Commentary – we ARE at war . . . we keep forgetting that . . .

 

We – as a nation – seem to “have had enough” of the  GWOT.  What if “they” haven’t??

Watch this . . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9BD7CYLTndk

Just the Basics – Range Brief

 

When you join a shooting range, one of the standard procedures is to attend a “Range Brief”.  These cover the standard operating procedures of the range, basic safety rules and what the expectations are of the members.

Every range is a little different.  While the basics are the same, all ranges have little quirks that need to be addressed by the ranges RSO – Range Safety Officer.  Honestly, this whole process, while necessary – can be a bit difficult to pull off with the schedules everyone tries to keep. 

The solution that our range came up was to make a comprehensive Range Brief video followed by a short quiz that will be kept as a record of the shooter’s participation.  While not a perfect solution, it meets the requirement our board as well our insurance company.  I thought new shooters – considering going to a new range – might find some value in watching a typical Range Safety Brief.

Enjoy!  As always – your comments are more than welcome.

Contrats to the newest NRA BP Grads . . . . Great Job!!

 

This class just fell out of the “new shooter universe” over the past few weeks.  A young couple that really wanted to take it found that yesterday – Oct 7th – was the only day they could find in the next few months.  No problem – so a date was set about a month ago.  (Actually, they canceled yesterday – very sudden family illness but as of last night things were headed in the right direction.)  Then a friend said there were 5 women in a near-by community looking for a course – two were able to come.  And his wife, daughter and sister-in-law wanted to come.  Finally “The Boy” had not taken the NRA Basic Pistol class so we threw him into the mix.  Five ladies and The Boy – what a GREAT DAY!!

Biggest fear for these ladies?  Most had not handled a pistol at all and they were moderately nervous about them.  And – taking a course from “a man”.  Well, we worked them through all the basics – they asked tons of questions about everything, very fun – and the gun handling exercises.  That really seemed to take the edge off quickly.  As for being “a man” – honestly, I don’t want to change that aspect of “me” – but I’ve had 46 years of training from a pretty good task-mistress so they discovered my secret – I’m really a rather large teddy bear.

Seriously, they were exactly the type of folks the NRA was thinking of when they put “attitude” in their goals statement.  They were serious, focused, asked great questions about everything – honestly an instructor could not ask for anything more.

As for range time – again they did a great job.  I confess the military side of me comes out on the range.  I run it very tight – everything done on command – loading magazines, picking up the magazine, picking up their handgun, walking to the line, load and make ready, commence fire, unload and show clear, leave the line and return to the loading tables, ground the handgun . . . .  It all sounds rather tedious, yet that’s how I do it.  Women seem to accept this process without question – guys like to rush.  (The Boy provided a good example as well, must be all those years on the range with the old man).  I have them shoot two targets from 21 feet – one for practice and one for “qualification”.  They did just great! 

The Boy showed his skill and his heavy range time with nice, tight groups in and just outside of the black.  Some of the ladies commented that they would be happy to pay him to shoot a target to show to the hubbies – he quickly came up with a $50 price (he’s a business major    ) but I don’t believe any transactions were finalized!  Fun banter though, lots of chuckles and giggles ensued.

Back for the test and class photo.  Again, their focus and attitude showed through with upper 90s for all.

So congrats to Phyllis, Marilyn, Kristen, Denise, Cheryl and Mike – GREAT JOB!!!

Just the Basics – BLAMM!! BLAMM! . . . . click . . . . Weapon Failure

 

A weapon failure is probably the single biggest failure that folks DO NOT train for. It simply is not on their radar . . . . at all. (Secret Give Away Follows) One of the questions on the NRA Basic Pistol test goes something like “A safety is a mechanical device and can fail.” T or F. Obviously TRUE and it reminds folks taking the course that shit happens – including their weapon going BLAMM!! with all safeties engaged and perhaps even the darn thing being “empty”. The dirty little secret about this question is that it’s much “bigger” than just the safety – the ENTIRE WEAPON is a mechanical device . . . . and can FAIL.

So let’s chat about this from a bunch of different aspects – on the range, during training, in a fight and some different types of failures.

There are a number of “little things” that can result in a Weapon Failure:

Ignorance: Range time – and a fight for your life – can boost a shooter’s anxiety level. Adrenaline pumps, focus is lost, a shooter’s ability to move and their dexterity are altered, mental focus changes . . . . all of which effect the shooter’s ability to fully use their weapon. If the shooter is not fully and totally familiar with their weapon system – if they are ignorant of its operation, clearing procedures, simple “fixes” – it is quite easy for their weapon to “Fail”. Obviously the “failure” is between the ears of the shooter – yet the result is the same, a crappy range trip or a trip home in a Ziploc.

Know your weapon systems – both primary (your carry weapon) and your backup systems – a tactical pen, flashlight, knife, BUG – and train in their use and deployment. You may only get a single chance to switch to them – ignorance kills.

Poor Maintenance: “Hell, I haven’t cleaned by weapon in over 2,000 rounds!!” Really?? Then you’re a DUMBASS!!!!!. I realize all the macho/macha feelings around having a very reliable weapon – of it always going BLAMM!! when the trigger is pressed – I get it. So, let’s keep it that way! Take some time to tear it down, clean it, cycle it and get it ready for the next range trip. Ever watch video of soldiers just back from a patrol? One of their first actions (well, perhaps after a hot meal) is to do a quick field strip of their weapons and clean them. There is no guarantee that some enemy may not choose the very next minute to launch an attack on their base/OP. A dirty weapon is a dead soldier. You can learn from our soldier’s hard-won experiences. You carry around a dirty weapon and depend on it to save your life – your family could easily get a life insurance payout, just because you’re being lazy.

During your cleaning process you can also do a detailed inspection of your weapon. Any cracks, chunks of chambers missing, distressed springs, slides, frames? While you are brushing, scrubbing, rubbing – keep your eyes open and look for problems. The parts you are cleaning are the parts you are depending on to protect you, your family and your friends – take it serious.

Abuse: The weapon on your hip has one purpose and one purpose only . . . . to save your life, your kid’s life, your friend’s life – so don’t abuse it. Carry it in a good holster, shoot the proper ammunition, not your friend’s latest “hot super-duper zombie killer round”. Keep it clean. Keep it dry. Store it properly. If you subject it to a real test by weather, water and mud – treat it with the love and respect it deserves while you clean it. Abuse your weapon . . . . ? Karma can be a bitch.

Age: Yeah, yeah – I know, that 1911 served your great grandpa well in the trenches of France and by golly it still does a great job defending your family today. Really?? Hasn’t it earned its retirement?? I understand the attachment to legacy weapons like this – truly I do. But after decades and decades and decades of service – these old weapons deserve their rest in the gun safe. Take them to the range periodically, share their stories with your friends and kids, keep their memory alive – but, please – keep a newer firearm at the ready to defend what’s important to you.

So let’s talk about your response to a weapons failure on the range and in the real world.

Train like you fight: Sounds simple but it’s complex enough that most shooters simply do not train on the range like they would fight for their life. They stand is a cubby hole or behind a table, their weapon, magazines and ammo carefully set before them and they spend an hour or so putting holes in paper. Please, there is NOTHING WRONG with this process; I just want to remind you that THIS IS NOT HOW YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. Please find some time to find a range that you can periodically use to incorporate holster draw, movement and some CQC drills because that IS how you fight.

You’re in the “Big Box Store’s” parking lot. Christmas time. Lots of presents. Still a good chunk of change in your pocket. You hear persistent footsteps behind you as you walk way the heck to the end of the row to get to your car – pretty busy this time of year. Spidey senses tingle, you stop, turn and see a nasty lookin’ guy very intent on YOU. You drop your bags, warn him off, hand on your weapon – he doesn’t stop.

50 feet you draw . . . . . you move to your right between the parked cars . . . . you warn him off again, (this CAN’T BE HAPPENING – YOUR BRAIN IS SPINNING – PLEASE STOP!!!) – he keeps coming.

30 feet . . . . . he’s following you between the cars . . . . his pace is quickening, he seems to have a good sized hunting knife in his hand . . . . . . he’s still comin’ . . . .

No one around . . . .you yell one more time. . . . . you move between the cars in the next row . . . . . he’s still coming . . . . . closing the distance . . . . . 25 feet . . . . . he’s not stopping, he’s not afraid of your or your gun . . . . .

You press the trigger . . . . .

Click . . . .

Your training runs your body . . . .

Still moving between rows of more cars . . . . .

. . . . . SLAP, RACK, SHOOT!! This doesn’t fix the problem. LOCK THE SLIDE, DROP THE MAG, RACK, RACK, RACK, NEW MAG, SLAP, RACK, SHOOT!!!

Nothing, nada, zip . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

RRRRRRUUUUUNNNNNNN!!! Create distance, grab your BUG – or grab multiple backup weapons – knife, flashlight, tactical pen – look for cover, look for an exit, look for help, remain aware of the threat . . . . .

The thing that will kill you in this spot is “brain freeze” – you can’t believe it didn’t go bang, you can’t believe all those drills your practiced didn’t make it go BLAMM!!, you can’t believe your attacker is almost on you, you can’t believe you’re gonna die . . . .

So – don’t. FIGHT!!! FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

If you never practice for this event, if you never even consider the remote possibility that your primary defensive weapon can go belly up just when it HAS TO WORK – please, incorporate this possibility into your range work once in a while.

You’re carry weapon is a complex machine. Machines fail. Yours can fail . . .

Failure to train for a complete weapon failure may well be the last mistake you ever make . . . .

A warm welcome to Huey . . . .

 

I had Huey of Huey’s Gunsight stop by and decided to join . . . . welcome sir, nice to have you along.  Please take time to visit his site – he is much more of a gearhead than I hand has great info available for the reading.

Welcome sir, look forward to your thoughts and ideas!

Bill

Just the Basics – BLAMM!! . . . . Click! Feeding and Ejection Malfunctions

 

Weapons that fire projectiles “eat” ammunition – cartridges specifically. It is beyond the scope of this post to cover all weapons that fit into this category. I am going to focus on the two the folks I work with have to contend with most frequently – a Double Action Revolver and a Semi-Automatic Pistol. (I don’t care if it’s a single action, double action or safe-action – the malfunction and its clearing process is the same.)

Double Action Revolvers: DA Revolvers are “fed” by a rotating cylinder. Each chamber in the cylinder holds a single cartridge. A “Failure to Feed” malfunction would imply that the cylinder or the frame is damaged enough that the cylinder can no longer rotate. In the midst of a fire-fight, where your life hangs in the balance, this is a “holy crap” of the highest order and would demand immediate retreat or the rapid deployment of either a BUG (Back Up Gun) or a secondary weapon system – knife, flashlight, tactical pen.

A Failure to Eject, while certainly possible (a casing expands so much that it refuses to be ejected from a cylinder), it is not a common occurrence. A very firm strike of the ejection rod is usually enough to unseat a stubborn casing. (If it does not – see the above paragraph.) If this does not result in the ejection of the empty casings, a rod can be used on each individual chamber of the cylinder until the ceased casing is found and hammered out of the chamber.

The final result ends up that clearing a Feeding or Ejection malfunction in a Double Action Revolver is very rare and misfires are usually resolved with the simple press of the trigger to rotate the cylinder to put a fresh round in firing position.

Semi-Automatic Pistols: When dealing with a Semi-Automatic Pistol, there are a number of mechanical processes that must occur, in the proper sequence, for the weapon to function properly. The magazine must properly push up a new cartridge each and every time a new one is stripped off its top, the magazine must be properly seated in the magazine well contained in the grip of the weapon, the throat into the chamber must quickly and easily guide the cartridge into the chamber, the ejection rod must firmly grasp a spent casing for ejection, the gas from the expended round must fully cycle the slide to eject the spent casing and strip off a fresh cartridge from the magazine and jam it up the throat and into the chamber at the rear of the barrel. A failure – in any of these areas – will result in either a Failure to Feed or a Failure to Eject.

Failure to Feed: The overwhelming cause of a “Failure to Feed” is that the magazine is not fully seated into the magazine well contained in the grip of the weapon. The “Slap” portion of the “Slap, Rack, Shoot” clearing drill will resolve this issue. Next is a chamber throat that is full of GSR. This varies from weapon to weapon but if you notice that the magazine is fully seated and the slide cycles fully, yet your next round does not fully seat in the chamber and requires a tap on the rear of the slide to put your weapon back in battery – it’s a good bet a bit of scrubbing on the throat that feeds the chamber will resolve your problems.

Failure to Eject: Once a round has been fired the gas generated blows the slide reward, the ejector rod grasps the rear of the casing, yanks it from the chamber and throws it out the ejection port. Should this fail to happen one of two failures occur. The empty casing remains firmly planted in the chamber of the barrel or the casing is partially ejected through the ejection port sticking out like a “stovepipe”.

If the result is a stuck casing in the chamber, when the slide cycles forward again it will strip a new round off the top of the magazine and attempt to load it into the chamber. This malfunction is called a “Double Feed” and is the ONLY malfunction that can not be cured by the “Slap, Rack, Shoot” clearing drill. Your cure is to:

• Lock the slide to the rear
• Eject the magazine
• Rack your slide three times
• Insert a new magazine
• Complete the “Slap, Rack, Shoot” drill

The “Stovepipe” failure is typically cleared with the “Slap, Rack, Shoot” drill with the hand that racks the slide sweeping the extended casing out of the ejection port. Multiple occurrences of this malfunction can be caused by a dirty weapon that results in the slide not being fully cycled. A little TLC will cure this problem. Or, it may be that your stance and grip are not quite firm enough and that part of the energy typically used to blow back the slide is expended in physically moving your dominant arm. This results in not enough energy being available to fully cycle the slide and a “stovepipe” occurs. This happens much more in today’s polymer composite weapons than those that are made total of steel. A firmer grip and a more rigid dominant arm will quickly cure this issue.

Revolvers and Semi-Automatic Pistols are mechanical devices. Failures happen. You will experience both “Failure to Feed” and “Failure to Eject” problems on the range and in your everyday carry. On the range – pay attention to why the failure occurred. FIX THE PROBLEM!!! As for everyday carry – if you are unfortunate enough to have a failure while fighting for your life – know the “Slap, Rack, Shoot” clearing drill. Inject problems on the range with dummy rounds loaded in your magazine or cylinder. Practice clearing these failures on each and every range visit. Carry secondary weapon systems – a knife, flashlight or tactical pen. Carry a BUG.

Because . . . . in the real world . . . . failure really is NOT an option.

Just the Basics – BLAMM!! BLAMM!! Click . . . . . . Cartridge Malfunctions

 

“A gentleman rarely needs a pistol, but when he does he needs it very very badly.”
–Winston Churchill

And . . . . it NEEDs to go BLAMM!!

A while back I spent a number of posts going through what, exactly, makes a firearm go BLAMM!!!! We covered everything from the development of gunpowder to the actual culprit – the shooters finger!

There are, however, three different categories of malfunction that I want to chat about – Cartridge Malfunctions, Feeding and Extraction Malfunctions and Weapons Malfunctions. This first post will cover my thoughts about malfunctions in general – then focus specifically on Cartridge Malfunctions. I’ll cover the remaining two – Feeding and Extraction Malfunctions and Weapons Malfunctions in succeeding posts.

I confess to being an active voyeur of my fellow man. I love to people watch – restaurants, airports, movie theaters, shopping malls – I love to people watch. And, of course, on the shooting range. You see all kinds of folks (BTW, I realize folks watch ME as well and could easily point a finger and say “Will ya look at THAT guy!!). There’s the “expert” with his/her tricked out everything, carefully laying out his hardware on the shooting bench.

There’s the newbie doing their best just to “fit in” and not look silly.

There’s the parent coaching the child, the husband coaching the wife, the mom coaching the daughter . . .

There’s the “instructor” helping anyone who will listen (honestly, I gotta watch myself on this particular one!)

In other words, a pretty good sampling of the human race shows up on a shooting range. Most are there to “work” on something – sighting in a rifle, slug gun, new pistol. They are there to “practice” – but not really sure just what it is that they should practice. And yet, they all share one common expectation . . . . that when they press the trigger – their firearm should go BLAMM!!!!, that does not always happen. The following process usually occurs in one fashion or another . . . .

• Shooter looks at their weapon in disbelief!!
• Scratches their head, racks a round or pulls a trigger again . . .
• Hopes that it goes BLAMM!!!!
• If it doesn’t or if something becomes “jammed” (said with a knowledgeable tone in their voice) perhaps “Fred” is called over, a confab is held, solutions reviewed and tried, the firearm is cleared and shooting resumes.

This hesitation, this “disbelief”, this calling in the “expert” fosters and develops a very bad habit – a switch in focus from the threat meaning to send you home in a Ziploc to “what the hell is wrong with my gun?!?!?” This is BAD!!! Honestly, it doesn’t matter WHY your gun stopped, only that you need to make it go BLAMM!!!! as soon as possible.

Yet, before you can really understand why the “fixes” work, you need to understand the failures first. In this post, we will focus on the Cartridge Failures – what they are, what they mean and how they affect the operation of your weapon.

There are three primary failures and a fourth we will chat about a bit. They are the Misfire, the Hang Fire, the Squib Load and a fourth – Casing Failure.

Misfire: A misfire happens when a cartridge received a solid strike (note I said a SOLID strike – we’ll cover other types of strikes later on) on the primer or rim of the cartridge and . . . . . nothing! Not a BLAMM!!!!, not a whisper, not a peep . . . . nothing!

The standard response for this type of cartridge failure is to keep your weapon pointed in a safe direction, wait 30 seconds – then clear the round and re-engage the target. Obviously, in a defensive situation, you would clear the round immediately (or press the trigger again in the case of a revolver) and simply not wait the 30-seconds for the round to “cook off”. We will cover the words “clear the round” when we go through the methods to clear the most common malfunctions in a future post.

A misfire, after the primer or rim receives a solid strike from the hammer or firing pin, is virtually always due to a defective primer. While this happens with factory loaded ammunition, honestly it is fairly rare in center-fire ammunition – and “common” in the much cheaper .22 rim fire ammo.

[Proper disposal of misfires: Many ranges have “tubes” that the misfires are dropped into. Periodically either oil or saltwater is poured down the pipes and eventually the ammunition degrades. For a simple portable solution take a a 20 oz pop bottle, fill it about ½ full of water and add a healthy dose of salt to the bottle. Shake well until all the salt is dissolved. Carry this in your car or range bag. In the event of a misfire – drop the offending cartridge in the bottle. Over time the salt water degrades the ammunition. You can either store these bottles or after a year to two, find a safe spot to bury the contents.]

Hangfire: You press the trigger, the cartridge receives a solid strike on the primer or rim of the cartridge and . . . . . . .BLAMM!!!! There is a noticeable delay from the time the primer is struck and the weapon goes BLAMM!!!! A failure of this type is usually due to a defective primer or defective powder. It is much more common in reloaded ammunition and in the black powder community. If you have a box of factory loaded ammo and experience a number of these at the beginning of the box, I would suggest you stop using the box and return it to the retailer. I suspect they will replace it at no cost to you in the vast majority of cases.

Squib Load: A squib is a small firework that burns with a hissing sound before exploding. When the cartridge receives a solid strike on the primer or the rim of the cartridge a loud hissing noise is heard that is either followed by a muted or non-existent BLAMM!!!!. The worst-case result of a squib load is that the bullet (or shotgun wad) is left part way down the barrel. In the event the shooter fires another round without clearing the bullet or wad and insuring that the barrel is clear – a catastrophic failure of the barrel nearly always happens. This falls under my continuing mantra on the range and in the field of keeping your head in the game. If something “funny” happens – be aware enough to KNOW it happened and be clear on what it takes to clear the cartridge malfunction.

In the case of a squib load, you will need to empty your weapon, take a rod and insure the barrel is clear from muzzle to chamber. Failure to do this could lead to a very bad day when the next round is fired.

Case Failure: When the cartridge receives a solid strike on the primer or the rim of the cartridge the casing experiences a catastrophic failure. This can look like the casing splitting, the primer being blown out, the rear of the casing separating, or a hole being blown in the side of the casing. These types of failures seldom occur in factory loaded ammunition. However, when a spent casing is cleaned and reloaded multiple times they become fatigued and will eventually fail. If you do reload, carefully examine each casing prior to inserting the primer and assembling the cartridge. If it “looks funny” – pitch it, the damage a Case Failure can cause is simply not the risk or the savings a reloaded round offers.

Cartridges are a mixture of mechanical pieces and chemical elements that depend of a specific chain of events to successfully go BLAMM!!!! As in all things, “shit happens” – pay attention, keep your head in the game, expect to have failures and know how to clear them.

Just because you press the trigger . . . . there is absolutely NO GUARANTEE that it will go . . . .

BLAMM!!!!