Fire Clean Update 8/25/14

So, I have treated my Glock 19 as well as a couple AR15's with Fire Clean and I have to say it does work wonders on carbon.  I still use a bore cleaner (I like MPro-7 or Otis brand), though.  I went shooting today and shot quite a bit.  Speer Lawman 124gr 9mm.  Here are some photos:

Just disassembled the weapon and yes that is a bit of carbon.

I see carbon.  Also, I can see where the bullet nose hits the feed ramp on chambering

This is after wiping with a paper towel.  No brushes yet.  You can see it did a good job just with wiping.  I did later use a brush and Q-tips to clean the deeper nooks.

Again, lots of carbon.

And, again, just wiping it off with a paper towel.

Now, this is not to say that all you need to do is wipe it down and you're good.  I still needed to use Q-tips and a nylon brush to clean the slide and frame, but it took 1/4 of the time to do so since the carbon just wiped away.

Supposedly it treats the surfaces making subsequent cleanings easier.  Time will tell.

Train hard and train often.

Sunday Thought 8/10/14

Just a quick thought today as I already pushed out a decent review of the Griffon Industries HMMS.

Speaking of gear and equipment, particularly with the AR15 platform and variants and then handguns my piece of advice would be this:

Don't be in a rush to add the latest tacti-COOL piece of hardware or upgrade to your weapon.  The fundamentals never change.

I am firm advocate of training to use your AR15 with iron sights before learning how to shoot with an optic.  If you can fight effectively with just irons, then when you "upgrade" to a red dot or holosight, that's just icing on the cake to take your mastered fundamentals to the next level.

Same with handgun upgrades.  Unless you bought a brick like a Hi-Point, there really isn't anything you should be gunning to upgrade at once except for sights on a handgun, especially the Glock.  Stock sights on a Glock should be upgraded at the time your buy your Glock.  That's about the only caveat to gear.

Triggers, optics, barrels (for handguns) should only be explored after you have a firm grasp of the fundamentals and make a stock gun run.  After that the upgrades become enhancements and not crutches.

Train Hard, Train Often.

Sunday Thought

Sitting here, winding the day down after a good, home-cooked meal, thinking as I listen to some music.  I'm thinking a regular Sunday Thoughts might be a good addition to the blog.  We'll see it how it goes.

I've been benched with some injuries preventing me from getting out and shooting some videos, photos, and reviews or training ideas.

So, a thought crosses my mind as I'm reading on the internet (generally a bad idea as the current modern culture seems to have elevated the amateur to the rank of expert with nothing more than a YouTube account, but that's for another day).

Maybe we get too hung up the latest buzz word, dynamic, critical incident, disruptive, tactical or what have you.  While these are all good descriptors, does it matter?

When the metal meets the meat are you dynamic?  Do you find yourself in a critical incident evolving in a disruptive tactical environment?  Does the thought even cross your mind?  Or, do you do as your body tells you and either fight or run?

I'm a big, perhaps the biggest, unknown proponent of training.  I think anyone who carries a gun should train, should get training, and continue to train.  There's no excuse. (This is not a rights discussion.  It's a right, that's a given.  I'm talking about something else here).

But, as I look around and take training, get trained, watch training, read training what I'm finding is a mass opaque lens clouding the vision of many.

Maybe I'm not clear with this.  It is just mostly, rambling thoughts on a Sunday evening.  Here's what I'm getting at:

A gun is a gun.  A bullet is a bullet.  When it breaks flesh it doesn't matter what you call it.  Bullets obey the laws of physics.  A gun can't do anything the laws of nature don't allow.  Cool names are a cold comfort six feet under the earth.  My trigger finger mechanically pulls a trigger causing the gun to mechanical in a variety of ways to strike a primer igniting the gun powder sending a ball of metal towards the target.

You've heard it said: the only things that matter are trigger control and sight alignment.  Two mechanics that are 100% mental when the stress is on.  When the wheels fly off during a stressful situation it's because the driver lost his mind.

Mindset matters perhaps above all else.  Yes, you have to know your gun and how to shoot it, but that is all useless when the metal meets the meat.

I agree there are better ways to do things, this isn't a tactics discussion.  But, if you obtain the superior tactical position, yet freak out and dump rounds no where near the bad guy, while he just stands there calm as a breeze and smokes you, what good did it do?

We, those who live by the gun, need to be physically fit, we need training and to rehearse the training often. But, we cannot neglect the mind.  How do we do this?

I don't know, I'm not a psychologist.  But, I think we do it by training under stress as a start.  Even perhaps as equally important is talking with and hanging out with other warriors who carry the same traits as we do.  Group discussion, group debrief, group hanging out.

Like our ancestors before, gathering around the fire at night and sharing war stories.  Talking shit to each other.  Listening to those who have experience.  Learning from each others mistakes.

We each have to win our own battles and stand on our own when our mettle is tested, but we shouldn't exist outside the culture of warriors.

So, I guess my thoughts are rambling, but that's ok.  One of the perks of this being my blog.  Seek out good training, but don't get caught up on buzzwords.  Buzzwords don't put bullets on target. Focus does.  Discipline does.  Hard work does.  The latest brand touted by X, Y, or Z won't make you the next Elvis of gunfighting.

Gear supports need, but never dictates it.  I don't become a better shooter by shortcut.

Owning a gun does not make you a gunfighter, any more than owning a guitar makes you a rockstar.

Train hard. Train often.

Close Quarters Sights Only?!?!?!

The following photograph is to demonstrate a simple concept. When asked if a 40 yard shot with a handgun off-hand is feasible. The most common reply is that it is not. Below I offer 40 yards off-hand with a Glock G17 Gen 4 using Ameriglo Pro I-Dot sights. My first three were off to the left side of the target. Once I focused the rest were center-of-mass. Good hits.  Hits I feel confident making and I still have room for improvement. Always working to better myself. 

This next picture is same gun from 20 yards. I called the flyer to the right. This target is the backside of a VTAC target. Same sights. Ameriglo Pro I-Dot. 

Why does it matter? Well, frankly, you don't need specialized target sights to hit accurately with standard everyday carry "combat" sights. Don't buy into the misinformation that "distance" shots are not feasible with sights designed for close quarters engagements. 

For those not familiar with the Ameriglo sights here are a couple photos. 

Sight picture. Big front sight dot. Blacked out rear sight with a single tritium insert.  I took this photo to show how bright the front sight is after hitting it for a moment with a flashlight. 

The above is how they look from the side of one my Glock 19 Gen 4. 

I like these sights. I also like Trijicon HD sights, which I have on my XD45 5". I just like the Ameriglo better on my Glocks.

The point to this is: You can be accurate at decent distances with sights marketed as close quarters, quick engagement. It all boils down to the fundamentals: sight alignment and trigger control (the most important of the fundamentals).

Shooting is a perishable skill and needs to be watered often to stay alive. Hit the range and if you have nothing more than 50 rounds practice those fundamentals. Speed is fine. Accuracy is final. All the tacticool gadgets and moves won't matter if you can't hit what you want. 

Train hard. Train often. 

(Post composed on iPad mini)

Combat Accuracy

"At least, it's combat accurate...."
"I'm working on combat accuracy...."

Combat accuracy.  Combat accurate.  If you do any kind of firearms training or even purview videos on YouTube about anyone with a word to say about "tactical" firearms training or shooting you're bound to hear these terms being tossed around.

But, what does it mean?  Unfortunately, especially for beginners, the concept of COMBAT ACCURACY is one of the most dangerous and detrimental training scars in the shooting world.

Let me explain:
Here's a common "tactical"paper range drill:
From 5-10 yards draw, lateral step, and engage the target as quickly as you can.  Use a shot timer.

Here's the most common result:
A shotgun effect of rounds all over the torso of the target that, under any other circumstance, would have the objective observer wondering if the shooter even had sights on the gun?

But, hey, that's "combat accurate."

Here's some truth.  That's piss poor shooting, unless the target is jumping all around and shooting back at you.  On the paper range you're not being shot at.  The target rarely jumps around.  Even with movement on a static paper non-aggressive target, you should be able to do better than a shotgun effect with rounds scattered around like you have no sights on your gun.

Here's the caveat:  If you manage to get similar results in a Simunitions scenario, that's "combat accurate".

In my opinion, the use of the term combat accurate is detrimental to learning to fight with and shoot a gun.  It is not something that should be trained for specifically, i.e. you shouldn't go to the paper range with the expectation of loosing rounds all over the place and be satisfied with the end result.

Combat accuracy is more accurately (see what I did there?) used as a descriptor for a post force-on-force scenario/incident evaluation.

Fast is fine, accuracy is final.  At the bare minimum you, as a trained shooter, should be able to hit what you're aiming at.  No excuses. No misses from 25 yards and in, at a minimum.  That's a simple demonstration of a solid understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship.  Trigger control never changes.  Slow, fast it is always smooth and controlled.  That is why we train.  We train and we train and we master the basics so that the basics look like magic to the untrained.

Shooting a man-sized silhouette from 50 yards isn't magic, but to the untrained it sure looks like it is.  In fact, you will hear some say impossible, impractical, not realistic, and to that I say it's a demonstration that that person knows how to shoot his gun.  Even more so from 100 yards.  I got asked once when speaking with a group of friends about shooting from 100 yards with a handgun if the rounds fell into the ground around 60 or 70 yards.  I'll just leave that right there.  It's not magic and it's not rocket science.

It has been said that there are no advanced techniques only masterful execution of the basics.  There is some truth to that.  Trigger control and sight alignment.  If you can't do these consistently, don't bother being fancy and calling your piss poor shots "combat accurate".  It's on a paper range with non-aggressive pictures.

This is not a tactics article, this is a concept article, so I won't go into detail on advanced shooting techniques, that's not the point of this post.  Simply put, it is better to be able to call every shot than to practice a piss poor result and call it "combat accurate".

I was told once by a great instructor that training translates the following way on most occasions:

If you're great in training, you will be good in reality.If you're good in training, you will be OK in reality.If you're OK in training, you will suck in reality.If you suck in training, you better train some more before reality calls.

Lt. Col. Grossman put it as follows: you will not rise to the occasion, but fall to your highest level of training.  If your training is to sloppily shoot at a paper non-aggressive target and call it "combat accurate", you're failing to see the point.

Range training is a chance to master your gun.  To be able to call your shots, consistently.  Force-on-force training is the place to see if your training has paid off in "combat accuracy".

Definitely push yourself in training to see where the wheels fall off.  But don't settle for less and call it sufficient.

Combat accuracy should only be used to describe the end result of either a force-on-force scenario or an actual incident.  Not a term used to describe the end result of a paper range training scenario.

If you push yourself and the wheels start to come off then back off a little and keep training.  Keep pushing.  There is literally no limit.  You're only competing against yourself.  Even in a gunfight you're fighting against yourself.  Because you have no way of knowing the training level of your opponent.  All you know is yourself.  All you can do is beat your personal best to win the fight.

Remember on the training range you should strive for nothing less than perfection, which is simply defined as your personal best, which I already said has no real limit.  Time and effort along with quality training can bring you very far on your path.

I tell persons new to shooting (mostly because they're not indoctrinated by some other mindset) that the most important thing you can learn to do is to put bullets where you want them at will with minimal effort.

Once you can do that everything else is gravy.  Shooting from cover, turning, moving, clearing corners, slicing the pie, reloads, malfunctions training, all of that means little if you can't call your shots and the only way you do that is work.

A little perspective: your ability to perform a tactical speed reload means little if the bullets you're feeding your smoke wagon aren't finding their mark.  You're fighting yourself because you don't know how good of a shot the other guy is.  The idea is to put bullets on him faster than he puts bullets on you.  And more than he does.  I like to imagine in training against a paper target that the bad guy is super man and can outshoot me any day of the week.  I want to win and continue to enjoy the 4 F's of life.  So that means I need to be faster but also more accurate faster.  Think about it.

So, the whole point of this is don't short change your training by labeling a piss poor result as "combat accurate".  Change the way you think about that term.  It has a place, for sure, but it's not on a static one-way range.  And if you let yourself fall into that trap, you're only hurting yourself and anyone who depends on you.

Train hard, train often, amigos.

What is effective?

What is your effective range? How far can you shoot accurately? And, perhaps, even more importantly: how far will you actually ever be called upon to shoot?  Let's talk about these things briefly while you look at the above picture.  For this post we will speak concerning handguns as this is far more applicable to the everyday responsible gun owner than, say, carrying your musket around everyday. (I have written extensively about CCW on my older blog and I will work on distilling or perhaps even reporting the content here).

Let's talk effective range and what that actually means. The great thing about good training is that there aren't many super-secret double meaning phrases or terms. Effective range is simply at what range are you effective? Even better, what is the maximum range you can be effective? 

This is highly personal and will vary from person to person and skill level to skill level.

Let's define effective for the sake of argument. Effective is not missing. You cannot miss fast enough to catch up in a gunfight. Which, brings up another component of effective: time. So, effective is not missing as fast as you can.  Or, in other words, shooting as fast as you can guarantee hits.  It's been said: fast is fine, but accuracy is final.

Your level of effectiveness will obviously change when you add distance to the equation. For example, at 5 yards you can be blazing fast and accurate. In fact, you have to be because there isn't much time or distance between you and your adversary. 1/10ths of seconds mean the world.

How far away can you guarantee hits? You're responsible for every single bullet that exits your gun whether you're being shot at or not.  If the threat is too far away, should you bother throwing lead you know will not hit its mark? What's the backdrop? Can you create distance? Do you have to close the gap and engage? Can you get to cover? So many factors to consider, there is no concrete answer except you cannot miss. 

Training plays a big role here. You can increase your effective range with good, solid training and frequent practice.  If you won a gun you owe it to yourself and your community to get training and a CCW permit (where required by law).

This plays into our next question. How far can you accurately shoot? Test yourself. Push your limits. This is not a speed exercise, but an accuracy exercise. See how far away you can hit center of mass on a silhouette. 

Train. And train outside your comfort zone. Anyone can spend all day at the 7 yard line and feel good about themselves. But what are you actually proving? You're only competition is yourself. You can't pick the skill level of your opponent, but you know yours and how far and hard to push yourself. Plus, if shooting from 25 yards becomes easy then that only helps your closer range shooting.

Train outside what's easy and comfortable. (Be safe about it) but train.

Oh, and if you're, wondering. The above picture is off-hand G17 9mm at 40 yards. Not perfect, but don't let anyone tell you it's not a practical shot. 

Good training.

300 AAC Blackout

Finally got around to zeroing my 300 BLK  AR build. Zeroed at 100 yards using 110gr Barnes. The rifle is a 16" AR15 chambered in 300 BLK. I used a Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24. I used the top half of the #1 as my point of reference. 

Big Brother

I finally got a big brother for the little guy there. Actually, since they're different brands they're more like cousins. The shorty is a Surefire SOCOM556-Mini, which is use heavily on a 10.3" SBR. The tall guy is an AAC Cyclone I just picked up for a 308 bolt gun, I'm getting the barrel threaded this week.  

FIREARM SAFETY

The most powerful tool in your toolbox is education.  It is the constant drive to learn more than you already know.  It is the spirit of sharing this information to learn what you don't know and to help your neighbors better themselves.

And in the world of firearms, an education means the difference between life and death.  Self-inflicted injury and injury inflicted on others.

The above injury was self-sustained by someone who either did not know or forgot the rules.  Rules that are taught and supposedly learned.

So, on that note, let's review the rules.  Since we are focused on the world of firearms, we should start discussing the rules:

1. Treat All Guns As Loaded

What does that mean?  It means, respect the gun.  By itself if can do nothing, but in the hands of the ignorant, the unsafe, and the reckless it can cause a world of hurt.  Act and treat the firearm as if there is a bullet in the chamber and ready to fire.  This, inherently, leads us to the next rule.

2. Don't Point The Gun At Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy

Also, sometimes known as the laser-beam concept.  Treat the firearm as if there is a laser-beam extending from the end of the barrel (muzzle) and anything it contacts is destroyed.

This rule is also sometimes referred to as keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.  Safe, however, can be relative.  Particularly if you are deploying your weapon in a self-defense situation.

The key to this rule is to remember that once the bullet exits the firearm there is no taking it back.  And the last thing it was pointed at will be destroyed.

And, if you think it's OK because the gun is unloaded: REFER TO RULE #1.

3. Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until You Are On Target And Have Made The Decision to Shoot

This is a longer rule because it is essentially a two-part rule.  Keep your finger off the trigger.  Away from the trigger.  Find a place on the frame or slide outside the trigger guard and consciously plant your finger there.  Keep it there at all times until you have presented the firearm towards your target and then ONLY when you have made the CONSCIOUS DECISION to shoot should your finger then move to the trigger. 

If you notice a pattern here it's that the rules build up redundant safeties.  If you forgot Rule #1, hopefully Rule #2 will mitigate any serious injury or damage.  Rule #3 is a redundant safety for the other two.  If you lose your head up your rear and forget the gun is always loaded and start pointing your musket around like a spotlight, this rule will hopefully mitigate the chances of you popping off a round into your leg, hand, or something more important.

Hopefully, and I mean this, hopefully someone else sees your lack of brain activity and knocks some sense into you.

Let me get into a bit of why this rule is important.  There's this physiological phenomenon known as sympathetic reflex response. In a nutshell, this means under stress one hand wants to mimic what the other hand is doing.

Example #1:

You have your gun drawn at an imminent threat.  You have not decided to shoot.  You fail to follow Rule #3.  You use your other hand to grab a loved one to move them out of the way and your gun discharges a round.

Example #2:

You may or may not have seen the footage of the Las Vegas officer having a negligent discharge.  Here is the YouTube link if you haven't.

It's hard to see but the officer goes to activate her radio with her left hand and when she squeezes the mic she discharges the gun.  SYMPATHETIC REFLEX RESPONSE.

This is also known as Trigger Discipline.  This is an important rule (all the rules are important).

4. Be Sure Of Your Target And Aware Of Its Surroundings

This one is almost painfully obvious.  Be dang SURE of what you're shooting at. You need to know 100% you can shoot at what you're shooting at.  Target ID is key.  Whether you're at the paper range or the two-way range.  In these United States you are responsible for every single bullet that exits your firearm.  You need to SURE of your target.  There is no excuse otherwise.  We do not practice blind-fire or Spray-and-Pray.

The second part of this rule is important to keep in mind.  Let me explain.  I will give a couple different examples.  At the paper range you need to know your target and make sure no knuckleheads are downrange potentially in the way of your paper-hole-punching-bullets.

But what about in the mall parking lot?  You are faced with a valid threat.  You are 100% sure of what you're shooting at. Now, behind this idiot is a family of four clueless to what is playing out in light speed before you.  Here is where judgment comes into play.  You are sure of your target and aware of your surroundings.  Can you guarantee the hits?  You may need to fire regardless of what's behind your target and, therefore, you need to be able to guarantee hits to mitigate collateral damage.  (The term Collateral Damage gives little comfort when that collateral damage is your kid or an innocent family).

Remember, we are accountable for every action and every single bullet fired from our firearms.

Those are the RULES in a nutshell.  Primarily described and detailed for novices or those learning to shoot.

Rules are there to support training.  Like this picture:

See what he did there?  I put that picture in for a laugh after the graphic injury photo, but the Rules are the foundation to all training.  From beginning to advanced.  They are not just rules for beginners.  They are rules for anyone touching or in the vicinity of a firearm.

Now, I believe you should start teaching and learning the Rules as early as responsibly possible.  That's going to be a judgement call I can;t make from here.

A Different Way

Now, some people argue that the gun Rules are basic or for novices or those who don't do this professionally.  I'd argue that the Rules apply to everyone, but perhaps the methodology of instruction can change.  Don't let ego get in the way of safe handling.

As professionals we should know the status of out weapon at all times.  We don't point our firearms at anything we are not willing to destroy.  We don't touch the trigger until we are on target and we have made the decision to shoot.  We are sure of our targets and aware of our surroundings: in front of target, behind target, to the sides of the target.

See?  Same rules, across novice to advanced capability.

Here's an old saying:

"Advanced tactics are just the basics performed perfectly"

Ultimately, when the firearm is in your hand your brain needs to be fully engaged.  That will cover all the rules all the time.  You can't let yourself get into the destructive habit that a firearm is to be played with or begin to handle it with reckless abandon.  IT'S NOT A TOY.

That picture of the hole in the hand was a result of the use covering his support hand and then a gross violation of all the gun rules in order.  He did not treat it as if it was loaded, because he let the muzzle cover his hand.  He did not keep it away from something he was not willing to destroy, because, again, he let it cover his hand.  He did not keep his finger off the trigger until on target and the conscious decision to shoot has been made, because he let it cover his hand.  And, clearly, he wasn't sure of his target, because he blew a freaking hole clean through his hand!

Avoid stupid, negligent accidents by obeying the gun rules.  They apply just as aptly to the paper-range as to the two-way range.  They are universal and should be taught and received as such.