I have a very good student who trains. A lot. To say that he is somewhat of a professional student may be under-rating him. His platform of choice is a DA/SA SIG SAUER. His primary training pistol is a P226R.

Did I mention that he trains a lot?

Recently he has ran into problems during training classes. In one class he had a few, very frustrating light primer strikes. The next class, he had what can only be described as a catastrophic failure. Round count on the gun was about 30,000 rounds, with the same number of dry fires. The gun had been in for maintenance in the months prior to the failure. A competent gunsmith went through it, and shipped it back. The shooter was noticeably, and justifiably angry over the failure.

I suggested that he buy a second gun. Yep, the whole one is none thing.

Over the years, I have played with various formulas to track gun wear, and to keep up with maintenance. I’ve tried to have only one gun, and replace it at intervals. I’ve tried having a primary training gun, and then a primary carry gun. Most recently, I’ve started to advocate two guns with equal wear for those who train seriously. So, basically, have two guns that are set up the same, and rotate their use to keep the round count and wear fairly equal. As an example, have two SIG SAUER P226R Legions that get rotated out class to class.

This is a bit pricy, and I get it. But, spending money on courses and ammo is also expensive. For those who train wit their carry gun, what is that worth from the standpoint of liability?

I think for those who seriously train having two guns set up identically makes the most sense.

Enjoy the day.

First off, let’s keep our minds from wandering and keep this to gun related topics. As I am talking about some of the real bad stuff that I see on gun forums and youtube. You all know exactly what it is that I am talking about.

One case in point was a dude that posted a question on a forum I frequent that when he takes his pistol and shakes it side to side vigorously, the trigger moves side to side and rattles. He wanted to know how to take the rattle out. First answer was to stop shaking the pistol vigorously from side to side and the problem would go away.

Another case in point was a big deal to-do over a “torture test.” During this “test,”  a finely fitted, quality pistol was “tested” against a cheap, loosely fitted knock off clone. When the tighter fitted gun locked up due to exposure to mud, the clone was declared the “clear  winner” of the torture test. Oh, did I also mention that the lad conducting the test was importing and selling the clone?

And my personal favorite is the dude that will post something about a technique, present an argument that is easily refutable, and then crawl into the protective barrier known as “it works best for me.” An extreme of that argument would be the cup-and-saucer style grip of the Starchy and Hutch era. I have observed guys that post of a forum that technique being superior, and when you attempt to explain why it is not, they tell you “it works best for me.” That metric may be in fact true. But, it has not won a USPSA or IDPA major title in the last 3o years, if ever.

I am really not sure if some of it is said as a joke, or if it is just bad intel that gets passed along as fact. I often categorize most of the stuff as nothing more than wishful thinking. Cooler weather is upon us. Get out and train.

 

Dr. William Aprill is one of the leading criminologists in the country.

Skills and knowledge which were once considered peripheral by tactical-type guys are now seeing their rightful place on the front lines of defensive training. For example, the defensive training which I think is more important than any other is (for lack of a better term) criminology.

I recently attended Unthinkable, a criminal mindset program offered by Dr. William Aprill. Dr. Aprill, who insists on being called by his first name, is a mental health professional and experienced former law enforcement officer. He maintains a private practice and through his company, Aprill Risk Consulting and has offered material on violent criminal actors (VCAs) in several high-profile training venues. He’s a competitive shooter and instructor who has been teaching citizens and law enforcement for more than a quarter century. Be sure to check out his many appearances on Ballistic Radio.

Aprill’s Unthinkable curriculum is so titled because most folks are generally averse to truly emotionally immersing themselves in the nature of a VCAs. Normal people just can’t process what happens in a VCA’s mind which allows him (or her) to hurt innocent folks. However, after getting past that emotional hurdle, we can learn how to better protect ourselves in the real world.

Unthinkable allows the student to see the VCA’s victim selection process from an almost uncomfortable, first-person viewpoint. That discomfort is an important part of the learning process. Students need to accept that VCAs do not think like we do. They have extremely different values, morals and goals than productive members of society.

As I looked around the classroom, I knew I wasn’t the only one asking the question. How do we deselect ourselves as potential victims and more importantly how do we not let ourselves be selected in the first place? William answered those questions almost before they could be asked.

Just after lunch, the class took an unusual turn. There were training simulators (dummy guns) on the table and I was wondering where they would play into a class which has no live fire block. We spent almost two hours practicing weapon disarms. Aprill’s particular disarming technique was new to me, but incredibly effective in its simplicity.

After watching him interact with students, I’m certain that he enjoyed it even more than we did. Instead of the afternoon classroom lag we’ve all experienced, we sat down with smiles and a unique rejuvenation for the remainder of the training day. I asked William if the purpose of that block was to break up the classroom portion by getting people up and moving. He told me that was part of the idea, but there was more to it than just, “classroom management.”  William said the theme of Unthinkable is worst case scenarios. It’s difficult to imagine a worse scenario than facing a VCA with a drawn gun. “It fits,” he said.

At the end of a class, it’s common for the instructor to ask for critiques from students. It’s rare for students to give them. Those critiques are important for the instructor, so they may continually improve their curriculum. The customer is the only one who can truly judge the service they’ve received, but seem loath to do so in a classroom or range environment. William did not ask for verbal critiques. Instead, he asked that everyone write an anonymous note with their thoughts and leave it on the table. I will be shamelessly plagiarizing that idea for my future classes.

Anyone with a modicum of knowledge in self-defense has heard the term, “we default to the lowest level of our training.” Almost every upper-tier instructor has a modified version of that philosophy. Aprill’s is among my favorites. “You will default to the lowest level of training you have mastered.” Most of us have only dipped a toe in the ocean that is the study of criminal behavior. Those who enjoy attending live-fire training also have the desire to never need those skills outside of the square range. Avoidance is an entirely different skill set and requires an entirely different training regimen. I encourage you to seek out that knowledge.

I was impressed with Dr. Aprill’s (sorry, William) ability to, “change gears.” His affable, unassuming and gentlemanly exterior conceals a proverbial Curried Wolf. Aprill’s experience, training, education and enthusiasm for teaching makes an important topic thinkable.

Appendix IWB carry is not for me. In fact, a few years ago I looked upon those who thought otherwise as foolish. Still, there were so many squared-away professionals who carry in the 1 o’clock position, I figured there must be something to it. I went to a four-hour block on Appendix Inside-The-Waistband (IWB) carry at the 2016 Tactical Conference in Memphis taught by fellow Oklahoman and holster maker, Spencer Keepers.

At about the same time, a professional woman I know was seeking an on-body carry solution. She was carrying one pistol in a secret compartment in her vehicle and one in her purse. As we all know off-body carry and keeping a gun in a vehicle are both less than ideal options for a myriad of reasons. Becky is a certified reserve peace officer and at the time, had dozens of hours of documented, quality firearms training including successful completion of Operation Specific Training’s Practical Fundamentals taught by our own Jerry Jones. She’s not someone who spends one weekend a month at a shooting match or top tier defensive school, but she also isn’t a novice.

Appendix IWB – Do you know where that thing is pointed?

No discussion of appendix carry can be complete without someone chiming in about the purported lack of safety of this carry method. Properly executed appendix carry is just as safe as strong side carry. In fact, practitioners of Appendix IWB make a very a convincing case that it is actually safer. That may be difficult for some to swallow, but it is consistent with my experience. More to the point, it’s pretty rare to see a strong side carrier holster their gun without muzzling some part of the body.

The same can be said for appendix carry without proper technique. After being trained on both, I can honestly say there should not be “sides” of this issue; only “preferences.” On the Internet, though, ignorance is bliss. It allows for the unnecessary conflict upon which some people thrive. When asked about this stigma, Keepers answered, “institutional inertia.” People are afraid to try anything new or different and they tend toward shunning that which they don’t understand. We’ve all experienced that to some level.

Back to Becky

Back to the topic at hand, this lady has tried many different modes of on-body carry without success. Women’s clothing typically does not work well with conventional strong side holsters. This issue coupled with the fact that more women are feeling the need to carry a firearm for defense, the fairer sex is increasingly experimenting with Appendix IWB as a carry solution. As with any specific firearm skill, training is a must.

Keepers is not only one of the foremost experts on Appendix IWB, but many of his classes are held about two hours from our town. Spencer has been teaching for several years and has trained with the proverbial, ”who’s who” of firearms instruction. He is a graduate of Tom Given’s Rangemaster Advanced Instructor development program and is one of only eleven Rangemaster Handgun Masters. Considering that Rangemaster has trained tens of thousands of people, that’s more than a little impressive. Becky attended Spencer’s Appendix IWB Skills class to see if it would be the solution she had sought for so long. Becky and Spencer both allowed me to document the event.

The sit-down stuff

In the classroom, Spencer spends a lot of time on range safety and the four basic safety rules. Then, he expands on them. Keepers spoke at length about all of the rules as they apply to dry fire in the home and defensive shootings. After the briefings on safety and procedure, Spencer likes to start the class with a “cold” live-fire timed event. Students draw from Appendix IWB concealed and fire three rounds on target under time and then again at the end of the day to measure improvement.

Then it’s back to the classroom. Keepers covers every conceivable detail about concealed appendix carry, from clothing and belt selection to belt tension, inner garments, etc. Spencer even did blocks on weapon retention and vehicle defense. He is a detail-oriented kind of guy. We’re talking about someone who only chooses screws for his custom holsters which have “micro ridges” on the bearing surface which keep them from backing out during sustained use. His training curriculum is equally well planned.

Another item of note is that the class requires 350 rounds of ammunition. Bring more. Whenever there is an open lane, Spencer encourages what he facetiously refers to as “overachievers” to participate. Becky, being the type to get her money’s worth out of training, shot more than 500 rounds.

Pimping is bad

With a captive audience, a good businessman would pimp his own product. Keeper’s Concealment’s Appendix IWB holsters are considered some of the best available. Instead, Spencer showed us his holsters as well as several from other makers he considers to be of good quality. If you visit Keepers Concealment on the web, you’ll see links to those other holster makers. That doesn’t seem like good business. Apparently, this guy isn’t in it for the money.

Be wise

As mentioned above, one of the last live-fire drills of the day is to repeat the first. Students draw and fire three rounds under time to measure their progress. The very last drill of the day is to draw and fire one round three times. The goal of the exercise is to give students something to practice on their own. Ken Hackathorn says, “Training teaches you what to practice.”

I talked to Spencer after the class. He told me the goal of Appendix IWB Skills is to “raise the awareness level of appendix carry across the board.” Spencer said his goal is to get people (who want to do so) to carry a gun and to help them carry an effective gun in an effective manner. He has no problem with those who carry strong side as he did so for many years. As a matter of fact, Keepers once looked suspiciously on appendix carry until his friend, the late Todd Louis Green, showed him its benefits.

In his closing statement, Keepers said, “you only need to look at the news to see what we are facing out there.” He continued to say that violent threats against innocents are increasing and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future. I will add that we once considered mass terrorist attacks a European problem. That is not true anymore. Generally violent crime has been on a steady decline for decades. That was, until 2015. Not only is violent crime suddenly rising, but our very way of life is being threatened.

Back to our heroine: As a business executive, Becky commented on Spencer’s work ethic and passion for the topic. She praised his, “customer service” which is unfortunately something we don’t hear very much in the firearms training industry. Did she solve her on-body carry issue? Did she get the tools she needs to be prepared for whatever future history has in store for us? Watch the video and see what you think. Spencer Keepers teaches often and in many different venues. If you get a chance, take a class from him; especially if you have some questions about Appendix IWB. Wisdom is bliss.

 

 

Each time a horrific act involving a mass shooting shows up in the media, the usual suspects in Washington beat the same old drums, “We can’t judge all [insert your group here] by the actions of a few, but we can judge all gun owners so let’s ban [insert your scary gun, magazines, etc here]. The Second Amendment comes under attack by the gun control crowd.

And the panic begins…

Gun shops and online retailers start to see the usual suspect items going out the door faster than usual … black rifles, standard capacity magazines, 9mm and 5.56 ammunition. People all of a sudden become afraid that this time the politicians will be successful. Or maybe people just like being in the frenzy and it’s something similar to the crowds lining up on Black Friday to save $30 on an Xbox. I really don’t know. Barack Obama has probably been the catalyst of more gun sales than war and famine combined. I say that only partially in jest.

Then you see the usual suspects on gun boards. They call for all members to call, write and email your congressman or senator right now, just so you have done your part. I’ve got news for you; sending emails, calling the local or Washington office, and telling them that you think gun control sucks is ceremonial at best. Most of the elected officials have their mind made up, based upon who they took campaign money from. All the letters, emails, and calls are answered by a low level staffer do little, but make you feel like you did something in most all cases. Gotta do something, right? (Does that sound familiar to anyone?)

Become a Second Amendment ambassador

The real money shot has nothing to do with calling, emailing, or writing your elected officials. It takes place long before the pending gun legislation is whispered by the lefties as soon as the tragedy is over. The real work is just that. Work.

1. Never pass up an opportunity to educate someone about gun safety. As small as this sounds, it has huge implications. A subtle hint to a fellow shooter at a public range goes a long way. It might cause them to be more safe, and at the least stop an accident off the range from happening. They may also pass the knowledge along to their friends.
2. In the same vein as number one, never forget in your dealings with others that we are ambassadors of the Second Amendment. We are not activists. Remember, someone who has very strong negative emotions about the Second Amendment probably aren’t going to be changed by anything you say. Be kind just the same. It costs nothing extra to be kind to those folks even though they either are just not that educated about what the Second Amendment is, or they have bought into all the emotional hype surrounding the issue.
3. Take people to the range. Never pass up an opportunity to take anyone, and everyone to the range. This is vital for a couple of reasons I’ll get into shortly.
4. Get involved in the shooting sports. There is something for everyone. From local trap leagues to USPSA to IDPA. Not only is it a fair test of skill, it is fun.
5. Once you get involved, get others involved.
6. Get involved in local, state, and national pro-gun groups. If you can’t get involved, do your homework on the group, what they do, and donate.

Your efforts will help influence elections

Why do you want to get others involved in shooting, or shooting sports? Once you teach them to do things safely, they see that there is nothing to fear, and that the fear that is spread by the mainstream media is hype. The goal is to influence future elections, on the local, state, and federal level. If we follow this template, in an election cycle or two, it is possible that we can groom better candidates that share our values. That will go to the state capital or Washington and represent … us. If we want to win on the issue, we need to also study the tactics of the Brady Center, or any of Bloomberg’s shill organizations as some of their tactics may be worth looking at to increase positive exposure.

In the end. Be nice. It costs nothing extra to be kind to people. And it may pay a dividend to ensuring the Second Amendment goes unchanged for generations to come.