In a fighting force, recon teams have the power to drive operational and even strategic decisions through supplying accurate and timely intel to commanders. In rare cases, conventional recon elements take action against the enemy with permission/orders from higher, though it is very rare. I believe that having recon elements capable of filling more roles than just snooping and pooping is the most efficient way to operate. Though, there are scholars out there that feel that recon is and should be a very myopic specialty. I think there is enough evidence to support the fact that multi-purpose recon elements is the best way to go. The Marines are a perfect example with their Recon Battalions being Special Operations Capable, IMHO.
Think of all the physical skills you have learned over the span of your life to this point (hammering nails, throwing a baseball/football, doing tricks on a skateboard, shooting a bow, etc.) If you were to try to perform those skills after not doing them for a while, you’d find you have deteriorated in your ability to perform as you did when you actively focused on it (people call it being rusty). Even walking away from certain physical skills for a week will cause your brain to start overwriting these physical skills with others that you are CURRENTLY using. Your shooting skills work very much the same, and I dare say they are more vulnerable to being overwritten due to how precise your movements must be and how isolated the skills are from your normal day to day activities. On top of that, each platform (rifle, pistol, shotgun, revolver, muzzle loader) is going to require specific and unique physical coordination. Most people will struggle to maintain proficiency with multiple shooting platforms, let alone master a single one.
If you take your shooting skills seriously, you will test your shooting skills periodically in order to see where you stand. The best way to do this is through what the industry calls “drills”. I personally call them “tests” because that is exactly what they are. Take a moment and look up what “drills” are so we can all be on the same page prior to beginning. So let us start out by making it clear that tests are meant to expose what you learned and drills are meant to help you learn a specific thing/skill. For this article, I am going to cover how to do pistol drills so you can test yourself with confidence.
For civilians, EDC pistol selection can be one of the biggest and most trivial decisions we can make in our limited scope of tactical life planning. Selecting an EDC pistol should be done using tactical thinking not unlike Executive Protection Agents planning a trip. This means you have the opportunity to assess the situation, make a plan(s), and select the right tool(s) for the job based on YOUR intel, YOUR area, YOUR threats, YOUR laws, etc. Basing your selection off what someone else has is not only lazy but can also result in buyers remorse(Been there, done it, got several T-shirts), so don't do it. The process I am going to share can also help you figure out what kind of training you should focus on with your smartly selected EDC pistol, but that will be an article for another time.
The shotgun has served hero and villain, soldier and civilian alike for generations. Today, most people will take a semi auto rifle (AR15 style) over a shotgun due to recoil, range, and perceived ease of use. If Americans had to fight as partisans, they would prefer the use of a rifle over any other weapon for kinetic combat. However, I think that many of these people are missing a few of the utilities a shotgun can have that a semi auto rifle is going to lack. Though the shotgun is not really going to be a handy tool for everyone, I think it warrants a closer look at where it can fit in the partisan’s toolbox.
The events of the last decade have sparked a growing interest in preparedness against everything from common crime to tyrannical government action. America is undoubtedly crumbling as the Roman Empire did, and there is a fear that people are going to be alone and have to fend for themselves. On the other hand, there are those out there that believe in and are promoting the Minuteman concept. The idea is to “Be Ready” at a moment’s notice to throw on your war belt and assemble into an irregular defense force of sorts. Feel free to leave a comment and your input.
The current method of providing block-style firearms training (8 hours straight) is absolutely unique in that it is the only martial skill that is taught in block training and then left to the end user to figure out the rest. Any other sport or art is taught for at least an hour a day for several days a week. Shooting is definitely, if not more, physically demanding as any other martial art or sport. Whether in self-defense or competition, the shooter must perform several fine motor skills to achieve a desired result within the shortest time possible. The pressure of meeting a time standard in competition is still going to cause a release of adrenaline, though the stakes are in winning a prize vs preserving life. I believe that firearms training can be done in a scalable and adaptive manner, much like Krav Maga.
I am sure that every one of us has been told to focus on the front sight in order to get an accurate shot off. Unfortunately, this is a concept that was misapplied and misinterpreted for decades. Imagine if you were told to focus and stare at the front of your vehicle while travelling a hundred miles per hour while the rest of the world is completely blurry. This is practically the same thing, especially when people recommend this technique for combat shooting where your threat and you are both moving.
moving from a rural Alaskan home to an urban neighborhood in Northeast Arkansas has been quite drastic. The coolest temperatures at night are the highest temperatures you will see in the summers of Alaska. During the day, a vehicle is nothing more than an oven and the outside is humid and the sun threatens to cook your skin. Different climates such as this makes me have to readjust my gear and clothing for carry.
Around the middle of June, 2022 I completed my move out of Alaska and into my new house in Arkansas. I am not fully setup in my new place yet, but I have most of the basics covered, to include internet. There is a lot to do and a lot that I am planning on doing here once things settle.
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Do It RiteAlaska-Based Youtube Vlogger, Retired Marine, Firearm and Gear Tester. Archives
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