Hoosier Firearms Review

I am in accord with this creed and swear it as an oath. How about you?

I accept and understand that human predators exist. Criminal or terrorist, they take advantage of our civilized society to prey upon the weak. They represent evil and must be confronted and defeated.

I believe that self-defense is a moral imperative, and that illegitimate force and illegal violence must be met with righteous indignation and superior violence.

I will not rely on others for the security of myself, my family and my community.

I proudly proclaim that I run with a like-minded pack. I do not amble through life with the mind-numbed herd.

I will train with my chosen weapons, maintain them and carry them in a condition of readiness at all times.

I will be mentally prepared and physically equipped to effectively respond to an attack or emergency.

I will constantly test myself against realistic standards to discover my strengths and weaknesses. I will turn weakness into strength.

I will seek to learn new skills and techniques, and then teach what I have learned to other members of the pack.

Be it with firearm or blade, empty hand or blunt object, I will hit my enemies hard, fast and true.

I will live a quiet and unobtrusive life, but I will develop and retain the capacity for swift and decisive violence.

I recognize that I am the modern equivalent of the traditional Minuteman, and that I may be called to service at any time against heavily armed enemies. I will respond effectively.

I accept that I am a pariah among some of my countrymen, and a quaint anachronism to others. I will not hold their ignorance against them.

I will win, or die trying.

I swear this creed before God, my family and my fellow citizens.

- John Farnam

I’m a tactics guy. I’m more about making the motions more efficient, no matter what the gear is. Now you’re asking, “But Nick, don’t you like all the high-speed tacti-cool gear that’s comin’ out now?” Sure I do. I’m a gear nerd, too. The downside to all that gear, however,  is you have so much of it to learn how it incorporates into your regiment and training, you can’t keep up with it all and a lot of it is unnecessary.

Those of us in the armed community feel that it’s important to receive some form of training. I highly advocate this as well. Train and train often. Learn as much as you can from different instructors. As always, keep things simple. When it boils down to it, it’s you and your gun. That’s it. You might use a flashlight here and there, but in most cases, you won’t while in training unless you train specifically in low-light situations.

One of the first things I tell my students that the best way to win a gunfight, is to avoid one altogether. Remember, you’re not looking for a fight. You’re aiming (no pun intended) to be on the defensive.

“What?!” You say. “That’s just crazy talk. Why do I spend all this money to train and spend so much time reloading brass to go to these expensive classes?” Because there are times you CAN’T avoid a gunfight. That is why you train. For everything else, there’s this thing we call “situational awareness.”

Situational awareness is exactly that. It is being aware of what’s going on around you, at all times. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be Superman and have heightened senses or having your head constantly on a swivel. That doesn’t hurt, mind you… but it’s not necessarily what’s called for.

If someone looks suspicious, or something doesn’t feel right, do your best to distance yourself. Also, go with your gut instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Get out fast. If you’re with family, gather them quickly and go. Do not waste time. It could be nothing at all, but better safe than sorry.

We also have a very difficult task. Winning the hearts and minds of the general public. Sadly, most people only see what’s put in front of them on a television screen. They are conditioned this way, and not given all sides of the story.

We can’t do this by being hard-edged about it. Yes, we need to be firm and steadfast about our rights and our ability to keep and bear arms. Save the teeth for the politicians and the bad guys. We need to reach out and grab our greatest resource: The People.

There’s a saying that, “An armed society is a polite society”. I believe there is truth to that. In the same hand, this is how we win the hearts and minds of the people. We show them that we’re just normal people. Everyday Joes and Susies just like them. The only difference between us is that we decided we’re taking charge of our own security and safety. We decided that we aren’t going to be victims.

There are some heroes of our culture that have made it to mainstream. John Stossel immediately comes to mind for me. He’s done many news pieces for ABC that were staunchly pro-gun over the years. He’s since left ABC and has moved to the Fox Network. This is an awesome move in my opinion.

We have a culture all our own. It’s my honest belief that we owe it to the rest of the world to share our culture with them. Sure, they may not catch on at first, but it’s a chance to show them the freedom that we know, what it’s worth, and why it’s so dog-gone important.It’s not about the gun itself. It’s the freedom behind it. We have the choice to carry it. We choose to be independent people. Some people want to be protected by someone else. That’s okay, but that’s not for us. At least, not for me.

We can’t force this on people, however. We’re on the receiving end of that enough as it is. We can bring people around through facts, education, and overall exposure.  One of the best programs to do this with is the Appleseed Project. It’s relatively inexpensive, it’s a great history lesson, and it also ties in why Marksmanship is so important to the American Culture as a whole. You can get more information on their program at http://www.appleseedinfo.org .

So, to recap… here are a few points to remember:

• Keep your gear simple and don’t over-complicate things.
• Train, and train often. Your gun is a constant, it’s your skill that must improve.
• Be aware of your surroundings and move to avoid conflict when possible.
• Be kind, respectful and willing to educate.
• Expose people to the Culture in any and every way possible. Show them it’s not what they see on the television.

Stay safe.

Training Resource: DVD set, The Art of the Dynamic Handgun, Magpul Dynamics

The Art of the Dynamic Handgun is a 4-disc DVD set featuring over seven hours of actual live fire class instruction and additional instructional material.

Using a diverse group of beginner, intermediate, and advanced students, instructors Travis Haley and Chris Costa guide the class from the fundamentals of handgun operation, to problem solving, and through complex real-life scenarios. This progression from basic to advanced weapon manipulation pushes students of all skill levels to their failure points, illustrating how even the best shooters can advance and excel.

Fifty dollars well spent, my friends. I am a relative newby to the world of handguns. I have a learned a lot, but I have a lot to learn. The short time I’ve spent with this resource has already helped me, both with physical techniques and with mental approach. These DVDs will go into a regular rotation of stuff I love to watch.

You may be familiar already with Magpul Dynamics’ resources called “The Art of the Tactical Carbine”, I and II. Those are helpful and enjoyable. But I’m not a guy who is likely to be using my AR-15 in a self-defense or tactical situation. I mean, I want to be ready for what may happen, but I hope it doesn’t happen. So, while I enjoy the Carbine DVDs, there isn’t an abundance of relevant material I can put into my regimen. Your mileage may vary.

On the other hand, these handgun DVDs are chock-full of stuff that matters to me practically. The trainers — Chris Costa and Travis Haley — are giving down-to-earth advice to people just like me. They always demonstrate best practices and help the students, who vary in skill level, achieve a requisite measure of success and confidence. I kind of feel like I’m there, participating in the training, but without getting dirty and without my knees aching. Costa even includes his father as one of the students, so I have someone with which to identify. (Except I don’t use a revolver, like Dad does.)

Emphasis throughout the training is on the dynamic part of Dynamic Handgun. What could happen in the real world? How will you feel and react? How should you train for the eventuality? What are some tried and true ways to handle issues? What else should I be thinking about if I get in a fire fight?

Like live actors on a stage, Costa and Haley almost over-exaggerate their movements when they demonstrate each technique. This is a consistent feature throughout the Magpul Dynamics series, and one I certainly appreciate. Well done, gentlemen.

Beginning at the beginning with safety and grip, there is plenty in this set of DVDs for everyone. I heartily recommend “The Art of the Dynamic Handgun.”

So, folks, there’s your People Magazine review of this resource. Now we need to get Nick to do a real professional review.

Here’s the official trailer:

The Firearm.

The very word can strike a myriad of emotions in the population of a people. Fear, Hope, Courage, Anger, Discontent, Comfort, and a plethora of others. Today, I’d like to examine what the Firearm is and how it works in relation to the person using it. Once we decipher what it is, and what it does, we can greater determine how we can use it as a benefit to society.

Merriam-Webster defines a firearm as “a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder”. Since their inception, Firearms and ammunition have vastly progressed in the areas of efficiency, speed, accuracy. From Flintlock Muskets all the way to Full-auto Machine Guns, Smooth bore pistols to semi-automatic handguns,  technology has advanced in more ways than we can imagine. Despite all of the technological advances, the idea of the firearm is still very simple: A Firearm is a weapon that is designed to damage or destroy anything that it is aimed and fired upon.

Think about that for just a moment. Now, let’s look at how a firearm works.

A Firearm discharges a round of ammunition when a succession of events happen. The Operator (the person using the weapon) squeezes the trigger, which actuates the hammer into motion, and releases the hammer to strike the firing pin, thus moving to firing pin to strike the primer of the ammunition cartridge and igniting the gunpowder, thus sending the bullet downrange. All of this is great information, but we’re merely concerned about the very first event.

The Operator squeezing the trigger. This inherently means that a Firearm must be acted upon.

Taking a shot with a firearm is a commitment. Once it’s done, there’s no turning back. No pulling the bullet back. No re-dos and no replays. Once it’s done, it’s done.

So, looking at the facts we now know, we’ve determined that a Firearm is:

• A weapon
• That must have an Operator (being the person using the weapon)
• To act upon the weapon by squeezing the trigger
• Enabling the hammer to strike the firing pin
• Enabling the firing pin to strike the primer, igniting the gunpowder
• Enabling the gunpowder to build gaseous pressure, forcing the bullet into the barrel and downrange.
• Enabling the bullet to come into contact and impact it’s intended and/or unintended target, damaging, destroying, or killing it.

Now we’ve determined what a Firearm is. We’ve also determined that, by definition, it is an inanimate object. A Firearm does not operate on it’s own. It requires an outside force to act upon it in order for it function. An Operator, being the person using the firearm, must make a choice to pull the trigger enact the sequence of events that, in milliseconds, can either damage, destroy, or kill an object or person.

You’re probably wondering why this article seems rather redundant. This is because a firearm only works in one manner. Humans also learn by repetitive action. If they encounter or do something enough in the same fashion, it becomes memory. Being cerebral or muscular memory, the Human body retains what it has learned and it will act in the same manner as it learned.

If an Operator learns to shoot a firearm in the same manner every time, it becomes memory and that Operator will shoot in the same fashion every time the Operator picks up a firearm. In turn, the Operator acts in the same manner that the firearm does, thus making the Operator as much of a weapon as the firearm the Operator wields.

In any manner that an Operator uses their firearm, they are inherently making a choice to do so. Whatever their motives are, they are responsible for the outcomes due to their choice of squeezing the trigger. Once you make this determination, you’ll take the value of your training and the quality of your own shooting much more seriously.

Massad Ayoob’s Appleseed Experience

Here’s a small slice

The objective of the program is to reawaken the United States as a nation of riflemen, and to imbue all the independence and responsibility which that concept implies. The course I just came home from was held at Hernando Sportsmen’s Club in Hernando County, Florida. I was most pleased to see how many young people were there, boys and girls alike: as simplistic as it sounds, the fact really is: “The children are the future.”