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Greetings!
It's hard to believe its June already. It's time to get outside and do some range time! Speaking of range time - need a little practice? I'm not going to officially announce it yet, but we are working on a new project called Trainers Command Post. Our goal is to offer a site where trainers in the shooting sports, law enforcement, defensive firearms, martial arts and self-defense and specialty training could post stories, tips, blogs, videos and course schedules free. We are still building the site, but would greatly appreciate anyone knowing of any qualified instructors or trainers that are always complaining how hard it is to do their job and market themselves at the same time. Well, TCP plans on making the marketing side a lot easier. So, if you know of anyone or even yourself that might be interested in free press, let me know! |
| Torture Testing the BLACKHAWK! SERPA Holster
By Art Welling |
 The Serpa retention holster uses a mechanical latch to capture the trigger guard, and will not release the pistol til the latch is properly depressed. Being mechanical, it can fail to work, and some folks have reported their holster keeping their weapon hostage.
The biggest concern is dirt and debris getting under the release lever and preventing it's operation. To test that issue, in our wholly unscientific and unsophisticated way, the holster had a training dummy inserted into it and was then buried in a bucket of muck. Truly nasty stuff; Good old Pennsylvania farm dirt, with rocks and twigs galore.... and water poured on just to create a really gooey mess.
The video below shows the results... but first I would like to offer some thoughts.
Having a lifetime of mechanical experience, I now have a career teaching the subject to young students. Given the right circumstances, even a round ball of hardened steel can be made to fail each and every time. That doesn't mean we refuse to use ball bearings in a thousand different ways every day, just that we use them properly and in the right conditions.
 The Serpa holster is just like that... a mechanical device that can fail in any number of ways, just like the pistol it's made to carry. There is a chance either unit can fail in normal or weird ways, and it's almost assured each will at some point. Just as with ball bearings, we accept the risk in exchange for the benefit of using them.
Yes, I suppose there is a possibility the Serpa holster could fail to release the pistol under some rare conditions. Balanced against that is the purpose of the Serpa mechanism, to retain the pistol when an unauthorized person tries to take it away. It's a trade off.... and an important one to consider. Most of life is like that, take a certain level of chance to reach a certain level of reward. Some days, the very risk of walking out the the front door is substantial, yet we still manage to make it pay off... most of the time, at least.
The features of the Serpa retention holster make it a very serious contender for duty on a police officers gear belt. The same for a soldiers kit. In both cases, physical scuffles with bad folks happen, and far too many officers are murdered with their own weapons. Far more, I believe, than are killed by simple gear failures like a failed retention holster. That has to weigh heavily in the equation.
As the video below shows, an outstandingly extreme situation was created to pack debris into the Serpa holster mechanism and recreate the reported problems. This time, it worked as designed and the pistol was easily drawn (honestly, I was surprised it did). Next time? The thousandth time? The ten thousandth time? Who can say... except that it's a calculated risk balanced against another calculated risk.
I did finally get the holster to fail, in a way. When I packed the empty holster with mud, it didn't manage to lock on the pistol when it was inserted... although it still acted as a holster. Of course, we could get any holster in the world to 'fail' by pouring it full of gravel, or pounding a 2x4 into it.
So.... watch as the BLACKHAWK! Serpa holster is treated to a very, very bad day in Carteach0's hands......
My conclusion? I now own two of the Serpa holsters. One provided by Blackhawk (the one in the video) and another I bought for my Glock 30. I'll use both as range holsters, competition holsters, and occasionally as concealed carry holsters. I've tried hard to find flaws with the Serpa system, and have yet to dig up a real one. The rig is designed for high retention levels while still allowing a rapid draw, and easy re-holstering. It does exactly that, and still comes in at a very reasonable price level.
Besides, they are the only holsters I own that I can clean by tossing in the dishwasher. |
Revision Eyewear Introduces Limited Edition Max Michel Sawfly Eyewear Kit | |
Revision Eyewear proudly introduces the Limited Edition Max Michel Sawfly Eyewear Kit. Typically reserved for Max himself, 50 signed eyepro kits from the champion shooter's private stock are now available for your purchase. The limited edition kit features a custom high-contrast Mocha lens and is the exact kit that Max brings with him on competition day. Each case comes individually autographed and numbered while all four performance-enhancing lenses are laser etched with Max's signature "MM" logo. The Limited Edition Max Michel Sawfly Eyewear Kit is available for purchase only at the Revision online store and retails for $179.99.
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| How to Improve your Stance and Grip
By Max Michel, Jr. |
The question I get as a professional shooter from time to time is how can I get a faster, more accurate shoot? Well, it all lies in the basics, so today I'll be covering the grip and the stance, which are truly the foundations of speed shooting. The Stance Your stance should be very similar to a fighter's stance. It's a very wide, agressive platform that will allow you to be explosive when necessary, but also help reduce recoil.  Feet are shoulder width apart, with your strong foot slightly to the rear for stability. Knees are well bent, and you should have about 70% of your weight on the balls of your feet.Torso is very much upright, but slightly leaned over at the waist. Extend your arms as far out as you can take them without locking your elbows. Shoulders are down to their sockets. If you have a tendency to roll your shoulders up, your head is going to duck down as well, causing a lot of unneeded tension which will make you slower and help you lose your peripheral vision. The Grip  Basic function of an effective grip is to get as much leverage on the pistol as possible.This will allow you to shoot more rapidly while remaining accurate. To accomplish this, you must take the web of your firing hand and place it as high as possible on the backstrap of the pistol. Next, look for the middle knuckle to go directly underneath the trigger guard. Strong thumb should be placed up high on the grip. This is so you can manipulate the safety, as well as leave a nice opening for your support hand to make full contact with the grip. Index finger of your support hand will go diretly underneath the trigger guard. Support hand will then go into the opening I just spoke of. As you put your support palm into the opening, make sure you torque your wrist forward at a 45 degree angle as this will help reduce the muzzle lift on your pistol. Let's talk about overall pressure. Have 30-40% in your firing hand and 60-70% in your support hand. The reason to have less pressure in your firing hand is so that you can manipulate the trigger nice and smooth, as well as more rapidly. Trigger finger placement is nothing more than placing the center of the pad on the trigger itself. If you find yourself pushing shots to the left or pulling shots to the right, go ahead and evaluate exactly how much finger you have on the trigger guard. These skills are the foundation that will take your shooting to the next level. Continue working on them next time you're on the range. Until then, stay safe and put them in the center. About Max Michel, Jr.
Max Michel first gained prominence in the competitive shooting arena with five USPSA® National Championships beginning in 2004 and three World Speed Shooting Championships in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Max has completed nearly 30 USPSA Area Championships and, as a representative of the United States, Max has competed in the last three International Practical Shooting Confederation® (IPSC) World Shoots, returning home with team gold medals. Max was a top recruit for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) from 1999 to 2009 and has been an active Army shooter and trainer. Max was also the Military Coach of the Action Pistol Team. Max Michel is currently the SIG SAUER Manager of Competitive Shooting Activities. |
Featured Blog:
Warrior Talk News | |
Spetsnaz Combat Week AAR May 13-16 2010
By Gabe Suarez
 I learned early on that the process of learning must continue until the day the Lord calls you home. "Sometimes a teacher, but always a student", goes our saying. To that end Suarez International has dabbled in various fighting concepts from various Filipino Martial Arts, to some Jujitsu, as well as studying the use of our common weapons - rifles and pistols - from the perspectives of others. It was that quest that had us cross paths with Sonny Puzikas. We brought out Sonny to co-teach our first Kalashnikov Rifle Course back in 2005. In Sonny I not only found a good friend, but a fellow traveller in the study of violence. Every time I train with Sonny I am both humbled as well as enlightened with some of those "Aha!" moments instructors sometimes get. This last week we had Sonny out for four days of training. While I could go on abouit the training, I will let one of the attendees, Brian King, describe it for you.
To read the full posting, click here. To read more of the Warrior Talk News blog, click here.
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Laura Burgess Marketing provides public relations and marketing communications services to companies within the law enforcement, tactical, military, shooting sports, home building, boating and recreational fishing markets. With over 17 years of experience in marketing, corporate management and public relations, Laura Burgess Marketing helps companies to build better brand awareness to the media and their customers through traditional and the new social media methods.
Sincerely,
Laura Burgess
Laura Burgess Marketing |
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ATN PS40-3P Day / Night Scope System | |
American Technologies Network, Corp.'s new ATN PS40-3P Day/Night Scope System allows a daytime scope Night Vision capability in seconds by mounting in front of the daytime scope enabling nighttime operation. The ATN PS40-3P uses state-of-the-art ITT Pinnacle™ Image Intensifier Tubes that utilize an auotgated power supply providing outstanding resolution and performance; especially in urban areas. The Pinnacle Tubes minimize the "halo" effect commonly associated with urban areas where street lights or light filtered pollution have obstructed earlier generation night vision devices.
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SIG SAUER® Increases its Competitive Shooting Activities Introducing a Full Line Up of Elite Shooters | |
SIG SAUER recently introduced the line-up of its first official shooting team to compete in national competitions. Led by National Shooting Champion, and Team Captain Max Michel, Jr., Team SIG will serve as ambassadors to the shooting sports industry, while competing with SIG SAUER pistols and rifles. Max and Team SIG will aim to prove that the same superior quality and reliability that the military and law enforcement markets have come to expect from SIG SAUER are also applicable in competition.
Team SIG is composed of:
- Max Michel, Jr (Team Captain)
- Matt Cheely
- Jason Koon
- Erik Lund
- Rodney May
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Sentry Solutions Signs Fishunt Essentials, LLC to Promote Oil-Free Lubcricants and Protectants to Southeast and Midwest | |
Sentry Solutions has signed Fishunt Essentials LLC, to represent Sentry Solutions' products to retailers in the South East and Mid Western states. Fishunt Essentials LLC is a Manufacturer's Representative Group that markets, promotes and sells products to dealers, distributors and chain/box stores across the South Eastern States as well as the Mid Western states. Fishunt Essentials will be focused on promoting Sentry Solutions products leaving Sentry Solutions to focus more on development, R&D and manufacturing. |
2010 World Cup USA: Home Team Wins 6 Medals | |
At the home of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit in Fort Benning, Ga., the US hosted more than 400 competitors from around the world to compete for Olympic selection points, hardware and bragging rights. This match served as a precursor to the World Shooting Championships in Munich in July. Rifle National Coach Dave Johnson's team scored 5 of the 6 US medals won. "We had a really good World Cup - some of our young folks shooting to attain MQS, senior veterans hitting the top of the podium, and we were in every final. We are contending everywhere," said Coach Johnson. See below for a list of medal-toting Americans:
For all results, additional photos, video interviews, match feeds and results, please visit the ISSF Website. |
American Military Family's 2nd Annual Golfing for the Brave | |
Golf Tournament benefitting members of our Armed Forces.
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2010
Time: 1:30pm Shotgun Start
Venue: Arrowhead Golf Club, Littleton, CO
Price / Player: $125
Price / Foursome: $500
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