swat magazine 2004.01

JANUARY 2004

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®

S.W.A.T. EXPANDS AGAIN! NOW 100 PAGES OF ACTION!

WIN!WIN!FIVE DAYS IN SHOOTER’S HEAVEN:

THE FINAL URBAN RIFLE CLASS AT THUNDER RANCH!

COLT’S GUNSITE PISTOL

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H&K’S ADVANCED MEDIC COURSEOn The Cutting Edge

VALHALLA TRAINING CENTERReality Based Training Finds A Hi-Tech Home

HS PRECISION’SSHORT TACTICAL RIFLEPrecision Meets Portability

THUNDER RANCH’S HIGH INTENSITY

TACTICSPistol And Rifle

SPAIN’S UEIStanding Guard

Against Terrorism

H&K’S ADVANCED MEDIC COURSEOn The Cutting Edge

VALHALLA TRAINING CENTERReality Based Training Finds A Hi-Tech Home

HS PRECISION’SSHORT TACTICAL RIFLEPrecision Meets Portability

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warriors, protecting the handsof freedom and enabling theweapons of the American oper-ators and those of our allies.

Beneath the rubble in New Yorkand Virginia and in the charredashes of Pennsylvania lay our

brothers, sisters and friends– the most recentAmerican victims of thismonstrous evil.

For those who committedthese ghastly crimes, yourdays are numbered. Wewill find you and bring youto justice or before your

God. Our cause is right-eous and ourcourage unmatched.Be warned. We’recoming for you.

On September 11, 2001, warcame to America. Today weconfront an evil army of fanat-ics with a resolve not seensince World War II. Fighting thisenemy is a new breed ofheroes – our military units,police officers, firefighters,EMT’s and other dedicatedpublic safety professionals.

As we prosecute thiswar, our professionalswill have available anew class of topquality tacticalgloves:HellStorm™ byBlackHawk®Industries. Weare proud tobe equippingthese brave

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4 S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004 www.swatmag.com

22TAURUS’ MILLENNIUM PROThe Next GenerationBY DENNY HANSEN

40THE S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEMCutting Edge, Reality-Based Combative TrainingBY ROB PINCUS

46VALHALLA TRAINING CENTERHigh Tech Training FacilityBY DENNY HANSEN

50WIN A FIVE DAY URBAN RIFLECOURSE AT THUNDER RANCH!

52HS PRECISION’S SHORT TACTICAL RIFLEPrecision Meets ManeuverabilityBY DAVID M. FORTIER

56HECKLER & KOCH’S ADVANCEDTACTICS & MEDICINE COURSEOn The Cutting EdgeBY LAWRENCE E. HEISKELL, M.D., FACEP, FAAFP

60THE DYNAMIC DUOThunder Ranch’s Pistol And Urban Rifle HighIntensity TacticsBY TIGER MCKEE

64COLT’S GUNSITE PISTOLContinuing The LegacyBY BRENT T. WHEAT

LINE-UP

22

56ON THE COVER: A member of the UEI armed with the 5.56mmSIG-Sauer Commando assault rifle. Note the various aiming devicesmounted on this weapon. Photo Courtesy of Spain's Unidad Especialde Intervencion.

40

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S.W.A.T.® (ISSN# 1062-2365) Volume 23, Number 1, January 2004. Published monthly, except February, July and November by Group One Enterprises, Inc.5011 North Ocean Blvd., Suite 5, Ocean Ridge, FL 33435. Copyright 2003 by Group One Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproducedin whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, photographs, etc., if they are to bereturned, and Group One Enterprises, Inc. assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. All letters sent to S.W.A.T. will be treated as unconditionallyassigned for publication and copyright purposes and are subject to S.W.A.T.’s right to edit and comment editorially. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: For sub-scription customer service, call (800) 673-4595. A one-year subscription is $26.95 (9 issues). Foreign subscriptions add $15.00 U.S. funds. Back issues are $8each, postage and taxes included. (California and Ohio add applicable sales tax.) These prices represent S.W.A.T.’s standard subscription rate and should not beconfused with special subscription offers sometimes advertised. Change of address: Allow six weeks advance notice and send in both your old and new address-es. ATTN POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: S.W.A.T. Magazine, PO Box 16207, North Hollywood, CA 91615. Periodicals postage is paid at BoyntonBeach, FL and additional mailing offices. S.W.A.T. is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Group One Enterprises, Inc. Printed in the USA.

COLUMNS6BRIEFING ROOMSmith & Wesson Announces RecallBY DENNY HANSEN

18UP CLOSE AND PERSONALSituational AwarenessBY JEFF GONZALES

28STREET SMARTSDon’t Hurry!BY BRENT WHEAT

44ENEMY AT THE GATEBecause We Need Proof: The Writing OfThe State Vs. The PeopleBY RICHARD W. STEVENS

98TRAINING AND TACTICSEngage Your BrainBY LOUIS AWERBUCK

DEPARTMENTS8MAIL ROOMLetters from Our Readers

12LAWFUL CARRYGalco’s Small of Back HolsterBY FLINT HANSEN

32LONG GUNSFN’s Self-Loading Police ShotgunBY LEROY THOMPSON

36THE SKUNK WORKSArmacel Body ArmorBY EUGENE NIELSEN

90OFFBEATMotorola’s TalkAbout RadiosBY DENNY HANSEN

92GEAR LOCKERNew Products and Accessories

95ADVERTISERS’ INFORMATION

97TRAINING CALENDAR

68THE AN/PVS-17BMINI NIGHT VISIONSIGHTBY PATRICK A. ROGERS

74A RIFLE FOR HOME DEFENSEPros and ConsBY WALT RAUCH

77YAVAPAI FIREARMSACADEMY STAGE 1 SHOTGUNSomething For EveryoneBY DENNIS BATEMAN

80WILSON TACTICALPRECISION RIFLEDurable And AccurateBY PAUL G. MARKEL

83TRIDENT CONCEPTSTEAM TACTICSCOURSEThe Strength Of The Wolf Is In The PackBY STEVE MOSES

86SPAIN’S UEIStanding Guard AgainstTerrorismBY EITAN MEYR

83

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S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004 5www.swatmag.com

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6 S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004

THE

TEAMPUBLISHER

Richard J. Lucibella

EDITORDenny Hansen

PRODUCTION DIRECTORKathleen Allard

ART DIRECTORBetty Wendt

COPY EDITORDennis Bateman

CIRCULATION DIRECTORRichard Convertito

FINANCE DIRECTORLouis J. Paffumi

LAW ENFORCEMENT CONSULTANTBrent Wheat

TACTICAL CONSULTANTLouis Awerbuck

TRAINING CONSULTANTRob Pincus

CONTRIBUTING STAFFR.K. Campbell , Ashley C. Emerson

David Fortier, Jeff GonzalesFlint Hansen, Steve Malloy

Tiger McKee, Eitan Meyr Eugene Nielsen, Patrick A. Rogers Clint Smith, Richard W. Stevens

Leroy Thompson

WEBSITE TECHNOLOGYJustin Guyett

ADVERTISING SALESphone: 800-665-SWAT

email: [email protected]

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EDITORIALINFORMATIONFor editorial submissions, pressreleases or questions, contact theeditor at:3025 N. Valley View Dr., Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 or by email at:[email protected]

BRIEFING ROOMSmith & Wesson Announces Recall

The cover story for the October issue was Smith & Wesson’s 1911 pistol.While the review was generally favorable, it has been brought to ourattention that certain pistols have been subjected to a recall.

The subject of the recall is that in a very small number of cases, the firingpin safety plunger of the SW1911 pistol can become disabled, creating a situ-ation where the slide may jam and render the firearm inoperable. The recallpertains to Smith & Wesson Model SW1911 pistols bearing serial numbersJRD0000 to JRD4750. To date, none of these cases have resulted in any injury,and Smith & Wesson has not received any reports of any accidental dis-charge associated with the functioning of the firing pin safety plunger. Whilethe company has not received any reports of injury, a failure of the firing pinsafety plunger may affect the reliability and safety of your firearm.

If your pistol falls within the above serial number range, contact Smith &Wesson. For more information, see their website at www.smith-wesson.com,or call them toll free at (800) 331-0852.

For almost a year there have been rumors that the military will be adopt-ing a new 6mm cartridge to replace the 5.56 round in AR-style weapons. It’sno longer just a rumor. The new cartridge will be known as the 6.8 Reming-ton SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge).

Rather than jump into something which is relatively new and perhapsreport the facts wrong (enough of that has already occurred on the “error-net” and elsewhere), S.W.A.T. has elected to wait and bring our readers thestraight scoop from those whose efforts were either instrumental or involvedin the actual R&D that helped to bring this project to its completion.

We can tell you that the 6.8x43 will fall somewhere between the 5.56 and7.62 (.308) loads. Recoil and controllability will be similar to the 5.56 but ter-minal performance will be substantially improved. Existing thirty-roundM16 magazines can be modified to work with the new round. Ammunitionavailability at this time is an unknown, but availability will undoubtedly bedetermined by demand for the new round. The 6.8 Remington SPC will notbe restricted to military or law enforcement. The cost of weapon systemsshould be comparable to existing AR-style rifles.

In addition to an article on the cartridge itself, we hope to feature an evalu-ation of one of the new rifles made for it.

Until next time, stay low and watch your back.

www.swatmag.com

ISCLAIMERtain products represented in this magazine may be subject to prohibitions, restrictions or special licensing

sale, possession or interstate transport. If this annoys you, Get Involved...support the Bill of Rights...all ofm! In the meantime, check with local and federal authorities regarding legality of purchase, possession andnsport. The information described and portrayed in this magazine is based upon personal experience of thehor, under specific conditions and circumstances. Due to time and space constraints, the entire author’serience may not be reported or otherwise verified. Nothing in these pages should be construed to substitute

a manufacturer’s manual or for professional firearms training. This magazine, its officers, agents andployees accept no responsibility for any liability, injuries or damages arising from any person’s attempt to upon the information contained herein. Responsible shooters always seek formal training.


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THE ARTICLE NAMEMAIL ROOM

MILITEC-1 GUN LUBEDear S.W.A.T.,

I’ve found a gun lubricant that I likewell enough to tell other shootersabout. It’s called Militec-1. “Good” gunlubes are all pretty much the same—all“good”. However, everything I’ve triedthis Militec-1 on has noticeablyimproved, gotten quieter, and MUCHslicker. I’ve noticed a real difference inmy Marlin 1894. I’ve even put this lubeon my knives and it’s worked muchbetter than anything else I’ve tried.(Especially on my “automatics”.)

I wrote the company with somequestions, and they sent me a few littlesample bottles of the stuff to give myfriends. If you have an AR-15, the littleplastic bottle is small enough to fit inthe “butt-stock” compartment.

I’m not trying to sell anything here,but I think the lube is so good I wantedeveryone to know.Thank you,W. Mattingly, e-mail

Thanks for the passing on your resultswith Militec-1. Actually, several membersof the S.W.A.T. staff have used Militec-1

and have also been pleased with its per-formance.

ANOTHER VIEWPOINTDear S.W.A.T.,

I would like to respond to Enemy AtThe Gate: Save a Life, Go to Jail in theSeptember, 2003 issue. Perhaps I canoffer a different point of view on this.

In Canada, our gun laws prohibiteven the pointing of a firearm withouta lethal force being presented. In thearticle, it does not mention whether ornot the intruder was armed with any-thing likely to cause serious bodilyharm or death. Essentially it doesn’tmatter. Someone breaks into yourhome, threatens your children, youshould respond. Perhaps, though, aless-lethal option might have kept himout of legal hot water. Handguns are arestricted firearm in Canada (you musthave a special permit to carry one), butthere are still several ways of defend-ing your home. The old adage of walksoftly, and carry a big stick is as truetoday as when it was first uttered. AnASP, or other expandable baton is aviable option, as is a length of hockey

stick, baseball bat, or just about any-thing else that won’t break. Pepperspray (OC) is also available, reasonablyinexpensive, and only lethal to thosewho are allergic to peppers. Stun-guns,such as the Taser are also available. Ican’t imagine anything more devastat-ing than having their kids taken awayfrom them.

Everyone, without exception, has theright, responsibility, and obligation toprotect their family, their homes, andthemselves. Doing it smartly and withthe least amount of force necessary,however, will keep you from going tojail while doing so.Sincerely,A. Lillie, Ontario, Canada

SURVIVAL KIT LISTDear S.W.A.T.,

In the August 2003 issue it showedus the emergency pack recommendedby S.W.A.T. The article did not have alist of items that were contained in thekit. If you have any clue of what I amtalking about please reply.Thank you,S. Szabunka, New York


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MAIL ROOM

There was no list per se printed with thearticle. Since Ashley Emerson’s article onsurvival kits was close to five pages inlength, space does not allow us to go into agreat amount of detail here. Suffice to saythat all of the items mentioned in the arti-cle are either in one the author’s personalkits, or contained within his vehicle.

IS S.W.A.T. RACIST?Dear S.W.A.T.,

Although I normally enjoy readingevery article in every issue, I wasdeeply disturbed by the opening pageof the article on the M1 Carbine in theSeptember issue. On page 72, in thethird line of the Marine’s note appearsthe word “Chink.”

I’m simply appalled that in the 21st

Century a normally superb publicationwould let something so blatantly racistslip through without correction. Thereare many other words, like man orenemy, which could have been used,replacing a word whose only meaningsmacks of bigotry.

I’m extremely offended by the use ofthe word “chink.” Perhaps this givesme some deeper insight into the per-

sonality of the editor and others behindthe scenes at S.W.A.T. Magazine.L. Neely, California

You’re offended? OK, that makes useven. I have been called a lot of things by alot of people, but the insinuation that I’m aracist has never been one of them.

Yes, the decision to leave the word“Chink” in the article was my call. Those

words were written by an officer in theUnited States Marine Corps in an after-action report.

I can assure you, for what it’s worth,that no one at S.W.A.T. is a racist. Theother side of the coin, however, is that werefuse to rewrite history—and the words ofa United States Marine—for the sake ofpolitical correctness.Denny Hansen

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THE ARTICLE NAME

When I am carrying off duty Ireally need to step back andtake a look at what is on the

agenda for the day. Is it something for-mal? Am I working on the ranch? Whatare my needs or possible threats?

If it’s ranch work the need is a goodhorse, a long rope and a rifle (forvarmints). If I’m in town—and thevarmints may be the two-legged vari-ety—I think that concealed carry is thebest way to go.

The other day I was in my local gunshop and thought I might take a look attheir selection of holsters—never a goodidea if I have my wallet with me. Canyou see this coming? I left the store witha Galco S.O.B.™ (small of back) holstermade for a 1911 pistol and my walletabout $70.00 lighter.

The S.O.B. holster has some good fea-tures as well as some drawbacks. Theholster is made of very strong, sturdy

leather. The inside of the holster hasleather strips on each side of the sightforming a sight track, which protects thesight and prevents the sight dragging onthe draw stroke.

The body of the holster is one piece ofleather that is molded to the exact fit ofthe weapon it is designed to carry. It isglued together and then double stitchedwith heavy nylon thread. The bottombelt loop, which is an integral part of theholster, will fit belts up to 1-3/4 incheswide. This loop is roughly a quarter ofan inch wide, making threading a beltthrough the loop very easy. The top partof the holster is reinforced with a secondpiece of leather to stiffen the throat ofthe holster and form the second (top)belt loop. The holster also features a ten-sion screw adjustment. When attachedto a belt, the holster rides in the small ofthe back (hence the name) at approxi-mately a fifteen degree angle.

LAWFUL CARRY

BY FLINT HANSEN

GALCO’SSMALL OF BACK

HOLSTER

top: The Galco S.O.B. is weapon specific, being form-fitted to theweapon it is designed to carry.

above: The back side of the GalcoSOB. Note the belt loop is formedfrom the same piece of leather thatreinforces the throat of the holster.



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LAWFUL CARRY

Earlier in this article I spoke of prosand cons of the S.O.B. and I’ll explainmy personal thoughts.

PROSIn my opinion, the best thing about

the S.O.B. is that it conceals very well.Riding in the small of the back—wheremost people have a natural indenta-tion—makes this holster very hard tospot. It simply does not print on mostfolks. Consequently, if the bad guy does-n’t know you’re armed you have theadvantage of surprise if things take aturn for the worst.

CONSGalco’s catalog states, “For extended

comfort the S.O.B. is the superiorchoice.” While that may be true formany people, I found the S.O.B. to beuncomfortable while sitting for extend-ed periods of time—such as when driv-ing. If one were to be confronted whileseated in a vehicle, such as in a carjackscenario, performing a fast draw strokewould be all but impossible.

On numerous occasions over theyears I have heard remarks about theS.O.B. (and similar designs) that if youfall down on your back you can breakyour back. Of course if you wear a hol-ster on your hip and fall on something,you could possibly break your hip. Ifyou wear an inverted shoulder holsterand disregard Rule Three, you mayshoot yourself in the armpit. You mayeven go blind by reading this article.

While all of the above are possible,none are very likely. I know a retireddeputy that actually traced down oneversion of the “S.O.B. breaking the back”story. He asked for verification aboutwho it had happened to. The gist of itwent something like, “Bill told me about

The Galco S.O.B. rides in the naturalindentation formed by the back. Whenproperly positioned it rides slightly tothe right of the spine (for a right-handedshooter)


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LAWFUL CARRY

it.” When Bill was asked he said, “Ohyeah. Joe mentioned that incident tome.” etc. When the conversation final-ly reached the starting point, the ini-tiator said, “I never said it had hap-pened. I was just wondering if it couldhappen.”

Actually, when properly positioned,the majority of the S.O.B. and thehandgun ride to the right of the spine(on a right-handed shooter), severelylimiting the possibility of breaking theback if a fall should occur.

The small of the back holster maybe a possibility for you if you haveproblems with your current rig print-ing. Like all new carry styles, theS.O.B. requires time and practice—work out problems at home or on therange before you go on the street withit.

Over all I found the Galco S.O.B. tobe a high quality holster that per-forms its intended function very well.�

SOURCE:Galco International Ltd.Dept. S.W.A.T.2019 W. Quail Ave.Phoenix, AZ 85027(602) 258-8295www.usgalco.com


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THE ARTICLE NAME

What if you could predict mostviolent encounters secondsbefore they occurred?

Change the question into a statementand now think about being one stepahead as the event unfolds. I can assureyou this is not only possible, but alsoactually quite simple. It is called bymany names, but basically it is nothingmore than paying attention to your sur-roundings or situational awareness. Thepurpose behind such techniques can besummed up as, “Avoid being sur-prised.” If we are surprised our abilityto affect a successful response is greatlyhindered. Surprise adversely affects asuccessful response. Situational aware-ness increases our response time by let-ting us begin sooner. When we canincrease our response time by starting torespond earlier, we gain control over aportion of the event and our actions.Understanding situational awareness,the different types of environments and

pre-incident indicators can allow you tocreate contingency plans, whichincrease your level of safety.

Situational awareness starts withfocused attention. Stay focused on thecurrent situation, such as driving towork or walking to the bank. This focusis directed at your surroundings, beingmindful of what does and does notbelong. Take the time to actually look atthings and not just glance over them.Pick up the subtle differences, or thefolks who are not paying attention toyou. Remember your personal safetydoesn’t just center on violent encoun-ters, it also encompasses daily activi-ties. I see the greatest benefits to situa-tional awareness while driving. Payingattention to the road is only part of it—paying attention to the other vehiclesaround you while on the road is thekey. This situational awareness takes ona different attitude. This attitude isproactive in nature and intended to

identify potential dangers in advance.Ultimately we want to avoid dis-tracters, which can come in a variety offorms. Anything that takes your focusoff the situation is a distracter: a cellphone call, changing the channel onyour stereo, or someone asking you fordirections, etc.

An important aspect to understand isthat the environment controls the levelof awareness. In other words there areareas where your alertness must behigh and there are situations where itcan be low. Identifying these in advancewill allow you to be in the appropriatecondition at the time. It boils down tounderstanding the totality of the situa-tion—the big picture. There are differ-ent levels of safe environments and youneed to correctly identify them.

Let us talk about safe havens. Yourhome, place of work or other familiarenvironment may provide a level ofsecurity which permits less alertness.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

SITUATIONAL AWARENESSBY JEFF GONZALES


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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Here you can let down your guard tosome degree.

On the other side of the equation aredanger areas. These are locations youhave identified as having a higher ele-ment of risk. In these areas you must beon high alert or an alert proportionateto the situation. Once you have identi-fied your safe havens and danger areasyou can be in more control of yourfocus and direct it better. Keep in mindthat just because you have identifiedsomething as a safe haven or dangerarea doesn’t mean it will stay that wayfor eternity—be capable of assessingand reassessing as necessary.

The next step is looking for pre-inci-dent indicators. These are the subtleclues that something is awry. There areseveral different examples, but any-thing that attempts to manipulate yourequires greater scrutiny. In the samebreath, anything that is inappropriate tothe situation should also get a closerlook. If you have your hands full walk-ing to the car and somebody asks youfor the time, it is inappropriate. Therewill be a great deal of intuitive recogni-tion, which is nothing more than honor-ing your instincts. You need to identify

some important survivor signals, suchas suspicion. Why is it you are suspi-cious of the person/event? Apprehen-sion is another. Why are you apprehen-sive and looking over your shoulder?And, the most important one, fear. Whyis it you are afraid? While some folkswill look at fear in a negative context,you should only if the fear paralyzesyou. If your fear has taken over yourbody so that you cannot respond, thatis obviously bad. However, fear canalso be used very effectively whenproperly harnessed. You really have tobe in touch with your feelings to followthrough on any of these aspects. Manypeople worry they will be judged asover-reacting, but a degree of prudenceis in order here. It is far more prudentto be cautious than careless.

Once you have obtained this directedfocus and manage to pick up somethingout of the ordinary the natural progres-sion will be developing contingencyplans. Use the, “if he does this, I will dothat” thought process. These do nothave to be elaborate or time consuming,but you should put some thought intowhat you are going to do with theinformation you have gathered. If you

had to select only one important contin-gency I would encourage you to lookfor escapes/exits. At the very least youshould be looking for cover and/orconcealment. It is at this point where Isee most folks who execute good situa-tional awareness falter. They tend toforget the information they just gath-ered.

So, the first step towards increasedsafety is knowing something bad isabout to happen. You may actually seethe event occur, but did you have anywarning? Only through consistent exer-cising of situational awareness can youavoid being surprised. Maintaining afocus on the present and not the pastwill allow you to discern the subtleclues. Adapting the level of alertness tothe environment will provide a thor-ough layer to your security measuresby selecting an appropriate focus ratherthan an all or nothing attitude. Pickingup on the pre-incident indicators andlistening to your intuition will provideyou some time to execute a contingencyplan you formulated based on the avail-able information.

In the end, you cannot do much ifyou don’t see them coming. �


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The Taurus Millenniummay be a good choice forconcealed carry for thosewho prefer a double-action design.

ayear ago I reviewed the TaurusPT-145 Millennium pistol. Over-all I found it to be a reasonably

priced, functional pistol. Taurus has madea few changes since then with the Millen-nium Pro series and I recently receivedone for evaluation.

At first glance there appears to be littledifference between the third generationMillennium Pro series and earlier Millen-nium pistols—but changes have beenmade.

Externally, the serrations on the slideextend further toward the muzzle than onearlier models. Older Millenniums had sixserrations which did not reach the slidelock. This Pro has eight serrations whichstop just above the slide lock.

The grip has been modified slightly for

BY DENNY HANSENthe next generation

TAURUS’MILLENNIUM PRO

Like the earlier Millennium, the Pro has an external extractor that also serves as aloaded chamber indicator that can be seen in daylight and felt in low light.



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better ergonomics and has sharper checker-ing. While the older models had a depres-sion at the top of the grip for the thumb tosit in, the Pro series has a second MemoryPad™ toward the front of the frame. Thethumb safety has been enlarged for morepositive engagement and snaps into placewith a distinct “click.” Like the earlier Mil-lennium, the Pro has an external extractorthat also serves as a loaded chamber indica-tor. The sights are still of the fixed, low pro-file type, but the white dots are larger forquicker acquisition.

Internally, a dual, captured recoil springand guide rod have been added. Taurus’ lit-erature states, “The Millennium Pro’s inter-nal trigger safety virtually eliminates anypossibly of the Pro discharging unless thetrigger is manually released.” OK. I supposethis makes sense for manufacturers in aworld where litigation has become thewatchword of the day, but keeping one’sfinger off the trigger until the sights are ontarget also works very well to prevent negli-gent discharges. Finally, the trigger pull isshorter and smoother than on previous Mil-lennium models.

I examined the Pro inside and out andwas pleased to find that even the interior ofthe pistol had very few machine marks.Overall fit and finish were excellent.

Taurus also sent 500 rounds of the rela-tively new HEX™ Pure Copper Bullets forevaluation. This load was the only commer-cial load tested in the Millennium Pro.

Upon firing the Pro, I found that the trig-ger pull was, indeed, shorter and lighterthan the Millennium tested last year. Alsothe magazine dropped freely from theframe when the release button was pressed.This was not the case with the previous pis-tol. Capacity is ten plus one.

While we’re on the subject of magazines,I’d like to voice a personal pet peeve ofmine. The Millennium Pro, like many otherpistols, is shipped with one magazine. Abox magazine is not an accessory—it is the

The Pro Millennium has more slide serra-tions, and they extend further forward thanon older models.


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pistol’s primary feed device! If itbecomes damaged or lost, a LouisvilleSlugger makes a much better weaponthan an unloaded pistol. I wish all man-ufacturers would begin shipping theirpistols with at least two mags—threewould be better.

Firing the Pro from a two-hand,unsupported Weaver stance yieldedtwo-inch, slow-fire groups from a dis-tance of ten yards. All shots could bekept easily inside the “A” zone of anIDPA target to a distance of twenty-five

yards. The pistol was not tested beyondthat distance.

I also fired some of the HEX™ car-tridges from both of my Kimber 1911sfor a comparison of accuracy. I can saywithout hesitation that these cartridgeswith their pure copper bullets demon-strate accuracy on a par with mostmatch ammo I have ever fired. The light185-grain loads were a pleasure to shootwith felt recoil being very light. Zeromalfunctions were experienced withany of the three handguns.

Tests I have read indicate these bulletspenetrate slightly less than the 12.5-inches claimed in the Taurus literature,going something more like 11.5 in baregelatin and around 11 inches when shotthrough layered denim. Unknown fac-tors, such as barrel length, may be thesource of the discrepancy. Whether ornot an inch, more or less, is important isa question each person must answerbased on what they envision they mayencounter in their personal situation.These bullets expand fairly reliably to

The interior of the pistol had a distinct lack of machine marks.





around .70 caliber. Personally, I wouldnot hesitate to carry this load for personalprotection.

In summary the Taurus MillenniumPro should prove to be a reliable hand-gun for home defense or concealed carry.It’s relatively light, easy to conceal andcarries a total capacity of eleven roundsof battle-proven .45 ACP. �

SOURCE:Taurus International Mfg. Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.16175 N.W. 49th AvenueMiami, FL 33014(800) 327-3776www.taurususa.com

SPECIFICATIONS, TAURUS MILLENNIUM PRO

Manufacturer Taurus InternationalModel Millennium Pro PT-145 (145BP)Caliber .45 ACPFinish Blue steel or matte stainless slideAction Double-action onlyCapacity 10 + 1Barrel Length 3.27”Sights Fixed 3-dotOverall Length 6”Weight 23 oz.Suggested Retail $508.00Suggested Retail, HEX Bullets $19.00 per box of 20

The white dots on the sights are largeron the new Pro series for quickeracquisition.

from left to right:The top of a Taurus HEX™Pure Copper Bullet com-pared to a Federal Hydra-Shok.

A recovered HEX™ bullet.This load will averageabout eleven inches ofpenetration and expand toaround .70 caliber.


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THE ARTICLE NAME

“When he told us to hurryup, things kinda fellapart.”

That is an actual quote from a fel-low tactical team member during theafter-action debriefing of a recenttraining mission. Our team hadarrived at a large commercial dogkennel to sort out an angry formeremployee who had decided to takethe owner hostage as a means ofextracting revenge and perhapsbecause of chronic PMS. Aside fromthe 75-year-old neighbor womanwho insisted on taking close-up pic-tures of our sniper hide, the scenariowas very realistic and challenging.

There were a few minor glitches

(as there always are) but everyonehad performed well. The entry teamreceived special praise for shuckingoff all their equipment except pistolsand worming through a small, unse-cured dog door to surprise the sus-pect. When the suspect turnedaround after talking on the hostage-negotiation phone, she screamed andnearly had a "real-world" infarctionwhen she saw the four silent, camou-flaged men pointing guns at her froma few feet away.

One of the minor glitches notedwas that the team who delivered thehostage phone forgot to tell thesniper element that they were mov-ing. This can be disconcerting to pre-

cision riflemen when they suddenlysee their buddy's melon in thecrosshairs.

As we debriefed, this faux pas wasmentioned and the phone elementleader made the previously notedquote as way of explanation. It wasn'ta big problem, but his commentstruck a chord. As anyone who hasever participated in a law enforce-ment or military operation wouldundoubtedly agree, "When they toldus to hurry, things started to fallapart."

Consider your own experience. Itis likely there were many spur-of-the-moment operations that wentwell purely because of a huge dose of

STREET SMARTS

DON’T HURRY!BY BRENT T. WHEAT


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Ms. Luck. Regardless if the circum-stance is a full-blown SWAT callout,a couple of officers clearing a resi-dential burglary alarm or whenwalking up to a suspicious personloitering around your car, it is glar-ingly apparent that the idea of "hastemakes waste" deserves special atten-tion when operating in dangeroussocial circumstances.

The pressure behind a tickingclock comes from the fear of beingbehind the power curve. We are allafraid of being the second fastestgun in the west or missing theroundhouse left because we were tooslow to react. However, the ironicfact is that too much concern aboutspeed actually reduces your skillsrather than providing a luxury ofextra time in which to prepare.

I once worked with a boss whowas outstanding in every way exceptthat he was a volcano when badthings were happening. He wasfamous for shouting obscenity-laceddiatribes over the radio to expresshis displeasure at the fact that it tookmore than a few minutes for the tac-tical team members to leave theirhomes and assemble in the middleof the night. After one incidentwhere a junior team member endedup serving as de facto team leader inthe command post, we realized thatsomething had to change.

In our case, we made a new rulethat the team would assemble atheadquarters and travel to the scenerather than arrive piecemeal and beimmediately thrust into the situationbecause someone wanted the prob-lem resolved yesterday. This rule hasprevented much confusion and pos-sibly bloodshed since that time.

On a personal level, individualsand small groups often put unrealis-tic and unsafe time stress uponthemselves because of factors suchas peer pressure or even impatience.When faced with a problem such asclearing a home that has been bur-glarized, officers who are worriedabout finishing quickly to take anoverdue dinner break are puttingthemselves at great risk.

The take-away on this issue is thefact that when you find yourselfbeing terribly pressed for time, youneed to take a few seconds anddecide if the pressure is legitimatelyrelated to a successful resolution ofthe problem or just someone being

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STREET SMARTS

impatient. In most cases it is the lat-ter. In many cases, the impatient oneis you.

There are many reasons to hurry,such as to gain tactical advantage orsituations that have gone bad andrequire immediate action. Thesetimes it is permissible and maybeeven required to charge into harm'sway without adequate preparationor every piece of available equip-ment. However, you must be readyto make an instantaneous and accu-rate assessment of the cost/benefitratio of jumping into something lessprepared versus waiting until every-thing is organized and ready.

This follows Col. Jeff Cooper ’sCombat Triad of “Speed, Power, andAccuracy.” One example of this triadis the idea that a powerful, accurateshot delivered too late is uselesswhile a quick shot that misses itsmark entirely is likewise pointless.We have to balance all the compet-ing factors when choosing aweapon, deciding upon a tactic orchoosing when to act. If we give toomuch credence to any one leg of thetriad, the equation goes askew andone of the good guys is likely toacquire a painful third nostril.

If a hostage taker has suddenlygone mobile, you might find your-self running down the street whiletrying to buckle a web belt andsimultaneously develop a plan.However, if you find yourself run-ning and disheveled simply becausea supervisor is screaming for actionwhen none is immediately neces-sary, it is time to slow down, even ifeveryone else is running around likethe proverbial chicken minus itscabasa.

One of the best pieces of tacticaladvice this writer has ever receivedwas from a fellow cop who hadattended two semesters at the Uni-versity Of Vietnam School Of War-fare in 1969. His standard advice formany situations, tactical and other-wise, was “walk slow and drink alot of water.”

The saying is simple but doescover a plethora of problems andcircumstances. While the benefits ofproper hydration are important, theadmonishment to move carefullyand deliberately in dicey times issomething to remember.

Never be in a hurry to get to yourown funeral. �


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THE ARTICLE NAMELONG GUNS

FN’sSELF-LOADING POLICE SHOTGUN

with the availability of the FN Special Police Rifle,the Five-seveN pistol, and the P90 SMG, FN USAhas achieved substantial acceptance among tactical

police units. FN shotguns have also made some inroads into thepolice shotgun market. The FN Police shotgun has offered areasonably priced pump shotgun for patrol officers, while theFN Tactical Police offers a shotgun for tactical units that sharemany features with the M4 Carbine. In addition to these twopump shotguns, FN also offers its Self-Loading Police, a tacticalauto-loading shotgun.

The market for self-loading tactical shotguns has grown aslaw enforcement agencies have adopted self-loading pistols.The Remington 11-87P has a well-deserved reputation as a reli-able, durable auto-loading shotgun, while among tactical units,the fast handling Benelli M1 and M3 have always been popular,though their more complicated loading drill has generallymade them unsuitable for general issue. The Beretta 1201 alsohas achieved some success but, as with other Italian self-load-ing shotguns, its loading drill is less straightforward than the11-87P. The FN Self-Loading Police, however, is an auto-loadingtactical shotgun suitable for patrol, tactical usage or homedefense.

Based on the Winchester Super X2 self-loading shotgun, theFN Self-Loading Police incorporates a proven action with some

BY LEROY THOMPSON

Recoil is low and the Self-Loading Police is very fasthandling. Note that theshotgun is still on targeteven though it has justcycled.

Seven yard pattern withFederal 00 Tactical BuckShot is quite good.


LONG GUNS


cosmetic improvements that enhance itstactical effectiveness. I consider one ofthe most important aspects of an auto-loading combat shotgun to be the abili-ty to chamber a cartridge just by rack-ing back the bolt and releasing it. Thisis possible with the Self-Loading Police.Another important aspect of the Self-Loading Police is that it is gas operatedas opposed to recoil operated; hence, itcushions recoil, an advantage in train-ing police officers, many of whom willhave not fired a shotgun before. Justthese two basic aspects of its actionmake FN’s autoloader appealing as acombat shotgun, but there are other fea-tures well worthy of note.

It is chambered for the 3 inch Mag-num round, but works fine with 2-3/4inch loads. The standard barrel lengthis eighteen inches, though a fourteen-inch version is available for entryteams. Overall length for the eighteen-inch version is 38.75 inches and weightis 7.75 lbs. Total capacity is seven—sixin the magazine plus one in the cham-ber. In line with FN’s commitment todesigning its combat shotguns to be asuser-friendly as possible, the Self-Load-ing Police has a length of pull of 13.5

inches to allow it to be used more com-fortably with body armor. This alsomakes it easier for smaller officers touse it. Nevertheless, I have fired theSelf-Loading Police without bodyarmor and found it quite comfortable toshoot.

An especially useful feature is thePicatinny rail, which comes with anadjustable ghost ring sight affixed. Thissight is an excellent compromise for fir-ing slugs or for fast target acquisitionwith buckshot. However, should anagency wish to remove it and attach anoptical sight, it can be done quite easily.To lend versatility in ammunitionchoice, the Self-Loading Police uses theInvector choke system so that theagency or individual user can tailor thegun to its mission.

The crossbolt safety is located at therear of the trigger guard. The boltrelease is relatively well located at thefront of the receiver where it can beoperated by the trigger finger if thehand is slid forward.

By incorporating quick detachablesling swivels, FN allows the Self-Load-ing Police to be easily set up with vari-ous types of slings to suit its use by tac-

tical units or patrol officers who mayhave to quickly sling it to transition tothe handgun or to carry out other mis-sions. Officers doing any type of ruraldrug suppression or operations whereit may be necessary to climb or maneu-ver in rough terrain will also appreciatea sling on a tactical shotgun.

Durability is enhanced by a blackcomposite stock and forearm whichhave a Dura-Touch armor coating. Thechamber and bore are chrome-lined toaid corrosion resistance, while theexternal metal parts have a matte blackfinish.

Firing the Self-Loading Police causedme to be even more impressed with it.The front post sight with white dot hasprotective ears on each side and in com-bination with the ghost ring allows fastacquisition. I have tested it with FederalTactical Hydra-Shok Slugs, Federal Tac-tical 00 Buckshot and Federal Tactical000 Buckshot. With the slugs, firingprone, I fired a three-shot, two and onehalf inch group, certainly adequate forhome-defense, or a patrol shotgun thatmight be used as an emergency countersniper anti-vehicular weapon.

Federal’s 00 Buckshot is normally

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very accurate, though some cylinder boreshotguns will shoot a bit better with thelarger 000 Buckshot load. The Self-Load-ing Police did quite well with both, butthe 00 Buckshot loads were especiallyimpressive. At seven yards I consistentlygot 00 Buck patterns as low as three inch-es and ten yard patterns of five inches orless. For a shotgun that has not beenchoked by The Shotgun Shop, ROBAR,Scattergun Technologies or other special-ists, this is more than acceptable.

I fired seventy-five rounds through theSelf-Loading Police, all of which fed reli-ably. Using the Federal 00 Tactical Buckon Pepper Poppers at seven, ten, and fif-teen yards, I found the FN handled quick-ly and allowed rapid target acquisition.Handling characteristics, including use ofthe safety and bolt handle, were easilycarried out without looking at theweapon. The thick recoil pad and gasoperated action make this an extremelypleasant shotgun to shoot, though I havenot yet fired it with three inch Magnumloads.

The Self-Loading Police, in my opinion,does have one negative feature. The bolthandle is too small should one have toclear a stuck round from the chamber or

The Self-Loading Police’sadjustable ghost ring andPicatinny rail offer excellentoptions for accurate shooting.

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LONG GUNS

when using gloves. This is a commonproblem with many auto-loading shot-guns, including the Remington 11-87.

Overall, I think the FN Self-LoadingPolice offers a very viable combat shot-gun, one which can compete withRemington’s 11-87P for the self-loadingtactical shotgun market. It is easy toshoot, may be kept loaded without around chambered yet ready to bedeployed by just racking the bolt han-dle, and incorporates features thatenhance its combat capability. For anout-of-the-box shotgun, the Self-Load-ing Police patterns extremely well,aided by the very usable adjustableghost ring sight. As with FN’s otherpolice weapons, the Self-LoadingPolice shows a real commitment tooffering deadly tools for the military orlaw enforcement professional. �

SOURCE:FNH USA, Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 697Mclean, VA 22101(703) 288-1292www.fnhusa.com



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Armacel Armor Corporation hasintroduced a new line of men’sand women’s concealable vests

and tactical body armor. ArmacelArmor may not be a household nameyet, but its body armor is on the cuttingedge of armor technology.

I have been using an Armacel LevelIIIA concealable vest for several years. Ihave found it unmatched in comfort forthe level of protection it provides—until now. Armacel has made furtherenhancements that now allow theirvests to be even lighter and thinner.This translates into even greater com-fort and mobility than ever before.

I recently replaced my Armacel LevelIIIA concealable vest with a new Arma-cel concealable vest in Level IIIA withLevel III frontal protection (a removableArmacel Level III strike plate). I amexceptionally happy with the new vest.

What sets Armacel armor apart fromother armor technologies is a unique,

proprietary material called Lexcel.Developed by Armacel, Lexcel is a revo-lutionary lightweight composite formu-lation that has ushered in a new era inballistic and fragmentation protection.Lexcel offers numerous advantages overprevious armoring technologies.

Lexcel is unmatched in its versatility.It can be produced as a flexible materialfor use in concealable ballistic vests andtactical armor, or fused into a dense,unyielding plate for use in strike plates,tactical (ballistic) shields, ballistic brief-case inserts, aircraft and vehicle armor,and helmets. It’s waterproof and slight-ly buoyant in water. It’s also resistant toultraviolet rays and the most common-ly encountered chemicals. It resistssevere impacts, cutting and abrasion.

Lexcel is exceptionally lightweightand thin for the level of protection itprovides. For example, a Lexcel ballisticpanel providing NIJ Level IIIA protec-tion has an area density of just 0.75

lbs/sq ft (pounds per square foot). ALexcel ballistic panel providing NIJLevel III protection has an area densityof 3.6 lbs/sq. ft. The Level III Lexcelpanel is only 0.75-inch thick.

Area density is the most accuratemethod for comparing different ballisticpanels, since weights can vary depend-ing on the size of the panel. Area densi-ty is the weight in pounds of onesquare foot of the material without anycarrier. It’s the standard method forcomparison that’s utilized by NIJ.

The Lexcel ballistic panels utilized inall of Armacel’s vests and tactical bodyarmor are certified to NIJ Standard0101.04. The ballistic panels aredesigned to protect the upper body’svital organs against ballistic penetrationfrom all angles. The Lexcel material isresistant to attack by edged weaponsand fragments from explosions. Thelight weight of Lexcel provides greatcomfort and mobility for the wearer.

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The ballistic panels are removable foreasy care.

A unique feature of Armacel vests isthe exclusive C/T-Shield. The C/T-Shield is an integral, molded and fusedunyielding area in the middle of theflexible Unibody‘ front vest panel. It

provides increased ballistic and cardiactrauma protection—protection that’ssuperior to traditional trauma platesinserted into a front pocket on a vest.The C/T-Shield completely eliminatesthe need for trauma plates. The C/T-Shield measures approximately nine

inches by twelve inches in a medium-size male vest.

The men’s concealable vests are avail-able in Level II, Level IIIA, and LevelIIIA with Level III frontal protection.The standard women’s concealable vestsare made with Level II back and sideprotection and a Level IIIA front protec-tion trauma area. Women’s vests canalso be ordered for Level IIIA-III, orwith a custom contoured molded andfused bust area (back and side Level IIand front Level IIIA) for an exact fit.

The Armacel concealable vest ballisticpanel carriers are available in white, tan,navy and black. The carriers featurefront and back shirt-tails to keep the vestin place. The carriers are available witha pocket for a strike plate for additionalballistic protection.

Armacel tactical vests are available intwo styles—style SUVIIIA and styleSUVIIIA/IIIF. Style SUVIIIA is madewith Level IIIA front, back and side pro-tection. It’s available for both men andwomen. Style SUVIIIA/IIIF providesLevel IIIA side and back protection andLevel III front protection. The Level IIIfront protection is available for menonly. All of the tactical vests provide full

Armacel is on the cutting edge of personal armor design utilizing advanced 3D motioncapture and visualization (virtual reality) to create a virtual human and canine avatarwith anthropometric and biomechanical features.


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THE SKUNK WORKS

coverage. The tactical carriers areavailable in navy, camo, or black.

During a demonstration for repre-sentatives from a number of SouthernCalifornia law enforcement agencies,thirty-two rounds of 9x19mm werefired full-auto from a Colt SMG into asix-inch area of the vest. There wasn’tany penetration or ricochet from anyof the rounds, and there was no back-face deformation.

Armacel Armor is working in fullcollaboration with the NASA/John-son Space Center QUEST InnovationsLabs (QIL) Consortium. Teamed withthis consortium, Armacel can providesolutions for the protection needs oflaw enforcement, including better,more protective personal armor pro-tection with minimal constraint onthe wearer. Armacel is able to devisecustomized or personal protectionsolutions for any individual orcanine.

Armacel is on the cutting edge ofthe personal armor design processand biomechanical analysis, utilizingadvanced 3D motion capture andvisualization (virtual reality) to createa virtual human and canine avatarwith anthropometric and biomechan-ical features æ a Virtual DigitalHuman (VDH) and Virtual DigitalCanine (VDC). This avatar is a 3Darticulated geometric figure ofhuman and canine subjects that canbe operated live (in real time) byposition and orientation to displayvarious humans and canines. Thisavatar can represent anyone, ratherthan a specific person or canine. Theend result is armor with better pro-tection, and greater comfort and flexi-bility.

In addition to its present line ofstate-of-the-art concealable vests, tac-tical body armor, strike plates, vehi-cle and aircraft armor, ballisticshields, and accessories, Armacelplans other Lexcel products such ascanine vests, ballistic blankets andhelmets. The potential applicationsfor Lexcel are limited only by theimagination. �

SOURCE:Armacel Armor CorporationDept. S.W.A.T.2255 Pleasant Valley RoadCamarillo, CA 93012(805) 482-0016www.armacelarmorcorp.com

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TERRORISM SITREP IRAQ U.S. Marines find suicide bomber wiredvests filled with explosives. Shias funded byIran oppose U.S. occupation. “DR GERM,”nerve-agent guru surrenders yet no weapons ofmass destruction found to date. HIZBOLLAHoperatives captured on Iraq-Syrian border. TER-ROR CAMP discovered with 20 buildings on 25acres operated by PLF. Chemicals, beakers,pipes and bomb making equipment found.

KUWAIT U.S. WAHABISM “SHOVEDDOWN AMERICANS THROAT?” NationalDefense. Muslim Army Sergeant Akbar killstwo and wounds 14 with grenade attack ashe allegedly yelled “You guys are cominginto our countries and you’re going to rapeour women and will kill our children.”SAUDI-FUNDED Akbar attended BilalIslamic Center linked with King FahdMosque. His Muslim military chaplaintrained by Saudi-funded organization.

PAKISTAN TON OF DRUGSseized by border guards smug-gled in from Afghanistan on cara-van of donkeys through the MurdaKarex mountains. TRANSITROUTE. Pakistan route for oneforth of heroin from Afghanistan.“HAVEN OF CHOICE” harborsthousands of Islamic Militantsconvinced that Pakistan Nuclearcapability is protection fromattack by U.S.

SYRIA OSAMA HUB thatchanneled dozens of extrem-ists “shipping killers intoIraq by bus-loads”accordingto Rumsfeld. BUSH THREAT-ENS SYRIA: “cooperate” toexpel Iraqi Chiefs or else.

ALGERIA DISAPPEARED. More than 30European tourists in two months believedto be held captive by bandit chief thoughtto be linked with bin Laden.

ISRAEL ASSASSINATION PLOTon Prime Minister Sharon byLebanese-Canadian Hizbollahagent pre-empted. HIZBOLLAHinfrastructure in Canada orches-trated from Iran.

UGANDA SADDAM link to AlliedDemocratic Forces (ADF). ADF chieforganizes “international Mujahadeenteam mission “to smuggle arms onglobal scale to holy warriors fightingagainst U.S., UK and Israeli influencein Africa.” Members trained inAfghanistan and Pakistan.

AFGHANISTAN THREE MARINES killedin firefight when Taliban launch rocket inU.S. base. BLOWN-UP Four Taliban justbefore bombs go off. Taliban leadersannounce reorganizing to destabilizeU.S.-backed Karzai government. Schoolsburned. RED CROSS worker killed.OPIUM TRADE becomes “ECONOMICNARCOTIC.” TERRORISTS use drug-smuggling routes to escape. #1 Opium-trading Afghanistan supplies 75% ofEuropean supply and all of Russia.

COLOMBIA EASTER TERROR.FARC opens fire on religious pro-cession. Three killed before policerepel attack.

PHILIPPINES MOSQUES BLOWN-UP in retaliation forbombing which killed 16 injured 50. MORO IslamicLiberation aimed at igniting Christian-Muslim war.“STATE OF LAWLESS” Violence declared. Crackdown onterrorists. EXPELLED Iraqi diplomat Husham Husain.ARRESTED 11 Iraqi nationals linked to Muslim extremists,the Abu Sayyaf Group, which is linked to Saddam.

INDONESIA CIVIL WAR LOOMING.25-year Aceh secessionist movementwhich killed 10,000 threatens to flare-up again.

BALKANS KOSOVO: KLA allegedly using Kosovo Protection Corp organized byNATO as shield for military-weapons training for potential independence move-ment from Serbia. ALBANIA NATIONAL ARMY (ANA) labeled terrorist group byU.N. RAILROAD BRIDGE blown up, two ANA operators killed in explosion.

CZECH REPUBLIC RADIO FREE EUROPE targeted. Iraqi agentsallegedly plot to attack Radio Free Iraq broadcast in Arabic. EXPELLEDIraqi diplomat tied to 9-11 Mastermind Mohammed Atta.

TURKEY SYRIAN suicidebombers arrested afterone successful bombing.

By Dr. Martin Brass

“A HUNDRED OSAMA BIN LADENS”created by Iraqi war warns Egypt PresidentMubarak. AP obtains al-Qaeda audio:“Muslim brothers, let us promise to devoteour lives to martyrdom in way of Allah.America has attacked Iraq and soon will alsoattack Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan.Voice believed to be bin Laden’s orders:“Avenge the innocent children” of Iraq. “Ifyou started suicide attacks you will see thefear of Americans all over the world. Thosepeople who cannot join forces in jihadshould give financial help to thoseMujahedeen who are fighting against U.S.aggression.”

CRUSADER WAR Osama’s al-Nidaa web-site mobilizes for massive “guerrilla war-fare.”

ENGLAND Plot to take downpassenger jet with shoulder-fired missile from nearbyamusement park heading toworld’s busiest airport,Heathrow, thwarted by thou-sands of military and police.STATELESS CLERIC Abu Hamzaal-Masri, Islamic Army of Adenmember’s citizenship stripped.Cleric wanted in Yemen on ter-rorism charges can now beextradited. President Bush is“the GENGIS KHAN of this centu-ry” and Tony Blair “his cham-bermaid,” Masri said.

ITALY FUGITIVE ABU ABBAS caught by U.S. SpecOps in Iraq. 18-year fugi-tive was convicted in abstentia in Italy for terrorism and hijacking. Abbas,leader of faction of Palestine Liberation Front, hijacked cruise ship AchilleLauro with 500 passengers. 1995 CASE SENSATIONALIZED when JewishAmerican Leon Klinghoffer was killed in wheelchair and thrown overboard.

UNITED STATES SENTENCED to 155 years.Mohamad Hammoud cigarette-smugglingring Lord in North Carolina funded Hizbollah.ARSON PLOT on D.C. Metrorail system possi-bly thwarted after capture of al-Qaeda “archi-tect” of 9-11, Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

RUSSIA Accused of supplying Saddam intelligence, lists of assassins for “hits”in the West. ARMS SALES details by Russia and Israel of military aircraft, rocketsand missiles to China, Syria, and Egypt provided.

JORDAN & YEMEN IRAQI SPIESplotting attacks on U.S. foreign tar-gets arrested and explosives confis-cated in sleeper cells. U.S.requests 300 Iraqi secret agents tobe expelled from 50 countries.

ear Lord, we ask you to help us as we are training forbattle” the lean, mild-looking Chaplain’s voicebrusquely thundered in the chill desert air, silencing

the boisterous troops.Hundreds of troops saluted reverently as one soldier sang the

National Anthem, his rich voice filling the endless dark amphithe-

APRIL 2003 SOLDIER OF FORTUNE • www.sofmag.com 42www.sofmag.com • SOLDIER OF FORTUNE APRIL 200342

U.S. Military Readies For Iraq Invasionby Dr. Martin Brass

“Right out of Apocalypse Now,” commented RKB, as he sur-veyed the surrealistic backdrop of Abrams tanks, a combatengineer bridge and Hummers. “I doubt that any boxing matchever held, had as many guns in attendance," he commented.“Whoever came up with the background concept should getsome kind of award for orginality of design. Maybe an Oscar.Heh, heh. These guys and gals are good to go.”

“D

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SYSTEMS.P.E.A.R.THECUTTING EDGE, REALITY-BASED

COMBATIVE TRAINING

Blauer Tactical Confrontation Man-agement System’s drills, techniquesand training gear are all designed tobe used as realistically as possible. Ifall your training is done in an openarea without obstacles, how “realitybased” can you be?

you can probably pick up anymagazine in this industry andfind at least two advertisements

and a feature article about a combative sys-tem or technique that claims to be superiorin some way to everything else out there. Iam not aware of any of them that are morereality based, easier to assimilate or easierto retain than Tony Blauer ’s S.P.E.A.R.System™.

S.P.E.A.R. stands for Spontaneous Protec-tion Enabling Accelerated Response, and itcontains important applications for policeofficers, military operators, housewives,kids or anyone else interested in being ableto survive an aggressive close quartersambush. Blauer Tactical ConfrontationManagement Systems (BTCMS) may bethe most progressive self-defense trainingcompany in operation today and, withouta doubt, they have some valuable informa-tion to share with anyone concerned abouteffective self-defense and realistic combat-ive training.

Blauer has been instructing andresearching close quarters fighting for overtwenty years. His training practices andcombat theory have evolved over this timebecause of his constant research andthought on the topic.

The S.P.E.A.R. System evolved from

what Blauer refers to as “The Sucker PunchDrill.” During the drill, Blauer was thesubject of surprise haymaker type attacksfrom a variety of angles from his trainingpartner. Blauer, a life-long martial artist,found that trained responses (such as theclassic “wax-off” forearm block) were piti-fully ineffective against real ambushes. Healso found that when he was truly sur-prised, his natural flinch response did amuch better job of protecting him from theattack. This drill, combined with severalyears of further research and training, arewhat lie behind The S.P.E.A.R. System™and the theory of Flinch Conversion—tak-ing your body’s hard-wired response to asudden attack and converting it into a plat-form for an effective counter attack.

If you find the results of the SuckerPunch Drill hard to believe, think aboutevery dash-cam video of a truly aggressiveattack that you’ve ever seen. If you’re notin law enforcement, you may have seenvideo of spontaneous responses to attacksfrom security cameras or on some realitytelevision show. Neither I, nor anyone I’vetalked to, have ever seen a victim success-fully defend himself from the initialambush with a trained technique against atruly motivated and violent attacker. Whatyou’ve probably seen is flinching, covering

up and, if the officer survived, it was mostlikely a result of his or her mental andphysical toughness or the bad-guy’schange of mind as anything else. “Moreuntrained people defend themselves everyday from violent attacks through sheer willand indignation than there are trained peo-ple who will get attacked in a year,” is oneof Blauer’s favorite points during courses.We spend too much time watching tapes ofofficers losing fights as it is, we might aswell try to learn as many practical lessonsfrom them as we can, and one obvious les-son is that the human flinch response is aninstinctive reaction.

While Blauer is fond of saying that TheS.P.E.A.R. System™ is a bridge to whateverdefensive tactic technique you are current-ly proficient in, BTCMS preaches the sim-ple doctrine of CWCT—Closest Weapon,Closest Target—and it makes sense. Thehuman flinch response brings the handsand arms up to protect the head during anambush. Once we are in this position, howmuch sense does it make to go to a martialarts or other trained stance and respondwith a typical strike or kick? By combiningthe flinch response (spontaneous protec-tion) and the CWCT principle (acceleratedresponse), Blauer developed the SpearTechnique, which uses the forearms as

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weapons and places the arms in the generalshape of a spear—answering the questionabout which part of the program came first.

In addition to S.P.E.A.R. System ™ coursesfor law enforcement and military personnel,BTCMS offers ground fighting and weaponsapplications of their research as well as theirinstructor development courses. BTCMS alsoconsults with a variety of companies andunits on training and tactical issues. During2003, BTCMS worked closely with FederalExpress to develop their Cockpit Defense Pro-gram. After researching a variety of pro-grams, Federal Express chose Blauer primari-ly because they were convinced that hisprograms were easy to learn and retain.

Although he has never served in the mili-tary or with any law enforcement agency,Blauer has been accepted by some of the mostelite units around the world. Blauer has alsohad the forethought to consult with manymembers of these units to research applica-tions of The S.P.E.A.R. System™ for closequarters shooting engagements and the les-sons of confined space combatives from thereal world of lethal combat.

One of the most interesting facets ofBTCMS training techniques is the combina-tion of their “Be a Good Bad Guy” principleand their Simulation Instructor Developmentprogram. I attended the latter course at theNortheastern Technical College in Wisconsinearly last year. The school, which runs bothlaw enforcement and corrections basic acade-mies as well as other schools, features anadjustable-walled, scenario-training houseand is run by retired police officer RobertWillis. Willis has been known for years as atop-level officer survival and tactics instruc-tor. His building was a perfect setting forBlauer’s High Gear™ Simulation Course.

Blauer preaches two important facets ofclose quarters training during this course thathe believes are vital to effective simulation:replication and strict choreography. Replica-tion enables students to experience an attackover and over again. Effective replications ofrealistic attacks and realistic responses(which, of course, begin with the flinchresponse) develop the student’s ability notonly to weather an ambush, but also to startrecognizing the pre-contact cues to an attack.That is the point of the choreography. Byinstilling Be a Good Bad Guy principles in allparticipants, the attacks repeated duringdrills (known as Ballistic Micro-Fights) arerealistic. As an example, if someone launchesa real attempt to tackle someone, they wouldalmost certainly lower their center of gravityprior to making their move. It is imperativethat the role-player in the attacking positionutilizes such pre-contact cues for the trainingto be valuable. If your defensive tactics drills

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THE S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM

start with the bad guy in a boxing or horsestance, they are not realistic. Would youreally stand within arms reach waiting for apunch to be launched? Blauer demands thatthe officer start in a typical non-violent posi-tion and that the bad guy start from a posi-tion that does not present an overt threat. Ifthe attacker is any closer to action during areplication drill, the student is deprived ofthe opportunity to learn pre-contact cueswhich are his key to picking up on (and sur-viving) a truly violent ambush.

BTCMS concepts are taught to civilianpersonnel through the Personal DefenseReadiness™ Program (PDR). Several times ayear, Blauer holds three-day seminars formartial arts instructors who are interested inadding his theories to their programs. I wasable to attend a PDR Seminar last year inMontreal. The list of attendees included fulltime martial arts instructors from over adozen different styles as well as several menand women for whom instructing was onlya part-time occupation or hobby. It was alsointeresting that several people were attend-ing their second or third PDR Seminar inorder to sharpen their edge and learn whatnew concepts and teaching techniquesBlauer had developed.

The integrity of the BTCMS instructorlevel courses is ensured by the requirementsfor certification. Unlike most courses, youcannot simply pay a fee and attend a courseto get certified as a S.P.E.A.R. Law Enforce-ment Instructor or PDR Coach. After thecourse, members of BTCMS Core Team col-lect and review several items from studentsbefore recommending them to Blauer forfull certification. Each student must submittyped and organized notes from the course(my notes from the five-day S.P.E.A.R.Instructor Course took up more than twentypages), a sample lesson plan and anotherwritten assignment, which must demon-strate their understanding of BTCMS con-cepts. After almost a year, I know of onlyfive individuals from a class of twenty whofollowed up and were certified as S.P.E.A.R.LE Instructors. While it is unfortunate thatmore students do not follow through, thisprocess helps keep The S.P.E.A.R. System™sharp.

In addition to live courses offered allaround the world, BTCMS offers a variety oftraining videos for both law enforcementand civilian study. Although no certifica-tions are available through distance educa-tion, those interested in being exposed toBlauer’s concepts and unable, or not ready,to attend a course can pick up a lot of goodinformation and get a feel for the vast vari-ety and universal applicability of BTCMStraining. There is also a significant amount

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THE S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM

of material that can be read on their websiteat www.tonyblauer.com.

The first exposure I had to BTCMS wastheir High Gear™ training suit. As anImpact Reduction Suit, High Gear™ allowsnon-lethal CQB and force-on-force trainingto be taken to a new level. While at CampBlanding with the St. Johns County (FL)Sheriff’s Office, I was able to utilize this suitduring some very intense training at theMOUT site. I don’t think there is any othersuit that allows a similar level of mobilitycombined with injury protection. It isimportant to note that High Gear™ does notcompletely insulate the wearer from feelingimpact. Blauer operates under the idea thattraining should occasionally hurt, but neverinjure—I agree. If you’re training in a suitthat allows you to, for example, take fullforce blows from impact weapons withoutfeeling anything, how realistic is your train-ing? High Gear™ is designed to give anadequate level of protection from seriousinjury in all areas when both subjects areequipped with full suits and engaging infull contact training.

Almost two years later, after attendingseveral Blauer courses, reviewing most ofhis videos and spending a considerableamount of time with Blauer and his staffdiscussing all aspects of their programs andclose quarter training, I have begun integrat-ing a great deal of S.P.E.A.R. System termi-nology and BTCMS lingo into my training.Blauer says that a number of people overthe years have told him that he has giventhem labels and tools for explaining thingsthey’ve known to be true for years. Countme among them. “People sometimes saythat my stuff is common sense, says Blauer,“but the truth is that it’s uncommon sense—itonly seems simple after it’s been explained.”

Obviously, I’ve spent, and continue tospend, a fair amount of time looking at andtalking about other combative training pro-grams. I haven’t found another system thatis more universal or reality based. I hesitateto write such a glowing review here inS.W.A.T. Magazine, but the truth is the truthand I believe that anyone who is seriousabout reality based training and effectiveclose quarters self-defense should be famil-iar with Blauer Tactical Confrontation Man-agement Systems. �

SOURCE:Blauer Tactical Confrontation Management SystemsDept. S.W.A.T.6900 Decarie Blvd., Suite 3010Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3X 2T8(877) 773-2748www.tonyblauer.com

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THE ARTICLE NAME

Rich Lucibella, publisher ofS.W.A.T., read The State vs. ThePeople, and called it “nothing

short of outstanding.” Praising it as“impeccably researched and docu-mented and engagingly presented,”Mr. Lucibella said he thought everypolice and military trainee should readthe book. Because I knew how andwhy the book was written, he askedme to share some insights about it.

ONE BOOK BECOMES TWOInitially, I was to co-write this book

with Aaron Zelman, Executive Directorof Jews for the Preservation of FirearmsOwnership (JPFO). As we discussedthe scope of the project, I realized Icouldn’t write a single book that cov-ered police states, described 20th Cen-tury genocides, examined the rise ofpolice state policies in America, docu-mented the destruction of Bill of Rightsprinciples, and spotlighted how “guncontrol” ideology relates to each area.

So Aaron agreed to split the projectinto two books. I took the Death by GunControl project, and turned over my ini-tial police state notes to Claire Wolfe.Claire, the successful author of twoother books on related subjects, imme-diately immersed herself into writingThe State vs. The People. Aaron had thevision, topical plans and ideas, and thefinancial resources for the book. Clairehad the huge research archive and theskills to assemble the materials andwrite the text.

The two co-authors struggled might-

ily for months, trying to condense andanalyze the massive amount of infor-mation to answer the question: IsAmerica becoming a police state? Veryfew books and articles have addressedthe questions that Claire and Aaronhad to consider. What exactly is a“police state” and what are the defin-ing features? How can a layperson spota police state policy? What features ofAmerican government and cultureactually follow a police state mentality?

To many Americans, it still seemspreposterous to say that America islurching toward a police state. So, tosupport this claim, Claire and Aaronhad to really prove it. They couldn’t justassert that a given law, policy or idea“is just like Nazi Germany and theSoviet Union” and move on. The analy-sis had to be solid in both theory andfact.

POLICE STATE THEORYAND PRACTICE

The State vs. The People begins logi-cally by explaining exactly what apolice state is. This first chapter collectsand explains all the essential points—no other book or article does it as clear-ly and concisely.

Key to maintaining a police state isteaching the citizens to obey. Psycho-logical experiments and historicalexamples, delivered in the next chap-ter, show how obedience is instilled inchildren and adults, often with horrify-ing results. Many features of America’sgovernment schools run ominously

toward the unthinking obediencemodel.

Another chapter takes off from C.S.Lewis’ observation: “Of all tyrannies, atyranny exercised for the good of itsvictims may be the most oppressive.”When a government policy is touted as“for your own good,” it is nearlyalways a police state policy. Why?Because the underlying idea of a policestate is to mold the citizens into “bet-ter” or “perfect” human beings. It isthus “for your own good” that govern-ment must control births, medical care,product manufacturing and personalservices of all sorts.

Surveillance, monitoring, controllingand enforcing—these are the hallmarksof the police state approach. The Statevs. The People shows how policies thatstart with the words “War On” aremostly excuses to justify and up-budg-et the control and enforcementmachine. Far beyond “burgeoning”and “bloated,” federal governmentlaws, regulations and directives haveshaped America into a place where “ifit’s not forbidden, it’s compulsory.”Two chapters in the book show the lib-erty-robbing processes and results.

It might surprise many readers, butthe “tough on crime” slogan hasbecome another growth hormone forpolice state policies. If the “crime”exists as a creature to maintain bureau-cratic-control machinery, then being“tough” on it does not advance free-dom. Militarizing local police forces toruthlessly enforce government edicts,

DEPARTMENTENEMY AT THE GATE

BECAUSE WE NEED

PROOF:—THE WRITING OF—

THE STATE VS. THE PEOPLE

BY RICHARD W. STEVENS



ENEMY AT THE GATE

using highly powerful weapons andurban warfare strategies, is anothertrend that signals a movement towardan American police state.

Advancing the goals of a police staterequires top-down authority and acooperative population. Rendering thecitizens powerless with victim disar-mament (“gun control”) laws is anoth-er key element of the process. Thechapter entitled “A Monopoly onArms” exposes the particular featuresof “gun control” that dovetail with thegoal of growing the people-controlapparatus (as opposed to allegedlycontrolling violent crime).

“The police state craves control.Information is control.” The chapterdevoted to privacy issues shows howpervasively American governmentsintrude into private lives to gain infor-mation to allow control of individualsand society. The chapter entitled“Thought Control: Lies and Language”demonstrates how manipulation ofout-going information also achievesthe goal of control.

DESIGN FEATURES: ACCURATE, USEFUL

AND TIMELYClaire and Aaron wanted to produce

a book that delivered the irrefutablefacts, so the factual assertions are sup-ported by footnotes and references.Equally important was making thebook useful to readers who wanted totake action. With nearly every chapter,the book provides easy-reading sum-mary outlines of all of the nasty fea-tures of American police statism thatthe text reveals.

The September 11 terrorist attackcame just as the book was being com-pleted. Claire and Aaron foresaw thatthe attack would stimulate moregrowth of federal power to “fight ter-rorism,” so they included a chapter onit. Preparing that chapter delayedrelease of the book, but adding thematerial assured that the book wouldbe timely and relevant for many years.

Biased in favor of this book? Yes, Iam. But I personally did the initialresearch into police state books andarticles at the Library of Congress. Ifound no other book that even

approaches the depth and scope of TheState vs. The People. Many readers havecontacted JPFO, stunned by the facts itpresents, and enthusiastic about get-ting the information out to everyAmerican, young and old. Given theextraordinary amount of work investedin writing the book, it’s gratifying thatthe product has affected so manyhearts and minds. If enough peopleread it, there might be hope for Ameri-ca after all. �

Richard W. Stevens is author (withAaron Zelman) of Death by “Gun Con-trol”: The Human Cost of Victim Disar-mament. He can be contacted atwww.legalriter.com.

ORDER INFORMATION:The State vs. The People,by Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman557 pages, soft cover, $19.95 postage paid(800) 869-1884www.jpfo.org


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THE ARTICLE NAME

Rob Pincus (left) and Thomas Formanwork a two-man team drill in the Valhallalive-fire shoot house.

VALHALLA TRAINING CENTER

in Norse mythology, Valhalla is theGreat Hall where Odin assembledthe bravest Viking warriors to

assemble after they were killed in battle(Valhalla means Hall of the Slain). Byday the warriors would train, skirmish-ing to the death, in preparation for thefinal battle against the Giants. At night,Valkyriors (warrior maidens) wouldbring those warriors who fought anddied bravely to Valhalla. There the war-riors would recover from their woundsand feast in the Great Hall.

A new shooting and training facility,the Valhalla Training Center, has recent-ly opened as part of the magnificent ElkMountain Resort a short distance fromMontrose, Colorado. This world-classresort, scheduled to open in the springof 2004, sits on 275 acres of land coveredby large pines and aspen trees. The four-star resort will feature a huge hotel withtwenty-one luxury lodge rooms, eight-een 2,200 square foot “cabins,” a fullservice restaurant, two bars, banquetfacilities, an equestrian center and muchmore. A shooter will be able to take hisentire family with him on vacation tothis facility—and for the shooter therewill be Valhalla. I recently went there fora first-hand look at what the facility hasto offer to the serious shooter.

The Valhalla Training Center itself is atwo-story, 16,000 square foot building.For basic pistol marksmanship, Valhallahas a seven-position, fully automated,computer-assisted indoor range. Lightscan be brightened or dimmed as need-ed. Lights and targets can be individu-ally controlled for each station. As in

VALHALLAhigh tech training facilityTRAINING CENTER

by denny hansenAll rooms in the shoot house are veryrealistic, right down to the books on thecoffee table.

John Shirley leans out from the door-way to engage a hostile target in theupstairs “kitchen” at Valhalla.



VALHALLA SHOOTING CLUB

most indoor ranges, a shooter canretrieve his own target, but the targetscan also be turned or moved closer orfarther by the range officer. Each shoot-ing lane is fifty feet long—less than sev-enteen yards—in length. For more thanbasic marksmanship, shooters canmove forward onto the range bay itselffor drills such as operating from theholster, movement, etc.

I’ll agree that there’s nothing tooearth shattering yet, but the best is yetto come. Outside of a small retail area,management offices and a lounge, therest of the huge building is one largeindoor, live fire shoot house. All walls,ceilings and even stairways have beenfully armored and rubber coated toavoid splash back and ricochets, allow-ing a safe 360-degree field of fire.

Thomas Forman, the owner andinspirational force behind Elk Moun-tain Resort, enlisted some of the topexperts in the fields of special effectsand computers to bring realism to themaze of rooms which make up theindoor shoot house. In fact, specialeffects inside Valhalla may rival someBroadway and Hollywood sound sets.

The interior of the shoot house can berearranged to meet each client’s needs.As an example, Executive SecurityInternational (ESI) is one organizationthat utilizes the Valhalla Training Cen-ter for the shooting module of theirexecutive protection course.

Rob Pincus, Director of ShootingOperations at Valhalla, arranged a tourand training session for me. Just a fewof the settings I observed included:

• A family residence complete withliving room, master bedroom (completewith walk-in closet), a child’s or guestroom, a kitchen and bathroom. Each ofthese rooms is completely furnishedand three-dimensional or paper targetsmay be added.

• A subway setting complete withnumerous shoot/don’t shoot targets, anewsstand and a cigarette stand. Thesubway also had flashing lights, fogeffects and sound effects of a subwaytrain.

• A first-class section of an aircraftcomplete with cockpit.

• A city park setting.• A nightclub with a bar, booths,

tables and disco-type strobe lighteffects.

It was obvious that a lot of thoughtand work went into each room to makeit as realistic as possible. For example,the walk-in closet in the bedroom hadclothing hung in it—with a target “hid-ing” behind the clothes.

Rob had me run through one sce-nario involving an armed, disgruntledemployee in the building. My objectivewas to get out safely. Just for grins, headded a fog/smoke effect simulatingthat the building was on fire, makingmy egress that much more difficult. The

“smoke” is sugar based and while dis-orienting, I was advised it actually dis-places very little oxygen.

As mentioned earlier, all of theserooms on both floors may be utilizedfor live-fire drills. The facility also lendsitself very well to force-on-force train-ing with AirSoft, Air Munitions, Simu-nitions and other less-lethal firearmtraining aids.

Valhalla will be open to the public,but unscheduled preference will begiven to members of Elk MountainResort as the facility is for entertain-ment as well as serious, practical train-ing. As Thomas Forman, told me,“Some people just want to be JamesBond for a day.” Fair enough.

So is there a downside to Valhalla?To be honest, I have reservations

whether a fifty-foot range is longenough to make students push theirpersonal envelope to the limits of theirshooting ability. By the same token,movement drills may be somewhatconfining given the limitations of anindoor range—and making more roomfor students on the indoor bay meansmore “butt time” for the rest of theclass. This is, of course, dependant onthe size of the class.

Carbine courses would require anoff-site range to make sure students areperforming up to their potential beforebringing them indoors for CQB work inthe maze using frangible ammunition.

Pincus demonstrates a one-hand firing grip which mightbe necessary in executive protection work, as the weakhand maintains contact with the client.




Also while most CQB work is close anddirty, an operator needs to be able to hitout to at least one hundred yards with acarbine, and an indoor range doesn’tallow that training opportunity.

An outdoor range just down the roadfrom Elk Mountain Resort may be usedto address the above problems.

Shotgun courses, however, are almostcertainly out of the question at Valhalla

as they would tear up the rubber-coat-ed, armored walls to the point that sucha course would simply be impractical,even with frangible ammunition.

The final question pertains to theinstruction. All good schools will eitherprosper or fail based on the ability oftheir instructor cadre. I have attended“high-tech” training (i.e. FATS) andreceived almost nothing from it. On the

other hand, I have fired on a plain dirtrange in the baking sun and receivedextremely good training and cameaway a better shot and tactician for theeffort. While Rob Pincus is a goodshooter and shows much promise as atrainer, as the overall Director of Shoot-ing Operations he will necessarily bespread pretty thin until he hires a com-petent staff of Assistant and AdjunctInstructors. He not only has the indoorrange and shoot house to manage, butthere are also several trap, skeet, andfive-stand fields he is accountable for.Rob is currently accepting resumes forthe above positions.

If the above “problems” can besolved, Elk Mountain Resort and theValhalla Training Center have thepotential for being a fantastic recre-ation/vacation destination for theentire family and training for individu-als. We wish them the very best. �

SOURCE:Elk Mountain ResortDept. S.W.A.T.9 N. Cascade Ave.Montrose, CO 81401(970) 252-4901www.elkmountainresort.com

John Shirley engages a “terrorist” attempting to break into the aircraft’s cockpit fromhis first-class seat.



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Thunder Ranch, Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.HCR 1, Box 53Mt. Home, TX 78058(830) 640-3138www.thunderranchinc.com

Black Hills AmmunitionDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 3090Rapid City, SD 57709-3090(605) 348-5150www.black-hills.com

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S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004 51

RULES: Limit 1 entry per household. Agents and employees ofGroup One Enterprises and their families are not eligible. Contestvoid where prohibited by law. All entries must be postmarked nolater than midnight, January 16, 2004. Drawing will be held at theS.W.A.T. corporate offices on January 23, 2004. No purchase nec-essary to enter.

JANUARY SWEEPSTAKES

November of 2004 will mark the end of anera. After twelve years, Thunder Ranch willbe closing its superb Texas facility, with

Clint and Miss Heidi moving to their new base ofoperations in Oregon. Beginning 2005, they willoffer classes at the new facility.

A world-renowned handgun and long gun train-er, Clint Smith is perhaps best known for hisgroundbreaking use of the carbine and rifle inurban environments. In fact, Urban Rifle was thesingle most popular rifle course ever offered atThunder Ranch. The class stresses the use of therifle in theory and midrange use—as is the case inmost rifle fights.

One lucky S.W.A.T. reader will be attending thishistoric event. You’ll learn techniques to get yourlong gun into battle quickly, to work through mal-functions and to employ it in the most effectivemanner possible. You’ll learn effective movement,low light and indoor techniques, position shootingand much more.

Winner must meet standard Thunder Ranchenrollment criteria.

In addition to the five-day course, the winneralso may select 1,500 rounds of premium BlackHills .223 ammunition from Black Hills’ outstand-ing menu of bullet weights and designs—or ordera sample of several typesfor sighting-in arifle before makinga final selection.Used by theS.W.A.T. Staffand top pro-fessionalsworldwide,Black Hills isthe standardby which all otherammunition is judged.

POSTCARDINFO MUSTCONTAIN:• your name, address,

zip code, state• phone number• email address

TO ENTER:Send a postcard(no envelopes) to:

S.W.A.T. MagazineJanuary Sweepstakes5011 North Ocean Blvd. Ste. 5Ocean Ridge, FL 33435

RANCHBAN RIFLE CLASS AT

What do you need from yourprecision rifle? It sounds likea relatively simple question,

but answering it fully will require quitea bit of thought. Sure, you want it to beaccurate enough to scare varmint rifles,but that’s a given. It is, after all, a “preci-sion” rifle. But what do you actuallyneed in accuracy at the distances you’llbe realistically shooting at? This is thehard part of the question. While havinga .25 MOA rifle is comforting, it should

also be understood that chasing accura-cy past a certain point quickly becomescounter-productive. How is this possibleyou ask? Simple. When someone beginsa quest for the utmost in accuracy theirrifle invariably begins to pork out. Bar-rels grow longer and fatter, scopes getbigger and the rifle begins to resemble acompetition orientated benchrest gun,rather than a tactical rig.

So what’s wrong with a seventeenpound .308 precision rifle? Nothing—a

rifle is simply a tool designed for a spe-cific task. If your job calls for a seventeenpound .308 then that’s what you shouldhave. However, if you can perform yourmission more efficiently with a lighter,handier, more maneuverable rifle you’dbe a fool to be lugging something thatresembles a Krupp howitzer. For certainenvironments and end users, a purpose-built short barrel precision rifle can offeradvantages over a “traditional” tacticalrifle. These would include a shorter

HS PRECISION’S

PRECISION MEETS MANEUVERABILITYBY DAVID M. FORTIER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY K. FORTIER

The STR performed well both onthe range and in the field. Reliability

was flawless and accuracy wasexcellent. Spotting chores duringtesting were handled by Nikon’s

new 60mm Tactical Spotting Scope.

overall length, lighter weight, increasedmaneuverability and the ability to moreeasily engage targets from positionsother than prone.

One rifle built from the ground up toserve in this role is H-S Precision’s STR(Short Tactical Rifle). The genesis for thismodel was the North Hollywood bankrobbery. After this notorious shootout,law enforcement suddenly saw thevalue of a compact precision rifle capa-ble of easily being carried in a patrol car.To fill this need H-S Precision matedtheir Pro-Series 2000 action to a twenty-inch, fluted, varmint-weight match bar-rel. This assembly was then droppedinto one of their adjustable stocks andfed via a detachable magazine. Theresult is an attractive, compact precisionrifle that’s not only handy, but alsoextremely accurate and reliable.

The heart of the STR is H-S Precision’sproprietary Pro-Series 2000 action. Thisis a conventional dual opposed lockinglug design that, while similar to a Rem-ington 700, features a number of

improvements. The action body ismachined from heat treated 17-4PHstainless steel. Inside this rides a boltmachined from heat treated 4142. Thisunit features a semi-cone bolt head witha claw extractor totally enclosed in thebolt head. A one-piece steel firing pin ispowered by a speed lock spring. Thebolt features a three-position WinchesterModel 70 style safety as well as a cock-ing indicator. For added reliability thebolt handle is machined with a 360degree ring which is then silver solderedto the bolt body. Another nice feature arethe screw holes for scope bases beingtapped to accommodate oversize 8-40screws. At the rear of the receiver onefinds a fully adjustable trigger designedand produced in-house. The trigger isadjustable for creep, over travel, andweight from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds. Lastly thebolt release is mounted onto the left sideof the receiver.

Mated to the receiver is a twenty-inch,varmint weight match barrel machinedfrom 416R stainless steel. This tube fea-

tures six-groove rifling with a 1:12 righthand twist. Of interest is the fact thatthis match barrel features cut, asopposed to button, rifling. The barrelfeatures six heavy flutes to reduceweight and sports an eleven-degreerecessed target crown. A threaded muz-zle is also available as a $220 dollaroption. This facilitates use of a muzzlebrake, flash suppressor or sound sup-pressor. Our test rifle sported this optionand came with a thread protector andflash suppressor. H-S Precision is veryproud of the quality of their barrels.They have a right to be proud—theMarine Corps utilizes their Pro-Seriesbarrels on its M40A1 sniper rifles.

The barreled action is dropped into acomposite synthetic stock. This is manu-factured from fiberglass, uni-directionalcarbon fiber, woven Kevlar cloth, andfilled with structural polyurethanefoam. The heart of the stock is an alu-minum bedding block chassis system.This is CNC machined from aircraftgrade aluminum alloy and extends froman inch behind the end of the forearmall the way back to two inches past thepistol grip. The bedding block is intend-ed to improve accuracy without theneed for conventional glass bedding.The butt of the stock is adjustable forlength of pull via the same system asutilized on the M24 sniper rifle. In addi-tion, the cheek piece is adjustable forheight via a thumbwheel. The stocksports two studs on the forend for asling and bipod, and one on the butt. Toreduce felt recoil an Uncle Mike’s UltraMag recoil pad is fitted.

The stock is securely clamped to theaction via a robust trigger guard/floor-plate machined from 416 stainless steeland torqued to sixty-five inch-pounds.The floorplate is designed to accepteither four or ten-round detachable boxmagazines. These are manufacturedfrom stainless steel and feature centerfeed for reliability. The magazine releaseis located at the front of the triggerguard. Overall length (with the lengthof pull adjusted to 13.5 inches) is 38.6inches with the muzzle nut fitted. Thefinish on the test rifle was a matte blackTeflon finish with a black stock,although some fifteen other color com-binations are available.

Our test rifle arrived with the optionaldeployment kit. This includes a Pelican


SHORT TACTICAL RIFLE

HS PRECISION’S SHORT TACTICAL RIFLE

case, Harris bipod, shooter’s logbook,torque wrench and cleaning kit with rod.The rifle came equipped with H-S Preci-sion’s stainless steel tactical bases and30mm rings. A fixed 10X Leupold Mark4 Tactical scope with 30mm tube and M3knobs was mounted and ready to go.Weight of our test rifle with scopemounted was approximately tenpounds. Out of the box the rifle lookedgood, in a serious sort of way.

To review the STR we examined it forfit and finish, intrinsic and practicalaccuracy, bolt speed, handling and relia-bility. Examining the STR we were quiteimpressed. The crown was perfectly exe-cuted and the threads on the muzzlewere nicely cut. Metal to stock fit wasgood and the barrel was perfectly cen-tered in the barrel channel. The boltoperated smoothly, the trigger was crisp,light, with zero creep and just a hint ofover travel. Magazines ejected cleanlywith just the push of a button andsnapped just as easily back into place.The stock was readily adjusted and theTeflon finish was evenly applied.

Although the rifle received highmarks here, all was not perfect. Onething I noted was that all three of thestuds were loose and rotated easily.These needed to be epoxied in place.The thumbwheel controlling the cheekpiece height rotated freely with theslightest pressure. It would thus be like-ly for the cheek piece height to be acci-dentally changed if the rifle wasdragged on a stalk. Finally, the ten-round magazines rattled about like astone in a tin can, but only when theywere empty. That’s it for whining.

Taking it to our range I tested the STRfrom a concrete shooting bench at 100yards. Here four, five-shot groups wererecorded with each load. Groups were

fired using the supplied Harris bipod inconjunction with a rear bag. Wind variedin direction and intensity from 2-6 mph.Velocity readings were recorded twelvefeet from the muzzle with an Oehler 35Pchronograph. Test loads consisted ofBlack Hills 168 and 175-grain Match,Black Hills Black Gold 150-grain BallisticTips, Hornady 168-grain A-MAX, 146-grain FMJ Santa Barbara ball (suppliedby Century International Arms), Win-chester 168-grain Match, and Wolf Per-formance Ammunition’s new 150-grainFMJ.

During this portion of testing I wasnot only interested in seeing how wellthe STR shot, but also in seeing howmuch velocity was lost from the stubbytube. While a fine, and superbly accuratecartridge, the .308 is no magnum. Atranges past 600 yards it needs all thehelp it can get, which means twenty-four to twenty-six inch barrels. In thisregard the twenty-inch tube performedwell, and the STR still drove Winches-ter’s 168-grain Match bullets at an aver-age muzzle velocity of 2,675 feet-per-sec-ond (fps).

Accuracy? Well, H-S Precision is confi-dent enough in their workmanship thatthe rifle comes with a three-shot, 1/2MOA accuracy guarantee. My testingrevealed that the rifle is indeed capableof shooting at this level. Best accuracy ofthe day at 100 yards was provided byBlack Hills’ 175-grain Match load whichpunched five rounds into .5 inch andaveraged .56 inch at 2,559 fps at themuzzle. However, all four of the Matchloads shot extremely well and had acombined average of only .7 inch. Post-ing targets at 300 yards we moved fromthe bench to prone off the bipod. At thisdistance Black Hills’ 175-grain load aver-aged 1.75 inches and Winchester’s 168-

gr. load averaged 2 inches. The little rifleshoots!

Next we ran it though its paces off-hand, sitting and prone at 300 yards.Targets were regulation NRA 300 yardHigh Power targets. Spotting choreswere handled by Nikon’s excellent new60mm Tactical Spotting Scope. Shootingoffhand slow fire, without a sling, I feltthe rifle to be a little too muzzle light.For this type of work I’d prefer a slightlyheavier rifle. However, moving to sittingrapid fire with a sling the STR felt fan-tastic. Recoil is surprisingly mild for a.308 this light, and shot to shot recoverywas very quick. Magazine changes wereeasily made and feeding, extraction, andejection were positive. Prone, loopedinto a M1907 leather shooting sling, thelittle rifle felt very stable and we postedsome nice 2.5- to 3-inch groups at 300yards. Switching to IPSC silhouettes,head shots were easily made out to thelimits of our testing (350 yards) pronewith a sling.

During handling drills we noted theSTR’s short length facilitated getting it inand out of a motor vehicle quickly. Itscompact size and light weight also madeit easy to run and maneuver withindoors, such as running up severalflights of stairs. The rifle is very quick tothe shoulder and engaging movers atclose range, with a lower magnificationscope, would be fairly easy. The detach-able magazines worked flawlessly andwould allow several types of specialtyammunition to be loaded, ready forinstant use.

Negatives? When it comes right downto it my only real complaint is the shapeand size of the pistol grip. Everyonewho tested the rifle felt the shape of thepistol grip was less than optimum andplaced the trigger finger a tad too farforward. That said, I could live with it.

Positives? It’s well made from qualitymaterials and nicely put together. Accu-racy is excellent and reliability was flaw-less throughout testing. Velocity loss isslight. The detachable magazines actual-ly work—a seemingly amazing feat for anon-European company. The rifle’sshort, maneuverable, and quick intoaction. The stock adjusts nicely to fitone’s frame size.

If you’re in need of a compact .308precision rifle consider H-S Precision’sSTR. With a suggested retail price of$2,100.00 for the basic rifle it’s by nomeans cheap. What it is though, is a wellthought-out, professional-grade toolthat’s ready when you are.. �

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Operation Bolt-action with dual opposed locking lugs

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Trigger Fully adjustable from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds

Overall Length 38.6 inches with LOP set at 13.5 inches

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The Operator’s Tactical PistolShooting Manual

A Practical Guide to Combat MarksmanshipBy Erik Lawrence

A practical manual that begins with the safety with a pistol and progressesinto advanced pistol handling. A 232 page self help guide for improving yourcapabilities with a pistol at your own pace.Written by a former Special Forcesoperator for other operators to learn the easy way. Great for Military, LawEnforcement, and those interested in using their tactical pistols to the max.Bulk discounts available, call or email for pricing.

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SOURCES:H-S PrecisionDept. S.W.A.T.1301 Turbine Dr.Rapid City, SD 57703(605) 341-3006www.hsprecision.com

Black Hills AmmunitionDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 3090Rapid City, SD 57709(605) 348-5150www.black-hills.com

Century Int. Arms. Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.1181 Holland Dr.Boca Raton, FL 33487(800) 527-1252www.centuryarms.com

Harris EngineeringDept. S.W.A.T.Barlow, KY 42024(270) 334-3633www.cyberteklabs.com/harris/main/htm

HornadyDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 1848Grand Island, NE 68803(800) 338-3220www.hornady.com

Leupold OpticsDept. S.W.A.T.1440 NW Greenbrier Pkwy.Beaverton, OR 97006(503) 646-9171www.leupold.com

Nikon Sports OpticsDept. S.W.A.T.1300 Walt Whitman RoadMelville, NY 11747-3064(516) 547-4200www.nikonusa.com

Sporting Supplies Int. Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.2201 East Winston Rd., Suite KAnaheim, CA 92806(714) 635-4246www.ssiintl.com

Winchester-OlinDept. S.W.A.T.427 North Shamrock St.East Alton, IL 62024-1197(618) 258-2000www.winchester.com


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since the inception of the Spe-cialized Tactical EmergencyMedicine Program at Heckler

& Koch (HK) in 1996, more than 600 stu-dents from some 400 military, law-enforcement, fire and EMS agenciesfrom the United States and around theworld have completed the Basic TacticalEmergency Medicine (BTM) Course. InJune of 2003, Heckler & Koch, alongwith California-based Tactical MedicalConsultants, launched the firstAdvanced Tactics & Medicine (ATM)Course near HK’s Headquarters in Ster-ling, Virginia not far from Washington,DC.

The concept of Tactical EmergencyMedical Support (TEMS) has evolvedand witnessed tremendous growth over

the past ten years. Vast numbers of law-enforcement agencies across the UnitedStates and in foreign countries nowincorporate on-scene advanced life sup-port capabilities for their teams.

Historically, the medical supportcomponent consisted of pre-hospitalcare personnel borrowed from fire andEMS agencies with some being swornlaw-enforcement officers. However,many law-enforcement agencies todayassign residency-trained, board certi-fied, emergency physicians, surgeonsand other physicians to their teams.These physicians are often reservepolice officers and SWAT trained.

As a result of incidents such as theColumbine High School shooting in1999, take-over bank robberies and

hostage situations, there is an increasingpressure for the TEMS component oflaw-enforcement tactical teams to pro-ceed with a more rapid intervention.

In addition, major violent incidentscan sometimes create litigation involv-ing millions of dollars. Law-enforce-ment agencies no longer view tacticalmedical personnel as an expensive luxu-ry, but as an essential component oftheir department and the tactical team.

To prepare for future high risk inci-dents, adequate and appropriate train-ing for these SWAT medical supportteams has become paramount to ensurea reduction in morbidity and mortalityassociated with critical incidents andtraining. Once trained, the tacticalmedic can provide a solid risk-benefit

BY LAWRENCE E. HEISKELL, M.D, FACEP, FAAFP

A U.S. Marshalfinds himselfhaving to providean airway for avictim “shot”during a high-riskwarrant in asimulated tactical-medical scenario.



assessment to the tactical commanderand function safely in the tactical envi-ronment while caring for victims.

The International Training Division atHeckler & Koch has striven to includelaw-enforcement and the military in thedesign and curriculum of its courses. Asa result, the training division has beenproviding comprehensive and realistictraining since 1989.

The Advanced Tactics & Medicine(ATM) Course required months inpreparation and development and wasspecifically designed to provide tacticalmedical personnel from military andlaw-enforcement agencies with addi-tional training and skills in both tacticsand advanced medical care. Theadvanced course is built upon the fun-

damentals of tactical EMS, which aretaught in the Basic Tactics & Medicine(BTM) course.

According to Peter Simon, presidentof HK-USA, “The inclusion of TacticalEmergency Medicine-qualified opera-tors is an essential ingredient in theplanning and execution of successfultactical operations. Heckler & Koch’sBasic and Advanced Tactics and Medi-cine Courses are progressive and com-plementary, and focus on critical subjectareas with a hands-on, learn-by-doingapproach. The courses provide the med-ical specialist on the tactical team with awide array of tools and techniquesdesigned to maximize the probabilitiesfor mission accomplishment while mini-mizing the team’s exposure to risk.

H&K will continue to work with ourexceptional training staff to developadditional courses in this rapidlyexpanding field.”

The five-day program covers currenttimely tactical-medical topics such asbiological and chemical weapons ofmass destruction, radiation injury man-agement, pediatric trauma, blastinjuries, environmental injuries, traumaanesthesia and advanced airway man-agement and medical assessment andtreatment under low light conditions.

Tactical subjects include less lethalweapons; low light tactics, advancedHK USP pistol and MP5 submachinegun training as well as explosive entrytechniques. Students have the opportu-nity to improve their knowledge and

ADVANCED TACTICS& MEDICINE COURSEO N T H E C U T T I N G E D G E

Tactical medics practiceCPR skills in a tactical

scenario where teammembers in a hostage

rescue situation shot the suspect.



H&K’S ADVANCED TACTICS & MEDICINE

skills by participation in over twentytactical-medical scenarios during theweek.

To create more realistic scenarios,Simunitions are used extensively duringthe week in simulated tactical situationsusing HK handguns and MP5 subma-chine guns.

Prerequisites for enrollment in theATM course are the successful comple-tion of either: a) the Tactical EmergencyMedicine I, Basic Tactics & Medicine(BTM) Course or b) the successful com-pletion of a basic TEMS Course and aBasic Firearms and Tactics Course.

DAY 1The morning didactic material begins

with an introduction to Bio-Terrorismwith Biological Weapons Part I and Biolog-ical Weapons Part II.

Students will learn how to clinicallyrecognize the signs and symptoms ofthe more common potential biologicalagents and become versed in the currenttreatment modalities. The material isfocused on precisely what a tacticalmedical officer needs to know to carefor members of the tactical teaminvolved in an act of bio-terrorism.

The remainder of the morning isdevoted to a Review of Building ClearingTechniques to ensure all students are upto speed with entry tactics in prepara-tion for the afternoon session of Tactical-Medical Scenarios. Each scenario consistsof a tactical and medical problem in

which each team will need toestablish a tactical plan, addressthe medical problems encounteredand carry out and solve all tacticaland medical issues. The use of Simuni-tions enhances the students’ apprecia-tion of the realities of a hostage rescuesituation or active shooter situation withmultiple casualties.

DAY 2The second day of the course begins

with Advanced Airway Managementdidactic material followed by a threehour Airway Management Workshop.Having the skills to establish an airwayunder austere conditions is paramount.Students receive in-depth, hands-ontraining in the skills needed foradvanced airway management tech-niques in a tactical environment.

Students have the opportunity topractice surgical airway techniquesusing swine tracheas and become famil-iar with other options including but notlimited to retrograde intubation, fiberoptic and orotracheal intubation tech-niques. The Combitube, Lighted Stylet,Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) andIntubating LMA are also practiced. Theremainder of the morning is devoted tothe application of Trauma Anesthesiaduring tactical operations. Here stu-dents learn different options for painmanagement in the field.

The afternoon on day 2 is devoted toadvanced Handgun Tactical Scenarios

training using live fire and Simunitionsin field exercises and scenarios in theshoot house.

DAY 3Class begins in the afternoon on Day

3 with preparations for low light andnight operations later in the evening.Tactical operations often result in barri-cade situations that stem from domesticviolence and children are ofteninvolved. Day 3 addresses issues ofPediatric Trauma Management in the Tacti-cal Environment.

The remainder of the afternoon isdevoted to the tactical deployment ofLess Lethal Weapons. Students learn thecapabilities and the injury patterns asso-ciated with their use.

Special operations teams are some-times deployed in remote areas and theteams are at risk for EnvironmentalInjuries. These issues are addressed andcovered in depth.

As nightfall begins the students suitup for Low Light Tactics & Team Move-ment and for the next four hours stu-dents will participate in multiple tacti-cal-medical scenarios under low lightand night conditions. Many tacticaloperations occur at night and the tacti-cal team must develop the skills to pro-vide medical assessment and care

left: In the ATM coursetactical medics mustdemonstrate surgicalshooting with the MP5submachine gun.

below: A tactical medicengages a threat duringthe low light shootingportion of the course.


H&K’S ADVANCED TACTICS & MEDICINE


Dr. Dale Carrison providesinstruction to a tactical medicin performing a surgicalairway during the airwaymanagement workshop.

under darkness or low light stressfulconditions.

DAY 4Police tactical teams are likely to be

one of the first law-enforcement unitsresponding to a Weapons of MassDestruction (WMD) event. The morningof day four begins with didactic materi-al addressing weapons of mass destruc-tion—specifically Chemical Weapons andNerve Agents as well as Nuclear & Radia-tion Injuries. The Advanced Tactics andMedicine (ATM) Course does not focuson mass casualty management, butinstead addresses those importantWMD issues specific to tactical opera-tions. The advantages and disadvan-tages of issuing Mark I auto-injectors totactical team members are discussed.Medical Management of Blast Injuries andExplosive Entry Techniques are also cov-ered.

The entire afternoon of day 4 consistsof advanced MP5 Submachine Gun Tacti-cal Scenarios using live fire and Simuni-tions in field exercises and shoot housescenarios. Here students gain moreexperience using the MP5 Submachinegun. Upon completion of the day’sactivities there is a class dinner in theevening.

DAY 5On the morning of day five, and

before getting suited up for the final dayof tactical-medical scenarios, studentsmust take a one hour written examina-

tion. The examination fulfills require-ments for continuing medical education(CME) and self-assessment.

The Tactical Medical-Scenarios each lastapproximately thirty minutes. Simuni-tions are also utilized during some of thetraining scenarios to enhance the learn-ing experience. Upon completion of thetactical exercises the students return tothe classroom for a debriefing, gradua-tion and final remarks.

The Advanced Tactics and MedicineCourse is fast paced and intensive. Thereis extensive hands-on instruction andpersonalized attention. Tactical medicsthat are serious about their commitmentto providing the best care possible fortheir team members should attend thiscourse.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)credit for this course is available throughthe American College of EmergencyPhysicians (ACEP).

The Heckler & Koch BTM and ATMcourses typically fill ninety days beforeclass dates. Interested agencies and indi-viduals are urged to contact Pat Rios atHeckler & Koch’s International TrainingDivision early to secure a seat in a class.�SOURCE:Heckler & Koch Int. Training DivisionDept. S.W.A.T.21480 Pacific BoulevardSterling, VA 20166-8903(703) 450-1900 ext 293www.tacticalmedicine.com

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thunder Ranch has become afirearms Mecca for militarypersonnel, law enforcement

professionals and qualified civiliansseeking to improve their fighting skills.Over the past ten years the Ranch'sDirector, Clint Smith, has been provid-ing classes in everything from blackpowder cartridge weapons to aerialgunnery school, which puts you in thecockpit of a Little Bird helicopter, engag-ing targets on the ground with an AR-15as you fly over them at sixty miles anhour.

If you want to experience ThunderRanch at its best, however, I recommendthe High Intensity Tactics (H.I.T.) cours-es, which are available for the pistol andcarbine. Both of these three-day classesinclude multiple runs through theTower (a four story block structure) andthe Terminator (a 4,000 square footclearing house). In addition there aretrips to Thunderville (a mock-up of a

city block) and numerous visits to theOrange range (where the moving tar-gets are located). By scheduling the Pis-tol and Urban Rifle H.I.T. classes back-to-back, Clint and Heidi Smith, and theRanch staff, provide students a six day,non-stop tour of the Ranch's most excit-ing landmarks.

One of the things I appreciate aboutClint's lectures, which begin every classat Thunder Ranch, is that it doesn'tmatter if you are using a pistol or car-bine—the same techniques and princi-ples apply. Fighting stance, methods ofmovement, use of the sights and triggermanipulation, maintaining a continuityof fire through reloads and malfunctionclearances, are all the same regardlessof what weapon system you’re using.Ditto for the fundamentals of fighting—maximize the distance between youand the threat, minimize yourself as atarget. Above all, constantly applyClint's favorite logic: "You have the rest

of your life to solve your problems.How long you live depends on howwell you do it."

Success in a fight, according to Ranchdoctrine, requires communication,movement and, when necessary, shoot-ing. "We communicate with our part-ners, bystanders and the threat," Clintstates, "and remember you'll talk to a lotmore people than you'll ever shoot," headds. "We move to take advantage ofcover, to create distance between us andthe threat, or to make ourselves a moredifficult target," he stresses. "If you haveto shoot," Clint cautions "don't shootfast, shoot well."

Although the students would gladlyspend the whole day listening to Clintspeak, the H.I.T. courses are about fight-ing. After only an hour in the classroomwe are off to the range for an intensivereview of the fundamentals. H.I.T. isguaranteed to tax your tactical skillsand the first day of each class ensures

BY TIGER MCKEE

this page: Clint Smith demonstratesan efficient and safe way to exit avehicle and return fire.

far right: Weak-hand only drills pre-pare one for the possibility of losingthe ability to use the primary hand.

the



everyone is up to the task. Days twoand three are then spent rotatingbetween the various simulators wherestudents face a variety of tactical chal-lenges.

On the Orange range, where thecharging target system is located, theobjective is to create distance betweenyou and the knife-wielding target. Canyou backup faster than the threat canadvance towards you? Probably not.According to Thunder Ranch's doctrinethe purpose of backing away is to createtime, which is used to apply marksman-ship, stopping the attacker before he isable to close the ground and employ hisknife. Creating distance is generally agood idea regardless of your weaponsystem.

In addition to maximizing distancebetween you and any threats, ThunderRanch also stresses the importance ofminimizing yourself as a target—espe-cially when searching for bad guys in

the four story Tower, or the Terminator,with its seemingly endless hallways androoms. Unlike the latest "Woo Fat"movie, where our hero launches hisbody into a room, emptying his weaponand reloading in midair after ventilatinghalf a dozen assassins, you will want toexpose just enough of your body andweapon to identify threats and toengage with accurate fire if necessary.

A common misconception concerningclearing structures with a carbine, asopposed to the pistol, is that the overalllength of the rifle makes it difficult towork through doorways and tight cor-ners. Clint quickly dispelled this mythby having an instructor stand with pis-tol extended while Clint stands next tohim shouldering a sixteen-inch barrelcarbine. As demonstrated, there are onlya few inches of difference between themuzzle of carbine and pistol. This addi-tional length is easily negotiated duringclearing by simply using a lower muz-

zle index when necessary. If you consid-er the increased stopping power of arifle, the couple inches in additional bar-rel length is a small price to pay.

The carbine or rifle is a weapon ofoffense, even when employed in defen-sive situations, and allows us to take thefight to the enemy scoring hits atextended ranges when necessary. The"Road Walk," which contains targets atdistances from 25 to 200 yards, teachesus to exploit the rifle's full potential. Youwork your way down the gravel roadstopping at designated firing locations.The ideal display of skill is to assume astable firing position and score a hitwith your first shot. Although this maysound simple, keep in mind the issue iscomplicated by ground scrub andbrush, which prevents use of a proneposition, and the presence of numerousinterlocking tree limbs requires shootersto "thread the needle" to obtain hits.

Another training environment where

PISTOL AND URBAN RIFLEHIGH INTENSITY TACTICS

duo


THE DYNAMIC DUO

the rifle's capabilities shine are tripsthrough Thunderville. As you negotiateone side of the mock buildings, usingstairs, ladders, and tunnels to get to theend of the block, targets appear in thewindows of buildings across the street.The targets appear for only a few sec-onds, so you move quickly takingadvantage of cover and concealment."He's coming up in the window of thetravel agency," the instructor yells. Youdrop into a firing position behind awindow, focus on your sights, andsmoothly press off two shots. Targetdown. Then it's back on the move to thenext firing location. The carbine’s mag-azine capacity means less manipulationtime spent on reloading, accuracy is fargreater than a pistol and the terminalballistics of the round increase the prob-ability of stopping the threat.

"If you knew you were going to afight," Clint advises, "you would be bet-ter off taking a rifle." Reality dictatesthat when trouble does find us we'llmost likely be armed with a pistol.After all, given the luxury of advancenotice, we would avoid gunfightswhenever possible. The fact is that trou-ble erupts when we least expect it,which is why the Pistol H.I.T. courseincludes a session on vehicle defense.

Most of us spend countless hourstraveling the roadways. For some peo-ple, automobiles have become secondhomes, yet training programs rarelyaddress the techniques used to fightyour way out of a car. Normally yourvehicle is an asset, providing escapefrom a dangerous situation or servingas cover if necessary, but when disabledor blocked during an attack it canquickly turn into a deadly trap. Allow-ing yourself to become pinned downduring any confrontation places you ina compromising position.

Clint's method for vacating an auto issimple, effective, and above all safe.Keep in mind the weapons inside yourvehicle can be just as dangerous asthose outside. The techniques ThunderRanch teaches permits the driver orpassenger to make their withdrawalsafely, without covering themselves orother passengers with the muzzle of aweapon, and to engage threats whenrequired.

"Rule one:" Clint announces, "Makesure the car is in park." The violenceassociated with most attacks leaves lit-tle time for mistakes such as not puttingyour vehicle in park or getting entan-gled in your seatbelt. Working in pairs

with unloaded weapons, students prac-tice slowly and by the numbers. One,shift into park. Two, release and clearthe seatbelt. Three, present pistol, andso on. Eventually we progress up to fullspeed with hot weapons. Like a well-choreographed dance, students flowfrom both sides of their cars, engagingtargets, using the car as cover, andfighting to the rear of their vehicles.

Our responses to unexpected conflictare oftentimes not what we wouldchoose. "Fights are a lot like familyvacations," Clint reminds the class."And when was the last time your fami-ly vacation went the way youplanned?" To illustrate his point he haseveryone who has been in a fight tohold up their hand. "OK, everyone whoended up on the ground keep yourhand up," he requests. I don't thinkanyone drops their hand. For this rea-son the pistol class covers ground fight-ing.

Weapons are cleared so we can prac-tice the techniques dry prior to live fire.Beginning on our backs, with pistolspointed in on target, we lift up ourheads and pretend to press off a coupleof shots. From there students sit up,then stand, and finally move back tocreate distance, imagining pressing offshots to the center mass of the targetswith each position we assume. Oncethe line of students display proficiencydry we load up, then lie on our backs,relaxing until commencement of thelive fire drills.

The tendency is to get up to your feetas fast as possible and quickly startmoving away from the target. Theproblem is that everyone is paired up

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with a partner, and we all move at dif-ferent speeds, especially when you aretalking about working your way upfrom your back to standing. Althoughthis isn't a team tactics class, and in real-ity you may not be lucky enough tohave an armed partner, it does reinforcedisciplines required during a hostileencounter.

Imagine you and the family are atyour favorite eating establishment, yourstomach is full of good food and youhave no worries when the sound ofgunshots erupt from the rear of therestaurant. Suddenly, and withoutwarning, the lives of your familydepend on you having the presence ofmind to communicate, move, and possi-bly employ lethal force against armedthreats. If you don't train your mind,then there is a good possibility lives pre-cious to you will be forfeited. This iswhere Thunder Ranch excels—prepar-ing the mind and body to function asone fighting component.

It is the sixth and final day of H.I.T.training. The firing line erupts as twen-ty-four weapons discharge. Only afterabsorbing multiple hits do the threatsdownrange cease moving. The volumeof fire dwindles. Students up and downthe line search and scan. Cries for"cover" ring out. Receiving the "go"response from their partners, shootersperform tactical reloads. Reloads arecompleted and the "clear" signal isgiven, and the process begins again forthe other half of the class. Our throatsare dry, shoulders and arms ache, butwe maintain a ready position expectingthe threats to come back at any moment.After three days of Thunder Ranch'sH.I.T. for pistol, followed by three daysof Urban Rifle H.I.T., the lessons arestarting to sink in. Everyone is “pluggedin”—we are thinking, moving, commu-nicating and making good hits. This isthe reason we came to Thunder Ranch,to learn how to fight—and no one is dis-appointed. �

(2004 will be the last year of Clint'stour of duty at Thunder Ranch. Heidiand Clint will be moving to Oregon,where they will operate The School ofArms.)

SOURCE:Thunder RanchDept. S.W.A.T.HCR 1 Box 53Mountain Home, Texas 78058(830) 640-3138www.thunderranchinc.com






Awriter tries to answer all theimportant questions in life suchas, “Mary Ann or Ginger?” or

“Was Bill Clinton serious?” One of thoseBig Important Questions for gun writersis “Does the world need another facto-ry-custom 1911 pistol?”

While the definitive answer to thefirst two questions is hard to pin downand varies upon political leanings, thelast query is easy if you are talkingabout the new Colt Gunsite Pistol. Thesimple answer is “Yes.”

Most readers are already familiarwith the Gunsite Service Pistol (GSP),designed by Colonel Jeff Cooper andbuilt on premises at the Gunsite trainingacademy Gunsmithy using severalbrands of 1911 pistols as raw material.While the GSP is neither flashy nor

accurate to match standards, it is con-sidered one of the best basic fightingpistols available.

However, after a look at the economicrealities of the shooting world and thetime required to produce a gun that wasgood enough to wear the Gunsite label,it was decided that outsourcing mightbetter serve the interests of the trainingcenter. Thus, after several months of dis-cussion and development, the successorto the respected GSP was born: the ColtGunsite Pistol.

According to Col. Bob YoungU.S.M.C. (Ret.), Vice President of Opera-tions for Gunsite, the design of the pis-tol was a collaborative effort. “BuzzMills (owner of Gunsite), General Keys[Lt. Gen. William M. Keys U.S.M.C.(Ret.), president of Colt firearms], a cou-

ple of Colt engineers and I basicallywere the guys who just sat downaround the table and kept hammeringuntil we got what we wanted.”

The design criteria were stringent.“We wanted it to be a factory gun. Wewanted it to be a working gun (for) peo-ple who carry and use guns all thetime.” Young said. “We wanted a shortgun instead of a big gun. We said shorttrigger, thin grips, flat mainspring hous-ing. We wanted it to fit lots of people.”

After several months of development,various prototypes and many meetings,the Colt Gunsite was approved andbegan production. True to the GSP ideal,the new pistol is a high quality tool forworking professionals and serious prac-titioners of pistol craft.

The gun itself is built on the venera-

By Brent T. Wheat



ble Colt 1911 platform and uses a Series 70firing system—widely considered superiorto later Series 80. There are two basic mod-els available, one in stainless steel, theother in black matte-finish carbon steel.Otherwise the guns are identical.

The new pistol features a Smith andAlexander steel grip safety with palmswell, serrated flat mainspring housing,thin rosewood grips, Gold Cup serrationson the front strap, a short adjustable alu-minum trigger that is factory set at 4 to 4-1/2 pounds, Wilson extended thumb safe-ty and McCormick hammer and sear.

On both pistols the left side is promi-nently stamped “Colt Gunsite Pistol”while the other side features the Gunsiteraven stamped forward of “Colt Govern-ment Model” markings below the ejectionport, much like the GSP. The gun is overall

C o n t i n u i n g T h e L e g a c yGUNSITE PISTOL

main: The Colt Gunsite pistol.

inset: Colt’s Gunsite emergesfrom a Galco holster. The Ravenlogo can be seen on the rightside of the slide.

GUNSITE PISTOLCon t i n u i n g T h e L e g a c y




bead blasted to reduce light reflectionsand features the excellent dehorning jobthat is to be expected of a Gunsite pistol.

One curious feature of the pistol is theoutstanding Novak rear sight inexplica-bly mated to a Heinie front sight. Whilethe Heinie is certainly adequate,there must be a large pile ofNovak front sights sitting on aloading dock somewhere.

The pistol also comes with twoeight-round Wilson metal baseplate magazines. Young said, “Wewanted good magazines in thatgun, and that’s why it comes withWilson’s. They are as good as itgets.” The magazine well is stan-dard and has not been relieved oropened.

The other specifications arevery close to the government-issue model, albeit with better fin-ishing. Staying true to standardspecifications was in keepingwith the overall concept, accord-ing to Young. “We set that gun upto be a basic gun. If you want usto do something to it, we can,”but Young says the intention was neverto built a match-grade or “race” gun forcompetitors, but instead a serious toolfor serious business.

The pistol used for this review wasn’ta factory-issue test gun, but rather aborrowed, privately owned piece fromthe early production run that has spentten months in constant carry. This gunhas been used in all sorts of weatherconditions, both on and off duty, whilealso throwing a considerable amount ofcopper and lead downrange duringtraining.

On the range, the gun was not onlyfired by the writer, but also put through

its paces by a group of police officerswho are tactical team operators andfirearms instructors. This collection ofvery experienced shooters helped tothoroughly evaluate the gun and offerother perspectives on the piece.

The first, most immediately notice-able difference about the Colt Gunsite isthe thinner grips. This turned out to bethe only major point of contentionamong the eight different shooters dur-ing the test firing.

Hand size didn’t seem to matter somuch as personal preference. Themajority of the evaluators preferred thefeel of the factory-issued slim rosewoodGunsite grips over the fatter standardGovernment Model that most of themcarried. For those of smaller stature oroperators who typically wear gloves,the smaller grips should fit the handmuch better while large individuals

should still be able to get a good pur-chase on the weapon.

Overall reliability of a carry gun isparamount to anything else and theColt Gunsite appears to have passedthis test with flying colors. As Young

commented, “I’ve had six or eightof those guns now as rental gunsin the pro-shop since the first ofthe year and all I’ve done is cleanand lube them. They get shot a lot,but they (continue to) work.”

On the subject of reliability, oneof the more interesting internalfeatures of the gun is an unusualfeeding ramp configuration. To thenaked eye, it appears as if themachinist forgot a few steps in thethroating process before quittingtime. Young said, “That was their(Colt engineers) design to makesure that the pistol would workwith any kind of ammunition.”

To test how sensitive the gunwas to various types of ammuni-tion, a large bag of mixed roundswas used. Comprised of the left-over cartridges that had been

found rolling around in the bottom ofshooting bags and pants pockets, it con-tained both ball and hollow pointrounds from a wide variety of manufac-turers. Some of the ammunition waslikely older than many marriages. If apistol could develop indigestion, thisbag of ammo would be considered adouble order of jalapeño nachos withextra bean dip and a warm beer chaser.

The range time settled the feedingquestion conclusively. After firing vari-ous combinations of single rounds,high-speed doubles and full magazinesat top speed, there was only one doublefeed among the 300 or so rounds test

The Colt Gunsite grip (L) compared to a standard1911 grip.

above: The unique feed ramp asmentioned in the article.

left: The Colt Gunsite pistol is caughton film here in full recoil.



fired even though the pistol was inten-tionally left in a very dirty conditionfrom a previous training session. Thisbore out the experience of the gun’sowner who claimed only two malfunc-tions among hundreds of roundsalready fired. One of those stoppageswas directly attributed to a failure tomaintain a locked wrist during weak-hand fire, so perhaps only a single mal-function should be ascribed to the pistolitself.

If this gun is kept reasonably clean,feeding reliability is not a concern.Indeed, it could be said that the ColtGunsite shows an indiscriminateappetite for ammunition that rivals theKalashnikov rifle.

Accuracy in a combat gun is almostan oxymoron. It is the rare gun ownerwho can shoot tighter groups than whathis own pistol is capable of, thereforethere were no highly scientific accuracy

bench tests run on theColt Gunsite. None of thetesters had a problemkeeping nice tight clover-leaf three-shot groups inthe head of a target whenshooting offhand at fif-teen yards, but if moreaccuracy is desired, amatch-grade barrel andbushing could beinstalled. You can alsoinstall a jet engine onyour pickup truck ifdesired.

In general the feel ofthe gun is similar to othermid-to-high-end 1911-clones. The trigger isclean and sharp withoutnoticeable creep, the

thumb safety positive and crisp whileoverall balance is impeccable. At a sug-gested retail price of $1,400, the guncould be said to possess all the traits ofcustom combat guns costing far more.

In the end, how does the Colt Gunsiteperform? Here is one man’s experience.The writer, who happens to worship atthe alter of Misters Smith and Wesson,put an initial eight rounds through thepistol then holstered and started downthe mock bus aisle of a linear multipleterrorist shooting drill.

The first four Tango’s had been dis-patched when my M4 carbine ran dryand forced a rapid transition to theunfamiliar Colt while facing a final ter-rorist who was cowardly hiding behinda frightened cardboard hostage. With-out much conscious thought, the badguy suddenly had a nice, neat holedrilled squarely between his paper eyesas the fearless writer stood fifteen feet

away—still a bit surprised at howquickly the Colt had appeared andfired.

While the writer only claims to be autilitarian pistol shot, the Colt Gunsitefelt natural and made a good hit withwhat was only the ninth practice round.There is something to be said for a pistolthat can assist in such an endeavor.

With good design on a proven plat-form, quality materials and workman-ship, along with the powerful backingof Gunsite and Colt Firearms, the ColtGunsite is destined to become as mucha classic as the GSP it replaces. �

SOURCES:Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 1868Hartford CT 06144(800) 962-COLT (2658)www.colt.com

Gunsite Academy Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.2900 W. Gunsite RoadPaulden, AZ 86334-4301(928) 636-4565www.gunsite.com

COLT’S GUNSITE PISTOL AT A GLANCE:Name Colt Gunsite PistolFrame material Stainless or carbon steelBarrel length 5 inchesOverall length 8.5 inchesCaliber .45 ACPCapacity 8+1Hammer combatTrigger short aluminum, adjustable, 4 to 4-1/2 lb factory pullFront site HeinieRear Site NovakGrips Slimtech thin rosewoodGrip Safety Smith and Allen w/palm swellSuggested Retail Price $1,400.00Availability Colt dealer network

A three-shot group in the “head.”



http://www.tapco.com

http://www.colt.com



THE ARTICLE NAME

BY PATRICK A. ROGERS

the basics of infantry combathave been the same for a longtime. Young men still kill other

young men with handheld small arms,but the manner in which we do it haschanged. Part of the issue is that themilitary is at forty percent strength ofwhat it was at the end of Desert Storm.During the previous administrationammunition was depleted, mainte-nance deferred and an attempt made toturn the military from an organization

that kills people and breaks things intoa social experiment whose primary pur-pose is “peacekeeping” and advancingfailed socialist agendas.

There are fewer artillery tubes, feweraircraft and fewer ships to support theGrunt who has to close with and kill hisenemy. To compensate for this criticalshortfall, technology has been substitut-ed. Fortunately, the technology has inmany cases kept pace with require-ments, and the end result is that we can

see better and talk farther. We can alsofight smarter, and that allows ouryoung men to kill more of their menwith less risk to our own people.

While a lot of military action hasbeen at night, the efficiency of the smallarms portion of it has been kind ofspotty. Soldiers have a hard enoughtime hitting other soldiers during day-light hours. Fleeting targets, partial tar-gets, targets using cover and conceal-ment and having to align that pesky

THE ARTICLE NAME


front sight within that rear sight aper-ture all reduce the ability of the averagesoldier to hit his opponent.

The solution was (and in someplaces, still is) the use of artificial illu-mination. Delivered by aircraft,artillery, mortars, M203s or handheldpop ups, flares did an admirable job ofilluminating the battlefield. Unfortu-nately, this illumination was indiscrimi-nate—it illuminated you as well as him.

Cool guy tricks like bouncing your

203 illumination round along the deckcould back light the bad guys position,but oftentimes just did what thoseparachute flares did—illuminate every-body.

From personal experience I will tellyou that a nighttime firefight withoutambient or artificial light is neither funnor efficient. The spray and prayengagement is about as effective asthrowing rocks, and any hits were morefrom luck then any skill on my part.

A tritium front sight post on yourcarbine can be somewhat effective ifthere is some illumination. It can helpyou align the sights, but cannot help inobserving or identifying a target. (Acaveat here: a tritium rear sight is tooclose to the eye to be useful. Trust yourmount to align the rear sight aperturewith that tritium front sight tip.)

The Aimpoint™ has also proven tobe of use at night, but once again it can-not aid in observation or identification.

far left: The AN/PVS-14B is mounted on the upper receiver ofthe Carbine. Forward of the sight, mounted on the RAS, is the

AN/PEQ-2A, the Infrared Target Pointer/Illuminator/AimingLaser. This unit can provide additional illumination and extend

the useful range of the -17B to 600 meters. The SureFire M900has an IR filter on it to also provide close range infrared illumi-nation. Mounted on the MICH helmet is the AN/PVS-15 Night

Vision Binocular. Note also the H&K steel magazine that is nowbeing used by some select units.

left: The -17B mounted on the M4A1 Carbine.


AN/PVS-17B MINI NIGHT SIGHT

Once you have those two wired, theAimpoint can make it significantly easi-er to hit him. The Aimpoint is also use-ful when used in conjunction with thehelmet mounted AN/PVS-14 over yournon-dominant eye. You can navigatewith the -14, and shoot with the Aim-point if your binocular vision is good—and you train regularly with it.

The inclusion of day optical sights(Aimpoints, ACOGs and to a lesserextent some others) into the specialoperations community has spilled (everso slowly) into the conventional side ofthe house, and with good reason. Opti-cal sights give us the opportunity toincrease the certainty of first round hits.Faster hits equal more dead bad guys,and that is a good thing. A very goodthing.

And while many who have perpetualmembership in the Flat Earth Societydecry optics as too fragile for real worlduse, the fact remains that some—likethe excellent Aimpoint M2 and likewiseexcellent Trijicon ACOG—have proventhemselves over the years and in thecauldron of combat to be ruggedenough to be viable.

Too many who make doctrine havewhat one very experienced Marine hascalled “We have to stop with thisromance with sight picture and sightalignment. If we can get rid of thatfunction—lining up the sights—we cankill them faster”. The optic permitsmore rapid acquisition and engage-ment. The sights function in the harsh-est environment. Sounds simple to me.

Without night vision optical sights,the question of hits on bad guys atnight is very problematical. If you can’tsee your iron sights, you can’t alignthem, and that means the rounds arelikely to go other than into center massof your opponent.

The technology for night opticalsights has been around for a long time,with the Infrared Sniperscope M1 beingmounted on the U.S. Carbine, Cal. .30,T3, and approved for limited procure-ment in March 1944. The evolution ofnight vision equipment has given thefighting man the opportunity to identi-fy and engage the enemy more effi-ciently. Some units have multiplesights, both day and night, available foreach weapon. Some may have only one

optical sight and others may have none.We’ll look at some of the night vision

optics (in this and follow up articles)that are currently in use with MarineCorps Force Reconnaissance and someothers. When reading this, understandthat equipment is evolutionary and alot is coming down the pike. Some of itwill be very good, and some—like theObjective Improved Combat Weapon—may be no more than a boondoggle tokeep a particular rice bowl filled.

The AN/PVS-17B (NSN 5855 01 4594340), also called the Mini Night VisionSight (MNVS) is a compact, light-weight, advanced electro-optical assem-bly that provides a magnified nightvision image of the target along with anaiming dot. It is normally mounted onan M4A1 Carbine, M249 SAW, or anyother weapon with a MilStd 1913 rail,but it can also be handheld or helmetmounted.

It is a passive night vision sight—there is no infrared radiation emitted toaid in scene illumination. Maximumrange is 300 meters under a quartermoon with a 70% contrast man target.

A passive device takes heat patterns

The PVS-14B on anM249 (para) SquadAutomatic Weapon.




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and translates that heat (energy) intosomething that we can understand—inthis case, an image, or picture. The sys-tem needs a certain amount of radia-tion to function—visible light or heat.In practical terms it needs a smallamount of light to be useful. It is use-less in a no light environment, such asa cave, without supplemental illumina-tion.

If detection from enemy night visiondevices is not an issue, IR illuminationcan be provided from another sourcesuch as an AN/PEQ-2A, an IR filter onyour SureFire M900, or M203 IR flares.The key here is that if your opponenthas night vision, any infrared will illu-minate you. There is no free lunch.

The -17 uses an OMNI V enhancedGen III image intensifier. It is powered bya single AA Battery, and will operate forapproximately sixteen hours. The unithas adequate waterproof capabilities.

The term “Mini Night Vision Sight”is, of course, relative. It is actually 7.5”long, 4.5” high and weighs 1.85pounds, which makes it smaller andlighter than the earlier sights.

The sight has a magnification of2.25X which makes it useful for green-side work. The red dot is 2.5MOA, andwindage and elevation adjustments are0.5 MOA per click.

The PVS-17 objective lens has itsfocus fixed at infinity, and will providea clear image beyond twenty-fivemeters. The field of view is fifteen totwenty degrees, depending on theshooters eye position—the closer theeye to the optic, the wider the field ofview.

The eye relief is 24mm. In order toget the best possible eye relief you needto find the proper address on the Mil-Std 1913 rail machined onto the upperreceiver. The address needs to berecorded, so that the sight will beretuned to exactly the same place. If itis not returned to that address, you willhave a significant zero shift.

The weapon mount attaches to thereceiver’s MilStd 1913 rail by means oftwo slotted machine screws. The prop-er method of tightening is to turn untilcontact, and then one additional turn.Do not over tighten—the upper receiv-er is aluminum and can easily be dam-aged.

Once it is tight, I strongly suggest thatyou take a paint pen and place witnessmarks on the screws and mount. Vibra-tion, be it from shooting, riding in anIFAV, HUMVEE or a helo, will eventu-

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ally cause the screws to loosen, and thatwill destroy your zero.

The mount/carbine interface is capa-ble of returning to about 1 MOA or less,which is more than sufficient for thistype of system. Your mileage may vary,and you need to verify your BZOwhenever you can.

Operationally the sight will be addedand removed daily. The -17 will be car-ried in the shooters buttpack during thedaytime when the Aimpoint M2 orACOG is mounted. The -17 has anobjective lens cover that will allowzeroing during daylight. It is not meantto be used in daylight with the objectivelens cover off—this will damage theunit.

There is an institutional dislike ofswitching sights, coming no doubt fromthe precision shooting community.There is a significant difference

between the communities in doctrine,philosophy and operational use. TheMilStd 1913 rail is used on the upperreceiver of the M4A1 and the Knight’sRIS/RAS used on the carbines. As longas the rail is protected and clean,switching sights will usually not resultin more than a 1 MOA shift—entirelyacceptable in the real world.

While the PVS-17B can be helmetmounted, it is not likely that it ever willbe. There are several reasons for that.The first is that the AN/PVS-14 alreadyexists, and is smaller and lighter thanthe -17B. The second is that the 2.25Xmagnification can cause disorientationwhen moving.

The Marine Corps Program Managerfor Night Vision initially did not wantthe PVS-17B for the M4A1s. He felt thatthe AN/PVS-14 Night Vision Monocu-lar could be removed from the helmet

and mounted on the M4A1 Carbine intandem behind the Trijicon Reflexsight, thus saving a lot of money.

While common in civilian policeagencies, this is a less than optimumsetup for military use for a number ofreasons. Right off the bat the users—the Force Reconnaissance Company—found the Reflex sight deficient. Theamber reticule washed out in brightlight, be that the Big Heat Tab in thesky, or the weapon mounted whitelight in the crisis site. The second issuewas that fogging occurred when mov-ing from cold to warm, rendering ituseless. And the third was that the -14belonged on the head so that you couldnavigate at night. You cannot movewell or for any length of time with aweapon mounted NVD.

The first and second problems weresolved when the Commanding Officerof 1st Force purchased the Aimpoint(and then the M2) to replace the Reflexsight.

The CO then acquired a number ofthe AN/PVS-17B MNVS from the man-ufacturer, Litton Industries. After thecompany concluded their testing, thePM Night Vision and associates wereinvited to a shoot off at Camp Pendel-ton. It became painfully apparent thatwhile a tandem mounted -14 and Aim-point where capable of hits out to 100meters or so, the PVS-17B was capableof delivering sufficient clarity to enableshooters to successfully engage targetsout to 300 meters with their M4A1s(and some very respectful groups atthat!).

Viola! Another acquisition successstory (mandatory sarcasm includedhere).

The AN/PVS-17B was purchasedunder a joint USMC/USSOCCOM con-tract—the Big Army, for whatever rea-son, was not a part of it. The PVS-17B isnow part of the SOPMOD Kit, and sev-eral contacts have been let to equip oth-ers in the Marine Corps.

A follow-on contract was for theAN/PVS-17C, a 4.5X modification ofthe “B” model. The Marine Corps isintending to use the C Model on theM249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

Night Vision, like almost all hightechnology items, is rapidly evolving. Irecall clearly (no pun intended) my firstlook through the large and cumber-some “Starlight Scope” on top of Hill 22in late 1965. The NOD produced a mot-ley green view, speckled with scores ofsparkling dots interspersed with areas

The PVS-17C; the 4.5X variant.





S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004www.swatmag.com

of black. The techs who operated itwere convinced that it was the greatestthing since liberty on BC Street, but Icouldn’t discern anything unless it wasmoving.

We have come a long way since then.The resolution is great—you can actual-ly discern details at distance. The unitis light, efficient and runs on commonlyavailable batteries. It is rugged, but likeall electro-optical devices, they are notbomb proof. They are made to be asdurable as possible within the con-straints of size, weight and cost. Rea-sonable care needs to be exercisedwhen using any of these devices.

The PVS-17B has much to offer thepolice community too. It can be arguedthat in most urban and rural areas ofthe United States there will always besufficient ambient light to identify andengage a bad guy. Certainly parts ofLas Vegas may be as bright as the sun,and a stroll down the Deuce in NYCmay require sunglasses. But there arelocations even in a big city where thereis zero natural illumination. How areyou going to discriminate targets then?

The PVS-14/Aimpoint combo canwork, but it is no where near as effi-cient as a dedicated night weaponssight. Consider what your needs truly

are before you spend the taxpayers’money.

The PVS-17B/C is an excellent nightweapon sight, but like most specializedequipment it is useful within a narrowspectrum—in this case, providing apassive capability for surveillance andfire control to 300 meters, and out to600 meters with active IR illumination.It is not useful for navigating a patrolroute, but that is why we have theAN/PVS-14s or 7B (or the newAN/PVS-15 binoculars).

Devices such as the AN/PVS-17Bgive our shooters the ability to executea gunfight at night with first round cer-tainty, and when combined with a sup-pressor give our Marines unprecedent-ed lethality during all hours.

It is part of an available equipmentsuite that permits the shooter to choosethe tools he needs to more efficientlykill the enemy. �

[Pat Rogers is a retired Chief WarrantOfficer of Marines, and a retired NYPDSergeant. He has been a Rangemaster atGunsite since 1993, and is currently theOwner of E.A.G. Inc, which provides serv-ices to various governmental organizations.He can be reached at [email protected].]

A Reconnaissance and Surveillance Team from the Maritime Special Purpose Force prior toinsert. The M16A2 has a PVS-17C mounted on the carry handle. The Marine Corps is stilllagging behind when it comes to night fighting. Not having a flattop weapon means thatthere is no possibility of a cheek weld, which provides consistency. The M4A1 would havebeen a better choice for this team—if it was available to them.

73


http://www.thedefensiveedge.com

THE ARTICLE NAME

Ahandgun for home defense? OK, ahandgun makes sense. A shotgunfor home defense? Well, this

makes even more sense. It’s bigger, easi-er to hit with and may already be ownedfor sport or hunting, or simply be ahand-me-down from dad or granddad.A rifle for home defense? Whoa! Timefor a step back here. Sure, you mightalready own one for hunting or NRAcompetition, but for self-defense?Hmmm….

Rifles are generally chambered for acenter-fire round which is effective overlonger distances than the handgun andshotgun. Rifles are for armies to use inbattle. They’re for the “militia”—now aseriously pejorative term—particularly ifthe rifles look “ugly” and have bayonetlugs and high capacity magazines.They’re now “assault rifles,” which aredefinitely a no-no. These factors should,at first glance—and maybe more—workagainst the rifle’s use for self-defense inthe home.

To be sure, rifles are certainty morelethal than a handgun and win out overthe shotgun when any distance isinvolved, but for defense of a home?Well, it depends on where and how you

live. I can visualize someone living in avery small apartment or row house in alarge metropolitan city reading this andsaying to himself, “No way. This guy’sout of his mind!” At the same time,another reader from “fly-over country,”the great middle of the USA, looks upfrom reading this in his new house in abrand new subdivision and glances outat seemingly endless fields of farm landand trees, or he sees the sun break overhigh mountains in the distance andthinks, “Sure. Besides, I could use a rifleto control the wild animals invading myproperty.”

Before looking at the use of a rifle forhome defense, there are some negativesto consider. The first is that if a rifle wereused in self-defense, the argument canbe made that you intended great bodilyharm rather than simply warding off thethreat, only using lethal force as a lastresort. Imagery is important and thehandgun has a lower “lethality” image,although the shotgun does not. Worstcase, if you were to use a military-stylerifle you can be demonized in the pressand the court room by the implicationthat by merely possessing—let alone byusing—a “black” rifle you are part of the

“vast right-wing militia,” another verypejorative term to be sure (although thismight be a compliment in other circum-stances).

It would appear that having a “friend-ly” rifle would be a better choice thanone of the now-demonized guns that areblack, sport a bayonet lug and largemagazine. The more realistic and morepragmatic concern is over-penetration.Touch off the average center-fire riflecartridge in a house—hit or miss—andpeople believe that the bullet can windup in the next development or acrosstown, going through interior and exteri-or walls, possibly killing or injuring aninnocent party. Well, there’s both sometruth and some fiction to this perception.As the saying goes, “It depends.”

Yes, a full-metal-jacketed .30 caliberrifle round will do all this, but withproper bullet selection the potential canbe minimized. For example, the currentcartridge of the U.S. military is the5.56x45mm (in civilian clothes, the simi-lar .223 Remington cartridge). Lawenforcement studies have found thesetwo, when used with selected bulletdesigns—jacketed hollowpoints andjacketed softpoints—have less penetra-

HOME DEFENSEA RIFLE FOR

BY WALT RAUCH PROS AND CONS

When practicing with a long arm, besure to shoot from unconventional,

non-target shooting stances and withthe use of cover. The author is shown

here firing from a barricade at Thunder Ranch.



HOME DEFENSE RIFLE


tion in typical interior walls than do pis-tol cartridges with similar bullet designs.

The body of information on this topicis quite extensive and beyond this arti-cle’s scope but, suffice it to say, many inthe law enforcement community arebusy changing from the ubiquitous9x19mm submachine gun to the M16rifle, repeatedly citing the .223/5.56mmcartridge’s lack of penetration in urbansettings as one of the benefits for themove. Also, the federal government’sprogram of supplying very inexpensiveand reconditioned M16s to policedepartments has certainly helped aswell. One benefit of this could be thatthe non-sworn civilian who uses a look-alike firearm might find his choice moresocially acceptable, sinceit can be pointed out thatMr. Homeowner used asimilar firearm and car-tridge to that which isstandard issue to thepolice.

Another major con-cern with a rifle for self-defense is that the rifle’sreport is quite loud andyou might not be able tohear the 9-1-1 dispatcheror commands ofresponding police offi-cers if you have fired therifle indoors without earprotection.

The “why” of using arifle over handgun andshotgun are that somesort of rifle may wellalready be owned, asnoted above, with addi-tional reasons such astarget competition, pestcontrol or simple nostal-gia. More pragmatically,

you may already own arifle, the purchase ofwhich is now prohibited(along with many otherfirearms), with priorownership having beengrandfathered into thelaw.

Your home’s locationdictates if any rifle past a

.22 rimfire is reasonable. It would berecklessness to fire any center-fire riflecartridge in populated areas unless youare able to articulate rational and reason-able reasons for doing so. For example,during the Rodney King riots in LosAngeles, rioters and looters owned thestreets, but the shopkeepers who tookup arms—rifles in particular—success-fully protected their lives and liveli-hoods and, from what I read, withoutfiring a shot in most if not all cases.

If you do choose a rifle for homedefense, regardless of the action type orcaliber, everyone in the household mustbe able to operate it quickly and safely.Some rifles load and quickly fire addi-tional shots, if necessary, more easily

than others, but all are capable of quick,repeated firing if the user devotes suffi-cient time to becoming proficient withthe gun.

Rifles are loaded, generally, by insert-ing a magazine or clip, feeding the shellsinto the action via a tube or by droppingthe cartridge directly into the chamberor onto a feed tray. Operating the rifle’saction completes the loading cycle. Withthis operation I see the rifle as, overall,the least complex to operate comparedto a handgun or shotgun. Also, in myopinion, the rifle is least likely to mal-function and, if it does, is the most sim-ple of the bunch to get back in operation.

Ammunition selection is as important,if not more so, than action type and

appearance. The prosaic .22LRcartridge—when fired from arifle—can be quite lethal anddeadly accurate. It has virtuallyno recoil or muzzle blast, a lownoise signature, doesn’t pene-trate hard objects all that welland ammo is cheap, so you havelittle excuse not to practice. (Andthe .22 rifle will be accepted atmany indoor ranges that wouldotherwise show you the door ifyou brought in a center-firerifle.) I think it would be hard toput a homeowner in a bad lightif he were to use a .22 rifle, forthe .22 is very non-threateningand definitely “un-militia.” Thedownside to the .22 caliber isthat a single bullet may not havethe desired immediate effect onthe threat that is afforded by acenter-fire handgun or rifle andmultiple hits might be required.

The ubiquitous .22 rifle comesin every size, weight and actiontype as well as price. Costs arewhat your wallet will bear. Inmy book, Real World Survival, Imention a female attorney who

uses a single-shot .22 targetrifle for home

defense. She took it as practicalpayment of an otherwise uncol-lectible fee but, determining thatshe needed a means of homedefense, weighed the pluses andminuses of a single-shot .22 rim-fire and, having small children,decided to simply keep a single.22 round in her pocket while athome. She was comfortable withher choice. She also pointed outthat she easily disables the gun

top: Conversion units, such as this Meg Techupper, make a handgun into a carbine withincreased accuracy at low cost.

middle: The lever-action class of rifle (shown herein a customized take-down version) is owned bymillions and easy to use.

bottom: The “Scout” rifle concept offers the user awide range of choice for hunting or home defense.


when she leaves for work by simplyremoving the bolt and taking it with her.

Here, as with any firearm, lifestyleand the ability to gun-proof the occu-pants of the dwelling dictate the choices.If the .22 rifle is your choice, firingshould be done in multiples, for the .22,while quite lethal, does not have much“punch.” My choices in .22 rifles wouldbe the Ruger Model 10/22 semi-auto or,if you can find one, the discontinuedRemington Model 66 such as my fellowgun writer, friend and farmer FrankJames keeps in his barn. The ‘66 isrugged and seemingly indestructible.

Moving up to the more common hunt-ing and surplus military calibers, thereare, in my neck of the woods, the .30-30,.35 Remington, .300 Savage (old timer’sgun) and all the various millimetersfrom 6 to 8. All of them can be hadloaded with bullets of soft or hollow-point design in various lighter bulletweights for primary or secondary use asvarmint rounds. These would be a goodchoice for interior use.

The rub of rifle use comes when a gunowner already has bought a surplus mil-itary “fun” gun. In my area of the U.S.(Pennsylvania), thousands of SKS rifleshave been purchased along with cases of7.62x39mm military FMJ “blasting”ammunition. The semi-auto AK knock-offs were also sold and continue to sellwell, along with the SKS. Other inexpen-sive surplus military arms run to thebolt-action type as well as other now-obsolete semi-autos. Ammunition to fitthem is still reasonably priced, whichcertainly should encourage what wouldotherwise be expensive practice. Theirefficacy is time and battle proven; theirdrawback is that some will not function

reliably with jacketed hollowpoint orsoftpoint cartridges unless a gunsmithworks on the firearm.

Now, a rifle owner might well haveavailed himself of the opportunity tobuy a bolt-action U.S. Springfield 03-A3,M-1 Garand or Bushmaster AR-15-design rifle from the Civilian Marks-manship Program for competition, nos-talgia or simply to go make empty casesat the range for fun. If so, he owns whatwere, and still are, U.S. military battlerifles of proven design and caliber andfor which there are a good number ofcommercially loaded bullet designs. Allwill work well for home defense if theright ammunition is chosen.

(I would not use handloads simplybecause of the possibility of an incorrect-ly-assembled round but, if you onlyhave a certain caliber for which there areno commercial JHP or SP bullets, carefulbullet pulling and replacement would beokay. High-power .30 caliber shootershave pulled the bullets from U.S. mili-tary match ammo and replaced themwith commercial match bullets for years,with the result being known as “Mexi-can Match” ammo.)

Other rifles not to be overlookedinclude the Ruger Mini-14 in .223 or7.62x39, an excellent all-purpose rifle, aswell as the M-1 carbine—another time-tested design.

As mentioned, the major downside ofa rifle for home defense may be theexcessive penetration. Otherwise, oper-ating a rifle (or shotgun) properly, espe-cially in confined spaces, requiresbecoming familiar, comfortable and pro-ficient with the long gun. In otherwords, as with any self-defense arm,effective training is required.

A pragmatic downside is that holdingan assailant at muzzle point with a rifle(or shotgun) gets very tiring very quick-ly. You need to have a contingency planin this event. One answer would be toleave the house to the bad guy and gethelp. Sure, he could steal something, butthere’s no material object in your homeworth risking your life or the bad guy’sto protect.

If you do choose to use a rifle as ahome defense tool, it doesn’t requiremuch in the way of accessories. Youshould have a basic sling and if the rifledoesn’t have the sling swivels to supportthis, there are slings that slip on the bar-rel and butt stock. The idea is to be ableto secure the rifle if you need bothhands. Spare ammo can be mounted in abutt cuff or surplus GI ammo pouch.Remember, you are not going to fightthe Battle of the Little Big Horn, so aspare five rounds or one magazineshould be plenty.

Although I’m not a fan of handgunswith mounted flashlights, with a riflethis might be a very good option. I’dmount some sort of barrel clamp and alight strong enough to illuminate the far-thest area in which you might use therifle. The light should have a decent runtime and go “dead” slowly, so you havesome warning.

Iron sights are mandatory, either asprimary or backup. If backup sights,they must be instantly available shouldthe optic fail. Indoors, the rifle will be a“point-and-if-necessary-shoot” tool, sofinding the sights isn’t a high priority.But if you do have difficulty finding thefront sight, put some white tape on thesight’s base or, if you want to spend themoney, install a tritium sight if one ismade for the rifle.

One last item regarding a rifle or otherlong arm—they are not blunt instru-ments and are not to be used to buttstroke or stab the threat. Yes, thesemoves do work, but you can also findyourself holding two parts of a riflerather than the one you began with oryou may have the gun taken away fromyou. Leave this to the Marines—youdon’t want or need this to be up closeand personal. �

Reliable but militarily obsolete, bolt-action riflesare good for home defenseand economical to shoot.




idon’t live in the anthill environmentof a city but crime is mobile andnever 100% avoidable. Some

thought to prevention and preparednessis wise and obviously includes a firearm.

My undeveloped subdivision is thickwith trees, brush and undergrowth. Along shot might be 100 feet rather than100 yards. Though not all are visible, wehave neighbors within 100 yards in everydirection. Therefore, my weapon ofchoice for home defense is a shotgun.

To use such a weapon without trainingwould subject my family, neighbors andme to as great a danger as would aninvader—so training is a must. The besttactical shotgun training in our countryjust might be that presented by the Yava-pai Firearms Academy (YFA), ownedand operated by the well-known authorof our Training and Tactics column—Louis Awerbuck. I’ve been reading hiscolumns religiously for several years and

have learned quite a bit and had somelaughs along the way. But physical skillsand tactics with a firearm are bestlearned from a competent instructor—not by practicing self-taught bad habitsand surely not by merely reading. There-fore, when I had the opportunity toattend Awerbuck’s Shotgun I Course Ileapt at the chance.

Before the course, I checked out hiswebpage. Is he experienced withweapons? Extensively! Is he both experi-enced and successful at training others?Wow! He’s been training civilians, lawenforcement and military personnel fordecades. He’s written books, made train-ing tapes and written enough articlesthat if he were not among the best in hisfield he would not have achieved theimpeccable reputation he continues tomaintain. As one experienced sourceexplained, “Louis is the real deal.”

In fact, I began to wonder whether a

civilian with virtually no experience witha shotgun could keep up in his class.Why attend a class simply to hold every-one back and play the fool? Also, I’m oldenough to be on Social Security. Whyattend a class intended to physicallychallenge Navy SEALs?

Back to his webpage. Reading hisTraining Philosophy reveals real-worldconcerns. Train with the firearm youwill use in an emergency. This is afirearms course—no midnight swimsthrough snake-infested swamps or para-chuting onto the rooftops of enemy mil-itary installations. No macho posturingat all. It’s a firearms course stressingsafety, decision-making, and shootingeffectively.

Bingo! That’s what I was looking for!Yavapai Firearms Academy, here I come!

CLASS BEGINSThe YFA class I attended was hosted

Students either fire orstand by as they awaittheir turn to fire in a“Rolling Thunder” drill.

YAVAPAI FIREARMS ACADEMYSTAGE I SHOTGUN

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONEBY DENNIS BATEMAN


by the Defensive Firearms Academy(DFA) in Dewey, Arizona. The facilitiesat DFA include a square range (enclosedon three sides by high, dirt berms), amobile home that is used for a class-room, and an indoor simulator for houseclearing exercises.

Bright and early on day one, we gath-ered in the classroom for a little paper-work and the opening lecture by LouisAwerbuck. His brief but firm commentson safety began the lecture with plaintalk and a no-compromise attitude onthat most important subject. Louisexplained that the shotgun is very versa-tile but also very complicated. He gaveus a short overview of the tactical shot-gun and how it differs from sport usage.Only people who have no understandingof the shotgun believe pointing a shot-gun in the general direction of the targetwill achieve hits. Also, the shotgun is adevastating weapon—especially at closerange—but only in Hollywood does ashotgun blast pick people up and throwthem through the air.

Looking at each shotgun the studentsbrought to class, Louis explained thecharacteristics, history, advantages anddisadvantages of each make andmodel—comparing shotguns to eachother and to others not represented inour class. His off-the-cuff knowledge of

shotguns left us impressed and humbledthat he knew more about our firearmsthan we knew.

Louis explained that adding devices toa firearm usually makes it more compli-cated to use and more likely to be inoper-ative in a crisis. He obviously dislikedexcessive doodads as he strongly advo-cated the KISS principle to keep thingssimple and increased proficiency tomake the operator effective.

Three modifications that Louis statedshould be part of the fighting shotguninclude a sling, a light, and a short lengthof pull (LOP).

He noted the contemporary conceptthat a sling is to a shotgun what a holsteris to a handgun. There are many types ofslings available from the simple carryingstrap to sophisticated harnesses for spe-cialized uses. He ensured that each of usknew how best to use the type of slingcurrently on our weapons. I had a simpletwo-point sling or carrying strap. Louisexplained the two best methods ofemploying my sling: African carry (muz-zle down on the weak side) and Ameri-can military carry (muzzle up on thestrong side). In both cases, the shotgunwould hang comfortably behind theshooter but each method has its specificprocedure for slinging the shotgun orretrieving it from the slung position.

Lights are a must for low-light or darkenvironments. You can’t be safe andeffective if you cannot see both your tar-get and what is near and behind it. Louisexplained that in this class, two handswould be used to operate the shotgun sothe light must be attached to the shotgunrather than held in the hand. Differenttypes of lights, attachment methods, bat-teries, and operating switches weredescribed and their advantages and dis-advantages explained. There’s more tolights than meets the eye.

Length of pull was defined andexplained. In detail, Louis explained howlength of pull affects the shooter’s stance,muscular tension, consistency and, sub-sequently, effectiveness. Luckily for me, Ihad shortened my shotgun stock bymore than one inch and added a Pach-mayr Decelerator from Lyman Products(in apprehension of firing several hun-dred shotgun rounds in three days).

After a short question and answerperiod and a few added comments byLouis we headed for the nearby range.

When we arrived at the range with ourweapons, ammunition and variousequipment, Louis quickly reviewed someadditional safety rules and procedures.He explained stance (body, legs and feet),arm positions, cheek weld, and mount-ing and sighting the shotgun. The eternal


Awerbuck explains the finer points of the stance (body, legs and feet), arm positions, cheek weld, and mounting and sightingthe shotgun.


question of “aiming” or “pointing” theshotgun was noted as inconsequential infavor of practical explanations of effec-tively hitting only the intended target.How and when to load and unload eachmodel of shotgun came next. If morethan one technique was possible, Louisdiscussed the advantages and disadvan-tages of each method and how the stu-dent could best choose the method mostappropriate to the student’s needs.

Louis then explained the appropriateoperation of each shotgun make andmodel in the class. Noting different pos-sible malfunctions, he explained howeach of us would resolve those problemswith our specific shotgun. How toresolve difficult or impossible shots,deciding how and when to take the shot,and hitting the target without endanger-ing innocent bystanders, were importantbasics that Louis explained in detail. Letme add, if you think you already knowthe basics, attend a YFA course and besurprised.

When we patterned our shotguns wediscovered great differences in patternsfor each gun and, in some cases, for dif-ferent brands of similar ammunition.Louis explained that in bird hunting, astray pellet or two is nothing critical.However, stray pellets in a tactical situa-tion can mean injury or death to some-one you are trying to protect or save.

Suddenly, shotgun patterns seemedmuch more important to us.

We fired slugs to zero our shotguns. Inone practical exercise, Louis proved con-clusively that shooting offhand and fromthe bench provided two different zerosfor the same shooter and shotgun.

At this point we began shooting drills.Before each drill, Louis explained whatto do, how to do it, and asked for ques-tions. Yes, as the drills became morecomplicated, sometimes he had to repeathimself. To his credit, he re-explaineddrills and answered questions withoutonce making the student feel stupid.Unlike some firearms instructors, Louiswas there to teach safety and effective-ness—not to feed his own ego.

CLASS CONTINUESDrills and exercises began with each

student firing one round when it was histurn to shoot. When appropriate, Louiscorrected errors and made suggestions.Quickly, we progressed from firing indi-vidually to firing in groups, and to firingin various pre-determined order. Wefired standing still, moving to the leftand moving to the right. We moved toobtain a clear shot at targets obscured byno-shoot targets (both in front of andbehind the intended targets). We fired atstationary targets and at moving targetswhile we were stationary and while we

were moving. We fired individually, inpairs, in groups of three and en masse. Inseveral drills we fired while communi-cating with other students, determiningon each occasion whether or not we hada clear shot, whether or not we couldtake the shot (loading a shotgun underduress became very important here) orhad to “pass” the opportunity on to thenext shooter. And all this was before thenight shoot!

On the evening of the second day, welearned how to use lights effectively todetermine which targets to engage with-out hitting no-shoot targets (again, infront of and behind the intended target).This was an important exercise for me asthese scenarios duplicated what I expect-ed to face here at home, on my ownproperty.

On the third day, drills became morecomplicated but increasingly realistic. Inone drill, we moved back to the seventy-five yard line to engage a ten-inch, steeltarget. Firing slugs from the prone posi-tion is much different from firing off-hand and the wind was blowing strongenough to move students around whilestanding. (At one point, our drill wasinterrupted by our little sunshade shelterattempting flight from Arizona towardNew Mexico!)

Our first attempt was totally inade-


Steel targets ring and swing as they are battered by shot loads striking them.

continued on pg. 96



While the temperaturewas not quite eightydegrees Fahrenheit,

recent rainstorms ensured anoppressive humidity. As Istalked cautiously across afreshly planted field, I huggedthe edge of a hedgerow tomask my silhouette. With notargets in sight, I decided tomove through the briar-filledbushes and trees to check outthe adjoining field.

Picking my way silentlythrough the thorns and waistdeep weeds, I wondered tomyself whether the effortwould be rewarded. Reachingthe edge of the weeds, I peeredthrough the leaves. Directlysouth of my position I spottedmy prey, a VC (Varmint Crit-ter) was standing in the open,unaware of my presence. Care-fully pushing the barrel of myOD green rifle through theleaves, I shouldered theweapon for an off-hand shot.

Setting the creature up in thecrosshairs of my Leupoldscope, I placed my finger onthe match-tuned trigger. Onlythe slightest pressure was nec-essary to send a 60-grainVMAX bullet down range. Themarmot disappeared. Waitinga moment, I watched down-range for any sign of move-ment or the fleeing of othervarmints. Nothing.

Walking to the point ofimpact, I found the VC dead inthe opening of his hole. TheVMAX bullet had droppedhim dead flat with a shotthrough the chest cavity. Turn-ing back to the hedgerow Ishot the distance with a Bush-nell Range Pro laser rangefind-er—eighty-five yards exactly.The ground hog was goodsized at seven and a halfpounds and over twenty-fiveinches long. This was my firstsuccessful field trial with thenew Wilson Tactical PrecisionRifle (TPR-15).

WILSONTACTICAL PRECISION RIFDURABLE AND ACCURATE

BY PAUL G. MARKELWilson Combat Tactical Precision Rifle. Paddedscope cover from ButlerCreek, tac vest from Blackhawk, knife from Spyderco.


L
WILSON COMBATAlthough Wilson Combat of

Berryville, Arkansas built itsreputation on custom M1911pistols, recent years have seenthem move into the combatshotgun and carbine/rifle mar-ket. One of their latest offeringsis the TPR-15 chambered forthe 5.56mm cartridge (.223Remington). Built around thefamous Stoner AR-15 styleaction, the TPR incorporatesnumerous features that make ita true custom package.

Starting from the muzzle andworking back, Wilson hasinstalled a match-grade eight-een-inch, fluted, mediumweight barrel. A free-floatingaluminum handguard is venti-lated for rapid barrel cooling.The flat top upper receiver isforged and will accept all man-ner of Weaver/Picatinny sightmounts. No iron sights are pro-vided. Into the lower receiver aJP trigger/hammer group hasbeen carefully installed. Thisitem gives the rifle a crisp threeto three and a half pound trig-ger pull.

A word of caution, if you areused to standard AR triggers,the JP trigger will surprise you.The slight trigger take-up of astandard M16 is the entire trig-ger pull for this gun. A ten-round magazine is included;

however, the rifle will naturallyaccept twenty- and thirty-round law enforcement or sur-plus magazines.

Putting it all together, Wilsonhas added an ergonomicallycorrect pistol grip. This is a nicetouch, but I am rather luke-warm about it. Frankly, I likethe standard AR grip. Howev-er, I do know shooters whorave over the new ergo grip.You can decide for yourself.Lastly, the solid stock is a clas-sic and felt good in my shoul-der and under my cheek.

The Test gun had an Armor-Tuff OD green finish applied tothe barrel and the upper andlower receivers. The hand-guard, stock, and pistol grip aresubdued black. Before I forget,the TPR-15 includes a blacknylon sling and is shipped in apadded hard case.

EXTRASI mounted a Leupold Vari-X

III 4.5-14X scope onto the rifle’sflat-topped receiver. Installa-tion was easily accomplishedwith a Wilson Combat ScopeMount. I had just finished test-ing the Wilson mount on a flattop M4 carbine when the TPRarrived and I was already con-vinced of the scope’s strengthand utility. To protect theLeupold optics, I secured a new

E



WILSON TACTICAL PRECISION RIFLE

camouflage, padded scope cover fromButler Creek. This elastic cover fit snug-ly over the scope.

Under the aluminum handguard Iattached a bipod from Harris Engineer-ing. This particular model was the SSeries, Model LM. This unit is mediumheight, adjustable and allows the rifleto be canted left or right to compensatefor uneven terrain.

RANGE TIMEFor this evaluation I would work

with ammunition from Black Hills andHornady as well as a few handloadstopped with projectiles from Nosler. Avariety of bullet weights and configura-tions would be used, from the light-weight 40-grain Spitzer up to 75-grainhollowpoints from Hornady.

From the “roll your own” depart-ment, I dusted off my RCBS dies andLee Reloading Press. The brass I usedwas once-fired Remington .223 and theprimers were Winchester Small Rifle.For powder charges we used IMR 4198and Winchester 748. I have used IMRpowder for several years with greatsuccess. This would be my firstexperience with the Winchester 748propellant.

The previous summer I used Win-chester ’s Combined Technology (CT)Ballistic Silvertip .223 factory ammuni-tion to great effect against local ground-hogs. For this review I secured the CTSilvertip and ballistic tip Spitzer bulletsfrom Nosler. I would not be disappoint-ed with the results.

The literature supplied with the TPR-15 guarantees minute of angle from asandbag rest with a number of specifiedloads. Firing from the prone position,with the Harris bipod as support, Ifound that sub-M.O.A. groups were thenorm. Refer to the included table forthe complete details. The groups weremeasured best three shots, center tocenter. Of the eight loads test fired,three of them fought for the numberone spot. In the end, the 50-grain CThandload triumphed with a spectacular3/16 inch group, with all three bulletholes touching. The Blackhills 60-gr.VMAX load and the 40-gr. Spitzer loadeach posted 1/2 inch groups. Only twoof the eight loads exceeded a one-inchgroup, but not by much. I can easily seebecoming spoiled by the consistentaccuracy of the TPR-15.

Concerning the .223 Remington load,I understand that there are numerousdetractors who grumble that no “.22”

will ever replace a “real” cartridge,such as the .308 Winchester. My experi-ence has been that the .223 Remingtonis similar to the 9x19 mm when it comesto bullet choice and stopping power.Both the .223 and 9mm when loadedwith fast-moving, controlled expansionbullets perform very well in the field.Conversely, full metal jacket loads servemainly to punch precision holes in thetarget. During my evaluation, I sentseveral varmints to hog heaven withthe Black Hills and Hornady loads aswell as the Nosler handloads.

No, the .223 is not going to replacethe .308. However, the fact remains thatmodern controlled expansion bullets doperform very well on impact. Rifles andcarbines in .223 are also easy to handle,light to carry, and hold more ammuni-tion per pound. The question is, “Whatdo you intend to do with the rifle?” Ifyou need a lightweight, tough, andsuperbly accurate semiautomatic rifle,the Wilson TPR-15 is a good place tostart looking. �

SOURCES:Wilson CombatDept. S.W.A.T.2234 C.R. 719 Berryville, AR 72616(800) 955-4856www.wilsoncombat.com

Black Hills AmmunitionDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 3090Rapid City, SD 57709(605) 348-5150www.black-hills.com

Harris EngineeringDept. S.W.A.T.Barlow, KY 42024(270) 334-3633www.cyberteklabs.com/harris/main/htm

HornadyDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 1848Grand Island, NE 68803(800) 338-3220www.hornady.com

Leupold OpticsDept. S.W.A.T.1440 NW Greenbrier Pkwy.Beaverton, OR 97006(503) 646-9171www.leupold.com

Nosler BulletsDept. S.W.A.T.107 Southwest ColumbiaBend, OR 97709(800) 282-3701www.nosler.com

ACCURACY RESULTS, WILSON TPR-15LOAD AVERAGE VELOCITY BEST 3-SHOT,

(feet-per-second) 100 YARD GROUPBlack Hills 55-gr. FMJ 2,996 fps 1-1/8 in.Black Hills 60-gr. VMAX 3,005 fps 1/2 in.Black Hills 68-gr. Match HP 2,720 fps 15/16 in.Hornady 40-gr. TAP 3,380 fps 1-1/4 in.Hornady 75-gr. Precision HP 2,631 fps 7/8 in.40-gr. Nosler Spitzer, 24.5-gr. Win. 748 3,026 fps 1/2 in.50-gr. Nosler CT, 20.5-gr. IMR 4198 2,802 fps 3/16 in.55-gr. Nolser CT, 25.5-gr. Win 748 2,751 fps 11/16 in.

SPECIFICATIONS, WILSON TPR-15Manufacturer Wilson CombatCaliber .223 Remington (5.56 NATO)Action Semi-auto, gas operatedCapacity 10-Rd. magazine suppliedFinish OD green Armor-TuffBarrel Length 18 in., flutedOverall Length 36.25 in.Weight (empty, no scope) 6.5 lb.Extras Match JP trigger group, match barrel

http://www.wilsoncombat.com

http://www.nosler.com

http://www.leupold.com

http://www.hornady.com




It is no secret that the coordinatedefforts of a small contingent of trainedoperators enjoy a synergistic and force

multiplier effect that permits a few indi-viduals to accomplish much greatertasks than a significantly larger armedmob. As romantic as the image of thelone operator may appear, much morecan be accomplished from a defensiveperspective if two or more parties joinforces and operate in harmony.

Unfortunately, simply being aroundother like-minded individuals is notenough. An effective team will learnhow to communicate effectively in anon-permissive environment, establishstandard operating procedures, andhave a firm understanding of fight-win-ning tactics and techniques. In my opin-ion, the only way to accomplish this isto train under the watchful eye of a pro-fessional instructor who not only under-stands the art and science of team com-bat, but is also capable of conveying

that knowledge to others in a mannerthat can be readily digested.

One of those instructors is Jeff Gonza-les, whose name will be quickly recog-nized by regular readers of S.W.A.T. Jeffis the absolute epitome of the instructordescribed in the previous paragraph. Adecorated former U.S. Navy SEAL whoparticipated in a number of combatoperations in Central and South Ameri-ca, Jeff was also an instructor at theNaval Special Warfare Center. He is cur-rently the Director of Training for Tri-dent Concepts, as well as an adjunctinstructor for the renowned GunsiteAcademy. Jeff ’s talents and abilitieshave resulted in him spending consider-able time in the last two years in suchinteresting countries as Afghanistan,Kuwait, Israel and Egypt.

On April 26-27, 2003, nine motivatedstudents interested in learning the “nutsand bolts” of operating in small teamsgot the opportunity to experience the

Trident Concepts’ Operational TeamTactics Level One Course. The class ismarketed towards military personnel,law enforcement and personal protec-tion officers that desire to work in small,hard-hitting teams. The course hasapplication in the private sector as ameans of safely getting out of a bad sit-uation. Regardless of their currentemployment status, all students wereinterested in enhancing their ability todefend themselves, their families and, insome cases, the general public. I hadworked with almost all of the studentsin previous courses, and knew that eachpossessed the requisite carbine andhandgun skills necessary to participatein a course that placed most of itsemphasis on learning how to operate inunison with others in a stressful anddynamic environment. This is muchharder to do than it sounds. Jeff hasdesigned a course that teaches skills thatare not only useful for those who may

TRIDENT CONCEPTS TEAM TACTICS COURSE

THE STRENGTH OFTHE WOLF IS IN

THE PACK

BY STEVE MOSES



TRIDENT CONCEPTS

need to fight their way to one or moreactive shooters situated in a stronghold,but also for those who may need to fighttheir way out!

The course focused on teaching tech-niques and tactics employed by smallteams that would enable them to workeffectively in a predominantly urbanenvironment. It was most definitely nota SWAT or hostage rescue/high-riskwarrants course. While I will makeevery effort to remain reasonably politi-cally correct in my choice of words,combat reality suggests that the words“defensive” and “counter-offensive” areinterchangeable in certain situations.Simply put, an effective defense mightmean that even though our objective isto protect ourselves and others fromharm, the actions we must take may beproactive, not reactive. We can’t alwaysjust “hunker down” and wait for thecavalry, as the attackers may hit us first.Some situations call for controlledmovement to or away from a threat, andnobody teaches this better than Jeff.

While this was not a shooting courseper se, it is no secret that each studentneeded to have at his disposal the skillsnecessary to bring accurate fire to bear.People who know me realize that whileI am a shooter first and a gun enthusiastsecond, I will settle for no less than toolsthat are user-friendly and reliable. Myprimary carbine was a brand new Bush-

master Shorty Superlight carbine with afool-proof A-1 upper receiver. A joy tocarry and shoot, this rifle weighs barelysix pounds. I had pretty much left it instock condition, adding only an XSSight Systems same plane rear sightaperture, Trijicon tritium front postsight, and a Streamlight M-3 Illuminatorlight rail to the forend. I attached a CQBSolutions three-point sling to enhancemy ability to transition to my secondaryweapon, which was a T.R. Graham-tuned Glock 17. T.R. is a master Glockarmorer and gunsmith based out of FortWorth, Texas. He had installed his pro-prietary match grade slide lock that hadbeen laser cut and heat-treated to resistbattering, and hand-polished the triggerbar. This resulted in a significantimprovement in the pistol’s intrinsicand practical accuracy.

Jeff opined that my carbine setup wasmore than satisfactory, although he hasa strong preference for the AimpointComp M optic and single-point slings.He made a strong case for the singlepoint sling inasmuch as it made it easierto hold the carbine in the compressedhigh ready and retracted assault posi-tions he prefers to use while stackingand making initial entry into a roomwhere a threat may be.

Interestingly enough, all of the stu-dents chose AR-15 variants (Colt, Bush-master, or Rock River Arms) for their

primary weapons, and mostly Glocksfor their secondary weapons.

Jeff commenced the class on day onewith an introduction, and then proceed-ed to provide us with a detailedoverview of the class. Jeff encouragedquestions, and I found all of his answersto be thoughtful, logical, and not infre-quently, funny. Jeff struck me veryquickly as a man that was very seriousabout his work without taking himselftoo seriously. I have studied under atleast one instructor in the past that wassomething of a prima donna, and Jeffwas nothing of the sort. He finishedwith a safety brief that left us with thedistinct impression that he expected usto operate with our switches on duringthe entire course.

The balance of the morning was spentcovering Operational Team Tactics stan-dard operating procedures, team build-ing using the handgun as a primaryweapon, and then two-man single roomentries in the shoot-house.

The afternoon of day one was spenton three and four-man team single roomentries and two-man team multipleroom entries. After a quick dinner breakat the range, we headed back to theclassroom where we were schooled inthe nuances of reduced light teammovements. This was followed byanother trip to the shoot-house, wherewe repeatedly practiced two-man andthree-man multiple room entries in thedark.

When employing a handgun, Jeff pri-marily favors the handheld flashlight inthe “neck-index” position that is gain-ing favor among trainers and practition-ers. He noted that this position aids ingetting the muzzle on target if the threatpresents itself from an odd angle, aswell as it keeps one hand more or lessfree to deal with an attack from what herefers to as the “immediate range.”

Jeff teaches his students to think oftheir environment as being divided intothree ranges, which he refers to asimmediate, near and far range. Theimmediate range covers those distanceswhere you may find yourself literallynose-to-nose with a threat. He claimsthat the most effective way to deal withthreats at this distance will often involvethe use of the free hand to strike or grabthe adversary, as presenting the firearmoften results in having it taken away.

Our next concern should be threats at“near” range—which may permit us tosafely deploy a firearm, but allow usprecious little time to see what is going

Team Charlie in the middle of a room entry. Point has cleared hiscorner and side of the room while the second man in clears to hishard corner. As the third man moves in, he is clearly in a position todeal with threats in the center and on both sides of the room.


TRIDENT CONCEPTS


on and to react accordingly. After scan-ning both the immediate and nearranges, we would then be encouragedto scan the far range, or that distancewhich affords us a little more time tosafely perceive, analyze, decide and exe-cute.

It is important to note that all trainingon day one was done in the dry-firemode. Jeff believes, and I fully agree,that implementing live fire too early in aclass of this nature detracts from learn-ing. Each of the students already pos-sessed significant shooting skills. Theobjective was to provide an environ-ment that maximized the students’ abil-ities to take in, process and internalizenew techniques and tactics. It was myimpression that each student left therange that night with a firm under-standing of what they needed to do as ateam member.

Day two began bright and early withthe students back in the shoot-house formore multiple room entries in dry-firemode. Students were forced to deal withproblems that became more and morecomplex. Jeff threw many problems ourway, including the task of extractingother students playing the roles offrightened and often uncooperativeinnocent bystanders.

Jeff was eventually satisfied that theindividual team members wereswitched on, and it was time to hit thesquare range for some live-fire workthat required the team members to worktogether to cover each other whenmanipulating their weapons. We werethen permitted to load our handguns

and engage in two and three-man teamsingle room entries as we sought one ormore simulated active shooters. Some ofthe students found this to be challeng-ing at first, as it was initially difficult tonot engage a target that was close to,but not quite in, their initial sector ofresponsibility. Jeff referred to this ten-dency as being “mud-sucked,” as thisaction would inevitably involve a stu-dent leaving his assigned area uncov-ered. It soon became second nature toall students to trust their teammates,and go directly to and not leave theirsectors unless called upon for support.

The morning ended all too fast. Aftera lunch at the range it was back to theshoot-house with our carbines, wherewe practiced three-man multiple roomand six-man multiple room entries inlive-fire mode. The teams were workingmuch smoother, often flowing likewater through the six rooms of theshoot-house. Jeff emphasized the learn-ing and internalizing of the concepts oftactical team movement based uponmutually understood standard opera-tion procedures. Flexibility was encour-aged as long as the actions of the teammember benefited the whole team and

did not increase the risk to any teammembers. I am one of those people wholearns best by making mistakes, and Ihave to admit that significant learning

on my part took place duringthe course!

I drove away from therange after the class with afirm sense of having deriveda direct and significant bene-fit from the course. I frequent-ly execute arrest warrantsduring the evening hourswith another deputy, and myability to work with himimproved by leaps andbounds. I found myself to beconstantly challenged duringthe course to see the big pic-ture, think tactically and keepmy head. My teammates saidthat even if they never found

themselves in the future to be part of ateam faced with a challenge where liveswere at stake, they were much the betterfor having learned how to operate in a360-degree environment in which theability to think, move and communicateis critical. Skills of this nature are alwaysa plus. �

SOURCES:Trident Concepts Research GroupDept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 11955Prescott, AZ 86304-1955(928) 925.7038www.tridentconcepts.net

T.R. GrahamDept. S.W.A.T.801 W. Vickery Blvd.Fort Worth, TX 76104(682) 429.9540

XS Sight SystemsDept. S.W.A.T.2401 Ludelle StreetFort Worth, TX 76105800.734.7939www.xssights.com

Jeff Gonzales demonstrates the compressedhigh ready position that he prefers whenpenetrating a room.

Team Charlie works a hallway in three-manteam mode. The third man was capable ofproviding rear security and additional sup-port. Point man’s ready position is especiallyeffective for dealing with both hostile andnon-hostile contacts at immediate range.


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A UEI cell participates in atrain takedown exercise.


The Special Intervention Unit(Unidad Especial de Interven-cion—UEI) has led the Spanish

Civil-Guard (Guardia Civil—the nation-al gendarmerie force) in the tacticalfight against terrorism for more thantwo decades. Similar in its missions tothe French GIGN and the Italian GIS,the UEI is currently considered one ofthe best trained and equipped of itskind in the world. This article reviewsthis elite unit closely, and describes indetails its structure, tasks, trainingmethods, weaponry, equipment, andoperational deployment.

STRUCTURE AND MISSIONS

Currently, the UEI is eighty-two menstrong and its headquarters and maintraining facilities are located in Valde-moro—about twenty-five kilometerssouth of Madrid. UEI's basic structureincludes two twenty-five-man interven-tion groups and a technical supportgroup. For combat purposes, an inter-vention group can be broken into twotactical cells, each composed of a six-man assault team and a five-man sniperteam.

As the primary Civil-Guard's counter-terrorist unit, the UEI is responsible forthe following missions:

1) Intervening in extreme terroristand criminal attacks involving hijackingand kidnapping (including aircraft,ship, building, bus and train takeovers).

2) Supporting other security forcesand government agencies in dealingwith violent terrorist and criminalorganizations (including handling ofhigh-risk arrests of dangerous crimi-nals).

3) Assisting other law enforcementagencies in securing large events ofnational and international importance(such as the Barcelona Olympic Gamesin 1992).

4) Assisting in the protection of VIPs,foreign presidents and heads of statevisiting the country (including close-protection of the Pope during his visit toSpain).

5) Assisting prison authorities in deal-ing with hostage-taking incidents, riotsand severe disturbances.

6) Providing professional training toother units of the Civil-Guard.

SPECIALIZED TRAININGAll candidates for service in the UEI

must be experienced Civil-Guard offi-cers, who are already on active duty inone of the corps stations throughout thecountry. Once a year (normally in May),trials are held at UEI's headquarters toselect new candidates for training withthe unit. The two-week selectionprocess comprises the following ele-ments:

1) Physical examinationsdesigned to test a candi-date's physical strengthand endurance.

2) Psychological testsdesigned to a evaluate can-didate's willpower, self-control and determination.

3) A comprehensive per-sonal interview designedto assess a candidate's rea-sons and motivation forbecoming a member of theunit.

Once the selection isover, a six-month basictraining period begins. Thetraining program adopted by the UEI isvery intensive and rigorous, designed todevelop the combative skills needed inthe fight against terrorists and crimi-nals. The training curriculum includesintensive physical training (withemphasis on judo, boxing, and kick-boxing), target practice, combat shoot-ing from different positions, counter-ter-

rorist sniping, climbing and rappelling,helicopter insertion techniques (includ-ing fast-roping), diving methods, skiing,communication procedures, explosiveshandling, equipment familiarization,intelligence gathering, and buildingassault tactics (forced entry and CQBdrills). This phase ends with an urban-combat exercise during which candi-dates' professional capabilities are test-ed to the limits under extreme physicaland psychological pressure.

Upon qualification, the new opera-tives are recruited into one of the inter-vention groups, where they receivemore specialized training. The specialinstruction includes tactical operationstraining, advanced hostage-rescue tech-niques, and simulated assaults on com-mercial aircraft, ships, trains, buses, andurban installations.

In general, UEI's training program isconducted all over Spain and, wheneverpossible, scenarios are rehearsed onactual sites and locations. These includethe Barajas airport in Madrid, seaports,prisons, remote rural areas and variousurban and maritime environments.Throughout this period, the UEI is thor-oughly supported by all air and ground

SPAIN'S

BY EITAN MEYR

STANDING GUARD AGAINST TERRORISM

MBB BO-105 helicopters are used by the UEI for rapidinsertion of its troops into action.



SPAIN’S UEI

assets currently in service with theCivil-Guard Force, including BO-105and BK-117 helicopters and transportvehicles.

It should be added, that the UEI isconstantly improving and modernizingits tactical training techniques throughcross training and liaison with otherEuropean elite units, such as the ItalianGIS, the Belgian ESI, the German GSG9and the French GIGN.

SPECIALIZED WEAPONRYAND EQUIPMENT

The UEI is equipped with the best-specialized firearms and hardware inexistence today. The most important"tools of the trade" found in its arsenalare the submachine gun, the assaultrifle, the handgun, the sniper rifle, andthe fighting shotgun—all carryingsophisticated aiming and illuminationdevices for use in daylight and at night.

Submachine GunsIn most counter-terrorist engage-

ments, the SMG is preferred by the UEIas its main assault weapon. The SMG islighter and more compact, and conse-quently easier to handle. This is espe-

cially appreciated when the user has tomove in confined spaces, or requiresminimum encumbrance from theweapon in order to carry on other tasks.The SMG is easier to control in burst fir-ing, and at short ranges (100m or less) issufficiently accurate.

The 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5 is theprincipal SMG currently used by theUEI. The most appreciated aspects ofthe MP5, are its stability in burst firing,made possible by the locked-breechmechanism, and the ease with whichdifferent types of accessories, opticaland laser sights, and noise dampers canbe fitted to it. Among the various mod-els of the MP5, the most popular withthe UEI are the following:

1) MP5 (A4, A5): The standardweapon equipped with a retractable tel-escopic stock. It is fed by fifteen or thir-ty-round magazines, and has an effec-tive range of 200 meters. It can also befitted with a Red-Dot sight and a laser-designator.

2) MP5SD: The integrally sound-sup-pressed version of the MP5. It isextremely well suited for surpriseattacks and night operations.

3) MP5K: The short-barrel version,

designed specifically for close encoun-ters, undercover work and VIP protec-tion assignments.

In addition to the MP5, the UEI is alsoequipped with the 5.7mm F.N. P90SMG, which is mainly utilized in short-range urban encounters (up to 150meters). This weapon features a bullpupmechanism, and is fed by a fifty-roundmagazine. It can also be fitted with alaser-designator for daylight and nightoperations.

Assault RiflesAssault rifles are used by the UEI in

long-range engagements or whengreater firepower is needed. The princi-pal rifles currently in service with theunit are:

1) 5.56mm Heckler & Koch G41 and5.56mm Heckler & Koch G53 (usedmainly by officers and NCOs).

2) 5.56mm SIG-Sauer 551 Commando.

HandgunsHandguns are mandatory secondary

side arms and carried by all members ofthe UEI. In certain scenarios, when one-handed firing might be needed (clearingrooms, climbing and rappelling), the

Members of the UEI in a room clearing exercise. Note how the second man from the right uses his shotgun to blow open the door.


SPAIN’S UEI


handgun becomes the primary weaponof choice. The principal handguns cur-rently used by the UEI are:

1) 9mm Glock 17: This well-knownpistol features a double-action mecha-nism, and is equipped with automatictrigger and firing-pin safeties. It is fedby seventeen or nineteen-round maga-zines, and can be fitted with a tactical-illuminator and a laser-designator. Theweapon is normally carried in a speciallow-riding holster manufactured bySafariland.

2) Astra .357: This six-shot revolver isone of the most reliable designs on themarket today, representing the knownqualities of Spanish weaponry. It fea-tures a double-action mechanism, afour-inch barrel, and fires the powerful.357 Magnum cartridge.

Sniper RiflesSniper rifles are one of the most

important elements in UEI's arsenal.Long-range firing capability is consid-ered vital to the successful suppressionof hostage-takers, and consequently theunit is equipped with some of the besthardware in existence. The principalsniping-systems currently in servicewith the UEI are:

1) .308 SIG-Sauer 3000: This rifle is fedby a five-round magazine, and has aneffective range of 600 meters. It featuresa flash-hider, a bipod and an adjustablecheek-rest on the butt. The weaponcomes with a Schmidt & Bender 4-16X50 telescopic scope, and like othermodern designs, can be fitted withadvanced infrared sights and light-intensifiers for low-light and night oper-ations.

2) .308 SAKO MK3: This integrallysuppressed rifle features a bolt-actionmechanism, and is fitted with a Schmidt& Bender 3-12X42 telescopic scope.Advanced aiming and illuminationdevices can also be mounted on thisweapon, for any day or night opera-tional deployment.

3) .308 Accuracy International AWP :This rifle is fed by a ten-round maga-zine, and has an effective range of 1,000meters. It features a flash-hider, a bipodand a stabilizing leg on the butt. Theweapon comes with a Schmidt & Ben-der 3-12X42 telescopic scope, and likeother modern designs, can be fitted withadvanced infrared sights and light-intensifiers for low-light and night oper-ations.

Fighting ShotgunsFighting shotguns are utilized by the

UEI mainly as close assault weapons,deployed in the final phase of an attack.Their most effective employment is dur-ing house-storming incidents, whenused at point-blank range against locks,bolts and hinges, defeating theminstantly. The principal models current-ly used by the UEI are:

1) Benelli M1. 2) Franchi Model GC (Guardia Civil).3) Franchi PA3.4) Mossberg 500.5) Remington 870.

SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENTBesides sophisticated weaponry, the

UEI is also lavishly equipped with spe-cialized hardware and electronic gad-getry. UEI's standard gear includes gasmasks, CS and Stun grenades, 37mmand 40mm grenade-launchers,advanced Motorola XTS 3000R commu-nication systems, night-vision equip-ment, diving tools, explosives andbreaching devices, observation instru-ments and portable shields.

UEI's operatives are also furnishedwith the most comprehensive personalequipment, which includes:

1) Cassoni level IIIA ballistic helmets

fitted with front visors.2) Nomex fire-resistant overalls fitted

with shoulder, elbow and knee protec-tion.

3) Fedur level IIIA UEI protectivevests (specially designed to defeat KTWammunition).

4) Modular tactical vests fitted withpouches for combat gear.

SPECIAL TRANSPORTATIONThe UEI has at its disposal various

operational vehicles, including CitroenC5V6 sedans, Citroen C8 vans, andhighly converted Nissan GR SUVs (car-rying special platforms for assaultingtall buildings, buses, and aircraft). Formaritime interventions, the UEI is fullyequipped with inflatable boats withpowerful engines.

Aerial transportation is mainly pro-vided by Civil-Guard's BO-105 and BK-117 helicopters, which can rapidly airliftelements of the UEI to any trouble spotwithin short-to-medium ranges. Forlong-range missions or large-scale oper-ations, the UEI may also utilize militarytransport aircrafts, such as the CASACN-235 and the CASA CN-295 (sta-tioned at the Getafe airbase).

OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT

Since its creation in 1978, the UEI hasbeen deployed in numerous internal-security and counter-terrorist operationsthroughout the Spanish territory. UEI'smost notable achievements were:

1) Arresting 127 members of the ETAterrorist organization.

2) Rescuing 104 persons who weretaken hostage during prison riots anddisturbances.

3) Resolving successfully five aircrafthijacking incidents (four of thembrought to an end by UEI's negotiationteam).

SUMMARYThe UEI is one of the most important

elements in Spain's tactical fight againstterrorism. In many cases it is the last-ditch defense. When all other measuresfail, the UEI is called to handle theworst-case scenarios, in which lives arethreatened in real time. The best opera-tives, weaponry, specialized equipmentand material resources have been allo-cated to the UEI, which enable the unitto perform its missions brilliantly. Keep-ing the UEI in its current operationalstatus will ensure that terrorism willnever prevail in Spain. �

The UEI is fullyequipped with inflatableboats for maritime interventions.


In the days following the trauma ofSeptember 11, 2001, my familyexpanded our plans of what to do in

the event of an emergency or disaster.Realizing that power grids and tele-phone communications can fail (or bejammed to the point where theybecome useless) we decided to pur-chase two-way radios to keep in touch.

Other than Citizen Band (CB) radios,there was a time when only govern-ment agencies or the wealthy couldafford reliable two-way radio commu-nications. While CB radios were (andare) cheap and plentiful, they are oftencluttered with senseless chatter, and“portable” models are often bulky andcumbersome. We wanted something a

little more secure and convenient—butwith four of us in the house we knew itcould get expensive. We decided topurchase four Motorola TalkAboutradios.

The TalkAbouts are programmed forthe Family Radio Service (FRS) spec-trum and have many channels and subchannels (Interference EliminatorCodes) to ensure privacy. Our daugh-ter ’s and niece’s school is only threequarters of a mile away, so the radios’two-mile range is adequate for ourcommunications needs.

These radios use readily availableand inexpensive AA batteries so there isno reason for the radios not to be readywhen needed. NiCad rechargeable bat-

tery packs are also available. Otheraccessories include ear jacks, carryingcases, remote microphones, headsetswith boom mics, etc.

We purchased the Motorola T5410radios which came packaged in pairswith three different, interchangeablecolored face-plates, a removable beltclip and a charger capable of chargingtwo radios at a time. With this setup,parents can eliminate the “I didn’t thinkthat one was mine” squabbling.

The radios can be charged directly inthe charger, but an adapter is alsoincluded allowing a user to keep onefully charged battery in the radio, whilecharging a second battery (not includ-ed). Cost was about $100 for two com-

OFFBEAT

MOTOROLA’STALKABOUT RADIOSBY DENNY HANSEN

TalkAbouts are compatiblewith other radios using

the Family Radio Servicefrequencies.



http://www.motorola.com/

OFFBEAT

plete sets. Like all TalkAbout and otherbrands, they are fully compatible withany other radio using the same FRSchannel. The Model T5410 has fourteenmain channels and thirty-eight Interfer-ence Eliminator Codes (ITC) available,allowing very private communication.

Simply having the necessary tools isnot enough. Additional planning is essen-tial to ensure that in time of need every-thing works as smoothly as possible.

The backpacks the girls carry each dayto school have a radio, a snack such as agranola bar and a bottle of water. In theevent of an emergency, our daughter andniece have been given a predeterminedlocation to meet my wife or me. A sec-ondary assembly point has also beenpredetermined.

All radios are set on a particular chan-nel, with a specific ITC. For the primarychannel we picked the month of some-one’s birthday, while the day of themonth is the ITC. Using the samemethodology, a secondary channel andITC has also been established in theevent the primary channel is being used.

One thing that needs mentioning hereis that you should use the radios often. Ifbought and put aside, the batteries willprobably be dead when you need themthe most. Constant use ensures that thebatteries be checked frequently andeither changed or replaced as needed.We use ours for everything from car tocar communication (when possible), tousing them on our range while conduct-ing classes. �

SOURCE:Motorola Inc.Dept. S.W.A.T.1705 Belle Meade CourtLawrenceville, GA 30043(800) 353-2729www.motorola.com/talkabout

Different color faceplates came with theradio. This allows each family member tobe responsible for his/her own unit. Alsoshown here is the removable belt clip.

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ULTIMATE SHOOTINGSHOW COMES TO THEOUTDOOR CHANNEL

Get ready to rock and roll, becauseThe Outdoor Channel (TOC) ups theante for shooting sports programmingin January 2004 with the highly antici-pated launch of Shooting Gallery, theshooting sports show dedicated to“those who do.”

“Be ready for anything fromAR-15s to Gatling guns; fromair pistols at arms length to .50cal rifles at 1,000 yards.” saysMichael Bane, host of the newshow. “Shooting Gallery is theshow every shooter ’s beenwaiting for! We want to look atthe entire, broad range of shoot-ing, whether it’s how to carry aconcealed Glock or the secretsof handling suppressed subguns.You’re going to see it all here.”

Based in Temecula, CA, The Out-door Channel has, since 1993, been theonly national cable TV network dedicat-ed to providing the best in traditionaloutdoor programming to Americanviewers. The Outdoor Channel is nowavailable to over 60,000,000 homesthrough a combination of cable and thedigital satellite services DIRECTV andDISH Network. If The Outdoor Channelis not available on the local cable sys-tem, individuals should call and requestit or see their local satellite retailer.

INSIDE THE CRUCIBLE

Kelly McCann is one of the best-known and respected personal securityexperts in the United States today. Asthe CEO of Crucible Security Special-ists, he and his staff have providedsecurity training for audiences rangingfrom elite U.S. counterterrorist units toFortune 500 executives. He is best

known to the public as “JimGrover,” former personal securi-ty editor for Guns and Ammomagazine and noted author of

numerous instructionalvideos on armed andunarmed close combat andthe best-selling book StreetSmarts, Firearms, and PersonalSecurity.

A set of five videotapes fea-turing instruction fromMcCann is now available. Thetapes include: Volume 1,Combat Shooting Essentials;

Volume 2, Combat Shooting Realities;Volume 3, Situational Combatives andKnife Fighting; Volume 4, Close-Quar-ters Shooting and Combative PistolSkills; and Volume 5, Situational Com-bat Shooting Skills and Handgun Tac-tics. The Inside The Crucible five-tape setis available exclusively from PaladinPress for $224.75, or the individual vol-umes may be purchased separately for$59.95 each. For more information con-tact Paladin Press, Dept. S.W.A.T., Gun-

barrel Tech Center, 7077 Winchester Cir-cle, Boulder, CO 80301, (303) 443-7250,www.paladinpress.com.

SPACESAVER’S UNIVERSAL

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Manufactured of durable, fully weld-ed, heavy gauge steel, the UniversalWeapons Racks have built-in, foldingretractable doors and locking bars thatmeet strict requirements for the securityof firearms, ammunitions and explo-sives. The doors, sides and backs of thecabinets are covered with a diamondmesh pattern to allow visible counts of

weapons while the doors remain closedand locked. Cabinets come in twoheights and interiors accessories can beeasily configured to accommodate stor-age of a wide variety of weapon typesand accessories. For more informationcontact Spacesaver Corporation, Dept.S.W.A.T., 1450 Janesville Avenue, FortAtkinson, WI 53538-2798, (800) 492-3434, www.spacesaver.com.

FAL STRIPPER CLIP MOUNT

TAPCO is proud to introduce theinnovative and unparalleled in FALreceiver cover technology—the StripperClip Mount. The mount is in a class allby itself with its many features and ben-efits. The Stripper Clip Mount is a brandnew production and is built to last outof aircraft grade aluminum alloy with a

GEAR LOCKER

92 S.W.A.T. JANUARY 2004


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black anodized finish. It slides on justlike the original military version, buthas been modified to bring you the bestmount at the best price. This one of akind mount fits both inch and metricreceivers and has a positive frame lock-ing system with no removable rails foreasy application and re-zero. This willsave your receiver from unwanted scar-ring. TAPCO’s mounts are also craftedwith a milspec Picatinny rail on top andhave a low profile so you can still usethose iron sights. Aesthetic lighteningcuts are also standard on the mount andadd to the form and function as well asreduce the weight to maximize comfort.To aid in quick loading it utilizes stan-dard .308 stripper clips, also manufac-tured by TAPCO, so you can load themags from the top. Suggested retail is$79.99. For more information contact:TAPCO, Inc., Dept. S.W.A.T. PR1, P.O.Box 2408, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, (800)544-1445; www.TAPCO.com

AR-15/M16 COMBO TOOL

Buffer Technologies is proud to unveilits latest invention—the AR-15/M16Combo Tool. This pocket-sized accesso-ry solves a multitude of common prob-lems for AR-15 type rifles. The ComboTool fits in the palm of the hand. A frontsight adjustment tool is alongside a boltface-cleaning tool made to the exact sizeof the 5.56mm/.223 bolt face. The toolfeatures two different disassemblypunches. The Combo Tool also has atapered blade which can be used inplace of a Phillips screwdriver or as a

scraper, a tightening device to assist inassembling Buffer Technologies MagCinch (which securely holds two maga-zines together) and a lanyard loop forattachment to web gear or a tool bag.Suggested retail is under $12.00. Formore information contact Buffer Tech-nologies, Dept. S.W.A.T., P.O. Box104903, Jefferson City, MO 65110-4903,(573) 634-8529, www.buffertech.com.

TACSTAR FLASHLIGHTS

The new T-6 Tactical Light features6061 aircraft grade aluminum construc-tion and an ultra bright 15,000 candlepower Xenon bulb powered by two, 3-volt lithium batteries. The light is waterresistant with o-ring seals and a rubbercoated switch capable of on or intermit-tent operation. Suggested retail is$49.98. The New T-3 Compact Flash-light features Aircraft Aluminum con-struction and is water resistant. Thebeam is fully adjustable (spot to flood).A carry strap and AA batteries areincluded. Suggested retail is $9.98. Formore information contact Lyman Mar-keting, Dept. S.W.A.T., 475 Smith St.,Middletown, CT 06457, (860) 632-2020,www.lymanproducts.com.

PVS-7 NIGHT VISIONGOGGLES

The PVS-7 Night Vision Goggle is acombat proven, night vision systemsuitable for military, law enforcement,private security and civilian applica-tions. The unit comes standard withhead gear for hands free operations andcan be adopted with several acces-sories, from a military grade 3x lens to amagnetic compass. This system iswaterproof and extremely durable. ThePVS-7 comes in a variety of configura-tions to accommodate any mission-spe-cific requirments. For more informationon this unit and other night vision orday time optics please contact Nightvi-sionmall.com at [email protected] or 1-800-976-OPTICS. Men-tion S.W.A.T. Magazine for a specialdiscount.

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YAVAPAI FIREARMS ACADEMY

YAVAPAI FIREARMS ACADEMYcont’d from pg. 79

quate. Louis immediately stopped theexercise and reminded us that concentra-tion was the key. I earn my living as aninstructor (not related to firearms) andwas impressed how Louis corrected amajor problem with the class withoutbluster, macho posturing or reprimands.The problem was noted, corrective actiondescribed, and that was it. He was effec-tive. That steel target began to ring withhits as the students began to believe that

the target could be hit at that distance ona windy day.

During that seventy-five yard drill, Ikept shooting to the side of the target. Ihad no idea why my shotgun was sud-denly “off.” Louis then held his handabout two feet above my front sight,shading the front bead from the brightArizona sunshine. Suddenly my shotgunhit where I aimed. Louis explained thatbright sunshine angling down on a brass

bead can distort the sight picture. Lessonlearned.

Most of the students in the class werein law enforcement—in fact, many wereSWAT officers—so we had an exercise onclearing rooms. This was new trainingfor me so I listened up pretty hard. Inoted that even the experienced SWATofficers were learning new or refinedtechniques. Later, we put what welearned to practical use.

DADDY! HE’S GOT ME!After lunch we assembled at the DFA

indoor simulator after leaving all realfirearms, ammunition, knives and any-thing that could possibly be used as aweapon in our vehicles. The “shoot-house” was a tangled mess of hallways,windows, nearly hidden rooms and clos-ets, and openings in walls betweenrooms—in other words, it was perfect fora nightmare hostage rescue exercise.

Our scenario consisted of two menwatching television when the daughterof one of the men was attacked some-where in the house. Our goal was to findthe girl, save her, and drive off, appre-hend or (if unavoidable) neutralize theinvader. Expertly trained role-playersfrom DFA played the parts of the attack-er and our daughter.

Before the scenario, there was a discus-sion of the advantages and disadvan-tages of Simunitions and Airsoftweapons in training scenarios. Interest-ingly enough, we used Airsoft weaponsnot so much because they are less expen-sive than Simunitions, but to show thateffective training can be done on arestricted budget—even that of a typicalhomeowner. Realism, it was noted, is inthe mind of the beholder. Approachingtraining with the intention of learning ismore important than any of the atten-dant props. I have three daughters.When that teenaged girl screamed,“Daddy!” it was real enough for me.

I had the good fortune to be pairedwith a police lieutenant. We agreed thathe would be the lead man and I wouldback him up and ensure our safety. Wewent down the hall quickly but carefully,entered the bedroom where the Bad Guyheld the girl hostage and my partnergave Mr. B.G. a short list of options. TheBad Guy dropped his knife and my part-ner had the girl leave the room. Every-

This is the sight students were greeted with in the indoor simulator, force-on-forceexercise mentioned in the text.



TRAINING CALENDARJANUARY, FEBRUARY, 2004

BLACKWATER TRAINING CENTER

www.blackwaterusa.com

DATE COURSEFeb. 2-3 Bushmaster ArmorerFeb. 9-11 3-Day PistolFeb. 23-27 Bushmaster Carbine

Operator

FIREARMS ACADEMY OF SEATTLE

www.firearmsacademy.com

DATE COURSEFeb. 1 Handgun Retention

and DisarmingFeb. 7 Handgun Safety SeminarFeb. 8 Concealed Carry 101Feb. 21-22 Defensive Handgun

and QualificationsFeb. 29-30 Night Ops 1

GUNSITEwww.gunsite.com

DATE COURSEJan. 5-9 A&I Vets Special (223)Jan. 12-16 Basic Defensive PistolJan. 12-16 General RifleFeb. 16-20 Basic Defensive PistolFeb. 23-24 Edged Weapons 1Feb. 25-26 Edged Weapons 2Feb- 23-27 3-Gun Special

INTERNATIONALTACTICAL TRAINING

SEMINARSwww.internationaltactical.com

DATE COURSEat ITTS

Jan. 9-11 Intermediate TacticalHandgun Series

Jan. 21-25 Ultimate Tactical Course

Feb. 6-8 Advanced TacticalHandgun Series

Phoenix, AZFeb. 23-25 Advanced Handgun

Seminar


www.elkmountainresort.com

DATE COURSEJan. 29-31 Advanced Concealed

Carry Tactics

THUNDER RANCHwww.thunderranchinc.com

DATE COURSEJan. 12-16 Urban RifleNov. 10-14 Defensive HandgunJan. 19-23 Defensive HandgunNov. 17-21 Defensive Handgun 2Jan. 26-30 Defensive Handgun 2Dec. 1-3 Defensive HandgunJan. 28-30 Defensive HandgunFeb. 2-6 Defensive HandgunFeb. 11-13 Handgun H.I.T.Feb. 16-20 Precision RifleFeb. 23-25 Defensive Handgun

TRIDENT CONCEPTSwww.tridentconcepts.com

DATE COURSELake City, FL

Jan. 3-4 Combative Pistol

Charlotte, NCJan. 12-14 Operational Team Tactics

Camp Blanding, FLJan. 19-11 TEMO Combative Pistol

Prescott Valley, AZFeb. 28-29 Combative Pistol

YAVAPAI FIREARMSACADEMYwww.yfainc.com

DATE COURSEPhoenix, AZ

Jan. 26-28 LE Stage II Shotgun

Lakeland, FLFeb. 6-8 Stage II HandgunFeb. 9-11 HITT

San Jose, CAFeb. 23-25 Stage I LE HandgunFeb. 26-28 Stage I LE Handgun

[Note: Some of the classes listed may already be filled to capacity. We suggest you contact the specific school

you are interested in for classavailability and further

information. The schools' website or email addresses

are listed for your convenience.]

YAVAPAI FIREARMS ACADEMY / TRAINING CALENDAR

thing was going just fine until the Bad Guypulled a .45 and I let him shoot my partner fivetimes before I nailed the offender with a wingshot. (Sigh!) Several lessons learned on the spot—in addition to more lessons during the followingcritique.

Special thanks to the unfortunate Lieutenantwho was my suddenly-deceased partner. He waspleasant, understanding, helpful, very profes-sional and no doubt privately thankful that hisreal-life partners were better trained than this old,slow civilian.

During the following critiques, each teamlearned what the other teams had faced, howthey had fared and how to improve future per-formance. It was a great exercise, honestly pre-sented and critiqued and real enough for all con-cerned.

AFTERTHOUGHTSPreparation for any class is necessary. Having

the proper equipment surely is important—including such mundane items as sunscreen, foulweather gear, knee and elbow pads, etc. Howev-er, the most important part of any preparation isattitude. Come to the class prepared to listen andlearn rather than to teach and critique. Participatein the class willingly and honestly. Each bit ofknowledge you receive is an extra item in yourtactical toolbox. Even if you feel something isinappropriate, you have learned something youmay now choose to avoid. On the other hand,some minor point you pick up in class just mightsave your life or the life of someone you want toprotect. No training is ever wasted unless yourefuse to learn.

I learned more in YFA’s Shotgun I class than Iever knew existed. I also watched highly trainedand experienced SWAT officers learning newskills and perfecting known skills. Louis Awer-buck is truly a world-class trainer and his Shot-gun I class has something for everybody regard-less of their previous training or skill level. �

SOURCES:Yavapai Firearms Academy, Ltd.Dept. S.W.A.T.P.O. Box 27290Prescott, AZ 86313Phone: (928) 772-8262www.yfainc.com

Lyman Products CorporationDept. S.W.A.T.475 Smith StreetMiddletown, CT 06457(800) 423-9704http://www.pachmayr.com/pachmayr

www.swatmag.com
http://www.yfainc.com


http://www.elkmountainresort.com


http://www.tridentconcepts.com

http://www.blackwaterusa.com



http://www.internationaltactical.com

http://www.pachmayr.com/pachmayr


THE ARTICLE NAMETRAINING AND TACTICS

There are essentially only twomechanical or physical factorswhich cause firearms accidents.

These are the placement of a digit onthe trigger when it should be elsewhere,and muzzle direction of a firearm whenthe weapon discharges. While there areother potential contributory circum-stances, such as dropping a two-dollarpistol with worn-out sears, the afore-mentioned are inevitably one or both ofthe base causes of the negligence.

And even though this occurs overand over ad nauseam—usually withhandguns—the big question is how doyou prevent it from happening?

The answer is easy: don’t place yourfinger anywhere near the trigger untilthe gun is aligned with the target, anddon’t allow the muzzle to cover any-thing you aren’t willing to destroy.Unfortunately it isn’t that simple toadhere to these two of Jeff Cooper ’sfour firearms safety rules—especiallythe latter—when you’re in the middle ofa firefight from hell on a dark stormynight, surrounded by friend and foe,and slipping and sliding in four inchesof mud in foreign terrain.

The straight trigger finger is easier toingrain in someone’s mind, but the manhasn’t been born who will keep his trig-ger finger alongside the frame of a pis-tol when he’s sliding down a muddycliff face, trying to grab for something—anything—to impede his fall into blackoblivion. Under extreme circumstanceslike this, the so-called “sympatheticsqueeze” will occur—and there’s a rea-son. From the womb it is instinctual fora human to close the entire hand into afist when reaching for an object, espe-cially under stress during a non-precon-ceived situation.

A straight trigger finger when hold-ing a firearm is a learned process, andno matter how often and how long youpractice, instinct will override a learnedhabit every time—from cradle to grave.Nobody picks up a wrench, a table fork,or a ballpoint pen with a straight indexfinger, so nobody is going to have a

straight index/trigger finger (or safemuzzle direction) when you’ve lostyour footing in the dark and are plung-ing down the above-mentioned bottom-less cliff face.

The latter case, however, is anextremely rare and impending doomsituation—and it is no excuse for acci-dental firearms discharges, either on thetraining range or during a fight. Or, forthat matter, any time when one is han-dling a gun, be it going to the bathroom,during intended “dry-fire” practice, ormerely field-stripping the weapon forcleaning purposes.

Even though some inherent gundesigns, such as Glock pistols or M1rifles seem to “invite” disaster, when allis said and done the nut behind thewheel is invariably the prime cause ofthe negligent detonation. If you’re notgoing to ensure that a Glock is unloadedprior to retracting the trigger for thefield-stripping process, or insist on plac-ing your grubby little trigger finger onan M1 trigger before pushing off themanual safety, don’t blame the design-er/manufacturer for the fact that yourgene pool is low on water.

Whether you habitually wanderaround with your brain in neutral, orit’s a momentary lapse in concentration,either way you’ve lost power to the dri-veline. If you’re lucky, the car coasts to ahalt with a blown motor. If you’reunlucky, you crash—because in bothcases you still have your mental foot onthe gas pedal. The net result is that abullet exits the barrel and has to find aterminal place to rest somewhere.

Several years ago when I was givingEinstein a run for his money and stillknew everything about everything, Imanaged to fire a perfect dry-fire roundinto a wall. The downside is that the“non-existent” round made a loudnoise—and a .45 caliber hole in the wall.The only saving grace was that the muz-zle was pointed in a people-safe direc-tion. Blown engine, no wreck.

How did it happen? A nanosecondlapse in concentration, that’s how.

After removing the magazine, yourstruly had checked the chamber prior todry-fire practice. And after carefullydouble-checking to make sure that thechamber was loaded, I cheerfully pro-ceeded to Hydra “shock” the wall—andmyself. So used to rigorously checkingfor a round in the chamber every time Ipicked up a semi-auto pistol, what Ieuphemistically refer to as a brain hadslipped a gear when checking for anempty chamber. Mea culpa.

Recently I witnessed an idiot on a fir-ing range crease his calf muscle with anine-millimeter bullet. About ten sec-onds after it happened it occurred to methat he wasn’t a half-wit, was compe-tent in the field of gun-handling andmarksmanship, and had merely had amomentary concentration lapse like themillions—yes, millions—before him.

While most readers of this columnwill no doubt derive great mirth andenjoy finger-pointing exercises at mystupidity, see if I care. Let he who iswithout sin cast the first bullet. The bot-tom line message is that whenever youpick up a gun, each and every time, thetrigger finger has to be located in a safeposition—and you have to maintainmental concentration.

While many liken the earlier-men-tioned cliff-falling incident to a gun-fight, they are not the same. The cliffscenario is instant stress. Hearing thatyour wife is pregnant with quintupletsis stress. A gunfight is not stress—it’sjust another hemorrhoid on the rear endof your life, and definitely doesn’t war-rant twitching and curling of fingers.

And if you can’t control this whetheryou’re at home in the bathroom or inthe middle of a gunfight, don’t carry agun. That’s like trusting a drunken bar-ber with a straight razor. �

[Louis Awerbuck is Director of the inter-nationally acclaimed Yavapai FirearmsAcademy. Course information and schedulesare available at their website atwww.yfainc.com]

BY LOUIS AWERBUCK

ENGAGE YOUR BRAIN




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