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March 2008
In This Issue
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- Letter From The Editor
- LMS Defense News
- Training Topics: Situational Awareness: A Cops Perspective
- LMS Defense Outfitters
- Feature Class AAR: Carbine I
- Gear Review: WEDGE-IT
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Letter From The Editor
Yancey Harrington
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The first quarter of 2008 is almost over and what a busy quarter it has been for us at LMS. First, there was the gigantic exhibition in Las Vegas known as the SHOT Show. Each year the SHOT Show gets bigger and bigger and it is a great time to meet with shooting industry professionals and enthusiasts who travel from every corner of the globe to see what is new and exciting in regards to the shooting industry. I am happy to report that LMS Defense met with several major players in the shooting industry and that many good things will come of it as the year progresses.
In this newsletter, there is a timely article by LMS Instructor Jeff Hogan concerning Situational Awareness. Folks, in the last three weeks, the national news headlines have been filled with the tragic news of college co-eds that were murdered. We at LMS Defense cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what is going on around your
family, your friends, and yourself. Train your loved ones to be alert and oriented to their surroundings. It is vitally important and could very well spell the difference between life and death.
LMS Defense Outfitter, our very own S-4, is up and running. The LMS Defense Outfitter will be offering select items that you absolutely have to have to continue the fight, and is not meant to be the one stop tactical supply shop. From the LMS Forum, check the outfitter out when you can; we look forward to serving your needs.
Last, but far from the least is the current political campaign for our nations next president. I cannot stress how important it is to know your candidates, what they are saying, and, more importantly, what they are not saying. Take the time, dig deeper, and know the issues they are supporting.
Until we meet again, keep your musket clean, your hatchet scoured and your powder dry.
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LMS Defense News
John Chapman
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2008 is turning into a record setting year for LMS. We started the year off right at SHOT Show. The Carbine 1 course immediately prior to SHOT was a great class, followed by a very productive show for us. Additionally, we got to hang out with you, our clients, at the LMS Super Bowl Party. We want to thank LMS Instructors Ernie Beckwith and Mike Perez for their days of hard work and preparation making the party the resounding success it was. We also want to thank Dennis J for his gracious service as “libations host.”
We have launched our Outfitter division, under the leadership of Rob Edwards. Please read a little more about it in Rob’s contribution below. Please know, we aren’t looking to supersede our current gear partners, merely to provide things you can’t easily get other places or will need for our classes.
We want to remind you to support Cavalry Arms in their time of need. As most of you know, Cavalry Arms suffered a serious setback last month, and we want to encourage everyone to please patronize their company for all of your medical supply and other tactical needs. Please visit them at www.CavalryArms.com.
LMS Senior Law Enforcement Instructor Jeff Hogan has launched his custom pistol company, Warrior Steel. Jeff is a world class 1911 customizer, and we are excited to support his efforts. Please see the Warrior Steel room on the forum for details. Perhaps you’ll soon see an LMS Defense 1911? You never know.
Our strong partnership with Larry Vickers continues; our Law Enforcement, Military and Security Professional clients will be interested in the upcoming Vickers CQB Instructors Course coming to Reno this summer. See the schedule page for details, and feel free to contact me directly for Agency Pricing information. JohnChapman@LMSDefense.com
Well, until next time, remember training is an everyday thing. What have you done to improve yourself today?
Stout Hearts
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Training Topics
Jeff Hogan
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Situational Awareness: A Cops Perspective
It's 0600, you have just gotten off from a long night of dealing with drunks and domestic violence calls. You are tired and the only thing you can think of is getting home, laying your head down on the pillow, and getting some rest. You pull into your driveway and start to get out of your car when a black SUV pulls in behind you. Two males
occupy it and both get out with handguns. One says, "Told you I would catch you on the flip side." Both open fire on you. You lay there on the walkway bleeding; your wife comes out screaming while the SUV drives off. You are thinking, "I never saw them. I never noticed that the headlights behind me never left my tail. I did not take him
seriously when he told me he would catch me later. Hell, that was two weeks ago." You look at your wife one last time before you take your last breath.
Believe it or not, this happens to cops. Sometimes we take the, "Don't take work home with you" too literally. You still need to be vigilant when not on duty. You cannot punch the clock and live in the white. There are people out there, who want to do harm to you. They will kill you if given the chance. You must check your perimeter
when off duty also. Check in zones. Check around the immediate area around you. Then perform a visual out to 15 yards, then 25 and so on, constantly checking your surroundings. If you have a bad feeling, you are probably right. Believe your gut. Hell, we are cops, we go on hunches and gut feelings all shift long. Your responsibility for going home
does not just end with your shift. You must think about going home to your family every time you walk out the door.
When on your way home, check your rear view mirrors. See if that is the same car that has been behind you for miles. Change your route home occasionally. This will avoid an ambush attack. There are bad people who study our patterns.
Play scenarios out in your head. Fight through the problem and figure out what you would do before it actually happens. If you are constantly aware of your surroundings and ready for a fight, you will be The Last Man Standing!
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LMS Defense Outfitters
Rob Edwards
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LMS Defense Outfitters is not a one-stop gear shop. There are a thousand gear shops in the US and online. We plan to outfit you with only select items - those MUST have items that you need to defend yourself. In fact, if we don’t use it, we won’t stock it. We are working on a small website to offer our items.
At this time you can order any of our products from our LMS Defense Web Forum Store. Check back often and look for our latest product additions. We will accept personal checks (with approval), money orders or PayPal. Credit Card acceptance will be coming with our webstore.
We will also be dealing in a limited number of fully inspected, high-quality previously owned items. If you need cash fast and need to move something, contact us and see what we can do for you.
For any questions or to place an order email Outfitters@LMSDefense.com
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Feature Class After Action Report
GloryBigs
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LMS Carbine I, January 31-February 1, 08' Las Vegas, NV
I had initially learned about LMS Defense from some well-respected web sites, and solely forming an opinion based upon the reports I had read, it appeared this group had a good thing going. I first heard of the LMS Carbine 1 course through Ernie B. I read the Carbine 1 course outline and it appeared to cover the fundamentals and up to intermediate training principals. Therefore because I never had what I considered “professionals” show me how to run a gun, I chose to sign up for the Carbine 1 course.
My opinion of the Range:
We arrived at the Boulder City PD Range and things were as they should be. LMS personnel were already onsite; targets and stands were set up; clean water closets were nearby. Elevation of the backstops was 20+ feet and more than adequate surrounding limits along the lanes. Among the other participants on site were two Boulder City PD officers who were also gearing up to participate in the course. Our hosts were a couple of the nicest officers around and treated us all as if we belonged on that range.
Big thanks to the BCPD and in particular Mike and Tom who hosted the event (Oh, and thank Levi for me fellas).
My assessment of the Instructors:
Ernie Beckwith – Very skilled shooter who constantly works at advancing his craft. He helped many students throughout the class and always acted in an unassuming and at times humorous manner that many of us appreciated.
John Chapman – His resume speaks for itself. What his credentials do not speak to is what kind of man he is – professional, courteous and humble. During the course, Chapman utilized his instructors very well, safety was never peripheral.
Mike Perez – The young buck of the bunch but quite seasoned in his own respect. Not just an Instructor with credentials but a skilled shooter. Perez kept watch over line and aided students whenever they encountered trouble.
Troy Price – Lead Instructor for this course and a man who, at least for me, demonstrated that he has experienced modern battlefield conflicts. He ran the course exactly how I wanted; no bullshit no wasted “what if” discussions and not a hell of a lot of down time. Ending the fight is the overriding premise of Price’s modus operandi.
My assessment of the Day 1:
The class began with all us signing a waiver acknowledging that we are about to punish ourselves and someone may become injured. Price then covered the safety rules for proper firearm management; these rules were reiterated throughout both days of instruction as necessary. We then listened as the safety plan was thoroughly explained by Chapman (this reoccurred the second morning). It is my opinion that identifying this type of plan to all participants should be one of the first pieces of every professional training session; if it is not covered then the instructors have either no respect for the tools being employed or the personnel seeking the training or both.
Chapman followed this up with a brief dissertation regarding personal FAK’s and the importance of having one on your gear where it can be accessed and utilized by either hand. It was further explained that the FAK is not primarily to treat others, it is for the carrier, but having it on you gives you the ability to treat others or it can give others the tools to treat you. I completely agreed with Chapman on the necessity of having a FAK on ones first line gear.
Price went on to discuss; terminal ballistics; 200yd vs. 300yd zero; sight alignment; LOS vs. POI; etc. We were then given directions of how we were to zero and/or confirm zero on the firing line. We then moved down the range to choose a deserving target. The targets were not typical silhouettes but rather uncommon views of a shooter poised at different angles, this created atypical target areas. After inspecting the targets, I noticed that the kill zones could not be visually seen unless you were within 5ft of the target. So between compensating for the CQB POI (2.5” reconcile is critical) and the fact that we would be required to actually think about where the shot needed to be placed, well.we were all in for a challenge.
The instructors led us through the necessary zero calibration. Instruction then moved onto shooting positions; stance; after action drills; reloading techniques; standard responses; failure drills; remedial actions; transitions; etc. This type of training was what I paid for and I appreciated every second of it. We practiced these drills throughout the day - numerous times, our actions being assessed and set right by the trainers as we went along. Demos were given and discussed. I also liked the fact that the instruction was followed by reasoning.
I am of the belief that if someone cannot explain why they endorse an action it makes it hard for me to lend much credence to said action.
The class was then given the option to do some low light shooting, almost everyone jumped at the opportunity. We grabbed some dinner and headed right back to the range. Lights and lasers were discussed and Chapman gave some insight on using lights as tools or weapons. Instruction then turned towards night shooting, weapon lights, momentary lighting, lights off, moving, shooting, use of lasers, etc. Anyone who wanted to try a laser or different light configurations was given the opportunity. The night concluded with a contest which iirc consisted of making a single head shot. We started close to the targets and after every round, those that struck the baseball size Medulla Oblongata advanced, those that missed washed out. At the end of every round - the shooters moved further away from their targets. As it turned out, Chapman had up for grabs – a quality Laser Devices OP-9 weapon light for the winner. Some rounds later, the remaining two shooters lined up at the 50 yd line (iirc). at night.they were trying to keep track of their targets amongst the approx. 20 different targets downrange.tapping the momentary switch on their weapon lights. they slowed their breathing.staring hard through their shooting glasses to even begin to see the target silhouettes, all I can say is: thanks for the light LMS.
My assessment of the Day 2:
The LMS team and many of the participants of the class met for an early morning breakfast. Day one materials were discussed and it gave us all some time to get to know each other. Good stuff. After that we all headed for the range. The second day of class started with Chapman covering the safety plan. Then we had a steel plate challenge and LMS swag awarded to the winner. Price then took over and explained to us how we were going to have a good time today – The plan was to incorporate what we had learned and practiced the day before and use it in practical applications. Instruction on varied shooting positions and form was provided and demonstrated. Upon receiving the instruction segments, we would immediately move to the line and commence our exercise. Shooting from supine got very interesting for a few of us running SBR’s but the instructors kept safety paramount throughout the exercises and I for one felt comfortable with the training as it was conducted.
This exercise reinforced for me, yet again, why the Aimpoints / EoTechs reign supreme. There simply was no way for iron sights to be aligned and placed on the target kill zones as efficiently or as rapidly as the red dots in these unorthodox shooting positions.
Instruction went onto many other activities including moving while shooting; use of cover; use of terrain; shooting around barriers; etc. We practiced them all repeatedly. The exercises really began increasing in intensity – running; dropping to different kneeling positions; going prone; getting back up on your feet and engaging the assigned target from combinations of these positions. During one of the strings while shooting and moving, the line reached a point where we were backing away from the targets (the whole firing line, moving as one, while firing)when don’t you know it my rifle ran out of sustenance. So, as I was incorrectly clutching for another Pmag to get her up-n-runnin again (I should have been going for my secondary source of heat) I felt a pat on my right shoulder instantly followed by what sounded like hammer strings being fired directly off my right side. The rapid fire coming from the unknown pistol destroyed my oblivion and I instantly realized that this pistol aerating my target was furnishing covering fire for little ole’ me. As I turned my head to catch a glimpse, I saw it was Price. All I have to say on that is - Good lookin out Sir, actions like that get logged in the book regardless of where they took place.
At the end of the day, we were assigned a final challenge that took many of the techniques learned throughout the two days and brought them together. The challenge consisted of shooting from distances ranging up to 50 yds; sprinting between designated firing lines (think relay); firing positions were constantly being alternated; continually moving and shooting; stress was induced and if that was not enoughonly kill zone hits counted. At the end of the challenge the instructors inspected every target and noted the acceptable hits. After that, the top shooter was declared. As we learned from Chapman later on, LMS does not hand out certificates to everyone participating in their courses; the shooter actually has to prove their proficiency in order to earn the certificate – this time the whole class made the grade. Good times.
Closing thoughts:
The class was excellent – participants and trainers alike. Based upon my experience with the Carbine I course, I plan to sign up for future LMS courses. I took away many good exercises to ready up on – looking forward to Carbine II.
By the way, The LMS Super Bowl party was great – it was awfully generous of Chapman and all of the Instructors who manned the effort. Met some really nice folks, had a good meal and the Scotch was flowing (Thanks Dennis !).
Visit our website for upcoming classes and additional information.
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Gear Review
Rob Edwards
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WEDGE-IT
As you know, an active shooter kit is not complete without a few door stops. But this is not just any door stop. This is a high quality piece of kit that you should consider adding to your bag.
WEDGE-IT is the Worlds most versatile, portable, temporary, light weight door stop. It was designed by Emergency Service Personnel to hold doors open to a 90 degree angle from any of 3 different locations.
We have Orange, Green, and Black in stock. $6.75 each or $18.95 for 3. Please contact Outfitters@LMSDefense.com for ordering info.
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