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Click Click D'oh wrote:Disclaimer: I don't work for either of the companies whose products I am about to talk about, nor do I get any sales commissions. I just think they are great products that provide for serious training opportunities.

Serious, no joke, this is the best combination of training products I have run into in a long time and they've changed how I train and how I do my instruction.

The first item is the SIRT pistol from Next Level Training:



Right now they make two models, the 110 and the 107. The 110 is the original model and emulates a Glock 17. The 107 is a brand new model just entering the market and it emulates a M&P. Both of them are the same dimensions as the firearms they mimic which means that you can practice with your carry holsters, lights, lasers etc. The model 107 even accepts the M&P interchangeable back straps. Both of them have two laser units in them. One laser activates during the trigger take up so that any muzzle wobble caused during the tripper pull is very obvious. The second laser activates at the trigger break so that you can see where a shot would have landed. There is a switch to deactivate the take up laser so you can train with only the impact laser if you want. Even with just the impact laser you can still easily see muzzle movement because the laser mark will look like a dash instead of a spot. Both models can have the sights replaced with any sights made to fit their real counterparts, so you can practice with the same sights on your carry gun. Especially for newer students, the feedback from dry fire practice with the SIRT pistol has been amazing for improving sight alignment, sight picture and trigger control before you get to the range and start with live fire.

On it's own, the SIRT is a great training tool, but it really shines when you combine it with LASR software. LASR uses a webcam to capture the laser pulses from a SIRT pistol and displays them back on a computer screen for you. At it's lowest level it is a good tool for showing a student how a string of shots would have looked on a real target, but it's real power is in the customization settings that allow you to vary your training scenarios. For example, the software can have multiple targets designated and be told to deactivate a certain target after a number of shots, so target transition drills can be done. The way I have it set up right now for my personal training is; Three targets that it randomly calls, left right center. It is set to deactivate a target after a random number of hits between three and eight. It will also randomly call for a reload every seven to ten shots.

This screenshot is from the company website, but is very similar to how I'm using the system:



You can see that the system started the drill and the shooter put the first round on target at 1.47 seconds (nice), then after the first shot the system called for a reload and the shooters next shot on target was at 2.95 seconds for a 1.48 second reload (nice). Then they system decided that target was out of the game, but the shooter pulled the trigger again (welcome to real world shooting). Then the system called another target and I guess the shooter was distracted because he took 2.3 seconds to transition to the new target.

The program has a variety of feedback and interaction sounds. For example, you can make it sound like you are shooting steel plates, so any shot that hits a target area makes the pling sound metal would. It's good positive reinforcement for new shooters so they feel a sense of accomplishment in their new skills. It also has standard scoring timer start sounds and an assortment of standard range commands so that if you are practicing for IDPA or something similar you can train to the right cues. You can even set it to do a random timer start so that after you hit the program run button you don't know when the start cue will come.

And now for a cheating tip. The system was designed for you to hang up some real targets and point the webcam at them. We have found through experimentation that the system also works with targets projected from a Power Point projector. I now have a library of target images that I can project and since they are computer images, I can re-scale them as big or little as I want for the shooter.

Seriously, no joke, best training tool I have seen in a long long time.

Their engineering VP is a friend of mine from college. Great guy, more than slightly crazy in a good way.

Just to put it out there

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frankminite ... 41a37238b9

Why The Ninth Circuit's Concealed-Carry Gun Ruling Is Nonsense

On June 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 7 to 4 that the “there is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public.”

To accomplish this they had to ignore the text of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Bill of Rights, misinterpret the Supreme Court decision District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and cite English laws going back to 1299.

The 9th Circuit decision, General Petraeus teaming with astronaut Brian Kelly to form a gun control group, a pop singer (Grimmie) shot and killed and now the Orlando shooting, all in one weekend. Wonder how it'll play out for the election.

Normally most of my stories that involve weapons grade stupid in firearms classes have to deal with students. And we all know that students come standard issue with weapons grade stupid, so them trying to kill everyone around them is the expected norm and should be anticipated and prepared for. I usually don’t share stories about students. But this story isn’t about a student, it’s about an Instructor Candidate.

The first clue that something just wasn’t right occurred early in the class when we talk about instructor appearance and demeanor. One of the things we talk about is that since they will be teaching class to civilians they will need to be very conscious of their language, especially for those that have spent time in the military. We usually joke about Sailors and Marines being the worst offenders. Well, that stopped down class for a good ten minutes after this gentleman declared that he took offense at such untruths and that he was very intimate with the USMC professional development program and Marines would never use curse words. Needless to say, this was pretty much the equivalent of declaring that water wasn’t wet and up was actually down.

Did I mention that he’s one of those “Marine Vets” who had an ACU pattern bag?

The next clue that something was slightly not right came when we were talking about revolvers. As instructors, they will be expected to be able to competently teach every reasonable sort of handgun they may encounter. Since the revolver is a dying art these days, we spend extra time covering some tips and tricks. One of the tips we share is a rough and dirty way to check revolver timing on the range if you suspect a students gun may be out of time. One of the things we advise all instructors carry on the range is a brass rod 1/3 inch in diameter and eight to ten inches long. It’s commonly called a “Squib Rod” or “Range Rod”. Here’s our instruction on how an instructor can use one of these rods to check the timing on a revolver: 1) Open the cylinder and make sure the revolver is unloaded. 2) Close the still unloaded cylinder. 3) point the gun down range and pull the trigger keeping the trigger fully to the rear after the hammer drops. 4) Holding the trigger fully to the rear (this keeps the revolver in lockup) drop your 1/3 inch range rod down the muzzle. If the rod doesn’t drop cleanly into the chamber, the timing is off and the gun should be taken off the line. Note, this is not a positive indicator that the gun is in fact in time, just a Q/D test that can determine if it isn’t. Well of course our guy goes nuts, ranting about how unsafe this practice is because you should never put anything in the barrel of a gun. Well hmmm, thinks I, have you ever used a bore snake? Nope, he doesn’t use them. Hmm, how about a chamber flag? Nope, them neither. Ever run a patch through the barrel on the range? Nope, guns should only be cleaned at home away from ammunition he says. “Well” says I, “You are going to have an awful hard time passing the muzzle loader portion of this class… because down the barrel… ”

A little later, the problems got worse. There is a banned word for our instructors. That word is “weapon”. That is because we are emphasizing sport and recreational shooting in these classes. We call the guns what they are; pistols, rifles, shotguns etc. We are promoting safe and responsible recreational shooting. If you want a course on defensive pistol use, there is a class for that. It’s just not this one. Well, instructor candidate keen would not stop using the word no matter how many times it was pointed out to him. We understand for people from the military or law enforcement that it can be hard to stop saying since it’s institutionalized. Heck, it’s stuck in my lingo, so when I teach I have to consciously try not to say it. And honestly, that’s what we are looking for in candidates. You can hear a verbal pause when they catch themselves saying it. Candidate keen was just plowing on though and told us that’s the way they said it in the military, so he doesn’t care what we think and if we had been in the military ourselves (not sure how that assumption got made since Army and Navy were teaching) then we would agree with him.

It was at about this point all the instructors had a huddle to decide if this guy just needed to go. It was decided that since we hadn’t done the practical shooting test or the written exam yet we would let him proceed then re-evaluate at that point. The practical shooting test is straight forward. There is no time limit. You shoot twenty rounds at fifteen yards at a standard 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of paper. Sixteen of the rounds must be in a six inch or less group. This gentlemen was able to hit the paper four times in total. We all know I’m not always a nice man. The schadenfreude was simply too much to bear as I informed our dear instructor candidate that he would in fact not have to worry about saying “weapon” in front of a class of students.

I am surprised you displayed an enduring amount of patience.

I know it's always going to be special when one of my managers asks me to personally do a firearms inspection for a new hire guard. This particular guard had a Hi-Point. I know, worlds crappiest gun with the worlds crappiest ergonomics and I would never want one in a firefight unless I had already run out of rocks to throw... but they actually are reliable and more importantly... cheap. A lot of guards don't have the forward thinking to save up the extra $150 to buy a blue label Glock, so we see lot's of Hi-Points. That in itself wasn't particularly alarming.

The missing rear sight however was a failing offense. Who ever had taken the rear sight off had been kind enough to put the mounting screws back in though. But wait, it got better, the bolt face clearly had at some point in time had the attention of a dremel tool... and not one wielded by an expert.. or even by someone sober. The feed ramp also had been victimized by the same dremel. My guess is that at some point the owner had experienced feeding issues and decided that doing a home polish job was just the ticket to fix it right up. Except, instead of slicking it right up it made it look like someones brake rotors after grinding worn out pads.

But wait, we aren't done yet. The best is still to come. Either due to the craptastically awesome polish job, or some other unobserved internal damage, the firing pin was jammed in the full forward position, meaning that if he ever loaded the gun, it would discharge it's entire magazine. OUTSTANDING!!!

Needless to say, he was sent away with very firm instructions to not load the gun and to immediately contact the manufacturer for service.

Click Click D'oh wrote:But wait, we aren't done yet. The best is still to come. Either due to the craptastically awesome polish job, or some other unobserved internal damage, the firing pin was jammed in the full forward position, meaning that if he ever loaded the gun, it would discharge it's entire magazine. OUTSTANDING!!!

As in fire full auto? Didn't somebody get in big trouble with ATF a few years ago for a rifle that occasionally fired bursts?

Yes, uncontrolled full auto fire. The condition is called a Slamfire. If it occurs because a mechanical failure it's not illegal if you take steps to fix it, but if it occurs because of modifications you have made to the firearm it's very illegal. It's very dangerous because usually once a Slamfire starts it continues until all ammunition is fired.

I liked the size and and action of my XDS 40.....when it works. I've had my last experience with it jamming, I'm getting rid of it. I was hoping it would be as good as my XDM 45...

So I'm thinking either a Sig 938 or 238.

http://kdvr.com/2016/07/14/jefferson-co ... lion-shot/

Off duty Deputy in Aurora, CO ended up shooting it out with some thugs who tried to rob him. He got shot several times, returned fire and one lucky shot put a .45 round up the barrel of a bad guy's .40 disabling it.

Well, I guess that's definitive proof that the suspect was pointing his gun at the deputy.

Click Click D'oh wrote:Well, I guess that's definitive proof that the suspect was pointing his gun at the deputy.

It would be hard to argue otherwise, wouldn't it? Not quite as crazy as Carlos Hathcock putting a bullet through another sniper's scope but close.

Not too sure how long they've been selling it in other areas but Walmart has started carrying the Winchester 200 round .40 range packs for $55 here.

Its a great deal and I've bought 4 already, its cheaper than .380 and a relatively reliable round. I've seen it online in a few places now as well.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/winches ... ammunition

Thought I'd share my new long range rifle.

Remington 700 AAC Tactical with 20" 1:10 Threaded bull barrel chambered in .308 Winchester.

I put her in the Magpul Hunter 700 short action stock, added the magazine well that accepts Magpul AI standard magazines, a must have upgrade over the stock bottom metal. Topped her off with a Sig Sauer 4-16 x44 and a harris bipod. I've since added a Kinetic Research Group bolt knob, fantastic bolt on knob as opposed to modifying your bolt for threads and got an AAC Flash hider that also serves as the quick mount for the 762-SD suppressor.

I've since walked her out to 800 yards consistently and at 100 yards she's capable of 3/4" groups with factory ammo. I'm very pleased with her performance so far and the price is right!

All in all, a great rifle that's a lot of fun to go ring a steel gong with. Hope to take her to 1000+ this winter.

How is that Magpul stock working out of you. I have been considering replacing my Hogue overmold stock with on.

Click Click D'oh wrote:How is that Magpul stock working out of you. I have been considering replacing my Hogue overmold stock with on.

Much better than the Hogue overmold, I noticed at least a 1/2 MOA increase in accuracy and with the ability to add detachable box magazines in 5 or 10 rounds I was sold. The only thing I have noticed is the recoil lug cutout on the Magpul stock is way bigger than the recoil lug, I am considering filling it with epoxy and bedding the recoil lug for a snug fit. As far as attaching the action it's a solid aluminum attachment over the plastic pillars and free floats the barrel a with more clearance on the stock. Granted the Hogue was nice and comfy to hold, this is way more ergonomic and more accurate right out of the box.

Some of you may have seen me mention this in a FB post a couple of days ago, but now that I've played around a bit I think there is more pertinent information.

Monarch Ammunition is a house brand for Academy Sports. It's Russian manufactured. In the past, I have extensively used their brass line, mostly 9mm, for practice ammunition because it is cheap and pretty reliable. I have now however found the exception to the rule:



This is their steel line of .45 acp. I had purchased four boxes of this ammunition on sale last month. When I took it to the range last week, it failed so extensively that I advised people on Facebook to never buy it. I was lucky to get through a full magazine without a failure. Most failures were a failure of the gun to fully return to battery. In many cases this can be a sign that the guns springs need replacing, but that is usually coupled with brass being thrown a country mile. These cases were piling up on my boots. That tends to indicate slow slide velocity. Then we have this:



The light colored flecks are unburned powder inside the slide. I have another picture of unburned powder inside the chamber. So, not only are we not getting enough ignition to reliably cycle the action, but we are also fouling the chamber making it harder for the next round to be seated. At that point I was willing to publicly declare this ammunition to be encapsulated turd sandwiches, but I still had an unused box laying around and got curious last night. So, I pulled out my micrometer to measure the cartridges to see if the were physically in spec. It turns out, they are. 100% SAAMI spec externally. So, failures to chamber were 100% on slide cycle issues. Then I got out my impact puller to check what was inside the cartridge. I pulled two cartridges randomly from the box. The first one had 5.2 grains of powder inside. The second had 5.9 grains. Now, since I don't know exactly what this powder is, it's impossible to say if 5.2 is and undercharge or 5.9 is an overcharge, but it is safe to say that one of those number is out of spec. So, there's your problem... powder that burns inconsistently and throw weights that are inconsistent.

Garbage ammunition.

On a side note, I did find something else interesting when I pulled the bullets:



There appears to be a small metal disc either set into or laid on the back of the lead portion of the bullet. This caused some curiosity so I got out a magnet. These bullets are very strongly magnetic. What ever they are made of, it is not copper and lead.

An armed robbery/carjacking suspect got himself on the wrong end of a running gunfight with the Dallas PD last night. The suspect was 13. Stay frosty.

Click Click D'oh wrote:An armed robbery/carjacking suspect got himself on the wrong end of a running gunfight with the Dallas PD last night. The suspect was 13.

Doesn't surprise me at all these days - unfortunately.

On an unrelated note - I just sent my .38 revolver to Taurus for warranty repair. Lifetime warranty - 4 to 6 weeks repair time.

Click Click D'oh wrote:An armed robbery/carjacking suspect got himself on the wrong end of a running gunfight with the Dallas PD last night. The suspect was 13. Stay frosty.

Darwin approves.

When someone tells me that the barrel nut worked lose on their AR-15 during firing... I pretty much decide to ignore everything else coming out of their mouth.

Click Click D'oh wrote:When someone tells me that the barrel nut worked lose on their AR-15 during firing... I pretty much decide to ignore everything else coming out of their mouth.

Go to 1:38 to view what CCD is referring to.

I have been thinking about getting an FN-45 for a very long time.

Anyone have one?

I'm sure everyone has heard the news by now that the modified P320 offering from SIG wont he Armys MHS trials beating out the other serious contenders, Glock and S&W.

**Warning: Blunt personal opinions follow**
** Disclaimer: I own all three of these guns**

SIG deserved to win. I know Glock fanboys don't want to hear it, but their product is simply better. All three guns are outstanding guns and I wouldn't hesitate to take any of the three with me to work, but the SIG fills the requirements better than the other two.

What all the guns have in common:
All three guns are remarkably easy to take down for routine maintenance
All three guns can be customized to shooter hand size *
All three guns offer slides milled for red dot sight mounting.
All three guns are striker fired. **

What some of the guns have in common:
S&W and SIG have manual safeties.
S&W and SIG don't require trigger pull for takedown.

What only the SIG offers:
True modular construction.

Why do I think SIG deserves the contract? 1) The SIGs trigger is better than both the M&P and Glock. It's a true single action trigger, so it doesn't have the creep and mush other striker pistols have. The Army likely doesn't care about triggers much though. Being fully modular is where this gun really pays off for the Army. Most of these guns will serve their whole life as full sized pistols, but for pistols that will serve with aircrews, in the hands of female officers or in concealment roles, you don't need to buy another, similar but smaller gun. You just buy a $20 grip. When the gun goes back to mainline service, 30 seconds and it's back to full size. If the Army ever decide (not likely, but possible) to go to another caliber, instead of buying all new guns, they buy new slides and put them on the old guns. I thought it gimmicky at first, but I love this feature now. My full sized duty gun becomes my compact concealed carry gun without having to learn or break in another trigger. For the army it could serve another valuable purpose. Mangling a polymer grip during an operation no longer means replacing the gun, just a $20 grip shell. If the Army is smart (which makes this proposition dubious), soldiers that are to be issued a sidearm should be issued the grip size that fits them, then as they go to different duty stations or draw different firearms for duty, they can put on their grip and always have a gun fit for them.


* Glock and S&W use changeable backstraps, the SIG changes the whole lower body.
** Glock and S&W use partially tensioned strikers, SIG has fully tensioned

Warning: Shamelss Plug

This is a good buddy from high school's new company (23 in my class, we all know each other very well).
http://www.aridusindustries.com/

Clint