Cruel Hand Luke

Class experiences have a way of weeding out gear that is...."sub-optimal".  Until you really experience the "Why" a particular gun or piece of gear is less than ideal you really don't have a grasp of why you need to upgrade. Until you see it fail it is still just "other people's opinions". When it refuses to shoot more than 3 rounds without malfunctioning, or until you experience how difficult it is to press the trigger , or work the slide (these are generalities not particular to any one particular gun ) then it becomes fact that you discovered...not just something someone told you.....   I tell students all the time that class is also an equipment lab for them to test their kit. I tell them to bring what you actually carry on a daily basis to pistol classes , or what you actually plan to use in case of home invasion, natural disaster, Indian uprising or zombie apocalypse for rifle and shotgun classes. Until you try to run your actual gear you actually  plan to use then you have no real idea how well (or not) it will perform.  Best to find that out in class and not on the two way range. 

The Army probably has 4 M16s for every soldier...but they don't carry 4. And when you narrow it down to those who ACTUALLY engage in combat activities it might be 50 to 1 M16s per person.  They will have x thousand that never get shot or handled that are simply in storage and they will have y thousand that are used for training. Same goes for the M9. Again....the only folks who REGULARLY carry handguns outside a combat zone are Military Police and the only ones IN combat zones regularly carrying pistols are MPs, officers or specialized units. The big green army just does not have a whole lot of folks running around using handguns on a daily basis.    That  is one reason that during WWII they were not keen on enlisted men picking up pistols as war trophies and carrying them....because of the likelihood of people who had virtually no pistol training carrying a loaded pistol and accidentally shooting themselves.   Who was it...Col David Hackworth I believe........ who commented that the 1911 was the 1 weapon in our arsenal that probably wounded more of our own people than the enemy (meaning through sloppy gunhandling and negligent discharges)   Sorry guys, contrary to popular belief not all GIs are Alvin York. 

That was 4 years ago.....   This is a little more current.....http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/02/19/marines-allow-operators-to-choose-glocks-over-marsoc-45.html

We are just a little over a month to go on this one! Anyone in middle Tennessee wanting to learn to run the AK from the "AK people" this is your chance. And remember if you do both the AK class AND the armorer class together there is a $50 discount! 

The Marine Corp as a whole uses the Beretta....the MARSOC units (Now Marine Raiders) still issue 1911s with the option of choosing a Glock 19 instead. 

In the grand scheme, they look at it as pistols don't win wars so they are way down the list of priorities.....   And let's be HONEST here....The overwhelming majority of people in the armed services are NOT in a combat arms job. They drive trucks, program computers, cook, play in the band, or work in some kind of logistical support specialty. The ones who ARE in a combat arms job still RARELY use a pistol unless they are in a specialized unit. My friend Mike was in in the Army and served during Desert Storm. He said the last time he even handled a pistol (much less carry one) in the Army was in basic training and no one he served with had a pistol in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. Unless you are an MP , an officer, or a member of a VERY specialized unit then you just don't carry pistols. And as such the Pentagon really has no interest spending money in replacing a pistol that is still functional.   Now lets potentially hurt some feelings. First off, just because someone wears or wore the uniform does not by definition make them a "gunfighter" or even an "enthusiast" . See above paragraph about how most everyone does a "support job" not actually send bullets downrange. As such the military devotes almost NO time to pistol training except for the specialized units that actually use them regularly and even that training is on the lowest common denominator side when compared to the better civilian pistol training. I get military guys in class all the time who say they WISH the military pistol training was half as good as what they just did in class......   So why would the pentagon scrap a pistol design that has 30 years of service (and 30 years of logistical support, mag pouches, holsters, training doctrine , and instructors who already know how to teach it) for a new pistol that very few are going to be carrying on a regular basis anyway and which will likely not be demonstratively better than what they are currently issued. The special units that make heavy use of pistols ALREADY get whatever pistol they want because they have bigger budgets and are only supplying a few hundred or so pistols. Rangers already have access to glocks from what I hear from "over there" , Delta/ CAG gets whatever they want (most are carrying glocks) and DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6) gets whatever they want,  Naval Surface Warfare ( regular SEALs) just officially adopted the Glock 19 in January replacing the Sig 226 but they have always had a more liberal policy allowing individual operators to choose what they want.  So really the only oxen left getting gored by the M9 are the MPs and some officers who choose to carry a pistol.  The pentagon is NOT going to adopt a new platform so that truck drivers, cooks and painters are going to get a cool new pistol they will likely never carry anyway.....

This is coming up in about 3 days (nights?) . We will still be doing the class rain or shine...(or rain or.... dark?...or well you know what I mean). So bring a jacket. There is a classroom (and a coffee pot), so if it gets rainy and cold we can duck into the class room until it passes.    Looking forward to it!!!

April 21st....The Thursday before class would be the last day to pay and get your certificate there at class. 

Just a little last mimute bump...this one is comig up in TWO WEEKS. We still have spots available.

Plenty of spots still available....so get signed up!

We have also added an AK Armorer class to this for a full AK weekend!  KALASHNIKOV ARMORER APRIL 23, 2016 (6pm-10pm) FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE Price $ 125 for Armorer class only or $75 when combined with AK Gunfighting! INSTRUCTOR: RANDY HARRIS This class is a tutorial on taking apart the Kalashnikov rifle and putting it back together. We cover modifications, cleaning, legalities, etc. No tools required, but if you have a brass hammer and some punches, bring them along. CLASS AND RANGE DETAILS DURATION: 4 hours TIME: 6:00PM to 10:00PM AMMUNITION: None RANGE & GEAR REQUIREMENTS: Bring your AK. No other tools needed but if you have any go ahead and bring them.   LOCATION: Franklin Mercantile Deli 100 4th Ave N Franklin, TN 37064 To sign up for this class ..............http://www.suarezinternationalstore....x#.Vtcs_vkrKow

This one is coming up soon.   For those who were in class this past weekend in the CRG1 class in Chattanooga make note that the date on this class is actually last day of APRIL and first day of MAY.....not March and April as I mistakenly said.....

I have not shot there in a few years, but back when I did it was essentially "Renegade IDPA" with IDPA targets , idpa scoring and Hi cap mags allowed.  I shot there regularly from 99 to about 2010. But I have not shot there in a while. 

The Chattanooga Rifle Club has a match on the 2nd Sunday every month , but it is neither IDPA nor USPSA affiliated and they generally have a much smaller turnout (10 - 20 ) . But it is another option in the Chattanooga area to shoot if you like.

As of today we are FULL on this class....I have deposits for ....     S. Bean x2 E Smith A Hutsell A Swymer x2 R Krueger R Goodwin H Newland N Smith x2 D Dall J Baird D Metzger x2 

The Cleveland club website site has changed very recently and they do not have listings for the IDPA matches or even much info , just how to contact the club. In fact the Cleveland club site ( CHRPC.com) has not listed the scores for like 2 years, they have just been listed on the facebook page.     It is kind of screwy the way they do it....you have to go to the facebook page for general info and then the scores are posted on Practiscore (https://practiscore.com/results/16509) and you can sign up in advance for the month's match on Practiscore (https://practiscore.com/cleveland-tn-idpa-feb-2016/register) and both are linked to off of the facebook page. But there is very little info on the club's actual website.... You'd think the club itself who has a vested interest ($$$) in getting people to show up would offer more info on their site.....

Keep in mind that not everyone ever involved in a shooting is going to be a steely eyed gunman ......far more people involved in shootings are minimally skilled. The issue is when a minimally skilled individual cocks their pistol , changing that 12-15 lb trigger to a 4-5 lb trigger that they are most likely not used to operating under stress and you set the stage for an easily predictable negligent discharge.   Then let us assume that the event is successfully negotiated without use of gunfire...now what does he/she do with their now cocked revolver? With shaky hands (from adrenalin dump) they are now going to hold the hammer as they pull the trigger to let it down on a live chamber? .... Or in the case of a DA/SA auto....do they know where the decocking lever even is? What if they are rolling with a CZ75 ? You still have to press trigger and lower the hammer to decock those..... Part of the move to DA only guns in police use was to not only make it less likely for shaky hands to apply too much pressure to a 4-5 lb trigger and make the gun fire accidentally, but to also eliminate the extra manipulation of decocking before holstering if the gun had been fired (and eliminate the need to REMEMBER to do the extra manipulation).    Now if you are a 1/10th of 1%er and you are 100% competent and confident in your abilities even under stress because you have trained to a level of operating on auto pilot then none of that applies to you and you can probably do anything you want (cock the hammer, etc) and it will be OK...but there is a reason that we refer to SERIOUS GUNMEN as 1/10th of 1%ers because MOST people who simply own guns, or even most people who carry guns as part of  their job are the OTHER 99.90% that probably should not take a tool they may not thoroughly understand and have not mastered the use of and then make it EASIER to fire it accidentally when they are in the most stressful situation they have ever been in..... 

Is he gonna have to wear a Burkha?

As of Saturday's mail I have deposits for......   S. Bean x2 E Smith A Hutsell A Swymer x2 R Krueger R Goodwin H Newland N Smith x2 D Dall J Baird   We are only about 3 weeks away on this one.......

I've seen several 762x39 ARs come through class. NONE of them worked reliably.   The biggest issue seems to be the magazines as you are essentially forcing a cartridge that feeds best out of a curved magazine to be fed from a straight "tower" for the last few inches of travel in the mag. Someone mentioned the CMMG mutant and that would solve the magazine issue. But if you are going with a standard mag well AR then the feed issue will always be there.    It might be OK for shooting deer , where the round in the chamber may well be all you need. But judging from the reliability issues I have witnessed with them I'd not be too keen on using it on hogs or anything else that might require more than 1 round that might be even remotely dangerous . 

KALASHNIKOV RIFLE GUNFIGHTING APRIL 23-24, 2016 FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE PRICE : $350 INSTRUCTOR:RANDY HARRIS The AK-47/74 series of rifle is one of the most prolific and useful weapons on earth. Close to 100 million have been made in various parts of the world and anyone's chances of encountering these weapons is high. This special course will take a close look at the Kalashnikov Rifle System and teach you to fight with it in both the standard "urban rifle" engagement as well as in the Close Range Gunfighting matrix. This material will have you appreciating the AK platform like no other rifle. It is too simple to be "tactical". CLASS AND RANGE DETAILS DURATION: 2 days TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM AMMUNITION: 500 Rounds rifle. 50 Rounds pistol. RANGE & GEAR REQUIREMENTS: AK-47 type rifle, (3) magazines and any ancillary rifle gear. Pistol, Holster, Pistol Magazines. Eye and Ear Protection. NOTE: Chest Rig/Tactical Vests are not allowed with CCW Holsters. If you wish to use a Chest Rig or a Tactical Vest, use a vest mounted holster or a thigh holster. Also Helpful Bring spare clothing appropriate for the weather, including a hat, sunscreen, and bug repellent. Plan to bring lunch, snacks, and water (min 1 gallon per person) for the entire day unless driving to lunch is a viable option from the range location. Bring allergy medication (if needed), a chair (if you prefer), note taking supplies, and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape). You may wish to bring pads such as knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves if the class lends itself to that. For more info and to register.....http://www.suarezinternationalstore....x#.VsSW6fkrKow

As of yesterday's mail I have deposits for .....     S. Bean x2 E Smith A Hutsell A Swymer R Krueger R Goodwin J Liew H Newland N Smith x2 D Dall

As of Friday Feb 12 I have deposits for ......   S. Bean x2 E Smith A Hutsell A Swymer R Krueger R Goodwin J Liew H Newland N Smith x2

This one is getting closer every day!

No worries . That was a good question. I will have limited internet access until Friday so if I get questions this week about class I might not be able to respond for a few days.