Thursday : November 5 : 2009
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News In Brief
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Sights include an adjustable "ghost ring" aperture rear sight and a protected non-glare post front sight. Patented Ruger scope bases are machined directly into the receiver and can never shoot loose. A set of Ruger scope rings is included at no charge with each rifle. Side ejection of cartridge cases easily clears the lowest-mounted optics, and a patented recoil buffer helps protect optics from damage over repeated firing.
International Training, Inc. is proud to present the Police Only Weekend, to be run on November 14 & 15, 2009, from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM each day. Day One will focus on a full day of high performance driving. More Law Enforcement Officers are killed in traffic accidents each year than by felonious assault. Day Two will be a full day of Tactical Handgun training. For more information, you can log on to www.itiwsi.com or give a call at 877-334-2907.
BLACKHAWK! Products Group™ has added the performance driven feature of a thumbhole stock to two new KNOXX Stocks; the KNOXX Axiom TH Thumbhole Rifle Stock (patent pending) and the KNOXX Talon Thumbhole Stock. For more information on BLACKHAWK! and BLACKHAWK! products, log on to www.BLACKHAWK.com or call 800-694-5263.
The Portland Business Journal presented its 2009 Manufacturer of the Year for a Medium Sized Company to Benchmade Knife Company. The Oregon Manufacturing Awards Luncheon took place on Thursday, October 29th at the Portland Art Museum in downtown Portland, Oregon. The award for Manufacturer of the Year is based on company performance, overall business strategy, and innovative approaches to internal operations, manufacturing processes, and sustainable practices involving customers, partners and suppliers. See www.benchmade.com/.
Editor's Notebook: The "21 Foot Rule"
by Rich Grassi
That old saw you have heard that if someone is 7 yards away from you and he has a knife means you can shoot him . . . well, to start with, it's not 7 yards (21 feet) and it's not a "rule." It's been horribly taken out of its original context.
Just "having a knife" isn't enough to cause a deadly force response anyway. You have to determine the attacker possesses the Ability (to kill or cripple), Opportunity (he can employ his Ability immediately) and Jeopardy (he's acting in such a way to make you conclude he's going to attack with lethal force). Today, we'll examine the context of this "rule" and chat about how the concepts can be applied practically.
In an article, "How Close is Too Close?" which appeared in an issue of SWAT Magazine in 1983, Dennis Tueller wrote of a class of trainees he had at the range. He was a police officer and firearms instructor at Salt Lake City UT PD. One trainee noted that he knew what to do if the criminal actor was armed with a gun but what about a knife? With the gun, if he can see you he can for all practical purposes shoot you. The knife he has to carry to you.
"How close is too close," he asked. A good question, Sgt. Tueller answered the way a number of us have answered over the years: "You'll know when it's right," he said.
Like the rest of us, Dennis felt guilty and wrestled with the issue. The next day, the trainees put the guns away. Dennis came out with a knife and put the trainees at seven yards. Why? It was the closest marked distance to the target and the old FBI close combat range. Timing each individually, Dennis would order the student to "Go!" and time the trip the student made to stab the target. When the knife entered, he stopped the timer.
He found it took only 1.5 seconds to cover 7 yards and stab a target after a start signal. He noticed that the troops tended to shuffle the last steps, decelerating before the impact. This increased their time, as did the student/attacker having to react to a start signal before launching. Actually, 1 ½ seconds is long. Many people cover the distance quicker.
In the Gunsite 250, one stage of the School Drill is to deliver two hits to the center of the target in 1 ½ seconds from the holster. Now we're faced with an unpleasant reality: if you go for your holstered handgun when the attacker lunges and you're really, really good, you can get a pair of slugs into him just as he sinks a knife in your chest or slashes your throat with a razor; or caves your head in with a pipe.
That doesn't seem like winning.
The way the test was refined was to make each student in class play three roles: defender, attacker and timer. The timer watches the attacker and starts the time when the attacker moves. The time stops when the attacker runs past the defender (who stands fast) and touches shoulder or outstretched hand simulating a fatal knife injury, bludgeoning or gun grab attempt. The defender stands fast simply considering whether he/she could draw and service the target in time to stop it. The attacker goes on by, slowing gradually after impact. Each student defends, attacks, and watches everyone else in the group do the exercise.
Armed with this information, the student can testify & show in notes that, in training, (1) he did this to someone else, (2) someone did this to him, and (3) he stood back and watched someone do this to someone else. This demonstrates the knowledge necessary to make a competent force decision - the student knew he was a second or so away from a potentially deadly impact.
Knowing this, if it's a real contact weapon assault - edged weapons, bludgeons, etc. - is standing fast and going for a gun a relevant plan? Not really. There are some things we can do to keep from having to shoot. One is simply movement; make him come to you as you move suddenly out of his path.
This short column isn't enough to lay out patterns of movement. I'd check in with NLETC in Kansas City if I were a cop, security officer, contractor or corrections officer. They'll help with that.
Another thing is cover. With guns, cover is something that stops, slows, or diverts incoming gunfire. In a contact weapon assault, it's something that keeps the offender from getting close enough to you. It could be furniture, a car, or, when standing in an open door, backing out and closing the door! It's anything that gives you time.
Having time helps you make good force decisions.
To learn more about firearms skills, learning how to teach firearms skills, or to learn how to conduct firearms training on a budget, check out Rich's book, POLICE FIREARMS INSTRUCTION: PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES, available from Amazon and other fine book sellers.
Rich wants to thank Massad Ayoob (www.ayoob.com), Dennis Tueller, and James Lindell, National Law Enforcement Training Center (www.nletc.com) for the concepts and the training that led to this column.
 Draw fast as you want, you still can't beat the knife wielding psycho who's charging at you! Even if you get a hit, he may NOT stop! |
Just "having a knife" isn't enough to cause a deadly force response anyway. You have to determine the attacker possesses the Ability (to kill or cripple), Opportunity (he can employ his Ability immediately) and Jeopardy (he's acting in such a way to make you conclude he's going to attack with lethal force). Today, we'll examine the context of this "rule" and chat about how the concepts can be applied practically.
In an article, "How Close is Too Close?" which appeared in an issue of SWAT Magazine in 1983, Dennis Tueller wrote of a class of trainees he had at the range. He was a police officer and firearms instructor at Salt Lake City UT PD. One trainee noted that he knew what to do if the criminal actor was armed with a gun but what about a knife? With the gun, if he can see you he can for all practical purposes shoot you. The knife he has to carry to you.
"How close is too close," he asked. A good question, Sgt. Tueller answered the way a number of us have answered over the years: "You'll know when it's right," he said.
Like the rest of us, Dennis felt guilty and wrestled with the issue. The next day, the trainees put the guns away. Dennis came out with a knife and put the trainees at seven yards. Why? It was the closest marked distance to the target and the old FBI close combat range. Timing each individually, Dennis would order the student to "Go!" and time the trip the student made to stab the target. When the knife entered, he stopped the timer.
He found it took only 1.5 seconds to cover 7 yards and stab a target after a start signal. He noticed that the troops tended to shuffle the last steps, decelerating before the impact. This increased their time, as did the student/attacker having to react to a start signal before launching. Actually, 1 ½ seconds is long. Many people cover the distance quicker.
In the Gunsite 250, one stage of the School Drill is to deliver two hits to the center of the target in 1 ½ seconds from the holster. Now we're faced with an unpleasant reality: if you go for your holstered handgun when the attacker lunges and you're really, really good, you can get a pair of slugs into him just as he sinks a knife in your chest or slashes your throat with a razor; or caves your head in with a pipe.
That doesn't seem like winning.
The way the test was refined was to make each student in class play three roles: defender, attacker and timer. The timer watches the attacker and starts the time when the attacker moves. The time stops when the attacker runs past the defender (who stands fast) and touches shoulder or outstretched hand simulating a fatal knife injury, bludgeoning or gun grab attempt. The defender stands fast simply considering whether he/she could draw and service the target in time to stop it. The attacker goes on by, slowing gradually after impact. Each student defends, attacks, and watches everyone else in the group do the exercise.
Armed with this information, the student can testify & show in notes that, in training, (1) he did this to someone else, (2) someone did this to him, and (3) he stood back and watched someone do this to someone else. This demonstrates the knowledge necessary to make a competent force decision - the student knew he was a second or so away from a potentially deadly impact.
Knowing this, if it's a real contact weapon assault - edged weapons, bludgeons, etc. - is standing fast and going for a gun a relevant plan? Not really. There are some things we can do to keep from having to shoot. One is simply movement; make him come to you as you move suddenly out of his path.
This short column isn't enough to lay out patterns of movement. I'd check in with NLETC in Kansas City if I were a cop, security officer, contractor or corrections officer. They'll help with that.
Another thing is cover. With guns, cover is something that stops, slows, or diverts incoming gunfire. In a contact weapon assault, it's something that keeps the offender from getting close enough to you. It could be furniture, a car, or, when standing in an open door, backing out and closing the door! It's anything that gives you time.
Having time helps you make good force decisions.
To learn more about firearms skills, learning how to teach firearms skills, or to learn how to conduct firearms training on a budget, check out Rich's book, POLICE FIREARMS INSTRUCTION: PROBLEMS AND PRACTICES, available from Amazon and other fine book sellers.
Rich wants to thank Massad Ayoob (www.ayoob.com), Dennis Tueller, and James Lindell, National Law Enforcement Training Center (www.nletc.com) for the concepts and the training that led to this column.
Skill Set: AK's
(Author's Note: I want to correct a mistake in Tuesday's column: Near the end of the column I should have said that it is best to practice dry with a dummy weapon - NOT a live weapon -- to reduce the chance of making any mistakes. The archive copy is corrected at http://www.thetacticalwire.com)
by Tiger McKee
We get several calls at Shootrite about bringing AK's for Defensive Carbine classes, wondering if it's an acceptable rifle. My answer is always yes. The AK is an ideal fighting rifle, especially when working under adverse conditions.
The AK will function under the harshest conditions, with a minimal amount of upkeep. Bury one in the dirt, dig it up a year later, dump some motor oil in it and crack open the charging handle with your foot. Run a rag through the barrel, load and shoot.
As for ergonomics it's not as user friendly as the AR, but learning the techniques for operating it isn't difficult. One of the biggest issues is the safety. I usually handle that by keeping my right hand a little forward, and off the grip. As I depress the safety my hand drops down to hit the grip. I don't engage the safety until I'm sure the shooting is over.
Cycling the charging handle is no different from a M14 or anything like that. Come underneath the rifle and pull the charging handle to the rear with the support hand. The other option is to operate it with the primary hand, which takes your hand off the grip, but at that point you can't fire anyway, and this may be easier for some individuals. I'm not sure which is better, and depending on what position I'm firing from I've found myself using which ever hand seems to be the most efficient at that moment.
Reloads are easy. Once you realize the rifle is empty the support hand grabs a fresh mag. Bring that mag up, hit the mag release button with the new mag, and swipe out the empty. The fresh mag is rocked into place, seated, and you cycle the charging handle to chamber a round.
One issue to consider is the penetration of the 7.62x39. This round will smoke through a lot of stuff until it comes to a halt. For example a .223 round will normally penetrate halfway through a normal concrete block. The 7.62x39 will run though the block, destroying it in the process, and keep going. So it probably isn't the ideal round for home defense, especially in an urban environment. Accuracy is another thing to consider. The AK ain't a sniper rifle, but it will hit a man-size target out to 3-400 yards as long as you do your part.
There are a lot of accessories out there for the AK, but I think it's perfect as is. You just have to remember what it was designed for, and learn and practice the techniques for operating it. If you don't own one it's still a good idea to know how to work them. There are millions of them out there, and your chance of coming across one is very likely. If you're fighting with a pistol, and the opportunity to acquire an AK comes up, you need to be able to use it properly.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org
by Tiger McKee
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The AK will function under the harshest conditions, with a minimal amount of upkeep. Bury one in the dirt, dig it up a year later, dump some motor oil in it and crack open the charging handle with your foot. Run a rag through the barrel, load and shoot.
As for ergonomics it's not as user friendly as the AR, but learning the techniques for operating it isn't difficult. One of the biggest issues is the safety. I usually handle that by keeping my right hand a little forward, and off the grip. As I depress the safety my hand drops down to hit the grip. I don't engage the safety until I'm sure the shooting is over.
Cycling the charging handle is no different from a M14 or anything like that. Come underneath the rifle and pull the charging handle to the rear with the support hand. The other option is to operate it with the primary hand, which takes your hand off the grip, but at that point you can't fire anyway, and this may be easier for some individuals. I'm not sure which is better, and depending on what position I'm firing from I've found myself using which ever hand seems to be the most efficient at that moment.
Reloads are easy. Once you realize the rifle is empty the support hand grabs a fresh mag. Bring that mag up, hit the mag release button with the new mag, and swipe out the empty. The fresh mag is rocked into place, seated, and you cycle the charging handle to chamber a round.
One issue to consider is the penetration of the 7.62x39. This round will smoke through a lot of stuff until it comes to a halt. For example a .223 round will normally penetrate halfway through a normal concrete block. The 7.62x39 will run though the block, destroying it in the process, and keep going. So it probably isn't the ideal round for home defense, especially in an urban environment. Accuracy is another thing to consider. The AK ain't a sniper rifle, but it will hit a man-size target out to 3-400 yards as long as you do your part.
There are a lot of accessories out there for the AK, but I think it's perfect as is. You just have to remember what it was designed for, and learn and practice the techniques for operating it. If you don't own one it's still a good idea to know how to work them. There are millions of them out there, and your chance of coming across one is very likely. If you're fighting with a pistol, and the opportunity to acquire an AK comes up, you need to be able to use it properly.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org
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