Sunday, December 27, 2009

From the Old Santa and Instructor

December 23, 2009

Bill dropped me a line and touched on a couple of points that weren’t necessarily in the form of a question but are relevant to our discussion of overall plans.

His lovely wife has not the driving desire for concealed carry, although she realizes the value of the license and at times its necessity, and she has been a huntress and has members of family in law enforcement, she still doesn’t feel the need to carry a firearm all the time. Absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. Everyone has to decide for themselves their needs for and planning of their own personal defense. The elements are basic, they have to pick their own weapon and decide if their environment or parts of it dictate when they should be armed. I told Bill and I have( after many years of doing this) found that women and men who don’t feel an urgency to be armed all the time, upon being trained and getting their CHL, will carry their weapon almost all the time after a period of adjustment. It is not a natural thing to carry a firearm. It takes some getting used to. A weapon should “comfort” because it is certainly not “comfortable”. It can be carried in relative comfort but we have a very particular set of environmental concerns in Texas. Extreme humidity, extremes of heat and short periods of cold, a rainy season close to tropical, and a drive to be fashionable. You have to figure out what works for you.

Tactics in everyday situations that I use are pretty basic, and are second nature after all this time.
In a convenience store I never let the door be out of my periphery and always look for the EXIT sign. When I get ready to pay I stand off to the side or “blade “my body so the door is directly ahead, even if in line. This allows me to be able to back up and knock something over with my hands if things get dicey, causing a distraction that might give me an edge. I never enter late night without full view of the clerk and a complete scan of the store before I ever approach the counter. Circle the store when you enter. If you get a soda, don’t stand directly in front of the case. Open the door from an angle and look for reflections. Get your soda and walk around the perimeter aisles to the counter as this will put you head on to the door.

In a restaurant: What is your sweetheart comfortable with as far as seating arrangements are concerned? Look. You’re going out to dinner. Not to dinner and a gunfight for two, please. You’re ahead of the game with your awareness. Keep it pleasant and simple. Let your sweetheart tell you where the FIRE EXITS are. In a booth? Does it restrict your access and mobility? Does the table move so that you can improvise cover? Can you see exits, bathrooms, kitchen doors and the entry? If at a table; what do the chairs or seats do to limit your movement? It’s not always possible or sociable to sit facing the door, back to a wall. Personally I am always uncomfortable with my back against a wall or blocked in any fashion. Be a people watcher. People watchers notice who the other people watchers are around them. Bad guys are always people watchers but not all people watchers are bad guys.

Have a good time, eat dinner, expect the unexpected a nice evening and nothing more. Above all don’t forget to include throwing your chair, your date and yourself through the nearest window to escape a deadly force situation. Most victims are trapped by fear they “freeze”.

A scream in the middle of the night: This is a nightmare for cops never mind citizens. Screams are hard to if not impossible to decipher. Make damn sure before you act. Could be loud hanky panky or brother sister fighting or a very good home theater system. A knight waits till the very last second to drop the point of his lance.


Breaking glass in the middle of the night or a home invasion. Your entire catalog of plans for home defense should revolve around you ambushing them. Do not search unless absolutely necessary. No exceptions. Don’t blast Fido and Whiskers accidentally. Wake yourself before you do anything. Your eyes will get used to the dark but it’ll take a couple of minutes. Listen, sit up, listen, stand up, listen, squat, smell and listen. Look at door cracks and windows for lighting variations and shadows. Listen. If you don’t close and lock your bedroom doors when you retire for the night……START. Hang some kind of noise maker on the doorknobs of all entry points to your home and bedroom. If you have time and are certain you have been burglarized, do not use your house phone first. Use your cell and give your address. The bad guys will certainly assign themselves the task of disabling your land line and listening on an extension while you tell the Cops (and them) exactly where you are in the house. Remember, a home invasion is rarely a crime of impulse. Most are preplanned and set up in detail.

1.    Training aids: There are sites and schools beyond me and my website. Some are bulls**t some are very credible and worthy of all our consideration. Here are the ones accepted in the legitimate firearms training community and law enforcement training:
2.    Gunsite
3.    Thunder Ranch
4.    The Chapman Academy
5.    Smith & Wesson Training Academy
6.    Sig Sauer Academy
7.    Shoot Rite Training Facility
8.    Heckler & Koch Academy
9.    Video from Thunder Ranch “Defensive Handgun, Defensive Firearms, Concealed Carry Options, Defensive Tactics” $49.95 each from FMG publications.  EXCELLENT
10.    Video from  Sig Sauer: Basic Handgun, Concealed Carry available from Sig Sauer online store approx. $23.95 to $30.00  EXCELLENT
11.    TV & RADIO: Personal Defense TV Outdoor Channel Wednesday night   OK to VERY GOOD
12.    GUNS & GEAR  VS channel Tuesday 2:00pm Thurs. 7:30am  OK to VERY GOOD
13.    GUN TALK RADIO 950AM Sunday 12:00 midnight to 3:00am (on line Sunday 1:00 pm) IT’S ALL THERE IS ON RADIO. BETTER THAN NOTHING. SOMETIMES VERY GOOD. INFORMATIVE BUT OPINIONATED.

There are other videos from people like Lenny Magill and the Glock Store, and Wilson Combat the gun makers that are a little hokey, and out of style, and training sites that offer rope slides and upside down machine gun shooting, and exploding targets, rappelling from helicopters with a patch over your eye and a knife in your teeth, and sales pitches ad nausea with big breasted gun babes like Frontsite and Survival, Valhalla you get my drift. The ones I noted above are real deal and you can contact them on line or get their literature from American Handgunner Magazine and the like.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everybody.

EDDIE

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Recommendations concerning holsters, belts and equipment in general

From your Instructor

First a good question:

QUESTION:  Could you please recommend some good defensive and practice Ammunition brands. I have a nine millimeter I am carrying but just good brands and if possible prices would be appreciated.  I have a shotgun (Ruger over/under ) and it doesn’t recommend buckshot in the manual. Is bird shot OK for home defense?  Is it effective?

ANSWER: That’s another great question from a great lady trainee. Thanks for reading and asking, and kudos for reading the manual first.

Good defensive ammunition is available more and more now at retailers (Academy, Carters, Gander Mt. Bass Proshop, Wal Mart etc.). I’ve found lately that Wal Mart has had Federal and Winchester ammo in more plentiful supply. Calibers are sketchy so you will have to search for things like .45 ACP or .357 Sig. These are ball or full/total metal jacket rounds for the most part and they are still reasonably priced there. The Winchester in the white box is just fine for both practice and defense as is the Federal.  If you want more potent and powerful defense ammo of hollow point or other configurations I personally recommend the following brands and type:  Speer/CCI Gold Dot , Cor-Bon any type, Hornady TAP, or Personal Defense, Federal Hydra Shok, Winchester Ranger, Remington Golden Saber and Glazer Safety slugs. I use and carry this ammo. For 9mm specifically I carry Federal Hydra Shok and 147 Grain Sub sonic, and Winchester Ranger. I would call around for this ammo to see who has the best price or order it online from Midway, Cheaper Than Dirt or Shooters Supply etc. Don’t overlook the gun shows but their prices aren’t as low in some cases as local retailers.

You are correct in not using 00 buckshot in you over and under. Bird shot is just fine in the home and down the hallway it will definitely knock the predator down. You were very correct in reading the recommendations in the Ruger manual.

EQUIPMENT:

I RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING HOLSTERS AND BELTS:
 Make sure the holster is available for your specific make and model of gun.

Holsters: I have found a paddle holster that works and is halfway comfortable to wear for long periods of time The Blackhawk SERPA CQC. Has a lock built in so the gun can’t easily be snatched and definitely will not fall out. It is also fast to draw from. It comes with both a paddle and belt loop and you can adjust it for cross draw or strong side and angle. It’s about $35. To $40. Or less. Don Hume Leather Goods of Miami Oklahoma has a great inside the waistband holster and a JIT Slide leather high quality relatively low price and a great strong belt the B1 lined. 5.11 Tactical has a great belt for about $35.. Dillon Precision has a catalog called the Blue Press that has some incredible holsters at great prices. I have one from Mitch Rosen (for Dillon) and it is beautiful and fits my XD like a glove. Galco The Fletch is a great holster of incredible quality and reasonably priced in town you can find it a carter’s, Collectors, Bass Pro and others. Safariland is available at police supply stores but go on line and check for their line of more civilian geared products. Bianchi has several great models available at the same in town outlets I mentioned and The Pinch model has a lock too. Do not buy ballistic nylon holsters for daily carry. They absorb and transfer sweat, and are dirt and lint magnets. They are great in the woods or on the ranch but if it’s hot you’re going to have a rust problem from sweating. Do not buy a cheap belt. I can never stress that enough. It could cost you your life. Seriously. Buy a good gun belt and a good holster they will protect you and your firearm and remember….”If you buy cheap, you’re gonna buy twice.” Please trust me on this. Next to your gun it is the most important component of you personal defense. Ladies every purse I have seen from Galco, Safariland, Coronado, De Santis, Bianchi is all excellent quality and very well engineered. I understand 5.11 Tactical now has them and they can be found at the aforementioned retailers and Pro Defense in Webster. Guys you can get a “man sack “from Maxpedition  or Galco and I just ordered one from Dillon called the Concealed Carry Tote that looks like more an a briefcase/laptop carrier. Check out that Blue Press they have top quality products at very reasonable prices. Galco belts are top quality but run in the $60. To $100. Range. They are worth every penny and you’ll only buy once.

If you have a rail for mounting a light on your weapon, Streamlight makes the TRL-1 and TRL-2 (with laser, surefire, and insight make similar ones but the Streamlight TRL-1 is a good light for around $75. Bucks and you can get them at Academy and the other retailers (although Gander Mtn. and Bass Pro are so high I won’t buy there). Sure fire and Streamlight make handhelds that are called Stinger and Nitrolon G2 that are very reasonable as are Maglites. Lights and magazines buy them and buy a bunch of them. Have them in depth as I like to say. Cabela’s has a series of lights (made by Sure Fire) that are excellent and very affordable. Check their website.

 If your firearm came with two magazines buy no less than one more, preferably two more.  This is the absolute minimum you should have for your own safety and they are available almost everywhere or you can order them from the firearms manufacturers. Go on line to Midway USA and Dillon and Pro Mag and order as many as you can afford or got to the gun store and ask or Academy and check the racks. Carry at least one spare magazine whenever you are carrying your weapon. ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST ONE RELOAD ON YOUR PERSON AT ALL TIMES. TWO IS EVEN BETTER. GUNS GO DRY IN A FIGHT ALWAYS. 90% OF ALL MALFUNCTIONS IN SEMI AUTO PISTOLS ARE MAGAZINE RELATED. IF YOU SHOOT REVOLVERS BUY SPEEDLOADERS!  NO EXCEPTIONS!

 You will really only have to make this expenditure once and your life is worth it. Isn’t it?

Thanks y’all…………Eddie Your Instructor.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Merry Christmas From Your Instructor The Fastman

To All My Trainees

December 2009

Hi Everyone. I want to wish a Very Merry Christmas to you all, and your loved ones, and a Happy New Year. I hope next year is better and safer and more prosperous for you and yours and for all the brave kids serving proudly everywhere to preserve our freedom. God and Karma bless them and keep them safe and bring them safely home again.

The City of Houston has a new mayor. Anise Parker, whom the media touts as the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city (which isn’t correct, she is not the first). Big deal! What worries me about Anise Parker is that she is openly against firearms possession by law abiding citizens and is on record as such.

Before Chuck Rosenthal got stupid and then bounced from his position as AG for Harris county, he had tried to circumvent State law and the CHL statute in particular. He instituted without referendum or consultation with the State AG (attorney general) a regulation prohibiting CHL holders from carrying their weapons in Harris County Parks. He got away with it until the State stepped in and struck the ordinance down as unlawful under State law. It took some time and more than twenty people were arrested and their weapons were confiscated (eventually returned of course) .  Anise Parker in her then city administration position was a very vocal supporter of the ordinance (along with others in city and county govt.) and proposed the City of Houston adopt the same policy.

How does this affect us and our CHL status? The decision on the Second Amendment in Heller v District of Columbia was not just an individual rights decision. It left a broad area of gray wherein local municipalities have the right to make “reasonable” rules and ordinances of their own in regards to “Public Safety” and firearms. In case you haven’t noticed Washington D.C. and the District have as yet to institute a revocation of the ban on individual right of possession of a legally owned firearm (of any type) by its citizenry but are still fighting the decision in court to this day. They have added an unbelievable amount of “reasonable” clauses to the original gun ban and have also appealed the ruling in “.Heller” . Anise Parker has made the centerpiece of her campaign a promise to change policing in the city and the HPD in general needs to be revamped and she will try to get similar restrictions on gun ownership and other “reasonable” gun control measures through city council quickly to help make the city “safe” for citizens and police.  She is on record as being a major opponent of the State of Texas Concealed Handgun License statute and signed a letter to that effect sent to the Governor and legislators in Austin. She plans to add no new cadet classes at HPD and make multi agency policing her priority. If you live in Houston and call 911 for help this means your call will be handled by the nearest available agency. Not the fastest one since the call will have to be routed and screened for availability.

You better hope to God that you live somewhere that the closest police and fire departments have the same “radio” with HPD especially if you are in low income or unincorporated areas. If you have paid any attention you know that the Harris County/City of Houston Communication Center has had it’s more than fair share of problems to this day. Ms. Parker will certainly go after your ability to have guns either in your home or on your person, and she agrees with open registration of all firearms in the City of Houston with bans on certain types a la California. Go figure. Keep an eye on the City council and regulation proposals in the paper and on tv and radio.

 The Department of Public Safety in conjunction with legislators, were not able to get the “Parking Lot” rule placed in effect in the new legislative amendments and laws. This means your employer can enforce and impose regulation of your firearm in the parking lot where you lock it while at work. You can be fired if your company has this type of prohibition and you will have no legal recourse and won’t even be eligible for unemployment benefits.  As I always say use your own judgment, but I won’t abide by any such rule or regulation of my vehicle and property.

 The Department has also had the penalty removed for not displaying both your Texas DL and Texas CHL if you get stopped and are carrying. Your weapon and license can still be confiscated by police and they can file for suspension but this is a case where the Department itself created a grey area and no one has a clue why. Just do as I trained you. If you get stopped by law enforcement, display both licenses you will save yourself a hassle. Just give them both to the cop unless you just have to show him that old crap target of “I know my rights.” Save yourself the trouble and give em to him and go on your way. Remember, “Yes sir, no sir” goes a lot further than “I know my rights” with pretty much any cop you’ll encounter.

 QUESTION:  I was one of the “panic buyers” as you called us, and bought an AR-15, an AK-47 and semi automatic shotgun and as much ammo as I could afford. I took them to the range and fired them all. My buddy had an AR-15 in .308 Winchester and he told me you are wrong about using them in a house. He says he is sure that rifle bullets will not go all the way through my home and injure anyone, and he trusts his  “.308” for his main home defense gun.  Also, I had difficulty hitting anything that came close to a group on targets at twenty five, fifty and a hundred yards. Is something wrong with the guns sights and how could I accessorize them to make them shoot better? I expected the shotgun to kick but the rifles are pretty heavy and they kicked very hard. Is that normal?  The AK-47 safety is hard to move up and down. What Can I do?

ANSWER: First of all you bought battle rifles not sniper rifles. They aren’t meant to shoot groups of target competition grade.  With AKs there are simple things to do. Take a triangle file and open up the rear sight on either side (mark it 1/16” on either side, and file to that mark). With the safety lever, bend it out until it moves easier do this a little at a time don’t just crow bar it away from the receiver.

If you want to see what a rifle or handgun bullet or shotgun shell of any caliber will do in a structure at the very least level try this. Get a couple of 2x4’s a couple of pieces of drywall scrap a couple pieces of OSB or plywood. If at all possible find a trashed piece of furniture. Put together a simulated set of two or three walls and place the furniture between them. You will need a place to do this of course and you should space the walls at least six to eight feet apart or further if you like. Get your buddy with the “.308” to unplug his head from his intestinal egress portal and shoot a round of “.308” through the simulated structure and retrieve the bullet. You, fire one round from each of your weapons through the simulated structure and retrieve the bullets. Then email me again about how wrong I am. Trust me I’m certainly willing to learn BUT please don’t tell me my business.  I won’t criticize your buddy but ask him how many times he’s actually fired his rifle through his house. If you really want to make it interesting set up a stack of cinder blocks and go back about fifteen or twenty yards. Take a few shots at it and see what it does. As an aside, I would not let your kids spend the night at your buddy’s house until he sees what a bullet does in a house.  BTW.. How many bullets did you find?

Accessorizing any AR is totally up to you. Useful things are a good sling, extra 20 & 30 round mags and flashlight rail that mounts on the front sight. Ammo should be specific check the manual . AKs need nothing and cost mucho to add to. If you can hit a paper plate at twenty five and fifty yards that is within spec and parameters for 223/5.56mm AR and 7.62 Russian (x39 or 59) which ever variant)AKs. They all kick.  They are rifles not BB guns. Were you sitting, standing, kneeling or prone when you fired? You didn’t say.

Eddie   …….OUT   and to all a good night.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Taking It All For Granted

From your Instructor a word or two on Taking It All For Granted

Hi folks thought I’d get a few of these done before I get busy and have to lay off a little for the Holidays and upcoming work requirements.

 I finally heard from NASA/JSC. The NASA budget has delayed takeover to January and the reassessment of security/police force needs and protocols, has been dropped on the front burner since the Ft. Hood massacre. I get it but watching the government minds and bureaucracy function I liken to committing suicide with a rubber band. It takes forever. I will however take my physical and PT test in January. This requires that I walk/run 3miles in forty five minutes and do a small number of sit ups, pull ups, and push- ups. Now you ask what does this have to do with CHL newsletters?  This!  I have to prepare by practicing. At my age that is not without pain but it is necessary. 

I cannot take for granted that I’ll be hired or pass a “PT” test at my age! AND ………….. you,  can’t take for granted that you will pass the test of surviving an assault on you or against your home.

 I’ve been with more than a few of my friends and trainees when they purchased their firearms.  I have , as all know not said “buy this or that.”  I make some suggestions as to what to take a look at but I refuse to pick firearms for anybody other than myself. If you pick it for yourself you will feel more confident, and in a fight confidence should be part of your survival mindset. That said, you have all made what I consider, excellent choices and surprised me with more than a few of them. All have been excellent choices, bottom line. What have you done with your choice to ensure your survival in a lethal encounter?  If you haven’t had the money to buy something to defend yourself with that is understandable.  I know two trainees/students who went so far as to put firearms in lay-away only to cancel them because of financial problems.  BUT…..one lady said it was too expensive ($300.00 shotgun) AND …. The others ( I forgot one ) said other things kept popping up that the money was needed for and they canceled the lay-away with restock fees involved I’m sure.  Folks, I know gas is expensive and so is food and clothes for the kids, never mind the bills every month. You just can’t avoid that living expense and the money not always being there are factors. I got that, BUT ……. I DON’T GET (AND I WILL NOT CRITICIZE….AH HELL YES I WILL.) that a weekend cruise out of Galveston, a trip to the casinos in Louisiana or another piece of musical equipment was either one of those bills/necessities or in any way, shape or form, more important than your self defense and that of your home and loved ones.

 We as a group of Instructors have basically been ordered to maintain contact with our trainees by OUR instructors , at the very least with something in the form of written material like this or more hopefully with hands on training.

 “I have a super two thousand ninety nine millimeter with grenade launcher and satellite descrambler voltometer and…………. I leave it in the car…..or….it’s in the dresser…….or I’ve never fired it but it’s a good one…..or…or ….or.” You bet……YOUR LIFE…….on that or your loved ones? A wiser Instructor than said two things that I live and personally train not only you but myself by, “Ownership, does not equate to  ability.,…   and a firearm should be COMFORTING not comfortable.”

 Practice or don’t it is completely up to you. I practice to stay sharp not to prove anything. If you ever meet an Instructor who says he doesn’t need practice for himself, you have wasted your time and money with that instructor. Do you think that if you get in a fight or are assaulted in your home that the Grand Jury you will face after a deadly force incident will accept that you tell them “I took the CHL course but I just didn’t have any time to practice. Isn’t that enough?” after you shot through your house your attacker and into the house next door killing the gerbil and destroying the microwave. What do you think the attorney for the recently deceased bad guy will zero in on from your testimony, after telling your ”peers” that his clients family deserves the proceeds from the sale of your home, business, your vehicles and all of your insurance policies and savings, because he deserved to be incarcerated for sure but… KILLED? Mercilessly GUNNED DOWN in the home of a gun owner who didn’t feel the necessity or the responsibility to practice with that gun that MERCILESSLY GUNNED DOWN THEIR SONS, never giving them a chance to repay their debt to a society but instead, being the judge, jury, and executioner because “I took the CHL course” but they didn’t think they had to practice any more….ladies and gentlemen kids go wrong but should they be GUNNED DOWN FOR IT?.............

 Your Instructor the “Fastman” says “there’s that old damned perception thing again.” 
How much is your life and those of your loved ones worth?  Couple of coin? A little practice?

To me you are all priceless and so are your loved ones which is why I write and INVITE ….y’all to come to the range with me or go to the range and let me know how much fun you had.

EDDIE    your Instructor

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Practicing Smart, Wise and for Fun!

Hi y’all it’s the old Instructor again.,

When I train y’all I go over the basics of marksmanship. I train you first in what I call defensive shooting at distances out to ten yards. Those are realistic in an assault and usually considering the distances you’ll likely encounter in your home if attacked there.  The statistical records of forensic study show that attacks on persons run for the most part from contact distance to seven yards.   CHL training takes into consideration other factors and we train you to a maximum of fifteen yards as you know.

In keeping with me upgrading the quality of my training of you, I will now deal with the marksmanship aspects of your handgun training.  THIS IS MANDATORY IT IS NOT A REQUEST AND IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE OR YOUR LOVED ONES!!!  ……. You must learn what you and your weapon are capable of at distances and ranges that you MAY have to deal with……..Yeah I know but then there’s that one time. Better to need it and not use it than to need it and not KNOW how to use it. 

IF YOU ENJOY CHALLENGING YOURSELF THIS CAN BE SO MUCH FUN SO TRY IT.

If you have a place to shoot out doors do this at twenty five yards or twenty five steps normal stride. Set up a table of some kind and improvise a rest or bring one for your weapon.  If you have to do this at an indoor range, run the target as far out as it goes, get a chair and once again use a rest

1. Outdoors if not a range, make sure you have a good backstop and make sure of what’s beyond it.

2. Targets: Use a silhouette (B27) and put one of those shoot n see round or oval (large) stick- on in the center of it.  This will allow you to see your hits, and force yourself in these games to look at the sight picture not at the hits until you’ve fired your rounds. Someone else can spot for you if you like but you concentrate on sight picture and trigger squeeze. If you want to put a four foot stick in the ground with a balloon tied to it and try to hit it or tape it onto the shoot n see on the silhouette. If there’s a breeze you’ll have a blast tryin to hit that balloon.

3. Indoors or Outdoors sit at the table and rest the butt of your weapon on the rest that you improvised or sandbags or whatever so that your sights are at eye level. At first, don’t rest the barrel just hold the weapon so you can figure out how to hold for windage and elevation. Line up your sights so that the sight picture shows you they are all lined up evenly across the top and the front sight blade is centered in the rear with equal amount of light on either side. Put the sights on the target so that the shoot n see sits right on top like the moon or at what is known as the six o’clock position. If you have a semi auto or revolver with an exposed hammer (now you stop and say to yourself 3 times FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER..FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER..FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER..and)  cock the hammer.  Now put your finger on the trigger and put just enough pressure on the trigger to do what is known as taking up the slack (semi autos) revolvers should just put the finger on the trigger. Take a breath, look at the sights/target, let half of the breath out and squeeze………….BANG!  REPEAT…..FOR FIVE ROUNDS.  LOOK AT YOUR TARGET. How’d you do?  Repeat that process and swing over to try and hit the balloon for the fifth round.

4. Now that set -up except this time move your sights or raise your hold to get you sights on the center (usually a red circle or vertical oval) of the target/shoot n see. Do this for three groups of five shots each at each point on the target. This will tell you where your sights are set and how you are doing with proper sight picture/alignment. Do this for 50 rounds, cause you’ll find that’s just about the point where you either get bored or frustrated. Then your practice doesn’t do you any good.

If you reach a point of just doing something for the fun of challenging yourself try this. Take a break from the marksmanship part and put another four foot stick in the ground with a golf tee stuck in the top or attached so you can set an egg on the tee. You can also staple or tape a playing card to the stick or turn over a red drink cup and try to hit those. That sh*t is just plain fun folks. They also work great for teaching kids with a bb or pellet gun or .22 and one for both of you would be to try to hit a lollipop of any size at that distance. Kids love it.

Why do I teach you this if the self defense distances are so much closer? Come on y’all, think.  You just might have that one encounter with the “rocket scientist” criminal you HAVE to engage at that type of distance. Let me give you an example:  June 20, 1994 at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane Wash., a recently section 8 discharged airman went on the base with an AK 47 copy and went to the base hospital where he opened fire first inside and then out in the parking lot. He wound up shootin 27 people killing several including an 8 year old little girl in the cafeteria until an “Ape” Air Policeman who rode up on his bike in response engaged him with a 9mm Beretta he’d never even fired (it was just issued to him) and took him out with a shot to the head that entered just to the right of his nose and blasted the top of his brain to spray. He fired five rounds total from his handgun against a rifleman shootin at him. The AP had taken a kneeling position and from his own reports thought he was shootin at no more than thirty yards and couldn’t understand why he was not hitting him. Each shot was carefully aimed and fired and upon stopping the attacker the A.P. had to enter the hospital to clear it of any possible other shooters where to his horror he discovered the eight year old child by slipping in the pool of her blood as he entered to clear the cafeteria. He lives with that and the thought that if he’d only got there sooner………. The forensic investigation showed that the Air Policeman had NOT engaged the nutball at 30 yards at all. IT WAS SEVENTY THREE YARDS WHEN HE MADE THE HEAD SHOT THAT STOPPED THE NUT…and he had hit him twice.   YEARS before the Ft. Hood murders folks. You can read about that in the current edition of American Handgunner in The Ayoob Files.

You never know when you might need it so know how to do it.  What if that was your eight year old or mine…..?

I will be practicing at Marksman Indoor Range in South Houston , Sunday Dec. 6, 2009 at 1:00 pm I will also be there practicing  on Sunday the 27th at the same time please try to come by and join me.  You have to practice folks. I can’t stress it enough. Your life and liability could depend on it. If you got in a deadly force situation and faced the aftermath of both a grand jury and the bad guy’s attorney you will have to explain why you didn’t practice at all or you may be accused of practicing too much. I’ll take my chances with the latter. You don’t have to do it like I do but you do have to do it.   

Eddie     OUT

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Q&A: Gun Smiths, Gun Mods and Gun Manufacturers

From your Instructor,

QUESTION:  Would you recommend any Gunsmith (s) in our area and do you have any idea what they charge for services.

ANSWER: In the Houston area I know of two. Both are highly thought of and one is world renowned. Briley is on the West side of Houston in the Gessner/Katy Freeway area. www.briley.com  (world renowned) and Vandenberg Custom Guns on Old Galveston Rd. S.Houston. I have seen and handled their work and it is first rate. I haven’t had any work done by them but I know several people and cops who have and they are totally satisfied. Price I have no idea about but like any skilled mechanic I’d bet it ain’t cheap. I personally have had work done by the manufacturers when needed and they were minor things.

QUESTION: John asked what if any modifications I have done to my personal weapons or had done?

ANSWER:  I know the gun you mean in particular and I have had a very few things done by others. My 1911 Para you ask about I had refinished by the factory and the finish upgraded because as it came from Para the original finish SUCKED! WITH A CAPITAL S.  I raised hell about it since it went to s**t after six months. It cost me $109.00 and shipping  and I’ll never buy or recommend another Para product again. I kept the gun and have added a Wilson mag well ($21.) and some 3M bathtub/pool traction tape (black) to the front strap of it at a cost of about a dollar. I have this tape on all my weapons on the front strap and front of the trigger guard. It keeps it from moving in my hand especially when it’s hot. You buy it in packs and cut the pieces to size so that it will fit under the grips. Take the grips off cut the pieces stick em on put the grips back on. Simple as that Nite Sites are my Christmas present to me this year as it is the only weapon I have without them. I’m gonna go with XS Sights Big Dot front Nite Sight and Novak rear and that’s it. Night sites can be had usually on the spot or same day at Pro Defense in Webster/League City (shopping ctr I-45 S ) by Hooters and Burlington Coat Factory. I don’t count magazines because I won’t have any less than 4 for any weapon I own.

About manufacturers…  I have dealt with Smith & Wesson. Beretta, Taurus (for a trainee), Ruger and Sig Sauer. All had excellent customer service and though I was willning to and expected to pay for what I needed/wanted not one of these companies charged me a cent.

Most recently, last year I sent my most carried Sig P220 back because it rusted on the slide after a weeks worth of carry in the very hot humid summer here in ’08. I asked and as stated fully expected to pay for refinishing and a basic refurb. I was told I would have to pay approx. $149. and change but to my delight it was returned to me refinished and refurbished along with the replaced parts and  an invoice for $0.00. True story and with the major manufacturers I named that has been their standard way of treating their customers. Para Ordnance on the other hand were rude and said I had abused the weapon which as anyone who knows me can attest to is a complete lie. It had been in the holster or safe most of its time and only on the range never on duty, never dropped, never anything. Yet after only six months after purchasing it new the finish had worn off in four different places. Calling them got nothing but attitude after I called several times just to make contact and discuss the problem and get a ra#.  I was told that the finish is sprayed on not blued which is a chemical process and if I wanted it blued I’d have to pay. If I wanted it re sprayed I’d have to pay but less. I guess since they are a Canadian firm they don’t feel that customer service is a priority never mind just answering the phone or returning a call. That is why I don’t recommend Para products.

I hope y’all checked out the Taurus on sale at Academy (the Beretta styled .40 S&W} for $299.00

Tis the season...

Your Instructor      Eddie