I imagine the feeling of bolt locking to the rear amid a gunfight is one of the more terrifying things that could happen. Suddenly going from bang to out of ammo doesn’t sound appealing. This is why we practice the emergency reload and also why we try to avoid the emergency reload where much as possible.
When the bolt on a AR-15 locks to the rear, you have two ways to send it home. Work the charging handle or hit the bolt release. The charging handle is slow and requires a lot of moving, so the bolt release works best when speed is an issue. That sounds simple, but this is the gun world. We like making simple things complicated. This brings us to the subject of today’s article, do you slap the bolt release or thumb press it?
It seems like a simple question, and ultimately, the right answer is, does it really matter? If you can rapidly reload and get back into the fight, no one cares about how you send the bolt home. Yet, it’s become one of those dumb gun debates that seem to permeate the industry. Most of the time, the answer is to use what works and that can be applied here. However, this is one of the times where one method might be a slight bit better than another.
The Reload – Push vs. Slap
When I grew up on the AR, we slapped that bolt release like it owed us money. Blame it on the state of tactical firearms training in 2008 and the fact that I played Counter-Strike a bit too much. The doctrine of the Marine Corps was to toss the magazine in and slap the hell out of the bolt release. It worked, and that was just how we did things. I did so many reload drills that I still want to slap that bolt release instinctively.
That being said, is the slap better than just pushing the ping pong paddle and calling it a reload? Some people like to talk about fine motor skills and how you won’t be able to use them in a gunfight. This ignores that basically, everything you do is a fine motor skill, including pulling the trigger. While I don’t buy the fine motor skill excuse, I will say it takes a little more technique to work a proper push button bolt release.
If I had to train a massive class of 18 to 20-year-old fresh Marines how to reload, I might teach them the slap too. It’s easy, quick, and provides a simple, tactile method to get the gun back into action. Put mag in, slap the paddle, and keep shooting. It doesn’t require much instruction or time to master.
With that said, the push-button style is more accurate and reliable. The slap method opens you up to miss, especially when the fat part of your palm misses and the arch of your hand lands right over the paddle. A proper push-the-paddle method ensures total accuracy.
Pushing the Paddle
The technique I’ve been taught and found to work best was the use of proper hand positioning on the magazine as I reloaded. When I grip the magazine, I keep my thumb facing upwards and towards the ammunition. I keep my thumb here, and as the magazine makes its way into the magazine well, my thumb finds the release, and I hit it.
Getting the hand positioning down and being able to quickly find the bolt release takes a little practice, but only a little. More practice than just learning to slap the hell out of the bolt release, but to me, it’s well worth the time it takes to learn the technique.
Rocking and Rolling
Ultimately it’s not likely to matter precisely how you reload so much as that you do reload. If you can do it quickly and easily, then that’s goal one accomplished. I do think that the push method is the better method, but that’s just me. Alternatively, you could get a PDQ bolt release and call it a day.
Anyone who has even a passing interest in armed self-defense has likely heard an instructor, gun counter prophet, friend, lawyer, or even a cop speak on the subject of “What do I say after a shooting?” . They usually recommend never to speak to police immediately following a use of force incident. Their reasoning likely revolves around real world evidence, or reasonable conjecture surrounding the fallibility of the human memory, especially on the way downhill from an adrenaline dump. Greg from Active Response Training goes into detail on it in the link above, but the jist of it is that it is indeed the best course of action, until it’s not.
Supporting evidence suggests that your composure, recall, physical function and general state of mind are going to be unusually altered by the experience of having shot, or at least shot at, someone who you genuinely believed was attempting to end you. This is a chemical/hormonal response that you have no control over, and cannot “power through” or otherwise intentionally defuse. As explained in excruciating detail here, a perceived threat to life produces the same stress response in all mammals.
The first stage of which is relevant to our discussion, which breaks down mainly to the adrenal gland dropping a massive load of Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) into your blood, where they can get into every part of you. “Circulating GCs act on a variety of tissues to mobilize energy stores, induce lipolysis and proteolysis, potentiate vasoconstriction driven by the ANS, suppress reproduction, and alter stress-related behaviors, to allow homeostasis”. This means that you
-Start cannibalizing any stored fat and protein, as well as available sugar, for immediate energy -Crank your blood pressure to ensure constant oxygen supply to any cells that will be needed for fighting or flighting -Kill the lights in the baby factory -Get twitchy and stop processing information the same way.
What we mean by that last one is that normally, information about the outside world gets sent to your neocortex “the thinking brain”, which processes it and decides what to do about it. After which it passes it along to the amygdala “the emotional brain”, which decides how you feel about it. The amygdala might make you go “awww” or “WTF” depending on the particular input. Under the influence of GC’s, your amygdala and neocortex get the data at the same time, and being the emotional one, the amygdala will kick the neocortex out of the decision-making process entirely if it decides you’re about to get shot.
This means that you can make extraordinarily fast decisions, and react much faster than usual, but that’s mainly because you aren’t actually thinking: You’re doing whatever the totality of your life experience and training suggests to your emotional brain that you should do. For added fun, the neocortex is also responsible for cognition, spatial reasoning, sensory perception, and language. So until the full cycle of keep-me-alive-drugs has passed through you, which can take up to half an hour, you’re basically high, and should consider yourself impaired when it comes to making a decision about what to say to who during that time.
Now, with all that said, if there is a critical component to the articulable threat to your life, it may be worth the risk of relaying it to the officers on-scene. Has the environment changed dramatically somehow that might make your decision seem unreasonable? Maybe an accomplice rolled his buddy over before taking the gun and running, making it look like you shot an unarmed person in the back? Certainly that would be likely to come out in court, but who wants to go to court? That might be an unlikely scenario, but so is getting into a gunfight in the first place.
Most importantly, if the first time you’re wondering whether you should hold your tongue is in the moment, while you’re flying high on your brain’s own Peruvian marching powder, you’re going to be worse off for it. Think about these things now, talk about them with friends, train with qualified instructors, and read great write-ups from experienced people like Greg. If you do that, when you find yourself stoned on survival and faced with making the choice to talk without representation, you’ll have an advantage in making the right call.
[Ed: This was first published July 19 in SCOPE-NY’s‘Briefings’ as“New York — New York Laws.”These provisions are surely unconstitutional but that’s beside the point to New York’s all Democrat government.]
In three 2nd Amendment cases (D.C. v Heller, McDonald v Chicago, NYSRPA v Bruen) the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has repeatedly stated that the purpose of the 2nd Amendment is self-defense.
In her abyss of wisdom, unelected Governor Kathy Hochul disagreed with SCOTUS and the constitutionally protected right of self-defense, so she called an emergency session of the NY legislature to pass quickly-developed, poorly thought-out laws under a “Finding of Necessity” – which is only supposed to be used for true emergencies.
Actually, these laws are only poorly thought out if you believe their purpose was to protect NY citizens. If you believe their purpose was to destroy the 2nd Amendment, then they were smart…UNconstitutional…but smart.
New York’s legislature and its governor declared war on self-defense and the U.S. Constitution. Do Hochul and her Democrat counterparts care that much of the laws passed violate the three SCOTUS decisions referenced? They will care only if it costs them victory in the next election. That is the only action to punish Hochul and her friends that believers in the U.S. Constitution have available. Sue the Democrat leadership or Hochul and New York State defends them on the taxpayers’ dime. If Hochul and company lose, NY State pays the damages and Hochul and company continue in office.
Since they are effectively immunized from any retaliation except by the vote, Hochul and company are free to fight to neuter-the-2nd-Amendment . They are attacking on many fronts under their newly passed laws.
Make the financial cost of a gun too expensive for most people:
The new laws require 16 hours of training including 2 hours of live firewith proficiency standards. Estimates vary but figure on $400 for the training plus ammunition. Already a concealed carry permit holder? You will also have to complete this course.
Most will probably have to take time off from work to fulfill these bureaucratic’ requirements.
The requirements to be a trainer have yet to be established but – let’s go out on a limb and say that – NRA instructors need not apply.
“No person shall store or otherwise leave a rifle, shotgun, or firearm out of his or her immediate possession or control inside a vehicle without first removing the ammunition from and securely locking such rifle, shotgun, or firearm in an appropriate safe storage depository out of sight from outside of the vehicle.”
If you leave your gun in your car, it must be in a safe storage container and out of sight. Costs start at $150 and go up.
You must use a “safe storage depository” with a key, keypad, or some other locking mechanism. Retrieve the gun in a timely fashion in an emergency? Not likely.
Keep the stored gun out of sight? What if the gun is a rifle or shotgun? Not so easy and maybe impossible.
Microstamping will be required, even though it is ineffective and easily defeated by criminals. But it will add to the cost of the gun
Note: there are numerous other proposed laws to add to the cost of owning a firearm such as an $800 yearly liability insurance premium and a 1,000% tax on firearm sales! So much for self-defense being practiced by the poor.
Make the licensing process so bureaucratic that applicants will not try:
Licensing now requires an in-person interview with the licensing officer. Who is the licensing officer? Sheriff? Judge? Licensing clerk? NY State Trooper? Whoever it is, expect that they will work nights and weekends to make things easy for the applicant. (Sarcasm intended.)
“Four (4) character references who can attest to the applicant’s good moral character and that such applicant has not engaged in any acts, or made any statements that suggest they are likely to engage in conduct that would result in harm to themselves or others.”
Who will be willing to attest (not saying “to the best of their knowledge”) about every act or statement you may have made? And if you should happen to commit a crime at some later date, can these people be sued by the victim?
Recertify every 3 years instead of the current 5 years.
A list of all social media accounts for the last three years and “…such other information requested by the licensing officer that is reasonably necessary”. An anti-2A interviewer would never dream of jumping into an opening like “…such other information” in order to legally harass you. (Sarcasm again intended.)
A misdemeanor driving while intoxicated conviction within the last 5 years may not cost you your driver’s license but it will cost you your firearms permit. Apparently, Hochul believes it is better to run over people than shoot them.
A license is now required to purchase or take possession of a semi-automatic rifle and you must be 21 years of age. However, if you are not 21, you can still vote, have an abortion and decide to change your gender.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Drive retailers out of business so fewer legal places exists to buy a firearm in NY while driving up prices in gun stores that remain open:
“…firearms, rifles and shotguns shall be secured, other than during business hours, in a locked fireproof safe or vault on the dealer’s business premises or in a secured and locked area on the dealer’s business premises.”
The dealer must remove dozens of firearms from display and store them in some secure area every night and then put them back on display in the morning. (Will this encourage retailers to stay open 24/7/365 as a cheaper alternative?)
“…ammunition shall be stored separately from firearms, rifles and shotguns and out of reach of customers.”
Another separate nightly secured storage area for ammo? During store hours, add another clerk to wait on customers who formerly waited on themselves.
“The dealer’s business premises shall be secured by a security alarm system that is installed and maintained by a security alarm operator properly licensed pursuant to article six-D of this chapter.”
Add several thousand per year extra costs for this but…a windfall profit for security system operators. (Is it possible there was some greasing-of-palms to get this included? Nah. Never in New York. [Sarcasm intended again.])
And after the firearms dealers invest thousands to meet these requirements, NYS will now start inspecting their paperwork along with BATFE. Dealers can lose their license over a minor paperwork error or a clerk’s unintended mistake. Thousands of dollars and a business at risk over a minor paperwork error.
“The Gun Writer” reports that in the years before the Biden-Harris administration took over the White House, the ATF usually revoked an average of 40 Federal Firearm Licenses per year. But, in the 18 months since Joe Biden declared war on “rogue gun dealers,” the ATF has revoked 273 FFLs.
Free speech used to include the right to be silent.
Per NYS: A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon in a restricted location when such person possesses a firearm, rifle, or shotgun and enters into or remains on or in private property where such person knows or reasonably should know that the owner or lessee of such property has not permitted such possession by clear and conspicuous signage indicating that the carrying of firearms, rifles, or shotguns on their property is permitted or has otherwise given express consent.
All private property in New York is now a gun free zone. Private property owners must now affirmatively declare firearms are welcome in order to NOT be a gun free zone. Firearm possession on that private property is a class E felony. The NYSRPA decision specifically addressed this and Hochul and company just spit in SCOTUS’ eye and dared them to do something.
This put non gun retailers in the middle of something not of their choosing, when they only want to sell their product. If a retailer posts a pro-2A sign, they may anger the anti-2A element. Not post a sign, and gun owners may be angry.
The Gun Clubs will now have to post a sign that guns are welcome or members have committed a crime by bringing a gun to the gun club.
Also included is a long list of areas that are specifically labelled gun free zones. For instance, the NY City subway system is filled with crime, including violent assaults. But everyone, including the elderly and women, will just have to take the beating and then testify later in court – if they dare and are still alive
Have any of these geniuses in Albany noted that shootings happen in gun free zones?
You are a felon and don’t know it:
An old business saying is, “Don’t think of it as a problem, think of it as an opportunity.”
Violate most of these new laws and you become a criminal, probably a class E felon. The “opportunity” to become a felon might discourage one from getting a firearm, since there are now so many “opportunities”.
I am a left handed pistol shooter who also enjoys shooting and carrying certain firearms that happen to lack decent holster availability. It’s even more challenging as a left handed AIWB holster choices are also more constraining than right handed ones.
Enter the PHLster Floodlight.
I’ve put a decent amount of 9mm ammo through a couple of Brigadier slide topped Beretta 92 handguns I have owned for some time now. I got my first one, a 92G-SD from the 2014 production run, within the year they became available. I used my Beretta 92G-SD to start shooting more seriously when I decided I wanted more out of life than merely turning money into noise vis-a-vis my actual shooting skills.
The problem with Brigadier slides on Beretta 92s is that they have a slightly thicker overall width since their whole purpose is having a beefier and more robust slide. (They do, at least, have with dovetails cut for front and rear sights)! Holster selection for these pistols has always been somewhat of a challenge as most Beretta 92 holsters are designed around the standard with FS/G/D/Vertec aka “normal” slide. Frankly, during this time I started carrying Glocks out of sheer practicality and the fact that holster selection is more manageable for left handed shooters.
I am aware that there are a few decent made to order Beretta 92 Brig thickness left handed AIWB holsters available. (Shoutout to JMCK)! But between the heat, humidity, and the fact that they weigh less, I have been quite happy just carrying full size 9mm Glocks. And I still do especially as I don’t want to rust up any of my nice pizza guns.
Due to past employment involving driving thousands of miles of roads and highways across the American West, where it gets pitch black and desolate after sundown, I impulse bought a Surefire X300-U 1000 lumen weapon light to take with me on the road. I also ordered the PHLster Floodlight holster as I now needed a light bearing holster and my interest was piqued when I learned these were universal. I was not sure what to expect at the time but I loved, on principle, that this holster was designed to be fully ambidextrous from the start.
Companions of the road Just add lawyers
The PHLster Floodlight is a fully ambidextrous universal light bearing AIWB holster; it is designed to “grab” the weapon light affixed to a pistol’s accessory rail directly. It never touches the pistol. Versions for various weapon lights such as Streamlight TLRs, Surefire X-300Us, or Modlite PL350s are available. Its construction allows it to accommodate virtually any traditionally designed handgun. I think I’ve even seen someone use a Floodlight with their USP 45 on social media.
Remember the part where I said I had a job that involved driving basically all of the Western Eleven? It wasn’t before long that the Floodlight rode with me throughout all of these trips and I really came to appreciate not only how comfortable it was (since it is a relatively large holster), but also how concealable it truly can be in spite of its size. According to my personal experience concerning appendix carry, I think this particular holster carries very flat against the body. I have worn it for hours on end to the point where it came to feel like an extension of my body.
The longest I had carried with it continuously was about 32 hours—until I was able to stop sleeping in the truck and find lodging in a hotel room in eastern Idaho. I wasn’t only driving while carrying either, as I’ve also done a decent amount of physical labor while wearing it. It will easily stay in place which is one of the biggest concerns of any good concealment holster. I was initially worried about how “loose” it felt when reholstering a pistol because I am used to very “clicky” holsters. However, between the end-user rubber spacers and the bungee cord system it has, it has never caused me issues and there is obviously enough friction acting upon the body of the weapon light. It just took some getting used to not expecting the “click.”
As with other similar holsters that utilize hardware fasteners, it is important to tighten them down and inspect all hardware for looseness or rust. I have always carried mine with the soft loops it shipped with, but many carriers like to use DCC clips or other means of connecting their belt. Because of who PHLster are as a company, if you visit their website, they provide ample documentation and instructions for their products.
A selfie I took the day I wore my Floodlight for the first time. I was carrying a Glock 34.
Here’s the real sales pitch for the Floodlight as far as I am concerned: this holster is not only fully ambidextrous, but if you already have a compatible weapon light, that light can be your “key” to carry any pistol with an accessory rail by also saving you the money since you won’t need to buy an extra holster. Sometimes if I am out shooting with friends and I want to try their pistol, I’ll just pop the Surefire light on it and then holster it in my Floodlight. I can see what it feels like to shoot and draw that gun from the holster which is honestly pretty cool. And I won’t lie that perhaps I am enthusiastic about it to the extent I am because the Floodlight becomes even more convenient when you are left handed and enjoy shooting and carrying less mainstream handguns. I am saying this as someone who has had to adapt their wrong handedness to firearms since day one.
And back to the Beretta Brig issue I had—since I literally do everything with this holster, from EDC to going to USPSA matches (more so that AIWB and WMLs are now allowed), I just pass weapon lights and pistols around and holster up as needed. Guns like my 92-GSD, Brigadier Tactical, or 92X Performance all have accessory rails, so naturally I shoot my stages while relying on the Floodlight to get me through the match day. I understand that I will not have the competitive advantage shooting from concealment and with concealment gear as opposed to a properly set up gaming rig, but that is not the fault of the holster. In short, while carrying with it “hard”, and playing with it “hard” I have found that this truly is a modern solution to this modern problem of mine.
You gotta love modern solutions!
Since the time I purchased my holster, PHLster has also released an outside the waistband belt holster version of the Floodlight. I want to clarify that my thoughts are solely regarding the original appendix concealment Floodlight as I haven’t had a chance to try the latter.
Editor’s Note: I have the OWB Floodlight and it rocks too.
The only ‘problem’ I stumbled across was with a P320 (a very tall pistol) and using an X300U-A. The A model’s use a rear tensioner that tightens and tilts the light body against the pistol’s rail, the B models using a more normal lateral clamp to the light rail and keep the light. With the A model on the P320 the angle that I had induced to keep the light tight was too great to allow holstering/unholstering. I didn’t catch the problem at first and instead set the tension in the OWB Floodlight to almost nothing, while running the P320 decided it was escape time and I left it in the grass between two VTAC barricades. After that little problem I dug into why, discovered the angle/tensioner issue combined with the 320’s slide height/size, bought a B model X300U instead, and it’s back to working as designed.
A models will work in the OWB Floodlight on other pistols, like the above mentioned 92’s, because they have shorter slide heights. If you have a P320, get a B model.
The Marine Corps is full of a bunch of dudes who love gear. I’ve never seen bigger, often impractical knives mounted to gear than a boot infantryman. When we deployed to Afghanistan, there was seemingly at least one Gerber Gator Jr per platoon, if not more. Have been the hottest selling item at the Seven Day Store. Everyone had them, and believe it or not; they proved to be incredibly handy.
As Marines, our institutional knowledge was all about fighting in urban environments in vehicle-borne patrols. In Afghanistan, we rode the shoelace express and lived in what was essentially the 1800s with machine guns and IEDs.
In the cold months, we made fires, and oftentimes we cooked over those same fires. Tree lines hid Taliban fighters, so we’d often clear the brush in these tree lines to deny the enemy concealment.
If we didn’t have those Gerber Gator Jrs, life would have been a fair bit tougher. I can only imagine mounting bayonets to clear brush. After that deployment, I was a believer, and when I saw a Gerber Gator Jr sale at my local Academy, I snagged it for old time’s sake.
Breaking the Gerber Gator Jr.
I didn’t carry a Gerber Gator Jr. or any machete. In fact, all I carried was a pocket knife. In my defense, I was already hauling around a belt-fed machine gun, and more ammo than all the riflemen in my squad put together. Weight was the last thing I needed, but we all took turns wielding the machetes when it came time to work. Picking up the Gerber Gator Jr. was a bit of a flashback to simpler times.
The Gerber Gator comes in the standard size, and the Jr. The Jr features a daily short 10-inch blade with an overall length of 18.75 inches and a weight of 14.3 ounces. The blade is stout, with a big rounded belly of a blade you’d expect from a machete. It’s not too heavy, and the handle is fairly large for the short blade. At the end of the blade sits an integrated handguard that is a natural extension of the grip itself.
The Gator, in the name, most likely refers to the massive saw sitting across the back of the blade. The saw blade is almost the exact same length as the rest of the blade and packs a serious bite to it. It’s a sharp saw.
Chopping Away With the Gerber Gator
I live in Northwest Florida, and it’s basically a jungle out here. It’s a constant battle to fight against the jungle that’s always encroaching on whatever bit of property you have. Summer means I’ve been hustling, trying to keep the jungle down on both my property and the property I recently purchased.
With the Gerber Gator in hand, I’ve chopped, split, and cut my way through weeds, often at knee height. I’ve sliced through the small oak saplings, vines, and more to win my fight against nature or to at least come to a draw. The Gerber Gator absolutely chews through materials that are both thick and thin. The blade is impressively capable, and even light slices deal serious damage to both the thin and thick brush.
The handle is nice and comfy with a soft grip that’s highly textured and easy to grip. It stays put even when my hands are nearly dripping with sweat. The thick and soft nature of the handle prevents it from causing blisters or hot spots even during the longest day of work.
The saw blade on the back of the Gerber Gator really digs into thicker materials and cuts through them fairly quickly. I had some trees getting a bit long in the tooth, and after climbing a ladder, I was able to cut through four branches between two and three inches thick without much difficulty. Admittedly a gas-powered pole saw made faster work of the rest of the limbs, but the Gerber Gator was as good as I remembered it.
Small Size Big Bite
The Gerber Gator Jr. is paint sized machete that borders on just being a big knife. However, the little Gator packs a big bit. The small size was a big reason why the little guy was so popular with Marines in 2009. It could be strapped to your flak and pack and not take up much room.
The Gerber Gator Jr. is a pint-sized powerhouse that chops, slices, and cuts through your typical yard debris. If I had to go to the Colombian jungle to fight a Predator, I’d take a Gerber Gator with me.
I have always been fascinated by firearms; their history, the way they work, and the way they look. During my middle school years, I remember the first laptop my mother gifted for my 8th grade school year. This was right around the time Web 2.0 was starting to get traction and we were seeing more sophisticated websites and front-end DOM features, but for me this was my first time getting to know the Internet on a personal level.
With the intense level of curiosity that I still possess, that laptop truly felt like a window into the greater world. I certainly made no haste in using my access to the Internet to satisfy my rampant and natural curiosity about firearms. I remember back in those days when I literally knew nothing about the topic, that any informative video on the then up-and-coming YouTube website or any article evoked a feeling that a bespectacled scholar would probably experience upon finally seeing some long lost manuscript that held the glue to the theory of his life’s work.
Mr. Maxim Popenker holding an AS Val suppressed assault rifle chambered in 9x39mm Soviet. image credit: modernfirearms.net
In those days in particular, I fondly remember the website “worldguns.ru” which is now called www.modernfirearms.net. This website is curated by Maxim Popenker and in those days it truly felt like a treasured personal encyclopedic collection of information. Through Mr. Popenker’s work I was able to establish my foundational knowledge of actual firearms that existed in the real world, especially with regards to XXth century designs. What I especially enjoyed about Mr. Popenker’s website is that he not only covered his bases with regards to Western firearms, but at the time it felt like his site was the only place for information about esoteric or lesser known Soviet and Russian designs beyond the AKM assault rifle or PK machine gun. Being exposed to prototypical weapons such as the Korobov TKB-022PM experimental bullpup assault rifle or all of those carbines chambered for 9x39mm cartridges (like the AS Val or the 9A-91) felt like seeing that strange marine life that lives in the deep darkness of the greatest depths of the ocean—where things just work differently.
Soviet bullpup rifle prototype by German Korobov. This is a TKB-022PM chambered in 7.62x39mm Soviet. Its bakelite shell design makes it very distinctive amongst any experimental rifles of the 20th century. image credit: modernfirearms.net
Admittedly I have not visited Mr. Popenker’s website as often as I used to, but it’s nice to see that the website is still up and active and has grown since those halcyon days of my first forays into firearms discovery.
I’ll go ahead and give you guys the bottom line up front, and most dumb debates come down to a simple answer. Use what works. There are right ways and wrong ways, to be sure. When there are multiple right ways, it typically comes down to what the situation requires. Engage the six inches between your ears. When it comes to ready positions, the two that are dominant are high ready and low ready. These are also high port and low port/entry ready. It all boils down the place the gun points when your moving, not shooting.
Both are valid, and can both can be used effectively. Some situations allow one to clearly make sense over another, but it’s tough to say one is objectively better than the other. Today we are going to dive into the world of the ready positions debate and dissect the two. Sometimes this debate comes down to an almost Army vs. Navy thing.
The Army prefers the low position, while SEAL teams have always been high port fans. As a Marine, I guess I got to experience a bit of both. There was plenty of training with both positions. A Staff NCO once said something to the effect of “Low port on helicopters and high port on boats, boys.” The Marine Corps, at least the east coast Marines, preferred to be positionally agnostic.
Low Ready/Alert/Entry Ready Points
The a low ready, or Marines often called it ‘Alert’ too, has a number of strengths, and for an infantryman, the first will be comfort. It takes a lot less effort to hold the weapon in a low position or something close to a low ready for a 10-klick patrol.
In an open patrol status, the low ready also helps prevent flagging as you cross uneven terrain. If someone climbs a hill or wall in front of you, they aren’t going to put themselves in front of your muzzle. When the weapon sits in the low port, a shooter has a full field of view and doesn’t have their weapon obscuring part of their FOV.
We’re talking about every variation of the muzzle down positions here, but whatever names you’ve heard them.
Your rifle is less likely to snag or bounce off something slightly above you in the low ready. As a tall dude, I can barely avoid smashing my head in short doorways. I doubt I’ll always be conscious of how high my muzzle is, especially in a wooded environment where the ceiling changes every step.
High Ready Points
High-ready makes a lot of sense in several contexts, CQB especially. When clearing rooms, a high ready position makes a lot of sense. In a stack, it’s a lot easier to keep your weapon from pointing at your buddy if it’s up and away instead of awkwardly downward angled away from his feet, your feet, and all the other feet close together.
When you come into a room, it’s easy to bounce from high ready to ready with a quick movement. There is no need to sweep an entire gun upwards and against gravity. A high position allows you to drop the gun into a shooting position that is pointing at the general lethal area of an opponent IE their head and chest, very easily.
In a close-quarters fight, it’s easy to bring the gun down for a quick muzzle strike to dissuade a grab. It’s also easier to run with a rifle in a high position without flagging another person.
It’s easier to move in general with the muzzle high and the stock trapped under arm. It also allows you to use your support hand for all the things you might need it for from turning a doorknob to grabbing onto someone.
Be Positionally Agnostic
There are plenty of situations where a high ready and low ready can be used interchangeably. Other situations dictate how the situation is unfolding. For example, what if you are dealing with stairs? If you are going up, then high ready is the way to go. If you are going downstairs, then low ready makes sense.
I would avoid getting too wrapped up in which position is ultimately better. Figure out which position works best for whatever situation is ahead of you. The best way to learn is to obviously train and always keep an open mind.
Institutions have a tendency to hamstring a single position without much context, unfortunately. Be aware of this also that just because _______ organization made you always use low ready so your muzzle would never be higher than the berm, that was an administrative call for safety and not a tactic.
A collection of popular, dirt cheap, barely functional 3D printed guns were turned into a Houston gun buyback over the weekend. Reports differ on what was offered for each gun, but between $50-150 was offered, depending on whether the agency running the event deemed them “functional” or not.
Whatever the price tag per unit, the manufacturer with a box of extruded filament and balls of solid brass, walked away with thousands of dollars of Houston police budget, and likely an impressive sense of satisfaction. Rarely has anyone so thoroughly warped the intention of pointless anti-gun showmanship as this man.
We all have probably heard of people doing this to some extent in the past. A decade ago, a group put the word out for broken, non-functional guns, and even BB guns nobody in their community wanted, drove to Chicago, and exchanged them for cash at the “Don’t Kill A Dream, Save A Life” event. What made that story extra spicy was that the funds extracted from Chicago PD were then turned around to buy new, functional guns for an NRA shooting camp for children.
Whether it’s BB guns or barely functional plastic “guns”, this seems to be a theme that’s catching on, likely to the chagrin of those organizing such clown shows. This of course, is really just the consequences of the poorly thought out and executed concept that is the “buyback”. Even the name doesn’t make sense, as you can’t buy “back” something you never owned in the first place. If you have the means to take advantage of this “loophole” you might want to get moving on that before regulators and police agencies catch on and close up this “loophole”, though how they’ll manage that without acknowledging that how the ATF classifies guns… we can’t imagine.
About the International Precision Rifle Federation (IPRF)
https://www.precisionrifle.org/
Most Recent Press Release:
FOR RELEASE ON FRIDAY THE 29th OF JANUARY 2021
[Dublin, Ireland – 27 January 2021]
The International Precision Rifle Federation (IPRF) was established to create a nationally constituted world precision rifle sport body with the aim of building uniform, international rules and regulations to lay a level playing field for internationally recognised Precision Rifle competition.
The IPRF is excited to announce the inaugural Precision Rifle World Championships to be held in Europe from 14 to 17 July 2022. (date has changed) This event will see the world’s leading precision rifle athletes from more than 12 countries competing against each other in what will ultimately become the pinnacle of precision rifle competition worldwide…..
The Championship format will incorporate a team and an individual event with four different divisions – Open, Limited, Factory and Classic. The Open Division is further split into five sub-categories – Men’s Open, Ladies’ Open, Junior Open (18yo and under), Senior Open (55yo and over) and MilLEO Open (Individuals on Active Military or Law Enforcement duty). This brings up to 32 athletes from each country to compete for team and individual championships.
Currently the IPRF is constituted by 12 nations (Australia, Canada, Czech, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Norway, South African, Spain, Sweden, United States), who have all committed to establishing a national democratically constituted sports association within each of their countries to continue to develop the sport of precision rifle. Many more countries are expected to join in the months leading up to the Precision Rifle World Championships.
“You only have to look at IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) and its growth from a fledgling organisation in the late 70’s to the dominant international organisation it is today with more than 100 regions. It’s exciting to be at the start of a world precision rifle federation that we hope will follow the same path.” says Grant Anderson Vice-Chairman of PRS South Africa. “
The International Precision Rifle (IPRF) was founded in late 2019 and aims to unify the sport of precision rifle worldwide and set international standards for competition enabling a level playing field at Regional and World Championship levels. Scott Satterlee is the organisation’s first president and was elected to this position at the organisation’s first meeting in Ireland. Scott needs little introduction and is well known among precision shooters and is a leading competitor in both NRL and PRS competition in the US. Scott is backed up by vice-president Rob Ramsden (RSA), secretary Tiff Dew (GBR), treasurer Michael Ward (IRE) and 2 representatives from each of the affiliated national precision rifle association“
To Qualify
Each country has their own association that will represent their country within the IPRF. The United States Precision Rifle Association takes on the job of allowing shooters to submit an application to represent our Nation. From there, the USPRA looks at that applicants prior match finishes and decides on who makes the team. Here is the list that show the specific matches that can count for finishes.
The division slots available this year for the United States are Open, Open Ladies, Open Senior, Open Mil/LEO, Limited, and Factory. Worth it to note, this year not all match slots were filled, such as Senior Open, Ladies, Factory and Mil/LE open.
This years list of competitors consist of names that most of us know if you compete in the precision rifle world such as Rusty Ulmer, Allison Zane, Morgun King, etc.
Thank you Riflemans Path for sharing so many photos and updates of the team.
Ultimate Ballistics gives us a full list of competitors, their results/rankings, and what they’re running for weapon and cartridge. The fact that you can go onto a website and see what the BEST IN THE WORLD are running for cartridges is a pretty cool thing. Maybe it can make the decision a little easier when it comes to 6dasher, 6br, 6mm, etc..
A few competitors within the competition showing their squad number, country, division, maker of firearm, and cartridge. https://competitions.ultimateballistics.com/competitions/9/competitors
The numbers for competitors competing in the precision rifle world championship in France ended around up being around 24 countries and 250 participants.
Final Standings for Team USA
USA won it all...and HERE is how that trophy arrived..ghillie suit and all by the French.
Not only did we win 1st in almost every division, we took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on.
CONGRATULATIONS TEAM USA!!!!! Austin Bushman, World Champion in Open Payton Grimes, World Champion in Ladies Open Coulter Mariott, World Champion in Limited Rusty Ulmer, World Champion in Senior
Aridus Industries, the Pennsylvania based manufacturer best known for its aftermarket shotgun accessories, recently started shipping a new charging handle for the Beretta 1301 semi automatic shotgun.
A close-up shot of the new 1301 Charging Handle. image credit: Aridus Industries FB page
The new charging handle features a concave design intended to meld with the fingers of the shooter’s hand that manipulates the shotgun’s action. Instead of the typical knurling texture as found on similar cylindrical shaped charging handles, Aridus has opted to mill their handle with a very unique geometric oval shaped pattern which also intersects at various points to create a textured pattern. Furthermore, Aridus’ 1301 Charging Handle is also designed with the original “tail hook” on the stem. Not only is the tail hook a part of the original Beretta specifications for 1301 or A400 shotgun charging handles, but this structure also serves to keep the bolt together with the bolt carrier. The 1301 Charging Handle retails for $80 and while the first batch already sold out, more are on the way.
After speaking to Adam Roth, the founder and owner of Aridus Industries, he explained that he conceived this charging handle concept some time ago. He added that there were several designs for Beretta shotgun charging handles on the market, but nothing like his idea was available. Due to recent investment on a specialized lathe, he was finally able to execute on his ambition. This late allows him to manufacture these charging handles in house exactly the way he envisioned them. In addition to this new lathe, Aridus has been busy boosting their productivity with a trio of Haas CNC mills. The new lathe and CNC mills (along with the small team and the workshop they now sit in)—are all fairly recent augmentations to Aridus’ capabilities. It wasn’t that long ago that Aridus’ entire operation was based off a single consumer grade mini mill housed in a garage run by one man.
A patch on a tactical vest is seen during a gun rights rally outside of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia on January 17, 2022 (Photo by Bryan Dozier/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
— Firearms Policy Coalition (@gunpolicy) July 30, 2022
Except for police, NY state seems to think there’s only a narrow window of humanity who might want to own body armor in a country they keep trying to convince us is awash in crazed mass murderers with rifles. “Not only should you not be able to shoot back at the unstoppable horde of school/mall/movie theater killers, but you shouldn’t be allowed to passively protect yourself with body armor either!” is a hell of a message to push, but somehow, they persist.
So in light of the apparent waves of wild-eyed gunmen they keep shouting about, who should be allowed to protect their body with steel, ceramic, or even L210 plates? Well, naturally its those who are on the front line of this epidemic of Violence That Only Happens Here (except for everywhere else), right? Cashiers, church staff, teachers, the guy who pops popcorn at the theater, are all natural choices for the narrative they push. Well, in a word, no. While the list is still “under review”, the currently anointed few include process servers, building inspectors, journalists, and private investigators.
Private investigators makes some sense. It’s not like in the movies, but being investigated without knowing can really piss some people off. Similarly unlike the movies is Process servers. They don’t dress up as janitors and ambush people in real life, and violence is unusual in that profession from everything one can glean online, but it’s possible, sure. Building inspectors provoked some head-scratching though. I don’t think it’s ever come up, and the most dangerous thing about inspecting buildings has to be climbing around on top of, or under them. Journalists I can actually understand. Given how much people seem to hate them nowadays, it seems both prudent and wise to give them body armor.
So, to summarize, the supposed reason for all this restriction of freedom is the idea that people are getting shot in public places nonstop, (which is of course why we’re told we have to give up our guns) but the people most at risk from this inflated wave of violence can’t armor themselves either. Well, it seems they either forgot their own narrative, or they never believed it in the first place. We know which one we’re betting on.
Remember when I talked about running out of onions last year? Well this year I tried some new things and planted more, and yeah well now I’m up to my eyeballs in onions!
The first thing I tried – growing “bunching onions” in the window – never really took off. I got a few spindly stalks but not enough to do more than chop a few greens into a recipe. I was disappointed, but soldiered on.
And by soldiering on I mean that I went crazy in the planting onions outside department. It was more of an accident or an insurance policy than actively TRYING to overwhelm myself with alliums, but here we are nonetheless.
Onion Seeds
I had never grown onions from seed before, I’d only grown from “sets” from the store. Trying to be more self-sufficient I decided to try seeds this year. The variety I chose – Walla Walla – is a sweet northern onion, but it has a rather long growing season so I started those seeds in several egg cartons in my window in fricken January. I’m not kidding, it’s right there in my garden journal. And by starting seeds, I mean I planted ALL the seeds. Every single seed in the packet went into my window. Because when you have the winter blahs and are desperate to see greenery, and know that some seeds never germinate, you way over-plant just in hopes of getting SOMEthing.
Hello my little green seedlings!
Fortunately I got lots of somethings. Those seeds apparently really like egg cartons because I had something like a 80% germination rate. I babied those little onions and they flourished in my window for two months. Onions are supposed to be very frost tolerant so I then transplanted the few dozen -odd seedlings outside into one of the survival/inflation garden raised beds on March 19th.
Onion Sets
There’s frost-tolerant and then there’s really fricken brrrr. We had a pretty deep cold snap a few weeks later and my baby onions looked pretty droopy. I was worried. So when the local farm store chain advertised that they had onion sets in stock I scooted on over to have a look. They didn’t have sweet onion sets, but they had yellow and they had red.
“Oooooh, I’ve never grown red onions before, that might be fun”, whispered my garden addiction to myself. So that is how I came to have not just one, not just two, but three different varieties of onions growing in my garden. Because naturally since I bought more, my original planting survived and did well. And so it went until July.
Harvest
You know it’s time to harvest the onions when their green tops droop over. Whereupon you are supposed to pull them up and lay them out to dry so that the tops turn brown. This allows the onion bulbs to seal over so to speak, and then and only then can you store them for a few months or all winter. It’s a bit of a process.
Drying in between rain storms
So naturally as soon as I started to pull onions to dry, the weather decided to be stormy off and on nearly every day for three weeks. Onions don’t “dry” in the rain (duh) so I had to bring as many as I could into the house. For almost a month I have had onions draped over every conceivable surface in my kitchen. I still had to leave some outside, but as I processed them I brought more indoors as I went.
Onions, onions, Everywhere!
Basement Storage
Some dried perfectly, got topped and tailed and are now hanging in my basement tied into old pantyhose. Yes, I am of the generation that wore pantyhose and yes I still have some in my drawer – get off my lawn and don’t judge. Some of the dry ones I put into saved plastic netting from my last few frozen turkeys. (I am not a hoarder.)
Dry and ready for storage.
Then there was the problem of the fact that some didn’t dry at ALL. Some were threatening to get soft and rotten because of the rain. Assuming my controlling mother attitude of “Oh no you DON’T!”, I marched those onions over to the cutting board and started chopping them for dehydrating before they went bad.
Dehydrating
Which was a good idea and frugal on my part, except for the fact that these yellow onions were a bit more pungent than the ones I dehydrated last year. Two dehydrator batches of several trays each, over the course of two and a half days made my house smell like a Philly Cheese Steak Shop – except stronger. Not only did my eyes water while I was chopping those rogue onions, It was pretty bad in the house for three days too. I could smell onions all day at work for two days as well, so it was undoubtedly in my clothes and up my nostrils. But I at least have three jars full of dehydrated onions for winter soups and cooking to show for my suffering.
This times three for shelf stable storage.
I could have put the dehydrator outside on the picnic table like I did for the jalapeños the other year, except the same rain that wasn’t allowing the onions to dry properly also impeded my use of an electric appliance outdoors on an uncovered deck. ARGH.
There are still a few onions left which aren’t drying well, so I’ll be using those up in canning some salsa this weekend. Whatever STILL isn’t dry might have to go into another dehydrator load. Next time I think I’ll try putting it all on a folding table in the garage.
Canning
I also have plans for some of the red ones to go into home pressure-canned French Onion Soup. This is a shelf stable and delicious way to preserve garden onions. You don’t have to eat it as soup, although I love it with salad croutons and melted cheese. Some people use it to cook their pot roast in or make Salisbury steak with. There are all kinds of possibilities if you are an onion lover like me.
There’s one last thing I want to experiment with. I have read that if you slice the onions (instead of chopping) and then blanch them before dehydrating (instead of doing them raw) that you end up with crispy onion ring snacks to eat right out of the jar! I definitely NEED to try this.
Yeah I love onions. I am up to my eyeballs currently, but I’ve got plans for every single one of them. I suppose there are worse things to have your house smell of in exchange for a winter of yumminess. Just don’t stand too close or smell my clothes for a few more weeks, mkay?
It’s hot y’all. Florida temperatures have hit over a hundred degrees for a few days in a row, and it can be downright miserable. At the same time, most of my outside work is in the summer. I’m a fan of jungle boots for such adventures, but I gave the new 5.11 Tactical A/T HD boot a try for the entire month of July. Jungle boots are fine, but the new 5.11 A/T HD boots are specifically made for the heat and do more than just add a couple of vents to the design.
I asked and received the boots from 5.11 Tactical for review. I specifically went with the 8-inch tall, all-black models. They harken back to days gone of polishable boots, and these were days before I joined the military. I liked the look, and they met my agency’s requirements for boots. This includes the color, length, and specific specs, and the fact they were built to beat the heat was impressive enough to get me interested.
The A/T HD Boot – What’s In A Name
The A/T in the name signifies they use 5.11’s new Atlas system. Atlas, aka the all-terrain load assistance system, is designed for those carrying a load. It’s a clever reference to Atlas, the guy who carried the world on his shoulders. I’ve used this system before and found it to be incredibly comfortable and great when carrying weight.
HD stands for heat deflecting. 5.11 Tactical says that they use a heat-reflective Strobel sock that reflects heat from the ground. A Strobel sock, in case you didn’t know (because I didn’t), is the bottom part of the inside of the shoe. Additionally, 5.11 Tactical uses infrared refracting leather to drop the temperature inside the boot. Oh, and the tongue is also perforated to make the whole boot a little more breathable.
With all this said, I took the boots on for the last month to see just how well they worked. Let’s see if the A/T HD Boots live up to their reputation.
First Steps with the A/T HD Boots
Like all boots, these things needed a good breaking in. While they were still new, I strapped them on and wore them around the house for most of the day. I did this for hours until my feet got sore, and I would take a break. The breaking-in took a couple of days on non-serious use before they stopped making my feet cramp.
This month was also an interesting one for me. I took a vacation to the mountains and began an 8-week workout program designed for those looking to become Green Berets. This SFAS program has tons of hikes and is a perfect testing medium for these boots. On my first three-mile hike with 35 pounds, I admittedly got a little crampy but not bad enough to tap out. That 3-mile over-the-road hike really finished breaking them in.
By the time I got to the 8-mile road march, this wasn’t an issue anymore. The Atlas system is fantastic for providing support, especially with weight on your back. Zero hot spots popped up and blisters weren’t an issue, and after the hike, I didn’t have sore ankles, calves, or more. I laced my boots down plenty tight, and the A/T HD boots provide wonderful ankle support. I hike on a dirt road, and it’s not exactly even ground. I’ve yet to roll an ankle, even when I zone out at about mile five and stop paying attention to the terrain.
What About the Heat
I paired the 5.11 Tactical A/T HD boots with some merino wool socks, and that was the ticket to comfy feet. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to how my feet felt. It wasn’t until I was a few days in that I realized, holy crap, my feet aren’t soaked with sweat, my socks aren’t saggy and gross, and I didn’t go through my cold feet cycle.
My cold feet cycle is what happens when I work outside or hike and then come in and cool down. My sweat-soaked feet would then get cold because of central air conditioning rocks. I don’t feel the heat of the ground, and even when standing in full sunlight, I don’t have a problem with the boots getting hot and uncomfy.
Everything Else About the A/T HD Boots
While the boots are big with their 8-inch sides, they are fairly lightweight and won’t break you down. The tongue is super comfy, and there is nothing in the boots that pokes and prods like an errant seam. The traction is robust and digs into the ground to make anything slip-free and safe. Wet terrain, sand, dirt roads, and beyond won’t trip you up.
Plus, I like the look of the boots. Looks matter when it comes to clothes, and these boots look good. They are professional and subdued, without any kind of craziness to them. The 5.11 Tactical logo is very small and subdued as well. I think the 5.11 Tactical A/T HD boots are my new summer love.
With AK’s taking over the market, more classes being held, and Rifle Dynamics Red Oktober event coming up, it is critical to ensure that simple things are installed on your AK correctly. One of those main things being the recoil spring.
This issue was found during a standard inspection of a large batch of American Made (well..American assembled and partly American made if we want to be particular..) AK-47’s. The Company will not be named.
The Function
A standard recoil spring on an AK has a rear guide that fits into a slot on the rear trunnion. Once that rear guide is seated the hinged or free dust cover is meant to basically pop over the back of the rear guide and click into place. Thus making the recoil rod have two jobs, cycle the weapon and hold the dust cover in place.
The Issues
The recoil rod is constantly getting pushed during cycling and also during assembly and disassembly. Anytime there is friction burrs can be made. It is a very normal thing and can happen to any firearm. In this case, on the rear trunnion where the rear guide fits into burrs can sometimes be found. With how tight that trunnion is where the guide seats the burrs can be minimal and it could still cause two major issues.
First Issue
Burrs found in the rear trunnion slot can cause the rear guide to not fully seat to the back of slot. This can cause issues during cycling or even permanently damage your guide rod, such as bending it.
Shown from left to right. The first photo (with a red X) is showing the recoil spring rear guide not fully seated into the back of the trunnion due to small burrs. The second photo (with a green checkmark) is showing a properly fully seated rear guide.
Second Issue
An even more dangerous issue..remember that the recoil rod has two jobs, one to help cycle the gun and two to seat the dust cover. If the recoil rod does not fully seat to the rear the back of that will not have enough tension to allow the dust cover to be held in place. It acts almost like a button that is stuck in place. When installing the dust cover it will seem like it snaps into place however if you don’t see the back of the rod essentially “pop” out of the back of the dust cover the cover could not be held on by anything. During firing this can cause the dust cover to fly off.
From left to right..The first photo (with a red X) is showing the guide not fully seated and not “popped” into place thus nothing is holding the dust cover on. The second photo (with a green checkmark) is showing the guide fully seated into the rear trunnion and entirely holding onto the dust cover.
A sharp piece of metal flying through the air under pressure of gas expelled from a firearm. Fun.
The Fix
To fix these two possible issues all it takes is a skinny hand file. A few quick passes of the hand file inside the trunnion slot should remove the small burrs that are there. To verify, replace the spring and ensure it reaches all the way to the back of the trunnion. Install the dust cover. During racking and a functions check keep an eye on that rear guide now seated in the dust cover. If it “pops” into place during racking then obviously it wasn’t totally seated in the first place. Disassemble and take a few more passes with the hand file.
Note: Lube should still stay on just the bolt on AK’s so focus on removing the burrs and not immediately going to lube.
Seeing with your eye if the guide is seated in the trunnion takes time and honestly just takes a number of AK’s being in your hands and eye sight to start noticing when it’s not seating. You won’t notice the burrs with your eyes but you’ll notice the placement of the rod in the back of the dust cover.
This summer, my son has embraced shooting a little more. He’s shot before, but typically just for fun without anything beyond safety training. In teaching him to shoot, I realized that I’ve been taking my own experience and fundamentals for granted. I’ve forgotten that learning is like learning to walk and can be a slow, confusing process. So I decided to try to put together a little guide for both new shooters and those teaching new shooters.
Where to Start With New Shooters
It’s best to start at the boring basics. This should be short and user involved. The basics should be explained, but make it interactive. If you’re a new shooter, you must first learn the basic safety of firearms handling. Don’t just read the rules but absorb them and question the rules versus how you handle firearms.
First, treat every weapon as if it’s loaded. This first rule is the core of all firearm safety rules. Treating a weapon as if it’s always loaded requires you to treat it with respect at all times, and if you follow the rest of the safety rules, you’ll do just that.
Second, always keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction. A safe direction is a direction you wouldn’t mind shooting in. So not at people, pets, and other living things.
Third, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. This is fairly simple. The trigger is not a place to rest your finger. Straight and off the trigger is fairly clear and easy to do. This will prevent 100% of negligent discharges.
Editor’s Note: Cooper’s Rules Work! All the time! Weird how that works.
Those three rules are the most important for a new shooter to know. There are more, but for now, memorize those three.
Next, learn how to load and unload your firearm. If it’s new, it has a manual worth reading. You’ll find a treasure trove of information there. Most important new shooters need to know how to clear a firearm. Clearing is unloading the firearm completely.
Learn The Basics of Shooting
If possible, take a basic gun safety and use class. The NRA’s basic courses are perfect for this information. The NRA’s firearm training division has several very basic classes that teach shooters the basics of pistols, shotguns, and rifles. These courses are hosted in person, and distance learning is also an option.
Learn how your firearm functions. New shooters should learn the proper grip, proper sight picture, and the basics of trigger pull without their trigger pull affecting their grip or sight picture. These three basic things ensure a safe experience and lay the groundwork for more advanced training.
These three small skills can be done without ammo and can be done with an airgun, a SIRT pistol, or just a dry firearm. Always follow gun safety rules during this practice and training.
If you are going about this by yourself, Youtube is your best friend. Not all information is equal. As a new shooter finding good information can be difficult. With that in mind, there are a few channels with great information. Check Out:
Sage Dynamics for Sight Picture and Handgun Trigger Control, Beretta For Proper Handgun Grip, and the NSSF and SIG-Sauer Academy for a wide variety of beginner-friendly subjects. These channels are all excellent sources of information. They aren’t the only source, but they do have a wide variety of experts and produce great information.
Going Live
When it’s time to start shooting, you can just plink away without any goals, but that’s not always beneficial. New shooters likely aren’t ready for doing 10-10-10 drills or failure drills. What exactly can they do to improve their skills and avoid wasting ammo?
My son and I did the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program. This program offers some very basic courses of fire to allow a shooter to have a goal when they start shooting. This program allows you to shoot very simple courses of fire with an accuracy standard and sometimes a time standard.
The lowest levels of the quals are very simple and really allow new shooters to work on basic skills to become better shooters. My son practiced for the pistol qualification at the Pro-marksman level, and while simple, it forced him to learn a lot of the basics to pass the qual.
The First Month
The information in this article is something someone could do in the first month of owning a gun, and that’s a lot of time. These are things that can be done on weekends and in 15-minute increments at home. If you are a new shooter or are training a new shooter, start at the bottom and build those blocks to become a better, safer shooter. It’s not a race, and it should be fun. Everyone was a new shooter at one point, and as long as you prioritize safety, you’ll have a good time.
Being new at something is the best because you can suck at it, and everyone wants to help you get better. Shooting is no different.
