SSD sponsor and makers of the MAWL, BE Meyers & Co have announced a training partnership with Bill Blowers and his company, Tap-Rack Tactical.
BE Meyers & Co Announce Training Partnership With Bill Blowers And Tap-Rack Tactical
November 5th, 2016Gunfighter Moment – Mike Glover
November 5th, 2016
In Special Forces, nothing is given and everything is earned. Fresh on a team as an 18 Bravo (Special Forces Weapons Sergeant) and hungry to show how valuable I was to the detachment, I wanted to bring the tactical capabilities of my unit a step up. I had seen other 18B’s running pre-deployment range work ups for their teams, but their programs seemed so vanilla and rudimentary. “Ready up” drills and basic lateral shooting with some depth movement; essentially, comfort food drills.
But we were Special Forces. Why wouldn’t we go beyond what was taught in the regular Army?
I laid out a plan to my Team Sergeant. I could make our guys better tacticians as well as better shooters. Starting with marksmanship from static positions at fixed distances, we would progress into both linear and lateral movement, eventually incorporating weapons manipulation on the move and under stress before applying these skills in “real-world” settings.
Taking my team through that process, I got to see first hand, exactly how other pro-end users learn. I would build on that to continually refine my POI (Program of Instruction), through the rest of my career in the US Army but there was a bigger lesson ahead…
When we got in our first gunfight, there were a number of tactics we had trained for on the flat range that proved impractical in combat. Trying to assume a “correct” marksmanship position took a backseat to necessity when the shooting started. Quick and accurate fire came from shooting in natural positions, not fighting the body’s center of gravity and orienting plates to the threat. In real world direct action missions with simultaneous clears, we discovered coming in high gun meant the M4 could be used to push, pin or drive a threat out of a threshold, whereas in the shoot houses, high gun was frowned upon as something SEALs did.
In combat, that hubris went out the window. We were fighting with rifles inside of rooms, dealing with anywhere from zero to fifty people who we had to immediately identify as a shoot or no-shoot so if something didn’t work consistently or wasn’t repeatable under fire, it got dumped. Immediately. End of story. Successful repeated application of a technique in combat was and is the only thing that counts.
Today, the POI I teach is Fundamentals of Gunfighting vs. Fundamentals of Marksmanship. Marksmanship proved to be the easiest technical element of gunfighting, honed with proven isolation drills and repped out consistently for sustainment. However it is the application of marksmanship, combined with immediate target discrimination and maneuver, that pays the bills. Entering a relative unknown and being able to immediately solve problems is the true hard skill that requires consistent good reps under oversight to improve, and that is the point of all of this. Create a path for improvement as a team and individual – because improving to the point where we kill the enemy and they don’t kill us is the whole reason we train.
– Mike Glover
FieldCraft LLC
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Bravo Company USA. Bravo Company is home of the Gunfighters, and each week they bring us a different trainer to offer some words of wisdom.
You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up
November 5th, 2016
SSD Reader and friend JM sent us this photo from outside of a place I’ve had the pleasure to visit on several occasions.
Trop Gun Shop Presents 25 Guns Of Christmas
November 4th, 2016
During Trop Gun Shop’s “25 Guns of Christmas”, held from December 1st through the 25th they will give away one firearm per day. They first ran this contest in 2014 and it was a resounding succes, so each year they’ve made it bigger. This year, they’ll be giving away firearms from Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, FN, Legendary Arms Works, Lancer, 2A Armament, Masterpiece Arms and Savage.
To register, visit www.tropgun.com/25gunsofchristmas.
UF PRO – Monsoon Rain Shirt
November 4th, 2016Trzin, 4.11.2016 UF PRO introduced today a new addition to their Monsoon waterproof range- the new Monsoon Rain Shirt.
The lightweight, low bulk Monsoon Rain Shirt is specifically designed to be worn underneath the body armour, chest rig or other additional gear. It’s made out of a special laminate mix, which makes the jacket thin, breathable and
lightweight where it is covered with gear and very robust and extra durable wherever it is not.
Exposed areas, like shoulders, lower back and sleeves are made out of a robust and durable 3-layer laminate. The rest of the jacket is made out of an extremely lightweight and low bulk 2.5-layer laminate. Both laminates are based on a super breathable and reliably waterproof high-tech membrane. For better wear comfort and reduced risk of secondary fragments underneath the body armour, there are no pockets or zipper pullers in the torso area.
In order to avoid the formation of so called “thermal bridges“ between your skin and the outside air, the Monsoon Rain Shirt has built-in air/pac inserts in the shoulder area. These 8mm thick mesh inserts give you the necessary insulation between your skin and the outside temperature and thus prevent cold air to transfer from the outside to your skin. Due to their 3D foamy structure, the air/pac inserts also distribute the weight of plate carriers or backpacks.
For an unhindered vision and an uncompromised hearing, the jacket has a special integrated hood system called the Hood/Harness. The harness comfortably connects your head to the hood and thus flawlessly follows your head movements, allowing you unhindered vision in extreme weather conditions.
And since there is no strapping needed, the space between your head and the laminate is kept, which keeps the air circulation and doesn’t limit your hearing.
The Monsoon Rain Shirt is available in Brown Grey and in PenCott GreenZone.
Find out more about it here: ufpro.si/uf_pro_products/jackets/94/uf_pro_monsoon_rain_shirt
Nordic Combat Uniform System
November 4th, 2016The Nordic Combat Uniform system (NCU) is a cooperation among Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden with the goal of procuring a combat uniform system with accessories. It is intended as an all service (army, navy, air force, home guard and special forces) combat uniform system for male and female soldiers. It is an inner to outer combat uniform system (from head to toe), which is functional in worldwide operations.
The concept is to come up with a multi-layer combat uniform system which is functional in arctic, tropical and arid environments. While a common Nordic camouflage pattern has been looked at, it is not a component of NCU at this time. Consequently, any NCU components will be procured by the various countries in their national patterns.
NCU should provide:
– Improved combat endurance for the Soldier
– Improved protection from environmental and other indirect threats
– Improved modularity and flexibility
– Reduced overall weight and volume over legacy systems
NCU will replace:
– Light and heavy field uniform in Woodland/MultiCam patterns
– Light arod and tropical uniforms
– Shell garments in Woodland/MultiCam and Arid patterns
– Insulation jacket/trousers
– Under Armor (Combat) Shirt in Woodland and Arid patterns
– Winter Camouflage uniform (overwhites)
– Base and Mid layer clothing
NCU will also determine whether hand and footwear should be rolled into the program.
Although the initial concept goes back to 2011, the program is currently underway with selection of candidiate items coming soon along with Developmental and Operational Testing. The program hopes to begin fielding by 2019.
To keep tabs on the program, visit www.nordefco.org/ncu.
Sneak Peek – Kraken Suppressor from CGS Group
November 4th, 2016
This is the upcoming Kraken suppressor from CGS Group. This .45 ACP silencer has an easy-to-remove shielded baffle stack made from 17-4PH Stainless Steel.
Vickers Guide AR-15 Volume 1
November 4th, 2016Last year’s Vickers Guide 1911 was such a great success that author Larry Vickers and Photographer James Rupley have followed it up with the AR-15 Volume 1. It combines high resolution color photography with accompanying historical commentary by Larry Vickers, Reed Knight, and other subject matter experts.
Richly illustrated, this volume will give you access to rare, collectible guns that have never been seen publicly before. Take for example, the Armalite AR-15 Serial Number 000001 seen on the cover.
This first Volume covers the AR-15 predecessors (AR-10 and earlier); features the first AR-15s ever produced (the first Armalite prototype; Armalite Serial Numbers 000001, 000002, 000003, 000004; Colt’s pre-production prototype Serial Number 000000; Colt’s first production Model 601 Serial Number 000100) and continues on through Vietnam, Panama and Somalia.
Author Larry Vickers had this to say,
Myself and my co-author James Rupley are very pleased on how well received the VickersGuide 1911 book was from our customers. However we felt that we could tweak the formula and approach just a bit to optimize the VickersGuide AR-15 volume one and two.
We are very excited with the result and I feel the AR-15 books will serve as a template for any future editions that we do. The rare AR style weapons in the first volume are sure to please any firearms enthusiast regardless if you own one AR-15 or one hundred.
They’ve just opened pre-ordering today, of Vickers Guide AR-15 Volume 1, with delivery just in time for the Black Rifle’s 60th Anniversary.
Although it’s the same price, size and general format as the 1911 book, they are offering Standard, Signature and Limited Edition versions. The Limited Edition is limited to 250 Books and includes a personalized message from LAV. Each book is numbered x of 250, with a limited edition book slipcase, and a signed and numbered print of Armalite AR-15 Serial Number 000001. 1911 Limited Edition Book customers will be able to have the same book number as long as they order before December 1.
Here’s a basic description of this book.
Born in 1957 in a small workshop in Hollywood, California and rushed into service for testing and assessment during war in Vietnam, the AR-15 has proven to be the most adaptable and longest lasting of all standard U.S. service rifles. Still in use today in the U.S. and around the world in the form of the M16, M4 and other variants, the AR-15 has defied attempts to replace it.
In this first volume of Vickers Guide: AR-15, Larry Vickers – renown special operations combat veteran, firearms instructor and small arms expert – revisits the earliest days of the AR-15, providing details of the rifles that influenced it as well as highlighting the features which were without precedent. Due to the longevity of the AR-15, many features and details of the earliest rifles have been lost to today’s enthusiasts, and it is therefore with great pride that we re-introduce these rifles and their beauty in form and function.
Featuring over 70 rifles, Vickers Guide: AR-15 (Volume 1) gives the reader a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into some of the rarest and most historically unique rifles in the AR family. Through visits to private collections, Colt’s Manufacturing Company and the Institute of Military Technology at Knight’s Armament, Vickers Guide is able to present firearms that have simply never been available for view by the general public. Additionally, expert insight by C. Reed Knight, Jr., art by acclaimed military painter James Dietz, and replica builds with historical commentary by subject matter specialists make this Vickers Guide sequel a must-have for any serious firearms enthusiast.
Vickers Guide: AR-15 presents this highly curated collection of firearms in the AR family in never before seen detail on larger than life, wide format, full color prints in a linen covered hardback. Vickers Guide: AR-15 is the next best thing to having these exceptional collector’s grade rifles in your own personal collection.
Their access is amazing. I’m told Vickers did some value estimations of the rifles featured in the book, and the conservative estimates came out to a combined value of around $1.75 million.
Take a gander at this video preview of the book’s content.
If all this wasnt enough, their work isn’t finished. Volume 2 will release in Spring 2017 and continues the story of the AR-15 through to current day.
Order yours before they’re gone. I procrastinated in getting a 1911 Vickers Guide and almost missed out.
