Night Operations

Max Velocity Forum Source

Let’s talk about night operations. This is a topic that often comes up, particularly with regards to modern night vision equipment. There was a string of comments about this in my recent post ‘Out In the woods’, which took on the form of a mini forum. There are multiple aspects to discuss about night operations, so my intent will be to give a broad brush of the various aspects in order to clarify, and then open it up to comment and discussion.

This blog is primarily concerned with the armed civilian in an SHTF environment. Thus, you will only have the equipment that you purchased or acquired. We can certainly take pointers from practices within the military, and that is part of the intent of this article, but we must also be realistic and realize that we are not going to be issued all the latest gear. The gear you have is often a function of what you can afford.

There is absolutely no reason why you cannot conduct effective night operations in a low tech manner. The flipside to this is if your enemy is equipped with high tech night vision equipment, then you may put yourselves at a disadvantage. So today I’m going to look at both low-tech and high-tech options. Remember, just because you have all the gear (and no idea), doesn’t mean you have it squared away. You can have a PVS 14 stuck to your eyeball, and a thermal imager in your pocket, but if you’re tactical moron blundering around the bush, then it really can’t help you. You can’t simply buy yourself safety!

‘Back in the day’ (like, the 90’s!) we used to patrol either without, or with minimal, night vision equipment. I have spent many an hour, or night, wandering around in the darkness either on training exercises or actual operations. It is entirely doable. The problem you may have is that when you are dealing with the challenges of operating in darkness, and someone else with night vision equipment is observing you do that, they have a clear advantage over you. Yes, we are not going to panic over the ‘all seeing eye of Mordor’ but have no doubt of the effectiveness of surveillance equipment when observing terrain at night. As your patrol moves in single file across the open hillside, cloaked in darkness, the OP a couple of miles away equipped with thermal surveillance equipment, will be watching you clear as day.

So let’s first look at some factors and considerations for operating at night without modern night vision equipment. Darkness is certainly a challenge: if you walk out of your brightly lit house into your backyard at night, it is hard to imagine operating in such darkness. However, natural night vision is a wonderful thing. It takes time to develop, anything from 45 minutes and improving over a couple of hours, and it can be lost in an instant of exposure to white light. On anything but a moonless, cloudy, and miserable night there is always light to see by. How much depends on the moon state and cloud cover; in fact just the other day out in the woods at my training site a half moon and clear sky was casting the shadows of the trees across the white snowy ground.

Natural night vision is something that you must develop and prize. As darkness falls you must allow the night vision to develop, without exposing it to white light. If you are planning on exposing yourself to light, such as flashlights, GPS screens and similar, then carefully guard the night vision in one eye by always keeping it closed when performing such tasks. The other thing about my vision is that due to the distribution of the rods and cones on the back of your eyeball, in darkness you will see better by looking slightly away from an object; your peripheral vision is better at night. Therefore, if you think you see something, resist the temptation of staring intently at it. This will actually mean that you see the object less clearly. Look slightly away from the object and you will get a better picture.

So, whether you are out in the woods in a patrol base, or in a building, as night falls you need to carefully guard your night vision. Consider, if you are based at a retreat location, only using low level red or green lights inside at night. Then, when you do go out on patrol you will find that you can actually see very well. You just need to gain the confidence, which will only come by practice, of walking around at night. I will add as an aside however, that the more exhausted you become the more you will tend to hallucinate at night. It is entirely possible to see things at night in the darkness that are simply not there, particularly if fear is playing on your mind. Be careful of this, and remain calm.

If you are operating low-tech, or perhaps you only have a couple of night vision devices to spread around, then this will have an effect on your patrol signals and formations at night. You will need to close up the distances, the spacing, between individuals in your patrol. At halts you will need to close up, usually into a herringbone formation (facing out alternately left and right), so each man touches the next man. This will not only aid with accountability, but if it is so dark that hand signals cannot be seen, you may have to pass signals by whispering into the next man’s ear. Bearing in mind that you may be observed by an enemy who is equipped with night vision devices, you don’t want to close up too much. Try to remain as spread out as you can while maintaining visibility with the patrol member in front of you. One of the great dangers when moving at night is splitting the patrol, and it is every man’s responsibility to ensure he does not lose either the man in front, or the man behind. Little techniques will aid with this, such as the use of glowing ‘Ranger eyes’ on the back of the cap, helmet, or equipment of the man in front.

Do not assume that darkness will mask your movement. At night you need to patrol as if it were daylight. The use of terrain, vegetation, and even weather masking, will help conceal your movement from those potentially observing you. Be wary of sky-lining yourself on ridges, silhouetting yourself, whether by following along the crest or by crossing over. Crawl over, breaking up shape using cover, if necessary. When using terrain masking, be careful: don’t simply follow the bottom of a ravine or defile. That will put you in ambush country. Better to contour somewhere between the bottom of the valley/draw and the ridge line: this will make your movement less obvious and also potentially place you in an awkward position for anyone that has set an ambush: you may either walk into the side/flank of the ambush, or just simply be further away than where they intended the killing area to be (i.e. the valley floor). It goes without saying that you should not use trails, even if they are easier to move along at night.

So there are challenges of moving at night when working low-tech. But it’s actually something that you can get used to after a little bit of practice. You can get very comfortable at it. You need to just take account of the difficulties the darkness presents, with the lower visibility, and compensate your patrol conduct as required. Your pace will be slower, in order to avoid excessive noise by blundering around in the trees. You will need to close up a little to take account of the reduced visibility. You’ll need to make extra efforts to ensure the patrol does not become split or separated. You will need to close up at halts in order to pass any hand signals, whispered messages, and to ensure accountability.

What happens if it goes hot? If you get into contact? Well, it’s really not that complicated. If it’s dark and you walk into a contact, then perform your contact drill as rehearsed, and fire at the enemy’s muzzle flashes. Remember that if tracer is involved, either by the enemy or by yourself, then it lights up at 100 meters from the muzzle (if the subdued NATO standard type). So it does not truly point both ways, which is why is designed to light up at 100 meters. If the contact is taking place at ranges greater than 100 meters then you can also use tracer as a means of target indication.

Consider the use of white light. If you are without night vision devices, then you definitely want to consider the use of parachute illumination rocket flares. Either the self-contained ones that come in a tube, or the ones fired from a flare gun. If you put up a parachute flare you can get anywhere between 30 to 60 seconds of illumination. It will move with the wind, and cause moving shadows on the ground. Note: if you are patrolling and one of these suddenly whooshes up, you should have time to hit the ground before it pops and illuminates the area. If you are caught by one actually bursting then it is often better to sink to the ground slowly with the moving shadows, rather than trying to bomb burst into cover. This is a different immediate action from that with the trip flare, which produces immediate light, and leaves you no choice but to bomb burst out of the illuminated area. Remember that if anyone puts up a rocket flare, it’s for a reason. Similarly, a trip flare or similar device will be positioned to cover an ingress route, and should be covered by enemy fire, as should all obstacles.

The sort of dim light produced by a rocket illumination flare is not really bright enough to completely destroy your night vision. Just don’t look directly at the flare. You can always close at least one eye, or maybe have some of your group close both, if you are acting covertly and the situation allows it.

If you have no night vision devices and need to illuminate an area, either for a hasty attack, raid, an ambush, or a defensive action, then consider the use of parachute illumination flares. This will allow those without night vision equipment to use iron sights or day optics to engage targets. It does not produce a full daylight effect. It produces a dusky world of moving shadows. A little bit of coordination will allow you to put up illumination as necessary, while coordinating the absence of it to cover movement. Note: I know of at least one incident where parachute illumination was used in an ambush, and due to the large smoke signal given off by firing a rocket illumination flare, the firer was killed by enemy return fire. Thus, if using rocket type illumination flares, fire from a flank and from cover.

You can also use powerful white light flashlights attached to your rifle. However, I would not recommend the use of such devices in the open. The use of white weapon lights is best confined to building and room clearance operations, where you are inside and using the white light to illuminate the room and clear it following dynamic entry. If you turn weapon lights on while out in the open, you are just inviting enemy fire. That is also an interesting practical point, the ‘negligent discharge’ of weapons mounted white light. Be careful of accidentally hitting the on/off switch on a weapon mounted flashlight. Such an action can not only compromise your patrol, perhaps your move into your assault position for a raid, but it also washes out everyone’s night vision. Best to remove or reverse the batteries until such time as you are definitely going to use them. Something to consider.

The use of rocket illumination parachute flares also bridges the gap nicely between complete unavailability of night vision devices and the partial availability of same. Perhaps you are occupying a defensive position and you only have a limited number of night vision or thermal devices available. Perhaps you have one device that is located in the OP (observation post), and is used to scan and observe your perimeter. If you get an incursion into your perimeter, and most of your team is just equipped with either iron sights or day optics, then once the enemy is detected you can put up parachute illumination in order to allow all of your team to effectively and accurately engage the enemy. This is a useful bridge use of optics and white light.

In a little bit I will move on to the actual use of night vision devices. What I want to say right now is use them appropriately. Even if you are fully equipped with high-tech night vision equipment, there is potential for the overuse of such equipment to have a negative effect. What do I mean by this? Well, perhaps you are conducting a raid, and perhaps part of the objective is a building. It’s a nighttime raid. In such circumstances it would be ideal for your fire support team to be equipped with night vision equipment in order to allow them to generate accurate fire, and also most importantly to be able to track your progress on the objective and avoid a friendly fire incident. However, if you are the assaulting group it may not be best at all times to go with equipment such as PVS 14. Part of a raid is the use of speed, aggression and surprise. It’s not some Delta force video-game. You may be better off putting up illumination rounds, whether that is rocket flares or mortar illumination, and going in hard. Maximum speed and aggression. That may also include the building, where you could clear it using weapon mounted flashlights once inside the building. It’s just something for you to consider, avoiding over-reliance on technology, which is one of the reasons why your PVS 7/PVS 14 will flip up on its helmet mount and allow you to get it out of the way when you don’t need it.

In fact, if we look at the Falkland’s War in 1982, it was indeed true that the Argentinean’s were equipped with night vision equipment where the British troops were not. The Brits went up the mountains using the basics of fire movement, and white light when necessary or available. They mainly fought up through the darkness using basic fire and movement, with fire support as they could get it. Many of the Argentinean commandos were equipped with night vision sights on their rifles. These were responsible for many of the British casualties. This highlights several things. Firstly, technology does not always triumph over morale, training and aggression. Secondly, the combined use on the battlefield of both old school and modern technology, albeit on opposite sides.

For example, if we move away from the defensive position to a more patrol situation, then let’s imagine that we perhaps just have one or two items of night vision technology within that patrol. Perhaps you have one PVS 14? Perhaps you have a single FLIR thermal imager? There are several options here. Perhaps your lead scout is using the PVS 14 on a helmet mount? This still gives the option of flipping it up or down as necessary. Perhaps even the lead scout, or the patrol leader, have the FLIR on a cord around the neck? Having the FLIR, or the PVS 14, either bungeed around the neck or flipped up on a helmet mount allows you to patrol without them, but then utilize them to scan ground ahead before moving over it.

A little bit on the technology. Your standard night vision devices, such as the PVS 7 or PVS 14, are image intensifiers. This means that they amplify ambient light to produce the familiar green image. On a lighter night they were better, on a darker night not so good. These are passive devices, in that they do not generate anything that can be picked up by an observer. However they are often equipped with an IR flashlight, which can be used to covertly illuminate the area. However use of the IR flashlight device is an active measure which will be seen by anybody else using night vision equipment. Importantly, a night vision binocular or monocular is not a magical device. If you could hide from an observer with the naked eye, you can hide from an observer wearing a PVS 14. Also, it is important to note that if you use a binocular night vision goggle you will lose depth perception. This is why the monocular, such as the PVS 14, is preferable. It allows you to retain night vision in the unused eye, and allows you depth perception.

A thermal imager, or FLIR, uses a different part of the IR spectrum than an image intensifier, and detects heat emissions. Therefore the picture you see is made up of the heat differentials observed. In that sense a thermal imager is a little bit more magic than image intensifier. These devices are great for static observation. With a small handheld FLIR device, about the same size as a PVS 14, you are looking at a tiny little video screen. In my opinion, such a device is best used for periodic scanning in a static OP, or if out on patrol scanning from a static position over the ground ahead.

With both of these devices, the use of terrain, vegetation, and adverse weather conditions, to mask your movement, will be effective. Thermal imaging is a little bit harder to defeat because if you heat up objects around you, there is a chance that you will be seen.

If you are mobile, rather than in a static OP position, then in my strongly held opinion there is a best way to mount and use these devices. In a static OP there is no reason why you cannot use an image intensifier or thermal imager just like a set of binoculars, by having them around your neck and using them for routine scanning. You can also do this while on patrol. If you have image intensifier such as a PVS 14, then the best thing to do with it is mounted over your eye on something like a helmet. The helmet mount will allow it to be flipped up and out of the way as necessary. You don’t want your night vision device mounted as a sight on your rifle when on patrol, simply because you can only use it when aiming your rifle from the shoulder. If you want to patrol with the benefit of the PVS 14, then have this monocular device mounted over your eye so you can actually use it as you walk along.

If you also carrying a handheld FLIR thermal imager then I recommend you keep this to hand in a pouch or hung around your neck. You can then stop, flip up the PVS 14, and scan with the same eye using the FLIR. If it matters to you, this will also preserve night vision in the unused eye.

Of course, having a monocular night vision device mounted over your eye, most likely your dominant eye, will give you difficulties if trying to engage enemy with your rifle. The solution to this is a weapon mounted IR laser, zeroed to your weapon. This bridges the gap between what you can see through your monocular and the fact that you cannot use your sights. You can buy civilian legal versions of the military device, which will allow you the low power IR laser setting, which will give you effective engagement distances out to maybe 100 or 200 m, which is all you need. To engage, you simply turn on the laser with the switch mounted on your hand guard, point, picking up the laser dot through your PVS 14, and shoot.

The question often comes up of how to mount your night vision monocular to your head. The provided ‘skull crusher’ is not popular. The most effective way to mount this device is on a helmet. But no one wants to wear or carry a helmet. Well, I disagree. There are a couple of options: you can wear a ‘bump style’ ProTech or air soft knockoff tactical helmet which will comfortably mount the night vision equipment while being lightweight. If you want ballistic protection you can buy a MICH or ACH helmet off the Internet. You can also purchase lighter ballistic helmets such as the ops-core FAST helmet. Pretty high-speed looking! Only you can decide what you’re prepared to wear. Yes, I know that a ballistic helmet does not stop direct strike from high velocity rounds. But depending on the situation, if you’re going to carry a helmet for your night vision equipment, it may be worth carrying one that is also ballistic protected. You never know what it may stop. If you are doing covert stuff, then just carry a skull crusher and suck it up. Each to his own.

I will say this, in my opinion, it would be better to have one battle rifle equipped with an IR laser, have a PVS 14 mounted on a ballistic helmet, and a handheld FLIR thermal imager, than a safe full of rifles and no night vision capability. You don’t have to use this stuff all of the time, but if you have it you have the choice of using it. For example, if you are hidden out someplace with your family after the SHTF, it’s going to be dark out there keeping watch at night. With a PVS 14 and a FLIR you have the excellent capability of being able to scan your perimeter and pick up threats. You can even use these devices on ground domination activity patrols (GDA). Yes, I’ve told you that you can work out there at night, but the flipside is that without the equipment your visibility is seriously impeded, and without electric light it is very dark out there.

So now we get to the other end of the scale. You, and the rest of your tactical team, have invested in this equipment. This means that you are not at a disadvantage against any aggressors who are similarly equipped. You don’t have to patrol all might with your PVS 14 over your eye, you may not feel it is appropriate or that the threat is high enough at all times. But you have the ability to flip it down and see what’s out there. You also have the ability to pull out your FLIR thermal imager and scan the next phase or bound of your patrol movement. That’s a pretty convincing sales pitch for night vision equipment, right? Where’s my commission? LOL. I know that I want to be able to scan ahead of me and pick out that ambush force before I walk into it, if I have the chance to do so.

One of the big problems with night vision equipment and thermal, is the expense. I refer back to what I said above about the number of rifles you have. Sell some: how many rifles can one man carry anyway? Night vision and thermal equipment is such a game changer that I believe it is worth the sacrifice to invest in it. At the very least, you want one PVS 14 (or equivalent) and thermal imager for your family group. I refer you back to my comments on the use of white light and parachute illumination flares for situations when you need to engage but not everybody is equipped with night vision optics.

A little earlier when discussing raids, I touched on the dangers of fratricide. This is something that needs to be taken very seriously. Given that an assaulting force should properly be sweeping across the objective from the flank of the fire support group, it is necessary for the fire support group to know when to switch fire away from the assault element. It doesn’t want to happen too soon, but it doesn’t want to happen too late. There are various methods that can be used: you can use radios to report objectives reached or phase lines, or something along those lines. You can use other signals such as light or flares. However none of these are foolproof. You want to use pen flares to signal a switch fire? Well, when the tracer is winging both ways up and down the objective and ricocheting off in all different directions, then you may find it hard to spot that flare, even if it is a different color from the dominant tracer. Things have been tried such as attaching light sticks to the end guys in the assault group. Again it doesn’t work very well and it also opens them up to being seen by the enemy.

I’m not trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom, but clearly fratricide avoidance at night poses a challenge. If the fire support group is able to view the assault going in through night vision equipment, then we are in a better place. Oh, by the way, depending who you think your adversaries may be, you may want to get that IR glint tape off your equipment; It reflects back when lit up by active IR from Apaches, in order to determine friendly forces

In summary, if I found myself without any night vision equipment, I would not consider that sufficient reason to give up. I have spent enough time wandering around the darkness to know that it can be done. However, night vision and thermal equipment is a definite game changer. If there is any danger that your adversaries will have it, and there is because it is widely available, then you should also try and get hold of it too. However, if my adversaries have it and I don’t, then I know where I can find it, right?

Live Hard.

Die Free.

Max

With that posted by Max Velocity, a way to avoid fratricide is to limit the amount of shooting you do. Shoot less, overrun the enemy, and engage them in hand to hand combat, or use edged weapons. Or engage them initially, then fight a retreat battle, by drawing your adversary into your trap when they advance into your pre-determined killing areas. We need to remember that we will not be fighting as if we are in the US Army, we are going to be guerilla fighters, and thus will fight much differently than our adversary.

We will depend on night operations, they will become our bread and butter. So with that said, please take from this article what you can, but understand that everything might not apply to us.

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More on Training Concepts

Some things I have thought about recently and will be adding or expounding upon in training are the use of camouflage, micro terrain, and stealthy movements. These topics seem simple and easy, but how many of you can say that you have mastered the techniques? How many can say that they can move miles through difficult terrain undetected by all methods of detection?

With that said, I think we should be concentrating, and practicing/training on movements while totally concealed. Patience is needed, as well as attention to detail and knowledge of how to move properly. The use of camouflage clothing as well as "gille" type suits/ponchos and light weight gear that is situated on your sides not on your front is desired. If you have a bunch of crap on your front, you will never be able to low crawl effectively. Take a look at how the Viet Cong were equipped, and see that they did not have a ton of crap all over them. They were lightly equipped, and highly trained, which makes sense for a fighter that is technologically inferior than his adversary.

We will be in the same boat as the Viet Cong, and will need to equip ourselves similarly, but with the help of much more modern and effective equipment than they had. We will not be effective at the style of fighting we will have to do to be effective if we equip ourselves like we are in the Army, or Marine Corps. We will not (under most scenarios) be able to have plate carriers with plates, mags, packs, and all the crap that modern soldiers carry with them. We need to give up that idea, we are not the Army! We need to be a highly trained, lightly equipped, fast moving, clandestine, and mobile guerilla force.

I recommend everyone get good quality camouflage clothing in an effective pattern (my favorites are A-Tacs FG, and Kryptek Highlander/Mandrake for my AO in Washington State), also a gille type suit, like the one on the right side of this page second from the top. I know it is not perfect, but it is a good suit, I have one, and it works well. When performing non CQB tactical training I wear one very often, and would wear one for actual situations.

All the normal stuff applies to covert movement, such as not silhouetting yourself, following the terrain lines, use of military crest, or the very bottom of deep crevasses.

This video is old, but does an excellent job showing a lot of these concepts.





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More Training Videos

Here are some more good videos I found. Like I said before, I do not agree with everything in every video, but there is a lot of good stuff in them. Please watch them, and glean the useful information for use in your training for you, your family, or your group. This is good stuff, please take your training seriously, we do not have a ton of time left to prepare ourselves.

Tactical Training

Here are some more videos for you guys to check out. These are pretty good examples of how you could be performing training. I know it is hard to catch training like this on a video and still get an sense of what is actually going on, but check them out, there is some good stuff here. I am trying to get you guys thinking about how to improve your training, so this is an ongoing topic that I am adding to little by little.

Please watch these videos and think about how training like that could help you and your group, and or how you can incorporate some of the concepts and ideas into your training. These videos show some different patrolling, reaction to contact, and hasty attack. These are some of the basic concepts that we need to be working on and mastering as well as some of the more advanced things that I have been talking about.





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Advanced Training Vids

I am posting more videos lately because I want you guys to watch these, pick up on some of the points, see the differences in them, and then we will be building upon that during further posts on Advanced Training Tactics. So please watch, think about what they are saying, compare them against each other, see how they might fit together, then think about how you could incorporate these ideas into your training.


This one is old, but makes some very valid points:


Sorry, out of time today, more to follow. Lot more.

Also I wanted to say thank you for you guys that visit my blog, and especially those who come back! If you like what you read here, please pass it on to your friends and acquaintances.

Training Videos

I found some useful videos on YouTube for those of you that are more visual. I did not make any of these, and I do not agree with everything in them, but they have some good ideas, and some good points that you can add to your training plan.







I hope you enjoy these videos. There will of course be more to follow on these advanced topics we need to be training on to be really effective Resistance fighters.

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More Advanced Training Concepts

In the upcoming fight to restore our once great nation we will be faced with the role of being a Guerrilla Fighter, engaged in Asymmetrical Warfare. With that said, stealth of movement, communications, patrol, attack and existing will be our bread and butter. We need to be including training on clandestine movement and infiltration techniques. We need to take a page out of the "Eastern" way of fighting, and use a lot of the tactics used by the North Koreans, the Viet Cong in the Viet Nam conflict, and the Russians of WWII.

Small units trained in clandestine movements and infiltration combined with ambush tactics and hit and run techniques will become vital to our fight. We need to be forming and training small units that are lightly equipped with the ability and physical prowess to move quickly over long distances, hit a target, then disappear into the woods/mountains, etc...

Please add stealthy movement techniques and training to your training schedules, as well as night fighting, night movement, camouflage, how to use terrain features to move without being seen, as well as the proper use of shadows, and noise avoidance. Add in training on movement under observation without being seen, using every method and tool possible. Spend time outdoors with your group/team, become used to the sounds of nature, and become familiar with how shadows work, where they naturally appear, and how the areas in your AO (Area of Operation) look, feel, sound and smell. This is so when you need to operate in these areas you will be familiar with things that are out of place, giving you a edge that may just save your life.

It is a really good idea to cover topics such as how to move properly through mud (ball/front of foot down first at an angle, then up out of the mud in the reverse), movement through dry leaves (on all fours, use hands to move leaves out of way, then bring feet up under your palms, then repeat), through water (keep feet in water, do not pick up and out with each step), and through any other types of terrain and features that exist in your AO.

Training in how to properly use ground terrain to travel covertly is a vital skill also. The use of water ways to keep down tracks, and to move among the heavy vegetation. Another way to confuse your enemy is to travel using these methods, but in a single file with each member walking in the footprints of the person in front of them, with the last person sweeping the signs away. This will enable you to move without being noticed, or at least your adversary will not know your true numbers.

The ability to defeat thermal detection is also an area you and your groups/teams need to train in, and have equipment to assist them in being able to defeat thermal technology. Thermal tarps/blankets are a great idea. In a future post I will discuss how to make your own thermal tarp/blanket that will give you a major edge against thermal detection. Finding ways to mitigate the superior technology that will be employed against us is vital. Every form of technology has its own weaknesses, and there are ways to defeat any of them, we just need to figure out how to.

With that comment about technology and our need to be able to operate in defiance of their superior technology, we must be able to go "low tech", with that said, communications will be a challenge. This challenge is not insurmountable, it will just make things more difficult, and take more time. One method will be to use old style military field telephones with actual wires connecting stations. Another way is to use various forms of visual signals and sounds to convey a message to members of your unit, or other units/friendlies.

Of the utmost importance is that we learn to adapt, and to be flexible and not resistant to change when it is needed. Keep up the good fight, we will be victorious in the end!


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Advanced training

Once you have gained a basic proficiency with the concepts of "Shoot, Move, and Communicate", then you are ready to move on to more advanced topics, and ideas. With that said, I recommend the following be added to your group/personal/family training plan:

Advanced camouflage techniques
Use of Micro Terrain features
Night fighting (proper use of night vision, yours, not the electronic type)
Silhouetting
Use of shadows
Crossing danger areas covertly
Hand to hand combat
Use of surprise
Recce
Obstacle crossing
Movement through gaps
Exploiting breakthroughs
When to pull back
Developing your senses
Hit and run tactics
Shell scrapes and fighting positions
Clandestine movement
Use of natural formations/plant life

I will have much more on this topic in future posts.

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Army Field Manuals

The link below takes you to a great source of manuals to use to train your group, or to increase your own knowledge. Print them off and keep them in your "Prepper Library" for when they will be needed. This is an invaluable source of tons of information, please take the time to read the most relevant of these, and spread the knowledge to your buddies/group.

Army Field Manuals

I know there is so much to learn and not enough time to learn it all, but please take some time and read/print/study these manuals. We will need the skills in these manuals soon enough guys!

Here is another thing I just thought of, it is the FEMA site for a ton of online trainings that they offer. Yes, I know... should we be going to "THEM" for training? I say, hey use what you can, and if it is available then take advantage of it.

FEMA Emergency Management Institute

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Tactical Training plan ideas

Training Outline

A training ladder that takes someone up from untrained, to being competent to be a member of a team, to being competent to be a fire-team leader, and then a squad leader.

Three levels for infantry/security: I, II, III

1. Basic skills all team members need to know. Consider these "common tasks" or skills. Regardless of specialty, every group member needs to be trained to a basic level of competency in these core skills.

2. What a fire-team leader needs to know and/or a member of a more skilled team such as a "Minuteman" or QRF type force. More advanced infantry skills, which become more specialized, more CQB (including weapon retention, use of weapon as impact weapon, hand-to hand, etc.) building and room clearing, fixed position defense, intelligence, planning operations, and leadership in combat. Focus is on cultivating strong fire-team leaders capable of independent decision making and training their own group.

3. Squad leader or above knowledge. Focus on leadership, planning, and logistics, as well as being able to effectively train others. At this level, being able to organize, instruct, lead small units and coordinate their use in an AOR (area of responsibility). This person should be able to go into an area and organize/train up a local resistance force.

All group members should learn the same skills for each level, but the more capable will be considered "infantry" who will go out in the field on a fire team. The less fit/capable will be the "home guard" and security for the larger group.

INFANTRY/SECURITY LEVEL I

Weapons safety

The four rules of gun safety are a great standard:

1. Guns are always loaded.

2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.

4. Identify your target, and what is behind it.

Weapons handling (how it works, disassembly, cleaning, maintenance, loading, unloading, carry methods, mag changes, clearing malfunctions, etc).

Marksmanship

Rife and handgun. (Rifle is priority).

Carbine I. One day

Familiarization. Loading/unloading.

Mag changes, malfunction drills. Field shooting positions. Snap shooting.

Group members need to be able to run their rifle as an effective fighting weapon in the field. Groups need a well-developed practice program as well as minimal standards for shooting in a dynamic environment.

SMALL TEAM TACTICS

THREE DAY CLASS 1. (Three to four man teams).

a. Communications. How to use radios properly.
b. Basic formations, includes hand signals.
c. Defensive positions. Shell scrapes, and two man positions.
d. Patrolling. Tactical movement, listening halts, reaction to contact, crossing danger areas, hasty ambush, etc.
e.Patrol base. How to set one up, and the routine to be followed in one.
f. Sentry duty. Challenge and Pass words. Sectors of fire.
g. React to contact, (fire, dash, down, crawl, identify target, suppressive fire). Break contact. Bounding/Peeling backward/sideways/forward.

SALUTE REPORT

Three Day class 2.

Movement to contact and fight through. Raids and ambushes. React to ambush. Hasty ambush.

Fighting through - Bounding forward

Fixed position defense and perimeter security.

MEDICAL . Combat lifesaver. All group members should be trained to combat lifesaver standard.

Introduction to building/room entry and clearing.

Vehicle movement and convoy defense/offense. React to contact in and around vehicles.

LAWFUL USE OF FORCE

Instruction on law and liability, lawful use of force for self-defense and defense of others under the "reasonable man" standard, the force continuum, and liability considerations.

COMBAT MINDSET AND AWARENESS

Thoughts on Skill Level I:

The group needs to be competent as a fire-team. That includes a great deal of skills, ranging from firearms safety and proficiency , to small unit tactics and battle drills , basic communications, land nav, Combat Lifesaver, to performing a SALUTE report, and standing watch, etc.

Figure on answering the question "what would you want a guy to know how to do before you went through a door with him while responding to an active shooter incident, or out on patrol in the woods, or on a vehicle patrol/convoy? What minimal level of training do you want him to have if you are going to be in a fire-fight together? What does he need to know how to do to be a decent team member? What level of basic firearms safety and competency must he have before you trust him with live fire team tactics drills?

The group needs to be fundamentally solid, and they also need to start learning the correct way to fight as individuals/buddy teams/fire-teams, and squads. This needs to happen as soon as possible, so they work on small unit tactics at the same time they continue to work on their own weapons handling and marksmanship.

A good thing for group members would be to attend an NRA class or two, as well as Appleseed, or equivalent, so they can benefit from those other programs that are held all over.

CPT INFANTRY/SECURITY LEVEL II

Fighting in built up areas. Entering buildings, fighting inside, and defending. Vehicle patrols and react to contact. Convoys. VIP protection. INTEL. gather, process and disseminate.

NIGHT MOVEMENT AND LAND NAVIGATION.

Hand to hand, boxing, grappling, weapon retention, basic disarming drills.

Stalking in. (essentially a "sniper" stalk, but without concern for shooting standards - teaching infiltration and exfiltration and appreciation of micro-terrain and camouflage).

MED II. sutures, splints, wilderness medicine, "grid down" medicine.

Contact report. FLASH CARDS and vehicle and equipment recognition.

Ruck march. Give the group a personal training track.

MAN TRACKING: An often overlooked, but critical skill. Has been invaluable in irregular warfare and counterinsurgency worldwide. At Level II, the group members need to learn at least the basics. Helps with countering trackers too.

Radio skills, HAM, FRS/GMRS, CB, etc…

LEVEL III

More advanced hand to hand, CQB, Force on force, E&E, & wilderness survival, more difficult scenarios for ambush, reaction to contact, and tactical maneuvers.

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Gear for the American Patriot: The Tactical Patriot Store
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Stock up now

Sage Advice: Topping Off Ammo and Rounding Out Gun Collections Before July

By James Wesley Rawles (SurvialBlog.com)

At a recent gun show here in The American Redoubt, I had an interesting conversation with a Vietnam War veteran who is mostly a dealer in ammunition handloading components. As we spoke, he was sitting at his table behind a quite tall pile of cardboard cases of cartridge primers, packaged with 5,000 primers to the outer case. The subject of the upcoming presidential election came up, and I asked him if that is why he had such a large inventory of primers. He responded in the affirmative and then added: “Every time there is some sort of political crisis, I sell out of primers within a couple of weeks. Sometimes the shortages of primers and some types of powder go on for months. So this time I stocked up pretty good. What you are looking at here is not my entire inventory; I have more than twice this many primers sitting in reserve at home.”

This dealer, who has been active at gun shows for more than 40 years, recounted the period of 1994 to 2004, when our nation had a poorly-conceived ban on the manufacture semiautomatic rifles with a list of “assault” features, as well as a ban on the manufacture or importation of 11+ round magazines. He said that one of the happiest days of his life as a gun show dealer came when that law expired, under its built-in sunset clause. He described those 10 years as “crazy times”. (During that decade-long ban, a standard plastic Glock magazine was selling for $75, and a Glock 33-round magazine sold for $120. Meanwhile, a 100-round Beta C-MAG dual drum magazines sold for as much as $525.)

When discussing the presidential candidates, the dealer said that he had mixed feelings about Donald Trump, who he described as “an opportunist” and “Machiavellian, at heart.” As for Cruz, he said that he trusted him as “solidly pro-gun”, but he added that he had nagging doubts about his wife’s connections to the banking elite and the CFR. When the subject turned to Hillary Clinton, he said, “That woman is pure evil. If she gets in [the White House], then we’re sunk. She’ll unleash a bunch of ‘gun control’ through executive orders. But the worst of it will be her supreme court appointments. They will all be hard core anti-gunners. We can kiss the Second Amendment goodbye.” He also warned: “If she gets nominated, the gun store shelves will get stripped clean, and prices will skyrocket.”

His specific advice (with the caveat: “before the Democrat convention in July”) was to:

•Buy beaucoup ammunition and reloading components.
•Buy a lifetime supply of full capacity magazines.
•Buy a “black rifle” (a modern battle rifle) for every member of your family. (“That includes grandchildren.”)

I would add:

•Make as many purchases as possible face-to-face with cash, and don’t leave a paper/electronic trail. (Depending on your State law, of course)
•Buy a few extra AR-15 and/or AR-10 stripped lower receivers, if you can find them available as private party sales. (Again, depending on your State law)
•Buy a few extra complete AR rifles and 30-round PMAGs by the dozen, for your future bartering stock.
•Update any lapsed passports for your family members.
•Using cash, buy one or two inexpensive prepaid “burner” (throwaway) flip cellphones, such as those sold by TracFone.
•In anticipation of nationwide gun registration or an outright ban on certain types of guns, you should hedge by buying a couple of pre-1899 cartridge guns, as well as at least one bolt action rifle that is chambered-alike with your primary battle rifle cartridge(s). These would most likely be .308 or .223.
•Buy waterproof caching tubes for at least part of your gun collection.
•Pray for God’s mercy on our nation.

It’s All About Timing

Keep in mind that the Democratic National Convention will be held the week of July 25, 2016. Get ready for its probable aftermath by topping off your ammo supplies, your magazine supplies, and rounding out your gun collections well in advance of that week. Because starting in the first week of August, if Hitlery Clinton is indeed nominated, it is safe to predict that battle rifles, full capacity magazines, and military caliber ammunition will have their prices at least double, almost overnight. So it is in your best interest and in the best interest of your progeny that you stock up in quantity, and do so soon.

Remember: Stocking up before a crisis is legitimate investing, but doing so during a crisis might be misconstrued as hoarding. Regardless, it would be foolish to buy these items after their prices are elevated. Leave that to the sheeple. – JWR

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Gear for the American Patriot: The Tactical Patriot Store
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Ammunition

I just wanted to take a minute and make a post about ammunition, and how important it is going to be during and after whatever it is that is coming. Ammunition will be the primary item that will keep you alive, (well also the functional/reliable firearm) it can and will be used to provide food for you and your family/group, it will be used for defense of yourself, your family, and your group. It will also provide a means to rebuild/restore our once great nation.

Here are some good links to sources of ammunition.

Gunbot: This is a great source to find the best deals on ammunition.

Ammoseek: This is another good place that lists places to find ammunition.

NOW is the time to stockpile as much ammo as you can! Things are going to get bad, and then you will wish you listened to people like me telling you to stock up now!

One note about stocking up on ammo; buy Wolf/TulAmmo/Silver Bear etc... they are much more cost effective than buying brass cased ammo. Yes, I know there are haters out there that complain about the steel cases used in these ammo brands. But I am here to tell you the truth about this ammo. I have shot thousands of rounds of this ammo with ZERO failures of any kind through several different AR-15s, an FAL, AK-47s, and AK-74s. If you experience a failure with this ammo, your rifle has issues; if you cannot pick up a magazine off the ground with any type of ammo and rock and roll with your "Combat" gun, then you need to get a new gun!

Seriously guys and gals, if your rifle does not shoot this ammo, take it to a competent gunsmith and have him/her fix your gun! This ammo is the BEST way to accumulate a good amount of ammo without taking out a loan on your children's future. I love this ammo, I store this ammo, I train with this ammo, I rely on this ammo all the time, and it IS up to the task.

I hope that you guys and gals out there have at least 1000 rounds for every weapon system you have (Rifle) and 500 for every secondary weapon system (Handgun). I however recommend at least 5000 rounds per primary weapon system (Rifle), and 2000 rounds of secondary (Handgun) ammunition. If you already have this much, then great job! Keep going... you can NEVER have enough ammunition! If you do not even have the minimum, then spend the $250 it costs to get a 1000 round case, and at least then you will have the bare minimum.

People take this seriously! PLEASE! Do yourself and your nation a favor and be ready for the restoration!

Also, TRAIN! People, get out there with your group/friends and get the training you need.

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Reality of Combat

This is a good article I found over at the "SHTF School" blog, and wanted to share it with you guys. It is relevant, and has good information from someone who has lived through much of what we will have to soon enough.

The reality of combat March 26, 2013

SHTF School

When SHTF nobody told me how hard is gonna be and what things I will have to do to survive, there was no training or simulations, through most of the stuff I was going for the first time in my life, and I was hoping it is only temporary situation, it is not going to last for whole year. Few events opened my eyes, and somehow make me survivor right at the beginning, and I can say I have luck to understand in very early stage how hard it is, and what it takes. During one of the first bigger events of killing in the streets, I was out together with my friend who also was medical professional. Fire from machine guns was on people who were standing in front of the main city bread factory, and people started to scream and run over each other.

My first impulse was to run to nearest cover but my friend got down to help some lady, so I stayed one meter next to him. I was confused about my decision and not sure to stay with him or run. Bullets from machine gun hit him over his legs, and I saw how his knee cap exploded, it looked like some bad movie special effect. He just looked at his legs, then at me, in silence. Even that was just seconds moments like this feel very long. I took him by the hands and drag him some 20 or 30 meters to safety.

Only there I saw that he was missing his leg under the knee. It stayed with dead lady on the street. And only then he started to scream. I used belt to stop bleeding, ambulance still worked in that period. He went to hospital and then evacuated from the city. He survived but never came back. Lessons learned? In moments of chaos always listen to your instincts and do not hesitate. Especially if you are involved in situation when someone is shooting at you with high caliber machine gun. Just accept that people will die, and you have to survive.

To help others is great thing, to survive is even better, also I realized that human being is so fragile and easy to destroy. Later I learned some things about weapons and how to use them, so I realize that more firepower does not necessary mean more dangerous and better chance to kill. Owning a weapon is just absolutely necessary in preparing for a survival scenario, even more in urban survival. You just need to go and get as close as you can to the real stuff while you are doing the preparing and training for the SHTF, so it makes sense to go out and check your preps, to check your gear and yourself. For example pair of boots that you bought and store for bad days will not be used for walking only, it will be use for running, squatting, jumping, in mud, junk, blood, guts maybe or just running trough a shallow river.

Everything that you have prepared and stored for SHTF will be pushed to the limits. One thing is to go out into woods nearby and do recording of your weapon testing on some beer bottles with your friends, and after that concluding that particular gun or rifle is best for SHTF, and that you are dangerous dude because your accuracy rules. Some people gonna put that clip on you tube and go home convinced that they are ready and prepared.

In reality you do not know if you are prepared. A lot of survival stores that sell things sell idea of buy this and you are safe. No you are not. Also you learn more about real urban survival scenario in my survival course and this helps you to mentally be better prepared but real deal when SHTF always comes as surprise. When time comes again it gonna hit everyone like a hammer. Good news is that when you know you will get hit like that you can recover fast and use your skills, knowledge and preps to make best out of situation.

Using weapon in real life, in real survival situation is something absolutely different from shooting bear bottles, and if you could do some real training that is realistic that would be maybe going to camping with trash bag as a tent, being on camping for 10 days with 10 small cans of food, and 10 liters of water, walking every day for 10 km. And then on 11th day run few kilometers and then shoot and see how accurate you are when your body is wasting away. And still the most important thing is missing. While you are shooting at the beer bottles they do not shoot back at you in order to kill you. During some of the first battles in city I was moving trough the building behind a guy, we both had rifles. He was sweeping the rooms and shooting, it was the closest urban combat as it can be. In the moment when he run out of ammo he used his rifle as something between spear and bat.

Now someone could say why he did not just switch to pistol? He did not have one, also he did not have time to look for ammo. But there I learned how it is useful to have folded stock of rifle when shooting and moving in very confined spaces. Also I learned that rifle with pretty sharp parts at the barrel can be very handy. He stabbed guy to the cheek, ripping his face down and finishing him on ground. One of the biggest misconception at the people who do not have fighting experience is what they need to practice. It is all about pressure.

You need to learn:

1. What your weapon can take In terms of kicking, throwing, how often and when will it malfunction, and what the most common malfunctions are, and how to fix it, of course how to fix it in middle of fight. If you find yourself in the middle of fighting, and your weapon „jams“ do not be as we called “zblesavljen” or in English is probably looking like idiot. I have seen that: guy is shooting and in the middle of fighting his weapon jammed, and he surprisingly look at the weapon in a „what the heck?“ state. And of course in two seconds he ends up dead. You absolutely need to know how to manage small weapon jams without looking at the weapon, you need to look at the target while you are „repairing“ weapon (clearing the bullet, switching to other magazine etc.) Other option would be to MOVE immediately when your weapon jams, move to cover in same second, or to dropping it on ground, or on your back, and switching to your other weapon. But you need to learn to do all of above without thinking. You need to train that this becomes automatic. Small things like how quickly you can put your rifle on your back and a switch to pistol can be difference between life and death, if you somehow „trip“ yourself while you are trying to put rifle on your back in order to take pistol you can end up dead.

2. What you can take Remember this: while you are shooting at the bad guys, those bad guys will be SHOOTING AT YOU TOO. So shooting at the beer bottles in the woods with your buddies will not really do all the training you need. I am doing it often, but it just not covering everything. Fighting and surviving combat means constant moving and outsmarting the guys on the other side, you gonna need to run, squat, throw yourself in the ditch, lay down in all kinds of crap and shoot at the same time, and probably fix your rifle from jams, or switch to another weapon. Do some basic weapon training and learn about line of sight and how to get out off it. Very great percentage of shooting is done without aiming, just spraying bullets. It makes sense to do some airsoft or paintball in the woods to check how constant moving change whole game, and what kind of moving makes sense in order to survive gunfight. For example how often you shoot from your weapon with both hands, dominant and not dominant? In urban fighting you will need switch weapon around very often (moving through the apartments, rooms, around the corners etc.). When you are shooting behind corner, and you are having rifle in your right hand and corner is on your left side it make sense to transfer weapon to left hand. otherwise it is dangerous to stick your left part of body out in order to shoot form right hand. For all you who have some military experience this all is basic stuff, but I have seen many guys who were killed in stupid ways. Real gunfight is dynamic thing. Adrenaline is weird thing too, so people can do tremendous things while adrenaline is pumping, but also with lack of training and common sense guy can do tremendously stupid things. I have seen man who was pointing to something and he stood up from the cover, and got shot.

3. How to train yourself Training is the key. You can not do anything else today except to train very hard. You can not experience real stuff today of course, but you can take it as close to real stuff as you can. Go out with your friends and think about all possible scenarios. But think about worst case scenarios. SHTF is not gonna wait for nice and sunny weather, you gonna be maybe hungry, dirty. Maybe have to give up your shelter and food storage on second day of SHTF. Or you gonna be forced to use other weapon that you are not used to. Maybe you gonna be forced to hide for hours hidden under a pile of rubble and then you are gonna be forced to jump out and „kill“ ten beer bottles. Sounds like fun? This is why resilience and mental strength is so important. Maybe you are gonna be cold and thirsty and in the middle of the battle. One thing is sure – very rarely it goes the way that you planned. So just be ready for many options and do not panic when things go other way. Want to get some funny sounding advice? Get good at suffering while still being able to work towards a goal.

4. What weapon, caliber, stopping power etc? It is very hard question (that I get asked a lot). But think about fact that everything today is about mainstream and commercial. And somehow it is more about what other people say is good and not necessarily about what you need and what is good for YOU. You and your hand kill, weapon is only tool. I have seen fight when man with knife is killing the guy with rifle. He had mastered fighting with knife and had will to kill. Other guy had a rifle only, and he ends up dead. I also seen more than once people shot with rifle bullets still fighting, running for good amount of time. Some of them were not even aware that they are wounded before someone else pointed that out to them. What I am trying to say, do not expect miracles if you own weapon that is at the moment most popular, having great stopping power, cool reviews. It is about practicing , weapon mastering and correct bullets placement. I said bullets for a reason, I have seen many things, but I did not see someone survive multiple shots in correct place at the body. Have weapon that is best for your case, and achieve perfection in using it. Do not expect that people will fly back if you shoot them with one bullet from some widely popular weapon and caliber (not talking about shotguns).

So I am not gonna tell you what is the best weapon because what works for me maybe does not work for you or others. Having a weapon that is too rare, too good or too bad does not make too much sense for me. Do not find yourself in situation when you lose your weapon and pick someone else and then find out that you do not have clue about it, because your weapon was special and rare. Just have what everyone else around you has, because of gun parts, ammo and you look like everyone else. Your weapon is only tool to survive, be ready to lose it if you need to lose it, and pick some other from ground in the middle of fight. I knew a guy who did some scary stuff with rusty shortened M48. He was old and poor looking dude, he played that part good, until he would take out this old gun from under his coat and rob and kill people. Simple strategy but it worked for him. So look around and think what works for you.


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Gear for the American Patriot: The Tactical Patriot Store
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GAT-TAC Flash Hider

GAT-TAC, Inc. is announcing the release of a new innovation in flash hider technology. The GAT-TAC Flash Hider System (FHS) replaces current static flash hiders with a dynamic unit that is capable of multiple functions.

The GAT-TAC .223 caliber FHS includes a GT-1 adapter that is installed in the same manner as a standard flash hider. With the GT-1 adapter in place, any one of three styles of flash hider can be installed and hand tightened with a simple tool (an Alan wrench or Philips head screw driver shank) by passing it through the porting and tightening to the right. See our YouTube instructional video for the complete story.

The GAT-TAC flash hider system:
•provides a reduction in felt recoil
•diffuses the flash (expanding gasses forced perpendicular to muzzle)
•features a one-time GT-1 adapter installation
•covers the adapter thread for full protection

Cleaning the rifle is simplified. Unscrew the flash hider and screw on a standard, inexpensive oil filter. All solvent, oil and soiled patches fall into the oil filter, making cleaning neat and mess free. When cleaning is completed, simply replace the oil filter with the flash hider, and snug into place with the same simple tool.

GAT-TAC, Inc. FHS components are machined from solid round steel bar stock. All .223 FHS units are made with ½-28 threads and mount on any rifle with compatible muzzle threads. The .223 FHS parts are finished with a heavy phosphate (military) surface treatment and Mil Spec Oil-3150.

GAT-TAC, Inc. now has available a set of Vise Jaws to make the change over damage free to your gun barrel. These are the same Vise Jaws our shop uses for installation work every day. More GAT-TAC .223 styles are coming and a series in .30 caliber (with all the same features) is planned for the big bore shooters.

Please visit them on the web at:

WWW.FlashStealth.com


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How to avoid FLIR and Aerial Detection

How to effectively avoid FLIR and Aerial Detection

This article is from the "All Self Sustained" Blog, I thought it has some vital information that you would want to know about.

If you want to avoid FLIR you need to fully understand how FLIR works. As an electrical utility thermographer, I might shed some light (pun intended) on the subject. To qualify this, I am using the latest (I think) commercially available FLIR product, and am a level II thermographer, (total formal IR training: 2 weeks; experience using IR equipment: about 5 years.) I believe I am at least familiar with IR. Granted, my life is not depending on avoiding IR detection, so I guess I can have my opinions pretty safely. These are my observations about IR imagers using civilian equipment and are.. “just my opinion”. It’s up to you and yours to check them out in your world.

IR is not Xray, Hollywood be damned, it cannot detect a differential heat image through common solid materials, plastic film (black or otherwise) being an exception. However, a good imager system can see through holes in a masking material (“IR masking” camo net). And if you are inside a dumpster, body heating the bad guy’s side, he can “see” the hot spot on the dumpster’s outside. But if you are not leaning (heating) against that side, he can’t “see you”. Your body heat will not be detected behind most readily available un-holed blinding materials if you are not differentially warming/cooling those materials or allowing your own IR to reflect off of something behind/over you. BUT, if the shielding materials are alien to the surroundings, the material itself will probably stand out. See below.

•Glass will not allow your THERMAL image to transmit (pass) through; same as the dumpster scenario. The lenses of IR imagers are made of exotic non-glass materials because of this.
•Every piece (cluster) of matter, including gasses, emits IR if it is above Absolute Zero (minus 459.69 degrees F). The warmer a body gets, the more IR it will emit. Eventually it will enter the visible spectrum as it gets “red hot”.
•The surface of a piece of matter is where IR is emitted. Altering an object’s surface will alter the rate at which IR is emitted. Stoveblack is a classic example.
•Materials physically different from each other will likely emit IR at different rates. BUT the differences may be very slight.

IR imaging (read DETECTION) depends upon two objects having one or more differences in Temperature, Emissivity/Reflectivity, and Absorption of the compared objects. For this application, we can forget about Absorption, and you should all understand Temperature. Now, E + R = 100%, thus the more emissive a surface is, the less reflective. If two dissimilar objects are at the same temperature, a high E will “look” hotter to an IR imager than a low E, thus forming an image. Objects with different Temperatures and the right E’s could “look” the same, thus forming NO image. Two objects with similar temperatures and similar emissivities will present an unclear, poorly defined image. Herein lies your IR strength.

Here are some Emissivity values for a few materials, all in percent's, all plus/minus a point or two. These are for short wavelength commercial imagers and may vary slightly for long wavelength/long range military/LE equipment. Military techies should have similar emissivity tables for your equipment.

Human Skin 97
Black Vinyl Electrical Tape 96
Surface Sprayed with Dr. Scholl’s Powder 96
Water 95
Rubber, Black, Hard 94
Smooth Glass 94
Plywood or Lumber 90-95
Most Painted Surfaces (Non-aluminum Paint) 90-95
Aluminum Based Paints* 30-50
Oxidized Steel 90+/-
Snow 82-85
Vegetation 80
Clay and Gravel 40+/-
Note the materials that cluster around 95, 80, 40, and 10

Now, to apply IR-101: In all of the scenarios below, remember that your body (or ANYTHING above absolute zero) emits IR in ALL directions. If there is a reflective object behind or beside you, it will pick up your IR and reflect it like you were a light bulb. Whichever situation and methods you use, if you have the opportunity, have an ally check you out from a flank with your best IR detection equipment. Or get the flyboys to check you out with FLIR’s namesake. Do this by day AND night, as the sun will do weird (but predictable) things to the differential temps.

The BEST way to protect yourself from IR detection is get behind/under what is already there, and DON’T change the temperature of it. Since you obviously have to see and perhaps reach out, do so through the smallest portal(s) you can handle. Those “man-sized” targets detectable at 1100 yards are just that – man-sized – not the size of your nose and right eye. Remember that glass reflects some IR (100 – 94 = 6%), and the sky (space) is cold (approaching Absolute Zero), so if your scope is reflecting not sun, but sky, it will look COLD. If you have on a scope sunshade that is hot, the internal IR of the sunshade will reflect out as HOT.

I believe the GI Woodland BDU’s are treated with an IR emittance reducer. If so, the “cloth” E figure in the table will change and you have to adjust for the following discussion. Or obtain untreated camo fabric or defeat that treatment (starch, I believe). The IR reducing treatment makes sense for a situation where the woods is cooler than 98.6 F. I hope the Desert Daylight BDU’s are NOT treated, but the nighttime anti-starlight smocks probably should be. If your BDU’s image “cold” against hot sand, you are just as “seen”. I trust the techies were aware of this, and have specified correctly. But you need to confirm by looking through your equipment at your buddy against some typical backgrounds.

It has been reported that “fresh” BDU’s do indeed have an IR treatment that fatigues (pun) with laundering in “brightener” detergents. As a hunter, I am aware of the UV problem with animals with good night vision (is it an overabundance of rods, or cones, in the eye?) and there are detergents available via sporting goods stores that do not contain brighteners. If you need to maintain that BDU treatment, you might try that. But again, look at your buddies with your equipment.

Now, in sand or vegetation (E = 76-80): If you HAVE to have artificial cover for situations where your clothing will approximate the temperature of the surroundings, you want to expose matching temperature “stuff” with a similar E (around 80). Cover as much of your skin (97) as possible with cloth (80) (remember that I don’t know the E for treated BDU’s). But also remember that sweaty cloth in a hot, dry background might look cold due to evaporative cooling. If you are in a hot dry situation, a tented, solid (not net), dry camo fabric applied as a screen might do the trick for IR. (Remember, same T, similar E). Visual is another problem. Keep the outlines irregular for both IR and visual. Square stuff in a curvy world stands out, no matter the technology. Fresh local vegetation in front of the screen will help both.

Camo face paint is PROBABLY a high emitter, similar to regular paints (90-95), and sweat (water-95) is for sure. You really have to keep that face behind something. I don’t know what a synthetic ski mask would have for an E, but I bet it is below 97. A plain old cotton tee shirt mask would work, but remember the wet/dry/cooling problem.

Black ANYTHING is a good emitter. Blackened steel barrels, synthetic stocks, and painted surfaces (all E’s in the 90’s) should be cloth wrapped for IR and visual both. Black SWAT uniforms probably have a higher E than camo. You need to test.

Dry rubber boot soles (94) are nearly as hot as your face – sock ‘em (80).

Old cut local vegetation will be drier, thus HOTTER due to lack of evaporation.

The name of this game is to keep both the Emissivity and the Temperature of the screen and clothing the same as that of the surroundings and keep those portals small.

If you are on bare clay or gravel (38-40) and are worried about aerial observation, dig in. Cover yourself with almost anything sufficiently rigid and then cover it with at least a thin but full layer of the local “dirt”. This will match the E’s. Once the moisture of the new cover layer equals the moisture of the surface around you (evaporative cooling), you will be in decent shape IR wise. Remember that these low E materials have a high Reflectivity, so block your own IR from getting out from under the cover. If there is a chance your body heat will affect the top surface of the dirt cover, use insulating material between you and the bottom of the “roof” to keep it the same temp as the ground around you. Foam board or sleeping bags will do that. The most critical times of day for this hide would be as the sun changes, because rapid heating/cooling of a thin layer of dirt will show up compared to the slower heating/cooling of the intact soil masses. If you can set up in a shaded spot where this will not occur, you should be in decent shape. If there is no shade, make the cover layer thick to create a heat sink approaching that of the surroundings.

If there is no threat of aerial observation, and it is only a frontal threat, a “wall” of local dirt with small portals would be the best bet.

Any new foxhole will print either hot or cold depending on the season and surface temperature, even if the surrounding soil is bare. The deeper soil temp is probably closer to 55 F than the surface.

On snow (82-85), build a snow fort or tunnel in and make small portals. Try to dust loose snow to duplicate surface texture. Pray for new snow. If you wore an aluminized face shield behind that snow fort, it would reflect the “cold” off of the fort, and cover your hot face. This might be a shiny side application of the space blanket, and could be worth testing. Water (95) is your breath when it condenses. And it is warmer than the snow.
Only thing I can think of to do here is breath through a ski mask and let it condense before it fogs up over your screen.

As to “space blanket” applications: there might be some, BUT. If you are using the shiny side toward you to keep your IR from getting out, remember that the backside of it is probably not a good E match to the surroundings and it will heat/cool a lot differently than most natural things around you. If you are trying to put the shiny side out angled down to reflect the IR of the terrain right in front of you, there would be a 10% reduction in the reflection, more if it casts a shadow. If the shiny side is out and up, it will reflect the cold of outer space (or the heat of the sun) – and it is going to look REALLY weird to visual and starlight in EITHER case! I cannot think of a space blanket application that I would stake MY life on.

In an urban situation, you will have lots of “normal” IR blockers to get under/behind. Just remember that you are an IR light bulb on the cold surfaces behind you. You cannot casually set up back in the room shadows of a windowless building anymore. Remember, glass will NOT pass through (transmit) your IR image. BUT, glass (94) has a high emissivity and will show its surface temperature rather well. If you are near the window warming it with your breath, you will reveal yourself. If you had a small barrel portal through an otherwise intact glass window, you would be IR blocked, but visually seen. A loose pane of glass back in the room shadows might be a possibility, especially for a spotter. If the room is painted (90-95) and warm (approaching 98.6 F), you might blend in IR wise. But if there is one warm window/room in an “empty” building, something is amiss. The painted walls behind you might not reflect your IR really well, but a metallic light fixture might blink every time you turn your face toward it. The best I can imagine is forget about the “room” and get behind/under something that should be there – sofas, chairs, drapes, etc. and keep your portal small.

None of the above CONCEALMENT strategies are easy; none are guaranteed to make you disappear to an imager. But they will all help make you a less vivid IR image, thus less detectable. IR imagers may or may not have an adjustment to key in the emissivity for scanning and reading temperatures. I doubt military/LE targeting devices would have that – you don’t care what the actual temp is, you just want to see a picture. Military/LE devices probably have a temperature range adjustment to scale up/down according to environment. They probably have an adjustment to set the sensitivity – the difference in perceived T to go from black to white (dark green to light green; whatever). If this is finely tuned, it is like upping the contrast on your monitor.

There is one comforting thing to consider: unless you are in the desert, there are a lot of different “things” around you, each of them with a slightly different Temperature and Emittance combination. If you can make yourself “nearly” match the most common IR surroundings and the sensitivity is set very high in order to pick up your small T/E difference, the other guy is seeing a lot more clutter around you, so your image will be just one spot on the Dalmatian.

For the Ghillie fans: A man sized wad of only burlap and jute rope at 98.6 F plus or minus a few degrees will have the same E all over it. But if there was some leafage from an IR blocking camo net on one shoulder and a splotch of shredded BDU’s at the waist and some foreign force camo material shredded in there somewhere in a cluster, all well supplemented with local veggies, from an IR standpoint it would look like a pile of dissimilar “stuff”.

If you have gotten this far, perhaps a little DECEPTION is in order to up your advantage.

Remember that “Sarge WILL find something during an inspection, so ya might as well give him something so he will stop looking.” If you want to determine if indeed IR detectors are out there, you might want to give them a cowboy hat to shoot at. I don’t know what the E of a bare GI plastic canteen is, but if you either wrapped it with Scotch 33 electrical tape (97) from a demo/como kit or sprayed it with foot powder (96) from your ruck, and had 98 degree water (coffee? Body heat?) in it, it would make a darned good human face (97) to a distant IR imager. Topped with a BDU hat and moved about on a stick behind some intentionally inadequate screening after dark (by somebody else behind that cowboy’s large rock), I suspect you would soon know the targeting capabilities of the opposition – and also acquire a muzzle flash. A piece of most anything warmer than the terrain drug remotely through the grass at night should get IR attention. Just don’t pull it all the way to your position. But you get the idea.

If you want to just give him/them something to worry about, scatter some old tire shreds (94) around at points distant from your position. They will look hotter than most surroundings when they are actually the same temperature. Plus, they will heat up more during sunlight, and hold their temperature for quite a while into dusk. If you can make them move a bit, so much the better. If they are behind intentionally poor screens, thus not visually or starlight identifiable, so much the better. This would be a great application for decoys specially made for the purpose – a visually camo’d, high E lollipop on a spindly, flexible stick.

One of the new IR illumination chemlights would do something, but I have no experience with them. I suspect one of them tripped off in front of or to the side of your position, yourself in a shadow from it, would blind any thermal imagers looking at you – like a trip flare would blind a starlight. Obviously this would be a defensive action.

There have been some pretty impressive demonstrations of the capabilities of IR equipment. And it is indeed impressive stuff, but it ain’t magic. It can image warm footprints on a cold roof, or a “ghost” where you leaned against a cold wall and walked away. But those images fade pretty quickly – faster than the grass will spring back up on your trail to a nest.

I believe that if one person takes the time to study and understand the theory of IR systems and applies it to likely circumstances in his world and does it better than the other guy does, the first guy has an EXCELLENT chance of being the winner. That is true for sniping or bidding on a roof inspection. Even an unfavorable tilt in sophistication of equipment may be overcome with intelligent application of ingenuity. And it won’t take a lot of formal training. After that, it is experience behind an imager. In your case, looking at your buddies in drill hides, and correcting each other’s errors. I grant you that my “thermacam” is not a military targeting device, but if your life is professionally depending on IR avoidance, I hope you have access to IR theory training and support along with the opportunity to drill with your own imagers.

A rambling closure:

If you may be exposed to a “new” technology, you just have to learn it and apply it. Like you did for visual and starlight. In fact, most of those old rules apply to IR: Irregular outlines. fresh vegetation. local materials. etc... The only real new rule is “Similar E – Similar T”. Now, get with some equipment and TRAIN, DRILL, EXAMINE, Train, Drill, Examine, train, drill, examine…..


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Best Combat Handgun Ever?

This is a post about the Strike One 9mm pistol, which I personally feel may prove itself to be the world's best combat handgun ever made. Thus I knew you all needed to know about it.

Arsenal Firearms Strike One Pistol System (“Strizh Pistol”)

Striker-Fired Polymer-Frame 9mm Parabellum/9x19mm NATO

Combat Pistol with ultra-low bore axis (which is one of the most important things I look for in my combat handgun): The New Russian Military Pistol (possibly) that is here in the United States for the civilian market!

Images Credit: Arsenal Firearms

This handgun is rumored to become the next primary handgun for the Russian special forces. It has the lowest bore axis of any semi-auto handgun on the market, as well as a unique barrel lockup mechanism.

The Strike One, an Italian/Russian joint project with manufacturing facilities in Italy and Russia. The Strike One is very "Glock-like" in the sense that the slide and upper portion of the frame look similar to the same portion of the Glock 17, it utilizes a polymer frame, the 9mm variant sports a 17-round magazine just like the Glock.

However, that is where the similarities ends, as the Strike One "Strizh" pistol utilizes a vastly different locking system (barrel/slide/frame lock-up) that is both unique and quite possibly innovative. The Strike One's ejection port is also very different from the Glock's ejection port, and is more like an HK P7 type side-ejection port. The new pistol has a nicely shaped and comfortable-looking textured grip. The new pistol features an ambidextrous magazine release button and forward cocking serrations on the slide. The Arsenal Strike One Pistol is also available in multiple calibers (9×19 Para, 9×21 IMI, .357 SIG, .40 S&W).

Arsenal claims three attributes to set it apart from other handguns on the market; first the "lowest barrel center line over hand grip in history", "lowest vertical mass movement", and "fastest lock-unlock time".

One thing I can say is MAN! look at that bore axis comparison!!! I am loving this gun!

The operating system is a true deviation in the common 6-7 geometric locking systems. This is a new patent, pending system from Arsenal Firearms. This lock up system allows for extremely fast lockup, and adds to the very low bore axis of this handgun.

The Strike One semi-automatic pistol came out in 2012 as a completely new and revolutionary gun. The Strike One semiautomatic pistol is one of the fastest, most controllable, most accurate and hard hitting service pistol available on the market today. A 5 inch cold-hammer forged barrel, with a 75 Hrc surface Nitrite treatment for barrel, locking block, slide and operating pin, make this gun function flawlessly for in excess of 50.000 rounds (as claimed by Arsenal).

The frame of the Strike One was also engineered with exacting and unprecedented standards: the operating frame block, again made of the best 42CrMo4 steel, features long rails for total axial and torque control of all the moving parts, pins and springs. The frame itself, with it’s unique grip comes today as the only service pistol with a full fledged IPSC standard magazine insert “miniskirt”, allowing Special Operation and SWAT teams to work as if they were using a competition pistol.

The trigger system of the Strike One, is again like no other handgun made before, it operates mainly on the horizontal plain, without raisers with variable and long, rubbery trigger pull, but with a crisp and short firing pin release: this is the secret, along with a lighting fast locking mechanism, behind the unbelievable semiautomatic firing speed of the pistol.

The following is from an article about the relese of the new gun.

"Arsenal Firearms, the brand new group of companies established during 2010 and officially debuting at IWA 2012, proudly announces the production of a revolutionary, brand new semiautomatic pistol, designed for full-fledged Military and Law Enforcement service, civilian self-defense and sport performance alike.

Named AF-1 “Strike One” as the first of a number of “strikes” that the company is forecasting for the international market, the pistol has already filed 3 independent and revolutionary International Patents: the in-line barrel Locking System, the single trigger arch Automatic Trigger Safety and the Ambidextrous Magazine Release. The new semiautomatic pistol introduces and claims for a number of innovations and practical use advantages: it actually comes as the lowest barrel axle-to-hand grip value in history (12mm) unprecedented terminal ballistic accuracy due to the fully guided, non-tilting barrel locking system, extraordinary semiautomatic rate of fire, due to the lightning-fast locking time and single action short travel trigger system and finally an equally unprecedented operational control, thanks to the miniskirt magazine well, the high hand grip feature and the expansion of the gun system through the implementation of a family of accessories, such as the LRC (Long Range Conversion).

The Strike One will be manufactured with a reinforced polymer frame and with an Ergal (light alloy) frame, both offered in Ordnance Black, Desert Tan and Olive Drab colors as standard. A number of high durability colors will also be made available for the Ergal framed Strike One Sport Edition, targeting the Production IPSC international shooting category. The Strike One Sport Edition will also be offered with LPA adjustable rear sight."

iraqveteran8888's You Tube video on the Strike One

You Tube video from Arsenal Firearms

All in all, this new handgun seems to be worth checking into. I look forward to getting one myself, it may just replace my S&W M&P 9 as my go to gun/combat gun of choice!

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Team Tactics

Here is some great information and lessons learned from Max Velocity from the training he gives. He is a very knowledgeable guy and I love the way he is able to articulate himself. This article has some great information, and ideas. Use this information and add it to, or modify your current training to reflect ideas that you can incorporate into your training. I hope you are training!

Tactical Notes from FoF Team Tactics:

I found myself going over many of the same basic points again and again at FoF Team Tactics, which are the same points that I hammer at CTT and CP classes, and it took a lot of ‘dying’ on behalf of the students to really hoist these things in. At CTT, a mix of poor physical preparation on behalf of the student, plus the ‘firehose’ information dump of the class, often result in poor attention to some of the basic areas that will keep them alive in combat, such as taking effective cover, and moving rapidly from cover to cover, or no movement without effective suppressing fire. Ivan does not shoot back, but in FoF when the live enemy is putting UTM rounds at you, and they are striking you in the face, or zipping past your head, it really makes the point. Here are some notes:

Rehearsal of team SOPs is vital.

Make a plan, and have a leader. Follow the leader, and allow him to direct you to achieve the mission, which means paying attention.

Effective scanning is essential. Head out of your weapon! Situational awareness, which includes scanning to the flanks, or you will be rolled up. How many times do cadre tell the students “get your head out of your weapon” and “scan means scan” on a CTT class? Tunnel vision and staring at where Ivan last was seems to be the trend!

Ensure you look in often for hand signals, otherwise you will be in your own zone, and have no clue what is going on.

Hand signals are essential during silent patrolling. The leader needs to be able to signal intent. Some of the things that you will need to consider hand signals for, that you may not have considered before, are as follows (examples will be given at FoF classes):

•Axis of advance / on line.
•Enemy direction
•Hasty ambush
•Bounding overwatch – forwards and backwards
•Peeling
•Flanking
•Move up / get on line / change axis

None of these hand signals will work if team members are not paying attention, by regular scanning of their sectors and to their buddies. If you get a hand signal, react to it and make it happen.

When it goes noisy, you need to be able to yell. Team members must listen, and every man is a link man and must pass the direction on. You may still have use for hand signals at this time, particularly if units become separated on something like a flanking move. Ensure that if you see something, you also communicate it effectively to other team members and the team leader. No secrets!

Do not be too hasty to rush to your death – do not attempt fire and movement if the enemy is not effectively suppressed. Rounds whacking into your team members every time they get up to run forward means the enemy is not suppressed, and in fact you are under effective enemy fire.

Ensure you identify cover before you move to it – and do not be hasty to rush to your death.

Ensure that if you have any type of stoppage, you improve your position of cover. Kneeling in the open to take care of a malfunction is not the recipe for a long life. This is taught all the way from the square range.

Suppressing the enemy means exactly that – effective accurate fire that will change the behavior of the enemy to where he can no longer suppress you.

To suppress the enemy you have to ensure team members have located him/them – use target indication ( 3 D’s) and ensure the information is communicated along the line. If team members are having their own individual fights with ‘their’ enemy, it means as one group gets up to bound forwards, ‘their’ enemy is not suppressed, and will kill them. SCAN! Do not get tunnel vision.

You must suppress the entirety of the enemy facing your team if you are to move without casualties. Due to inherent safety angles of moving groups (target obscuration), this will entail breaking the F&M down into smaller groups along the line as you get closer (i.e. breaking down from pairs to buddy fire and movement as the team gets closer – now taught on both the CTT and FoF classes).

Ensure that you are actually doing ‘short bounds’ and not ‘hero bounds.’ Move fast and low from cover to cover. ‘Keep low, move fast.’

Never underestimate the actual and psychological effect of a flanking move. BUT: ensure you are watching your flank so it does not happen to you, and ensure that separating groups does not lead to blue on blue situations.

Positively Identify (PID) your target before you engage. Not everything out there is the enemy, and just because it is moving, it may well be an injured team member that you just lit up.

Untrained armed teams will be responsible for a large amount of fracticide, both due to incompetence when first encountering the enemy and attempting to effectively return fire, and also due to indiscriminate target engagement. A large focus of MVT training is on buddy awareness, and breaking the tunnel vision of your ‘relationship’ with ‘Ivan’ so that you do not kill your buddies. This is something that is not understood in the ‘tacticool’ world of the square range, and is applicable to real combat.

Training, or ‘operant conditioning’ will reduce freezing, something that was also apparent on the FoF class. Yes, you should not be too hasty to rush to your death and you should suppress the enemy as best you can before you move, and you should identify your next piece of cover before you move to it, but at the same time, if you are doing a maneuver, such as a peel, then do it, don’t freeze and become unresponsive to the team. That will likely lead to the team’s death in place.

If you have a competent leader with a plan, then you as a team member should allow him to ‘use you’ as a ‘tool’ to accomplish that plan. If you are a follower, be a follower. That still allows you, as a ‘battlefield sensor’ to input information on newly located enemy, or flanking moves, or whatever, but you should do that and remain as a responsive weapon that the team leader can use to accomplish the mission. In team tactics, the leaders are using the ‘resources’ to put effective fire on the enemy and maneuver to accomplish the mission. Team members must be an active and useful part of that scheme, or the maneuver will stall, and you will start to die.

You can only develop the competence stated in the paragraph above, where everyone is a useful and active/attentive member of a team, alert to the situation, if you have trained and moved past the tendency to be an unresponsive blob, locked in tunnel vision.

That’s all that comes to mind right now, but I will update as appropriate if/when I realize that I have missed something.

You may note that most of what I have mentioned here is to do with the actual practical application of fire and movement, and SUT. This is not the sort of thing that will be grasped by reading manuals or watching videos. It needs to be trained, and it needs to be trained enough, through a mixture of live firing and FoF training, so that students will grasp this at a deep and unconscious level, thus significantly enhancing their chances of survival in a combat situation.

I cannot stress enough how I urge you, if you are a one-time or some-time-ago alumni or simply a blog or forum reader, to invest the time to get to a training class. It should be at least an annual event, with home based training for the rest of the year. If you can get CTT, CP and FoF done in the first year, you are hitting the jackpot and will be making significant advances not only towards the survivability of your tribe, but also in becoming dangerous to your enemies.

Article from Max Velocity Blog

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Training Plan Part 3a

Kalashnikovs

Despite the simplicity of the weapon, loading an AK is actually slightly more error-prone, in my experience.

1. You can’t—on most variants—lock the bolt to the rear.
2. Insert the magazine, being sure to insert the front portion of the magazine first, and then rock the magazine up and in, seating it firmly. I watch this get messed up ALL THE TIME. People that hate the AR15, because “it’s too finicky,” end up not seating the front of the magazine properly, or they end up not rocking the magazine all the way in and seating it. In either case, they almost invariably end up spending way too much time messing around with getting it seated properly.
3. Once the magazine has locked into the seated position, try and tug it in the reverse direction, ensuring that it is, in fact, locked in.
4. Use the charging handle to pull the bolt ALL THE WAY TO THE REAR, and let it go. Allow the gun to go into battery under the tension of the spring. Then, grasp the charging handle and perform a press check.
5. Congratulations, you loaded an AK.

Reloads

There are two basic categories of reloads in “combat shooting:” the “speed” or “emergency” reload, and the “tactical” reload, or the “reload with retention.” Speed reloads should be utilized any time your gun runs dry in a fight. This is—again, in my experience—the single most common “malfunction” you will face, using most modern weapons, manufactured by reputable companies.
Tactical reloads, and reloads with retention, are done “when there is a lull in the fight.” Often, you may have to induce that lull yourself. If your partner is providing suppressive fire, and you are getting ready to move, or have just moved, take the time to perform a reload, if you feel you need to.
You are NOT going to know the exact number of rounds you’ve fired. Anyone who tells you that you will is either, a) a savant, or b) full of it. I’ll let you wager your life on which one is more likely.
What you CAN know is a rough estimate of “I’ve fired more than half my magazine,” or “I’ve fired less than half my magazine.” If you think you’ve fired more than half? Take the opportunity to top off, if you’ve got it. If not? Hope you finish the fight before the mag runs out, or that you’ve mastered the speed reload.

For most of us, the chances of needing to speed reload are pretty slim, as a result of “I shot my gun dry.” This is especially true with “normal” CCW pistol work. Nevertheless, there are two considerations here:

1. We’re not just talking about “everyday” CCW encounters here. You get ambushed by a crowd of bad guys, or are dealing with a herd of cannibalistic San Franciscans, post-SHTF, it is entirely plausible that the 18 rounds in your Glock 17, or even the 30 rounds in your AR or AK are not going to be adequate.
2. Stuff happens. Whether you miss a lot, or the dude you shoot just takes a lot of killing, or your magazine breaks after a round or two, there are reasons to practice and master your speed reloads.

Malfunction Clearances

I don’t know how many times I’ve had students in a class—even a more advanced class, ranging from CQB and patrolling classes to vehicle classes—that had a malfunction and suddenly realize they are not qualified for the class they are in because they don’t know how to clear the malfunction. Sometimes, they’re legitimately under-qualified. We back them off, and have them run some of the more remedial aspects. Other times though, they know HOW to do the corrective action, they just don’t KNOW how to do the corrective action—under stress. Their brain just stops and everything falls apart.
Whether you use SPORTS, TAP-RACK-BANG, or transition to your sidearm (which is fine, if you’re close enough for your sidearm to be more efficient than corrective action), this is something that has to be practiced until you don’t even think about it. The only way I know to do that is to set up malfunctions and drill them, over-and-over-and-over-and-over-and-over. Sorry, but “Oh, I did 10 reps of Tap-Rack-Bang last year, in a class,” is not going to cut it. You will fail when you have to do it under pressure.

Practice

During Q2 of my annual training plan, I limit the amount of repetitions I do of my snap-firing and drawstroke drills. I just hit 10-15 dry-fire drills and then move immediately on to working my reload drills dry-fire. When I do live-fire range work, I intentionally download my magazines, randomly loading 5-10 magazines with anywhere from 3-10 rounds. Then, I randomly grab the magazines and stick them in my mag pouches and gun, so I cannot be certain what load is in the gun at any given time. This incurs a “surprise” factor when the reload comes up.

Dry-Fire Speed Reload

Ben Stoeger has written that he likes to see speed reloads in less than 1.1 second. I’ve witnessed guys hit speed reloads—during drills—in less than one second. I generally aim for the actual reload to run just under 1.5 seconds. For most people, for most purposes, anything less than 2.5 seconds is probably adequately impressive. It’s not like you should be standing still, not moving in the middle of a fight, to conduct the reload. You should be moving to a position of cover—if you’re not already there—and then executing the reload. Ideally, of course, your reload should be protected by your partner providing cover, so in either case, 2.5 seconds is more than adequate—as long as it’s legit, and you can hit that time, under stress, without fail.

To set this up, I’ll set a par time on my shot timer that is my current training par time. I will then execute speed reloads, dry fire, consistently hitting 10-15 repetitions under the par time. Then, I’ll drop a hundredth of a second, until I can beat that. When I hit a time that I can’t beat for 10 repetitions in a row, that becomes my new par time for the dry-fire training week.

Dry-Fire Tactical Reloads

First off, I don’t advocate or really even teach—let alone practice—the old fumbling two mags in one hand method of tactical reloads. What I teach and preach and practice is what has become known as the “reload with retention,” that I learned as a cherry private in the Ranger Regiment, with an M16A2. I will drop the partially-expended magazine into my support hand, and stow it away. Then, I will grasp a fresh magazine and insert it into the weapon. It’s demonstrably faster and less error-prone, whether with rifle or pistol.

I don’t really “practice” tactical reloads much anymore. That’s probably not something I should admit to, but it’s true. I’ve got hundreds of thousands of repetitions of performing them, and anytime I change a magazine in a weapon, outside of speed reloads, I get practice in anyway, so I’m not too worried about it. I’ve yet to have it cause a failure.

For novices learning though, setting the tactical reload up, sans ammunition, is pretty simple. Empty magazine goes in the gun, bolt forward on an empty chamber. On “GO!” drop the mag into the support hand, and stow it. Grab the fresh empty mag from your pouch and seat it. Bring the gun up. Done.

Dry-Fire Malfunction Clearances

I legitimately don’t know a way to practice malfunction clearances dry-fire. Nor do I have any reasonable suggestions for time hacks to aim for. I can hit tap-rack-bang in less than two seconds. I only know that because I’ve seen the split occur when it has happened during shooting more complex drills.

What I typically teach guys to do for dry-fire of tap-rack-bang, is to seat a magazine, with dummy rounds, and simply do snap-drills, through the whole magazine of dummy rounds. You WILL master the instinct to tap-rack-bang when you feel the click. That only works for failure to seat and fail-to-fire malfunctions though, of course.

For more complex malfunctions, I like to set up the Three Little Kittens drill that SGM Kyle Lamb teaches (there’s a YouTube video of it, I believe, or you could avoid being a cheap fucker, and order his videos…). This is three different rifles down range (good excuse to get to shoot your buddy’s pimped out rifle…), each with a different malfunction set up. On “Go!” you move to the rifles, clear the malfunctions, and fire one round (To be honest, I haven’t watched the video in a while. That’s how I set it up).

Conclusions

Successfully hitting your target with your weapon’s fired projectile is the single most crucial skill in combat shooting—or shooting, period. Unfortunately, achieving that is not the total sum of all combat shooting skill. You need to be able to keep your gun in the fight, throughout the duration of the fight. That requires learning and practicing gun-handling core skills as well.
Go forth and do good things. Who does more is worth more.

Addendums

1. The new book, “FORGING THE HERO: Who Does More Is Worth More, A Tribal Strategy for Building Resilient Communities and Surviving the Decline of the Empire” has gone to the printer. I waited an extra week, because the cover art got hung up. It still hasn’t come through, because the artist had scheduling conflicts and didn’t get a chance to get it done. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make it a poster in support of the book, or something. The design is AWESOME!

2. Sam Culper and Forward Observer also have the artwork for a t-shirt that will be produced for MG, in support of the book’s message. So, all of you who have been bitching about getting your hands on some MG swag…it’s en route.

3. Finally, Gadsden Dynamics has the MG Underground Chest Rig in stock and available. I designed this because I couldn’t find a single rifle mag pouch set up that could be worn “concealed.” This is not going to work for “non-permissive environments” under a t-shirt. It was designed for “underground” urban work though. Think, “I’ve got to roll through a really shitty ghetto, and I’d really like more than one magazine for my rifle, on my person.” This, thrown on under a light jacket or button-down, untucked shirt, conceals really well, from as close as five feet away. It’s pretty slick, and they did a good job refining my design, and producing it.(In the interest of intellectual integrity, I get no percentage from sales of the product. I just wanted a piece of kit that would be useful to people, and I couldn’t find one that fit the bill. The guys were willing to design it and manufacture it. Go thee forth and procure one!)

https://gadsdendynamics.com/product/mg-underground-partisan-chest-rig/

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