Editor's Notebook: "Tactical" Reload - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

Editor's Notebook: "Tactical" Reload - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

On April 5, 2011, I ran a piece about the tac load. It seems that, for some, it remains controversial.

It should suffice to note that it's an administrative task, sometimes occurring in the midst of an event - and that has a "tactical reason." We're trying to refill a gun that's been fired in the instant during which no one is shooting at you. One asked how long you have to accomplish that task. While you shouldn't dither, I imagine you have the rest of your life.

It's superfluous for those who don't carry spare ammunition - that could describe a large number of you. Similarly, if you face one person intent on your demise, reloading could be irrelevant. Normally we don't know how many violent offenders there were until the game is over.

One question had to do with that "lull" in the fight. You don't have to be a combat veteran to know of such things. There comes a time of uncertainty, parts breakage, stoppages, disengagement etc. in many fights. Another had to do with how many practitioners were saved by use of the tac load in other than military engagements. So many non-mil, non-LE engagements involve the untrained and undertrained that you don't have to be an MIT statistician to figure out such cases would be rare or practically non-existent.

Do the tac load with deliberation. Ensure the mag you seat is truly captured by giving it a slight tug.

Is that a reason not to prepare for it?

Recently at Gunsite, the tac load was presented to a mixed group of gun people and non-gun people. They started with using the procedure as we "make ready." After the load component, we tac load to have a completely topped off pistol.

Double mag pouches were issued. Per my training, I always used the least accessible magazine for the tac load, saving the nearest magazine for those inconvenient emergencies. At no time during the trip did I put a magazine on the deck. During the shoot-off stage, I tac loaded after several engagements "just in case." Another participant didn't and had to drop out when he fired a miss and went to slide-lock.

The idea of the tac load is to keep a fully loaded firearm "just in case." It seems like a good reason to practice the tac load - one of the easiest pieces of the repertoire to rehearse - if you'll simply carry spare ammo.

As to whether we should tac load on the clock, I'm conflicted. There are those, told there is no clock on the event, who will move with diminished urgency. When faced with the real deal, some fumbling results. I prefer to think the tac load is best done with conviction: start out working piece by piece. If you're on the Response Team or a street cop, practice with the tac load is an excellent way to work out your gear arrangement. When the fresh magazine is seated, take the split second for a light tug to ensure it's locked in.

If carrying more than one spare, tac load from the least accessible pouch. Save the closest pouch for those emergencies. Likewise, I replace partly depleted magazines back in the pouch because I can more quickly get to them in a dire situation.

I found with the Ruger SR45s - these were new - it was best to load the ten-shot magazines to nine rounds to facilitate an in-battery load. Fully charged, it was a chore to get them seated. Not all guns are that way and a tac load is ideally suited to figuring that out.

I stowed the depleted magazine in the least accessible pouch - but still in the pouch, not a pocket. As there were only three magazines, I'd rather reach for the pouch (if needed) than to engage in the "ballistic Macarena" (coined by Mas Ayoob) - patting myself down for that last partly-loaded magazine.

If your hands are too small to handle two magazines at once, you may be carrying too big a gun for your hands. I find I can work with G21-size magazines but more positively with 1911 magazines.

If the tac load now has some appeal for you, perhaps you'll start carrying a spare magazine or two - and that's a good thing.

by Rich Grassi

C.T. http://www.thetacticalwire.com/

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Silvercore Firearms Training

7198 Vantage Way Delta, BC V4G 1K7

604-940-7785

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2 mm Kolibri - World Smallest Production Handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

2 mm Kolibri - World Smallest Production Handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

The 2 mm Kolibri (also known as the 2.7 mm Kolibri Car Pistol or 2.7×9 mm Kolibri) is the smallest commercially available centerfire cartridge, patented in 1910 and introduced in 1914 by Franz Pfannl, an Austrian watchmaker, with financial support from Georg Grabner. It was designed to accompany the Kolibri semi-auto pistol or single shot pistol, both marketed as a self-defense weapon.

The cartridge weighed 5.3 grams (82 grains), measured 3 millimeters (0.12 in) at its widest point, and 11 mm (0.43 in) from the base of the primer to the tip of the bullet. The cartridge headspaced on the mouth of the case. The bullet itself weighed 0.2 g (3 grains), and was estimated to have a normal muzzle velocity of 200 m/s (650 fps), resulting in a muzzle energy 4.0 joules (3 foot-pounds).

The round was not accepted overly well. The 2 mm Kolibri's small size made handling and loading individual cartridges difficult, and the bullet itself was fairly weak, literature at the time suggesting the round was capable of penetrating only 10–40 mm (0.4 to 1.6 inches) of pine board. The round also suffered some accuracy issues, since the technology of the time was incapable of applying rifling to the bore of such a small caliber, resulting in no spin on the bullet.

The series, and most weapons by Franz Pfannl, were discontinued in 1938.

The cartridge (and related firearm series) is now a collector's item, with individual rounds going for over US$70. Original guns for this round can sell for US$5,000.

C.T. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_mm_Kolibri

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Pick A Handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

Pick A Handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

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Silvercore Firearms Training

7198 Vantage Way Delta, BC V4G 1K7

604-940-7785

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Silvercore Firearms Training Inc. originally shared: Day 1 of the Silvercore handgun level 2 at the JIBC.

Silvercore Firearms Training Inc. originally shared:

 

Day 1 of the Silvercore handgun level 2 at the JIBC.

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #HG2



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604-940-7785

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JIBC 715 McBride Boulevard, New Westminster, BC V3L 5T4, Canada

5/10/14

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Thunder .50 BMG handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

Thunder .50 BMG handgun - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

This prototype was shown (along with some videos of it being fired) at the 2004 Shot show.

You don't want to be within 5 yards to either side of this beast when it is fired, as a lot of powder will be burning past the short barrel.

The influence of fictitious gun designs in Hollywood movies and video games on the design is obvious.

At that time, Triple Action, LLC of Logan, Utah was looking for a manufacturer to license to produce it for sale. (Actually, the company was really promoting its recoil reduction system.) The designer is Janos Lakatos.

Will production be announced at this year's 2006 Shot Show, or will this go the way of an interesting design exercise? We'll see in a dozen days. [Answer: No. It was never seen again, and the company no longer exists. Wonder who has the prototype?]

C.T. http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/airborne_combat_engineer/2005/01/the_thunder_50_.html

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Silvercore Firearms Training

7198 Vantage Way Delta, BC V4G 1K7

604-940-7785

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Comments on institutionalized training - John Farnam, 29 Apr 14 - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

Comments on institutionalized training - John Farnam, 29 Apr 14 - Silvercore Firearms Training BC 

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it!”

Andre Gide

Comments on institutionalized training.

We, now and then, present training programs at state academies and other long-established “institutions.”

In the private sector, we’ve moved forward rapidly over the past few

decades, but many institutions, state and federal, still lag far behind- ever timid, ever afraid, ever suspicions of anything not invented there!

Examples:

Cold Ranges. These are still the rule, rather than the exception, at many training academies. In fact, some are so anal that they prohibit any live rounds from entering a classroom or dining facility, even in magazines! Officers arriving at the range are thus forced to unload weapons in their cars, including emptying all magazines, before entering the training facility. Of course, the entire process must be reversed when students leave, among those who remember to do it!

This leads to inestimable wasted time, a great deal of unnecessary

gun-handling, and many NDs, all of which would be prevented if pistols just  remained in holsters.

Rifles must be unloaded before proceeding from the firing line forward in order to examine targets, then reloaded before the next string of fire. Simply slinging a loaded rifle and moving with it (something that must be done routinely while the officer is on-duty) is, of course, unthinkable during  so-called “training!”

Many institutional training facilities are de-facto “gun-free” zones, and the people making those rules do it for the same reason all gun-free zones are naively declared: They’re far more interested in keeping their jobs than they ever will be in doing them. The improvement/safety of students is the last thing anyone ever thinks about!

These are the same ossified “range-masters” who used to so arrogantly  declare, “If it doesn’t rotate, it doesn’t shoot on my range,” referring to when only revolvers were allowed (never any of those new-fangled autoloading pistols)! Again, no one cared about students. No one wanted anything to move forward, as it might threaten their fiefdom. I ran into this personally when I attended the police academy in WI many years ago.

And today, they’re still so worried about NDs, that all else is forgotten. The result: Little relevant training ever takes place, and they have NDs anyway! [Emphasis added.]

Muzzles up: This is an invitation to muzzles being constantly pointed in unsafe directions. When rifles and shotguns are slung with muzzles up, they invariably point horizontally every time the user tries to mount the  weapon. Muzzle-up carry is inherently unsafe. Rifles and shotguns need to be routinely slung, or otherwise carried, muzzle-down.

Making a distinction between loaded and unloaded guns: Universal muzzle and finger discipline is what defines safe gun-handling. Allowing “unloaded” guns to be handled carelessly, while having a separate set of rules for “loaded” guns, is a recipe for disaster! Sooner or later, “safe” guns and “dangerous” guns get mixed in with each other! On modern ranges, all gun-handling is the same, regardless of the supposed condition of the weapon. ”

All guns are always loaded,” because they are!

[This is the money quote-- take it to heart!] We train Operators, surefooted Operators who can function independently, make correct judgements, who daily carry loaded guns with confidence, who don’t have gun accidents, and who don’t miss. When you make it clear that is why we’re here and what we expect of them, students will invariably rise to the occasion. Indeed, they will exceed your expectations with their competence, understanding, and enthusiasm. It will all make sense to them!

Conversely, when you insultingly treat students like infants, don’t be

astonished when that is all you get!

“If we listened to our intellect, we’d never fall in love, never have 

children, never have friends, never chase a dream. As a result, we would all die of boredom or hang ourselves! So, for the sake of our own mental  health, we have to jump off cliffs now and then, building our wings on our way down!”

Ray Bradbury

C.T. John Farnam & http://op-for.com/2014/05/farnam-on-training.html

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #PAL

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Silvercore Firearms Training

7198 Vantage Way Delta, BC V4G 1K7

604-940-7785

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Bear ATC - Silvercore Firearms Training

Bear ATC - Silvercore Firearms Training

Silvercore Wildlife Predator Defence  - Authorization To Carry (ATC) 

It’s another perfect day to train at the PCDHFC. We hope to see you  all at our handgun skill development days that are coming up.

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #ATC #Bear #Handgun #Ammunition #PCDHFC #Wildlife #Predator #Defence

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Silvercore Wildlife Predator Defence - Shotgunp

Silvercore Wildlife Predator Defence - Shotgun

It’s a beautiful day to o some shotgun training at the beautiful PCDHFC. We hope everyone can get some trigger time before the weekend

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #Shotgun #PCDHFC #Bear #OHN #WildlifeDefence

PoCo & District Hunting & Fishing Club 5000 Harper Road, Coquitlam

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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EQUIPMENT VS. SKILLL - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

EQUIPMENT VS. SKILLL - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

BY JOE   |   POSTED ON 04/21/2014 BY JOE   |   Silvercore Firearms Training BC

The firearms industry is driven by the aftermarket, not necessarily the weapon manufacturers themselves. Through advertising, aftermarket manufacturers convince the average shooter that they “need” every trinket and gizmo to make themselves a better shooter. This seems to be a never ending battle I have with people, convincing them which is more important, the software or hardware.

A fast shooter is fast not because of his equipment which SO SO SO many people can’t grasp. A person isn’t a good shot because of the rifle he/she holds, the rifle is accurate because of the person holding it. I’ve used this analogy before, that you cannot purchase muscle memory and no matter how many things you bolt onto your gun the shot timer will not reflect large improvements without rounds sent down range. You can’t rent experience, or borrow the needed skill to make a difficult shot, make it through an actual gunfight or life threatening situation. Those reflexes and abilities are earned on the range, and too many people focus on the tool and not the skill to use it.

A mechanic isn’t the person with the shiniest Snap On tool box and fanciest tools, he has built up years of experience that helps him do his job efficiently and right the first time. I get asked a lot about what drills I would recommend to become a better shot with a precision rifle. I would venture to say, most good instructors can get new students the same or better results and smaller groups in an afternoon with a iron sighted 22lr or scoped 22lr at 50 yards than a .308, 6.5 Creedmor or equivalent. The same can be said of a carbine with iron sights or a standard Glock 9mm without all the work everyone thinks they absolutely need to put into it.

Now am I saying that these things, additions, technology doesn’t help in some aspect? No I am not. I would venture to ask, do most people even know the reason they put all the Pic rail attachment items, or modifications on their gun? Other than that they saw their favorite Youtube, high speed instructor using it that way? Each person brings different dimensions, hand sizes, eye dominance, previous injuries to the table that will lead to changes in body position, grip, what gun is comfortable, trigger finger placement, what sight someone prefers, shape of trigger, stock they put on a gun, or any million other modifications you can make to your personal firearm.

Have a good reason and know why each modification is for you and why, it will only help to make you a better shooter and have a much better understanding of your shooting style and skill level. I challenge anyone to start basic, shoot till your fingers bleed, and then shoot some more. Burn some barrels out, get your hands on as many different options as possible for everything before deciding that just because instructor X uses it that way it’s the way for you.

C.T. http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=7652#more-7652

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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Silvercore Handgun Training at the Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club.  

Silvercore instructors spent the day training with a student for Handgun Level 3 at the Justice Institute of BC this coming weekend.  We hope everyone had the opportunity to get to the range over the long weekend!  

If you are itching to get out and train take a look at www.silvercore.ca  not just for courses but for our one day skill development days at the JIBC.

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #Safety #Handgun #tactical #JIBC

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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Silvercore Handgun Training at the Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club.

Silvercore Handgun Training at the Port Coquitlam & District Hunting & Fishing Club.  

Silvercore instructors spent the day training with a student for Handgun Level 3 at the Justice Institute of BC this coming weekend.  We hope everyone had the opportunity to get to the range over the long weekend!  

If you are itching to get out and train take a look at www.silvercore.ca  not just for courses but for our one day skill development days at the JIBC.

@Silvercore #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #Safety #Handgun #tactical #JIBC

Sincerely,

Silvercore Firearms Training

604-940-7785

www.silvercore.ca

https://plus.google.com/+SilvercoreCa

2,500 Meter Rifle Shot - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

2,500 Meter Rifle Shot - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR6n7ztRJfs

Hitting a target more than 2,500 meters away proved to be no sweat for this long-range shooter, even though the bullet had to travel for almost a full five seconds in the air.

LiveLeak user Grizzman uploaded a video showing viewers his set up and successful near-1.5 mile shot with a .338 Lapua Magnum rifle and a metal target.

“A few days ago I took out the 338 Lapua and attempted the 2,500-yard shot,” Grizzman said. “So I placed the target at 2,530 yards or 1.43 miles away, at that distance the bullet flight time is almost 4.5 seconds!”

“I went out early in the morning to beat the mirage, luckly [sic] there was very little wind around 3-4 mph coming from the left, I dialed 2.6 mils Left,” the shooter explained on LiveLeak. “I had to dialed the maximum elevation my scope (Nightforce NXS 5.5-22×56 MIL/MIL) had at 27.4 mils then held over 2.5 mils on the reticle to get me to 29.9 mils.”

C.T. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/21/watch-this-incredible-long-range-rifle-shot-from-nearly-1-5-miles-away/

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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Larry Vickers Training Scars - Reloading - Silvercore Firearms Training BC7198 vantage

Larry Vickers Training Scars - Reloading - Silvercore Firearms Training BC

C.T. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Cnr78WUNg

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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Day 1 of Silvercore Handgun 1. Students practice multiple target drill with laser shot and SIRT guns.

Day 1 of Silvercore Handgun 1. Students practice multiple target drill with laser shot and SIRT guns.

@Silvercore Training Inc. #Silvercore #Firearms #Training #BC #Safety #Canada @Laser Shot SA

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Silvercore Firearms Training

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