Regardless of which side you take in the eternal 9mm versus .45ACP debate, you have to admire someone who makes up their mind based on well reasoned thought and research and can then articulate why they chose the way that they did. Paul Gomez lays out his decision making process on the matter as well as just about anyone that I have seen. This video is worth watching regardless of which side you take.
Archive | Tactics and Training
SIRT-AR Bolt
Most of us can’t get to the range as often as we would like, so dry fire is an important part of maintaining perishable gun skills. If you’re anything like me, you’ve found that taking the time to at least knock the dust off your “muscle memory” can help keep you from losing too much in between training sessions. Dry fire is not the same as range time in large part due to the inability to “shoot” consecutively without manually charging your weapon in order to reset the trigger.
Next Level Training is now offering their excellent laser and trigger resetting device as a drop in unit for the AR-15. JTT mentioned a training pistol from this company last December and it’s great to see that they have now released a product that offers those same great features in the AR platform. After a quick do-it-yourself install you can start benefiting from some home “trigger time” and shot diagnosis as you watch the laser dance on the target. The SIRT-AR comes in green or red and the main difference between units is in the range the laser needs to be visible for your purposes (red is 50 yards vs 200 yards green). A prospective buyer should beware that the item is designed to work on mil-spec triggers and will not work with two stage triggers.
Team Wendy ESAPI Training Plates
I have written about training plates before and I think they are an excellent investment, especially if you pay for your ballistic plates out of your own pocket. Inert training plates approximate the weight and size of real ballistic plates so that you can train realistically without putting wear and tear on your real plates.
Team Wendy makes some of the more well known and easily available training plate sets on the market and now Shellback Tactical is carrying them (and other Team Wendy gear). These plates are great for all of you who have built your High Value Armor Set Up using the excellent Banshee Plate Carrier.
Check out the Team Wendy ESAPI Training Plates on ShellbackTactical.com.
Hitting the Range – Check Your BUIS
I had the opportunity to take two new AR-15 shooters to the range this week and an issue came up that likely affects many users of this rifle platform – proper implementation of back up iron sights (BUIS).
How many of you completely remove your red dot sight (RDS) when you zero your BUIS? I know I used to because it made it “easier.” Nobody wants to miss a chance to use that nifty quick detach (QD) mount that costs some extra hard earned dollars! If this is you, then you may want to try using your iron sights through the RDS to confirm your BZO (battle sight zero).
Having the RDS in place between the front and rear BUIS may change the way you see or index the sights and as a result the point of impact of your rounds may be off enough to notice at 50 yards. This is especially true if your Aimpoint/RDS is set with a “lower 1/3” co-witness mount. Lower 1/3 mounts place the optic slightly higher than the BUIS sight plane so that your view is less obstructed by the front sight. While I see this as a worthwhile benefit, it does make the BUIS a little more difficult to index, see, and use through the RDS.
This issue is mostly negated if you run an “absolute” co-witness optic mount. I personally don’t prefer these mounts because the front sight (I prefer a fixed front sight base on fighting ARs) is a little more intrusive on the “field of view.” I find that guys who typically don’t “trust” RDS tend to run the absolute co-witness mounts so that the irons are easier to use in an emergency.
Everything is a trade-off and I trust my RDS as much as any other high quality gear item I run on my rifles. Anything, no matter how expensive or tried and true, can fail at the worst possible moment and having multiple back up plans is always a good thing. So there you have it – a great reason to get you and your rifles out to the range to test and make sure everything is adjusted appropriately.
High or Low: How to Wear a Chest Rig
I will always choose to train without a chest rig when possible. However, there are times when a chest rig is a must in order to have enough magazines on hand. I prefer to run a reload or two on my belt but sometimes chest rigs are just unavoidable. So, if you have to wear a chest rig, you might as well have one that really works for you and give some thought as to how you wear it.
This chest rig is being worn low on the chest where it can interfere with items on your belt like your handgun or spare magazines.
High or Low
Many people wear chest rigs so low that I wonder if it would be more accurate to call them gut rigs. It is true that the lower the chest rig is, the faster and easier you will be able to access magazines but that is not the only consideration with a chest rig. You must also account for a few ergonomic considerations.
When you shoot a rifle from the prone position, there is a natural space between your upper chest and the ground since you are up on your elbows. If you wear your chest rig too low, it will be wedged under your stomach which can be uncomfortable. If you can move it higher on your chest, it will slip up into the natural space between your chest and the ground, allowing you to get lower and stay comfortable.
A higher chest rig is also less likely to interfere with items on your belt like reloads and your handgun. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people training with chest rig straps covering their handgun. They would never be able to access it if they needed it. Simply moving the chest rig higher will prevent interfering with items on the belt and interfering with the draw stroke.
Wearing the chest rig higher on the chest keeps it from interfering with items on your belt and makes it more comfortable when prone.
Making Low Work
If you do have to wear your chest rig lower, there are some things that you will address. First, make sure that you keep it clear of items on your belt. This may mean that you have to use a drop holster to keep your handgun clear of straps (there are considerations for how to wear these as well). You may also need to figure out a way to lower any reloads that you keep on your belt as well
Second, keep your chest rig as thin as possible. You do not want a lot of bulk down around your stomach line where you will have lay on it in the prone and where it will block your draw stroke. If you do need to place something bulky on your chest rig, make sure it isn’t over your handgun.
Conclusion
I prefer to place my chest rig as high as I can while still being able to access the magazines and without interfering with shouldering a rifle. This may make magazine access slightly slower for some (magazine management can help mitigate this) but overall it is a better solution.