Some links that may be of interest:
This point was driven home by a on-line conversation with someone who has been following me for years, who happily informed me that they “scanned for danger all the time”.
That’s … not what situational awareness is. “Scanning for danger” means you’re looking for things that are already a threat — and only looking for active threats puts you way behind the power curve.
Situational awareness, for lack of a better term, is observing and determining what is “normal” for the area and time, and looking for things that aren’t normal. The professional term is “baseline”.
Part 2 describes a month-long practice or exercises to help you develop situational awareness. For instance, for the first week:
Every time you change environments or zones, you need to stop, get out of the flow of traffic, and focus on your senses for 30 seconds. Start with your vision and we’re looking for generalities: check the density of people on the street — is it sparse, crowded or somewhere in-between? What is everyone wearing? Direction and velocity of traffic flow? In your mind, state each observation.
Next, focus on your hearing. What does the street sound like, generally? Car horns? Laughing children? Vehicular traffic sounds? What level — soft, medium, loud? What kind of noise? Again, each note you make, tell it to yourself in your head.
Smell, next. What does the street smell like? What does the air smell like? Make conscious notes.
Then, touch. Which way is the wind coming from? How hard? Is it humid? Hot? Cold? Static electricity? Same. Record all by talking in the vaults of your mind.
Lastly, and most importantly, gauge the emotional mood of the scene. What does everyone’s body language say? Speak it to yourself.
Each subsequent week builds on this foundation. The author has promised a part 3 for the next 30 days of practice.
- "Should You Carry A Reload for Your Everyday Carry?"--Guns & Ammo. The author, James Tarr, says "yes" arguing: "The odds that a private citizen will need to reload their gun in a fight are the same as someone needing a gun to defend themselves. It’s low, but never zero." He adds:
You might think the main reason to carry a reload for your pistol is the obvious one, that it simply provides more ammunition to fight with. While that’s definitely in the top two, I don’t know that it’s the best reason. The best reason to have a reload on your person — specifically a spare magazine if you’re running a semiauto pistol — is because magazines wear and fail. Magazines are consumables that suffer wear simply by existing. Whether loaded or unloaded, they’re under constant spring pressure and springs die. Feed lips also spread apart over time, causing malfunctions. On several occasions, I’ve seen magazine basepads crack while people were shooting, dumping the basepad, spring, and all the remaining rounds onto the ground. It’s annoying at a pistol match but potentially deadly during an a defensive engagement. The solution is simple: Shove a new magazine into the gun, but to do it — stick with me here — you actually need to have a spare magazine on you!
Funny enough, though, he points out in rebuttal of the 3 shots, 3 yards, 3 second FBI findings for police shootings that "with all the cameras everywhere — mounted on buildings, on your phone, in your doorbell, not to mention police bodycams — we’re exposed to more and more footage of actual defensive shootings." Yet John Correia, who has watched thousands of videos of armed encounters, has stated that he has never seen one involving a civilian where the armed civilian reloaded his or her weapon. In any event, I've seen a lot of articles and videos on this topic lately, so it is obviously a topic that is on the minds of trainers. And as Tarr points out, "Law-abiding citizens are learning that a lot of bad guys like to do crime with their friends, and it’s rare that the shenanigans stop after the first shot is fired."
To really understand the importance of the Karabiner 98k, you need to understand Germany during World War I. The German military had upgraded its service rifle to the Gewehr 98, which was adopted by the German Army in 1898, hence the 98 in the model name. The German Army used the Gewehr 98 effectively during WWI, and at the time wit as considered an excellent combat bolt-action rifle. The Gewehr 98 featured a 29-inch barrel, used a 5-round stripper clip, and was chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge, also known as the 8mm Mauser or 8x57mm. Total length was 49 inche,s and it weighed nearly nine pounds. As Germany rebuilt after WWI, the Mauser rifle was adopted to better suit the needs of a modern combat soldier.
A long rifle is a liability for the modern combat soldier at the time, who was transported in trucks and who fought not only in open fields like in WWI but in urban warfare. The 98k addressed the evolving needs of the modern combat soldier.
The 98k was adopted by the German Army in 1935 and was similar to the Gewehr 98, but featured a shorter 23-inch barrel and improved sights. It was nearly 47 inches long and weighed about 8.5 pounds. In hand, the 98k is a hefty weapon. It features a wood stock and handguard, is equipped with iron sights, though some K98k rifles were adapted for sniper use with mounted optics. The 98k was chambered in 8mm Mauser, which is similar in length and power to the .30-’06 Springfield, which we used in the M1 Garand during WWII, as well as the .303 British and 7.62x54rmm Russian calibers.
While the Mauser 98k might have been significant because of its shorter barrel, the overall importance of the Mauser 98 was not that it served as Germany's primary combat rifle but that almost all successful bolt action rifles either copied the Mauser controlled feed design or were heavily influenced by it.
[T]he Hellion is essentially the justly famous VHS-2 bullpup service rifle designed in Croatia and used by their armed forces. Proven in battle, this platform has been modified slightly in a few key areas to make it appropriate for the U.S. market. The key parts of the Hellion are manufactured at HS Produkt, Karlovac, Croatia (that has also made the XD series for Springfield over the years). The rifles are then imported to the U.S. where Springfield does final assembly with the American-made parts added.
The Hellion is, of course, semi-auto while the VHS-2 is full auto. The Hellion feeds from AR-pattern magazines as opposed to the proprietary mag for the VHS-2. The Hellion also uses replaceable AR-style pistol grips, has M-Lok slots and six QD mounting points for slings — all features Americans generally look for.
There are some other qualities adding to the user-friendliness of this design, which might not be obvious at first glance. The Picatinny rail on the top is about 13″ long — longer than I’ve ever seen on a rifle like this. It allows a red dot, an optic, night vision/IR, laser, light, etc., especially if you use an off-set mount or two. The rail also has built-in flip-up sights of excellent design, with aperture choices allowing for almost instant ranging options from 100 to 500 meters. There are scads of possibilities there.
A 5-position adjustable buttstock manipulates easily and surely. The carrying handle is handy — once you learn to make use of it. Hey, it’s there, use it! The ability to customize the grip and use one of your favorite shooting styles fitting the AR can help make the rifle even more comfortable. It comes stock with the BCMGunfighter Mod 3 grip but swapping it out is easy.
The rest of the article delves into some other features and the author's experience shooting it. With a 2-10x scope mounted on it, the author was getting about 1.5" groups at 100 yards shooting Black Hills .223 55-grain FMJ and 1.15" groups with 77 grain Federal Gold Medal Match King. MSRP is at about $2,000, but considering that you get a battle proven design, built in backup sights, adjustable gas block, and it is a bullpup design, that actually seems a good deal.
In the early 20th century, there were two basic schools of thought on hunting cartridges. Some shooters thought that heavy bullets pushed at lower speeds would penetrate better; others thought that lighter bullets at high velocity were preferable.
[Jack] O’Connor espoused the second idea and had a reputation for pushing the .270 Winchester as a great hunting cartridge. He pushed the idea of careful shot placement and said for years that a fast, well-placed bullet was what killed wild game—not raw power itself. He liked flat-shooting cartridges because they reduced the margin of error when hunting sheep, elk and other big game in wide-open country.
[Elmer] Keith did not disagree that more speed meant better killing power, but he put more emphasis on tough bullets with strong construction and high sectional density. No 130-grain .270 loads for Keith. He thought that killing power started at .33-caliber bullets weighing 250 grains or more (think .33 Winchester, or .35 Whelen; he thought the .30-06 would get the job done as long as you used heavy-for-caliber bullets). Later, when more modern cartridges like the .338 Winchester Magnum came along, he was a big fan of using heavy bullets at high speeds in guns like these, and no wonder; that particular round was based on ideas he had explored in his own wildcat cartridge designs.
If you want to add Picatinny or M-LOK accessories to your Ruger Mini-14 without making any permanent changes to the gun, you may want to take a look at the new Hardpoint and Bomb Rack Mini-14/Mini-30 accessory mounts by Catalyst Arms. Both the Hardpoint, a 1913 rail section, and the Bomb Rack, an M-LOK extension, are attached to the gas block of the rifle, providing accessory mounting points in front of the handguard.
- "Thinking About Holster Selection"--The Tactical Wire. The author discusses a couple non-orthodox holster selections that work well for certain situations. The second example he mentions is the shoulder holster:
An instructor of executive protection recommended shoulder holsters in general for bodyguards. With the arms folded over the chest, the gun hand disappears inside the jacket for a low profile "ready" position with the hand on the stocks of the pistol. If it's good for bodyguards, it's okay for narcs who often operate in crowded environs. Aside from the ready position, the piece can be easily secured from casual "frisk" bumps and seizure attempts merely by drawing up the arms.
Another advantage of this type of holster, is that when you slip on a gun, the spare ammo goes with it. It is carried on the “wrong side” for real speed reloads, and that's better than carrying no spares at all. Sadly, too many folks carry guns and no extra ammunition. It's unlikely you'd forget it with one of these rigs.
The bad news? Well, you can't replace the gun in the holster with only one hand. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but try to hold down a suspect for handcuffing while replacing the gun in the holster. It doesn't work. ...
Consider the tasks you’re likely to have to perform, then consider carry methods in line with that activity. And practice.
- "Concealed Carry Corner: Holster Rundown Guide - Part 1"--The Firearm Blog. Assuming that you can get this to load, what with all the pop-ups and animated ads, the author discusses the two best materials for a holster--leather and Kydex--and a very brief discussion of the different styles of holsters, spending some additional space on his favorite setup--an inside the waistband (IWB) holster with a single large clip--or a shoulder holster.
- "Is the S&W 396 Night Guard the Ultimate .44 Special Carry Revolver?"--The Truth About Guns. The Night Guard revolvers are based on S&W L-frame and come in two varieties: a 7-round .357 Magnum and a 5-shot .44 Special which is reviewed here. MSRP is just $1,269 though, so it is not a cheap action. So why would you want a .44 Special over .357 Magnum? After all, the .44 Special is comparable to the lighter .45 ACP or .45 Colt loads. (See, "The .44 Special Ain't So Special?" for a discussion of why it didn't offer anything over other .44 cartridges extant at the time it was introduced). On the other hand, I don't know if it is still the case, but there used to be jurisdictions that prohibited civilians from using hollow point bullets which favored using a big bore pistol over a smaller .38 caliber bullet. And some people just like big bore pistols. What the .44 Special needs is a +P loading: something less than the .44 Magnum, but more than the anemic .44 Special loads that we generally find.
- Yes. "Do You Still Need Hearing Protection with a Suppressor?"--The Truth About Guns.
Unsuppressed gunfire is like standing next to a jet engine at takeoff. A suppressor brings it closer to a chainsaw, pneumatic impact wrench, or ambulance siren, which, as most of you will intuitively know, are noises you don’t want to be exposed to for very long without some sort of hearing protection (even though all those sounds are awesome to listen to). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health flags anything at or above 140 dB as risky for immediate damage with impulse noise. Many suppressed setups sit right around or just under that line, depending on caliber, barrel length, ammo, and environment.
I have to admit that this scope punches well above its price point. I’ve reviewed some pretty fancy glass, and this scope did everything it was supposed to and did it well. Even though it was designed to grace the top of an AR’s receiver, I had no issues mounting it on my Ruger American Scout .308… I did have to remove the rifle’s rear open sight, but that’s no big deal.
- Energizer Ultimate Lithium
- Eneloop rechargeable
- Energizer MAX alkaline
- "How to Feed Your Family When You’re Flat Broke"--Organic Prepper. The author has a whole book on the subject but she offers some tips on where to shop to save on food prices as well as general tips for frugal eating and tips specific to proteins, fruits and vegetables, and dairy.
- "Bridgeford Shelf Stable Sandwich Review"--Guns Magazine. The idea here is something that stores like an MRE, but smaller and without the prep of other meals for camping or hiking. As the author notes: "These sandwiches are individually sealed in a brown foil retort package and are designed to fill a very specific role: quick calories, no prep." The author also mentions his food storage strategy:
What I do is maintain a layered capability, starting with a fully stocked pantry with long-term staples. On the same side of things is a freezer in the garage, usually filled with wild game and home-grown vegetables. Next come some bulk dry goods, such as potatoes and rice, which we store in various places. Then comes the actual “emergency food,” such as MREs and similar items like these Bridgeford entrees. Finally, there’s my cache of freeze-dried food.
Lately, I’ve primarily leaned into freeze-dried options simply because of the shelf life — 25 years buys you a lot of flexibility. However, long-term storage is only one piece of the puzzle. The other piece is mobility.
If something happens and we need to leave, I want food that we can take with us. Something that requires no or minimal prep, no additional ingredients and overall, no friction. Plus, beyond emergencies, there’s the simple reality of day-to-day life, such as last-minute fishing or camping trips and range days. This is where the Bridgeford goodies start to make a lot of sense.
I don’t think they’re replacing “real” food — they’re filling the gap when real food becomes inconvenient or unavailable.
The author tested two flavors: “Pepperoni Pizza With Cheese and Sauce” (which wasn't a sandwich but more like a piece of pizza) and "French Toast". The pizza one was, per the author, comparable to the school pizza particularly if you had some means to heat it; and the french toast was apparently very good.
The ER Bars come vacuum-sealed inside a resealable pouch, and it is a single block that is scored so you can break it into six pieces. (If you look at the package on the left, you can see the scoring because of the vacuum seal.) Each piece or portion will provide around 400 Calories* and the maker suggests eating two portions ($1.03 each) per day to make the bar stretch for 3 days. Personally, I'd rather carry an extra bar or two and eat three times a day for 1200 Calories; that's closer to a "normal" diet and would provide the extra energy that I will need.
He adds:
I would be content to carry this brand of emergency rations in a get-home or bug-out bag. They meet my minimum requirements of tasting good, alleviating hunger, not costing much, and being fit to store anywhere. I will probably add one of the left-over packs to my truck bag and another will be cached in my wife's car.
Back when I did a lot of travel between Idaho and Utah, I kept a small emergency kit in my car that had something similar to this product in case I got stuck in my car in a blizzard that shut down the roads. Fortunately I never had to use it.
- "Are 'Energy Lockdowns' Coming to America?"--Organic Prepper. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the explosion at Valero’s Port Arthur refinery got the author thinking about how the U.S. might deal with a severe shortage of fuel. She notes that other countries had already at the time of the article (which was March 25) already started restricting how much gasoline people could buy or mandated shorter work weeks or work from home policies to conserve fuel. In other words, something similar to the the lockdowns during Covid.
