Wednesday Wisdom: 11 November 2026

Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG)

People often confuse the Bindon aiming concept with occluded eye shooting—they are different. Glyn Bindon was a South African immigrant who came to the United States and worked in the auto industry and also for NASA. He was also the founder of Trijicon; one of America’s most innovative manufacturers of combat optics.

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Folding With Style: The Law-300

The LR-300 was the first AR platform rifle with a folding telescoping stock. It relied on a bolt carrier that looked like half of a standard AR-15’s. Along with this, it used internal buffer springs to bypass the requirement for a receiver extension tube that housed the buffer and buffer spring (not unlike the AR-180, likewise designs, or the ARIC); thereby permitting the weapon to fire repeatedly with a folding stock. This upper receiver (slightly taller than a regular flat-top AR-15) mated to a standard AR pattern lower receiver.

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Understanding Serrated Edges

One of Sal Glesser’s—and Spyderco’s—most revolutionary achievements in the knife industry was the addition of serrated edges to modern pocketknife design. Although true saw blades were included in folding “escape” knives as early as World War II and serrated kitchen knives have long been commonplace, it wasn’t until 1982 and Sal’s C01 Worker™ design that pocketknife blades featured real cutting serrations. Shortly thereafter, his C02 Mariner™ model added them to a sheepfoot bladed folder, pioneering the concept of the modern rescue knife.

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You Really Should Suppress Your Pistol. Here’s How . . .

I must confess that although I have several suitable pistol-caliber suppressors, I rarely use them on pistols. Mine go on pistol caliber carbines. However, here’s a quick guide for making your handgun much quieter. Exact installation varies by each firearm and suppressor, so be sure to consult the manufacturers’ instructions.

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Everything You Might Want to Know About the M3 .50 Cal Machine Gun

 

The Browning M2 is one of the most famous machine guns ever made. The FN M3 takes the same basic .50-caliber lineage and turns the speed up to an absurd 1,100 rounds per minute, or roughly 17 rounds every second.

FN Herstal in Belgium provides a hands-on look at the M3M, the helicopter-mounted version of the M3. We also check out FN’s M3P aircraft gun pod, complete with a .50-cal machine gun and Hydra-compatible rocket tubes, see what armor-piercing explosive incendiary ammunition does to steel, and learn how FN is still refurbishing M2s that were sent to Europe decades ago. (Opens to a long, but fascinating video if you are into the Ma Duce)

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Not So Simple--Context is Everything

In strategic terms, goals and parameters are primary aspects of the context. A martial artist could ask what someone's "favorite attack" was and it's just not that simple. A matrix of context decides what is best in a given moment. 

One way to look at it is that there are four very different types of fights one can get in to:

1) You are completely surprised.

2) You suspect something bad is happening but may not be sure when or what.

3) Mutual fight - you know it's coming and you're waiting for it.

4) You initiate the first attack.

Many, many different things fall under the general heading of violence: getting shot at as a civilian is different than on duty; conducting a military raid is different than getting mugged; a MMA tournament is different than a gang rape; being taken hostage is different than getting caught in a riot. 

You see it when they ask for or offer simple solutions to vague situations. The good answers, the good actions, tend to be simple and efficient. But it is a simplicity that stands out starkly against the chaos yet is largely something the chaos dictates. Simple, but not that simple.

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Layerform Precision LP 3D Printed Chassis for Crickett Youth Rifles

One of the new production technologies that has most affected the firearms market is 3D-printing. Whether for polymer parts or DMLS metal printing of suppressors the computer aided tech has produced fascinating stuff. It has made all kinds of products possible, some useful ,and others that probably should have stayed on the drawing board.

This is a look at something likely falls firmly into the useful category. The Layerform Precision Cricket LP Target Rifle Chassis brings some of the features found on much more expensive precision rifle chassis to an affordable platform designed for young shooters.

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Dumb Criminal: Man Charged in Bizarre Diaper Attack

A young Minnesota man who “enjoyed wearing diapers” and “wanted to be given a ‘binky’” has been charged with assaulting and strangling his girlfriend as he forcefully sought to put a pull-up diaper on her, according to court records.

Investigators yesterday filed a criminal complaint charging Xander Holmberg, 18, with felony and misdemeanor domestic assault offenses in connection with the bizarre mid-June attack in the victim’s bedroom. Comment: I have no idea what a "binky" might be. Lesson: If you want a “binky,” don’t try to force a diaper on someone to get your binky.

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 And Now to More Serious Topics

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COMMUNISM IN AMERICA - PART 3

We must stop mincing words. The Democratic Socialists of America want to change the language. They claim to not be communist, yet you can call a turd a steak, but it will always be just a turd. And after all the debates and words are spoken, the last fact on the table is that socialism of any sort leads to communism.

Communism was the leading ideological cause of death between 1900 and 2000. The 94 million that perished in China, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe easily (and tragically) trump the 28 million that died under Fascist/Nazi regimes during the same period.

The United States may well be heading down the same path. 

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Is the NFA Honeymoon Over? Maybe, Probably

An attorney discusses the possible fallout from the midterm elections vis-à-vis the NFA and the budget process (opens to a video). Thank you, Republicans for not eliminating the NFA altogether when you had the opportunity. I personally have continued to do the Form 4 and Form 1 with zero tax on my NFA purchases and conversions. 

If/when the next session of congress reinstates the NFA tax in the budget reconciliation process, we will likely see the NFA tax raised to an exorbitant amount. If you are thinking about purchasing a suppressor, SBS/SBR, or doing a conversion, you might want to get on with it.

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Personal And Home Safety Concerns with Package Deliveries

With the holidays approaching, personal and home safety concerns associated with package deliveries merit review. Home invaders wearing delivery or utility uniforms and attempting to gain access to homes are becoming more common. A quick review of news reporting shows the tactic was used in multiple documented incidents across the U.S. in 2025 and this continues into 2026. Examples include:

    -- An armed home invasion in North Port, Florida (May 2025), in which men posing as Amazon drivers lured a resident to the door, forced entry, stole cash, and held family members at gunpoint

    -- Multiple cases in California involving criminals (in some case organized crews) posing as Uber Eats or Amazon/food delivery workers to check occupancy or gain entry before burglaries

    -- A string of home invasions in St. Clair County, Michigan linked to a suspect posing as a delivery driver

    -- Multiple incidents in places such as Houston, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; Queens, New York; and elsewhere involving similar ruses

In December 2016 a thug dressed as a UPS driver forced his way into a home followed by three other thugs. In the video you can see the robber dressed in a UPS uniform at the door. As soon as the homeowner opens it, the man rushes inside despite the homeowner’s attempts to close the door. Once inside the home, the men assaulted the victim and fired at least one shot which didn't hit anyone. 

Two women inside the home grabbed children and hid in a closet. The homeowner had a fractured skull, concussion, lost 6 teeth, needed stitches in his lip, and required 28 staples in his head after the brutal beating. The bad guys stole jewelry and some collectible firearms. For a video of this home invasion as well as a scenario from our Short Range Match based on the incident click here.

There are several key indicators that something is likely amiss: 

    -- If you are not expecting a package and don't recognize your regular delivery man or woman. Look for the delivery truck in the street if possible -- although it is becoming more common for sub-contracted delivery drivers to use personal or unmarked vehicles, so this is becoming less of an indicator.

    -- Insisting on a signature. With the door closed, tell the delivery person to leave the package on your doorstep so you can retrieve it later. If they insist on a signature simply tell the person to leave a proper notice of attempted delivery and that you will pick the package up at the local company office. If they continue to insist or get annoyed, this should be an immediate red flag. 

    -- More than one “delivery” person. Legitimate delivery companies do not send more than one employee to the door to deliver a package. In the two pictures below, more than one "delivery" person was visible on camera before the victim opened the door--the victims did not bother to look at their cameras.

So how do you protect yourself? 

 

If you have cameras, use them and look for indicators mentioned above. There are numerous videos on the internet of fake delivery home invasions.  Why? Because the homeowners had cameras but in many cases did not use them to analyze the situation.

 

Don't open the door. This is the primary way to protect you and your family.  Ensure other family members--particularly children--know not to open the door as well. In the picture of the fake UPS delivery incident above, the homeowners did not open the door. However, a family member exited the home as the thugs were departing to get the package. The thugs then showed a firearm and forced their way into the home.  They exited seven minutes later having killed three adult family members.

 

Reinforce the front door. What if the thugs decide to kick the door open? A video of a thug kicking open an exterior door is available here. It literally took him less that one second; that is how easy it is to kick in a normally constructed residential exterior door. You can prevent this with heavy metal doors or by reinforcing your exterior door. To reinforce exterior wooden doors, you can install the Door Armor Max kit that Armor Concepts produces which is available on Amazon and from a variety of additional vendors.

Reinforce an interior door. You can also use these products to reinforce your interior doors as well. If someone does manage to defeat your exterior door and enters your home, they now have another barrier to deal with. It is unlikely that they will stick around and try to defeat a second door. If they do, having retreated into a safe room increases your chances of survival and builds the foundation of “reasonableness” for your follow-on actions.

Develop a family safety plan. Everyone should think through scenarios such as this now and develop a plan based on your particular circumstances. In my house, someone yelling “SAFE ROOM!” is giving the command for everyone to instantly stop what they are doing and go to a secure bedroom. A reinforced bedroom door with a dead bolt provides a safe room you can retreat to if someone attempts to break and enter. From there you can call 911 and prepare to take other necessary action.   

But I live in a good neighborhood you say? Well so do I—many of us live in neighborhoods we would characterize as safe. However, even gated communities have experienced home invasions as criminals follow legitimate residents through the opened gate. Plan now so you will be prepared if the time comes to act.

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Wednesday Wisdom: 4 November 2026

New: Smith & Wesson Model 22 of 1917 Classic and Model 22 Classic Revolvers

Smith & Wesson is reaching back to the First World War for its newest Classic Series revolvers. The company has announced two .45-cal. N-frames, both built on the lines of the M1917 service revolver. One, the Model 22 of 1917 Classic, stays as close to the original as a modern production gun can. Its sibling, the Model 22 Classic, cuts the barrel to 4 inches and adds a second chambering for 45 Long Colt.

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Make Mine a Shotgun: Going Strong 100 Years On 

Hans Vang -- The Inventor of the Vang Comp

Shotguns have been used as combat weapons since the matchlock. The fighting shotgun reached a pinnacle in the “trench gun” of the early 20th century—an 18-inch barreled Model ’97 or Model 12 with a bayonet, spraying buckshot into groups of enemy soldiers at close range. United States soldiers used shotguns in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and they are still being used in the Middle East today.

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This Week’s Dumb Criminal 

 

Stealing cars? That’s dumb. Posting it on Instagram? That’s really dumb.

Stealing a car that someone left running? That’s pretty dumb.

Picking up the owner’s cellphone and staring into the camera while it’s on a live FaceTime call? That’s even dumber.

Sending a request to follow the car’s owner on Instagram the next day? Well, that’s just crazy.

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Plea Deal Cut Over Microwaved Fish Gunplay

Well – since we have a dumb criminal, why not a dumb detective: The South Carolina detective who pointed a gun at the fellow lawman who used the office’s microwave to heat up fish has cut a plea deal that spares him jail, but bars a return to law enforcement, court records show.

Michael DeBiase pleaded guilty Friday to public disorderly conduct in connection with the odiferous incident at the headquarters of the Myrtle Beach Police Department. According to an arrest warrant, DeBiase “confronted” the cop “about warming up fish in the microwave, causing an odor in the office.” During that dispute, investigators say, DeBiase drew his service weapon and pointed it at the victim/stench producer. 

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SIG P385: Did SIG Build A Better-Recoiling Pistol?

At the heart of the P385 is SIG’s new Recoil Dampening System (SRDS), working with an extremely low bore axis to reduce felt recoil and muzzle movement. According to SIG, the combination can reduce muzzle rise by 20 percent or more depending on the P385 configuration, while the P385-MACH3D takes things even further with a compensator designed to reduce muzzle rise by more than 30 percent.

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U.S. Model 1892 Krag Carbine Manufactured by Springfield Armory

This carbine is one of only two Model 1892 carbines made by Springfield Armory on an experimental basis. One carbine was sent to the Board on Cavalry Drill Regulations at Fort Riley in Kansas on June 14, 1894 and another was sent to Rock Island Arsenal on July 7 to use for designing rifle racks. The carbine sent to Rock Island Arsenal was believed to be serial number 1015 and the example with that serial number is still housed in their museum. So this carbine, serial #1574, is no doubt the example sent to the Board on Cavalry Drill Regulations in 1894.

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Palmetto State Armory KS-47 

 

The KS-47 is Palmetto State Armory’s answer to a question nobody really asked: what if an AR-15 could eat AK-47 magazines? The upper is straight AR-15, bolt carrier group, charging handle, Picatinny rail, while the lower is reworked to feed from AK mags but still run a standard AR trigger group, buffer tube, and stock. It sounds like a mess on paper. It isn’t.

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Will the Real Farnam Drill Please Stand Up?

Multiple versions of a simple drill designed to test basic pistol skills. 

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New for 2026: Franklin Armory 5.56 Rabbit Rounds

Interesting idea—might be fun to try. A bit expensive tho. The fowler was the original do-all firearm in America. While its smoothbore allowed it to use multiple projectiles for small game and birds, it could also fire a single larger projectile for medium-game hunting, self-defense, or war. Franklin Armory brings that all-purpose capability to “America’s rifle” with its new multi-projectile Rabbit Rounds.

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Interactive Flock Camera Map

Proton is hosting an interactive public map showing more than 300,000 Flock surveillance devices across the United States. Cybersecurity researcher Joshua Michael’s research provided an inventory that he obtained from the Flock system that is the basis for Proton’s map. According to Proton, it includes more than 170,000 cameras and over 130,000 other devices. This contrasts with Flock’s public statement of only 120,000 cameras in use, so the actual camera count Michael obtained is about 40% higher. 

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Gunsite's Advanced Tactical Pistol Problems--An After Class Review

October 2026: I completed Gunsite's Advanced Tactical Pistol Problems (ATPP) class at the Gunsite facility in Paulden, Arizona.

I attended the Gunsite Vehicle Defensive Course offsite in Tennessee in 2016; however, this was the first Gunsite class I have taken in Arizona since I completed 499 in 2012. The Gunsite facility is world class and they have added many improvements since I last attended.

The Gunsite ATPP is a three-day class that concentrates on simulators, shoot house runs, square range drills, and force on force. You must complete a 250-pistol class with a grade of “Marksman” or higher as a prerequisite to attend. 

We had a large class with 16 participants which is apparently much larger than normal. It probably helped that the Gunsite 50th Anniversary Alumni Shoot was two days earlier.

A large class that that focuses on individual runs will often have a lot of unavoidable down/waiting around time unless the instructors ensure that does not happen. Pete Feeny (the Rangemaster) and his assistant instructors Dave Bahde and Vince Morgan did a great job of minimizing the down time throughout the class.

The student skill set ran the gamut from reasonable intermediate to very skilled. Most were shooting some variation of a full-size pistol with several having compensators. Several Staccatos, Glocks, and one SIG P365 Fuse. Since I carry a standard P365 often in the summer months, I took the opportunity to use my P365 standard pistol in the class. All were shooting 9mm.

Training day #1 (TD1) is a square range refresher in the morning (which also lets the instructors evaluate the students), and both indoor and outdoor simulators in the afternoon and a shoot-off competition on steel.

Since we were such a large class, Pete broke the class into three groups on TD2 and we rotated between outdoor simulators, shoot houses, and the square range. TD2 included a low light shoot, conducted on the indoor and outdoor simulators and the urban scrambler.

TD3 featured force on force in the morning, square range work, the school drill for a score (for the student's use--this was a non-graded class), and then we conducted the final class shoot-off on steel. This class stressed one-handed shooting with the primary hand in both the modified school drill and one of the outdoor simulators. We did not do any non-primary hand shooting.

I took advantage of the optional square range time that popped up during rotations, etc. and shot about 1,000 rounds of ball and 150 rounds of frangible over the three-day class. My P365 performed flawlessly and did not have a single malfunction during the class. I placed 2nd in one of the shoot-off competitions, beating a classmate who was a new Gunsite instructor and another who placed in the top ten overall in the GAS match who was shooting a compensated Staccato. 

Several students had issues with frangible rounds fracturing at the case mouth with ammo they had purchased in the Gunsite ammo package. I had never heard of that particular brand. I personally used Norma frangibles and had no issues.

We had one remarkable occurrence on the square range where a magazine falling from a pistol during a reload landed on the base and remained standing upright. I would never have believed it if I had not seen it and reminds us that something that can happen, will happen.

I drew from concealment for most of the class with the exception of the modified school drill where a concealed draw simply was not conducive (for me at least) to making time and accuracy on the head shots. Gunsite has always been open carry, and many drills reflect that philosophy. Some students did experiment with drawing from concealment; however, most simply open carried. Students starting from concealment always lagged behind on some drills when compared to their classmates.

As I mentioned earlier, it has been ten years since I took a Gunsite class and one of the more notable changes has been the standard paper target. The Gunsite standard paper target no longer has an eight-inch circle in the upper chest area, but rather has an appropriation of the lung and upper aorta area (see pic above). That is an improvement and will help train students to make anatomically correct hits. During the Short Range matches I conduct, I use an anatomically correct target covered with a t-shirt. I can always tell when I have new shooters in the match because there will be hits below the down-zero scoring area. New shooters often aim for what they imagine is the “center of mass.” People who shoot the match regularly, know better and aim for the upper chest. For more information click here.

For the most part, I enjoyed the class and the instructors and facilities were top-notch. I was not enamored with several of the outdoor simulators due to the difficult footing and skipped one altogether that required you to move down a seven-foot or so slope that had loose dirt and rocks. I believe more involved shoot-house scenarios and increasing the force-on-force scenarios and shoot-offs are more valuable to the current student demographic than outdoor simulators in dry gulches.

If you meet the prerequisite, I would recommend the Gunsite ATPP class.  You will not learn anything "new" per-se; however, you will hone your pistol skills and there is always value in shoot houses, force-on-force, and shoot-off competitions.

Wednesday Wisdom: 28 October 2026

The Shooter Who Can’t Be Corrected

While plenty of firearms enthusiasts and sportsmen bemoan the price of their guns, their maintenance, and their ammo, the hidden ceiling to firearm proficiency is much simpler, and much more uncomfortable: the inability to absorb correction without defending against it.

Some shooters constantly chase gear changes because “bad gear” is psychologically easier to tolerate than skill deficiency. Others might become obsessed with external variables while ignoring obvious inconsistencies in their fundamentals. Some might even construct elaborate narratives to explain why their performance doesn’t reflect their actual ability.

The common thread running through these examples and many more like them is that they are all avoiding accurate calibration to a reality they find uncomfortable.

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Performative Versus Combative

 

The police can do as they please, or as they need to hang on to their precarious jobs, but that should not and must not influence your handling of combat problems on the street as an individual.

Grappling burst onto the scene in the late 1990s as various Gracie-based instructors worked hard to make inroads into the police world. It was not easy for them as the standard directive for police handling of street problems started with this - DON’T TIE UP WITH THEM

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Alarms, Blood Trails, and Broken Doors

Fire alarms during active shooter events continue to be a problem. The problem comes in four varieties. Gunfire sets them off. Attackers pull them on purpose. Bystanders pull them to warn people. Fire alarms can impair the police response.

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Twist Rate and Bullet Stabilization: Is Your Ammo Right for Your Barrel?

Your barrel has a twist rate stamped on it or listed in the specs. Most shooters know it's there. Few understand what it means or why it matters for the ammunition they're shooting. The short version: if your twist rate doesn't match your bullet weight, your accuracy suffers. The longer version is worth understanding.

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A Guide to Barrel Twist Rate: All You Need to Know 

 

 

The title is an understatement.  A lot more information concerning the relationship between rifling twist rate and bullet performance.

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Shooting To Live (1942, Fairbairn & Sykes)

Karl Rehn's historical handgun writings are worth a read--this is one. 

W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes wrote the influential book Shooting To Live in 1942 which introduced many concepts that remain a foundation for modern defensive handgun training.

Fairbairn and Sykes were in charge of the Shanghai Municipal Police in the 1930’s. During this time Shanghai was a very violent city. During a twelve-year period, the authors documented 666 armed encounters with criminals. They credit their techniques with producing a record of 260 criminals killed and 193 wounded, compared to 42 police killed and 100 wounded.

Until Jeff Cooper, Jack Weaver and others in the late 60’s and early 70’s challenged the idea that there was “no time to use your sights” in close range gunfights, variations of what Fairbairn, Sykes and “Jelly” Bryce of the FBI were teaching was the standard.

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John Farnam’s Quips – Sep 06

John Farnam’s comments on pistol design that range from useless to hurtful from 20 years ago (5 Sept 06). "Not all can be legitimately called “trends,” but all are manifestations of manufacturers going in the wrong direction." 

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Jeff Cooper Inspires the Invention of Elden's Magazine Bump Pad

Elden Carl discusses an incident that resulted in his invention of the magazine bump pad. Per Elden: “Something unusual happened in one of the first matches of the 1962 competition year. Jeff Cooper was having a really good day when a stage requiring a reload came up. Jeff drew and put two solid hits in each of three targets followed by the ejection of the empty magazine. Jeff quickly installed a new loaded magazine, came up on his first target and squeezed the trigger. As the pistol discharged, I saw the magazine fall from the magazine well to the ground.”

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The 300 Reduex 2016

Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch fame once wrote an article titled: “The 300.” In his usual kind and generous manner, Clint stated in the article that in the period of the upcoming year, 300 new training schools would pop up. He stated how much that would be a good thing. And he was right as usual.

But there was a downside to it. One that probably has been around to some extent ever since the first weapons and tactics school opened to teach proper use of the rock and stick. That is some schools teach some really questionable stuff.

I recently completed a class at Gunsite. For the force-on-force portion, the instructors mentioned “NO ANCHOR SHOTS" several times. I asked why the emphasis and the instructor replied that several fairly well-known instructors were teaching “anchor shots.” In other words, they were teaching students to shoot a final shot to the head if they engaged in a defensive encounter. What a great way to go to jail. He would not identify the instructors teaching this technique--which is always annoying. I would like to know so I can skip their classes.

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The Gunsite Alumni Shoot -- GAS 2026

The Cooper Cup

On 3 October 2026 I participated in the Gunsite Alumni Shoot or GAS for 2026. Gunsite holds the GAS every year in the fall for graduates of a handgun class lasting three days or more. GAS stages are set in simulators and on square ranges with scenarios similar to problems students face in the Gunsite 250 class.
 

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Jeff Cooper's founding of American Pistol Institute/Gunsite and the GAS was the largest that Gunsite has ever hosted with 333 registered participants. There were nine stages plus the Cooper Cup with eight of the nine stages using steel targets. The modified School Drill and the Cooper Cup used paper targets.
 

The GAS only has three divisions:

-- Master Class: Prior GAS or Cooper Cup winners

-- General Class: All Shooters younger than 65 years of age except Master Class

-- Senior: Shooters 65 years of age or older

Given that the targets were steel for most stages, the match generally flowed very quickly. Once participants completed their first stage with their assigned squad, they were free to go to any stage they wished. Gunsite provided vehicles pulling trailers that ran consistently throughout the day between stages so participants could move around the facility.

When friends asked me how I well I performed in the match, I said “Great, and. . . terrible.” I placed 28th overall on one stage and 134th on another with a final place of 15th in the Senior Division out of ninety-five participants (81st overall). I was tied with several other individuals for 5th place in the Cooper Cup for the Senior Division out of thirty-six senior shooters who shot the Cooper Cup. Many match shooters skipped the Cooper Cup which is optional for match participants.

For most shooters, the Cooper Cup is by far the most challenging stage with forty shots at targets from three to twenty-five yards as follows:

-- 3 yards, 1 head shot, one second, repeat five times

-- 7 yards, 1 head shot, 1.5 seconds, repeat five times

-- 10 yards, 2 body shots, two seconds, repeat five times

-- 15 yards, 2 body shots-reload-2 body shots, six seconds, repeat three times

-- 25 yards, 2 body shots, four seconds, repeat four times

Cooper Cup scoring must be within the designated head and body scoring areas with the full diameter of the bullet inside the scoring area. Bullets touching a line are scored as misses.

After the shooting concluded, Gunsite hosted a post-match dinner and award presentation. Low and behold, Hans Vang--the inventor of the Vang Comp System was at the dinner and we spoke for a moment.  I have a Vang Gunsite Beretta 1201 semiautomatic 12 gauge shotgun sitting in my safe and we discussed these classic shotguns.

The GAS match provided a good time for all. If you have taken a Gunsite pistol class and qualify for the GAS attendance, I highly recommend it.