if i only had an extra 12.5 grand laying around

I’d buy me one of these…

 

 

how two of my favorite toys function

 

tactical preschool 31

While this isn’t really a “tactic” per se, it is a fundamental aspect of weaponcraft that is vital to understand when you are using a long range weapon. The thing I am speaking about is what is referred to as a weapons “zero”.

To understand what a “zero” is, you have to understand the fundamental physics concept of  trajectory. A bullet does not travel in a straight line from the barrel to the target. It travels in an arc. Depending on the weight of the projectile, the velocity the bullet is traveling at and various other influences; a bullet rises to a maximum height and then begins to descend under the influences of gravity and the projectiles gradual lessening in velocity as it travels through the resistance of the atmosphere.

In practical terms what this means is that you have to adjust your weapons sight so that it intersects this arc at a known point. Where your line of sight and the path of the bullet intersect is called that weapons “ZERO”. The bullet is not above your line of sight (+) or below your line of sight(-)…it is at 0 deviation.  This way you know that your bullet will strike where you are aiming if the target is at that “zero” distance.

A weapon is “ZEROED” at two points along the bullets path; where the bullet rises to your line of sight and where it falls once again to your line of sight “downrange”. The standard military “ZERO” is at 25 meters and (depending on bullet type) 250 meters.

As a rule of thumb you need to remember that if the target is closer than your “near zero” then your bullet is going to strike low. Between your “near” and “far” zero the bullet is going to strike high. And beyond your “far zero” the bullet is going to start dropping below of your line of sight.

Tinkering with the distances you can zero a weapon at is a topic of much debate. There are varying schools of thought on what the best distance to zero your weapon is. It’s my humble opinion that the “best zero” is the one YOU can remember and utilize most efficiently. I have been schooled and am most experienced with the 25M military zero so that’s what I stick with. Your personal mileage my vary.

 

any wealthy benefactors out there who want to send me a gift…

I’ll take me one of these.

 

AR15 CQC

Here is part 1 of a 12 part YouTube series showing Lenny Magill’s “AR15 CQC”.

 

 

magpul facial recognition drill

I just found a little vid from Magpul that coincides nicely with my last tactical preschool lesson, where I discussed developing  a scanning method for target engagement.

What Magpul instructors have done is design a drill where a shooter is shown two photos of faces. The shooter then runs down range where he has to engage a series of targets with various faces, two of which match his “hit list”. I think that an interesting twist would be to tell the shooter “these are the bad guys, shoot one or both of them if they are a threat” then have one of both of the targets displaying weapons. Not only would the shooter have to find the bad guys, he would have to figure out if  he was authorized to use deadly force as well. Mix targets of cops displaying weapons into the crowd to really add some fun.

 

shotgun reloading techniques

 

Video: Firearms Training for Contact Shots

Another fine post from my friends over at Spartan Cops. This post shows a nice technique for placing your pistol into battery if it has been jostled out of battery during a CQB struggle.

Video: Firearms Training for Contact Shots

Go take a look.

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weapons for reporters…get it right for once

AKA: “OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!”

I cannot stand it when the news reports: “drug dealers home raided…machine gun found” and they show a table of dope w/an AK47.

Or when hunting rifles are called “Assault Weapons“….a .45 cal 1911 called a “revolver”..and on, and on.

So I am going to keep this simple:

These are handguns. They are small so they can fit in your hand.

These are the common “hunting guns”..they are the ones that are “OK”. Even Bill Clinton said so. The Shotgun has a big fat barrel that can shoot out a bunch of small BB’s to shoot down clay targets, ducks or Dick Cheney’s friends. The Rifle has a small opening in the barrel and can hit things far away. Deer, targets, road signs..all that “nice” stuff.

Ooooo! Look out! These are those evil, nasty “Assault Weapons”. Never mind that they fire the same kind of Ammo as the “rifle” above. These badboys have “magazines”…”flash hiders”… “bayonet lugs”…and HORRORS “Pistol Grips”! I’m probably breaking a law just showing them to you. BUT THEY ARE NOT MACHINE GUNS!

These two can have the words “machine” and “gun” placed next to each other, but as you can see they are very different in appearance. Don’t get all confused on me now, but…the top one fires the same kinds of bullets as the “handgun” (remember? the ones that you can hold in one hand?). The big one fires the same sorts of bullets as the “rifle”. Yes the “nice” hunting rife and the “mean and nasty Assault Weapons”.

OK…so we don’t get brain cramps that will be all for today. Nothing more to see here…move along.

 

magpul-drawstroke

 

Nice little vid on drawing the secondary. I really like these Magpul vids if you haven’t noticed.