Crimson Trace is now offering a free training DVD, The Laser’s Edge. The DVD features a variety of well known industry professionals that cover a range of topics that will help you employ your laser as efficiently as possible. It also has an interactive catalog, installation instructions, and demonstrations of the CT lasers on various platforms.
You can order your free copy from CrimsonTrace.com.
TacStrike knows why you train. They are trainers themselves. They know you are training to protect yourself and loved ones from bigger, stronger, younger, and faster foes. That is exactly why TacStrike has partnered with Pat Goodale of PFT (Practical Firearms Training) to create the BSYF (bigger, stronger, younger, faster) Target.
The hand drawn prototype target is shown with the production sample to give a better visual idea of where the perforations are located.
The BYSF target is sort of like an improved IDPA target. Its size is based on a 5′ 10″ male. It features 3 perforated aiming points that are roughly the size of an open hand. These three aiming points correspond to the 3 anatomical structures that can be used to produce a stop in a deadly force situation – the groin, high center of mass, and the head. The target is also perforated to indicate the arms and the point at which the torso and lower body meet.
This looks to be an excellent target and it will be available shortly. Check out TacStrike.
If you make the investment in quality night vision gear, it would also be wise to invest in some training to go with it. However, it can be difficult for civilians to locate training that centers around the use of night vision. If you are someone who has made this investment and now find yourself looking for training, Make Ready with Chappy: NVG / IR Skill Builder from Panteao Productions should be very interesting to you.
Hopefully you know that a video can never replace training in person with a skilled trainer but given the relative lack of available night vision training for civilians, Make Ready with Chappy: NVG / IR Skill Builder could be very valuable to you.
Panteao Productions says this about Make Ready with Chappy: NVG / IR Skill Builder
NVG / IR Skill Builder is your first step in learning about night vision equipment, the proper application of the equipment, as well as IR and visible laser use. John Chapman (Chappy) is the founder and Director of Training of LMS Defense, an international full service training, consulting, business leadership, and weapons system testing firm. Chappy is a retired police Lieutenant and a currently serving reserve SWAT officer. He is also an industry recognized leader in the application of night vision and IR laser technology to the law enforcement and armed citizen missions. In this video Chappy reviews mission identification and needs assessment, selecting the right night vision and support gear, NVG pre-mission setup, laser mounting and zero, movement and weapon manipulation under NVG, static and multiple target engagements, IR to white light transitions, and more. Whether you already run NVG or are contemplating transitioning to it, this video will give you a solid foundation to build upon.
Check out PanteaoProductions.com.
We recently put up a post about training with the .22LR based on a some of our experience. It generated a lot of emails from people who were looking to get started with .22LR training or who shared their experiences with it. In the article, I mentioned that the practice was seeing growing industry acceptance and a few of you asked about who you could train with that allowed this money saving option.
The first thing that you should know is that there are likely many trainers who don’t expressly state that they allow .22LR training firearms in their classes but who will allow it if asked. Don’t miss an opportunity to train with someone just because they haven’t come right out and said “Come train with your .22LR!” If there is someone you want to train with, a simple email will often clear up any confusion about whether or not they allow .22LR training firearms in their courses and what stipulations they might have around .22LR training firearms. Always ask first before you show up with a firearm that the trainer doesn’t allow.
There are certainly others out there but here are two excellent training outfits that expressed consent for using .22LR training firearms in their courses:
Magpul Dynamics (from their Facebook Page)
Magpul Dynamics Pricing and Ammunition Requirement Update”
In an effort to make training more accessible in these times of increased prices and reduced availability, Magpul Dynamics has updated their pricing structure, round counts, and acceptable calibers for the 2013 training year.
Effective immediately, all three-day classes are reduced to $600 per student, and two-day classes are reduced to $450 per student. In addition, the curriculum has been revised for all pistol/carbine courses based on the changes occurring over the past year to allow for maximum training value at a slightly reduced round count. Also, we are temporarily allowing the use of pistol-caliber carbines and 22LR AR-15 pattern training rifles in the carbine classes. Please understand that there are many drawbacks to training with 22LR as opposed to normal rifle platforms, but significant training value will still exist. We expect a full return to allowing rifle-caliber rounds only in the future as the ammunition supply catches up with current demand and ammunition prices return to a reasonable level. However, we understand the financial burden placed on students with the current state of the economy and the rapid rise in retail pricing in the ammunition industry. We firmly believe in the value of quality firearms training and are committed to providing quality products and services at a fair price.
Duane, Steve, Caylen, and Jon
Low Speed High Drag, LLC (from their Facebook Page)
In light of the current ammunition situation (and the resultant uncertainty in ammunition supply and cost in the coming months) LSHD has decided to authorize the use of .22lr carbines and pistols in the Fundamental Carbine and Pistol programs. The guns must be of a type which function like their full-power counterparts. Any testing or standards during class will be run on full-power guns, but .22s will allow marksmanship and gun handling at a fraction of the normal ammunition cost. Please ensure that you find a .22 load that cycles your particular gun reliably. – Jay
Finally, I always appreciate the perspective of Mike at Appalachian Training on training issues. This is from the Appalachian Training Facebook Page:
.22 for training. These is a current renewed interest in the .22 for training driven by ammo cost and availability. Jerking the Trigger has a good laydown on his blog currently that provides some good advice when selecting a .22 trainer. Definitely worth a look. The .22 should not replace service caliber training cartridges wholesale. While it can readily identify and allow the shooter to develop and correct trigger control issues, it will not provide the necessary “full benefit” of a higher power cartridge. Weight, recoil, manual of arms, holdovers and capabilities cannot be replicated. We shouldn’t try to make the .22 something it isn’t, but they do have a place in one’s training regimen to mitigate some of today’s ammo costs and sporadic availability. The .22 is great for the beginning shooter to work out basics before moving to full power cartridges… or for the experienced shooter that is switched on and has a good handle on recoil management, running their gun, malf clearance etc to maintain trigger control skills / specific drills. But he still has to go back to the larger cartridges; again the .22 does not replace full caliber training. Bottom line is the .22s have a place, probably even more so with today’s environment. And they are a great way to augment personal training regimens. Stay Safe – M2
As if the economy wasn’t making it hard enough to keep up your level of training, the recent changes in the political landscape and the resulting panic-buying have caused the price of ammunition to soar. These rising prices are driving more people than ever to look into .22LR training as an alternative to more expensive, full-power ammunition.
This is something that I, and those around me, have dabbled in for a long time but have recently had occasion to learn some lessons on the right and wrong way to go about it. I am hoping to record some of what we have been through in the interests of helping you set yourself up for success right out of the gate.
If you want to save yourself a head ache, avoid drop-in conversion kits that convert your current firearm into a .22LR using your regular barrel. You will be better off with a dedicated upper or dedicated firearm.
A few friends of mine are employed by a large police department that recently switched to training with .22LR due to ammunition shortages and budget concerns. The officers in this department are handed .22LR conversion kits for their duty carbines upon arrival to the training range and then they turn them back in before they leave. My friends both experienced significant loss of accuracy when switching back to full power ammunition. In one case, a shooter, optic, and BCM carbine combination that was previously more than capable of index card sized groups at 50 yards could barely keep a group on a paper plate at the same distance. The only way to cure the accuracy woes were thorough cleaning of the barrel with an aggressive bore cleaner.
These officers were diligent and checked their equipment. It is startling to think of all of the officers who are out there with no idea that the accuracy of their duty carbine has been affected.
If you must use a conversion kit, it is best practice to end each training session with a few rounds of center-fire ammunition. This can help keep the bore clear. Additionally, you should have a cleaner at home that excels at removing lead. Thoroughly clean the bore and chamber after each range session.
Edit: A friend at Brownells contacted me and stated that it may not be a good idea to follow .22LR with center-fire ammo. It can actually embed the lead rather than clear it. Thorough cleaning is a must after using .22LR ammo in your center-fire firearms.
The Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 is a great .22LR training option. It uses great magazines that are well made and inexpensive and it costs less than many dedicated .22LR upper receiver groups on the market.
There are more dedicated .22LR training options than ever. The best ones will completely replicate the functional aspects of their full-power counterpart – i.e. the user controls and ergonomics will be identical. Internal construction isn’t as important as the functional aspects. Options like the S&W M&P 15-22 and Advantage Arms GLOCK Conversion Kit, go so far as to accept the same sights/optics as their full power counterparts so that a near perfect replica can be created expressly for training. Dedicated trainers circumvent many of the problems of a drop-in conversion kit but rarely replicate the full-power counterpart as well, as easily, or as inexpensively as a drop-in conversion can.
A good .22LR trainer will also possess sufficient reliability so that the user doesn’t spend all their time clearing malfunctions. This is especially important if you are using the .22LR trainer in a paid training environment so that you don’t slow down other students and you get your money’s worth from the training.
I, and those that I know, have had great luck with the S&W M&P 15-22 as an AR trainer. Its controls are basically identical to its full-power counterpart. I have mine set up with a Bushnell TR-25 on a riser to replicate the Aimpoint Micros that I often use, a BAD-ASS Selector, a BFG VCAS Sling, Low-Pro Products Handstop, weapon light, and back up iron sights. All these items are basically identical to what I use on my normal ARs. The M&P 15-22 has been extremely reliable and accurate for me. It will even run reliably with the magazine planted on the deck as a monopod. However, its long magazines can make using the same support gear (like chest rigs) difficult and it is lighter in weight than a center-fire AR-15.
I haven’t owned one personally, but I have been around several Advantage Arms GLOCK conversion kits and they have all been solid. The controls all still work the same way, they fit the most of the same holsters (they may be tight in some holsters), the mags fit the same pouches, and they are accurate and reliable enough for training situations. You can even use your favorite sights on them. Places like Glockmeister sell frames separately if you want to build one into a complete firearm.
There are also a number of other dedicated options out there for S&W M&P handgun shooters, 1911 shooters, AK shooters, and more. It is becoming more common for manufacturers to produce a .22LR version of their popular defensive firearms specifically for the purpose of training.
Training with a .22LR isn’t a perfect replacement for full-power training. The biggest differences are the lack of recoil and reduced range with carbines. Due to this, I like to stick with drills that emphasize the fundamentals or various manipulations at shorter distances. That sounds limiting, but it really isn’t. Most drills are designed to work some kind of fundamental skill.
Drills that train trigger control and sight alignment are applicable to any caliber and any firearm. The fundamentals are called fundamental for a reason. They are universal.
Manipulations drills can be valuable but only if your trainer has the same controls as your full-power counterpart. I would avoid drills that are heavy on manipulations if your controls are significantly different than the firearm that you are trying to replicate.
Training with a .22LR is kind of like dry fire training but with feedback on the target (the timer is useful but not as much due to the lack of realistic recoil). Since you don’t have as much recoil to deal with, try increasing your accuracy standards to increase difficulty and add pressure.
Chest rigs with adjustable flaps, like this OSOE AK/M4 Micro Rig, work perfectly with the longer magazines of the M&P 15-22.
The quality of .22LR ammo varies widely and .22LR semi-auto firearms will often be very finicky about what they feed reliably and shoot accurately – especially as the round count climbs between cleanings. I like to use CCI ammo. CCI Mini-Mags seem to run in just about anything. The CCI AR Tactical .22LR ammo also shows great promise and it costs a bit less than Mini-Mags.
Choose quality ammo if you want your .22LR trainer to run well. This is vitally important if you are in paid training. Make sure that your chosen ammo runs well in your .22LR training firearm before you take it to a class.
Whichever option you choose, be sure that you set it up as closely as possible to the real thing. Ensure that the controls are as similar as possible and that most of your normal gear will work with the trainer. You are just a .22LR trainer away from guilt free training (and a whole lot of fun).
Note: You should verify with your instructor that they allow .22LR training firearms in their courses before bringing one to their training course. It is becoming more common for trainers to allow them but some instructors do not.
