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  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted March 1, 2016
  • In practice, realistic

Airsoft for defensive shooting practice: good idea or a waste of time?

A question I’m frequently asked regards the value of non-firearm projectile launchers like Airsoft and BB guns as training devices for defensive shooting. This is a discussion that doesn’t lend itself to soundbites; there are some important principles which need to be understood to be able to gauge, for yourself, the value of any non-firearm […]

Protecting others is a noble act. It’s also a dangerous one.

Today’s blog post was suggested by a reader. I wrote a piece a while back about the dangers of intervening in an active incident, and he asked if I could extend my comments to intervention in a chronic incident: one which has been going on for some time. Such situations do exist, and they can be very […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted February 1, 2016
  • In carbines

What self defense ammunition is best for the 9mm carbine?

I’ve often said that I’m in favor of the pistol-caliber carbine, either autoloading or lever action, as a home and homestead defense weapon under some circumstances. Why the carbine? Because it affords the defender some advantages over the handgun as a defensive tool without the disadvantages of going to a full-powered rifle. First, it’s easier […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted January 29, 2016
  • In accuracy, ammo testing

.22LR rifle reviews suck. Here’s why.

The other day I posted an article to social media about Eley’s newest .22LR hunting ammunition, suggesting that people who’ve never tried really good rimfire ammo haven’t a clue how much difference in performance it can make in their rifles. That comment reminded me of a .22 rifle “test” I read a couple of months […]

Do you carry religiously? You may not be as safe as you believe.

I know that most of the people reading this blog are here to learn about defensive shooting, concealed carry, firearms training, and related topics. The rest are interested in things like rifles, revolvers, reloading, and other technical issues. In other words, regardless of the group into which you fit, if you’re reading this you’re probably […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted January 11, 2016
  • In Greg Ellifritz, Stopping Power

Defensive Shooting Myths and Misconceptions: “If I’m limited to 10 rounds, they might as well be .45”

I remember the days of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban: new magazines over 10 rounds were illegal, and even large double-stack 9mm pistols were required to come with 10 round magazines — and any replacements or additionals we bought were limited to 10 rounds, too. “There era of the ‘wondernine’ is over”, opined writer after […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted January 8, 2016
  • In CCW

Maintaining your pocket revolver: 8 tips to keep your defensive gun in tip-top shape.

If my emails are any indication, there are a lot of people out there carrying a revolver in their pocket. It might be a backup or secondary gun, but for a lot of people — especially those who live in warmer climates — it’s a primary defensive arm. Now I’ll be the first to admit […]

Defensive Shooting Myths and Misconceptions: “I shoot that gun really well.”

If you spend any time around the internet, whether on gun forums or social media, sooner or later you’ll see someone defending a sub-optimal choice of defensive firearm by saying “I shoot it well.” Now of course everyone is certainly free to carry what they deem fit, and I don’t want to suggest they’re not, […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted December 14, 2015
  • In meopta

Do you need backup sights on a defensive rifle? It depends.

Do you need backup sights (BUS or BUIS – “backup iron sights”) on your defensive rifle? The answer is a solid “maybe”, because the choice might not be as clear-cut as you may think. This year’s Bullpup Rifle Experiment taught me a lot; not just about bullpup rifles, but about rifles in general and how we […]

The important role of a training partner in your defensive shooting skill development.

In the defensive shooting world we talk a lot about carry guns, calibers, holsters, belts, and all manner of accessories from flashlights to scopes. A large reason for this focus on things is because they’re easily understood and readily quantifiable; it’s easy to compare things by numbers, charts and graphs. We pay comparatively little attention […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted November 30, 2015
  • In flashlights

Your defensive flashlight: lithium or alkaline? You might be surprised which one I prefer!

In the last couple of years I’ve become a big proponent of the high intensity compact flashlight as a personal security and defense tool. I use those words specifically because the flashlight is the perfect example of a multi-use device: it serves as an early warning system, by allowing you to detect dangers before you […]

No, things really haven’t changed: self defense in a post-Paris world.

The bodies in Paris hadn’t even been buried when the agendas got trotted out.  No, I’m not talking about gun control or immigration restrictions; I’m not talking about refugees or intelligence sharing or air strikes or border checkpoints, either. I’m talking about the “you need to prepare to deal with this new threat!” brigade. If […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted November 16, 2015
  • In CCW, Steyr

Don’t like your holster? Try changing your pants!

A new holster recently taught me something valuable about concealed carry comfort that had nothing to do with the holster — it had more to do with my pants! I’ve been accused of being a Luddite, and to some degree I can see why people might think that. Yes, I like revolvers and lever action […]

What if you disagree with your defensive shooting instructor?

You’re at a defensive shooting class; maybe this is your first, maybe it’s your twenty-first. Your instructor says (or does) something you disagree with. What do you do? There are a lot of different approaches to teaching self-defense shooting, and while at least 90% of the mechanics that are taught are the same from instructor to […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted October 30, 2015
  • In security

Halloween Safety Tips: how to keep your kids happy and healthy at the same time!

Halloween is upon us again! This is the time of year when the weather here in Oregon turns cold and rainy, but despite that kids still get out and trick-or-treat while their parents (or older siblings) go to festive Halloween parties. Everyone faces higher risks simply due to the activity level, but there are ways […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted October 26, 2015
  • In mythbusting

Tap-Rack is an action, not a dance. You don’t need to add moves to it.

I recently read a blog post about a trainer who got into trouble talking about the “tap-rack” methodology for clearing malfunctions. It seems this person, as many do, added a step to the procedure: “squeeze” (or some term which implied pulling the trigger.) This resulted in a virtual spanking from the internet experts, who decried […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted October 9, 2015
  • In AUG, bullpups, Steyr

The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, Epilogue: the Steyr AUG magazine choice – do you prefer Original or Less Reliable?

Apparently this little series has established me as the “go-to guy” for Steyr AUG questions, because my email box has seen a big uptick in volume from people asking various things about the AUG and about bullpups in general. I’m glad that there’s so much interest in these intriguing firearms! As I’ve said, the reason I […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted October 6, 2015
  • In AUG, bullpups, Steyr

The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, Part 3: what did I learn about the Steyr AUG?

(If you’re coming in late, please read Part 1 and Part 2 of The Bullpup Experiment for some background on the project!) While I got to play with several bullpups during the last few months, the vast majority of my hands-on experience was with the Steyr AUG A3 M1 model. As I noted in Part […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted October 1, 2015
  • In AUG, bullpups, Steyr

On the Umpqua Community College killings.

I’ve had numerous emails and messages asking me what I know about the killings which took place in my backyard this morning. What I can tell you is that I have relatives and friends in Roseburg, some of whom are hurting tonight. Evil came to a beautiful part of the country — my part of […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted September 30, 2015
  • In AUG, bullpups, Steyr

The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, Part 2: what did I learn about bullpup rifles?

If you’ve read Part 1 of The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, you’ll know that I started out this little project with a relatively simple goal: to find out what the bullpup rifle was all about. I wanted to learn what they were good for, what they weren’t, and perhaps even a little bit of why they […]
  • By Grant Cunningham
  • Posted September 28, 2015
  • In AUG, bullpups, Steyr

The Bullpup Rifle Experiment, Part 1: why would I do such a thing?

As you may know, I’m a proponent of the rifle as a defensive tool — particularly for what I refer to as “perimeter defense”, which are threats at distances beyond which we think of the pistol as a more suitable tool, and for defense of a fortified or ensconced position (like being barricaded in your safe […]

Self defense ammunition selection: how important is accuracy?

An interesting question came into my mailbox recently: why don’t I ever list accuracy as a criteria for picking ammunition for self defense or for concealed carry? It’s a valid question. After all, when you see a defensive ammunition test (either in a magazine or online), one of the prominent features is almost always an […]

Personal safety apps: do they really keep you safer?

Sometimes I think people have a distorted view of personal security — particularly in the media! Now I know that’s hard to believe; after all, if you can’t trust the media, who can you trust? (In case anyone doesn’t get the sarcasm in that sentence, well — it’s sarcasm!) They’ve been reporting lately on a […]