Rifle Bullets To The Rear

Trainer and SFOD-Delta veteran Kyle Lamb has a simple tactical tip of the day. When placing your AR (or AK) magazines in a waist pouch, have the cartridges in the mag face to the rear. While I don't expect to ever have to be in a war-fighting situation like Lamb, this is a good training tip for a carbine course.




It makes sense to me.

Shotgun Drills For Home Defense

I came across to a link to this video earlier today. In it, Chris Baker of LuckyGunner.com goes through four drills that he suggests you should practice if you intend to use a shotgun for home defense. As I bought the Complementary Spouse a 20 gauge Mossberg 500 Bantam Tactical shotgun (with a purple stock and handguard!) for Christmas, I think these drills have a lot of merit.

The drills include:

1. Mount, shoot one
2. The follow-through
3. Shoot, Reload, Shoot
4. Reload from Empty

Chris explains it in detail here. I met Chris at the NRA Annual Meeting last year in Nashville. He impressed me as an on the ball sort of guy.




As a reminder, I am a LuckyGunner affiliate. Commissions earned through this program are donated in their entirety to gun rights organizations. Just use the LuckyGunner link in the upper right side of this page.

They are one of the few places that has the 20 gauge Rio Royal Buck in #1 buckshot as well as the 20 gauge Brenneke Tactical Home Defense Slugs. Finding adequate home defense ammo in 20 gauge is a lot harder than finding equivalent ammo for the 12 gauge.

One Shot Draw Drills

Enough with the political stuff! Here is something interesting that you can use at the range if they allow you draw from a holster. While most indoor ranges forbid it, you could do it at an outdoor range in most places.

In this training video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig demonstrates how he uses a one shot draw drill to speed up his response time for steel challenge competitions. He notes that he first starts out doing the drill at home with dry-fire practice. That is something everyone could do regardless of what his or her favorite range allows.

Training Tip - Slide Lock Reload On The Move

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of their training tips video. This one features Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy.

In the video, Adam demonstrates a slide lock reload drill. This drill consists of two precision shots at a 25 yard steel target, a slide lock reload while moving backwards and finishes off with two close range shots on a paper target while moving.

Adam notes that the drill teaches self-discipline because it forces the shooter to concentrate on the second 25-yard shot before moving backwards and reloading. The natural tendency is to think about the reload and the move as you are taking that second shot.

Video: Ankle Holsters For Concealed Carry

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has just released another one of their excellent training videos. This video features SIG SAUER Academy's Adam Painchaud talking about carrying a pistol or revolver in an ankle holster.

As I have long batted around the idea of doing this given that I drive a lot and often work in places where guns are not welcome though not illegal. While it is not the ideal situation for a primary carry gun, it is good for a backup gun as well. I think it is a viable option when it's a choice between carrying and not carrying due to clothing or the work environment.

Adam mentions both Galco and Alessi holsters for ankle carry. I'm sure there are others if you look. I think he is correct in saying a flimsy holster isn't got to be comfortable. I'd go a step further and say it ain't gonna cut.

One last comment - if you typically wear skinny jeans, you may want to consider other alternatives for carrying your concealed firearm. Just saying.

When Jerry Gives Advice, I Listen

If you are of an age, you'll remember the old TV ads for stock brokerage E. F. Hutton. The tag line of the ads was that when E. F. Hutton spoke, people listened. I'm like that when Jerry Miculek offers advice.

In the video below, Jerry offers pointers on how to hold your AR-15 for consistent and accurate shooting. Given Jerry's success at 3-Gun which requires both speed and accuracy, it is a given that he knows of what he speaks.

New Video Series From NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has launched a new video series featuring Chris Cheng. Cheng went from self-taught amateur working for Google to the winner of Top Shot Season 4. This new series is aimed at the new or beginning shooter. The new series will focus on the core fundamentals that allowed Chris to advance from being a self-taught amateur to the ranks of professional marksmen.

The first video is his introduction to the series.





The next video that has been released speaks to the most important thing to consider at the range: safety. In it he presents four rules of safety that are variants of Col. Cooper's famous four rules. While I prefer the phrasing of Col. Cooper's rules, these appear to be stated in a way that will be understood by the absolute rank beginner not coming from the gun culture.

NSSF Defensive Pistol Tip - Drawing Your Pistol In A Car

In one of the latest training tips videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Adam Painchaud, Director of the Sig Sauer Academy, discusses drawing your pistol from concealment while in the driver's seat of a car.

For the majority of us who are right-handed and carry on the strong side, the seat belt can be problematic. Adam shows a way of using the steering wheel to give yourself enough leverage to draw your pistol without interference from the seat belt. He also discusses alternate methods of carry including shoulder holsters, cross-draw, and the ankle holster. Personally, I drive a lot and the idea of using an ankle holster is getting more and more appealing.

When Kim Speaks...

I listen. The Kim in question is 5-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode.

In a quick tips video Kim made for the NRA Women, she discusses the proper placement of your feet and body for shooting trap and skeet.

NSSF Training Tip: Holdover And Offset

Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy talks about holdover and offset in the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. A red dot sight or a scope is zeroed for a specific distance. If shooting a distance that is either greater or less than the zeroed distance, you need to compensate for it in order to get an accurate hit.

Adam discusses ways to determine the holdover and offset for your rifle. This becomes important in a defensive situation when you are using a rifle at close range. It is also important if you are in a competitive match such as a 3-Gun competition.

Practice Tips From Jim "Long Hunter" Finch

In one of the latest videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Jim "Long Hunter" Finch talks about how he goes about practicing for a match. While not everything about Cowboy Action Shooting or, for that matter, competition is applicable to daily life, some of the practice tips he suggests are.

I really like his suggestion that you practice not what you are with comfortable with but what makes you uncomfortable. In his case, as a natural right-hander, he's more comfortable drawing from his right side as well as with moving left to right. In his practice sessions, he reverses that so that he is practicing what doesn't come natural to him.

Trigger Finger Discipline

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of their training tips videos. This one is with Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy. In this video, Adam demonstrates a training technique for working on your trigger finger discipline so that you will press and not jerk the trigger.

He is using a single action pistol but it would work with any pistol that doesn't have a magazine disconnect. Adam starts by loading a round in the chamber and then removing the magazine. He then takes an aimed shot and then lets the trigger reset. The shooter follows this up with a dry fire aimed shot. If your front sight wobbles on the dry fire shot, you have found your accuracy problem.

Bullet Trace

In the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, NSSF's Dave Miles discusses long range shooting with Rod Ryan of Storm Mountain Training. In particular, they discuss trace or the wake of a bullet as it pushes through the air. If you watch the video below carefully, you can see the actual trace or path of the bullet. Having a spotter watch the trace will allow you to make the necessary corrections for long range shooting.

Distance

In the latest NRA video from Il Ling New of Gunsite, she talks about the importance of creating and maintaining distance. While this series of short videos is aimed at women and is sponsored by NRAWomen.tv, her advice applies for both men and women. Distance from a potential threat is good, more distance is better.

Good Advice From Doug Koenig On New Shooters

The National Shooting Sports Foundation released another of their training videos featuring Doug Koenig. Unlike the others which dealt with improving your shooting, this one was dedicated to the proper ways to introduce new shooters to the sport. The video features both Doug and his son Trevor.

Doug suggests starting out with air rifles for absolute new comers and with rimfire for those slightly more experienced. Above all else, you don't want to overwhelm the new shooter with a "hand cannon". He makes good points about the use of reactive targets as a way to keep things interesting.

Athena Lee On An Alternate Method Of Mag Changes

Normally when one makes a mag change, you shift the pistol in your hand so that your strong hand thumb can push the mag release. Champion shooter Athena Lee, by contrast, maintains her grip of the pistol with her strong hand and uses her weak hand thumb to push the mag release.

In the video below produced by Armscor, she notes that she has smaller hands. After viewing the video, I'd have to say her method of mag changes seems just as fast as the traditional method. I may have to give it a try as I, too, have smaller hands.

Not Just For Women

The NRA has been featuring a series of training videos featuring Kim Heath. They are called Tips and Tactics and come under the NRA Women TV label. Just because they are labeled "women" doesn't mean men can't get a lot from them.

I know for a fact that I'm not in the same physical condition I was in my 20s and 30s. I think one of my docs has referred to it as "deconditioned". What it means is that I don't have the same strength and stamina that I had earlier in my life. Kim's videos show different ways to compensate for our body's limitations.

The latest is on managing rifle weight. As a day of shooting goes on the rifles tend to get heavier. Kim shows a way to take some of that weight off your arm and transfer it to your body.





I also really like the Counter Supination Grip that she shows in the video below. I might not use it all the time but it does allow you to transfer the weight of your AR from your arm to more of your body.

Stage Planning For Steel Challenge With Doug Koenig

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of its pistol training videos featuring champion shooter Doug Koenig. In this video, Koenig discusses how he approaches shooting a five-plate set-up. He also discusses alternatives to his way of shooting including one that is used successively by Max Michel. As Koenig makes clear, you need to take the approach that you feel most comfortable with shooting.

Building Speed By Pushing Your Limits

In the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses how to build your speed as a competitive shooter. He suggests having a timer and then begin to push your limits. When your performance starts to suffer - larger groups, missed targets, etc. - back off a bit and start to work at that speed. Eventually, your groups will tighten and your speed will increase.

Doug Koenig - The Hands Will Follow The Eyes

In the next installment of pistol training tips from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses transitioning from one target to another. The key is to switch your eyes to the new target and your hands and body will follow suit.

I learned this technique in a training class with Brian Searcy of TigerSwan. It works. If you move your pistol to the new target before your eyes, you will overshoot the target and have to come back. If you just move your eyes first, your hands and the pistol will lock on to the target and not overshoot it.