Concepts

Ideas, analysis, and practical perspectives on firearms, tactics, mindset, decision-making, leadership, training, and professional development.

Gunslingin #4

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If you have been keeping up with the series, you know that we have talked positions and data. Now its time to talk about the spot where a ton of mistakes, plus failures in position and data cost time and money. The average match round for 5.56 is about $1 and in the PRS series … Read more

Gunslingin’ #3

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For this installment, I am going to talk about data. Now, I am not, nor ever claimed to be, one of the Sniper types. I am sure by the end of this some Sniper Steve will be sitting around going “Actually…” which is fine. This is a short version of how I obtained and confirmed data over the year. In that, some things that were never important to me over tens of thousands of rounds suddenly became important.  Applying these things will forever keep you out of arguments about zero distance and other shenanigans of the sort. I used the Applied Ballistics and BallisticARC apps.

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Bad reps don’t count

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W​hen I first started shooting, I was obsessed with my round count. I knew that the top pro shooters shot tens of thousands of rounds each year in training and competition, and I believed that shooting that kind of volume would get me to that level. It did work a little. From 2011-2013 I shot around 25,000 rounds a year, and went from a middling C-class USPSA shooter to banging on the door of Master class. Compare that to 2016-2018 where through all three years combined, I’ve fired a total of 27,968 rounds. That averages out to 9300 a year, which is a lot by most people’s standards, I’ll agree. But what’s interesting is that despite shooting 1/3rd the ammo I shot in 2013, I’m a much better shooter now. What changed?

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Communication Confusion

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One of the most neglected aspects in Close Quarter Combat (CQB) training is communications. What I mean by this is- How to correctly pass information so that the team may react with speed and decisiveness, in an appropriate manner. The reason why communications is so neglected is it is usually last in the priority of … Read more

Turning Corners, What’s the Rush?

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My first military CQB (Close Quarters Battle) training experience was not actually in a room or building, but instead in a trench. Back in 1990 (yes, I am old) my infantry unit spent a lot of time clearing trenches in preparation for the 1991 Gulf War. It was during this training we were taught the … Read more

The Folly Of The Four Man Stack

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“CQB is a war of angles.” The first time I heard this was back in 2004 from Rich Mason, owner and head instructor of DARC (Direct Action Resource Center). Once I understood what he meant, I totally changed my point of view on how close quarter battle (CQB) should be approached. I was ‘threat centric’ … Read more

Expanding your lane

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In my first post, I talked about the value of knowing your lane – how to understand your area of expertise as well as being aware of what your blind spots are. Today we’re going to look at what you can do once you reach a level of comfort with your current lane. First and … Read more

Gunslingin’ #2

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If you didn’t read my last article, hit it up here

As I mentioned before, the next few articles are going to be focused on the shooting I have been doing this year. I have been really focused on the Precision Rifle Series Gas Gun, specifically Tactical. I ran the series with a mostly stock Knight’s Armament Company Light Precision Rifle (LPR) and since the finale was canceled I can say now that I placed 5th in Gas Gun Tactical my first year. Gas Gun Tactical series was any rifle shooting 5.56 or 7.62 and is designed for people who want to work with their issued rifles.

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Control the Hall Control the Floor

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In close quarter battle (CQB) the standard practice with regards to hallways with most U.S military, standard operating procedures (SOPs) is to treat halls very much the same as linear danger areas. Those danger areas should be crossed and entered only when you have to, and at your own risk! One reason for this is … Read more