Category: Target Shooting & Marksmanship

Review of the USSA Tactical Shotgun Course, by Bubba Man

Here is my review of the USSA Tactical Shotgun #220 course, conducted in December, 2010. I started out with about 850 rounds of #7 bird shot, 150 rounds of 9 pellet 00 Buck and 50 slugs. I should have brought more slugs as I wound up borrowing about 10 from one of the other students. When I was done, I had about 200 rounds of #7 birdshot and 50 rounds of 00 Buck and no slugs. First let me get this out of the way; Those of you who know me, know that I am currently a fat, out-of-shape, somewhat …


Letter Re: The Ethics and Methodology of Sniping after TEOTWAWKI

James; I am glad that something has posted such a thoughtful essay on the merits of and moral questions involved in sniping after a collapse. I am not a sniper, but I regularly compete in High Power shooting events and have learned a lot. The first thing I learned is my .308 is marginal at 1,000 yards.To get there I use very expensive Berger bullets and my groups are twice as big as the guys using 6mm or 6.5mm bullets. At a 1,000 yards some of the favorite cartridges are .243, .308, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5×287, .287, .260 Remington, 6.5 Lapua, …


Planning for Training, by B.D.

When you’re training, your main goal should always be to improve tactical and technical proficiency.  Combat is a contest of skills and abilities, and without tactical & technical proficiency you’ll surely lose this contest, going from survivalist to speed bump before you know it.  Let’s start by defining these terms.  Technical proficiency is obtained from the experiences you gain from training whatever equipment you plan on using, whether it be an AR-15, a field dressing or a compass, to name a few.  Tactical proficiency is best gained through experience training with your team, such tactical movement exercises, drills for reacting …


Training and Practical Tactics, by Southwest LEO

First and foremost let me say that this is in no way meant as the definitive way to do things. This is only one man’s opinion of things that I have used in my job and have kept me safe over 15 plus years on the job (I am also not a tactical operator–I am just a beat cop). Also know and respect your local laws when training. Safety is also a factor. I have done live fire training and even with all safety being a priority wearing body armor and having an instructor right next to you my pucker …


Letter Re: Zen and the Art of Basic Rifle Marksmanship

Jim, Thanks again for the great job on your blog.In reading the recent excellent article forwarded by Doc in South Carolina titled “Zen and the Art of Basic Rifle Marksmanship,” a few additional thoughts came to mind. I recall my father teaching us boys how to shoot at ages 11-12. We used a break-open pellet gun, similar to the Gamo that I now own (now with a scope on it), to shoot at a small target mounted on a pellet trap, which was in turn mounted on a large and thick piece of plywood.  Our instruction was carried out in …


Zen and the Art of Basic Rifle Marksmanship, by Doc in South Carolina

So, you’ve decided to prepare for WTSHTF because you want you and/or your family to be safe. And to more adequately defend your safety, you’ve read every survival book and blog ever written. You’ve stockpiled non-hybrid seeds, bought a brand new shortwave radio (while still paying for your smart phone with some sort of “survival” app, no doubt), stacked fifty pound bags of whole grains about your bedroom as both emergency food and added fortification, and bought the most expensive and elaborate firearms recommended by whichever “Mall Ninja” managed to bombard the ill-informed public with the most convincing (albeit speculative) …


A Rookie on the Range, by Lew B.

Greetings fellow SurvivalBloggers.  Any of you who read my piece “How I Woke Up” may recall that I started my awareness and prepping in August of 2009.  Today I wanted to touch on my limited knowledge of firearms, and what I’ve done to start firming up that area.  Up until six years ago, I had never owned or fired any kind of weapon other than slingshots and pellet rifles as a child.  I dabbled in archery as a young adult, but wasn’t the guy splitting arrows on the bulls-eye.  But then something happened six years ago that changed that.  I …


Letter Re: State Defense Forces

Sir: I have been meaning for some time to write a short article about State Defense Forces. These forces are an excellent way to train and learn. I have served seven years in my state guard. There are federal laws that allow a state to maintain a state guard or state defense force. These are forces available to the governor of the state when the national guard is on duty somewhere else, or if the emergency is a huge one the state defense force can actually be activated on paid mandatory duty. If a state wants to have such a …


My Lessons Learned From a Recent Tactical Shotgun Class, by Greg C.

I recently took part in a Tactical Shotgun class with the US Training Center and learned a great deal. I am obviously not an operator and have not engaged dozens of insurgents, but I feel the training I received was logical and correct. I’ll skip all of the obvious safety and protection comments which were part of the training and very well covered. I’ll also not discuss the media hatchet job performed on their earlier incarnation “Blackwater”. Here are my lessons learned from the three day class: Tactical does not mean cool looking, adorned with a plethora of accessories or …


Training Sources for TEOTWAWKI, by Christopher E.

The reality of the situation is that tactical combat, survival and self defense training is not something that can be mastered in a week or a month.  Training needs to be consistent to the point where the drills become as a reaction that you don’t even have to think about it…. The point is that terrorists and threats to you have been in serious training for a long period of time while many of us still see the concept of learning the inner workings of firearms as being premature. Private survival training in the present day has often been seen …


Letter Re: El Cheapo Prepping 101

Hello Jim, Just a quick comment about the scavenging for used brass at ranges in “El Cheapo Prepping 101”. In addition to the practical reloading concerns you mention, it’s also important that the prospective “brass forager” knows both the written rules and de facto behavioral norms at the range/club they shoot at. For example, I belong to a club that collects (via clean-up efforts of its members) spent brass from the ranges and the club directors sell it for additional funds used to benefit the club. Taking any brass out of the collection bins is a rule violation that can …


Course Review: OSP Shooting School, by Michael Z. Williamson

The sport of Sporting Clays involves a variety of size and color clay targets thrown in high arcs, low fast passes, rolled along the ground, and in pairs overhead, which are good simulations of real animal movements. Besides being a good way to tune reflexes, it’s a lot of fun. This is a sport that translates well to both survival hunting and defensive shooting against surprise, moving targets. I shot trap a couple of times about 20 years ago. Since then, all my shooting has been rifle, pistol or riotgun at pop up or fixed targets. This was effectively a …


Letter Re: Airsoft for Survival Training Adventure

Jim, You nailed it with your caveat to the guest article “Airsoft for Survival Training Adventure”. I work at a military college with ROTC cadets, and unfortunately have to spend a lot of time “unteaching” the deadly habits they developed with paintball and Airsoft. I’ve seen the same in the military, especially when conducting urban training- people grossly under-estimate the penetrating power of modern small arms. Examples are soldiers attempting to engage a tiny exposed portion of a target, when the rest of the enemy soldier was concealed behind an interior house wall, or a storage shed, or a similar …


Airsoft for Survival Training Adventure, by John Durfee

You see the open field coming up, and the only way to access the bridge to cross the river is to also traverse the field. You’ve been following them for several miles now and certainly don’t to reveal your position. You’ve trained extensively for this, and you decide to cross using the stalking crawl also known as the Sniper crawl. If you don’, then you’ll surely lose all the ground you have gained on them. You successfully make it to the other side, and much to your delight, they are resting on a fallen tree on the other side. You …


Effective Partner and Small Team Tactics, by Officer Tackleberry

Please consider the following scenarios: You are sitting at a table in a local restaurant with your family, significant other, and/or friend when a person enters the business and starts shooting. You are shopping with your family at Christmas time and several subjects enter the mall and start shooting. The “Crunch” has happened and it’s now full-blown TEOTWAWKI.   Looters are present and have forced their way into one of the buildings on your homestead.  The 911 system doesn’t work and the area police force is non-existent.   It’s up to you and one other person from your homestead to find the …