Month: May 2013

Observations:

• Surprise, Surprise. It’s a parking lot ambush!
• Notice how at 0:20 the bad guys are initially casing the intended victim.
  • That slow stuttering roll is often the “body language” of a driver with ill intentions.
• Notice how the intended victim’s car was parked really close to the wall.
  • The position in which he was entering his car allowed for the wall and the car to obstruct his vision and helped the bad guy get the initial drop on him.
  • You may want to consider parking your car with the hood pointed outward toward the street by backing your car into the parking space.
    • This puts the driver’s side in a position in which there is much less blocking his view of things.
    • This also allows makes it easier for you to immediately drive away in an emergency.
• The good guy kept his cool, committed to the counter attack and won!

Arsenal Stops Production of SLR-106 Rifles

This was bound to happen.

For those of you who don’t know what an SLR-106 is, it is basically an AK-47 pattern rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm (what the majority of AR-15s use). The VAST majority of AKs in the United States are chambered in 7.62x39mm.

I’ve always considered the AK47 in 5.56 a dead end platform for a few reasons.

Magazines are proprietary and often expensive and just hard to find

This was a huge deal-breaker for me. Just about every 5.56mm AK out there had its own particular magazine.

• Arsenal 5.56mm used these polymer magazines with a yellowish-clear tint
• Norincos in 5.56mm had their own proprietary steel magazines
• VEPRs used AK74 magazines with dremeled feedlips and a new follower.
• Romanian SAR-3s had their own magazines.

See what I mean?

What is the point of owning a 5.56mm rifle if it doesn’t use the ubiquitous Magpul PMAGs?

No noticeable weight reduction even with a cartridge swap

For what you give up in cover penetration when switching from 7.62x39mm to 5.56x45mm, you may as well get the weight reduction that comes with an AR-15.

Parts are not 100% compatible with the AK-47 or the AK-74 pattern rifles.

Even AKs run the risk of parts breakage. That is a fact of life for anything manmade.

I’m not broken up at all about Arsenal Inc. stopping production on this rifle simply because there are much better guns than the SLR-106 out there.

Keep It Running

Click on the link above to read a great PDF article on keeping your AR-15  lubricated and running.

I like the MEAL acronym a lot

• Magazines
  • A lot of rifle stoppages are caused by bad magazines
  • Prior to the Magpul PMAG hitting the scene, most of the AR15 magazines available were military surplus STANAG Aluminum magazines made by a wide variety of contractors. The quality varied widely.
  • When I worked at a gun shop, I often told customers to save themselves the drama that came from trying to pick out a good alumnium AR-15 magazine and just get the Magpul PMAGs.English: Colt AR-15 A3 Tactical Carbine. Used by counter-terrorist (CT) forces in Counter-Strike (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
• Extractor
  • Extractors can get worn out.
  • Keep the chamber area clean!
• Ammo
  • Quality ammunition makes a big difference.
• Lubrication
  • Be sure to read your owner’s manual and lubricate on all points where it is needed.
  • Understand the difference between oil and grease.

The same principles can be applied to an AK47, M14, or other rifles as well.

In light of the recently highlighted tragedies in which children were killed because a gun was left unsecured by its owner, we need to go over some basics of storing guns securely to the absolute best of our abilities.

Basic Safety Reminder

RULE ZERO: Treat the gun like it is LOADED and assume the gun is loaded until proven otherwise.

A Sentry Safe (model unknown), class 350-2R. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Storing Handguns

• If the handgun is not used for immediate home defense, then it should be unloaded and in a safe
• If the handgun is used for immediate home defense, then it should be carried in a holster on your person or in a quick access safe.
• If you have kids, DO NOT try to hide the gun. They will find it.
  • Teach them about gun safety.
  • “Abstinence only” education on guns is just stupid.

Storing Rifles and Long Guns

• If the rifle is not used for immediate defense, then it should be unloaded and stored.
• If the rifle is used for immediate home defense, it should be readily accessible or in a dedicated safe for quick access in an emergency situation.
  • DO NOT STORE LOADED GUNS ALONGSIDE UNLOADED GUNS.

“But I don’t have enough money or space for a safe!”

That is a poor excuse for not securing your guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.It is your responsibility to store a gun securely. Even in states where you will not be held criminally or civilly liable for not storing your guns correctly, the public opprobrium of being an irresponsible gun owner never goes away in the internet age.

Inexpensive safes like this one are available here.

If you are poor or simply cannot spare any space, then your options are improvised safe storage techniques. THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE for using a gun vault or safe.

1. Remove the magazine or (unload the cylinder) of the firearm you intend to secure
2. Double check the action to make sure that it is unloaded.
3. Keep the action open
   • You can also remove and store the bolt or slide of the gun somewhere else and then continue to step 4
4. Run a python cable lock through the action of the gun(s)
5. Lock the python cable lock onto something really heavy.

Ammo Storage

I like the Plano Field Boxes a lot since they are not bulky and relatively inexpensive. They also have two holes on them that allow you to run a thin python cable lock through them to secure them from unauthorized access.

This is one of my favorite dry fire practice tools for a number of reasons. Here is why you can have fun with the LaserLyte Reaction Tyme Target

• If you are just beginning with concealed carry, you can safely practice drawing from concealment.
• You can also gradually speed yourself up in drawing from concealment.
• You can set it up anywhere.
• You can get creative with the defensive drills.
• You can practice drawing your firearm from concealment under time-induced stress.
• You can incorporate it into a crossfit like fitness routine that involves the SIRT Laser Training Pistol
  • FitShot is a good example of a gun-based fitness routine.

Downsides

• You cannot adjust the timing of the beeps
• It only works with a red laser.

When you are working at a gun shop , there are a few things you should do to improve the customer‘s experience (and make more sales). I learned these through trial and error while working at NOVA Firearms in Falls Church, VA.

1. DON’T BE A GROUCH!
   • I cannot stand going into a gun store with a clerk who treats customers like they are idiots because they are total newbies or they don’t know the lineage of some 1918 Browning vest pistol with silver engraving.
   • Smile at and greet everyone who comes into the store WITHOUT FAIL.
   • If the store is busy, just say “We’ll be right with you.”
2. Phone Skills
   • Politely greet the customer
   • If you are dealing with someone who want to just compulsively check prices, just ask them to come into the store as we are really busy.
3. Know your material.
   • Know the differences between common pistol and rifle cartridges.
   • Know how hollowpoint bullets work
   • Know how the AR-15 gas system works
   • Know how the AK-47 gas system works
   • Know the differences between a DA/SA Pistol, a single-action pistol, a double-action only pistol, and a striker-fired pistol.
   • Be able to explain why you carry your gun a particular way
     • If you are going to carry your gun in a Sonny Crockett style shoulder rig, be sure the damn thing is anchored to your belt and not just draped over your shoulders.
     • Better yet, ditch the shoulder rig.
4. Sell what you like
   • Ask the customer what they are buying the gun for.
     • Most will say for personal security.
     • Ask if it will be for home defense or concealed carry.
   • When making a recommendation, be forthright and bold in what you recommend because it is what you would use to defend yourself.
   • If you are trying to talk up something that you wouldn’t carry for yourself, then it will show through to the customer.
5. Knock off the Walter Mitty BS.
   • Don’t spout junk about the sound of a shotgun racking scaring the bad guy off or “they all fall to .45 hardball”.
   • It turns off new customers and makes you look like an idiot
   • DO NOT LIE about military service.
6. DON’T SMELL LIKE S**T!
   • Wear a good quality cologne, especially if you are a smoker
   • Wear a clean shirt.
   • Be clean-shaven or have a well groomed beard.
   • Chew any sort of gum.
     • I like Dentyne Fire and Dentyne Ice.
7. You are not a lawyer and do not play one on TV
   • Advise customers to check their state’s self-defense laws.
   • Rule of thumb is that lethal force may be merited if you are in a situation in which you are in fear of being murdered or raped.
8. It is not about making the sale.
   • The moment all that you think about is “making the sale” or “pushing” a gun is when sales will be much harder to make.
   • The guns will sell themselves, your job is to guide the customer to the right gun.
   • Your goal is to determine what is right for the customer, here is how to do it.
     1. Ask if the gun is for home defense or concealed carry.
        • If it is for home defense, show a semiautomatic rifle or a full size polymer framed modern striker-fired pistol (Glock/Springfield/S&W M&P)
          • The problem with home defense shotguns, is that significant others often find shotguns uncomfortable to shoot.
        • If it is for concealed carry, ask how they plan on carrying it and then make your recommendations for carrying it.
        • If the method of carry they propose is something really stupid, then be able to politely articulate “you might want to consider this way instead”.
9. If the customer doesn’t have all the IDs needed…
   • If a customer gets grouchy over not having the right IDs on hand, you need to politely emphasize that you do not make the rules, the state/feds make the rules.
   • Offer to have the customer put the gun on account, they pay now, then come back with their IDs to fill out the paperwork.
10. Dealing with a prohibited person
    • During the course of conversation with a customer, the customer mentions something about going to jail, smacking his girlfriend around, or getting arrested for dope or  smoking weed, then you need to immediately and politely state “I’m sorry sir, because of what you just told me, I’m not allowed to sell you a gun or ammo and it would be best if you leave.”

Knowing how to fight without a gun is just as important as knowing how to fight with a gun.

The easiest way to get started is the Jim Grover’s Combatives Series DVD and then find a gym that is not afraid to have students wail on each other. 

Get it for yourself and learn it.

Practice Ammunition

When you are selecting FMJ ammunition for your range time, make sure that the bullet weight matches that of your defensive ammunition.

• 9mm
  • Example: Use 115 grain FMJ for practice and 115 grain Hornady Critical Defense for carry and defensive use
• .40 S&W
  • You should use 165 grain FMJ with 165 grain defensive loads or 180 grain FMJ with 180 grain hollowpoints.
• .45 ACP
  • Use 230 grain FMJ with 230 grain hollowpoints.

Defensive Ammunition

• Don’t be a cheapskate when it comes to defensive ammunition.
  • Hornady Critical Defense works well and has a rubber core that prevents the hollowpoint from getting clogged prior to expansion
  • CORBON DPX is excellent as well
  • Federal Premium Hydrashocks are good as well