High Exposure

I was just always taught 28. Someone, I forget who, once told me that the rifle feeds more reliably from an open bolt with the round on the right. Pretty sure that's bullshit, but whatevs. I think the real answer is that two rounds down on a traditional 30 round mag gives you the proper clearance needed to clear the bolt carrier. 1 single round is not quite enough. PMags changed that. They were designed to actually load with thirty, not just fit 30. But I'm a big fan of consistency - so all mags to 28.

That's not an error. There is nothing they can do. Download the mags by 1 and drive on. Seating most mags loaded to full capacity on a closed bolt will be difficult. That's why a lot of people advocate downloading mags. My 30 rounders at work are all loaded to 28. My 15 round mags are loaded to 14.

Damn. Wife's birthday and I am working. Double whammy! Have fun

Again, it really all comes down the the 4 universally accepted rules of firearm safety. The only way a 11.5lb trigger pull is safer than a 5.5 trigger pull regarding an ND is if you can ensure that when you are startled, when you have a sympathetic reflex reaction, when you have a loss of balance reaction, or flinch with your finger on the trigger that you can somehow magically control your convulsive grip to be over 5.5lb but less than 11.5 lbs. Now, since you will likely squeeze to your capacity in the initial reaction,that squeeze will likely be over 30lbs (barring special circumstance - injury, illness, arthritis, etc...) it won't matter if the trigger press was 0.1 through 29.9 lbs, it will go off. You said it yourself - NDs happen when you inadvertently, unintentionally, negligently, or accidentally, press the trigger. If you can keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you are morally, ethically, and legally justified to fire (hmmmm... where have I heard that before?) the only time your gun will discharge is when are justified. Simple. I do see what you are saying. From an academic standpoint with no context or other real life factors, what you says makes sense - but where do you draw the line? If 12lbs is better why not 13? If 13 is better, 14lbs has to be even more better, right? Well then 15lbs is bestest! Not so fast, you forgot about 16lbs, that's gotta be safer than 15lbs. While you may not be able to tell the difference between a 15 and a 16 lb trigger under convulsive stress, you can surely tell the difference between a 5.5lb and a 15lb trigger when taking a deliberate shot. But, that ow atrocious trigger pull is really nothing more than lipstick on a pig if your able to put 30lbs of pressure on a trigger during a convulsive hand movement due to fear, stress, or reflex, and you have 15lb trigger. At some point you reach diminishing returns where you may be guaranteed to not have an ND, but your chances of hitting what you are aiming at rapidly diminish. side note - when I say you won't be able to tell the difference between a 4lb and an 8lb trigger, I meant during a parasympathetic, startle, or flinch response when your hand clenches and your finger exerts 30+ lbs of pressure on the trigger. You will certainly feel a 4lb difference when pressing the trigger when breaking a deliberate shot. That was bad communication skills on my part. Keeping your finger off of the trigger is the way you prevent negligent discharges*. Not increasing the weight of the trigger press. 4lb trigger, 15lb trigger - doesn't matter. Brother, you admittedly don't know what you don't know and are still learning. Got it. You have some flaws in your thought process about this, but that's cool. You are trying to equate ND prevention, which to you is an increased trigger pull instead of simply ensuring your finger is off the trigger, to a deliberate trigger pull at an acceptable pull weight for a fighting pistol. They are not the same thing and they have different requirements for the desired outcome. As you put it "More dangerous to the bad guy" = a deliberate trigger pull. A target has been acquired, identified as a threat, processed to be worthy of deadly force. Ergo, I have aligned my sights on my threat, verified my fore and back grounds, deliberately placed my finger on the trigger and started putting pressure on it to break the shot. All done with purpose. All morally, lawfully, and ethically correct to do so. I am ready and justified in shooting this target, I am deciding to press that trigger. "More dangerous to everyone else" = ND. My finger is on the trigger when it shouldn't be. Something unintentional causes me to put pressure on the trigger, typically pressure measuring well above the trigger weight of most every gun manufactured, until the gun goes off. You'll figure it out to your satisfaction. I'm comfortable in my ability to carry a Glock in a holster at my side and not have an ND and I am far from alone in this. That comfort comes from training and practice - much of it done with a blue gun - including keeping my finger off the trigger when drawing and pointing a firearm - notice I said pointing and not aiming. If I am aiming, I am preparing to shoot and my finger is likely moving towards the trigger as I refine my sight picture. * Following the other 3 firearms safety rules will prevent a lapse of rule 3 from injuring someone or destroying something you did not intend to destroy

Here's the thing - Looking at your targets we can say "Yep, you are shooting left and low". Without watching you shoot those targets we really have no idea why (That's why those wheel type diagnostic targets blow goats). A good firearms instructor watches the shooter, not the target. The target will then be diagnosed within the context of what the instructor saw the shooter do as they took those shots. A really good instructor can watch only the shooter and accurately predict where each shot will hit without ever looking at the target, diagnose the problem, and give corrective training. I can tell you this - You are doing something wrong. I can't tell you what that is. 5 yards is pretty close. That is a significant and fairly consistent deviation of POI from POS at that range. I can also tell you that by repeating whatever it is you are doing wrong, you are building training scars and bad habits. Get a pro to watch you shoot and make corrections. Then practice what you learned. Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. If you practice the wrong thing, that becomes ingrained.

Newtonian, I advocated for a blue training gun for practice. Others agreed. It's smart. It's prudent. Right tool for the job and all that. Most of your non-live fire practice should not involve pressing a trigger, ergo, you don't need a real gun. There is a huge difference between a gun in condition 1 or 2 secured in a holster on your hip that you aren't manipulating and and repetitive draw practice in this world of distractions. These guns that are securely carried in a holster in condition 1 or 2 can be drawn safely under stress because you practice. Not the other way around. As far as trigger press, you won't be able to tell the difference between 4lbs and 8lbs of trigger finger pressure under stress. Besides, it doesn't matter. The average human is capable of exerting 30something lbs of pressure with their hands during a startle response. Unless you make a trigger 40lbs, which would make the gun unshootsble, you are not preventing anything. What does help prevent an ND is proper trigger finger discipline as you present your gun and move with it. That discipline comes from practicing your draw strike without touching the trigger or completing your draw with an automatic dry fire at the end. Just because you don't like Glock triggers/safeties doesn't mean they don't work the way they work. Personally, I have seen plenty of revolver NDs at the range with their 8lb triggers (Glock Standard trigger press is 5.5lbs). It's not the gun that causes NDs, it's the loose nut behind the trigger. That nut gets tightened with proper practice following quality training. Tomk62, When Cooper came up with this, 1911s we're the bee's knees and his conditions of readiness were designed around carrying a 1911. Striker fired guns weren't a "thing". According to ATF, Glocks are considered a double action gun. When you press the trigger, you are completing cocking (unlike an M&P that has a 90% pre-cocked striker Glocks are only about 50% pre-cocked - I can't remember the exact %) and firing. Glock!also has 3 internal and integral safeties that are released upon a proper trigger press.

That was developed for a specific purpose by S&W for the NYPD ESU. They wanted a revolver in .357 Mag for use with ballistic shields (when using a semi auto pistol with a ballistic shield you run the risk of the slide hitting the shield under recoil and causing malfunctions) that could take a light for target ID and an optic for more effective one handed shooting through the shield's viewport. Anyway, with $1K, I would by a shit-ton of ammo for the pistol I shoot the best and travel to take a big name training class. Langdon, DeFoor, Gonzales, CSAT, VTAC, etc...

X300U with DG11 switch is the current "A" answer in my opinion. Yes, a good handheld light should be employed in addition to a weapon light. Both should be available to you. Handheld for admin tasks, WML for fighting. I keep a FourSevens Quark in my left front pants pocket at all times. I also keep a SF X300U mounted to the Glock in my holster at all times. There are multiple techniques you can use to search both large and small areas with a WML without ever actually pointing your weapon at someone that doesn't deserve it. Additionally, some things should have guns pointed at them as you attempt to acquire and identify a threat prior to dealing with it. Now, I don't know about you, but I shoot much better with two hands on the gun rather than one on the gun and the other holding a handheld light. If you are searching with a handheld and you have to go loud, that's one thing. But, don't limit yourself. Drop the damn hand held, and get two hands on the gun and go to work. Did you ever try to shoot and move in low light using a handheld light? Its hard. Add a moving target and its even harder. Trying to aim two independent things (hand held light and a gun) at a moving target that has the potential to kill you, is distracting to say the least. Having a WML lets you aim the gun and the light together, increasing your chances of tracking the target and getting hits where you want them. Finally, not using a weapon light because you are afraid to "give your location away to bad guys" or "give bad guys a target to shoot at" is silly. What would you do under daylight conditions? Are you granted a cloak of invisibility when the lights are on or the sun is up? No you are not. Is your body not something that will give your location away or give bad guys something to shoot at? Use the same tactics, techniques, and procedures for the proper use of cover and concealment day or night. Do not rely on darkness. Shadows don't stop bullets. Hard cover does. Learn to identify positions of advantage and use them. Get a WML. Get a hand held. Get trained. Learn how and when​ to use both.

When did we get into conditions of readiness? Don't carry in condition 3. It's dumb. If your gun is capable of condition two carry, carry in condition two. If you have decocker, and your pistol is not designed to be carried "cocked and locked" in condition 1, the decocker should be used to safely drop the hammer prior to going back to the holster. A Glock loaded and in a holster is actually in condition two. The gun has complete cocking and 3 integral safeties are released as you press the trigger. If you have a 1911, BHP, or something designed to be carried in condition one, do so. If you are uncomfortable with that, train more or choose a different platform. By condition 0 you mean loaded chamber, mag in, hammer back, safety off? Outside of Phillipino hit men, I don't know anyone that carries in condition 0 as regular practice. In any event, you don't change your carry style based on your threat analysis. Consistency is the key for CCW. Same gun, same place, same way as often as possible.

Newtonian, looks like you got it all figured out. Good luck on your journey brother.

Deafening? Blow out the windows in your home? C'mon... Plenty of people have fired ARs indoors without ear pro and are fine. They aren't that loud. The loudest gun I ever shot was a .44 mag revolver followed by a Desert Eagle in .357 mag.

I don't kill insects in my house either (except spiders. F spiders). I am polite and friendly to everyone I meet, until given a reason not to be. That doesn't mean I can't flip the switch if I, or someone I care about or I am responsible for, is in danger. The hard part is recognizing the danger in enough time to do something about it. Preferably, avoid the fight. Just walk away. If you can't avoid it - fight like the third monkey trying to get on the Ark. It isn't "man think". It is being a realist. I know women and men that refuse to be a victim. They will fight. I also know men and women that have actually said to me out loud, "I would rather die than use violence on another human being". Now, I don't understand that at all, but I do accept that at the end of the day, everyone has to lay their heads down on their own pillow and fall asleep with their own thoughts in their head. You have to live your life accordingly so you can sleep at night. More power to them and I hope they are never faced with violence. I feel it is about personal responsibility. There is nothing wrong with protecting yourself. Think of it this way, someone that carries a gun is, at their very core, a rescuer and not a destroyer. I carry a gun off duty to rescue myself and those I care about from applicable danger. I carry a gun at work to rescue those I am responsible for from dire situations. I won't create the need to use force, but I won't shy from it if it is necessary. The "bad guy" gets the vote on what happens next. They created the situation. They are the destroyers. Be Momma Bear.

I had a well thought out and written response, but my phone ate it so here is the shortened stream-of-consciousness version: Basically, every time you manipulate a real gun you are giving Murphy a chance to ram it in you from behind. A very good friend and pretty well known trainer used to say "Every time you hand someone a real gun their IQ drops 50 points". Its true. The more training you can conduct with an inert training gun (SIRT pistol, etc...) or blue gun, the safer and the better. No one ever gets shot unintentionally with a loaded gun. Its always, "It was unloaded I swear". Unloaded guns put more holes in furniture, TVs. walls, mirrors, and people than you care to count. Familiarity breeds complacency, and complacency breeds contempt. You are practicing drawing to your sights with your unloaded gun. Your doorbell rings. You think, that's weird, no one is supposed to come over today and it is too early for the UPS guy. So you load up, holster up, cover up and check the door. It was your neighbor, your garbage can blew down the street and they brought it back for you. Nice neighbor. They leave and you go back to practice. Did you remember to unload your gun? Yes, there are times when a real gun, that is verified to be unloaded, is indicated for practicing a certain skill. But that is not always. Right tool for the right job. Break your practice up into bite size chunks. When you are practicing a simple draw stroke from a new holster - Blue gun. When you are practicing trigger control or sight picture with a new gun, use the gun. Be realistic with what you are practicing, focus on it in parts, and use the right training aid. For stationary dry fire practice, sure use your gun. Make sure you have a safe backstop that will stop the round fired by the gun you are training with. Will the walls of your attic stop the round your gun fires? If not, maybe move to the basement. Triple check there is no ammo in it. Remove all ammo and magazines from your training environment. Verify your gun is unloaded again. If possible have someone else - wife, kid, training partner - verify that the weapon is clear, safe, and empty. Then conduct your dry fire practice. You should be conducting 2 dozen no shoots for every shoot if you are incorporating dry fire practice into draw practice. Don't create an engram of draw to fire. They should be two independent acts - Draw process the threat then shoot, not draw and shoot. Be careful you are not creating training scars with your dry fire practice. There should be a mental reset point after your presentation where you stop practicing prior to returning the gun to your holster. Then get back in practice mode for your next draw. Don't make coming off target, racking the slide and non-nonchalantly returning the gun to the holster a memorized procedure and part of your draw stroke. Contrary to popular belief, no one "rises to the occasion" in a deadly force encounter. You will revert to your most permanent training without thinking. For everything else, use a blue gun. I do 90% of my draw and presentation training with a blue gun. I conduct 100% of my movement and flow drills that don't require a live fire component with a blue gun. If I am practicing movement through my house, evaluating angles, positions of dominance, etc... I can not be sure of my backstop and beyond. I use a blue gun. By your own admission, you are starting from scratch here. Use a blue gun and you can concentrate 100% on the task at hand - the draw stroke - and not worry about the condition of the gun. You want to get a quick 10 minute practice session on and don't want to run through a 15 minute safety routine, use a blue gun and you have nothing to worry about. They come in handy and cost less than a lifetime of the wife complaining about that one time you got the loud noise in the house. Oh, and if you are conducting any practice where you are pointing real guns at people, even if unloaded, you are wrong. There are valid reasons to get a sight picture on a real live human, again, that is what Blue guns, Sims/UTMs, and inert training guns are for. I'm not going to touch on the Yeager bullshit. I'm just going to say: Barische, No. Those scenarios were all no win. You don't learn anything that way - It is tactical band camp for wannabes. Alright fine, Yeager is a douche. There. I said it.

Working with no way I can get off. Have fun, and I'll make the next one.

Yeah. I use 64gr SP Federal TRU. That is also what my Agency uses. I have the rest of the full .ppt that those slides are from, so I'll have to check, but I am pretty sure all the .223 ammo tested was soft point.

I forgot to add, my primary HD gun is an AR. I have a pistol (Glock 35) in a safe next to the bed, but the plan is for the AR in the safe in the corner to be primary. I shoot it better than any handgun, so I am less likely to miss - which is a very good thing when FISHing, as the bad guy is your safe backstop. If all you have is a pistol, by all means used it. Become proficient with it, but know it's virtues and its limitations. I would not feel bad about using a pistol for HD. I just prefer my rifle. There is no ammo out there that will reliably stop an attacker and not penetrate walls. But, contrary to what most believe, ballistically AR ammo designed for gun fighting retains less energy after passing through most modern construction materials used in the US than other options. Pistol and shotgun ammo in a bullet design/caliber suitable to incapacitate humans penetrate further and retain more energy through Sheetrock, wood and siding.

Ms Peel, Take Griz and/or Smokin .50 up on their offers. Get trained first. All self defense, especially home defense, is much more about software than hardware. Learn your weapon system and understand what the ammo you choose can, and can't, do. Choose the platform you perform the best with, and build a layered defense around it: Outside lights, cameras, secure doors and windows, alarm, dog, escape plan, fight. Remember, the best gunfight is the one you can safely avoid. But, if you can't avoid it, you need to win decisively and quickly - with no hesitation. Do not plan on the simple sound of a gunshot to scare off a determined criminal. There are legit bad dudes out there. Most of them live a life you can not imagine. You are likely not the first person to point a gun, or even shoot at them. You may not even be the first person to hit them. You don't know what they have to lose or what they are capable of. And please, for the love of God and all his children, do not use birdshot, Glaser Safety rounds, or any of that boutique ammo. Do your research and buy quality ammo that has a reputation for stopping fights. Look at what your local PD uses, they are facing a lot of the questions you are raising and chose their ammo accordingly. I have heard good stories about shootings where a shooter-homeowner was asked why they chose a specific ammo type by a attorney on the opposite side of the case. Being able to say "that's what my local PD uses" essentially shut down that entire line of questioning.

Training with a live gun always carries risks. It's always the unloaded guns that put rounds through the TV and the mirror. It's always the unloaded gun that shoots someone that should not have been shot. You read about training accidents constantly. Any training that does not require live fire and does require movement with a gun, it's better to use a training gun/blue gun. As you check angles and flow in your home, it's best to not be pointing a muzzle all over the place. As you practice your drawstroke, it's best to not be pointing a real gun at the sheetrock wall you determined to be your "safe" backstop. Dry fire is its own animal, and requires your gun. It also requires 100% attention to detail.

Do you mean carry a blue gun around in a holster as you are out and about in NJ? If so, while it is not illegal in and of itself, I would not do it. That is asking for too many problems. The blue gun is invaluable for safely practicing drawstroke and presentation, as well as rehearsing movement in your house all with zero risk of an ND.

I try to take 1 beginner/basic/entry level every year. If you can check your ego at the door, you can get a lot out of a basic class with a good instructor. I find I make great strides in basic classes.

I am holding out hope that someone will buy it. Oh, and check out the 2020 precision trigger bar. Makes tge trigger feel almost as good as a Geissele SSA on an AR.

Yeah well, I have your old MSAR so there PS: I hate you with the fire of a thousand burning suns. I want a legit AUG so badly...

Why not just use the large palm swell?

As others stated the AUG is a no go in NJ as it is banned by name. VLTOR currently makes the receivers for the US made AUGs. I wish they would make a run of receivers marked BVH or something. I would buy 2 in a heartbeat. I have an MSAR STG. I like it, a lot, but it's no AUG and and not many parts are cross-compatible. Microtech is out of the firearms game and currently parts are impossible to find, so I don't shoot it is much as I would like to. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the F90 Atrax.

Yes Northern Red is awesome.