Weekend Reading #55

Some longer and more involved reading for the weekend:

•  First up is the most recent newsletter from Defensive Pistolcraft. Jon Low includes a thoughtful quote from Joe Shahoud:

     Here's something nobody tells you about defensive shooting . . .  The range is lying to you.  Not on purpose.  But every time you show up, plant your feet, take your stance, and run your drills in perfect sequence, your brain is quietly building a false sense of security.  It's cataloging all that repetition and whispering "you've got this" when the reality is that real defensive scenarios don't care about your routine, your comfort zone, or how clean your draw looked on a Tuesday afternoon. 

      Real threats are chaotic.  They're fast.  They close distance before your brain has even finished processing what's happening.  And the shooter who freezes isn't always the one who doesn't know how to shoot.  Sometimes it's the one who only knows how to shoot when everything feels controlled.  

     That gap between "I can shoot" and "I can defend myself under pressure" is a big one.  Most people don't find out how big until it's too late to do anything about it.  

    Jon recounted a class he assisted with training where they used a variety of balloons--some were targets and some represented innocents (bystanders, family members, etc.). There were real consequences to shoot an innocent--they had to sit out the rest of the shooting drills. Just ctrl-F and search for "balloon" and you should find it. 

    I liked this excerpt from an Tim Larkin:

... A man full of adrenaline can ignore pain.  He can push through burning muscles, absorb strikes that would stop someone else cold, override discomfort entirely.  But he cannot override a mechanically broken structure.  A shattered knee does not hold weight.  It doesn't matter how many fights he's survived.  A crushed throat does not breathe.  It doesn't matter how angry he is.  An overloaded carotid shuts the brain off like a light switch.  It doesn't care what he bench presses.  That distinction.  Pain versus Injury.  That is what changes everything.   

 And another from Larkin:

      I don't use a shot timer in the classes that I teach.  Because I don't teach that type of class.  I tell my students that we are going to do everything slowly and correctly.  It is then up to them to practice on their own to develop the ability to do the task quickly.  Speed will come automatically with practice.  Just as starting your car and driving out of the parking space can be done quickly, because you've done it so many times.  

I sometimes wonder when I see videos of various classes and read of the high round counts, whether the class is less about instruction and more about practice. Class is for teaching, and your range sessions, dry fire, etc., is for practice.  In the same vein, Jon writes:

     In classical (normal) chess, the chess clock is not to force you to play fast.  It is to prevent you from winning by forcing your opponent to die of old age. 

      Similarly, the shot timer should not be used to force you to shoot faster, faster than you can see, faster than you can think.  Rather, the par time beep is to prevent you from dithering.  To encourage you to be decisive.  

     Subtle, but important.  Most training and practice is done in the mind, not the body.  Getting your attitude right.  Getting your mindset right.  

     Taking classes to learn the correct fundamentals is essential.  But once you know what you're supposed to do, dry practice and visualization are by far the best methods to perfect and engrain skills.  The report and recoil of live fire are gross distractions, that cause all kinds of autonomic nervous system responses.  Best to avoid the distraction, and dry practice or visualize in your bedroom after waking up and before going to sleep.  That's what world class Olympic athletes do.  It will work for you.   

Jon has some more tips on using the shot timer, as well as tons more links and commentary, so read the whole thing. 

• Greg Ellifritz has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump at his Active Response Training blog.  A few links that stood out:
• An article from Empty Cases on the speed loads and why you are probably better off moving to cover if you run out of ammo over attempting an immediate reload. Greg also comments that you are better spending your practice time becoming more proficient on hitting your targets than practicing speed reloads.
• A couple articles explaining the recent rule changes coming from the ATF.
• An interview with Steve “Yeti” Fisher on AR magazines. Because he wants magazines that work with a wide range of bullet weights, he recommends the Gen 3 Magpuls or  D&H/”Hartford” (NHMTG) metal magazines. He also relates that he likes using the shorter 20 round magazines when shooting prone or off a bipod or bag. He also uses 20 round magazines as a means to separate his heavier bullets weights (in the 20 rounders) from the lighter bullet weights (in the 30 rounders), or when he is operating the AR out of a bag (because it easier to get in or out without it catching on stuff).
•  A guide on lubing Glock pistols.

And a lot more, so be sure to check it out.

• While you are at Active Response Training, also check out Greg's article on "'Mass Shootings' versus Active Killer Attacks." Mass shootings, Greg explains, generally happen when gang bangers start killing each other. Because they will not be specifically targeting you, your biggest risk is taking a bullet by accident or mistake. You primary goal is to get out of the way of the shooters and get away from the scene. Active shooters, however, generally operate alone and their goal is a high body count. 
• From Outdoor Life: "'Why You Shoot Your Uncle for an Elk?' There Was a Time When Hunting Was Much More Dangerous" by Jack O'Connor. The article is a reprint of a 1973 article, but the editors comment: "Hunting accidents were much more common in the mid-century — before the advent of mandatory hunter safety courses. Hunting is now a relatively safe sport." From what I've read, hunting is actually one of the safest sports--far safer than most school sports. In any event, the article is why someone on a hunt might mistake another hunter as a legitimate game target. An excerpt:

    I have been shot at only once. That was many years ago in the high plateau country of central Arizona. Deer and turkey seasons both were open. I was pussyfooting along through the yellow pines and Gambel oaks on one side of a canyon, hoping to see a bunch of turkeys before they saw me. It was about 8 a.m. on a bright sunny day, but the air had been cold during the night and the frost on the grass was just beginning to melt. I saw a good deal of fresh turkey sign, and I thought the birds would probably be feeding in the sun to get last night’s cold out of their bones.

    Across the canyon at a distance of 300 yards or so I had from time to time seen another hunter. I had looked at him once with a funny little French binocular I had at the time. He was wearing a pair of blue bib overalls, a green sweater, and a blue stocking cap.

    Suddenly I heard the crack-boom of a bullet fired in my direction — the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier followed by the boom that is the report of the rifle. That bullet passed within prob-ably 15 or 20 feet of me. I shouted. Across the canyon I could see the other hunter kneeling and aiming at me. I let out another yell and threw myself behind a log on the ground. Again I heard the crack-boom as the bullet came my way.

    I crawled around to one end of the log and peeked. The hunter was still on one knee with his rifle trained toward my log. My life was in jeopardy, and yelling had done no good. I had to take radical action. I switched off the safety of my .30/06 and fired a shot close enough to the hunter to make him aware of my presence. He leaped to his feet and ran.

    Later in the day I ran into him. 

    “Ah,” I said. “You’re the guy who took a pot-shot at me this morning. What in the hell did you think I was?”

    At first he denied shooting at me, but then he admitted that he had shot at a turkey across a canyon and was very much astonished when the turkey shot back. How a tall guy in a 10-gallon hat and a red-plaid shirt resembled a turkey was something he was a bit vague about. 

A fellow student I knew in my university days related a similar story from an elk hunt. He had crested a hill when some hunters started shooting at him from a road down below. He put an end to that by putting a round from his rifle into the side of their pickup truck. They quickly jumped into their truck and took off.