Gunfighter Moment | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for the ‘Gunfighter Moment’ Category

Gunfighter Moment – Larry Vickers

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

When it comes to small arms my attitude is ‘never be afraid to try new things’. You need to keep an open mind and look at the possibilities of how a particular small arm or accessory might be employed. The features of a particular design may have no merit in 99% of the situations it would be used but in 1% it is without peer. There are many instances where keeping an open mind or thinking out of the box has resulted in game changing capabilities that we now take for granted. Night sights on pistols, red dot sights in general and the assault rifle concept are just a few that immediately come to mind. In my experience being close minded in the small arms arena has overwhelmingly been a negative, not a positive, approach to modern weapons and weaponcraft.

-Larry Vickers
Vickers Tactical Inc.
Host of TacTV

Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical in a retired US Army 1st SFOD-Delta combat veteran with years of experience in the firearms industry as a combat marksmanship instructor and industry consultant. In recent years he has hosted tactical firearms related TV shows on the Sportsman Channel with the latest being TacTV of which Bravo Company is a presenting sponsor.Larry Vickers special operations background is one of the most unique in the industry today; he has been directly or indirectly involved in the some of the most significant special operations missions of the last quarter century. During Operation Just Cause he participated in Operation Acid Gambit – the rescue of Kurt Muse from Modelo Prison in Panama City, Panama. As a tactics and marksmanship instructor on active duty he helped train special operations personnel that later captured Saddam Hussein and eliminated his sons Uday and Qusay Hussein. In addition he was directly involved in the design and development of the HK416 for Tier One SOF use which was used by Naval Special Warfare personnel to kill Osama Bin Laden. Larry Vickers has developed various small arms accessories with the most notable being his signature sling manufactured by Blue Force Gear and Glock accessories made by Tangodown. In addition he has maintained strong relationships with premium companies within the tactical firearms industry such as BCM, Aimpoint, Black Hills Ammunition, Wilson Combat and Schmidt & Bender.

Larry Vickers travels the country conducting combat marksmanship classes for law abiding civilians, law enforcement and military and has partnered with Alias Training to coordinate classes to best meet the needs of the students attending the class.

Tags: Alias Security and Training Services, Larry Vickers, LAV, Vickers Tactical
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 1 Comment »

Gunfighter Moment – Frank Proctor

Saturday, April 5th, 2014

The Curse of the “Double Tap”I train Performance Shooting and I define it as: Applying the correct ratio of speed and accuracy to dynamic shooting situations with a goal of scoring maximum points in minimum time, with 100% accountability.

The way I define it this style of shooting applies to any discipline of shooting from tactical/defensive shooting to competitive shooting.

My first exposure to action type shooting was as a tactical shooter, after completing the Special Forces Qualification Course I attended SFAUC (Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course); basically shooting and CQB.

I had a passion for it and it was part of my job so I spent a good deal of time becoming as good a tactical shooter as I could be. I eventually took over as the Primary Instructor for Combat Marksmanship for an entire Special Forces Group. At this point I considered myself a pretty good shooter, humble but competent.

I decided to go shoot a USPSA match and promptly discovered what I didn’t know about shooting. I recall one event in particular that will drive me into the meat of this article. The classifier for that match was the El Presidente: three targets 10 yards away, turn and shoot 2 rounds per target reload then 2 more rounds per target.

When I shot it was something like bang bang *pause* bang bang *pause* bang bang reload then the same. An experienced competitive shooter shot it next and it went like this: ‘bang bang bang bang bang bang’ reload and then the same. I couldn’t understand what just happened and even accused the guy of just shooting AT the targets and not seeing anything. He assured me that he saw everything and his points reflected as much. I had to figure out what this was all about!

So I shot 2 shots per target on that multiple target array the same way nearly every tactical shooter I have encountered will shoot it. Target plus gun equals double tap, big pause moving to the next target then double tap etc.

Let’s dig into the curse of the double tap and how it causes failure for most shooters.

Regardless of other things I’ve read and even once believed when a shooter shoots a “double tap” they are seeing something for an aiming reference and running the trigger 2 times as fast as they can make it go. In that case the shooter is absolutely HOPING that their trigger speed and control over the gun will keep both rounds on the target. Most times it doesn’t. There’s a problem with trigger speed and trigger pressure for pistols.

When we run triggers fast some movement is going to come into the gun. Most pistol shooters put way too much pressure into running the trigger. Many times that first shot gets pushed low and to the support hand side, then since the shooter is firing the gun at a cyclic rate the gun fires again, and if the shooters doesn’t have good control over recoil the gun is not on the target when it fires again. The shooter that was hoping to win by running triggers fast ends up loosing hard core. Fast trigger speed doesn’t always equate to fast scoring speed.

Scoring speed is where it’s at and that’s what I train, how to score more points in less time. Some things I have found to be crucial are seeing and efficiency. Opening up to what is possible for you as the shooter – how fast we can easily process lots of information – allows us to be much more efficient and therefore faster and more accurate. There’s another problem that pops up for tactical shooters: “if you are shooting 2 rounds you see 3 sight pictures”.

The additional sight picture is taught as being all about follow though and for the tactical shooter ensuring the threat is eliminated. I believe once we get wrapped around how incredibly fast we can process information we can accomplish all of those task quicker and get on to the next piece of work.

A multiple target set up like what I use in the Time Machine exercise is a great tool to get us plugged into scoring speed and not focus on trigger speed. I believe that we need to plug into the gun and let it tell us how fast to shoot. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I think you’ll discover that scoring speed is what matters and break the curse of the double tap!

-Frank Proctor

Frank Proctor has served over 18 years in the military, the last 11 of those in US Army Special Forces. During his multiple combat tours in Afghanistan & Iraq he had the privilege to serve with and learn from many seasoned veteran Special Forces Operators so their combined years of knowledge and experience has helped him to become a better operator & instructor. While serving as an instructor at the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course he was drawn to competitive shooting. He has since earned the USPSA Grand Master ranking in the Limited Division and Master ranking in the IDPA Stock Service Pistol division. He learned a great deal from shooting in competition and this has helped him to become to become a better tactical shooter. Frank is one of the few individuals able to bring the experiences of U.S. Army Special Forces, Competitive Shooting, and veteran Instructor to every class.

All this experience combines to make Frank Proctor a well-rounded shooter and instructor capable of helping you to achieve your goal of becoming a better shooter.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Security and Training Services, Frank Proctor, Way of the Gun
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 12 Comments »

Gunfighter Moment – Mike Pannone

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

First and second focal plane and misdeeds in the punchbowl!

I hope you already got a cup because I might be pissing in your punchbowl.

Front focal plane/first focal plane (from now on referred to as FFP) refers to the reticle being in front of the magnification on a variable power optic. This means as the power of magnification is increased, the reticle size increases proportionately. This is extremely advantageous on higher variable power optics with maximum magnification 10X or greater. The benefit is that the reticle retains its true calibration regardless of magnification. This allows the shooter to use the optimal magnification setting for range estimation and holds given the circumstance and have a true MOA/mRad scale.

Rear focal plane/second focal plane (from now on referred to as RFP) refers to the reticle being behind the magnification on a variable power optic and that means as the power of magnification is increased the reticle size remains constant. The reticle is only truly calibrated at the maximum magnification. This is advantageous specifically on low power optics (those starting between 1-1.5X variable to 4-8X) because the reticle is much more clearly visible at the minimum magnification and ranging is overwhelmingly (in my case always) done at the max magnification.

At 1X with an FFP optic, the reticle is very small and in low light very difficult to see so you NEED an illuminated reticle or dot. If the illumination fails for some reason you are bound to mount the rifle and really need to see some aiming reference (think short range engagement) and barely be able to see anything in the tube. Even in broad daylight an FFP reticle at 1x is hard to use rapidly due to the size of the reticle at the lowest magnification setting and the calibration is really meaningless in the midrange powers (1-4) as the hash marks are hard to see at those powers. Let’s use for instance a 1-8X variable power FFP scope. It is designed for the reticle size to be optimized at 8X. That means at 1X it is 1/8th the optimal size.

For the reasons stated above, I am not a fan right now of FFP on low power optics (last few sentences will explain so read on please!). Low power optics, again those starting between 1-1.5X and variable to 4-8X are better suited in RFP so the reticle is consistent and optimally sized at the lowest to highest magnification setting in case the dot/battery fails. I take that position from experience with both military and sport application in day and low-light/night use. Also, you are not going to range someone/something at anything under 200m with any setting but full power when you only have 4-8X considering the guns (5.56 and.308) shoot as flat as they do. With a 50, 100 or 200m zero your max point blank range, the distance where the bullet does not go above or below your height over bore for most AR based military carbine and sport carbine applications, you can hold center on an 8” target (plate or cranium) and get an effective hit out to 250 in 5.56 with standard sight height and 50 or 200m zero and out to 200m with a 100m zero (with non-SBR barrel lengths and based on a 16” gun with 55 grain M193). You can estimate close enough at fewer than 200m for a minor hold as not to need an FFP in my professional and operational experience. It is also more expensive and less functional for a combat or sport optic and is outperformed by the larger and optimized SFP reticle size with or without illumination. It is a capability without a requirement for low power optics. I see the benefit as negligible and the down-side distinct based on the profile of application of a low power variable magnification optic for combative and sport use.

Caveat- If you want an FFP low power optic then it needs illumination with extreme battery life/durability like an Aimpoint … and if Aimpoint can do it than the others can as well. I’d sign on to that but until then I’ll remain an advocate of rear focal plane variable power combat/sport optics in the 1-1.5X to 4-8X range of magnification. They dramatically increase the reach of any rifle yet still afford the close range speed and reliability of a reticle that is scale optimized and usable even without magnification.

– Mike Pannone

Mike Pannone retired from the Army’s premier assault force (1st SFOD-D) after an explosive breaching injury. A year after his retirement America was attacked on 9/11 and he returned to help serve his country as the head marksmanship instructor at the Federal Air Marshals training course and then moved to help stand up the FAMS Seattle field office. In 2003 he left the FAMS to serve as a PSD detail member and then a detail leader for the State Department during 2003 and 2004 in Baghdad and Tikrit.

In 2005 he served as a ground combat advisor of the Joint Counter IED Task Force and participated on combat operations with various units in Al Anbar province. Upon returning he gave IED awareness briefings to departing units and helped stand up a pre-Iraq surge rifle course with the Asymmetric Warfare Group as a lead instructor. With that experience as well as a career of special operations service in Marine Reconnaissance, Army Special Forces and JSOC to draw from he moved to the private sector teaching planning, leadership, marksmanship and tactics as well as authoring and co-authoring several books such as The M4 Handbook, AK Handbook and Tactical Pistol shooting. Mike also consults for several major rifle and accessory manufacturers to help them field the best possible equipment to the warfighter, law enforcement officer and upstanding civilian end user. He is considered a subject matter expert on the AR based Stoner platform in all its derivatives.

www.ctt-solutions.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, CTT Solutions, Mike Pannone
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 4 Comments »

Gunfighter Moment – Larry Vickers

Saturday, March 22nd, 2014

Always remember that keeping your finger off the trigger until you have made the conscious decision to engage the target is the most critical of all firearm safety rules. It is the foundation all the rest are built upon, as well as being the key factor in real world use of small arms, everyday. The reality is, rarely do small arms discharge for reasons other than someone pulling the trigger. Always keep that in mind when handling any firearm, and look to correct any shortcomings with those who do not abide by this golden rule of firearms safety

-Larry Vickers
Vickers Tactical Inc.
Host of TacTV

www.VickersTactical.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Security and Training Services, Larry Vickers, LAV, Vickers Tactical
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | Comments Off on Gunfighter Moment – Larry Vickers

Gunfighter Moment – Pat McNamara

Saturday, March 15th, 2014

Preparedness not Paranoia

My in and around car for day to day use is pretty non-descript. I’ve got no flashy in plain view inside worth stealing and “Kill ‘Em All” stickers plastered on the outside.

The items in my trunk are for when “Shit’s Gone South”. It would have to be a really bad day if I’ve got to deploy and employ my items, but I’d rather have and not need than to need and not have. If an active shooter is reaping havoc in a venue where my kids are, and if my local guys are not on the scene, I am going into that crisis site like a scalded ape.

The big dumb reflective vest is to separate me from the shit head in the venue. The rifle’s sight has cross hairs as well as bats (in the event the bats shit the bed). The battle bag has eight loaded mags. Inside of the battle bag I’ve got water, eyes, ears and lube. In the Day and a half bag I’ve got more “Shoot, Move, Communicate and Medicate.” I’ve got also, grease pencils, multi tool, chem lights, reading glasses (that’s right), lighter, 550 cord, and a few other nick knacks.

Patrick McNamara
SGM, US Army (Ret)

Patrick McNamara spent twenty-two years in the United States Army in a myriad of special operations units. When he worked in the premier Special Missions Unit, he became an impeccable marksman, shooting with accurate, lethal results and tactical effectiveness. McNamara has trained tactical applications of shooting to people of all levels of marksmanship, from varsity level soldiers, and police officers who work the streets to civilians with little to no time behind the trigger.

His military experience quickly taught him that there is more to tactical marksmanship than merely squeezing the trigger. Utilizing his years of experience, McNamara developed a training methodology that is safe, effective and combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process. This methodology teaches how to maintain safety at all times and choose targets that force accountability, as well as provides courses covering several categories, including individual, collective, on line and standards.

While serving as his Unit’s Marksmanship NCO, he developed his own marksmanship club with NRA, CMP, and USPSA affiliations. Mac ran monthly IPSC matches and ran semi annual military marksmanship championships to encourage marksmanship fundamentals and competitiveness throughout the Army.

He retired from the Army’s premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting).

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, Pat McNamara, TMACS Inc
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 21 Comments »

Gunfighter Moment – Kyle Defoor

Saturday, March 8th, 2014

The Long Run

“A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.”
– Steve Prefontaine

Long is of course up to everyone’s interpretation, but for the most part here’s a good way to train for any running event longer than 800 m. I use this formula when I am preparing for ultramarathon of 50 miles, a unit’s PRT test of 1.5 or 3 miles, or a local 5K.

Some terms to familiarize yourself with;

Casual pace- typically two to three minutes per mile slower than your race pace. For example if the fastest mile you can run is a six minute mile your casual pace is around an eight minute 30 sec or nine minute per mile pace.

Race pace- just what it sounds like. As fast as your two little legs can pump for the distance that you going. That last part is important. My race pace for a 1 mile PRT is not the same for three-mile PRT.

Threshold pace- typically a pace that is one minute to two minutes per mile slower than your race pace.

Saturday and Sunday- this is perhaps one of the more important combo training days when running. For the ultra marathoners, this is the key to the kingdom. Saturday and Sunday are back-to-back long days. For the 5K and PRT people these are still back-to-back long days with less mileage. Ultra marathoners should be running for a minimum of two hours each day initially, toward a closer time to race date ultra marathoners should be running somewhere around four hours each day not to exceed 18 miles each day. I’ve never seen any benefit to doing a run longer than 18 miles when preparing for an ultra. The only exception is if you’ve never done an ultra before you need to get a 25 or 30 miler in four months or so before the race. For 5K and PRT folks, Saturdays and Sundays should be a minimum of a one hour run initially each day, and runs no longer than two hours each day not to exceed twice the race distance ( i’m putting this in here for some of the units and organizations to do a 10 mile time to run for their PRT. ) The pace for PRT and 5K folks is a casual pace. The pace for ultramarathon at the fastest is a casual pace, but realistically is somewhere around a 9:30 to 10:30 min pace.

Monday- off (remember that somewhere around 50% of all physical activities gains are from recovery. This is true for lifting weights, running, cycling, anything. This is difficult for runners to adhere to who are training especially after they begin to get runners high.)

Tues- 5K and PRT guys threshold pace for one hour. Ultra marathoners, casual pace for two hours.

Wed- 5K and PRT guys 1 mile repeat sprints at race pace. It will depend on how many of these you can do as to the total work out. For a 5K I will typically work up to doing four or five 1 mile repeats with the amount of rest in between the runs the time that I ran that 1 mile in. I have found way more success in PRT and 5K races using this formula for my “sprint” day as opposed to the typical 800 m, 400 m, 200 m, ethos of old. Ultra marathoners- two hour run at a casual pace preferably doing hill work if possible. I have never found hill work to be a necessary part of of an ultramarathon even when I ran ultra’s in the mountains like the iron Mountain 50. However, with that being said keep in mind that without hell work you will never keep up with the guys from out West.

Thu- 5K and PRT guys one hour casual pace then one hour at threshold pace. Depending on the distance you’re running, this could be 30 minutes and 30 minutes or 45 minutes and 45 minutes, etc. Ultra marathoners three hours at a casual pace.

Fri- off

Throughout the schedule ultramarathoner’s need to constantly be running with full kit (full water bottles, all gus, and salt tablets), and also experiment with wet socks, different carry methods, different clothing, body glide, sunglasses, hats, etc. Shoe choice can also be fine tuned during this. PRT and 5K guys should be occasionally training in a racing flat that they will run in on the day.

V/R,

Kyle Defoor

“Trainer of Feeders”

Kyle Defoor is one of the world’s most committed and passionate shooting instructors. Literally growing up with a gun in hand he took his talents into the military where he was combat decorated as a SEAL assaulter and sniper. Kyle helped to create and define modern training while along the way personally teaching thousands of military personal and civilians from around the globe. His shooting prowess led to appearances on multiple TV shows including Shooting Gallery, Tactical Arms, and Tactical Impact, and guest appearances on History Channel. Kyle’s outdoor athletic lifestyle includes shooting, ultra running, stand-up paddle surfing and climbing. He now serves as the brand ambassador for Mission Ready Equipment and runs his own company which offers tactical training, wilderness navigation, TV and film consulting, and motivational speaking.

www.kyledefoor.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, Kyle Defoor
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 2 Comments »

Gunfighter Moment – Pat McNamara

Saturday, March 1st, 2014

Members of Law Enforcement and the military have a job to protect and serve others. At times, they need to think about themselves and their team mates as well. Combat effectiveness is not limited to gun skills. Being physically fit is non-negotiable in the tactical arena. We are all built differently and have accrued miles of varying numbers. Some of us have been broken and repaired, battered and bruised through an abusive work style or ageism. Some LEOs work horrible shifts and can’t muster the motivation to better themselves physically. If you are strapping forty pounds of lightweight shit onto an already gelatinous mess of cottage cheese, you are not only less effective in the field but are a detriment and a liability to your teammates and to those who you need to protect. Make a functional PT program part of your normal. Much can be achieved in thirty minutes daily to ensure you can leap a five foot wall in full kit, run 400 meters and body slam a douche nugget fleeing from a crime scene.

Patrick McNamara
SGM, US Army (Ret)

He retired from the Army’s premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. (Tactical Application of Practical Shooting).

tmacsinc.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, Pat McNamara, TMACS Inc
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 12 Comments »

Gunfighter Moment – Mike Pannone

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

Covert Carry Mindset

I carry nearly every day and I make it a point not to rely on that pistol in a way that would cause me to go places I wouldn’t go if unarmed.

From the very introduction to my Covert Carry Class, I stress as a mindset for a civilian CCW carrier the following three escalation steps:

Avoid – bad places or people whenever possible (do you really need that snack at the circle-K at 2330 in a sketchy part of town?)
Evade – bad situations and people once identified (there’s no law that states you must stay in a place you don’t feel safe or if someone feels the need to lose their temper on the road just drive away.)
Defend – when the first two courses of action are no longer viable and you are in fear for your life or the lives of others.

*Be mindful not to get yourself into avoidable situations with a gun that you can’t get out of without a gun.*

You’re conduct day to day should reflect an aware and cautious professional. Being genuinely talented with a firearm and having good situational awareness are crucial to your own safety but not a guarantee. The better you are, the more confident you become, and the more likely you are to go to riskier places, because you’ve got “good situational awareness and a pistol.” Every skill should be used to benefit you. Live a confident life as a responsible and self-reliant citizen. One cautionary note; don’t let that confidence overextend your posture so much so that you can’t respond effectively or successfully, if something does go wrong or catches you off-guard.

Don’t go places or take chances that you wouldn’t without a gun just because you have one. You may very well be smart and fast and aware and talented, but it’s just you and maybe a friend or your family, not a 6 man assault team. Any mistakes can make for a really bad day for everyone, so judgment is king.

Be smart before you have to be hard. Trust me, it makes the “being hard” part a lot easier!

– Mike Pannone

www.ctt-solutions.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Tags: Alias Training and Security Services, CTT Solutions, Mike Pannone
Posted in Gunfighter Moment | 11 Comments »