by The Grumpy Gunfighter, Survival Blog:

This article is a compilation of lessons I have learned, either from real world events or through lessons taught to me by the men and women I served with. Their advice has saved my life on a few occasions, and perhaps this gunfighter’s guide, also developed from lessons learned the hard way, may do the same for you one day.

In part 1, I covered three main topics– cars and guns, the scorpion vs. box jellyfish philosophies, and close quarters battle takeaways. Today we will move into fighting in larger spaces, specifically the backwoods and move onto other topics also. Then, in part 2, the topics included backwoods fighting, dealing with intense stress, practicing like you play, and continuing the fight as long as you are able to move.

Now, it is time to move into some equipment details. Let’s take a look at our kit next.

Customize Your “Kit” or “Loadout”

Be Thoughtful

Ounces add up to pounds, and pounds equal pain. So, everything you wear and carry with you should have a thoughtful, specific purpose.

The gear I carry is dependent on the mission that I am preparing for. For example, in my car I carry enough equipment and supplies for 72 hours, because I know that is how long it will take me to make it home if I had to walk home from my place of employment.

My kit changes if I am preparing for a day scouting excursion. I place less emphasis on food and shelter supplies and more emphasis on bullets and trauma equipment.

The Basics

We can debate the pros and cons of specific gear all day long, but at the end of the day the basics of all my kits/loadouts include:

• a camelback,


• a plate carrier with class 3 trauma plates,


• a small bottle of gun oil,


• a quick draw holster and side arm with at least three extra magazines,


• a longer range rifle or pistol caliber carbine with at very least three extra magazines,


• Quikclot gauze,


• a tourniquet,


• a small, powerful flashlight,


• a high quality, Knife,


• boots,


• earth tone camo pants,


• long-sleeve shirt,


• ball cap,


• sunglasses,


• duty belt,


• and a watch.

Consistent Set Up For Access When Adrenaline Flowing

I set up my belt and plate carrier to allow me to draw my equipment with the hand that would likely need to access it. For example, I am left handed and so my handgun is always on my left side, but my magazines will always stay on my right because my right hand will primarily be used to feed magazines into my gun. Consistently setting up your kit in the same fashion allows you to unconsciously access equipment when the adrenaline is flowing.

Quick access to your trauma gear is extremely important. During a fire fight you will likely be the one applying aid to yourself initially. This self sufficiency allows your team to continue focusing on eliminating the threat while you can get to safety and work on stopping your blood flow.

The Caliber Conundrum

“The shooter who can accurately hit their target first lives, regardless of caliber.” – Former Range Master

Some Caliber Lessons

The argument on which gun and in which caliber is best for what situation will likely always be debated. However, here are some caliber lessons that have stayed with me.

The .22 Caliber, Killed More

The .22 caliber isn’t incredibly reliable due to misfires and jamming in semi-automatics, but despite that it has indisputably killed more people around the globe than any other caliber. Therefore, it is important to not underestimate this round.

The 9 Millimeter, Common, Inexpensive, and Accurate at Distances

The 9 millimeter is common, inexpensive, and can kill at distances farther than you can accurately shoot it. New brands have made this round shoot farther and faster than it originally could, making it great for close quarters engagements. Agencies like the FBI have transitioned back to 9mm from the .40, because they can carry more ammunition and have greater accuracy on follow up shots.

Best Gun For a Gunfight

Ultimately, the gun that you can shoot the fastest and most accurately is most likely the best gun to have in a gunfight. For example, I would rather have a $500 gun that I have put 10,000 rounds through rather than a $3000 larger caliber gun that I have only put 100 rounds through. This is because I know I am going to be more comfortable and more proficient with a gun that I have spent more time training with.

Whichever caliber you choose, make sure that you can train with it consistently. Get to know its quarks, how it functions, and what brand of ammunition that works best in it. Additionally, get to know the distances you feel you can comfortably and accurately hit your target.

Misfires, Mishaps and Mistakes:

The last thing you want is for your gun not to fire when you need it to. Although this isn’t extremely common in high quality firearms, it can and does happen to the best of them.

Tap and Rack

For any semi automatic firearm that uses a detachable box magazine, you can use the “Tap and Rack” method to clear the vast majority of malfunctions.

“Tap and Rack” is a simple two step process. First, slam your support hand into the magazine to ensure that it is properly seated into the firearm. Next, rack back the slide or charging handle while turning the ejection port down towards the ground. This allows misfire or jammed casing to fall out of the firearm so that a fresh casing can be picked up by the bolt carrier and enter the bore. When done correctly this process will clear the vast majority of misfires in under a second and a half.

You can practice this process while on the range by having a partner put a spent casing randomly in your stacked magazine. The spent casing will simulate a misfire. Then, a simple “Tap & Rack” will easily clear the firearm.

Malfunctions

The majority of malfunctions I have seen in handguns is due to “Limp Wristing”. In rifles, it has most often been due to a lack of lubricant.

AR Rifle Lubrication

AR pattern rifles are notorious for needing gun oil to run properly, so be sure to keep a small bottle with you. Then, focus your lubrication on the bolt assembly and barrel, as these see the most movement during the firing process.

Limp Wristing

Limp wristing is a process where the shooter allows the recoil of a handgun to rock their wrists back towards their body, instead of keeping their wrists firm and level while firing.

One freezing January night on the range early in my police career, I was guilty of limp wristing, and it caused one of the most reliable handguns in the world to jam nearly every shot. After I learned to keep my wrists firm, I found that my handgun was in fact reliable. It was just a combination of cold, fatigue, and operator error that had caused my malfunctions.

This example is just another reason to train in a variety of conditions, because earlier in the day I had been shooting just fine. Earlier, I was less tired, and it was less cold. If I hadn’t practiced under these trying conditions, I would never have realized that I may cause my firearm to malfunction in this manner.

Mistakes Made In Training Save Life in Field

Mistakes made in training have saved my life in the field. We were in a diamond formation making our way through the wide hallways of a high school when we started to take fire from our left down a long hallway. I left my position in the formation in an effort to get a better firing position on the hallway shooter. I posted up on the far wall on the other side of the hallway and immediately fell into an ambush, taking multiple clay and paint rounds to my legs, chest, and back of the head. I was hurt and embarrassed but had learned my lesson. Had I moved with my team, we could have had cover to watch my back as we dealt with the hallway shooter. Never once in my career did I break formation again, because this embarrassing training accident had been forever seared into my memory. I can’t stress high stress scenario drills enough.

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