RECCE ROOM

Recent conversations relayed to the author: Q - What distance will we be shooting at this tactical carbine class? A - From 3 - 300 yards.  "Great! I'll bring my Savage 110 bolt action rifle!" Participant in a recent class did not hit as often at 300 as he wanted to. Participant changed ammo types twice in class (losing zero each time) and became understandably frustrated. Friend of participant says about his AR15 carbine equipped with a red dot: "Your instructor should have advised you that you were ill-equipped for the task at hand." Prospective participant asks about bringing multiple rifles to a carbine class: "Can I bring my bolt action with a scope for the long range portions?"  (the "long range" portions are 100, 200, and 300 yards.) Both of these statements proceed from a point of absolute ignorance. Sadly, this ignorance is widespread in and among the gun community. Mention shooting past 50 yards, and people start assuming one needs a...

This meme was shared on social media, and it reminded me about something from childhood. For the record, one platform of social media has a whole section dedicated to "insane parents." My mom had all of them beat.  That will be important to know here.  When this happened, I was about 12. We were gathered around, all looking at something (I forgot what). My mom shifted position, I was bumped, and I fell backwards. I landed on the edge of a milk crate that was being used to hold homeschool books.  The crate looked like this: When I landed on it, I yelled out in pain.  My mom fussed at me for being so "dramatic." I ran around a bit in a haze of pain, clenching my injured left buttock with my hand.  When I pulled my hand away, there was blood. A fair amount of blood. I showed my mom, and she examined the wound and called my dad to come home to take me to the hospital.  Side note: my dad's place of employment was very close to the hospital in downtown Chat...

Normally, just one reason should suffice, so pick from the nine reasons below why you should not date a single mom. This article inspired by an article online that tries to make the opposite points - why one should date a single mom. Of note, this author observes that among the thousands of single moms encountered, only one was a single mom due to husband's death (in the military - and he is thanked for  his service). The rest of the single moms encountered were so by their own design. The nine points and this blog's counter-points: 1. Weak men can’t handle us or our kids (Notice the shaming tactic and the psychological projection) The complaint is centered around a hypothetical toddler having an outburst and a man "unable to handle it." The reality so often is a 10-year-old having the same type of an outburst and the man she wishes to trap date is unwilling to tolerate it.  Counter Point - Don't date single moms. They refuse to parent their children.  2. We don’...

Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with an Appleseed Red Hat Instructor. The subject matter of that conversation made me think. I was reminded of that conversation more recently, when I was speaking with a student from one of my recent rifle classes. The Appleseed instructor mentioned that they are the first training class for so many people. The conversation with my student emphasize the fact that this was the student's first training class, as well. Additionally,  The Appleseed instructor with whom I recently spoke had a total of 40 live-fire classes under his belt, 13 of those as an assistant. My most recent class was my 61st as primary instructor. If you read many of my old entries on this blog, you will see that I was critical of Appleseed at the time. Those criticisms still stand, however, they were meant as constructive criticism then, and that still stands today. Appleseed has changed a little bit, as well they should. However, my opinion is that they probably ...

A man was arrested in Nashville for not wearing a mask . Screen shots to preserve the report in case something else is claimed later.  The officers enforcing this order need to be fired immediately and permanently banned from ever working in law enforcement again.

Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch explains why not to shoot.  Here are some additions this author would add: 1. I don't have time.  It is all about priorities. A person will make time for the things he thinks are important. So, a more honest statement would be: "I do not think this is a top priority." 2. Money (I don't have enough to train) Again, this is a priority. What is funny is seeing people who vape or smoke, drink heavily on most weekends, then "don't have the money." Once, this author even saw that excuse, then the same person went to the beach the following weekend.  3. Weather If only all self defense situations were in perfect environments. Also, some of the best reviews come from classes held in the worst weather. 4. Safe Princesses Why have a gun if you cannot shoot it? And if you collect some guns, why not pick up a few to train with? The good training guns are usually cheaper than collector guns.  5. I already know how to shoot.  If you say t...

In the past, this blog has made recommendations on optics for your AR15 rifle. Specifically, the red dot, the Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO), and the low power fixed optics have been suggested for use on your rifle.  Moving forward, the suggestion for a low power fixed optic will be removed.  If you already have a low power fixed optic, train with it. In addition to marksmanship, work really hard on the up close material. Get used to using the Bindon Aiming Concept. Work hard on the up close - you will be at a disadvantage here, so over come it.  And that is reason #1 why the low power fixed is no longer on the suggestions list - most people will not train on it nearly enough to fight with it at urban distances.  Reason number 2 - the low power fixed optic does nothing that the LPVO cannot do. In many cases, the LPVO can have higher magnification. And the LPVO is vastly superior up close.  So here are the suggestions: 1. RED DOT You may want a flip to the side ...

The following three phrases were spoken to this author recently: "My son needs the basic pistol training, but I probably don't." "Some instructors get anal about pointing the gun at someone. I tell you this: if you're in a gun fight, you're gonna point the gun at everybody. Your buddy, your enemy, your wife; everybody." "I'm telling you, you can't hit a target with a pistol past about 10 yards." Some observations: This guy needs training desperately. Pointing a gun at something (or someone) you don't want to destroy is NOT EVER ok. Every student at every pistol class I've taught has hit a target at 25 yards with a handgun.

Saturday, July 25, 2020.  Class: American Rifleman 25 paid participants. 22 came to class.  1 audited the class (heat concerns with health). Of the 22 participants: 5 ladies, 1 youth (age 10, male), 7 prior military (1 combat role - Army Cav Scout), 15 first rifle class, 15 first training class. Drills performed - marksmanship, zero the rifle, steel at 100 / 200 / 300 yards, Fundamental Marksmanship Evaluation. The Fundamental Marksmanship Evaluation is 10 shots on two 300 yard simulated targets (actual distance this day was 50 yards) performed in 90 seconds or less. "Expert Rifleman" is awarded for 9 or 10 hits. There is a mag change after 5 shots.  Given the distance and time, this evaluation is more difficult than the US Army marksmanship qualification. Note: the US Army reports an average of 27% of soldiers qualify as "Expert Rifleman." Their Marksmanship training is 2 weeks in length.  This class is a single day.  15 of the 22 participants scored ...

There is much ado about nothing these days. The much ado is named Covid-19. The nothing is the effect it has had on people. The real deleterious effect has been the reaction of the governing officials, and impossibly fearful people in the populace. This author not only contracted Covid-19, but survived it quite easily. Treatment consisted of normal "home remedy" treatments for the common cold, which is a strain of corona virus. It was, for all intents and purposes, a "spicy cold" - this term being used by the author's 15 year old son and his friends. Symptoms were slightly more severe than a common cold, but not as severe as the flu. Five weeks after the fact, the author was tested for antibodies and the test was positive. So, for people under age 60, we know that Covid-19 is not as deadly as the typical flu. For people over age 60 and with comorbidity factors, it can be as deadly as some more severe flu strains. In Tennessee, there were at least  2100 fl...