If there is one pet peeve I have, it is people who are trigger snobs. These are the people that will refuse to shoot a stock firearm and will critique anything that has a trigger pull over 3 pounds. If the trigger pull is not dangerously short and light, it is dangerously long and heavy in their opinion. Unfortunately, a lot of impressionable newbies to the shooting community tend to get drawn into what these snobs say and feel that the pinnacle of skill and competence revolves around being picky. However, in my years of shooting with and against these types of people, I have found that trigger snobbery is merely a symptom of problems and failures in skill. This article is going to examine a couple of the failures trigger snobs have. This article may hurt a few feelings, but it is all in pursuit of the truth. It is time that trigger snobs get called out for the frauds they really are.
Being a student is not just something you do when you are completely unfamiliar with a subject. Many times we will find ourselves in a job that will require us to be RETRAINED or RECERTIFIED in something new or in something we already have used. Regardless of whether you know the material being taught, there is a method to learning that a lot of students completely ignore, to their own detriment. In this article, I am going to talk about aspects of learning that are relevant for people who are new to a subject, and especially those who are already familiar.
The US veteran community is on fire over pulling out of Afghanistan in the fashion that we are. I have been hearing a lot of different things about this situation from how we failed the country after 20 years to how we are leaving Americans and our allies behind in hostile country. I have my own opinion about this whole thing going on, but you must remember that I am writing this while everything is still unfolding.
To all out there who suffer from public anxiety due to PTSD from a combat environment, I wanted to share a method of handling crowds and how to manage yourself in public. As a combat veteran myself and someone who would not voluntarily or idly step into a crowd or a packed building, I have had to find ways to cope in order to accomplish certain tasks such as paying bills, assisting a family member, etc. Public anxiety is a real thing that I am challenged with on nearly a daily basis, and it never seems to get better. However, I have come up with a mental state of mind that morphs the anxiety into something chewable when you are in public or a crowd for a task. Unlike you were in the military, you are all alone, and there is not a bunch of likeminded and competent people to have your back. The unfortunate truth is that once you are out, you have to take care of yourself. You will learn quickly that the military did not actually train you to be independent, but it is actually quite easy.
Ammunition seems to be slowly getting back onto the shelves, but people still are not able to fully indulge as they once did. In turn, people have made the judgement that without enough ammunition, they can’t train. This comes from the assumption that “Range Time” is the only way in which skills are developed or maintained. In fact, I would go as far as to start this article off by saying that 99.99% of you reading this would perform better if you started training off the range and stopped thinking of the range as a primary training ground. This lack of ammo on the shelves can be a blessing in disguise if you are serious about advancing your skills.
If your goal is to to get physically prepared for combat, you have to focus on good fitness and conditioning in the specific activities you are going to perform. You can’t just technique your way to success and expect CrossFit or bodybuilding workouts will pick up the slack. Running 5 miles in 30 minutes in shorts and a t-shirt or doing 100 pushups in a minute literally does nothing to condition you for carrying 100lb and fighting all day in the mountains of Afghanistan. Instead, put on your full fighting load (body armor and full mags) and do fartlek training (jog/sprint intervals) for 5 miles at least twice a week to prepare your body for the constant stress of carrying extra weight and having to move fast with no rest. If you want to be considered a professional, then directly work on perfecting your profession and conditioning your body to be able to handle it, and more. Welcome to functional combat fitness training where the motto is “train hard, fight easy”.
The 5.56x45mm (5.56 NATO) and the 7.62x51mm (7.62 NATO) are both over half a century old, but are still popular. Both have qualities worthy of praise, but also have drawbacks that warrant critique. I have used both a good amount in various types of rifles, so I am going to compare the two based on my experience and certain considerations. Deciding on a caliber should not be as simple as what makes you look cooler.
I got the Helikon BDU pants because they were not only inexpensive, but also promised to be a faithful recreation of the original US BDU pant. I wanted a good BDU pant that would withstand the stresses I typically put on my pants. They need to allow me a good range of motion, survive being frozen, wet, and hot for long periods of time. The stitching needs to withstand strains of my movement and friction from impacts, snagging brush, etc. These are the standards I set for these BDUs to pass.
The Legions of the Roman Empire still hold vast renown for their military might. I believe the core of this was the Roman Legionnaire training. Much of the Roman Legion characteristics are still used today, to include how they conduct training. Certain parts of their training has not been crossed over into the modern era, unfortunately. My goal with this article is to encourage a merging of some of the old Roman training methods. The desired outcome is you becoming more disciplined and truly fit to fight. The Romans had a particular way of training and maintaining the fighting capability of their army, and I believe we can incorporate some of these forgotten traits for our own benefit.
A couple of days ago I had to relieve my girl Ruth of her pain. She lost the ability to walk on her own and often was quite confused about it. She was also developing other similar joint and back issues that were normal for her age, size, and breed. This did not make the decision easier or harder, but just verified that it was the right thing to do. She was my first and longest love. It was unconditional, undying and never changed. This is a little story about our time together over ten years. It is short for a ten year recollection and highly abbreviated, but I can't possibly recall every graphic detail in this article. My hope is that this article illustrates just how much this dog changed my life, healed me, and continued to help me. She was the first person in my life that I felt loved me unconditionally and I could love back, and that made her truly my first love. This is our little story.
|
Do It RiteAlaska-Based Youtube Vlogger, Retired Marine, Firearm and Gear Tester. Archives
December 2023
Categories
All
|