One-Handed Shooting

I've been thinking lately that I need to practice some one-handed shooting.  I recently read an article about a woman who was attacked by three gun-armed assailants and was able to drive them off after she fired back with her concealed carry pistol but only after being shot at least twice and one of those being hitting her hand.  I later watched a video by sootch00 on Youtube and was again convinced of my need and given some practical tips.  I ran across the following article and thought I'd post it.  I'll also include the sootch00 video.

This article is from the outdoorlife.com site - Handguns: How to Shoot One-Handed by Chris Christian.

Achieving a good score on the fast-paced Action Pistol stage is tough enough with a two-handed firing grip. Unfortunately, shooters don’t always have that option. The major Action Pistol groups—USPSA, ICORE, IDPA—often require shooters to fire with only one hand during matches. Sometimes it will be with the dominant (strong) hand and sometimes with the non-dominant (weak) hand. Those who fail to master these skills will see their scores suffer. But becoming proficient in one-handed shooting out to 15 yards is simply a matter of proper technique and practice.

Shotokan Punch
The best technique is the Massad Ayoob Stress Fire “Shotokan Punch” stance. It is derived from karate moves that emphasize power and control.
To assume the basic stance, face the target squarely and extend the gun (with either hand) fully toward the target, with the gun-arm elbow locked to full arm extension. Then place the gun-hand foot ahead of the other foot by 8 to 15 inches. From that position, flex the knees and bring at least 60 percent of the body weight to the leading foot. This creates a solid, weight-forward power position that minimizes the effect of recoil while allowing full gun mobility. Bring the non-shooting hand to the upper chest with the palm up and the hand clenched. This symmetry between the two sides of the body improves control.

Drill
Begin practice on a single target at 5 to 7 yards to build basic skills and confidence. Once you’re comfortable with that, place two IDPA or USPSA targets spaced 6 feet apart and 5 to 10 yards downrange. Place two rounds to the body and one round to the head box on one target, then transition immediately to the next target and repeat. This stresses speed, accuracy, and target transitions. At 7 yards, Master Class shooters will deliver six perfect hits in less than five seconds with the gun starting at the low-ready position in the weak hand or when drawing the pistol with the strong hand from a holster.

Sounds simple enough.  Here's the video.

~Rhyno

Four Rules of Gun Safety

There are four basic rules of gun safety that everyone who handles a firearm should know and follow.  I keep a laminated copy of these in my range bag so that when I take out new shooters or even go out shooting with friends we can go over these to constantly drill them into our heads.

The Four basic rule are:

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off of the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire.
4. Know what is in front of and behind your target at all times.

Now, get out there and practice (safely)!

~Rhyno

Broken Blade!

 

Had a bit of a problem with my Ontario RAT3 today.  I contacted Ontario and they said for me to mail it in, so we'll see how that goes.  I was surprised when it broke on this piece of cedar.  Hopefully I can get it replaced under warranty.  I really like this knife. 

 

~Rhyno

New Knife - Ka-Bar Becker BK7

I just got this little beauty last week. I was able to take it out the other day and put it through a little bit of wood splitting using the baton method. It performed wonderfully. 

The seven inches of steel with the full tang through the handle plowed well through several logs making some nice kindling for the fire. I was wanting a knife that fit between my smaller blades (I.e. The Ontario RAT 3 and Remoras) and the beefy nine inch Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie. I have a Kabar Fighting Utility Knife that is also a seven inch blade that I loved for backpacking but the rat-tail through the handle simply won't allow it to handle batoning through wood.  It's a great all around knife but now has a slight bend in it :(

 

I was trying to decide between the BK7 and the Ontario RAT7.  It finally came down to price.  The BK7 was around $68 on Amazon and the RAT7 was around $95.  Looking today the RAT7 has jumped to $106 and the BK7 is about $70.  In the reviews I scoured I couldn't find one that seemed decisively better than the other.  On the BladeForum in the Kabar section they, of course, raved of the BK over the RAT.

The BK7 seems to be a nice compromise for size and weight constraints.  My plans for this blade are backpacking and general outdoor use. Here's what their website says about it...

 

"The ultimate BK&T all-purpose utility knife was designed specifically for soldiers and adventurers requiring a sturdy but lightweight combat knife that can stand up to hard use.
Made in the USA."

I'll probably put some type of lanyard on it so that I can choke down on the handle for a bit of extra length for chopping.  It doesn't have the heft of the bowie but it definitely holds its own in the chopping department.  The blade stood up well but of course the coating began wearing off pretty quickly - which it to be expected.  I want this for a hard use knife not a show piece for display (although I think it only looks cooler with the wear and tear).  Hopefully I can get out in the woods soon for some more fun.  I'll let you know how it handles.

 

~Rhyno

A Little Winter Weather

Just thought I'd post up a pic of some birds enjoying my feeder with our second snow of winter.  We just had our church services cancelled so it'll be a fun snow day at home with the family.  We might have to venture outside for some snowballs a bit later.

Here's this same shot using Instagram...

Get out there!

~Rhyno

Ontario Rat-3 update

Just wanted to give a quick update on the Rat-3 difficulties I had posted about previously. I contacted Ontario and received a quick response and equally quick package in the mail containing replacement inserts and screws for the handle. Way to go Ontario! I haven't had to use them yet since I was able to replace the original insert after I tweaked it. I put the screws back with blue lock tight and have had no issues. I've been keeping the Rat-3 by my wood burning stove and using it to baton kindling. I am enjoying this blade. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno

Firebox Nano Stove - First Impressions

I just received the Firebox Nano in the mail today. 

(Pictured above - Firebox Nano, Trangia, Ontario Rat 3, Olicamp Cup, Light My Fire fire steel)

I had been looking at these for the past couple of months and finally pulled the trigger. I wanted to get a wood burning stove for backpacking and general outdoor use. What finally pushed me over the edge was that I received a Trangia alcohol stove for Christmas...

The Firebox stoves are designed with the Trangia in mind, in fact you can order a Trangia with the stove from the Firebox website. The Trangia uses HEET that is easily found at Walmart or most automotive stores. I need to test how long a bottle of fuel will last and how quickly I can expect a boil. I picked up this bottle for $1.77 at Wally World. 

The Firebox folds up extremely well and there is no assembly required, it simply unfolds into position. 

It's a great size and seems solidly built. I fired it up today with both the Trangia and some wood. I ran out of time to fully test it but am impressed so far. 

It breathes well and the loading holes work well for feeding in the wood. I'll have to post more after I get a chance to actually use it in a camping scenario. I can definitely tell there will be a bit of a learning curve with this stove. 

Get out there!

~Rhyno