SHOT Show 2012, Last Day
20 Jan 12 2012 SHOT Show, Last Day. Today, I saw a sample of DKX personal armor. It is a hard chest-plate that stops all rifle rounds, including 30-06. It is stiff and a half-inch thick, but, unlike steel or ceramic armor, it floats! In fact, it can function as a flotation device when worn. […]
SHOT Show 2012, Fourth Day
19 Jan 12 Saw my friends at FirstLight this morning. I regularly carry a copy of their “Tomahawk” tactical flashlight on my belt. They are selling many now to the Army! The red/green light combination, of which the Tomahawk is capable makes blood extremely visible and distinguishable from other fluids, bodily and otherwise, which are […]
SHOT Show 2012, Second Day
17 Jan 12 2012 SHOT Show, Second Day: 2102 Shot Show is well attended this year. Vendors all report good traffic. This third year in a row at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV is going much smoother than the past two. Restrooms are adequate. Food and refreshments are now plentiful, and, while […]
SHOT Show 2012, Range Day
16 Jan 12 Today was “Range Day.” The 2012 SHOT Show officially starts tomorrow morning at the Sands Exposition Center here in Las Vegas, NV. Range Day, graciously hosted by the local Desert Sportsmen’s Club Range, is sponsored by my good friend Mark LaRue of LaRue Tactical, who benevolently, and generously, fed us all too! […]
More on rifle optics
13 Jan 12 More comments on rifle optics, from respected Trainers: “You have essentially reiterated the ‘law of optics:’ (1) magnification, (2) field of view, and (3) eye relief are all inter-connected. Increasing one always reduces the other two. No way to get away from it! I have yet to see any magnifying rifle optic, […]
Rifle Optics
12 Jan 12 A student observes: “A useful, practical aiming system for serious rifles would be a rugged, compact, self-contained, low-mounted electro-optical aiming device that offers: 1) Wide field of view 2) Zero magnification 3) A facility for selectable, modest magnification, while retaining usability when forward mounted. When this device can be deftly shifted from […]
Comments
9 Jan 12 “I never joke about old soldiers who go to reunions to talk over the War. To talk of old times, with old friends, is the greatest thing in the world.” Will Rogers, 1930 These poignant comments from a friend and fellow veteran from my generation: “Had a visit with a friend yesterday. […]
This travel advice from a friend in the UK
6 Jan 12 “During 2011, I traveled extensively (mostly by air) throughout the African Continent, as well as in Greece, Germany, Italy, France, the UK, and points in Eastern Europe. Throughout it all, I had my Cold-Steel Sharkie in my carry-on bag. Never a problem! One airport policeman in Germany asked me about it. I […]
Ruffled Feathers?
5 Jan 12 Whenever I advocate, not “non-cooperation,” but “smart cooperation” with police, I succeed in angering some. Like any good instructor, I try to be persuasive and stimulating, but I never expect universal agreement. Many LEOs, like me, are disappointed to see the extent to which our profession has been politicized, particularly in large, […]
Hero in Action!
4 Jan 12 “Saturday (Christmas Eve), a colleague who conducts training similar to mine, found himself confronting a life-threatening situation as he was driving in UT. The car in front of him skidded out of control and wound-up in a river, upside down. Water was thigh-deep, and moving rapidly. The driver of the wrecked vehicle […]
Low Profile?
1 Jan 12 Recently, a tourist from TN was in NYC visiting the 911 Memorial. She, of course, couldn’t help but notice all the “No Weapons Allowed” signs. She was carrying a concealed pistol at the time, being appropriately licensed to do so in her home state of TN. She naively approached a security guard […]
(December 2011 Quips)
2 Dec 11 Serious Shotguns During a Defensive Shotgun Course here in CA this week, a student brought a copy of Mossberg’s 930SPX Police Shotgun. It is a gas-operated auto-loader. First one I’ve had in a Course. It ran fine, digesting buckshot and slugs smoothly. I love the sights! Fast and rugged. Recoil was manageable, […]
(November 2011 Quips)
1 Nov 11 S&W BG380. Comments from one of our Instructors: “I bought a new S&W BG380 last month, and I’ve been impressed! Among its virtues: It has been unfailingly reliable. Eats everything it gets fed, digests it, and gingerly disposes of the remains. S&W appears to have gotten magazine and feed-ramp geometry absolutely perfect. […]
(October 2011 Quips)
7 Oct 11 Tucson 911 A friend in Tucson, AZ reports that Tucson’s emergency number, 911, is not working well these days. In fact, it is not working at all! The helpful response of the fire department, who runs the faulty system, is to automatically channel your 911 call to another number, where you can […]
(September 2011 Quips)
1 Sept 11 Blame-shifting as “SOP:” In West Virginia last Tuesday, three wounds were inflicted, on two deputies, by a single bullet. The 45-caliber bullet (45ACP or 45GAP, unclear as to which), fired from a Glock (model unknown), produced a hand-wound on one deputy and an additional hand-wound on the second deputy, as well as […]
(August 2011 Quips)
1 Aug 11 These follow-up comments from a retired South African Army Officer, now living in the UK: “I cannot remain silent! The same stupid rules applied in SA during our War! I personally campaigned, against all odds, for concealed-carry handguns for my Section. After putting my commission on the table, several times, I was […]
(July 2011 Quips)
2 July 11 This info from a friend currently deployed overseas: “‘Standard’ M4 PMags do not run in our HK 416s. However, Magpul does make an ‘Emag’ specifically for the 416, and other Euro-spec rifles. They run fine. God forbid we’d standardize on anything!” Comment: H&K’s 416 (gas-piston M4) got off to a fast start, […]
(June 2011 Quips)
4 June 11 Greetings from Africa! I’m in Africa right now, teaching and hunting. I have wonderful friends over here who entertain me shamelessly! After two frustrating days unsuccessfully trying to get a shot at a Fallow Deer on a nearby farm (Fallow Deer, native to the UK, have thrived nearly everywhere they’ve been exported, […]
(May 2011 Quips)
1 May 11 We don’t need enemies! Last Wednesday, “behind-the-wire” in a building near the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, eight American officers, plus an American contractor, were murdered, execution style, buy a single Afghan trainee, armed with a Beretta M9 Pistol, issued to him by (you guessed it!) the US Air Force. This is the […]
(April 2011 Quips)
1 Apr 11 DTI Instructor’s Course: We generally run only one DTI Instructor’s Course per year. This year, it is in Rochester, IN on the weekend of 21-22 May 11. Students are trained in our instructional techniques, and we do a lot of shooting (Handgun, Rifle, Shotgun) as we review and exercise principles of effective […]
Gun industry legends Dave Spaulding, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, and John Farnam join Fernando Coelho to dive deep into the history of the gun industry, shedding light on how firearms and firearms training have transformed over the decades. They discuss the dramatic shift from traditional print reviews to the digital age of internet forums, social media influencers, and YouTube personalities of the industry.
