Combat Studies Group

   Whilst surfing the web yesterday I came across a couple videos of some guys showing off a few Krav Maga weapon "disarm" moves....all well and good....except, the "instructor" in each segment would go to great lengths to teach a faulty, and completely backwards mindset.    In one video, which dealt with the ubiquitous "guy sticks a gun in your face" scenario, he instructs you to first and foremost comply with the attackers demands....go ahead and give him your wallet, watch, jewelry, car, etc....."because once he has what he wants he will probably leave you alone (followed by the obligatory) and none of that stuff is worth your life." After screaming vulgarities at my unresponsive computer screen, I decided to address this in a more useful manner. To wit: 1) Giving an attacker what he wants only empowers him further....it's the way a criminal mind works, read up on the FBI's own crime data reports. 2) You have taken the positio...

"Always place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark"   -- Robert Heinlein   A lesson every soldier learns a few days into his first combat deployment.....

"Lethality comes in threes, you need to accurately hit your target. The "center of mass" hold for pistol shooters is fine for a high probability of lethal effects, but it is almost a guarantee that a center mass hit will not "stop" an attacker. To stop an attacker you have to get a central nervous system shot, brain or spinal column, to get a guaranteed stop." AmMerc has a good piece on ballistics.... HERE I could not have said it any better...

"A tourist is beaten in Baltimore. Young people surround him and laugh. He's pummeled, stripped and robbed. No one helps. They're too busy taping it on their smartphones. That's how we heard their laughter. The video is on YouTube along with the latest McDonalds beat-down and the latest store surveillance tapes of flash mobs. Groups of teenagers swarm into stores, rob everything they can, and run out. The phenomenon is on the rise across the country. Police now have a nickname for it: "flash robs."                                              ______________________________   This may seem a bit off topic, but I believe it speaks to the broader issues all of us, that desire to continue drawing breath in an unencumbered fashion, need to stay cognizant of. You could say it falls under the subject of "recognizing your battlespace".... Read the rest HERE ...

  I am going to be putting Troy's new Battle Mags through the paces at the June carbine course. They claim to have fixed the "over-insertion" issue that has plagued some P-mag owners....we shall see. I also have some new optics from Vortex to beat up on the range.    Hopefully, Hard Point and Otte Gear will be able to get me some of their new offerings in time as well. I am a huge fan of Otte Gear; innovative designs inspired by the guys on the ground.....and made in America.   Arcteryx used to be my go-to gear, but as they have moved much of their operation to China (yet their prices have gone up....figure that one out), I have been looking elsewhere for my gear needs. Same goes for Salomon and Merrell footwear....moved to China and quality went to hell......anyways, I am ranting now.....

The COSSA range near Bend will be hosting a Sniper competition on 30 June 2012. I will post more information as it becomes available..... Might be time to revisit those pesky mil relation formulas...

I am in the process of finalizing training dates for June/July. Here is what I have so far: 16-17 June...   Gunfight Concepts - 2 day Pistol/Carbine , to be held in the Eugene area. 23-24 June...   Kidnap Defense - 2 day course , to be held in the Bend area. The weekend of the 30th is up in the air at this point, I have had some varied requests, so I will continue to try and work with everyone as best I can.    I should also add that I can put on an NRA Basic Pistol Certification course if I have at least a few interested parties. This will give you the NRA cert that will satisfy the Oregon Concealed Handgun License required training. It is also a very good course for those that are inexperienced or new to pistol shooting.   

"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military."     --William S. Burroughs     The folks above gave up their guns... "The only relevant standard by which man may secure his basic right to exist, is the ability to wield the same tools of destruction as his would-be oppressor. This entails not merely possession - but expertise as well."     --Me

   I wanted to address something I sometimes see at the range. Guys are showing up to train with no real plan or goal and consequently are getting little accomplished; sometimes even solidifying bad habits. Kinda like the folks that show up at the gym with no real workout regimen....you have seen the type; after about 30 minutes you see them casually curl a dumbbell while staring at the TV on the wall before they completely give up and begin to chat up the girl at the counter. Weeks later you notice the same guy looks even more out of shape than when he started. Poor planning....    So lets look at some outlines for successful training on the range. You have two basic training criteria from which to begin: 1. Sustainment - Seeking to maintain your current skill level or possibly knock the rust off after some time away. Or to put it another way; shooting the drills you like. 2. Enhancement - Learning new skills and seeking...

Thanks to the Feral Irishman for the pic...

I know.....I know....I am breaking my own rules here....stay away from political subject matter, but.... "Privileged special interests, whether by legislation or lax enforcement of the law, have begun to Balkanize the nation around provincial and notional concerns. Of course, there has never been a time when sectional interests haven't clashed over sectionally relevant matters such as tariffs, but today's constellation -- racial, gender, ethnic, sexual orientation, educational, environmental, labor unions, and so forth -- has attempted to shut down open-minded discussion of nearly every important subject in political discourse. Seldom do the flacksters for such interests argue for their positions on rational grounds, with objective evidence for support; they'd much rather denounce their opponents as racists, sexist, xenophobes, homophobes, enemies of the environment, enemies of education, or what have you. The core of the power-seeker's strategy is to divi...

....as posted at WRSA... "NO MAN KILLS ME AND LIVES!!" ....gotta agree with that...

   "Since most people respond to hypothetical peril with the assumption that it will not come to them, the first step in adjusting to our present social situation is the hard, clear, unflinching understanding that it can indeed come to us - personally. It is amazing to read of people who did not choose to believe this until after they had been victimized. They all knew that burglary, robbery, assault and murder, were not only possible but frequent, but they took no precautions because they simply would not admit that they, themselves could be the victims.    Once you accept the fact that you may actually be the next target - today - you have taken the first great step toward your own physical security. Having made this simple, if difficult, admission, you can never afterward be surprised, and surprise is the greatest single element in tactics - offensive or defensive ."     -- Col. Jeff Cooper      (italics my own)   ...

My colleague and friend Thomas over at Hard Point has a new line of gear hitting the market soon. I have used one of his armor carriers for the last couple years and it has become my hands down favorite. His new stuff looks even better, check it out.....

"Never was anything great achieved without danger" and "Before all else, be armed" -- Niccolo Machiavelli   To properly grasp the landscape of the political battlefield in this country, one must read Machiavelli's The Prince . After that, read his Art of War for some useful insight on the other type of battlefield.

Have heard from a couple sources now that ammo availability is expected to drop and, of course, prices to rise. I will not delve into the reasons for this on here, but a little google-ing should give you a pretty good idea. Spend accordingly......