If you carry a revolver, here’s why you shouldn’t practice by cocking the hammer before each shot. If you carry a revolver and you “practice” with it by shooting really small groups at 25 yards while thumb-cocking the hammer … you’re doing it wrong. And I very rarely say “you’re doing it wrong.” Please understand […]
Subcompact Pistols for Summer Concealed Carry
Subcompact pistols are light, portable, convenient, effective enough for self-defense and easy to conceal. That makes them ideal for summer concealed carry, right? Well, maybe. The “convenient” part is true. The “effective enough” characteristic is also largely true, although I’ll never complain about too much capacity in a larger gun. What’s not on the list […]
The 6 Essential Parts of a Home-Defense Plan
If you interpret “home defense” in the broadest sense, the objective is to protect your people and your home from threats of any kind. That would include not just home invasions but also simple burglary and even fire. While the concepts overlap a bit, we’re going to focus on the intruder scenario here. When thinking […]
Summer Concealed Carry Guide: Tips for Carrying Concealed During Warmer Months
Summer is almost here – I think. Even here in South Carolina, it’s hard to tell, as the weather bounces from 40 degrees to 80 degrees and back during any given week. No matter where you live, though, one thing that’s definitely on the short-term horizon is warmer outside temperatures. And with these climbing temps comes shorts, […]
80-Year-Old Florida Senior Citizen Shoots 73-Year-Old Alleged Robber
They say old age and treachery will beat you and inexperience, but what if your attacker is also old? #CrankyOldMen In an incident down in Florida that seems almost unreal, a 73-year-old man attacked and tried to rob another senior citizen and got shot for his efforts. Read the rest: 80-Year-Old Florida Senior Citizen Shoots […]
Concealed Carry Lessons: How Much Does Gear Really Matter?
We tend to get all worked up about the details of gear and ammo decisions, but where do those rank in the overall pass / fail results of effective self-defense? After carrying a gun daily for a couple of decades and taking more classes than an aspiring plastic surgeon to the stars, a couple of things […]
Best Drills to Make You a Better Handgunner
Just like holsters, there’s always a new shooting drill on the market that will test your skills and either make you feel invincible or humble you in depressing new ways. Here are a few of my favorites. They make the list for a variety of reasons including simplicity, a variety of skills tested, and challenge. […]
Skills Check: Empty-Chamber Carry Drill
A great article on the problem with carrying a gun with no cartridge in the chamber. Assuming you’re carrying for self-defense, this reader comment sums things up pretty well… “I’ll chamber a round when I see a fight coming” is like saying “I’ll put on my seatbelt when I see the oncoming car cross the […]
What to Expect When Shooting a Revolver for the First Time
If we want to get nitty-gritty with terminology, a revolver has chambers that are not integrated with the barrel itself. A pistol’s chamber is actually part of the barrel. The significance of that is that a revolver has multiple chambers where cartridges hang out until they are rotated into alignment with the barrel prior to […]
How and Why to Use a Tourniquet
When I was growing up and learning basic skills like CPR, the conventional wisdom and teaching on tourniquet use was entirely different that it is today. At that time, the medical community discouraged tourniquet use because of the risk to the injured limb on the far (from the heart) side of the tourniquet. As an […]