A BUG From My Pocket
While revolvers are filling a retro niche these days, they are often overlooked and unappreciated by a fair amount of law enforcement. And there are many generational and equipment reliability reasons behind that. Reasons When I started, there were three definite reasons that backup guns (henceforth BUG) were as common as they were. First, it was still very close to the Officer Survival / Officer Safety era. Officers then were very much looking for [...]
MAXIMIZING YOUR CCW PRACTICE WITH A CO2 PISTOL
Most of us don’t get to the range as we’d like to or should. I know I don’t. Few of us live where we can just step outside and shoot. Even when we do get to the range, restrictions often limit our training options. Ammo is not cheap these days. [...]
DRY FIRING DONE RIGHT
If you have been shooting for more than a day, chances are you already know, dry firing can improve one’s marksmanship and weapons manipulation. So just how much dry firing does it take? To effect change, such as learn a new method or technique? Maintain learned skills? Many will say, [...]
S&W 3RD GEN DAO’S | Autos For Revolver Guys
Smith and Wesson introduced Double Action Only (DAO) variants of their 3rd generation semiautomatic pistols in the first few years of the 1990’s. They were envisioned as a solution for agencies struggling with transitioning officers from revolvers to semi autos. At that time, I was in my early 20’s and [...]
AMERICAN COP | Through The Centuries
My first trip to the American Pistol Institute (now known as Gunsite) was in 1976, shortly after it was founded by Jeff Cooper. When asked how many times I have been there I honestly answer, “I don’t know.” In addition to classes and industry events, I normally go to Gunsite [...]
DESIGNATED MARKSMEN | The Need And The Training
The Designated Marksman (DM) concept is nothing new. “Sharpshooters” were used as far back as the American Revolution, with better shots assigned to target officers. My father jumped on D-Day with the 101st Airborne. One private carried an ‘03 Springfield with a Weaver 4X scope, and was used to shoot [...]
WHEELGUN WISDOM | Running Double-Action Revolvers
I had the privilege of instructing the "revolver day" of a New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy's Firearms Instructor Course recently. There were 14 cops in the class and experience ranged from a few years to one gent with 27 years in the bag. None of them had carried a [...]
PUTTING LEARNED SKILLS TO USE | Gunsight And Dunton Ranch
Back in the early 1970s Colonel Jeff Cooper started the American Pistol Institute, now known as Gunsite Academy. Today Gunsite is known worldwide for firearms training, from a quality facility with top notch instructors and staff. Some of the best warriors have attended and continue to train there. Recently [...]
TERMINATING TERRORISTS | The Head-Shot Triad
In my years of firearms training, I have frequently encountered failure, Mozambique, or standard response (two to the body, one to the head) drills in the private training sector and as part of some police courses of fire, but no head-shot-first phases. Perhaps that has something to do with [...]
CHASING THE DOT | Training With Bushnell’s Red Dot Sights
Mounting red dot sights (RDS) on handgun is nothing new, it’s been done for at least a couple of decades. In the beginning it was first widely accepted by competitors in the shooting sports. Tails of short battery life and recoil knocking them out of adjustment abounded. The nonbelievers [...]
DOUBLE-DEUCE DRILLS | Real-Deal Rimfire Training
I have used subcaliber training to very good effect over the years. However, my approach was best summed up as using the reduced cost of .22 Long Rifle to allow a blunt-force smashing of maximum reps of key skills. When the ammo drought set in, I went into [...]