Category: Target Shooting & Marksmanship

Letter Re: Marksmanship Training

Sir: My name is Kent, I’m an 11 year veteran of the Active Army and National Guard, and I’m currently serving my third overseas tour, in Iraq. I have been in the Infantry for the entire time in the military, and I’ve taken it upon myself to seek outside training where available. I have been reading your blog off and on for the past year. One of the things that firearms proponents and enthusiast fail to mention a lot of is alternate shooting positions. Something I learned in Sniper school (even though I did not pass the course) is that …


Three Letters Re: Marksmanship Training

Sir: For the past 12 years I have served in the US Army as an Infantryman. Two deployments to Iraq and one in Afghanistan have taught me valuable lessons that I will never forget. The biggest one being the importance of marksmanship. There is not a firearm in the word that will make up for lack of practice or being a lousy shot. Some considerations… While at the range do you only fire from the standing position? In a gunfight the name of the game is finding cover and concealment and returning accurate fire. Standing is almost never the best …


Letter Re: Advice on Firearms Training for Teens and Pre-Teens

Sir: I’m coming up to speed by working my way through your blog archives (which are amazing, BTW), and have come to realize that while I know how to shoot, my skills are marginal. I’ve concluded that I’m what the firearms trainers call “consciously incompetent.” My wife and I plan to go do the Appleseed training, and then once that is under my belt, I plan to go to Front Sight. (I’ve read that you can buy “gray” Front Sight “first-timer” course certificates for cheap, on eBay.) After that, my wife and I can train our kids. Here is my …


Preparing to Be Prepared, by A Patriotic Christian

Preparedness and survival are becoming increasingly popular discussions in these days of economic and political instability. Head to a diner in the morning and you’ll hear ol’ timers talking about their deer rifles they have with extra ammunition. Pass in a supermarket and you’ll hear middle aged housewives speaking of the class they are taking on home canning. Most people have the mental image of a worldwide doomsday when “survival” is brought up. That fact is that survival is simply that…survival. Whether your family is snowed in for a few days in a cabin, an earthquake ruptures water and power, …


Letter Re: “Range, Range in the Home”

Sir, I would expect that most readers of SurvivalBlog either are good marksmen already, or desire to be better marksmen. I consider myself to belong to the latter group with skills that place me, at best, in the very modest middle of that category. As the prices of ammunition and reloading components increased during this past year my visits to the range became fewer and fewer while my skills languished accordingly. This is not good for someone who hopes to be better prepared to put meat on the table, or to defend oneself. Not long ago my younger brother was …


Saving Money and Ammunition in Small Arms Training, by Jeff T.

Several factors have resulted higher prices and in shortages of ammunition. These include higher commodity prices, recent political developments with many people buying to prepare for uncertain availability as well as demand from the military for the ongoing war on terrorists. This storm of demand has resulted in very real shortages of many common calibers. Although the situation is easing in some ways it doesn’t require an above average IQ to realize this condition could reverse and quickly get much worse. Developing skill in marksmanship and gun handling is not difficult but does require some training and regular practice. These …


Letter Re: Firearms Training — Some Stress is a Good Thing

Dear Jim, I attended an Appleseed Project shoot, and it was interesting. I really enjoyed everything about the program, the instruction, the history, and the camaraderie. I’m a newbie to shooting, and I think I may have had the wrong sling type. The type that the instructors had was a loop sling, but the kind I had was just a nylon strap. When trying to get into positions and change positions the strap kept sliding down my shirtsleeve. I did awful in the shooting, and really surprised myself at exactly how bad of a shot I am. I need lots …


Letter Re: Range Report from Another Distaff Appleseed Shooter

James Wesley,| My hubby and I attended an Appleseed Project shoot last weekend at a local range. Our reward for all our planning to finally make one. Wow! What an openly honest and insightful man Fred is about his Appleseed project mission. I chatted with him throughout the weekend. He is truly a passionate visionary and an active proponent of legislative action. He can readily account accurate attestation on any Revolutionary War topic concerning the acts of examples of Freedom and LIberty and the Preservation of Civilian Rights to bear Arms, by our Forefathers. With that vision and mission, he …


How to be a Civilian Operator–Training Just 8 Hours Per Week, by Cody H.

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Throughout the history of warfare there has always been an elite class of warriors that had superior skills, tactics, and mindset. Today is no different with each branch of our military having its own elite class of warriors.   When you think of a Navy SEAL, Delta, Pararescue, Green Beret (Special Forces or “SF”) , or Force Recon, what phrases run through your head? “Intense”, “Highly disciplined”, “Extremely fit”, “Tough”, “Well rounded”, “Deadly”. These are well-deserved phrases that can be applied to any of the special forces operators and the foundation that built these men is their mindset and training. …


Inexpensive Hand Reloading Tools–Part of Budget Preparedness, by D.A.S.

“Everything in life is a trade-off.”  There’s wisdom in that and anyone who wants to be prepared has to make the best trade-offs for functionality and their budget.  Most people who prepare for emergency scenarios, whether it be civil unrest, terrorist attack, EMP, or whatever, include a firearm in their plans. A firearm provides protection and a way to harvest game that is second-to-none.  But firearms require cartridges and there’s the rub.  Unless your last name is Gates, Walton, or Rockefeller, you can’t afford to have 10,000 rounds of ammunition just setting around.  If you have regular job and are …


Preparedness Beginnings, by “Two Dogs”

I am a retired Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator (jets and helicopters), commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and most recently, an aircraft operations manager for a Federal agency. I graduated from numerous military schools, including the U.S. Army Airborne (“jump”) School, U.S. Navy Divers School, Army helicopter, and Navy advanced jet schools. In addition, I have attended military “survival” courses whose primary focus was generally short-term survival off the land, escape from capture, and recovery from remote areas.  Like most Marine officers, I attended The Basic School, an 8-month school (only five during the Vietnam era – my case), …


Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills

In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills: The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute “must” for every well-prepared family!) The Foxfire Book series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best) Holy Bible Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens The “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course Crisis …


Letter Re: A Distaff Prepper’s Comments on an Appleseed Shooting Weekend

Mr. Editor, I just wanted to let you know I attended my first RWVA Appleseed shoot last weekend and it was a great experience. I found them from their link on SurvivalBlog. I learned how to use a sling and fire from different positions, among other things, and over all improved my mastery of my rifle. It was well worth my time for the weekend and I will be attending another one in a couple of months. Another nice feature of the Appleseed program is ‘women shoot free’ ! So husbands can bring their wives (children shoot free too, up …


Letter Re: Keep Ammo in Original Boxes?

Mr. Editor, I’ve purchased ammo for self protection and for future barter. Is it best to keep the ammo in the original boxes (e.g. the nice green UMC boxes with the plastic insert that holds the rounds in place) and put those boxes into ammo cans? Or should I just dump all the ammo into an ammo can loose? I could fit many more rounds in each can by dumping them in loose, but I’m concerned about impacting the future barter value of the ammo. And also, if I end up selling some of the ammo before TSHTF, I would …


Adios to Naish Piazza, But Perhaps Not to Front Sight

This news article was published yesterday: Business as Usual? Front Sight Assets Seized. Please take the time to read it. I haven’t yet been in touch with the new management at Front Sight to get any additional details. Last night, I dismissively posted a piece to SurvivalBlog, castigating the plaintiffs in this case. But then I spent several hours later last night doing web searches about the various Front Sight lawsuits, and it was an eye opener. Up until yesterday, I had thought that only one of the lawsuits had any merit, and that Naish Piazza was merely a convenient …