FirearmsTactical.com
TacticalBriefs
April 2006
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Bullet
Penetration: Modeling the Dynamics and the Incapacitation Resulting from
Wound Trauma
- by Duncan MacPherson (2005, Second Printing)
MacPherson's
classic text is once again available. (Read
more...)
Shotgun
Training Video Recommendations
- by Shawn Dodson
Of
all the shotgun training videos I've had the opportunity to study, the best
I've seen is "Shotgun CQB featuring C.J. Caracci." At $19.95
it's a steal. It doesn't dwell on "how to shoot a shotgun"
but instead focuses on home defense shotgun fighting tactics and
techniques. It's a model for what all defensive gunfight training videos
should strive to be. The only shortcoming is it's available in VHS
videotape format only. Approximately 90 minutes duration. It can be obtained from http://www.navysealteams.com/sq.htm
"The
Combat Shotgun with Louis Awerbuck: Concepts, Skills, and Tactics for
Employing Shotguns in Personal Combat" is an excellent choice for those
who want to learn how to operate, carry and shoot a shotgun. Awerbuck
shows how to operate the Benelli Super 90M1 and Remington 11-87 autoloading
shotguns as well as the dependable Remington 870 pump-action shotgun.
Plain & simple, it's just a superb "how to" presentation of
battle oriented shotgun basics. Approximately 90 minutes
duration. Available in DVD
and VHS videotape
formats from Paladin Press.
History
of the Remington 6.8x43mm Special Purpose Cartridge
The
Remington 6.8mm SPC delivers terminal performance far superior to
any version of 5.56x45mm ammunition currently fielded by the US
military. Zak Smith's article, published in Shotgun News, is widely
regarded as the most accurate and complete report about the origin and history of the
Remington 6.8mm SPC. (Read
more...)
Paladin
Press: Forensic Analysis of the April 11, 1986,
FBI Firefight
- by W. French Anderson, M.D. (2006)
Anderson's
outstanding analysis of the FBI-Miami shootout has just been released to the
general public by Paladin Press. (Read
more...)
Tools
of Tactics
- by Shawn Dodson
I have a habit of boiling down ideas and processes into a
basic outline; a “cheat sheet,” if you will.
I get rid of superfluous stuff, which helps me to focus my thoughts
on key elements of a concept. Among
these ideas are John Boyd’s tools of tactics, which are comprised of a
handful of intangible mechanisms used to disrupt an adversary’s intuitive sense
(gut feeling) of a developing situation.
Tools of tactics are used to manipulate an adversary’s
OODA Loop, to gain a time competitive advantage over him by forcing him to
mentally labor to comprehend what’s going on.
Each mechanism can be used to affect an adversary’s ability to
observe and orient to the circumstances he faces; in essence they impair
his ability to intuitively “read the situation” and react quickly to it.
The time advantage gained might be mental (affecting an adversary’s
ability to make an effective decision in time) or physical (he does not have
time to get himself in position to effectively counteract your move).
For those who’re unfamiliar with Boyd’s OODA Loop and
how his tools of tactics are used to manipulate an adversary’s
decision-making process, my Tools of Tactics cheat sheet provides links and
references to pertinent information resources that explain the OODA Loop in
detail.
Training and experience help develop the skills to
intuitively and quickly cycle through the OODA Loop, as demonstrated in Chet
Richard’s animated Microsoft PowerPoint presentation “Boyd’s OODA
Loop.” Those who lack
training and experience suffer a time competitive disadvantage because they
must progress through the OODA Loop in linear manner (Observe to Orient to
Decide to Act), as they’re forced to use conscious, deliberate, analytical
decision-making processes.
The tools presented in my Tools of Tactics cheat sheet are
not listed in any particular order of importance.
They are, however, listed in a manner to facilitate ease of
remembering them. Tools of
Tactics is a compilation of Boydian concepts and my own thoughts and
interpretations.
Why
Four Layers of Denim Cloth?
There
continues to be misunderstanding about testing JHP handgun bullet expansion
using gelatin blocks covered with four layers of heavy denim cloth.
The
four-layer, heavy denim cloth test was jointly developed by engineer Duncan
MacPherson and California Highway Patrol to force manufacturers to design
bullets that will expand more reliably when heavy clothing is encountered. (Read
more...)
Shawn's
Surplus Gear
Over
the years I've accumulated equipment I no longer need and I'm getting rid of
it. (Read
more...)
A Method for
Recycling Ordnance Gelatin (requires Adobe
Reader)
A
simple procedure to recycle ordnance gelatin. (Read
more...)
Reply
to Massad Ayoob's Kooky Screed
- by Shawn Dodson
My
first experience with Massad Ayoob's writings, that I can recall, was in
1984, when I attended basic law enforcement training. My instructors
handed out photocopies of a three-part article he'd written about the
CHP Newhall Massacre, which had been published in Police Product News.
Ayoob masterfully authored a gripping account, and the hook was set.
I found Ayoob's articles and books informative, instructive, and
entertaining.
In
the 1990s, I began my study of wound ballistics, and it was here where I
discovered troubling issues with Ayoob’s credibility, specifically in
articles that dealt with shooting incident reports and “stopping
power.” (Read more...)
Interesting
Reading:
In
Defense of Self and Others..., Urey W. Patrick and John C. Hall, 2005
Tactics
of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods, H. John Poole,
2004
Marine Corps
Doctrinal Publications (requires Adobe
Reader):
Classic FBI
documents (requires Adobe
Reader):