ATK, the ammunition Goliath, through Speer LE has announced full production of “Force on Force” marking cartridges and protective gear.  Bottom line up front, FoF cartridges operate in all existing 9mm Simunitions gun kits, included the GLOCK17 Blue Guns.  

What’s the benefit?  FoF cartridges are clean burning using only a non-lead primer to drive the projectile down range.  The colored projectiles are stiff, thin, plastic capsules filled with with a liquid marking compound that is glycerine based, not water based.  That means they won’t dry out like Sims rounds.   The colors are red, blue, yellow, green and white with the projectiles traveling in the 350 feet per second range.

I had the chance to work with them briefly through both SIG and GLOCK training pistols.  The cartridges burn clean as advertised thus trememdously minimizing that nasty plastic fouling with traditional Sims guns.  

Best part of all, a box of 50 Force on Force marking rounds will retail for less than the same box of 50 from Simunition.   Force on Force also has a formal training school in Wisconsin.  

Reality-based, simulations training is a critical part of any well rounded fighting pistol or rifle program.  Force on Force marking cartridges will soon be a vital component in that training.

www.forceonforce.com

The question as to whether or not it’s a good idea to load a “Home Defense” shotgun with rubber slugs or rubber buckshot was raised this week.   There are those who tout this as a “reasonable” idea and a good “alternative” to deadly force.   At first glance this idea might seem attractive to those inexperienced with mortal combat (that’s what fighting for your life is) or uneducated in lawful use of deadly force.

Let’s start with the basics.   Loading “rubber” slugs into a shotgun does not instantly transform it into a less-than-lethal tool.   A shotgun is still a firearm and a deadly force instrument.  The mental misconception here is that loading rubber shot into a shotgun somehow transforms it into the equivalent of a giant can of pepper spray or super stun gun.   A shotgun is still a gun.

From a lawful use of force standpoint, the only time you may use or threaten the use of a firearm against another person is if you have reasonable fear of deadly force.  You are either in fear of death or serious bodily harm or you are not.  If you are in fear for your life the appropriate response to that threat is deadly force. 

Home defense or defending yourself and family from an invasion of your home is a deadly force situation.  No one has the right to forcibly enter your home thereby threatening the life of your family.   Home Invasions, where multiple felons force entry into an occupied dwelling, have become a dangerous criminal trend.  These are hyper-violent encounters that must be stopped immediately.  Home invasions often end in rape and murder.  We are not dealing with some 1950s image of a “cat-burglar” here.  These are ruthless criminals.

These criminals will be armed with deadly tools; guns and knives.  There is no lawful requirement to somehow undercut a deadly threat with less force.  When a crime occurs the victim is already behind the power curve.  The criminals decide when and where to strike.  They are armed and ready to go.  The victim will be responding to this attack possibly from a sound sleep.   This is no time to be timid or apply half-measures.  If you do not turn the tide back to your favor immediately the results could be horrifying.

Finally, one of the great dangers of loading a lethal tool with less-than-lethal ammunition is the temptation to treat the shotgun not as a deadly weapon but as something else.  Mixing rubber buckshot and genunine ammunition is another invitation to disaster.  

Home owners are not riot police.  You are not charged with controlling an unruly mob or quelling a prison riot.   Leave the rubber slugs and shot in the hands of the police.  Preserving your life and that of your family is serious business requiring serious tools not half-measures meant to impress strangers. 

The root word in Gunfight is “fight” not gun and that is the driving theme in the Tactical Response two day Fighting Pistol course.   There are shooting schools aplenty, but very few fighting schools available to those who would save their own lives with a handgun.  At Tactical Response they teach you how fight with a gun, not just shoot it.  

While the fundamentals of front sight focus and trigger press are stressed, many traditional dogmas such as stance are left to for the competition shooters to worry about.  Too often we worry so much about stance that we forget to move our feet and get out of the way of incoming rounds.  It does little good to stand firm and exchange round for round with a killer.  You lose all ties.

The instuctors at Tactical Response stress movement, get off the “X”.  Priority number one is not getting shot, priority number two is shooting the bad guy.  If you can put these both together in aggressive fashion your chances of going home minus any extra holes are high.

For far too long competition shooters, not fighters, have dominated the firearms instruction realm and set the standard for “personal defense” training.  Although it may be self-evident, competition targets don’t shoot back.  Techniques that win matches don’t necessarily translate to victory on the street and in your home.  

Felons and murders will not be impressed by your one second draw stroke or your $3000 race gun.  They won’t offer critique on you picture perfect Weaver or Isoceles stance.  The gang of thieves that brakes down your front door will only be impressed by the ferocious way you put bullets into their personal space.  Repeat as necessary. 

When you leave Tactical Response your physical skills should be greatly enhanced, but more importantly your Mindset, a Victor’s Mindset, should be firmly in place.   The hierarhcy of preparedness to face evil is as follows: Mindset, Tactics, Skill, and Gear.  Contact them at www.tacticalresponse.com

The shooting world is excited about the release of Springfield’s new XD(M) pistol chambered in .45ACP.  There is good reason for this.  For the last couple of weeks I’ve been testing this pistol.  Bottom line up front; it is completely reliable, accurate and actually fits in your hand.   Despite using a double-stack magazine, the grip/frame dimensions are nearly identical to the Classic GLOCK 17. 

More than just a pistol, the XD(M) is a complete kit including 3 stainless steel magazines, a holster / mag-pouch combo (yes, I know they are the cheap ones, but they work well on the range), a magazine loading tool, and gun lock all in a very nice padded hard case.

Springfield has included a MatchGrade barrel that has a mirror polish on the feed ramp.   The trigger on this striker-fired pistol has a long reset when compared to many pistols in this class.  1911 shooters won’t like it.   However, like anything else, you can and do get used to the trigger and can learn to run the gun quite well.  It really boils down to training and practice.   The XD(M) in .45ACP has ensured the design’s longevity for many years to come.       

Rule #1 of Simunitions Training: Don’t get shot!  Seems simple, but some folks when they are all “armored up” are content to trade shots with the aggressor.  That earns two funerals.   You lose all ties in a gunfight.  Step one; don’t get shot.  Step two; shoot the bad guy. 

Rule#2;  Cover, Cover, Cover.   Know where it is and move to it quickly (without tripping over your fellows).  If you don’t have ready cover, GET OFF the “X”.    Move and shoot.   Refer to rule #1.  Standing your ground hurts.  Square range shooters tend to get cement feet.  This will be obvious when “paint” starts flying. 

Rule#3 A professional referee/controller is an absolute must to keep the exercise from degenerating into a “blood bath”.  Take the time to debrief.  Park your egos and learn from everyone’s mistakes.  

Guideline #1  Protect the entire face and throat, cover exposed skin, but resist the urge to “armor up” or pad people like the Michelin Man.   Folks get the superman syndrome, hang out in the open, or poke out from behind because it doesn’t hurt.   Pain is an awesome motivator.  People don’t like it and tend to take steps to avoid it.  

Guideline #2  Control the ammunition out put.  Again, folks start spraying the landscape with rounds versus making good shots when they have unlimited ammo.  Spraying the landscape ingrains bad habits.  Refer back to professional controller for this one.    

Despite a ‘massive’ twelve person protest, the 2010 Annual Meeting and Conference of the NRA was a tremendous success.  Though exact figures are not yet out, the show is on track to break previous attendance records.  Literally tens of thousands of NRA members visited the show over a three day weekend.   Hundreds of exhibitors displayed their wares with many such as Ruger, Barrett, and DPMS using the occasion to unveil brand new products. 

The “Queen City” (Charlotte, NC) rolled out the red carpet.   Locals were friendly and even the over-worked police officers directing traffic were pleasant and smiled.   The Charlotte Convention Center provided a forum for freedom loving citizens to come together in good spirits and encourage one another despite the daily onslaught against personal liberty.   

In contrast to the anti-gun and anti-hunting movements, there was no bitterness or hatred present.  Instead there was an upbeat attitude that was readily apparent to anyone intellectually honest and void of prejudice.  Though there are dark clouds on the horizon and it is understood that our country is in peril, the men and women gathered to inspire and encourage their fellows to reignite the American Spirit and rediscover that which has made us the beacon of freedom throughout our history.  

“Total Signature Reduction” is a working concept developed by the U.S. Military to minimize to the greatest extent possible the exposure or compromise of Special Operations snipers in the field.   A rifle shot produces more than noise.  You must also account for muzzle flash in low light and a dust signature when shooting from the ground.

The natural solution to achieving Total Signature Reduction is the use of a sound supppresor.   While it is physically impossible to “silence” the report from a super-sonic rifle bullet, it is possible to “throw” or distort the sound.   Pinpointing a suppressed rifle based upon the sound is next to impossible.  

As an added benefit, a high quality rifle suppressor acts as tremendously effective flash hider.   The burning propellant gases that cause the tell-tale dust cloud are corralled by the “can” and thus the dust/gas signature is greatly mitigated. 

At this moment in time SureFire LLC through their Suppressor Division is fulfilling the Military’s needs with their cans for 5.56, 7.62, and .338 Lapua.   http://www.surefire.com/suppressors

A very close friend was shooting on a public range on Monday when another shooter blew up his rifle with a miscalulated handload.  The victim was gushing blood like a stuck hog.  My comrade, being a trained first responder, fortunately had a trauma kit with him and was able to render aid.   He was the only person on the range with anything other than a band aid.

If you enjoy shooting and spend time afield I’d suggest carrying more than lip balm and band aids.  Bad things happen to good people.   Heavy gauze dressings and wraps are cheap but worth their weight in gold.   The tourniquet falls into the same category.  Far too many folks rely on their moblie phones thinking a 911 call will bring immediate aid.  What you do in the five, ten, fifteen or more minutes it takes for the ambulance to come can mean the difference between life and death.

Get some training and be safe!

Though they’ve gone through some name changes as they’ve grown, Jered Joplin and his crew of guncrafters are now operating under the banner of American Precision Arms.   APA just might be one of the best kept secrets in custom rifle production.   In addition to meticulously assembling rifles made from other folk’s parts, they are ramping up the a line of inhouse components including a very slick floorplate/trigger guard for detachable box magazines (bolt action) and a high-end machined AR lower.  I’ve been impressed by their work since I first encountered them back in 2005.  http://www.americanprecisionarms.com/

Though it’s a long way from replacing the military’s current 5.56mm NATO round, the 6.8mm SPC has a tremendous amount of potential as a personal defense and hunting cartridge.  This medium sized round offers relatively mild recoil, cycles in M4 sized platforms and the projectiles are larger and heavier than traditional .223 Rem/5.56mm.  

I know of several hog hunters that have adopted this as their favorite auto-loader round.  My daughter bagged a 150 pound ram with it this week.  A 110 grain Hornady BTHP load passed through and put the animal down with a single shot. 

Though shunned by many for its cost, if you aren’t burning a thousand rounds at a shooting school the price is certainly managable. This is particularly true when compared to the cost of other traditional hunting loads.