SHOOTRITE Newsletter, November 2007

The year is almost over, it's hard to believe it's gone so quickly and we've been busy teaching, writing, and making improvements to the facilities. For those of you who have been here, especially in the heat of summer, you'll be pleased to know we finally have a covered area for shade and keeping dry. We've also expanded to 10 targets on the range for larger classes.

The view from one of the new
rifle firing positions.

Finally, shade and a place to keep
your equipment dry at last!

In addition to this "Phase I" of the jungle walk is ready with new firing locations for carbine and precision rifle classes to provide for more variety and added realism to those courses. "Phase II" will be a pistol course. The shoot-house is still on the list as well. Our goal with all these additions is to add as many dimensions to our training as possible. In the real world things are rarely flat, level and square. If you could choose where to fight you could also choose to be somewhere safe.

The schedule for '08 is up classes are booking. We have added several new concepts to the list of courses offered. March 31- April 4 we have a 5 day Handgun Combatives class which will be an intensive study in pistol use and will include the use of cover, movement, multiple and moving targets, ground fighting, close quarters combat, and two low-light sessions plus a whole lot more.

Other new classes include vehicle defense, 2 man team tactics, and classes for Ladies only in firearms and unarmed defense.

We are also holding an Instructor Development class in March. This is for current instructors only, and will cover development of range drills, classroom presentations, analyzing shooting problems, and working as part of a team of instructors.

As always we have plenty of dates available for private instruction and can develop courses tailored to meet specific training needs for individuals or groups.

Gretchen has taken over the office duties so she'll be handling registrations and answering questions on lodging, food and other items. This should make everything run a lot smoother compared to when I was doing all that stuff, and she's a lot more pleasant to talk to than me. If you questions on anything don't hesitate to email her at gmckee@hiwaay.net

In the must read department I add "Sniper, A History of the US Marksman," and "Making A Killing," a story of contractors over in Iraq. "Sniper," written by Martin Pegler, is a detailed history of sniper craft and the evolution of precision hardware in America. For anyone interested in this stuff it's one of the best books I've read on the subject.

"Making A Killing," by Cpt. James Ashcroft, is interesting because it's written from a Brit's point of view, making it unique compared to all the books written by Americans. He mentions his thoughts on the politics of the war, which are interesting, but he doesn't use the book to make a political statement. It's just a detailed description of a contractors life, which for Ashcroft is filled with hours of administrative duties with violent gunfights mixed in for excitement.

My latest acquisition is a Mosin Nagant PU sniper rifle in 7.62 x 54, a radical departure from Remington 700's and expensive glass, but it's an interesting design and functions pretty well. One big issue is getting a solid cheekweld. With the high mounted scope and the stock design acquiring a solid cheekweld is almost impossible. Playing with different pads to build it up, but the short eye relief on the scope and long bolt throw complicates things. Working on developing a load for it, and already getting some 1 - 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards with improvements expected. Not bad for a rifle built way back in the 40's. Once we get a good load it will be time to shoot at extended distances to see what the results will be. I'll keep you posted as things develop. Thanks to "Wood" for all the help in my exploration of Soviet arms.

Nobody can predict what the future will be, and with this in mind if you've got something on your wish list of firearms now might be a good time to pick it up - before the next election. Depending on who gets elected there's no telling what type "restrictions" may come about. I'm not trying to sound like Chicken Little, but it's a good time to add to the collection so get 'em while you can.

It still amazes me that there are so many people out there who think because they own a weapon, and have fired it some, they know how to operate it properly, and use it in defense of life. If you've been to Shootrite, or other schools, then you know the value of training. So if you have friends who own weapons but have no clue how to properly operate them, or fight with them, then you need to stress they get some training. Yes it's expensive and time consuming, but after all we're talking about saving lives, either through proper application of the weapon in a fight, or not shooting someone from negligence on the operator's part.

After talking to people who have read "The Book of Two Guns" there are some who still haven't figured it out. It doesn't have chapters so it can flow from one subject to another. To break them down in the mind, or in book form, is to separate. In a fight tactics and techniques must flow smoothly from one to another. Once you break it down into chapters, physically or mentally, you are restricting action. Fighting is a mental process and this process must be fluid and without any restrictions placed on it.

Also remember that this book was never meant to be published, and it isn't a how-to book. It is a collection of thoughts and techniques collected over a ten year period. Developing your art is a personal matter. You train, and practice - which are two distinctly different acts - and study to develop your mind, then practice and refine the skills that you will use in your fight. We are all different, and our response to a violent attack will be as different as you and I are. There is no how-to book that will have all the answers. When it comes down to it you are presented a problem with very little time to solve it. You have to be thinking, and when it's time to shoot, focus on the front sight and presssss... Repeating as necessary.

Tiger