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This picture could never be over-used. Doesn't it give you goosebumps?
July 7th, 2007
Dear Friend, and fellow citizen,
This week, we're celebrating our nation's 231st birthday!
Like many of you, this week I took my family to see a fireworks show- a tradition that has been around since the first anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On the way there, I felt a bond with those in the vehicles around me- as different as we all may be, we will always be Americans. In just the couple hours that we were there, America's diversity became even more apparent, as a car pulled up full of Italian immigrants. I almost teared up when I saw the family helping their young U.S.M.C. veteran son out the car, with a prosthetic where his left leg used to be.
God, Bless America!
Land of the Free,
And Home of the Brave!
For this week's 'video of the week', I have appropriately chosen a slide show set to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner, as sung by Sandi Patty. It's a very interesting version, and the slide show accompanying it is what sold me on it!
Do you know someone who would like to see this tribute to America? Zip it on over to them by clicking the envelope!
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Important Matter of Business:
I now have a very important matter to discuss- a call to arms of sorts and it is in regards to a new regulation being considered by OSHA- Yes, that 'OSHA'- the 'Occupational Safety and Health Administration'. In a nutshell, what this regulation would do is officially deem ammunition 'unsafe', and impose all sorts of requirements on ammunition manufacturers and retailers. Needless to say, this would drive up the cost of ammo across the board, and basically break the leg of the shooting sports community. Not to mention, cost thousands of jobs as many plants shut down. It is up to us to put a stop to this nonsense.
For full details on this story, for a template letter to fax or email to OSHA, CLICK HERE.
And if you have friends who share your passion for firearms and may want to get involved, click below the email this story to them!
I want to thank Don Cline for bringing this to my attention!
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Moving on, I've got a GREAT article for you written by Tom Perroni, on Dry Fire Practice!
"Dry Fire, Dry Practice, Dry Firing" By: Tom Perroni
The motivation from this article came from a discussion I had with several firearms instructors. We were discussing the fact that some of the veteran officers who had recently come to the range to qualify were having problems with low scores. The same officers fresh out of training had much higher scores.
Image courtesy of www.securityguardservicesguide.com
So the question was asked to the veteran and rookies: How often do you practice? The answer was not very often… The follow up question was how come? The answer was that going to the range was expensive and the officer simply did not have the funds available to practice on his or her own time. I was shocked since most of the training at my Academy is for Law Enforcement and Private Security. These folks are paid to deal with Deadly Force situations. And the Handgun is the most important tool of their trade. With their lives and the lives of the public at stake they should be at the very least proficient with this tool.
So my follow up question was 'have you ever heard of or practiced Dry Firing or Dry Practice?' I was again surprised by the puzzled looks on the faces of these officers. One officer finally said, "What is Dry Firing?"
Dry Fire -- This when the trigger is pulled without live ammunition in the firearm. This method of training can be done just about anywhere and costs absolutely nothing. In this Instructors opinion it is vital to anyone who uses or carries a handgun. Essentially you are doing everything you would do at the range except your handgun is empty. (NO AMMO) The most important single fundamental skill in shooting - Trigger Control -- is one which can best be improved off the range in dry practice. As I have stated in past articles there are (7) fundamentals of Handgun shooting which all can be practiced with Dry Fire.
Tips to get you Started
1. Safety: This is the most import facet of Dry Fire practice! Make sure the Handgun is UNLOADED! Make sure that all live ammo is out of the room or area you will be training in. Also make sure you have a suitable backstop. The use of snap caps is up to the shooter. Some people feel they protect the firing pin. However you can fire most modern firearms without causing any damage to the fringing pin or the action of the handgun. Consult your owner's manual to be sure.
2. Targets: This is left up to the individual. You may use anything you like B-27 or an FBI --Q or life-size human target or a 3X5 index card or a spot on the wall; you will however need a reference point to aim at. This is important.
3. What should be practiced? I suggest practicing everything you do at the range - all seven fundamentals of marksmanship:
1. Stance
2. Grip
3. Sight Alignment
4. Sight Picture
5. Trigger Control / Press
6. Breathing
7. Follow Through
Also the draw which has (5) points, as well as reloading and safe high speed gun handling. There are several types of Reloads that can also be practiced.
A. 5 Points to the Draw
1. The firing hand secures a firing grip on the handgun while the support hand touches flat to the abdomen
2. The handgun is lifted straight up until it just clears the top of the holster. The trigger finger is straight on the Handgun. The support hand is still flat against the abdomen. The hand and the forearm are in line with the handgun.
3. The firing side elbow drops and the muzzle points directly toward the target. The support hand is still flat against the abdomen. The trigger finger is straight.
4. The handgun starts toward the target and the support hand establishes the proper grip. The muzzle never covers any part of the body. The trigger finger is still straight. The hands come together fingers over fingers and thumb over thumb
5. The handgun is at eye level and the finger is on the trigger.
Then we place the handgun back in the holster in the exact reverse order while maintaining eye contact with the target. "Do not look at the holster."
B. Speed Reloads: These drills help develop muscle memory. Press the magazine release to drop the magazine while at the same time with the non shooting hand grab the fresh magazine from its pouch, indexed with your finger, and insert into the magazine well. If this is done correctly the magazines will pass each other in mid air.
C. Tap-Rack-Asses this drill clears malfunctions and or Jams and effectively "resets" the firearm.
Tap- means to smack the bottom of the magazine firmly enough to lock it into place or dislodge any bind in the magazine.
Rack- is a cycling of the slide to eject any hammered or dead casing or to re-chamber a new cartridge following a malfunction.
Assess- means being prepared to commence or resume fire as required by assessing the situation.
(These maneuvers must be able to be performed flawlessly and subconsciously any time the shooter experiences a failure to fire or malfunction)
3. How often should I practice "Dry Fire"?
Practicing the above drills for 10-15 minutes each day will greatly benefit the shooter. I have seen marked improvement in students who practiced these drills for just 2 days. However please remember Handgun Skills are like buying a car: if you do not make your payments the car will be repossessed. If you do not practice the new handgun skills you paid for they will also be repossessed.
In conclusion remember smooth is fast, and speed is economy in motion; Accuracy always takes precedence over speed. As John Skaggs from the Chapman Academy says "You should own two guns . One you wear out dry-firing and the other you shoot with."
I urge you to spend the minimal time required to develop your "Dry Fire" skills with this cost-free method that will improve your life saving skills.
Stay Safe & Shoot Straight!
Tom Perroni is the owner, President and Chief Instructor of Perroni's
Tactical Training Academy. Pulling on a five-year law enforcement
operational background, Tom has spent the last fifteen years delivering
training to government, military, law enforcement and private security
companies. Tom is also the lead contract instructor trainer for the
Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice Services, responsible for vetting private
security trainers approved by DCJS. Tom is also a Contract Instructor for
Blackwater Training Center. Tom appreciates feedback and can be reached
through the Contact page on his company website at
http://www.perronitactical.com.
Many of us have realized the importance and advantages of dry-fire practice. Do you know someone who has not? Please share this fantastic article with them by clicking the envelope below!
Gun and Gear Review
Here we go! My favorite part of every "Tip of the Week". This is where we get to look at some neat and interesting guns and gear.
STATISTICS:
One thing is for sure- this is a TOUGH little light!
First of all, if this LED looks dirty to you, it's because it is. When I first picked this up, I thought it felt cheap compared to some of the other LEDs that I've been handling, so I was determined to find any flaw this sucker had by running it through the ropes- and dropping it onto concrete!
Being a GLOCK fan, I hope I do not sound like a hypocrite when saying that this LED's polymer shell felt... well, inadequate upon first inspection. Especially after handling some aluminum jobs! More detracting, was that the actual LED "bulb" was bent slightly, but enough to make me wonder about the quality of this thing. I wondered if it would break off with a few solid whacks to a solid surface, but I was relieved to find that it didn't.
This LED has two usage modes- constant on, and momentary on. For Momentary On, you just push the rubber thumb switch, BUT the tail-cap also has to be screwed in enough to allow for the connection, BUT not enough so that it enters the Constant On mode. "Just leave it screwed in enough so that all you have to do is hit the thumb switch," you say? Well, if you do, this light has a nasty habit of turning itself on in your pocket- I seriously went through two sets of batteries without even knowing it because of this.
Notice that the main part of the beam is MUCH smaller than the blanket part.
The tail-cap mechanism is probably the biggest "con" that I could find in this flashlight. See, if you screw the tail-cap in all the way so that it is tight, you will be in 'Constant On' mode. To leave 'Constant On' mode, it takes 1/4 turn of loosening, and another 1/4 turn of loosening beyond that to enter "Constant Off", or lockout. Now, 1/4 turn might not sound like a lot, but if your pistol is in your strong hand, and you only have a couple fingers available, it takes WAY Too long to twist it to 'constant on'. But again, somehow, unless you unscrew the tailcap almost to the point of it coming off, the thing mysteriously comes on in your pocket.
Other than that, the only things I have against this LED are these:
1) The 65 Lumens is noticeably weaker than the 75-90 Lumens found in most lights in the 'around $30' price category. 2) It's border-line 'too big' to just carry around with you in your pants pocket. I have been doing so, but it takes up a lot of room... 3) That INOVA T1 kind of spoiled me with its brilliant blueish-white light pattern. This light has the traditional yellow color to it. It works, but it's not as pretty as the INOVA! 4) The concentrated part of this LED's beam is not QUITE as large, or as uniformly distributed as it was on the INOVA T1. It's not a sloppy beam by any means, but it's just a little bit stronger in the center, and it tapers out very quickly, so you have to aim it a little better than you would the INOVA T1.
Don't get me wrong, for the money this is a great LED. It stood up to all the abuse I put it through, which is WAY more than it deserved, and probably more than it was made for. If you want my advice though, I recommend putting a little more money with what you have and getting something a little higher up on the list. OR, Surefire makes an optional tailcap that solves all the problems that I mentioned here, and they also make a new bezel that doubles the light output. These modifications could be done for less than $100, but for about that you could probably just get a flashlight that works perfectly out of the box.
For more information on the G2 or any of Surefire's other LEDs, visit their website, at www.surefire.com.
Do you know someone who might find this gear review helpful? Emailing it to them is easy! Just click the envelope!
USCCA Forum Highlights
Every Deluxe Member has complete access to the USCCA forum, which is constantly being accessed by members sharing information, knowledge, insight, and fun. With nearing twenty-thousand posts and growing by the hour, this is one heck of a valuable resource!
Gun Oil and Lubrication - How much and what type?
Ok need some help from everyone. My wife and I each have a SigP229R. So far we have been using "Rem-Oil" in the green and yellow can. It works really well for cleaning, but I don't know if it is lubricating the weapons...
Judicious Use of Deadly Force
Has any one seen the video titled "Judicious Use of Deadly Force" by Massad Ayoob? If so, what's your opinion? I'm thinking of buying it?
Reloading?
Again, as I slip down the slope into shooting fun, again, I have started considering reloading pistol ammo...
Trust me- if you are seeking personalized information and knowledge about concealed carry, and are looking to make a lot of friends in the process, the USCCA Forum is the place to be!
Quote of the Week
Sometimes a good quote will inspire or motivate you. Sometimes, they'll just put a smile on your face! Here is the quote for this week...
"Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift from God?"
~Thomas Jefferson
Closing Thoughts Member Feedback: Some of the best ideas, tips and thoughts come from other USCCA members just like you! So if you have something you'd like to share with the rest of us, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Click here to go to our contact form.
I trust that you all celebrated (and are celebrating) our Nations Independence with all the gusto that the occasion deserves! The Right to keep and bear arms is just one thing that has made and continues to keep this country so great!
I'm going to leave you with something that I don't think gets enough publicity- the lyrics to the "Star Spangled Banner", in all its entirety!
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our Trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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