Tueller Drill. Why you're screwed in crowds.

Mad credit goes to Ferran for reminding me of this!  Thanks dude!

If you're one of those people that flock to crowds then let me allow the developer of the Tueller Drill explain why you're basically screwed  Also remember that this was developed in the 1980's.  Fast forward to today where you have mob attacks...crowd craziness and a social scene that is becoming more unruly.  If you carry and you're not bumping up on condition red everytime you go out then you're waiting to become a victim.



SIDENOTE:
If you're not working on unarmed self defense techniques then you're beyond fucked.  You have to be able to disengage from the threat and then respond.  If you can't put up a credible unarmed self defense then life will be very interesting for ya.

Revolutionary helmets???

The title of this by British Forces News was "The revolutionary helmets that are changing lives"...Pretty pompous title for pretty standard fare in western air forces.  I wonder where they're getting the idea that this is new and amazing?
That's perhaps a bit snarkey.  Let me restate.  The experience that BAE is gaining from this project should help on work being done for the F-35 alternate helmet.  Good stuff but hardly revolutionary.  Thanks to Grim for bringing me down a bit.  Hate Weds....like he hates Mon.

Landing Craft Wallpaper.

If this isn't the most beautiful landing site anywhere in the world I'd like to see it.  Your Landing Craft wallpaper...

Yeager is right when he talks about big dot front sights.

I'm gonna touch on a subject that many will disagree with me on.

That's ok.  Let's talk and see what happens.

My contention is this.  The close in fight is being bastardized by 3 gun matches.  Instead of studying and learning from history, doing legit lessons learned from those that have survived those encounters we're instead following gear trends/cool boy fashion and equipping our pistols for a fight that they shouldn't be used in.

And this applies to civilian defensive carry users and the military.  Police are operating off a totally different set of principles here.

But back to the subject.  What's the hottest trend with pistols today?

Holographic sights on your pistol.

But that's designed for the wrong fight.  That's a setup for 10 to 50 yards.  Its not a setup for the ranges that most gunfights occur at....3 to 7 feet.

For that fight James Yeager is right.  A big dot front sight is best.  Forget the 3 dot alignment just concentrate on front sight and put the attacker down.  But how did we get to the point of using holographic sights on our pistols?

Is a Marine going to purposely clear a house with his pistol?  Unless he's an MP in one of the Law Enforcement Battalions probably not.  So when will the pistol come into its own?  As his weapon of last resort engaging enemies at close range.  If you're caught in a bad situation with the enemy closing in would you waste rounds unless you knew they were hits?

Same with a civilian.  The situation is similar but different.  How are you going to justify feeling like your life is in danger with the crimminal over 25 feet away?  You probably can't  ( there might be a circumstance where you can but more than likely not) and that makes the holographic sight movement a false one.

Give Yeager credit.  On this one he's as right as rain.

Otokar Arma 8x8. The bar is getting raised.

The wheeled 8x8 market is heating up and the Otokar Arma 8x8 might be the best of the sleeper vehicles out there.  Consider this.  Turkey (which probably should be considered one of the BRIC countries) has a robust defense industry, they're supporting it to the hilt and they're more than willing to team up with any and everyone willing to advance their state of the art.  With comps in S. Africa and the UAE, you can bet that the price will be competitive and the armor protection up to snuff.



Not much info is available on the turret but it reminds me of a German offering.  I'll try to find out more.

Lockheed Martin Air and Missile Defense Radar...the answer to ballistic missile attacks on surface groups.

I continue to marvel at how easily the news has been taken that China is willing to use ballistic missiles against carriers.  The Russians pitched a bitch and even Ronald Reagan backed off on Pershing 2's, yet the Chinese have drastically escalated the stakes in naval warfare and no one bats an eye.  The US Navy considered conventional ballistic missiles for use against hardened land targets and the PUSSIES INSIDE THE PENTAGON killed the idea before the enemy could.

Amazing.

Someone You Should Know: Gunnery Sergeant Timothy P. Haney

There is hard.  

Real hard.  

Crazy hard

...and then there's Marine Corps Hard.  Gunny Haney is Marine Corps hard.  Listen to his act of valor here.

3D Printing. Why a magazine ban is now a joke.

Soldier Systems has an article up that asks very important questions about 3d printing an how it will affect firearms.

Read it at his house but I have a much more basic question.

How do you limit magazine size when this is possible?  A Glock Mag is tailor made for this process and I can take the sizing on a 33 round mag and plus size it up to a 50 rounder without problem and circumvent any attempts by authorities to limit my capacity.  That's taking it to extremes but you get the idea.

Technology is making us slaves and technology is setting us free...how do you limit the spread of knowledge especially in a community as tight knit as the shooting community is?  The gun grabbers have already lost.  They just don't know it.

Even the beaches are sweet at RIMPAC.

BELLOWS AIR FORCE STATION (July 28, 2012) A landing craft air cushion delivers personnel and equipment during a training exercise as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Daniel Johnston/Released)
120728-N-RJ303-158

Damn!

Even the beaches are sweet.

JLTV and the Marine Corps.

I like the offerings that Lockheed, BAE, AM General and others have put forward for the JLTV program.

The problem is that the program makes little to no sense.  

Not only are upgrades to the HUMVEE possible, but they're also desireable.  Instead of operating a wheeled fleet with another vehicle added to the mix we should instead upgrade what we have and make sure that MRAPs in storage are available to be rushed to theater if needed.

Question.  Has the US Army or Marine Corps put forward a compelling reason for why the JLTV is needed?  Extend that to all the other armored programs and it becomes ugly.  The only armored vehicle programs that are needed are the Army's M-113 replacement and the Marine Corps' MPC/AAV upgrade/ACV.

Everything else can and should be canned.  That includes the JLTV.

Bradley upgrade?  Yes.  Ground Combat Vehicle?  No.  JLTV?  Fuck no!  Humvee Upgrade?  Yes.  ACV/MPC/AAV Upgrade?  Yes.  Stryker Upgrade?  No.  M-113 Replacement?  Yes.

Until the ground services are able to come up with compelling and common sense solutions to the armored vehicle fleet then my suggestions/recommendations are just as viable as what you're seeing coming from HQ Army and Marine Corps.

Mistral class LHD (BPC) Amphibious Assault Ship, Force Projection & Command Vessel DCNS

The Republic of Georgia should do two things.  First protest the sale of these ships to Russia through every diplomatic contact they have and second...they should buy the most powerful anti-ship missiles available and promise to sink these ships if they appear over the horizon.  We just made another allied country more vulnerable because of a lack of strength toward Russia and France.  We fucked this one up badly.

Osprey pilot educates Brits at air show

Eye Safety Message for guys like you and me.

Do you remember the post that Andrew (Combat Doc and Lucky Gunner Blogger) did on eye protection?  Well I consider that message so important that I reached out to Ari at ESS Eyewear to get a few more details on what guys like you and I should be looking for.  Here's his response..

Regarding the test-results: as Andrew points out, all polycarbonate lenses become increasingly brittle over time, especially in consideration of their exposure to sunlight. If you own eye protection of older or indeterminate age, and/or your eye pro is of previous individual ownership, and you plan to use it in situations where high-velocity threats are a possibility: inspect it carefully for lens crazing, hazing, yellowing, or any other sign of aging or wear. Never put a questionable product into use.

This is one very important reason why ESS does not recommend purchasing our products through Military Surplus or other after-market sales channels. A product's history relative to its environment and its physical wear can vary so widely that the only sensible action is to err on the side of caution, for the sake of your health and eyesight.

I can be reached at ari@esseyepro.com if anyone has questions. Our full line of MIL SPEC & ANSI Z87.1-2010 rated eye pro can be viewed at www.esseyepro.com, or at our main social media venue, www.facebook.com/esseyepro.

Thanks for helping in the fight to protect eyes & best regards,

Ari
Communications Manager, ESS

Notice a couple of things that touch me where I live.  He's talking about the test results first and foremost.  He gives advice on what to look for and what to avoid.  He warns about the aftermarket (I'm starting to become more and more alarmed at what I'm seeing turn up there...but thats another post) and only at the end of his comment does he talk about his product.  But even in doing that its with an eye toward providing the best possible solution for the men in my audience (oh and those hardcore ladies too).

I can do business with these guys.

Sidenote:  If you're a shooter and most of the people that come to this blog are then consider doing two things.  One support online ammo retailers like Lucky Gunner.  They're under the gun and so are we.  Let's support them so that they can support us with low prices to help us enjoy our shooting sports.  Next support the NRA.  These gun grabbers are just getting started and since the President can't fix the economy he'll throw meat to his supporters by infringing on our GOD GIVEN rights.  Let's fight them on it!

Now they want to ban online sale of ammo.

I coat all my Ranger 147 grain bullets in black teflon...cool boy factor.

via The Hill.

Two Democratic lawmakers on Monday will announce new legislation to regulate the online and mail-order sale of ammunition.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (N.Y.) said the new law would make the sale of ammunition “safer for law-abiding Americans who are sick and tired of the ease with which criminals can now anonymously stockpile for mass murder,” in a statement released Saturday.

The lawmakers cite the recent movie massacre in Aurora, Colo. for spurring their bill. “The shooter who killed 12 and injured 58 in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater this month had purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition anonymously on the Internet shortly before going on his killing spree, according to law enforcement officials,” the statement reads. “The shooter used a civilian version of the military’s M-16 rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, a shotgun and two .40-caliber semi-automatic handguns commonly used by police officers.”

Read the whole thing but a few points.

1.  The last assault weapons ban spurned the development of pocket pistols.  The Glock 26 was basically born because handguns were limited to 10 round magazines and Glock responded to the new law by developing a mini Glock 19 that would hold the full compliment of allowable ammo.
2.  Everyone in my circle already has an ample supply of both ammo and magazines.  IF this became law, all we would do is buy more so that we could later sell them at a substantial mark up.  It happened last time and it'll happen again.  I have 20 Glock 19 mags and an equal number of Glock 17's.  That doesn't count the Korean knock offs.  Suffice it to say that among a large part of the population this will have no impact.
3. Have you noticed that the "ban" advocates have no off switch.  They believe in certain rights but at the expense of others.  If you want to marry someone of the same sex then that's awesome.  If you want to exercise a right designated by the constitution then not so much.  Heck, the Mayor of New York has some the harshest gun laws in the US so what's he going after now?  Sodas!  These people have no off switch.

But on a sidenote, I notice that the Democrats are pushing another side issue to take attention away from the 600 pound gorilla in the room...the economy.  If they can get the headlines to reflect any issue but the economy then they're winning.

This doesn't stand a chance of passing but it will grab headlines...and in the end...thats all the Democrats want.

Way to go US Army! Combatives Tourney...Army style!

US Army Combatives going hard.  This is freaking awesome.

Initial flight of X-47B at Pax River

*

Marine Corps Military Free Fall Instructors assigned to Marine Detachment — Fort Bragg, release the ashes of Sgt. Brett Jaffe (1971-2012), a Marine rigger, above Phillips Drop Zone at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., on July 26, 2012. "It was an honor and privilege to take this Marine on his last jump and give him a proper hail and farewell," said Staff Sgt. Marty Rhett.Marines in photo (clockwise, starting with the flag): Gunnery Sgt. Brian Boger, Gunnery Sgt. Mike Latham, Gunnery Sgt. Jimmy Smith, Staff Sgt. Lennie Castro, Staff Sgt. Seth Wright, Staff Sgt. Marty Rhett.
(Marine Corps photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Johnny Gunn)

Stallion Stack

Two CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 take off after delivering Marines and Canadian soldiers as part of a noncombatant evacuation operation during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2012 at Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, Hawaii, July 26, 2012. From June 29 to Aug. 3, more than 25,000 military personnel from 22 nations, 200 aircraft and 40 ships and submarines are participating in RIMPAC. The world's largest international maritime exercise, the 23rd in the series that began in 1971, is held biennially in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The exercise fosters training, interoperability and improved relations between countries providing security in sea lanes and oceans around the world.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder)

Marines train Senegalese forces in marksmanship

Sidenote:
Are they actually teaching that bullshit?  I'm talking about advancing on your target while firing.  Are you kidding me?  Cool guy factor-100.  Combat utility-negative 10.  I have yet to see one instance in a combat setting where that type of training is applicable.

You do know where the Marine Corps picked that trash up from right?  3 gun shoots.  Police SWAT teams.  All bullshit training that has no bearing on reality.  First 3 gun put it in to make the courses more challenging.  Shooting from your back or on your left or right side is show shit and everyone knows it!   The prone is your friend and modified shooting from that position is applicable but the other stuff is for the meets.  SWAT teams?  Lets be honest and take off the rose colored glasses.  They're most effective against unarmed people and when they charge against armed individuals not only do they not conduct a deliberate assault but they do everything in their power to wear down the person or persons.  Want to know what happens to cool boy SWAT when they run into real opposition?  Think Branch Davidians.

I'm saying all this for one purpose.  Hey Marines.  STOP COPYING 3 gun and civilian SWAT!  The training that they do DOES NOT apply!

Elements of Power called it on the clownish Smallwood!

Elements of Power called it on Smallwood.  He first brought attention to this clown in a blog post here.

I unfortunately underestimated Smallwood's "devotion" to the Sweetman/Air Power Australia/Kopp/Goon/F-35 haters club.  He's at it again and penned an article that must be read.  A small tidbit.

Wheeler is hopeful that South Koreans will resist the industry pressure this time. “I think that there’s so much information out there about the F-35 that governments have learned it’s important for them to wait and see and as they do the costs will go up and the performance will go down.”
Ultimately time will tell whether U.S. marketing strategies can overcome the mounting skepticism of the F-35 airplane and convince Seoul to make a purchase they may regret.

Hmmm.  I forgot to include Wheeler in the list of infamy but you get the idea.  While I personally AM NOT a fan of the US military promoting weapon systems to allies, its an accepted form of business, done on both sides of the Atlantic and is far from illegal.  Let me repeat.  Its done on both sides of the Atlantic.

Smallwood is out test driving the latest talking point for the anti F-35 crowd.

I am not impressed.