Shotgun Class Yesterday.

The class started with Jorge doing a little demonstration with it, going from shoulder carry to putting two rounds of 12 ga shotgun in  the center of a 6 or 7 inch circle 6 yards away in 0.45 seconds (shooting timer). He then explained that he’s used to be sponsored by Benelli for Practical Shooting shotgun for 5 years. They gave him several Benelli shotguns which he ended up selling later, only keeping his Remington 870 which he uses as a cop. He told us of this shooting incident he was involved in. In a corridor, a partner of his literally cut a bad guy in half, a person that weighted over 200 pounds, with a semi auto 12 ga shotgun, only leaving the torso connected to the rest of the boy by a piece of flesh to the side. He’s been a cop for almost three decades and used it several times, so I see why he’s so fond of the pump action shotgun.

He shot a few bottles of water so as to give an idea of the power of each round, 9mm pistol for comparison, birdshot, buckshot and slug. He explained that 000 buckshot somewhat (but less powerful) resembles a 38special, lead round nose. He showed a 38 special gun shot wound he has in his forearm. There’s lots of good instructors out there, but few can shoot that well and at the same time have a variety of gun shot wound calibers to display in his own body. Then we tried less than lethal plastic buckshot and saw that at very close range (2 or 3 feet)  it has enough force to blast through ordinary wooden doors, with enough force to produce lethal wounds on the other side. 

We then went through the gear used. Since one of the disadvantages of the shotgun is that ammo is bulky, we saw several ways of carrying extra ammo, particularly in the stock holster and side saddle shell carrier. There’s also this belt carrier that holds 4 rounds. Its like a small magazine with the side opened you just grab the shells and pull them up. Loved this thing. Very fast an easy to shoot. We practiced tactical reloads, fast reloads, loading one round directly into the window and loading the rest into the tube. We practiced shooting a number of given rounds, 2 or 3 rounds, and immediately reloading after shooting so as to always have to weapon fully loaded. We shot while moving, shooting after taking a long quick step to the side. Once we were comfortable shooting and reloading, we went to transitions to the handgun. For most of us the fastest transition wasn’t anything fancy, just going for the Glock with our right hand (right hand shooters) while the left one still holds the shotgun and it naturally goes to the side of the body, in many ways similar to single hand shooting . This was much faster than using the sling at all, and I can see how in a transition were speed and pistol rounds into the bad guy are the greatest concern, this is the best option. There’s time for using the sling once the bad guy is down or you take cover. Afterwards we tried our shotguns with slugs to see their point of impact. Wish we shot a bit more with this but due to costs he didn’t ask us to bring many of these rounds.

Finally we went through a stage, running forward, shooting to a distant target while standing, another close one with a knee on the ground using cover, another one while on the ground using one of the two floor stances we saw, then going back to one knee, opening the action, removing the two shells, placing a slug in the window and shooting a target in the head with a hostage in front of it(no shoot target) This was done two at a time with identical set up targets, and similar cover setup, timing against the other guy. You’ll hear otherwise but I did not shoot the hostage, it was barely a nick, maybe 1 mm. :-) Heck, if that was a person, I would have barely touched the clothes above the shoulder. Anyway, this was a good wake up call. You have to be 100% sure of where your weapon will shoot, specially if this is your go to gun and you may end up shooting a bad guy in a hostage situation.

We shot from 10AM to 4 PM, good class. As always, its incredible the speed you develop with good training.

Lessons Learned? Forget everything you’ve seen on the net or what a few good old folks may have to say after shooting a few jugs full of water: You DON’T want to get shot with a shotgun. Even 32 gr. of birdshot will shoot you to pieces at the typical minus 6 yard range. I’ll take the word of a person that has shot a dozen bad guys with it, saw countless gunfight aftermaths, over the guys shooting a thousand bottles of water. Best ammo? In my case, in my home shotgun, the first round in the tube magazine is n1 birdshot in case it’s a contact range shot, indoors where I don’t want to risk overpenetration in a hurry. The rest of the magazine is loaded with with Winchester Nº4 buckshot. The magazine is left with a “hole”, one round less than the maximum capacity. This allows me to use a specialty round if I’m not in such a hurry (LTL round, slug, etc) .

Oh, yes, one guy had a nice new SPAS 12. I’ve never seen such  a useless piece of crap, so complicated to reload in a hurry, with constant failures. I kept hearing “no, you have to push this lever here” “No, I think this or that happened”. What a piece of junk. As a bonus it was ridiculously big and unwieldy, with a uncomfortable stock. As our instructor put it, only Arnold shoots well with it. When it comes to shotguns, keep it simple, Mossberg 500 or Remington 870 are tough, proven designs.

Take care folks!

FerFAL

Crime, Gunfighting and the hard reality of Defending your location against organized Attackers.

Back in the good old days when, unless you lived in a mayor metropolitan area, Americans went to bed with the doors unlocked and windows opened, this wasn’t a mayor concern. Things have been changing the last few years but till this day for many the idea of security is actually locking the door. I remember this one guy in a forum, he was upset because he kept getting stuff stolen from his truck, an Ipod, and other items. Eventually he said that he didn’t lock his car which I honestly couldn’t believe. Like a Windows Error message, it just doesn’t compute in my brain that people don’t lock their cars and leave valuable stuff inside them that is visible from the outside. Around here, even if you lock the doors a purse or some other bag, specially small expensive electronics like Ipods,  will almost guarantee that someone will smash your window to steal it.

But things have been changing for the worse and little by little people will have to adapt. Unfortunately due to the current economic situation, this process experiences peaks and is catching people completely by surprise. The links of news articles regarding rising amounts of violent home invasions are proof of that. People just aren’t ready for violent, somewhat organized home invasions. 

The ridiculous notion that a handful of people can fight large hordes of attackers may as well be one of the most dangerous concepts that some of the “survival” literature out there can offer. Events like the recent death of the Mexican rancher fighting drug dealers show a very different picture. Article: Mexican rancher standoff .

Again, South Africa has a world of examples, with over 3000 white farmers and ranchers dead.

Based on the information I’ve been gathering and what I see in my own country, I would divide home invasions and attacks in three categories that can be well defined. Be honest with yourself regarding you family’s personal level of preparedness and what your're capable of dealing with.

Ordinary Home Invasion: There may be one or several criminals involved, around 3 tops. The solo bad guy will usually take advantage of an unlocked door or opened window. Maybe even forcing it with a crawbar or screwdriver.  He may be someone from your own neighborhood down on his luck, maybe an addict, looking for easy targets and stuff to sell for a few bucks. He may or may not be armed and they’ll usually look for empty houses. Closed solid doors, good locks, motion sensing lights, and specially an alarm will send this type of criminal looking for an easier victims. A home owner that is armed will have little problem dealing with such criminals but violent encounters can of course be potentially lethal for both parties. This type of criminal though, will often chose to flee, specially if dealing with an armed citizen. Basic safety handling and a weapon such as a 38special revolver would be enough. Since these criminals aren’t ready for trouble, otherwise poor defensive weapons such as 22LR handguns or Derringers prove to be dissuasive enough as well. Keep in mind that this doesn’t change the fact that the previously mentioned firearms are poor choices, its just that the firearm itself is deterrent enough for this type of situation.

Commando Home Invasion: Often called “commando” strikes, these are better organized gangs. They wont operate solo, its usually 3 or 4 members at the very least, armed and not hesitant to use violence rather than fleeing. These criminals are more brutal, usually experienced. They will check the victim before striking , do some previous intelligence work but in some cases they may just drive around looking for a careless victim with his guard down. They usually operate with a backup member or vehicle that stays outside while the robbery is committed. For dealing with this type of criminals a better level of security must be reached. Burglar bars or smash resistant glass as well as a specialized security doors, hopefully one that is also bullet proof. I recommend getting one that is professionally made and installed. There’s more to it than putting metal and reinforced hinges to the existing door. Your life is more important than the money you’d save. Alarm, preferably monitored. The reinforced house must also be combined with smart security measures and a constant level of awareness by the entire family. I’m tired of seeing it, no matter how “hard” your house is, the second you let your guard down, that’s when they get you. Going in and out of the house must be done fast and looking around minimizing the risk gap. The entire family must be aware of this and perform it as second nature. Dogs are excellent deterrents, even for seasoned criminals. Studies made with African home invaders revealed that they don’t like dealing with dogs, specially guard dogs that can attack them. These type of criminals wont hesitate and will shoot back if they can. The attacks are fast and violent, but there’s still a concern about not attracting attention and avoiding the police.

Tactical Ballistic Shiled at bulletproofme.com

The home owners must be well armed since in this case the gun alone will not send the criminal away. You’ll have to use it. This means at least intermediate firearms training (two classes at least, basic and intermediate, preferably advanced too) and seriously practicing what was learned in these classes or repeating them every 3 months. Regular dry fire helps but these techniques must he honed with certain regularity. The weapon must be adequate as well: A high capacity auto pistol, 9mm or bigger. A tactical light, preferably one that is attached to the weapon and body armor. I’ve been talking with like minded individuals that train with me and we’re liking the idea of a shield a LOT. Sometimes you see them being used by SWAT point men along with the pistol. Makes a lot of sense for encounters with armed, determined criminals.

We’re considering experimenting with thick acrylic. I’ll write when we have the results. 

House Attacks: These are not home invasions but house attacks. There’s not a quick strike and hurry to get everyone inside and out of sight. Here, the siege may go on for hours or days and the building itself and the residents are attacked from the outside if necessary. These are full-blown attacks by groups of heavily armed criminals with no concern of authorities showing up any time soon. This is why these attacks don’t occur in populated areas and are most often seen in isolated homesteads and retreats. Like the article linked above, heavy military weapons, including grenades may be used. The attackers mostly have time working in their favor since help isn’t expected to show up.

In this case, the only solution is having enough manpower (by this I mean security personnel) , weapons and tactics to deal with the attack or escaping. Back in the colony days here in Argentina, Indian attacks called “malones” were common occurrence. Since help wasn’t going to arrive, these estates often had escape tunnels that went for dozens or hundreds of yards so that the owners could escape. Today, when this type of attack takes place, it means the security problem in the areas is out of control. Unless you have a dozen guards ready to fight 24/7, it just a matter of time before they get you. Even with all the manpower and weapons you could have. Once the situation gets this bad its time to leave as soon as possible. Attackers can slowly snipe you to pieces, just catching and kidnapping a family member would be enough to force you to give up. This tactic has been used here in the country to avoid any surprises. Criminals would wait until a family member goes outside, maybe drives to town or goes for a walk. Once they have a hostage they don’t have to worry about facing resistance.

Take care folks and have a nice weekend!

FerFAL

Vans and Minivans

Fernando,

Thank you for your book.  I abused your holiday price and picked up my dad a copy for Christmas.  Shh don't tell him. 

One question for you,  do you guys drive minivans down in Argentina and how have they held up post economic collapse? The damn things are so practical and useful I was just curious if they held up.  There’s not much for evasive maneuvers but parts are cheap and they are built like tanks.

Thanks,

Kublai

Hi, of course we have minivans here and they are popular.

It’s interesting that you brought this up because the reason for their popularity is relevant to what we discuss in this blog.

Pickup trucks that are so popular in USA are also easily found here and cars like the Toyota Hilux are a bit of a status vehicle, besides being a good tough truck..

The problem though, is that for work exclusive use, unless you absolutely need the 4x4 capability you may have more economic options.

1)First of all is price, nice pickup trucks and double cabin trucks are terrific, but they are also expensive.

2)Vans and Minivans are also more cost effective in terms of mileage since they sue up less gasoline. They have smaller engines, 1.4 cc or so. BIG consideration when you cut down expenses during a recession.

3)Spare parts and repairs tend to be cheaper. The guy with  the pickup, he may use it or not for work. The guy driving a van is mostly considered a working guy with less money. So its not just parts being cheap, mechanics are likely to charge less.

Fiat Fiorino

4) This is a key issue. Common pickups have open beads, and this is just impossible in cities or towns where crime has become a significant problem. Some Americans may not give much consideration to this. I’ve seen how in Texas people just leave stuff there, go to a store and back not even checking if the toolbox they had there in the back was stolen. Forget about doing that in Argentina. It’s simply not possible, even in red lights you’d get stuff stolen. That’s why you see lots of Dodge Sprinters and Fiat Fiorino light cargo vehicles. They have the capacity, and they keep merchandize within the vehicle. 

Sprinters are commonly used for Commuting

5) Vans are also used a lot for transportation. A notch above ordinary public transportation, vans with AC carry passengers comfortably seated and the middle class will often pay for that bit of life quality. They can’t afford the gas prices or parking expenses any more, but they’ll pay a few more bucks to commute comfortably. 

These are some of the reasons why vans like Fiorinos and Splinters are so popular here,

FerFAL

Physical Fitness and Survival

Physical Fitness and Survival

Ferfal,

My name is Cliff Wiese and I am the Director of Fitness for a combatives company in the U. S. called Suarez International.  We teach a broad cross-section of the population on how to become effective in violent encounters.  Recently, we have started implementing fitness training for our clientele.

There are a number of reasons for introducing fitness.  Many violent encounters begin as hand-to-hand fights.  Accessing any weapon is difficult to impossible if a person is not able to win the initial fight.  It requires more than merely strength or even martial arts ability.  To win the fight explosiveness, endurance, and the willingness to bring overwhelming violence to the encounter are all essential.  If you cannot struggle with someone for several minutes at 100% intensity, you are in trouble.  The old-fashioned notion that simply carrying a gun is safety enough is a false assumption.  That weapon may never get out of its holster if you cannot survive the initial violence.

Being in good physical condition also makes you less of a target for criminals.  They want easy victims, not a person who will put up a fight.  If you are willing to commit yourself to becoming strong and powerful, along with remaining aware of your surroundings, you become much less appealing to thugs.  You will not look like a victim.  Why would they want to fight with you when they can wait another five minutes and find an easy victim?

Another reason for being in good shape is the potential for an economic meltdown.  The saying, “Only the strong survive,” holds very true in this case.  The better shape you are in, the longer you will be able to survive.  You will have more energy, be less likely to contract illnesses, have a better outlook, and be prepared to possibly work at whatever physical labor that might be available to support your family.

Probably the most important reason to workout is because you are much more likely to lead a longer and healthier life than someone who doesn’t exercise.  You may or may not be involved in a violent encounter or an economic meltdown.  For certain, your life will be improved by being physically fit.  Working out keeps your heart healthier, lowers your blood pressure, helps you maintain your weight, and, according to the Mayo Clinic, even has some of the benefits of anti-depressants without any side effects.  Staying in shape will improve your life, whatever the future holds.  Doesn’t it make sense to be as healthy as possible in all circumstances?

I have put together two DVDs for people interested in fitness.  The first, Combat Fit I, is for someone who is just starting a fitness regimen.  It teaches you everything you need to know starting with Day 1, Exercise 1, Repetition 1, and helps you progress at a reasonable pace while minimizing your risk of injury and keeping you from becoming too sore from the workouts.  It is the first fitness DVD that I know of that helps someone starting a workout program do it right from the first day and teaching them proper progressions.  Combat Fit II is a more advanced program for the person who has completed Combat Fit I or who is already in good condition.  It teaches exercises that promote strength, power, explosiveness, and endurance.  The way that I describe the difference between the two DVDs is that CF I is similar to a program training someone for a military Physical Fitness Test.  CF II teaches you how to build the muscle to become the “door kicker” on an entry assault team.  I doubt criminals would want to assault either person.  Fitness is a big part of survival.

The DVDs can be purchased at www.onesourcetactical.com      

       Cliff Wiese

Cliff, its been great exchanging emails with you and I appreciate the article. Couldn’t agree with you more on the reasons why fitness is a top priority. I’ve noticed it too, at contact range the best hand to hand fighter wins, the gun will be of no use at all if your attacker physically overpowers you. I’m sure I mentioned this before, but its worth telling again. During a force on force exercise, I saw how an excellent shooter lost each and every time against an unarmed non cooperative partner simply because he couldn’t draw his weapon and put it to use at such a range. No matter how fast you are, at contact range all he has to do is move quickly, keep your hand from drawing of even if you do, keep it away from his body. There’s of course techniques you train to make the distance and shoot at extreme close range, but physical fitness plays a mayor role. With your attacker’s hands holding your’s, you better be stronger than your attacker and have some hand to hand training. 

Intermediate and advanced combat training is physically demanding. Its not about target shooting. You have to make those tight, small groups when shooting, but you also need to be able to retain your weapon in  a fight, run, move for cover, fight with your hands, knife or whatever you have handy, jump walls, drag a partner away from danger (or family member), kick down doors, etc.  Sounds like too much for the average Joe? Probably, but once you get started you’ll end up doing many of these things even if you’re a average guy. I’m an average guy and that’s what I enjoy doing. One guy on a forum once told me, “you shouldn’t be doing that, that’s only for cops!” Come again? Why the heck not? A cop wont materialize out of thin air to help me when I need it, and frankly I’m not expecting much from a person that shoots less than 50 rounds during his entire firearms training.  In my class there’s business men, construction workers, cops, a judge, a doctor and a lawyer just to name a couple. We’re average Joe but this is what we do with our time and money. 

There’s also that little thing called reality and common sense that the survival community could benefit more from. Truth is most of us are thousands of times more likely to die from health complication probably linked to a sedentary life than anything else. How to you “fight “ this? By loosing that extra weight, eating healthy and staying in shape.

Summarizing, fitness will benefit your survival skills and life in general:

*By being combat fit.

*By “looking” fit and strong, thus both being and looking like a hard target certain criminals will avoid messing with.

*By benefiting both your physical an emotional health. You don’t just look and feel better, working out changes your mood and boosts your immune system. Endorphins make you a happier person.

Cliff sent me “Combat Fit I” and “Combat Fit II” and I highly recommend both of them. Between the two they cover fitness to get started from zero to top physical shape. Take it easy when doing the workout and don’t try to skip stages. Cliff Wiese is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and a Sports Performance Coach with almost three decades of fitness experience.

FerFAL

Reply: "Wife does not Buy In‏"

CapnRick said...

Yep... it's a problem. My wife is anti-drama, and thinks Fernando and I are just being dramatic about the possibility of a disaster or meltdown. When we were in Miami Beach, I had a carry permit. Here in Argentina, I don't have a gun. When I set out on a quest to get gold on deposit with a credible source that would be able to cover the cost of a year's food at today's prices, I had to endure a bit of lip... but, I did it anyway. I also put rejas... metal security barriers... on all the windows and armored the outside doors. I also built in some nooks to hide small amounts of currency, silver coins and gold. While my wife was quite vocal about the changes, she recognized my need to do it. She respected my protective instincts.

Go ahead and do it any way you can... with or without her agreement. As Ferfal says... a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!

A female friend of ours in Houston was sleeping alone in her apartment one night while her boyfriend was out of town. She was awakened by a big guy with a knife who slapped her around a bit and raped her. When he left her in bed alone to go to the bathroom, she broke out the window and escaped naked and screaming into the night. The police never caught the guy.

She bought a pistol that next day. When her boyfriend came home, she told him what happened. When she showed him the new pistol, he packed up and left... saying that he would not live in the same house with a firearm.

And so it goes...

December 6, 2010 3:25 PM

Hi Rick, sobering stuff. Unfortunately its just too late by then. Hoping for tools to defend yourself by the time there’s already a bad guy inside your house is like wishing you had bought home insurance (or a couple fire extinguishers!) as you see your house go up in flames.

The part about the boyfriend leaving her because she bought a gun after being raped is sad but so true. These days many guys are just sad excuses of what men used to be. Sometimes even just mentioning guns puts them on “eunuch” mode and they start babbling about how guns kill people and its worse to have one during a home invasion. Women sometimes have this same brainwashed speech, but I find I particularly pathetic when it comes from guys, even worse, fathers and husbands. I don’t know how they can look their kids and wife in the eyes knowing they are doing nothing to protected them if it ever comes to that.

 Take care,

FerFAL