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3 home defense firearms that’ll make you prepared like John Wick

You roll to your side to take a quick glimpse of the clock: it’s 3 AM. You’ve been awake for the past 2 hours, trying to go back to sleep. You couldn’t. Something’s off…you can just feel it.

“Ah, it must be paranoia,” you think. When you’re about to close your eyes, you suddenly hear a loud shatter downstairs. You get up. And then, your front door slowly creaks open, bringing a chill down your spine. “Oh shi—” you panicky think before cutting yourself off. You know what this is:

A home invasion.

Your heart starts pounding as you quickly try to find your .30-06 hunting rifle with scope. Beads of sweat roll down your face as your hands begin to shake uncontrollably. You realized that your hunting rifle is downstairs. And then, suddenly out of the shadows, a dark hooded figure emerges. What do you think will happen next?

You’ll either lose your life or your precious valuables. Why? Because you weren’t adequately prepared for a home invasion. How do you prevent that from happening? By getting prepared. And one of the first steps in being prepared is getting yourself a SOLID home defense weapon. That’s why I wrote this article — to show you my top 3 favorite home defense firearms, starting with my first recommendation…

 

  • Remington 870 (Shotgun)

Mitch Barrie on Flickr

 

Pros: Flexible ammunition types, insanely powerful

Cons: Heavier and harder to carry (compared to pistols), requires two hands to shoot, low ammunition capacity (compared to rifles)

Why use a Shotgun for Home Defense?

Because they’re scary as hell. If ANY intruder hears a sound of a shotgun, they’ll most likely bolt for the door… and will never step foot on your property again. But that’s not the only reason you should invest in a shotgun. Shotguns are also extremely versatile. Meaning, there is a wide variety of ammo available like:

  • Slugs
  • Buck Shot
  • Bird Shot

In other words: Shotguns are multi-purpose. They can be used for hunting and target shooting as well as home defense. And that’s not all. Shotguns are incredibly reliable. (More specifically, pump shotguns). They are very easy to use and won’t fail on you — even with minimal maintenance. The best part? Shotguns are pretty darn cheap. In fact, a brand new Remington 870 only costs $300. And if you really look, you could get yourself a used one for less than $150.

Recommended Accessories: 

  • Shotgun Sling: Makes extra ammo easily-accessible.
  • Red Dot Sight: Allows for rapid target acquisition. The FastFire 3 from Burris is SOLID.
  • WeaponLight: Flashlights and lasers are a must for shotguns.

 

  • Glock 23 (Pistol)

WikiMedia Commons

 

Pros: Easy to carry, lightweight (and compact), requires only one hand to shoot

Cons: Low ammunition capacity (compared to rifles)

Why use a Pistol for Home Defense?

The fact is this: Handguns are some of the best firearms for home defense. They’re also my personal favorite. Here’s why… Accessibility. I carry my Glock 23 almost EVERYWHERE I go. It’s small, compact, light and fairly easy to use. That said, you’d be able to move quicker and quieter through your home. Bruce Willis in Die Hard would probably agree with me. Another reason for acquiring a pistol is because they rarely run into jamming issues, easy-to-clean, and just straight up reliable.

Look: Just do yourself a favor and get a handgun (if you don’t have one already). It’ll protect you everywhere — inside AND outside of your home.

Recommended Accessories: 

  • Grip: Upgrade your stock grip with a grip from a reputable manufacturer for an improved grip quality.
  • Light/Laser: Will help with accuracy and seeing in low-light conditions.
  • Holster: A must if you conceal carry. Feel free to read my top 3 essential firearm accessories.

 

 

  • AR-15 (Rifle)

Pixabay

 

Pros: Higher ammunition capacity, powerful, long-distance shots

Cons: Heavier and harder to carry (compared to pistols), requires two hands to operate

Why use a Rifle for Home Defense?

If you want to be a badass like John Wick, use an AR-15. The reason? It’s INSANELY versatile. The AR-15 can be used for home defense, target shooting, and even deer hunting. How is that possible? The AR-15 is chambered in a 5.56 cartridge and could also shoot a .223 — allowing for a flexible platform. And get this: An AR-15 is actually EASIER to shoot than a shotgun or pistol due to the low recoil and accuracy. If that wasn’t enough for you, the AR-15 also holds a larger total capacity of ammunition. In other words: you can easily take on multi-person home invasion.

Let me make it simple: I highly recommend owning an AR-15. It’s just… awesome. I’m not the only person who thinks so. In fact, the AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America.

Recommended Accessories: 

  • Rifle Scope/Red Dot Sight: Read this article on how to choose a rifle scope.
  • Front Hand Grip: Allows for MUCH better grip.
  • Flashlight: Great for low light environments.

Which Firearm Should I buy For Home Defense – Pistol, Rifle Or Shotgun?

It depends on your environment. Want something lightweight and easily accessible? Get a handgun. Live in a rural area and have a lot of distance? Invest in a rifle. However, if you live in a more densely-packed area, go with a shotgun. Also, don’t forget to check your local laws to see which firearm is legal. But most importantly: whatever firearm you choose, make sure to commit to training and practice. As long as you head to the gun range a couple of times per year, you should be golden. With that said…

Now Its Your Turn

These are my top 3 favorite firearms for home defense. Sure, there are hundreds of guns out there you can choose from but these were my top 3 favorites. That said, I’d like to hear from you:  What firearm do you use (or plan on using) for home defense? Let me know by leaving a quick comment down below.

 

Author Bio:

Richard Douglas is a scopes expert with over 10 years of hands-on experience and has been featured on Burris Optics, War History Online and more. No wonder his friends call him the “James Bond of Scopes.” Richard now spends most of his time reviewing scopes and sharing his exclusive findings on his blog, Scopes Field.

 

Feature image courtesy of Pixabay

The glaring problem with your plan to defend your home

It’s not at all uncommon to find articles breaking down the proper techniques you should employ when clearing your home, just like it’s easy to find articles discussing and debating what the best possible firearms are for that specific (and dangerous) set of circumstances. I love reading these pieces and participating in the dialogue they encourage, but all too often, I’m left with the uneasy feeling that the debate is going on between a strange combination of experienced veterans, well trained amateurs… and idiots that fancy themselves cowboys. Of course, not all idiots are bad guys, some are just woefully inexperienced, under-trained, and overconfident. In a lot of ways, you could use those same three adjectives to describe me doing just about anything half the time I’m doing it. Being an idiot only becomes really dangerous when you don’t realize you’re doing it.

And that’s where home defense comes in. It’s become apparent to me that most home defense strategies are predicated on the idea that you’ll have ready access to your firearm and the advantage of knowing your home when an intruder breaks in. From there, many articles suggest that it’s just a matter of slicing the pie through doorways and careful execution of your room clearing plan (that would optimally already be worked out) until you’ve neutralized all the bad guys and can call it a night. After all, that’s what John Wick would do.

The truth of the matter is, if the extent of your tactical training comes from watching YouTube videos and occasionally going through the motions in your house with your kid’s Nerf gun, clearing your home during a break in is an absolutely terrible idea. You have no idea how many opponents you’ll be facing, what they’re armed with, what sort of training or equipment they may have, or where exactly they’ll be coming from (assuming your house, like most, has multiple entrances). Your home-field advantage dissipates quickly the minute you find yourself creeping through the kitchen and realize there are bad guys both in front of and behind you.

As for firepower, three guns almost always beats one, even if you’ve got a very expensive boomstick you’ve been itching to try out. While you’re engaging one target, you often leave yourself exposed to be hit by the others. There’s a reason the U.S. military doesn’t use the one-man Rambo approach to house clearing even when sending in highly trained special operators: numbers matter. The more support you have, the more likely you are to survive an encounter. With no support and an unknown number of assailants, your effort to “clear the house” is really just putting you in harm’s way.

There’s a reason the military trains to clear houses as a team: because it’s too dangerous to do alone unless you absolutely must. (US Marines)

So, what do you do when you hear a break in? I won’t lie to you — I’ve had a break in and I took off after the sound of broken glass with my pistol in hand and hate in my heart. In hindsight, I was lucky. Our house was broken into by a young punk with a head full of drugs and a healthy fear of his Marine neighbor carrying a 9mm. If it had been an armed assailant with more than my X-box on his mind, I could have been riddled with holes before I cleared the stairwell.

Sometimes you’ll have no choice but to move from one room to another during a break in: You’ll need to get to your family and your firearm. Once you’ve got both, don’t bother moving through the house like Solid Snake trying to take down the bad guys one by one. Instead, put yourself in a solidly defensible position, keep your family around the corner, out of sight, and behind whatever cover you can find. Call the police and keep them on the line. Then, if need be, open fire to keep the home intruders from entering the room you’re all hiding in. The best place for you to take cover is somewhere that allows you as clear a line of sight of their approach as possible, while allowing for as little exposure to your opponents as possible. Stake out your house ahead of time and identify spots like that so you can more easily locate them when the adrenaline starts pumping.

With no support, every angle is your responsibility and there’s no one there to watch your back. (US Marines)

Remember, drywall doesn’t stop bullets, and neither will your kitchen table, couch, or mattress. Real cover needs to be legitimately solid (steel, concrete, a stack of logs) — so if you’re lacking in real cover, do your best with staying low and keeping the intruders back until help arrives.

Stay on the line with the police, even if you have to drop the phone to defend yourself. Keeping the line open will help them to understand what’s going on in the room for when the responding officers arrive. Remember, in this defensive position, you really are fighting for your life and the lives of your family. Most intruders will run rather than get shot or arrested, so anyone that’s willing to exchange gunfire with you to get into your bedroom likely has something worse in mind than stealing your wife’s jewelry.

If you’ve got the training and the confidence, clear your house the way you’ve been taught. But if you’re a normal mortal with a gun, your best bet is finding a defensible position and waiting for backup. It could save your life.

 

 

 

Feature image: Courtesy of InformedMag.com via Flickr

What’s the best Home-Defense carbine for the new gun owner?

Let’s face it, there are more than enough articles detailing rifle setup or reviews of home defense carbines With the ever-growing list of friends, family, and acquaintances that have little to no shooting experience, they tend to ask the same typical questions:

“What’s the best rifle I can buy?”

“Can’t I just go cheap?”

“I know what you’re saying, but I really like that tiny Sig P290. Can’t I just go with that? A rifle seems like a bit much”

“Can’t I just build it? It looks easy on YouTube.”

“Can you show me how to set it up?”

“I don’t know about LMT, I’ve heard Rock Rivers’ are just as good on this blog.”

I’ve seen varying reactions from the staff at your average gun shop. Some people are helpful, some get annoyed, others exploit a new buyer for the sake of an easy sale, and the absolute worst is the staff member who seizes the opportunity to belittle you. While some folks come to me lacking maturity in their line of questioning, I always provide the best and simplest advice I can give. There’s nothing to lose here, and if someone decides to bet their life on your recommendation, I really hope you gave them a real answer based upon a combination of real experience and some research. This article is my recommendation to a new buyer interested in protecting their home. With that, I’m keeping much of the information in this article basic.

When writing this article, I chose two carbine length multipurpose rifles, tailored slightly towards close quarters battle (CQB). The first question is “why carbine length? Don’t we have better options with respect to short barreled rifles (SBR) and AR pistols?” Yes, there are better options, but I have no desire to deal with SBR laws when traveling across state lines. I have even less of a desire to deal with how the BATF chooses to interpret the legality of an AR pistol on any random day of the week. Furthermore, a 16-inch barreled AR-15 will handle a close quarters fight just fine. You may be hesitant as a new shooter to approach the concept of an AR-15 style rifle over a pistol, so let’s assess the “why” — My main driving factors for choosing an AR-15 style rifle are: high-capacity, maneuverability, dependability, and accuracy.

Now, let’s get into the weapons. I chose two different models from two different manufacturers.

Rifle1: Daniel Defense M4 V11 in 5.56mm with 16inch barrel (Pictured on Top)

Rifle2: BCM RECCE 16 in 5.56mm with 16inch barrel (Pictured Below)

Here’s why I chose these manufacturers, quality parts, quality labor, quality control. Take whatever stance you want, but Daniel Defense and Bravo Company Manufacturing are known for this. Am I saying you’ll never get a bad gun off the line? Nope. I’m saying that you are far more likely to get a dependable weapon out of the box. If there is a defect, both companies take their customer service seriously, and will make it right.

All those points aside, if you decide to make a rifle your duty or home protection weapon, and it has yet to be fired, you’re a moron. Never bet on an unproven piece of life saving gear. Do not get caught up in the “it’s mil spec so it’s basically the same” mindset. That “mil spec means it’s good to go” argument is the equivalent of saying, “to build a house all you need is a roof.” The extra steps these companies take before shipping a weapon are leaps and bounds above other manufacturers, and that is why I chose them.

Now, there are plenty of other manufacturers that make quality AR platforms such as LMT, Colt, Triarc Systems, LWRC, LaRue Tactical, Knights Armament Co, etc. and they are top notch. Even during my service in the military I bet my life on Colt for years, so please do not think I am stating these other manufacturers are unworthy for duty or home defense. On the other hand, if you are considering building a rifle (I recommend that for more experienced individuals), do not make your first home defense rifle a build. I’ve seen it all when it comes to builds. Build your first and make sure it runs — Clint Smith would agree with me. With that noted, let’s move on.

Weapons System Overview:

Rifle1: Daniel Defense M4 V11 in 5.56mm.

Barrel- Cold Hammer Forged, government profile 1:7 twist, Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel

Rail- Keymod 15inch

Gas system- Mid-Length

Gas block- Low profile pinned

Muzzle Device- Daniel Defense Flash Suppressor

Rifle2: BCM RECCE 16 in 5.56mm.

Barrel- Cold Hammer Forged, government profile 1:7 twist, MIL-B-11595E Chrome Moly Steel

Rail- Keymod 15inch

Gas system- Mid-Length

Gas block- Low profile dimpled with set screws

Muzzle Device- BCM Mod 0 Compensator

I can get into further detail, but I’m not a damn brochure, look the rest up yourself.

The barrel- Both rifles are government profile and cold hammer forged, a solid decision with respect to durability. There are some who would urge you to seek lightweight barrels, but I like versatility. There are also days where training is high round count and long in duration; I have no interest in sacrificing accuracy, or increasing the level of heat on my handguard if that can be mitigated with a slightly heavier barrel. In fact, I am also a big fan of the heavier SOCOM profile barrels as they handle a higher volume of fire. Bottom line, I like a workhorse that I can depend on.

Moving onto gas systems- I’m a pretty big proponent of the mid-length gas system on a 16 inch barrel. It allows greater dwell time and creates a far smoother recoil impulse than a carbine length gas system. During training sessions, I believe you’ll find recoil management a tad more manageable than a “snappy” carbine length system during a rapid string of fire.

Gas blocks- Pinned or dimpled with set screws? Honestly, if done right it doesn’t matter. However, if done wrong the weapon won’t run. This is an area where a quality manufacturer is important. Over the years, I have had plenty of friends shoot their personal weapons in a course side by side with me, and some lesser manufacturers have been known to cut corners in this area. I’ve seen some of those guns run like sewing machines, then one day, not function…. All due to poor gas block installation or cheap materials.

Muzzle device- The muzzle device in both systems work just fine, but they are nothing to write home about. The Daniel Defense Flash suppressor works as intended, it dissipates muzzle flash, and helps direct recoil where it needs to go. The BCM Mod 0 Compensator does neither task very well. It does an okay job of flash suppression, and an okay job of compensation. If you are thinking of installing a large muzzle brake on your home protection weapon to aid in recoil management, don’t. The muzzle flash, combined with the deafening noise will be a less than pleasant experience should you have to fight with your rifle indoors.

Regarding Rails- both work fine, Keymod or MLOK, I really don’t care. It does not impact my ability to shoot well, and the systems are durable. If I were to pick from the two manufacturers, I prefer the BCM rail system. It’s lighter, and the lockup is simplistic but tough. For you gear-nazis, MLOK accessories will have greater longevity with respect to accessory availability, and it is a more durable system than keymod.

Last, but not least, Bolt Carrier Groups (BCGs)- There’s a ton of options out there, so I’ll say it like this, get yourself a full auto BCG. The AR-15 was designed to run with the full auto BCG. There are better options, but a Mil-spec, carpenter 158 steel, high pressure tested, magnetic particle inspected, heat treated and shot peened, with properly torqued and staked gas key screws are essential to reliable operation. The Daniel Defense and BCM BCGs are a fantastic example of a perfectly executed Mil-spec BCG; however, the BCM BCG has become the “gold standard” throughout the shooting community. You would not be wrong with either choice.

Rifle Setups:

Rifle1- Daniel Defense M4 V11 (Pictured on Top)

Optic- EOTECH EXPS 3-2 (Tan)

Iron Sights- Daniel Defense fixed iron sights

Foregrip- Strike Industries SI LINK angled foregrip

Light Source- Arisaka Defense 300 series with Surefire SR07 pressure switch

Buttstock- BCM Gunfighter SOPMOD Stock

Other- Magpul PMAG Coupler

 

Rifle2: BCM RECCE 16 (Pictured Below)

Optic- Trijicon MRO

Iron Sights- Daniel Defense fixed iron sights

Foregrip- Strike Industries SI LINK angled foregrip

Light Source- Arisaka Defense 300 series with Surefire SR07 pressure switch

Buttstock- BCM Gunfighter SOPMOD Stock

Other- Magpul PMAG Coupler

Kit for your setup are where some folks tend to skimp once they purchase a quality rifle, sometimes…. They skimp even if their rifle is garbage. But here’s the takeaway, positive target ID, a fast-reliable optic, and a weapon that feels instinctive to operate are just as important. If it looks cool, but works sometimes, or is not user-friendly, move on.

Optics: The EOTECH EXPS series- are great close quarters optics, practically parallax free (not totally), large window that promotes situational awareness, and ideal donut style reticle make it a force to be reckoned with. Now, I am fully prepared for all my EOTECH haters to crawl out from the rock they are hiding under screaming things like “thermal drift!” In my experience, all the EXPS models I’ve run work great. Even the one I used during my time in Special Operations through parachuting, climbing, rucking, FAST roping, and extended shooting sessions during extreme cold weather (the polar vortex of 2015), I’ve had no issues. My biggest complaint is battery life, 1000 Hours. You do not want to be in a position where you go to turn on your optic in the middle of the night only to see a big fat nothing. I always play it safe and change my batteries every 3 months.

Moving on to the Trijicon MRO- the thing is bomb proof, parallax is a bit rough on this optic, but I haven’t found that to be an issue. In stark contrast, the battery life is amazing at a whopping 5 years in constant on. What is very hard to beat, is the price. If you wait for an online sale, you can roll out the door with one for approximately $375.

Iron sights- It’s like this, yea, it’s more money to spend; on the other hand, batteries and electronics fail. Iron sights are a constant you can count on, so buy them. Light Source- Arisaka Defense makes solid kit, and the 300 series are cost effective and reliable. They are also relatively small, light-weight, and take up very little real-estate on your rail system. Add a surefire pressure switch and you’re in business.

Flashlights are a non-negotiable item, if you can’t identify what’s in front of you, you are combat ineffective. BCM Gunfighter SOPMOD stock- Highly durable (I’ve drop tested their stocks before at 20+FT…. they hold up), with a fantastic cheek-weld. The BCM SOPMOD stock makes reflexive shooting just a tad more instinctive. Strike Industries Angled foregrip- I just like them, no other reason, find what works for you. Their slim profile allows me to get a solid grip around the rail system, and the forward notch aids the shooter in keeping the rifle pinned to your shoulder with ease. Lastly, the Magpul PMAG coupler- “What’s better than one thirty round magazine?” Two thirty round magazines mounted side-by-side. I can’t predict the future, but 60 rounds of 5.56mm in your home defense rifle should be more than enough to end most engagements. I’m not saying 60 rounds are all you’ll ever need, but I am saying that the odds are in your favor.

Lastly, all the top-notch gear in the world does not make an effective combat shooter. I know plenty of businessmen that own expensive firearms they don’t know how to run. If you plan to invest in a home defense weapon, then plan to invest regular money in constant training. You owe it to everyone as a responsible gun owner, you owe it to your family, the innocent neighbors across the street, and most of all, yourself. Even if you’re not a combat shooter, you need to train like one. The whole reason you are making this purchase is if something “might” happen. Well, if something “might” happen, then training is the other 50% percent of that dangerous hypothetical.

 About the Author: Jonathan Fietkau is a former SOTACC from 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, and a graduate of the Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course (SFAUCC). He is a combat veteran of Iraq, and other theaters of operation, with previous service in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions.

Three things that seem like they’ll kill you (but probably won’t)

People have always been fascinated with death, and for good reason. Despite the massive breadth of experiences that one can accumulate over a lifetime on Earth, our final disposition after we exhale our last breath remains a unique kind of mystery: one we will all eventually solve, but can never relay to others. Death represents a number of things: an end for some, a beginning to others, and in a biological sense, it serves as the extreme end of the spectrum of tolerable human injury. To die is to get hurt in the most significant sense, and because we’re genetically hard-wired to avoid both, our minds sometimes have trouble differentiating between the two.

What follows is a short list of things we tend to think of as “deadly” that are, statistically speaking, pretty unlikely to kill you. Some of these misconceptions are born of our evolution based drive to avoid that which slithers or crawls, others are born of TV and movie tropes, but what they have in common is a generally accepted exaggeration of the threat they pose to your life or well being. It’s important to note, however, that these things are still dangerous, they’re just not nearly as dangerous (particularly in regard to loss of life) as we tend to think of them as.

So if you’re the type of person that likes to be prepared for any and all life-or-death situations, you may not want to completely ignore the following, but you can certainly put them lowers on your priority list than popular culture might have you believe.

Ebola Virus | Wikimedia Commons

If you live in America, you have little to fear from Ebola.

News of Ebola outbreaks in Africa in recent years have renewed fears among Americans about the possibility of global pandemics. The idea that a deadly virus could spread throughout the world’s population quickly thanks to modern air travel is a legitimate one that healthcare professionals strive to find ways to counter everyday, but this concern (and the appropriate abundance of caution when dealing with Ebola outbreaks in underdeveloped nations) tend to make people more fearful of the Ebola virus than statistics seem to warrant.

There is already an experimental Ebola vaccine that has seen great success in helping to prevent the spread of the virus in affected nations, and, horrible as it may sound, Ebola’s rapid incubation rate often ensures that those who are infected display visible symptoms early (allowing for some level of prevention when it comes to world travel) and tend to either die or recover (and develop antibodies) rather quickly. Because of the virus’ short lifespan, those infected tend to die or beat the virus before they have the opportunity to spread it very far. In short, Ebola is so dangerous to those infected that it often doesn’t allow for a great deal of dispersion. Because it has to be spread via fluid transmission, it also makes Ebola fairly easy to protect yourself against, unlike airborne pathogens.

Although that have been a number of Americans infected with Ebola over the years, most often as a result of work in underdeveloped nations, only two Americans have died of the illness after receiving treatment in the United States.

USAF

All you need to survive a venomous snake bite is a trip to the hospital.

It’s easy to see how human beings might have developed an evolution based fear of snakes. They’re powerful and stealthy predators that can not only take you utterly by surprise but pack an awesome punch in the form of venom-injecting fangs. Everything about a fist full of teeth punching at your from a crack in the rocks on the trail and pumping you full of blood-clotting venom is terrifying but terrifying doesn’t necessarily mean deadly.

The likelihood that you’ll suffer a snake bite that even requires any sort of medical treatment is extremely low: only around 3,000 to 5,000 Americans go to doctors or hospitals after being bitten by a snake each year (out of a population of some 325 million Americans). Even if you are one of those unlucky few, your chances of dying from that snake bite are about 1 in a 1,000 — meaning you’re more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the hospital than you are to succumbing to the venom in the bite.

What’s the best way to avoid falling victim to a snake bite? According to experts, it’s about as simple as just taking two steps back. Fast as snakes are, they can’t hurt what they can’t reach, and they’re unlikely to pursue you. Being scared of snakes may make sense evolutionary, but it’s hard to worry too much about a threat you can mitigate by moonwalking.

Flickr

It is extremely unlikely that you’ll die a violent death in the United States.

Thanks to the constant media coverage of violent incidents taking place around the world, Americans tend to think of themselves as living in some extremely violent and dangerous times. That perception, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. As Luke Ryan has pointed out in the past, the world is currently amidst perhaps its most peaceful era since the dawn of civilization, with fewer people (per capita) dying in conflicts that at any other stage of human societal development to our knowledge. Here in the United States, violent crime has been on a steady decline for decades, with the Pew Research Center even going so far as to say that the common American perception of violent crime doesn’t “align with the data.”

The truth is, you are less likely to suffer a violent end in the United States than ever before, even in the era of terror attacks and mass shootings that dominate the news. These incidents, while tragic, remain isolated and infrequent when compared to the population of the country — but because they make for the most pressing headlines, they dominate discussions for days or even weeks afterward.

So, while terror attacks, snake bites, and even the dreaded Ebola virus are all real and legitimate threats to a person’s general well being, statistically speaking, they each pose very little threat to the average person, with more manageable risks accounting for a far larger portion of the “stuff that might kill you” pie chart. If you want to help ensure a long and fruitful life, you may be better off skipping the concerns about snakes and terrorists during your drive to work and instead focus on keeping your eyes on the road.

Because chances are much higher that you’ll lose your life while changing songs during your commute than it is that any of the things above will get you.

 

Feature image courtesy of Jean Beaufort

Crash course in Close Quarters Battle: Doors and Thresholds

Previously, we discussed how various room angles and room dimensions shape the choice of room-clearing tactics you use. But in every scenario, it was assumed you would be entering a room that has its doors open.

In part 3 of this series, Eli focuses on the tactics of room clearing when the doors are closed. Learn the best ways to approach this situation—Eli’s in-depth breakdown is sure to help you deal with the close-quarters combat scenarios you might encounter.

Israeli special operator’s top unwritten rules of close-quarters combat (Part 3)

You can find Part 1 of this series here.

You can find Part 2 of this series here.

This article is neither about a specific rule nor specific ways of doing specific things. Like anything in life there are dozens of paths to one destination, it´s all about efficiency and safety that sets the difference. These ‘rules’ are more of a reminder of things that many forget or they are not aware of. In this series of articles, we will discuss 10 of the most important, unwritten, rules of CQB. Warning, this article is very in-depth and provides a lot of information. Click here for Part 01 or Part 02

5.Avoid shoulder transitions.

Remark: This rule is referring to a full shoulder transition in close proximity.

The Human brain is like a forest. When you were a kid, it was dense & grassy without any paths or traces. As you grew up learning new skills, experiencing and interacting with your environment you began to work and do things in a consistent pattern – basically creating distinctive paths in your brain to perform or complete different tasks (how to load a gun, for example). the more you identically repeat the task and receive feedback about that certain task, the faster, quicker and instinctive finding that way from A to B in your “brain’s forest” to that task it is going to be. As you probably experienced before, when walking outdoor, humans like to walk comfortable visually and welcoming paths. If we take this statement into the forest metaphor, the less you practice, the less feedback you receive (among few other crucial processes) the less clear or welcoming the path to a certain skill is going to be. In addition, less used or experienced skills are rendered less usable unless being deliberately chosen, something that is a luxury when human limitations kicking in.

Basically, that is how your brain works. A dense forest with neurons going back and forth, but we will get back to this later.

The Case.

Not sure why, but I keep seeing people struggle to perform different cool ninja like shoulder transitions every time they stack up on a door preparing for entry or alternatively when they start to slice the pie from the ‘’ weak side’’….check the video below.

 

…Wait, I get it. They try to reduce their exposure to the cross upon entry / slicing the pie.

The majority of people will do a fancy transition either just before, during or after they move through the threshold (A critical moment of itself) normally, once they crossed they will start transitioning back again to their default shoulder, essentially dismissing any kind of ready to shoot position.

 

Issues with switching shoulders in room entry context:

  • Multi tasking – Additional cognitive & motorical processes in addition to what we normally use (in short explanation). Multitasking can result in time wasted due to human context switching and apparently causing more errors due to insufficient attention. During entry it is unrealistic to expect a human being to do 10 things at once. Non behavior complaint. You will practice away with it in calm settings, but not in reality.
  • Response – Reducing significantly the ability to be responsive to any target while transitioning, not only because of handling but also due to the body posture and mechanics, and the offset of the gun.
  • Stoppage – In case of a stoppage, the brain will require longer time to process the problem (IDing the stoppage) and deliver a motorical solution which is already known for the user, but this time done from, let’s call it different prospective. (think of it as a mirror confusion).
  • Weapon retention – Up to discussion, but it is often sloppy when reacting from 3m and in to opponent with a cold weapon or someone running outside of the room. Especially since 3m is basically the combative bubble. 100% retention of the weapon is crucial.

 

Issues with switching shoulders behind cover / barricade in close proximity to threat.

In addition to the mentioned above, IF the threat is imminent, aware & fixated on you in extreme close proximity, mobility & consistency takes priority over cover (depending). Shoulder transitions in such situations are nothing but a dogmatic fixation of 1 +1 equals 2. Wasting time on weapon manipulations that are not related to the functionality of the gun will not help and will only offer disadvantage, and besides it is against your instincts.

 

Summary.

Once our brain perceives danger, one circuit lays out sensory information about the danger, for example the sight of a gunshot victim or the sound of someone racking a pistol slide, to the cerebral cortex, the thinking part of the brain.

The cerebral cortex evaluates this information and makes a rational judgment about it (based on several factors, including level of experience VS training).

The other circuit relays the sensory information to the amygdala, which sends impulses to the autonomic nervous system. This system triggers something we identify as acute stress response (aka: fight, flight, freeze) even before the cerebral cortex (as mentioned above, the thinking part of our brain) has made sense of the information.

Once activated, it increases heart rate, routes blood to muscles, releases stress hormones and glucose into the bloodstream among other sets of ongoing physiological changes, all to ensure your ability to handle this edge situation. But what is more interesting for us in the tactical context is, that today we know that self-preservation in fact overrides training. It simply means that during high – mid stress situations several areas, especially the long term memory of the brain, do not get deactivated. In simple English it means that under stress you will retract to the most experienced and rewarding skill/tool that you trained and you are familiar with. Nothing sexy or fancy, just default.

6.Validate your tactics.

Did you know that the majority of CQB concepts that are being taught as a default were never studied or validated entirely by empirical research to actually back up what those tactics claim to achieve?

Now you know

In other words, it means those concepts were taught and developed by individual knowledge sources and not by an empirical research. These sources likely to include a combination of intuition, personal experience, tradition, and authority. So what’s the problem, you are asking? The problem is that it essentially means that this knowledge could either be correct due to a feedback given in real world setting (for example, performing a raid against and armed active threat who decided to shoot) or inaccurate bias feedback that the person unintentionally views as correct due to the fact that he never met actual resistance to his chosen tactics due to inappropriate training framework (lack of FOF, stimulus, etc.). Eventually it means that the common tactics that are not validated through empirical research have 50 percent chance of being correct or wrong. 50 percent means broken. Have you seen a phone that has a screen that does not work but is still being used? Nope, because it is broken.

Below are three additional extremely important videos that we use to highlight tactics vs behavior. Note that the common principle for all those videos is that the immediate use of dynamic entries collapses within the earlier signs of resistance. Note the shift into survival based improvisation.

Example 01

Example 02

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uLAQfme6n4

Example 03

The issue I have with the western, standard CQB tactics (dynamic immediate entries by default for example) is that it is a concept technically developed & practiced against paper targets in a symmetric range setting, trying desperately to match up with reality.

In reality, violent collision like a firefight (I remind you, CQB context!) is a very raw, extremely dynamic & horrifying event which normally lasts a matter of seconds. In those seconds, the threat is moving, taking decisions on the fly that are rooted deep in different psychological mechanisms or behavior patterns that will result in an unexpected behavior that might not be expected in comparisons to the average ‘’good guy’’ motivations or in simple, the way he perceives interaction with opponents (take Terrorism/Suicidal VS Crime, for example).

With that being said, it is crucial if not mandatory that every tactic should be going through a physical, reward training validation process whether it is a student picking up a new way of doing things in a basic course or whether it is an instructor tweaking up a method, etc. Running into a kill house with paper targets and doing all those tactically trained slick badass movements is something that is just not going to happen. There is enough evidence, not only my own experience, but dozens of debriefs and videos.

Summary.

You learned something new? Test it with performance with realistic parameters. Don’t let people summarize a procedure with 10 minutes talking and one hour shooting on the same target on the same corner on the same role. It is all about human feedback, not paper mirrors.

 

Thank you for reading,

Stay tuned to the next part !

 

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