Improving your drawstroke is easy if you practice a simple 4 step process.  Follow the link for a demonstration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSC6JLu7UhI

Sitting in his coach seat in a packed airplane, my friend looked around at the other passengers.  There were familys with small children, college-aged “kids”, businessmen, and older couples.  As he surveyed the crowd the American Serviceman looked at their faces, faces that expressed various emotions; happiness, excitement, concern, frustration, and even boredom.  Regardless of the their mood, they were alive and free.      

The man thought about his comrades in arms, some of whom had given the ultimate sacrifice.   He remembered the thousands of men who had come before him.  Men who had volunteered to serve a nation, to sacrifice for the benefit of strangers.  My friend had spent his entire adult life in the service of his nation and community.  He had sacrificed years away from his wife and children.  His body was showing signs of wear, joints ached, the back was stiff, explosions and gunfire had stolen a good portion of his hearing.

As he considered the people who surrounded him, my friend wondered if he perhaps should have taken the “normal” path. He could have gone to college, gotten a normal job, worked Monday to Friday, been home every night for his kids.  That thought quickly passed.  He understood that he was meant to serve, to live the life of a warrior.  

Sitting back in his narrow airline seat, the man thought about the outpouring of appreciation and gratitude that he had received that day.  He had looked in their eyes and seen the sincerity as they thanked him for his service.  This man, a warrior who had lived through tremendous hardship, seen comrades killed in action, survived close encounters with the enemy, admitted to me that a tear began to form in his eye.   As the plane pushed away from the gate and taxied down the runway he closed his eyes, said a silent prayer for the safety of the flight, and drifted off to sleep.       

Recently, a very close friend of mine was traveling in his service uniform.   The trip was a long one and he had to board three separate planes at as many airports with extended layovers.   When boarding the first flight the airline staff announced that all service members in uniform could board the flight first.   Members of both the ground crew and flight crew took a moment to thank him for his service. 

During his first extended layover my friend decided to sit down in an actual restaurant, not fast food, and have some lunch.   He related to me that he felt several eyes upon him and very soon after he ordered a waitress stopped by his table to tell him that a gentleman had just paid for his lunch.   Before he could thank the stranger he had left.   As he finished his meal another patron leaned over to thank him for his service and asked if he could buy him a beer.   Being in uniform he declined but thanked the gentleman for the offer and expressed appreciation for his support.

When boarding the connecting flight one of the passengers in line again thanked him.   For this extened flight his seat was all the way in the rear of the airplane.  Before the plane left the gate a flight attendant came back and said that a gentleman in First Class would like to give him his seat.   Again my friend gratiously declined but expressed his gratitude.

There is much talk about the upcoming and current Constitutional Crisis we have before us.  Many folks refer to this or that as “Unconstitutional”.   How many of us have actually read the Constitution?  From a personal standpoint, I studied the U.S. Constitution and Constitutional Law in the Police Academy.   Have you read the Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence since you were in High School?  They aren’t long documents and they spell out a straight-forward, uncomplicated way to ensure liberty for the people and security for the nation.    The Bill of Rights will print up on a single sheet of paper if you set the font right.  Two sheets for larger type.  Print them up, read them and pass them on to family and friends.  An educated and informed man is a free man. 

In short, cover stops bullets from hitting you, while concealment hides you from the bad guy’s view.  Knowing and understanding the difference could keep you alive.  Take a look at the video of an experiment I conducted with interior construction material (sheet rock, insulation, plywood).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxu0pV0mlQw

We tested out the Taurus Judge .410 revolver against common home construction material.   Check out the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rqwl340vWs

Take a look at this video clip of MMA prodigy Jarrad Markel.  This was Jarrad’s second amatuer fight.   The promoters were not able to get him a fight in the 205 lb. class so he accepted a bout at 225.    

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=539885276698964303&ei=8bDiSfKyHYeGqQKL98GPCg&q=%22jarrad+markel%22&hl=en

“SPORTS” is an acronym taught to young Army and Marine Corps recruits as way to remember how to clear a stoppage in an M-16/M-4 rifle.  It stands for Slap the magazine, Pull the charging handle to the rear, Observe the ejection port, Release the charging handle, Tap the forward assist, Squeeze the trigger.   This is all well and good on the range when time is of no concern and you have ample light to actually see what’s going on in the ejection port.  

 The problem with SPORTS is that it has way more steps than necessary for a simple Type 1 or Type 2 stoppage (failure to feed/fire or stovepipe).   In both cases, Tap, Rack, Reassess works best and fastest.  That is, Tap the mag, Rack the charging handle forcefully to the rear and release it immediately, Reassess to see if the target still needs to be shot.   This works for 95 percent of all stoppages, regardless of the light conditions and it can be done very quickly.  

 SPORTS does not work for a Type 3 or double-feed stoppage as the bolt must be locked to the rear, the magazine ripped out and the offending brass/cartridge combination cleared.  You can SPORTS your rifle all day long and it won’t clear a double-feed stoppage.  As a matter of fact, if you apply SPORTS to a double-feed you may likely jam the round or brass together all that much more and make the situation worse.

SPORTS has more steps than needed for a basic stoppage and will not work for a complex stoppage.  So, why do we keep teaching it?  It is still to this day in the curriculum of many U.S. Military small arms courses.  

My opinion is that first, we too often simply regurgitate what we were taught decades earlier because it’s easy and we don’t have to apply any analytical thought to it.  Another big reason, and this cannot be discounted, is the fact that SPORTS is simply a cool acronym.  It is easy to remember and when you introduce it to a young kid for the first time he thinks its cool too.   SPORTS is indeed cool but cool acronyms don’t keep us alive in combat. 

Take a stand, think for yourself.   The next time you here someone mention SPORTS for clearing an AR stoppage, smile politely if you like but, understand that it’s both more than you need and inadequate at the same time.   Be informed, use the gray matter God gave you.  Keep shooting straight and shooting safe! 

Noted firearms instructor Ralph Mroz has recently introduced a set of training DVD’s under the “Armed Response” banner.  The DVD’s offer a wealth of valuable information and are geared toward beginning and experienced shooters alike.  Go direct with them at www.shop.armedresponsetraining.com/main.sc?sourceCode=pm

CMMG, Inc. has a fantastic .22 LR conversion kit for the standard direct gas impingement AR style rifle.  Been working with it for a month and put a few hundred rounds though it.   Great piece of gear!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P08cP-NqY6s