Training Scars...

Training Scars...

by Zef Medina on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 10:25pm ·

Recently I was going through my Facebook scroll to see what was new and interesting. I stopped on a picture, read the comments, and then noticed the training scar in-progress in the picture.

A while back I took a number of shooting classes as I was trying to improve my shooting skills so I would not be placing last in my local shooting matches. I naturally started emulating the instructors rifles looking for the short cut to shooting well. I added a compensator(muzzle break), light(er) trigger, and a bi-pod(grip-pod). All the while I was still using a red dot optic, shooting at close targets. I loved my grip-pod. I could take it to a class, lay in the perfect prone and slowly squeeze off aimed shoots on a target at close distances.

I never used my ACOG because the instructors I was taking were not using magnified optics. It was not until I started working in Iraq as a security contractor that I found the benefit of a magnified optic. As a security contractor I spent most of my time not shooting close up targets in endless 'up-drills' but observing. I spent endless amounts of time on rooftops, guard towers, bridges, and even on top of a garbage truck on guard observing. So, what is my point you ask, my point is that I never used the light trigger, muzzle break, or red dot like I did for 'shooting' classes.

The training scar of using a tricked out class rifle made me feel like I could shoot well. It fooled me and I fooled myself. Marksmanship is not learned doing endless 'up-drills.'  It is learned using the equipment you will use every day at a realistic distance (100-300 yards). The last time I took a shooting class I used a mini-aimpoint, a stock trigger, and a flash hider and I forced myself to work on my fundamentals. I do admit, for one evolution I brought out my 3-Gun rifle with its light trigger, surefire compensator, and a 1-4 power scope.

The difference I noticed when I shot my 3-Gun rifle compared to my duty style rife was that it made everything easier. My sight picture was clearer, my trigger squeeze was smoother, and I scored higher. All I am saying is that before you rebuild your 'class' rifle to make it like your favorite instructor, figure out what you want to get out of the class. Are you there to show off your new hotness, or learn something. It is way easier to shoot a high score in a class with a bi-pod at 25 yards with a 2-stage trigger and break. But if you carry a bone stock M4 for work it may not help you when you really need those precious skills.

Originally posted:  https://www.facebook.com/notes/zef-medina/training-scars/416688348391317

Open Carry.

Open Carry.

by Zef Medina on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 8:55pm ·

wildedtx.blogspot.com

According to Wikipedia: In the United States, open carry is shorthand terminology for "openly carrying a firearm in public", as distinguished from concealed carry, where firearms cannot be seen by the casual observer.
Recently Open Carry has gathered some attention in California when it was banned by Governor Brown.
www.latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/10/gov-jerry-brown-makes-it-illegal-to-openly-carry-a-handgun-in-public.html

Quiet simply Open Carry is not about being a cowboy and carrying around a six-shooter on the hip, it is a way to make a political statement.  It is a way for the average person to say I support the 1st and 2nd Amendment and a way for law abiding citizens to show their open defiance against the criminal element that control the city parks without carrying a sign that says,"gangs suck!"

I am not going to sit here and tell you I carry around a pistol on my hip when I go to a Home Depot and pick up a bag of fertilizer.  In fact when I saw a gentlemen doing just that I looked at my wife and said 'what is he doing?'  From my perspective, Open Carry makes a target to those that would look to do harm and steal the weapon. Criminals do not get their firearms by walking into the local gun store and buy an AK47 off the shelf for their violent crime. They steal them (hence them being criminals and not being able to buy them). Why make myself a target, when I can go under the radar and legally carry concealed and not draw any unwanted attention?

For the same reason the ACLU and the NRA exist, to protect and vocalize the rights guaranteed by in the bill of rights.  In this case the 2nd, 'the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.   And the 1st, 'or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,'  Is this an ACLU case, no, I do not think they would touch this one with a ten foot stick.  Will the NRA fight it, to be determined.

Recently I had a discussion with someone on FB about Open Carry. He brought up that being former law enforcement he was not in favor of Open Carry because untrained civilians handling weapons and then follow on issues with responding law enforcement called to respond to the issue.  Anyone around long enough has seen a safety issue with someone handling a firearm. But in the articles about Open Carry you never hear of anyone handling them, they just have them it.
www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/06/gun_owners_show_support_for_op.html

At a recent Open Carry Barbecue in August a group of 20 showed up at a Portland park to grill some hamburgers and hot-dogs and 'have some fun.'  They wanted to demonstrate that law abiding citizens can and do carry a weapon. Of course reading the comments to the article several of the anti-gunner compared the peaceful gathering to a Freudian problem and dismissed the peaceful assembly.
www.pressherald.com/news/Right-to-Carry-Barbecue-draws-20-people.html

What the Freudians, Governor Davis' and anti-gunners also fail to address is that people Open Carry because they live in an unsafe places. Laws, lack of police officers, and rampant crime in large metropolitan cities often leave law abiding citizens on their own if they are faced with a violent crime.  But hey, its not like Los Angeles has 26,618 violent crimes this year, or that 'My chances of becoming a victim in Los Angeles is 1 in 142 or that in California it is 1 in 197'...
www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/los-angeles/crime/

Open Carry is a way to make political statement, it is a way to support the 1st and the 2nd Amendment. It is not about walking around in spurs, cowboy hat or threatening the public.  It is a way of taking back a right and providing safety for one's self.

Originally posted:  https://www.facebook.com/notes/zef-medina/open-carry/225593357500818

3-Gun 101: What do I need to start shooting 3-gun?

Question: What do I need to get started shooting in 3-gun?

The easy answer: a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun. The hard answer: the specifics.

Pistol, any modern duty pistol will work. Best options, Glock, S&W M&P or Springfield XD.  A person does not need to buy a tier 1 pistol to get into the sport. 9mm is the easiest to learn and the cheapest to start out shooting.

Rifle, an AR-15 from a reputable company in 5.56/.223.  There are tons of modifications you can do to the weapon, from muzzle breaks that cut split times, free float forearms to brace up against barriers, match single-stage triggers, and endless versions of 1-4x power scopes to pick up targets. There are more options for this weapon than one can imagine. The best idea, shoot a couple of matches, ask others what they are using, and find out what works. And then budget for it.

Shotgun, any 12ga pump can get one into the sport.  Remington 870, Benelli Nova, or other reputable pump shotgun are good starter guns. The trick about shotguns is feeding them, you can learn that skill with any of these. Semi-automatic shotguns are fun and fast, but expensive!  Same thing goes with them, some work great, some do not. Look, listen, and ask and one will find out which is the best buy for them.

Last and not least KIT.  One word: Kydex.  Find a holster for your pistol, a double pistol magazine pouch, an AR-15 magazine pouch, and a bag to hold shotgun shells. I used a dump-pouch before I picked up a couple of shotgun caddies. Caddies are great, but expensive, they put 3, 4, or 6 shotgun shells in your hand in seconds. The only problem, as soon as you get one, you are going to want more!

Finally, 3-Gun is a test of Skill, so remember to have fun!  Focus on the basics, shoot as much as you can and you will see the benefits as your skills improve.  Not everyone can be on "3-Gun Nation" there first year shooting.  Don't worry about it. Find your targets, learn how to shoot, and remember it's only a game.

Originally posted: https://www.facebook.com/notes/zef-medina/3-gun-101-what-do-i-need-to-start-shooting-3-gun/216130505113770

My 2 cents on Recoil...

My 2 cents on Recoil...

by Zef Medina on Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 9:48pm ·

(Ohh, shinny)

Over the past week the comments made by the now former editor Jerry Tsai at Recoil magazine have spurned the hatred of bloggers, trainers, and everyone with a vote on the internet. Now, last thing I am going to do is stick up for the editor of Recoil and his 'sporting-purposes' comment about the H&K MP7, or wade into the debate of weather H&K actually made the comment and he was just repeated in the article.

But I am going to stop a minute and ask for common sense check. Is H&K going to suddenly start offering a civilian version of the MP7, no. Are we, the gun community,  any better off now that we have beat down part of the pro-gun media?  I do not think so.  Unless Jerry Tsai starts writing for the 'Brady' group this is just another bump in an imaginary road that we are actually giving the anti-gun groups ammo to use against pro-gunners. "look, they can't even get along with themselves!"

I found it interesting that Rob Pincus, Chris Costa, and others out there jumped to crush the magazine like it was the end of the world and we were all going to be suddenly under the Clinton ban by using the dreaded ATF 'sporting purposes' verbiage. Last I checked the NRA has not sent me an email alerting me to a congressional vote on 'Recoil' magazines ban on MP7's, you get one?

For the record I am not defending Recoil magazine, it is a glossy shallow gun rag that high-lights the expensive end of the gun world. But, they do offer a way to bring in new people to the community who are put off by the boring mainstream gun media that all have the same layout. No, I am not going to buy the Chris Costa Larue rifle, or read his interview, and no I am not going to miss buying a H&K MP7.  But I will miss being able to slide the magazine in front of a new gun shopper that could be introduced via a GQ/Maxim spread out. I get bored of Harris publications that all look the same and have the same Wikipedia article about the M249 in every one of its 5 publications.

Sadly I am not gun writer god, and can not erase issues of gun magazines, lord knows Recoil would not be the first magazine I would help out with 'Soldier of Mis-fortune' still at my local grocery store.

(Look! Its Santa Claus!)

10 Gun Writer Myths

10 Gun Writer Myths

by Zef Medina on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 10:13pm ·

First day of the month, my favorite!  All my favorite magazines come in the mail and I get a chance to read what the gun writers are advertising this month.  I know, I know, I'm being mean. This weekend a couple of friends and I were at a 3-gun match and started listing our favorite myths we love reading in the gun rags.

1. This (enter brand name here) is the best gun to come out!
2. The 5.56mm/.223 is going to replaced by the military any day now!
3. The .308 is what the troops want in the sandbox right now...
4. The M14 was phased out too soon, but its being used by Navy Seals right now!
5. This new (enter pistol caliber) is the best one stop shot in history!
6. This new rifle round (6.5/6.8/.300) is going to replace the 5.56!
7. I shot 1 MOA with this weapon...
8. and normally followed shortly after, I used Blackhills and Remington Gold (match ammo) when i tested this new blaster
9. I had no malfunctions with this weapon, it ran 100% reliable!
10. This weapon comes from a reputable manufacture...

First off, I'm not trying to cast doubt on all gun writers. Michael Bane of www.downrange.tv.com, explained it simply enough in his podcast. 'A gun writer makes his or her money writing and selling articles.'

Therefore if one writes a controversial article, does not hype well enough, or do not hype the big sponsor the magazine may not want to buy the article and they do not get paid.

With some of the seasoned writers I have noticed I can read between the lines, 'after I sent the pistol back to the factory it worked like a sewing machine!'

Granted not all weapons run 100% of the time with 100% of the ammo. I have used certain weapons that would not work with certain ammo. I either traded that weapon away, or found different ammo to use in it.

On the other hand, I have had several 'high end' rifles and pistols flat out not work. The big difference, the reputable companies took my phone call and shipped it back to me in about a week. And it worked as advertised.

The un-reputable companies shipped me back a weapon(s) that still did not work.  My #1 reason I do not own any AK's right now, but I'm not throwing stones, I want to keep sponsors! lol

Range Report: NC Designated Markman/Sniper Match 17 DEC '11

I know this match was covered in detail on another forum (http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2582884&page=4), but I figured I would elaborate it here. 

Last Saturday Woody set up his NC Designated Marksmen/Sniper Match on roughly 300 aches of rolling farmland about 19 miles south of Apex, NC. There were 33 teams of two shooters each that rotated through 5 stages. Distances varied from 60 to 500 yards. I was lucky enough to shoot the match the day before with my teammate and we RO'd/SO'd on match day. I shot my Larue 16" OBR with 168gr .308win.  My teammate shot a 20" AR15 with 77grn 5.56mm. We both had Horus Scopes.

The attendees were basically separated into three different groups. Military, 3-Gunners, and everyone else. The army attendees were from just down the road at Ft. Bragg. Most of them ran Larue OBR's with different scopes, but all containing Horus reticles. The only notable exception was several that brought .300win mag bolt action rifles.  The 3-Gunners used 'Heavy-Metal' style rifle set-ups and AR's with at least eight power scopes. The remaining group of attendees used mostly bolt action hunting rifles with several using AR10 clones.

Shooting the match the day before I got to learn the stages and test my skills. I have to admit, it was a humbling experience. I was comfortable with shooting my OBR from either a bench or a prone position, but not forced uncomfortable positions that were meant to test a shooter in strange positions.  Of the 5 stages, only 3 of them I was able to use my bi-pod.  While the other two stages I had to build my position and find a way to get comfortable. One stage had me shooting off a 2x4 board set at a 45 degree angle. While another stage forced my to shoot up and over railroad ties. Of the 3 stages that I could get in a prone position to shoot off my bi-pod I had to a build up the rear of the rifle to get a stable position.

If I had only shot my own match and not RO'd the next day I would have missed out on some other lessons learned from watching the rest of the field. One, teamwork. It is one thing for the shooter/spotter to talk each other on to a target, give hold over data and round impacts, but is entirely different match when a shooter and a spotter have no communication and are basically shooting their own match. I saw several teams that individually were good shooters, but together fell flat on their faces. The army teams benefited from working and training together and were able to help the less able shooters walk their rounds in on the target.

Another thing I can say from the both watching the army teams and from my own experience was that the Horus reticles are fast. Hold overs, hold under's, and adjustments were made by counting measurements on the reticile, not moving dials or trying to use dots. I was quickly able to transition from a close in 60 yard target to to a 500 yard target.

Two stage triggers have a use in distance shooting. When measuring up a distance target I would bring the reticule on to the target and would take out the slack in the first stage. When on target and cleared to fire by my teammate I pulled straight through on a crisp second stage of the trigger and watch the round impact.

For the benefit of the Horus reticle, the scopes Horus build are not the best.  I was excited to have a 16x power scope. But to find my targets I had to dial my scope down to 10x to find and see the targets. The field of view was disappointing. The military shooters that had Horus reticles were equipped with other brand scopes did not suffer from narrow fields of view and could use their magnification.


The last and more match specific lesson learned was the distance my teammate and I zeroed our rifles at, 300 yards. A majority of the targets where in the envelop that I was able to quickly adjust with my Horus to the distance of the next target. Targets closer than 300yds I held low on the target, while targets out to 500 I only had to drop down a little over 2 mils.


At the end of the match we ended up placing 9th out of 33 teams. The good part, we were at the top of the standings, the bad part, I was hoping to do better.


Next match should be in May. I hope to see you there, I know I'll be practicing!

Second Best Handgun in the World!

For the last 2 years I have been working outside of the country. No big thing, just hanging out most of the time waiting for something to happen.

But during my time to contemplate I always come back and start thinking of things I miss most while I'm away from my safe. (No, wife and dog thoughts are for my other blog, lol.)

I have to say that I miss my Glock 19. For a short time I had one as a work gun, and it changed my perspective entirely. Originally I would have fought you tooth and nail that a Wilson CQB 1911 was the end all and be all. That if it did not have 4 & 5 in it you were crazy.

That was until I was issued a Glock 19. I proceeded to carry it to the range, and everywhere else for about a year. I was so impressed with it on my first trip home for some time off I took in a Glock .40 and traded it for a Glock 19. I then proceeded to add little things that I had already added to my work blaster. A Vicker's magazine release, a grip plug, and blacken out the sights with a black felt tip pen.

For those of you saying, why didn't you just get new sights, I thought at the time that it needed to be as similar to my work blaster as could be. And for all intents and purposes it was.

Suffice it to say I took that Glock 19 with me everywhere when I got home. I shot IDPA with it, I carried it concealed(thank you North Carolina), and I shot it at least once at week when i went to the range with my range buddy.

Like crack to a crackhead I was a newly reborn Glock-ster.

It's not like I have never owned a Glock. I had 4 already in my safe. The second pistol I bought was a Glock 21. I had enjoyed the plastic blaster until I had fallen head over heals for my all metal 1911.

But there was something different with this blaster. Like Excalibur rising from the lake it awakened something inside me. I had been spoiled by a quality 1911. I had assumed that all triggers broke at 3 1/2 pounds, and that 8 rounds was the end all be all.

So when I first started firing the small plastic blaster I was surprised I could not shoot as well as with my 1911. And that challenged me. I was not going to let this little blaster make me look bad. I was going to master it.

Several hundred rounds later I finally started to start placing little holes where I wanted them.

But then I left to back to work. And this time when I returned to work and was returned my duplicate blaster the green suiter's had shut down our range. And I was left dry firing for 6 months.

I guess my love story could have ended there. Six months later I could have gone home, found that dry firing had only done so much and put the plastic back in my safe.

BUT, it did not get me down. When I pulled the trigger for the first time in six months I was hooked again.

I was again challenged to master this strange little black plastic brick. And master it I did, for another 30 days before I packed it up and went back to work.

I'd like to say that this story has a happy ending, that I get to carry something similar. That I this that or the other. But no.

I pick up this same blaster every time I go home and I study, call me stubborn, call me thick headed, call me what you would like.

It did paid off, one day as I was waiting for the next days events at CRC, I had to go to the range and qualify. I swear I shot a 40, they counted 39. I'll live.

Oh, and they had us use Glock 19's.

It's not a 1911, but its a close second.