the stats and do the research for yourself, gun fighting is all about fighting and has a lot less to do with the gun than most think. The gun is last stop on the survival train when an incident occurs. So you better know how to fight to keep your gun,and get into a position to use it.

All the studies for the last three decades prove that almost all armed  encounters occur in the 3 to 7 yard range. What does that mean? That means that unless you have super human abilities then you will not be able to react quickly enough to draw and fire your weapon if an aggressor is attacking.  See the “Tueller Drill,” or “21-foot rule,” if you have any doubt about being a super human. What this means in real life is that more than likely you will be on your back, getting punched in the face before your gun clears the holster. That’s if you’re lucky enough that the bad guy wasn’t able to wrestle your gun away from you. It’s not a pretty picture for Joe or Jane Average that feels like they’re covered just having a gun.

To bring a little real world experience into this, I will share my personal background to bring the point home a much as I can. For those of you that  don’t know, I am a former police officer with a decade of experience on the street level. I’ve been shot  at more times than I like to recall, I’ve been in more fights than I can remember, and have been a part of God only knows how many forcible arrests. You may disagree, but I feel that this “street’ experience is  invaluable because I have dealt with the exact people that will be assaulting myself or my family. Am I the end all be all of street survival? Not by a long shot, but I do know a few things, I have been in more than my fair share of fights, and I’ve been around the block.

Simply having a gun isn’t enough. You must be aware of your surroundings at all times. You must know who is inside your personal sphere and decide if they are a threat to your security. Lastly you must be able to physically defend yourself without a firearm when the need arises. If your fight experience consists of watching TV and movies, then you are at a distinct disadvantage. Neither is a fair representation of reality. I’m a pretty big, strong dude and I have never been able to hit someone so hard that they flew across a room and slid down the wall. I’ve only knocked a few people out for that matter. The reality of the situation is that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face or hit someone with everything they have and watch as they don’t go down, staying in the fight.

If you’re like me you don’t have ten hours or more to train on a weekly basis, nor do you have piles of cash laying around for private training, what exactly do you do? Find a solid trainer that trains defensive tactics for those that are armed. Rolling in a BJJ gym or boxing will do nothing to help you keep possession of your gun. Train for the threat and reality. Invest in your training as time and money allow. Notice that I just said INVEST. Quality training is key. Getting together with friends and making it up as you go will more than likely end one of you headed to the ER and really does no good. If you are the fairer sex, then don’t mistake a cardio kickboxing class for training, it isn’t. I mean really do your homework and seek out a real trainer preferably with a military or law enforcement background.

Nobody enjoys getting hit in the face or really wants to fight. Well if paid enough there are a few that really want to fight, but normal people in their right mind don’t enjoy fighting. Just because you are a ‘normal” person and sane doesn’t mean that the rest of society is. Remember that you won’t be defending yourself against normal people. An individual that is willing to attack you to get what you have is maladjusted and more than likely addicted to some illegal substance. Your foe isn’t a normal well adjusted member of society so ending the fight quickly is paramount. Keeping possession of your weapon and getting space to act may be your only chance at survival.

Do some research, put some thought into this post and go find a trainer! See you at the range

Guns and training are both tools that everyone needs in their personal toolbox to protect themselves and their loved ones. Let’s face it the world isn’t a pretty place and it’s really not getting any better.  A firearm is worthless without the proper training. It’s truly a game of chance and akin to pin the tail on the donkey when it comes to marksmanship without training. Unfortunately all too many people buy a weapon and feel they are ready to take on the world. What’s worse is that in today’s political climate people are buying guns, getting concealed carry permits, and carrying everyday with minimal or no training. To many that is pretty insane. We require driver’s education and testing to drive a car, you have to pass a state exam to sell insurance, real estate, or a myriad of other things that won’t kill someone.

My point is that because it is our second amendment right to own a gun, so we have the ability to buy one and are expected to have the good common sense to get training. For some unknown reason, most men think that because they are “men” they “know” about guns. Let’s set the record straight here, just because you are male doesn’t mean that you know everything that you need to know about guns. I have been around guns and various weapons for the better part of two decades. I’ve shot just about everything except artillery. Guess what, I just requested a fellow instructor to give me more training. He’s been in the business for a long time and I realize that he has forgotten more than I know about guns. Does that make me less of a firearms instructor? HELL NO, it doesn’t. It makes me a more competent instructor because I can learn new and different methods of teaching as well as refine my skills.

If you are going to spend your hard earned cash on a gun, which are generally a minimum of $500 these days, why not spend a tenth of that on an NRA class as a start for training? If you prefer, one on one instruction is more that worth the money. In four hours time you can become very familiar with your weapon and learn all the basics or even polish up on skills that have gotten a bit rusty. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these skills are diminishing. I was recently humbled so I know from experience.

You’ll find out that the more training you get the more that you’ll want. It’s enjoyable and flat out fun to play with guns! The more you learn the more prepared you are to defend yourself and family, so not only are you having fun, you’re developing a real skill that is life saving. It’s not about how expensive your gun or gear is, it’s about how well you put what you have to work when the crap hits the fan. The cheapest gun out there is still better than a sharp stick or rock as along as it’s reliable. Training isn’t a fashion show or battle of egos (read wallet size). Training is about being a responsible gun owner and developing a skill that deserves as much or more attention than your job or hobby that you’ve put so much time and energy into.

It doesn’t matter what skill level you are, there is still more to learn. There will always be someone out there that has more or different experience that what you have. My entire adult life has been spent carrying guns, but I love learning. Get some trigger time, burn some gun powder and if you can do it with friends and family. It’s a great way to bring everyone close and keep ’em safe. Until next time, I’ll see you at the range .

So lets say for the sake of argument that you’ve got some gear that serves you well day to day but you have either decided that it needs a more tactical flair. That’s  what my situation was. I have a great Lowe Alpine backpack that I’ve had since high school. It’s a good pack and is in good shape. The only problem is that it’s bright blue. That’s hardly a “tactical” color. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with a blue backpack but for my purposes as a firearms instructor and tactical blog writer, it was less than desirable.

There are lots of pieces of civilian gear that are well suited for military or tactical use. For some reason, people seem to have a need to buy tactical gear with Molle webbing all over it, that they never use.Have you ever carried a military issue ALICE pack over long distances? They can be very uncomfortable to carry unless you spend a bunch of money on upgrades from Tactical Tailor. Civilian packs on the other hand tend to be heavy on comfort, heavy on cargo space and light on weight. They are lacking on so called tactical features but as long as you’ve got somewhere to put your water, you’re good in my book. You will most likely be wearing some manner of load bearing equipment anyway.

You may be asking me why I don’t just get an already camouflaged pack or why even bother with a blue one in the first place. Well very simply just because I want to. I could spend tons of cash on an Eberlestock pack and have a fantastic piece of gear and be very happy with it, or I could take a pack that I’m already comfortable with and customize it to my needs and the terrain in which I will be, and frankly an Eberlestock pack is nowhere near being in my budget. This practice has been used by special operations forces around the world for a long time with great success. I don’t agree with the notion that there is a “perfect” pattern, although there are a few on the market that are getting close. Usually it’s either too dark or too bright, or too green or too brown or too black.

The goal of camouflage is to break up the outline and blend into your surroundings. For every problem there is always a solution. My solution? A few cans of plastic bonding spray paint (for painting nylon), some time and some different sizes of netting. All you need to do is to ensure the surface is clean and dry initially. After that you lay down a base coat in a color of your choosing. I chose tan as my base coat color. After the pack was all tan, I took the netting and placed it over the pack. Then lay down the two other colors (OD green and brown) in random fashion. Then more tan to highlight over the OD and brown. The more random the better. Dark to cover areas that would normally be bright and light colors on areas that would normally be dark.  I also dusted the whole pack with the OD green to tone down the tan some. I can’t tell you what colors to put where, North Carolina is going to be vastly different than Arizona, which will be vastly different than Oregon. What is particularly excellent about this method is that it is endlessly customizable. If you’re in the desert one week and the forest another, a couple passes with a different color will get you what you need. A couple things to keep in mind is that the color will flake and chip and wear off in some places and the paint will stiffen the fabric. That’s just the nature of the beast. Keep a couple cans of paint around and you’ll be fine and the fabric will loosen up with use. So how do you make your civilian gear suit your needs?

I see it all the time. Someone walks into a gun shop and is looking for advice on handguns. The guy behind the counter starts pulling the Glock out of the case, passing by the Smith & Wesson revolver without even touching it by accident, like it’s diseased.

Revolvers are fantastic firearms. They are reliable and powerful, but there are a few things that some folks just can’t get over. One of the main reasons people tend to overlook a revolver is the capacity. Your standard 3-4″ barreled .38spc/.357mag revolver is a six-shot and with the more compact revolvers you only get 5. There are higher capacity revolvers as well in the 7-8 shot range (which is the same capacity as most 1911’s and pocket semi-autos). Another issue tends to be cost. A brand new Smith & Wesson is very easily more expensive than most of the handguns you’ll see in a case at your local gun shop. I feel that a gun is an investment. Price is irrespective of it’s utility, accuracy and comfort. This applies both up and down the price scale. If you find something that fits you extremely well and you can shoot it well, what does the price have to do with it? Make a budget and save your money. Another issue that tends to trip people up is reloading speed. If you’re taught to correctly reload your revolver with the right equipment and you train with it, your reload speed will improve to near magazine fed firearm levels. Don’t believe me? Jerry Miculek will be happy to prove you wrong.

I had the pleasure of carrying a Smith & Wesson revolver as a duty gun for a few years and at no point did I ever feel out gunned. Initially I was somewhat disappointed about my new duty weapon since I was carrying an M9 before that, but I grew to love it very quickly. We were issued good ammunition, and received adequate training on reloading correctly, I was just as fast as guys qualifying with semi-autos. While it was heavier than a semi-auto, the trigger was very smooth and extremely consistent. It was boringly reliable and accurate beyond my abilities. All are supreme qualities to have in a defensive firearm. A quality grip on your revolver allows incredible shooting comfort as well. Revolvers aren’t constrained by a magazine feed angle and size like semi-auto’s are. I have never shot a more comfortable handgun than my Smith & Wesson 686 with a Hogue Mono-grip.

Revolvers deserve a very close look if you’re in the market for a defensive handgun. There are a few makers that make great firearms. If budget is really an issue, buying a used handgun is always an option. There are some other budget friendly revolvers out there. Taurus makes a very well made revolver and it’s a very faithful copy of the Smith & Wesson at a lower price point. Speed loaders and moon clips aid greatly in a speedy reload, even under stress. There is a whole host of calibers available in revolvers. .40S&W, .44mag, .45LC, .45ACP, 9mm..etc. The only revolver I own these days is a 1895 Nagant Gas Seal which is a pretty cool firearm to itself but horribly impractical as a defensive firearm. It’s been a while since I’ve relied on a revolver as my daily carried defensive firearm but I can tell you this, I wouldn’t hesitate to ever do it again and you shouldn’t either.