When it is said that it is a jungle out there, they are correct. That is why through Maricopa Tactical we created The Urban Jungle, to prepare legal citizens, law enforcement and military for an ever changing dangerous society.  Avoiding dangerous and potentially criminal types of people may seem obvious and a no brainer, however to maximize your safety you will have to interpret people with a much broader outlook.  This identification process is many times more difficult and aggravating than it was in previous generations. The stereotypical “gang banger or street hood is not as prevalent unless you live in an area that is saturated with them.  They tend to stick out like a sore thumb in sub-urban or family type of neighborhoods.

Don’t assume just because someone has a good reputation, dresses nice or is a fringe type of friend that you are safe and can generally let down your guard. There are an infinite amount of dangerous situations as well as Predators to deal with.

It is impossible to see into someone’s mind and soul and understand what he or she is planning or could do to you in a situation. I categorize the Predators in predominant categories. Some may be a combination of more than one, but that is up to a qualified psychologist to unravel.

In my experience and that of law enforcement experts, is that there are several general types of criminals. Below gives a basic breakdown of one of the main types of criminals I will review. 

The Amateur or Wannabee

Typical Crimes: Assault, Aggravated Assault, Armed Robbery, Rape, Murder, Drug Related Crimes

Type: Ego based Animal

Identification: Male, 15-24 years old, 5’7 to 6’0 tall, 160 to 190 lbs – Mixed Race Catagories

Behavior and Movement:
a) Apparent that he is looking for a fight
b) Usually walks with a cocky attitude
c) Elbows pushed away from the torso
d) Verbally Aggressive and rude to people close
e) Eye contact can trigger a confrontation

Tactics:  Primarily uses a Regular or Escalating Interview. Sometime explodes rapidly into a Hot or explosive interview if he is overconfident in the attack
(Interviews to be explained in a future segment)

Positioning: Prefers multiple associates for confidence boost.
Will use: Cornering, Surrounding, Closing and Surprise Positioning

Predator Advantages:  Uses primarily Aggression and Intimidation, a Regular, Escalating or Hot Interview and Comfortable in using others to assist. General Attack Time Frame: mid to later in the evening

Weapon System(s) 3″ Knife, Small Impact weapon, Ice Pick, Small handgun, razor, chain or Fists of Fury

Predator Disadvantages: Easy to Identify approach and ruses. Not polished, but overconfident

Best Defense: Use you situational awareness and create as much evasion distance as possible, stay in open well lit areas, understand basic quick physical strikes, carry a Non Lethal option such as an OC pepper spray, a knife and a small handgun that is concealable and be familiar moving and drawing from concealed carry.

These are other types of Predators to review in the future

*The Professional or Experienced
*Mentally Altered, Drug or Alcohol Induced
*Psychotic or Delusional
*Opportunist or Manipulator

Each type of criminal has different levels of danger, as well as behavior signals and tactics that they use.

Preparation or lack of is only as good as the time you spend realistically preparing.

Good Luck,

Mark Volpone

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

The psychological, physical and situational aspects of pulling the trigger when it counts in personal protection situations.

Shooting for sport is an exciting and heart pumping activity. It crosses the threshold of a light and easy activity up to the point of an unprecedented attack against you.

A wise man told me early on in my professional training career that any anticipation of surviving a violent attack in a split second requires you to instantly evaluate, decide and fulfill protecting yourself in an unprecedented horrific manner. This could be a short lived victory if you are not mentally prepared to lose everything.

If you are not prepared to lose everything in the face of your greatest fears even with consistent preparation, then the ability to fulfill and protect your life when it counts may be squandered. Life is a battle for civility and justice in a cynical and judgmental society. We all have our own ideologies, bias behaviors, and are inherently skeptical. Most people are in good conscience however typically predisposed with self gratification, and demand instantaneous results. This is what you potentially face afterwards by your peers if you are ever confronted and survive a lethal Shoot or Don’t Shoot situation! In respect for words that you write and have recorded, and with all of the comments to others regarding protection issues, will all be held for scrutiny under the microscope of public flogging.

Many professional Instructors have been trained to bring a higher level of techniques and positive motivation towards students self protection and preservation. But what is sometimes overlooked and missing is a major societal component. One of the misguided aspects of fairness and justice is for the most complicated of situations, Personal Protection. It is more than teaching how to use protection techniques to clarify your performance in a controlled or even advanced training format, with or without the use of deadly force. There are many great instructors and practitioners dedicated to exceptional training for mans ability to do the right thing in a life and death situation at the worst possible time. It is naive to think that if you only focus on the basic structuring of important facts relating to front sight, grip, stance, tactical movement and other issues that you will be alright. In real time training we can simulate a variety of ways to inspire thought and clarity in Shoot/Don’t Shoot situations. From simple static drills to mechanical target movers, realistic paper targets and video based scenarios are by far many of the tools we hold for our students in presentation and form.

As difficult as it is to create different kinds of training situations that may occur in an attack, makes the realistic training aspects more appealing to students. If you asked professionals in the psychology world how to interpret different people’s reaction to pain, fear and potential death would be an overwhelming task to say the least. We want to do the right things in an explosive situation, but we truly don’t know if the time and situation will be generous for us to comply. When people make exterior arm chair assumptions without all of the facts in, then are they not just exposing what a modern lynch mob really is? Shooting a human for even the very best trained physically, mentally and emotionally stable person is by far a dicey malaise at best.

To shoot or not is generally assisted with our technical shooting abilities, warrior spirit, confidence and sometimes unorthodox bravado. However it is impossible to test a person’s soul until the unfortunate measure of life and death brush against or hit you directly. Either way the aspects of personal protection are realized subconsciously in the blink of an eye. Can you strengthen your technical personal protection skills? Yes with serious and well thought out training, practice and a realistic primary and backup plan. You can work on mental preparation skills, with visualization and awareness training, avoidance of obvious entanglements and learning what and how to deal with the options and issues that you can control. That is right; you can control most of the aspects of your personal protection with preparation. However no one can inexplicitly manifest the exact reaction it will take to trigger a constant adaptable reaction for every situation necessary in modern day survival. The closest ones to that in society are our brave and highly trained Special Forces.

Unfortunately you cannot walk around with the switch in the ON defense position for planned and specific periods of time. You then risk the potential of a slight or greater future mental malfunction that looms in the space you create internally. Be cautious of the finger you point over others life and death struggles, until you have the fulfillment of facts to generate a reasonable and rational conclusion. Shooting real people and the training it takes to be resolute in your decision under threat, fear or potential death is usually more than any calm and comfortable bystander can comprehend.

Shoot Straight or Don’t Shoot at All in defense is far more then training alone, it is a life result.

For more Personal Protection and Firearms Training go to www.maricopatactical.com

Listen to Mark Volpone live on Talking Guns @ www.arizonagunradio.com

Wednesday Mornings @ 7:40am on 12.60am or 96.1fm, Scottsdale AZ

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

This is part of the Tactical Tool Time - Shooting Fundamentals Clinic. In shooting as well as any other sport a stable yet movable body position is crucial for exceptional performance. The value of connecting your mental preparation, physical strength and reactions as correct body technique is vital to efficient shooting.  There are very important shooting fundamentals that every shooter must challenge correctly in order to be fully effective. Stance, Sight principles, trigger control, grip, follow through, breath control and mental prep. Your goal is to have a Shooting Stance like a Tank.  Yes that’s right a fully capable M1 Abrams Human Tank. This is adaptive to all shooters whether male or female. The shooting stance in basic form is the platform from which all beginning and advanced shooting derives from. Today we will discuss how to develop a stance like a Tank.  Now don’t go getting ahead of yourself, but only visualize the Tanks abilities in similarity with a shooters primary shooting platform. Like a tank, you need a solid yet movable base with a gun turret that can move and adapt with or without the base lined up for the shot. A good shooting stance will 1) Reduce excessive Body Movement, 2) Assist the Handgun Steady when aiming and firing, and 3) enable more efficient follow through in controlling recoil.

Whether it is for Sport, Protection or Competition, the upright standing position(s) that you adopt for yourself is very important. Until the 1950s virtually all Defensive and target Shooting was done using a One Hand duelist type stance. Some modern Bulls-eye and competition still use this type of stance. An adaptive modified one hand stance still has a place in current Defensive and Tactical Applications. In the late 1950s shooting professionals and the FBI realized that Two Hands on the Gun were much more Stable in holding the handgun steady in Defensive Situations.
One handed shooting with your primary and your support or alternate hand should be practiced. It may not be comfortable and you feel a little discombobulated, but basic familiarity and precision should be practiced regularly for defensive purposes.

Whether at the range or other training environment the Tank style two handed stance needs to be trained and stabilized.  The stance or position you used at the range or tactical applications should be similar or the same.  A relaxed shooting position has little relevance to a defensive postured stance that you may need in a real world defensive situation.  So your dry fire, basic range practice and advanced tactical training should be relatively the same.  How you train is how you will react and adapt to a dangerous situation.

There are a two main known and widely used two handed stances.  Both of these stances have several Hybrid modifications for specific uses. Both stances have advantages and disadvantages. You need to shoot enough to tweak the benefits and comfort for yourself.
The standard Isosceles as two equal sides of a triangle and a Weaver platform is known as more of an interview stance.

Standard Isosceles – Top View
Now there are too many modifications and adaptations to fully explain but a will be brief. Isosceles is very functional in what I would setup a shooter in a more combat oriented isosceles, and a weaver stance adapted to a combat modified fighting stance. Both of these stances need to have one thing in common, “Brace for Collision”. We find that a Hybrid Combat Isosceles or a Combat Weaver stance can be functional for sport or personal protection. Combat Weaver is a good adaptation depending on the gun type, caliber, situation, physical strength, experience and flexibility issues. The traditional weaver stance is bladed at a 45 degree angle to the target. The general isosceles is structured to face the target more direct. The weaver stance was initially developed for police pistol shooting competitions.  Several adaptations and modifications are still widely used to as a popular shooting platform today. The weaver intent was used to stabilize the heavy revolver for better control  with the two handed grip.  This was not a popular concept in 1959. This stance has evolved a bit and is widely popular and used worlwide, however it quite often since the 70s has been overshadowed by a modified isosceles stance.  The weaver stance has some great features, but many shooters as well as police officers under stress are noted to revert back in combat to a more natural point of aim stance, resembling the modified isosceles platform. Depending on the gun style, caliber and situation, modified shooting stances of both types are widely used.

In a basic isosceles, face the target with feet both facing forward, feet approximately shoulder width and comfort. In a Combat style isosceles the strong side foot or shooting hand is placed back 3 to 8 inches (More Stability) with your ears a little forward of the shoulders, the shoulders over and forward of the hips, with weight distribution over the feet with a slight lean forward. This can be more identified as a Boxer or fighting stance.  In a combat Isosceles you would bend your knees slightly, lower your center of gravity which is a little more aggressive, and create good static or movable balance. Use your glutes and hamstrings to push into the ground to help stabilize your position. You may also find that squeezing your chest and biceps on the gun extension will help you teach your body how to react better to the isosceles shooting presentation. Some may need to apply a push pull method on the gun to stabilize it better, similar to a weaver stance. In isosceles position, if the biceps and chest are properly squeezed you will not have to lock the elbows out, even for larger caliber semi autos. 

Standard Weaver Stance

The Weaver Stance has two components. The first component is a two-handed technique in which the dominant hand holds the pistol or revolver and the support hand wraps around the dominant hand. The dominant arm’s elbow is nearly straight while the support elbow is noticeably bent and angled down. The shooter pushes forward slightly with his or her dominant hand while the support hand exerts rearward and slightly downward pressure to lock the gun in your hands better. The resultant isometric tension is intended to lessen and control muzzle flip when the gun is fired. The second component and most commonly known, is the positioning of the feet in a interview stance, with the off-side foot ahead of the strong-side foot. A right-handed person will have the right foot angled out to the side and further to the rear. Most of the weight will be on the left foot, with the knee slightly bent. The shoulders will be leaned forward over the left toe. The right foot behind will help catch the force of recoil, as well as allow for rapid changes in position. A left-handed person will have a mirrored and opposite position.

Whatever Stance you practice, get experience on other types of alternate and tactical conditioned stances. You never know when you may have to switch from a combat isosceles to some form of weaver or one-handed stance, or alternate hand, so you need to practice them all occasionally.

Good Luck,

Mark Volpone

www.maricopatactical.com 

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

Well the anti Gun (NGAC) National Gun Victims Action Council, is boycotting “today” Starbucks for their Support of Not Banning Guns Legally from their coffee houses in accordance with City and State laws. A CCW permit in some States may be required, so go get your grande mocha latte and YES proudly spend your money and carry your Gun to Starbucks to get your coffee or tea to support private property rights and the second amendment. Do something that actually that may reinforce our second amendment rights! All Women, please participate! Starbucks has held firm in cities and states in accordance with the local laws as Not to bend to Liberal Insanity about carrying guns legally in Starbucks locations. Always check to make sure that your local Starbucks is Not Posted with a No Guns sign before you participate in a counter boycott against the left wing nut jobs. They are convinced that if guns are boycotted at Starbucks today, February 14th, and we ban guns entirely, there will be 97 percent less homicides yearly as compared to England in the future, WHAT!

I must say that the idiot factor is on the rise again with Liberals. So again I ask that all sane people that are supporters of freedom and the 1st and 2nd amendment of the US Constitution to carry your gun in your State “LEGALLY” on St. Valentine’s day at Starbucks. Proudly order your Grande Mocha Latte or whatever your coffee or tea favorite is, and let it be known that we will not go quietly into the night because of a group of liberal freedom suffocating nut-jobs thinks the world will be a better place especially for the day, if we just restricted people from carrying guns in a private business such as your local Starbucks. They want to cut Starbucks sales down, so go buy a coffee at Starbucks today “Legally Armed”!

Buy Starbucks This Tuesday!

Elliot Fineman, CEO of the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGAC) announced last Monday that its members will boycott Starbucks starting on St. Valentine’s Day to protest the company’s resistance to demands that they cease serving customers who may be carrying weapons, open or concealed. Its purpose, according to Fineman, is “to eliminate the risk of guns in public places and ultimately to bring sane gun laws to the U.S.” Fineman claims that his group is “a network of 14 million gun victims” and that his boycott is being supported by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, the United Church of Christ, the Fellowship of Reconciliation along with other secular groups that also support the anti-gun movement. Fineman said: Starbucks allowing guns to be carried in thousands of their stores significantly increases everyone’s risk of being a victim of gun violence. Open and concealed carry are among the reasons there are 12,000 gun homicides each year in the U.S. If we had England’s gun laws we would expect 375 gun homicides each year-97% less than we have. England’s gun laws are based on protecting public safety, ours on maximizing sales for the gun industry… Our boycott will reduce Starbucks’ stock price by an amount no rational company would allow.

It was two years ago that the Brady Campaign launched a similar boycott of Starbucks that “failed miserably”according to Dave Workman, senior editor of Gun Week. Noted Stockman: “Starbucks made it plain in 2010…that it [would] abide by local and state laws and [would] not discriminate against a certain class of customers. Many open carry advocates began patronizing Starbucks…as a show of support.”

Workman asked NGAC rhetorically just how many incidents have there been in the history of Starbucks, which opened its first coffee house in 1971, involving a legally-armed citizen that resulted in criminal violence? Answer: not a single one.

Good Luck,

Mark Volpone
www.maricopatactical.com

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

Speed will come with practice!

1. The first step you must take is to make sure your gun and any magazines are empty or have non-firing dummy rounds and the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction!

Muzzle dicipline is always important and is necessary here as well as at the shooting range etc..

2.THEN DO A QUADRUPLE PHYSICAL & VISUAL CHECK”
This means check your body, pockets and all of your surrounding of your dry fire area to remove ALL Live ammunition or  magazines. Check Four Times to Verify this! At any time during the dry fire training you are disturbed by a call, someone or something is distracting you, please cancel your session until the next time. This will keep you honorable to how important this training is.

3. If dry firing is a new concept for you, then at first try to do it pointing the gun at a safe and potentially bullet stopping area in the rare case that you have a mental malfunction or are careless. 

4. Practice your grip, sight alignment and sight picture, continuous trigger press as well as drawing your handgun from a external or concealed holster, and working on a stable shooting stance. These are just a few basic and intermediate fundamentals to work on in dry firing.

5. It is a good idea to purchase professional Safety or sometimes called dummy rounds that allow you to load, unload and do malfunction drills in your dry firing.  These are non firing rounds.  The best ones have a steel or brass case and a plastic colored simulated plastic bullet and usually Orange or Yellow. If you choose to have a reloader make you some I caution you that they may look like a real round of ammunition, and could lead to many problems if mixed up with live ammo. If you then want to paint the bullet, make sure you have no primer or powder in the round and beware that the paint may come off in loading and sick in the chamber of the barrel. It is worth the expense of good dummy rounds.  The ones made from all plastic tend to chip off at the case lip and will not always extract from the gun.

 Dry Firing TRAINING Develops 

1.  Better Hand and Eye Coordination (Basic)

2. More Effective Sight Alignment and Trigger Control (Basic)

3.The Reduction of the Arc or Oval of Movement of the Gun (Basic)

4.More Uniformity and Consistency in your Shooting Capabilities (Basic)

5. Assistance in Method and Form utilizing Proper Shooting Techniques (Basic)

6.Confident External and Concealed Carry Draws (Intermediate/Advanced Application)

7.Moving While Drawing your Handgun (Advanced Application)

8.Engaging Moving Targets (Advanced Application)

9.Judgmental Shooting Ability (Advanced Application) 

10. Stability in your Stance(s) (Basic)

11. Comfort in Malfunction Clearing and Reloading (Intermediate Application)

12. Use of a Flashlight in Low or No Light Situations (Advanced Application)

Good Luck and Start Practicing,

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

 

 

 

 

Mark Volpone
www.maricopatactical.com

Make the decision to find and pay for a quality professional firearms instructor or school. This by far outweighs complaining about the purchase of the gun itself, that may just give you an overated sense of personal security. When you budget to get a handgun for personal protection or sporting purposes for the first time, consider adding some or all of the options mentioned below into your overall plan. Some of these are necessary right away and some can be addressed at a later time. Yes I am biased to high level training because that is what I do professionally as an Instructor.  I believe that when lives are at risk, primarily YOURS, then an honest effort is required to make your investment worthwhile. I will elaborate on those options and features below.

1. Handgun Cost – Average, Good quality Semi-Autos $500-$850, Revolvers $400-$650, Can be more or less depending on brand name
2. Tritium Night Sights $100 to $150 (Highly recommended because most personal protection occurs in Low to No Light)
3. Gun Mountable or Accessory handgun light to use in conjunction with your gun $75 to $250
4. 1 or 2 Extra Magazines for Semi Autos and Speed-loaders for a Revolver $20-$45 average good mags, Under $10 per Speedloader
5. 1 to 3 different types of holsters, depending if you are ever going to carry it. Several options and body locations $30 to $150
6. Range or FMJ Practice Ammunition $12-$25 per 50 rounds, depending on caliber and specific manufacturer features
7. Defensive Hollow Points for protection $18 to $30 per 20 or 25 rnds depending on caliber and specific manufacturer features
8. Eye protection for practice, (basic is fine as long as it is ricochet impact rated) $5 – $100
9. Ear Protection, whether it is inexpensive foam plugs, standard or electronic hearing protection $1 Foam plugs to $250 Electronic
10. Cleaning Kit and basic necessary materials $50-$75
11. Range Bag to put all of you gear into $40-$200
12. Basic and Eventually Advanced Firearms Training. Consider the Deadly subject matter at hand “Your Life” $PRICELESS
13. Possible Trigger or advanced gunsmith if your new gun requires some specific customization $100-Open$
14. Possible Grip panel changes, $20-$50 Average grip upgrades, Custom grips are much higher
15. Snap cap Dummy rounds to practice loading and unloading $10-$20
16. Specialty Training Targets $10 -$50
17. Range Fees, or shooting club membership, unless you shoot out in a vacant approved area $15 per hour indoor, $10 outdoor day pass
18. Misc. Fuel to get to the range regularly, Time, Babysitters, etc.. soft costs! $Your issues, do the math.
19. Consider joining the National Rifle Association (NRA) to help protect your 2nd Amendment rights $35 per year
20. Try to include your family, friends and associates into training and shooting together at a class or the range. No $, just time and effort
    

This surge in new Gun sales is exciting for the Industry, and one step closer to protecting the 2nd Amendment and our Freedoms as Americans.

Please be safe and responsible!

Good Luck,

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

 What does all of that bring?  The FBI claims about 1.5 million background checks for firearms sales that were processed at the end of 2011.  Now given that many of those guns were probably gifts of one type or another, there are also a large number of new shooters here.  The number of citizens that have had a previous background check or a State approved Concealed Carry Weapon Permit, can usually do the federal paperwork, and buy a gun without a new background check.  Since these people have been previously approved for a state CCW with a background check, then I suspect there are possibly as many or more gun sales being approved then reported.  It is good to see more first time, or non-Concealed Carry Weapon Permit holders entering legal gun ownership.  More Guns means what?  It means people are scared and tired of waiting for the federal government to protect them.  In retrospect the Government is apparently doing everything in their power to continually subvert Americans Rights and Freedoms.

Get Professional Training, and empower yourself with more than just a gun purchase. Invest in yourself by educating and empowering yourself to a higher level of safety and security, by taking a professional firearms and personal protection training course.

The Government cannot protect the southern border of this country, so how will they be there for you in a violent attack. Preparedness is more than just a tag line word.  When the ATF launched the Fast and Furious program and it unfolded, they sent agents to law abiding gun shops in the Southwest, and mandated that they sell them guns illegally as a STRAW Sale purchase, and then sent them off to the most vicious Mexican Drug Cartels with no serious tracking or exit strategy. This was unbelievable, and many Law Enforcement Officers, Politicians and Citizens were completely floored by this level of arrogance and stupidity.  The public got wind of and observed this serious criminal act in 2010 when it resulted in an American Border Patrol Agents death, as well as many civilians in Mexico with these guns. We are told that the ATF distributed up to 2000 illegal guns to drug cartel gang members, and at this time only a small portion of the guns have been recovered. Unfortunately this operation has been whitewashed with typical government side stepping, lies and backdoor manipulations, however the blood is fully soaked on this Administrations hands. From the beginning of this tragedy, and never to be fully proven, was in many experts opinion an apparent and covert attempt to undermine and damage the 2nd Amendment.  This also infringed on the possibility of Legal Americans from owning or carrying guns in the future. It has been obvious from the beginning, that the administration knows that typical left wing bashing of the 2nd amendment and gun control was not going to connect, unless they could trigger an incident that got public support on their side to further gun control restrictions. Straight from the Obama playbook is their own words that have been consistent; Never let a Crisis or Tragedy go to waste.

 The Southwest was the Bulls-Eye for this concoction of warped left wing ideology and outright incompetence. The Obama administration, Eric Holder and their operatives enjoy and take credit for having their name and fingerprints on everything that they touch.  So to think that implementing the Fast and Furious Gun running program with such serious negative possibilities, and that no one at the top had a clue of its existence is Insane.  Now if Fast and Furious had been successful, this administration would boast with great claims of victory for their ability to keep the citizens and the country safe. This goes way beyond Dont be a Victim.  I believe it is more accurate to say Dont be a Victimized Slave of Government. Preparedness assists in protecting yourself and your family from danger.

This is what drove such high gun sales in 2011, FREEDOM!

For thousands of years, civilizations have had leaders that used force or disarmed their citizens for the ideological perception of safety and security. Many leaders took away the ability and incentives of the people to protect themselves, further squashing their Freedoms and then subverted the populace into one form of slavery or another.

I believe that the desire for unapologetic Freedom is the Renewed Beginning we need to protect!

Have a Safe, Healthy and Prosperous 2012!

God Bless the USA

Mark Volpone, Director of Training, Maricopa Tactical  www.maricopatactical.com 

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

Today, Sunday is the one-year anniversary since a gunman opened fire in front of a Tucson grocery store on Saturday January 8th 2011 for a political event.
Six people were killed, and 13 were wounded, including AZ State Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D), who was shot in the head and survived and Federal Judge John Rolls  was also fatally shot in this horrible massacre.

Tragedies happen in many different ways daily, but today we honor and pray for the families and victims of the Tuscon massacre.

Thank you,

Mark Volpone
Director of Training
www.maricopatactical.com

Now that you have your NEW GUN, get professional training and Learn how to use it Safely, and Effectively.  There are many potential attack scenarios and restrictive gun  legislation issues that every American may have to confront in the future.  These Freedom and Protection issues affect all races, gender, political ideologies or personal financial situations.

Do yourself a life size favor and hire a professional firearms instructor to help you take this serious issue to a higher level of safety and security.

Unarmed and Helpless or Armed and Powerful (Your Choice)

Suggestions to consider along with a new Gun.

1) Make sure it is a legal purchase or trade according to Federal, State, County and City Laws.

2) Confirm the comfort and grip fit of your Gun with a qualified individual or firearms professional.

3) Get a basic cleaning kit and learn how to disassemble and clean it yourself for better familiarization.

4) Purchase and or have installed on your Gun, Tritium Night Sights, for low or no light situations.

5) Learn how to safely and efficiently Dry Fire the your gun in a controlled environment. (Not for .22 Rim-fire guns)

6) If you are going to carry it exposed or concealed ever, research what holsters and extra magazine pouchs are available.

7) Get Practice (FMJ), and Hollow Point Defense Ammunition.

8) Get a couple of extra magazines for a semi-autos or speed loaders for a revolver.

9) Consider a small mountable flashlight that attaches on rails for many new semi-auto gun types or get a handheld version.

10) TRAINING, TRAINING,TRAINING - This is the most important and overlooked aspect of having a new gun.

These are diminishing skills, so please take the time, money and responsibility to be at a minimum, Safe and Efficient.

Good Luck and The best of life in 2012!

God Bless the USA

Mark Volpone - Maricopa Tactical

Mark Volpone
Director of Training
Maricopa Tactical

Handgun REVIEW

Personal Protection, Concealed Carry and Tactical Training go hand in hand with the uneasiness and dangerous threats that are steadily increasing in America. By doing your research about self defense is a good start, however the application and action to go further and actually getting trained is yet another issue. Learn more, and practice with multiple tools of defense in your personal protection tool box.  Whether it is awareness techniques, threat verbalization, physical movement, striking, non lethal or lethal force, don’t wait until an incident happens, before you get motivated and educated.

If you choose to carry a concealed carry handgun, you may want to consider this .50 caliber M3 1911 GI Commander as an option. We are reviewing this gun, and have previously been impressed with the Guncrafter Industries M1 and M2 .50 caliber 1911 type handguns. These handguns are very impressive visually, as well as their superior functioning capabilities.

In this article I will give a brief overview of the New M3 Commander.

Come Check out the Video we did on the M3 @ http://www.youtube.com/lonegunneraz
This Video is NOT a Training Video. We wanted to do a entertaining view of the M3 Ultimate Tool with the Ultimate Tool Instructor. Common sense and humor is required to appreciate this.

From basic gun safety to advanced weapons training, if you master the basics of shooting and learn some self-defense options, one of these skills may one day save your life.  Before you commit to a lethal option, ask yourself if you are mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared for the possibility of defending your life, while potentially taking another persons life. This is a dicey subject at best!  The knowledge pertaining to the use of shooting skills is very important, however the gaps in a persons mental and emotional state, must be overcome before anyone that is serious about carrying a gun, i.e. weapon or firearm for personal security, actually does carry. The best idea is to find not just a qualified personal protection instructor, but to enlarge your vision, and find one that could also be an excellent mentor for you.

The Guncrafter M3 is one of the most impressive concealed carry guns that I have ever come across. The .50 caliber GI round was tested by me, “Mark Volpone” CQC specialist for Maricopa Tactical in Phoenix Arizona. I also had our Military/Law Enforcement Veteran instructor from SEAL Team One and Six, as well as a former SWAT Team Leader “Chris Caracci” test the GI system.  Overall we both were very impressed with the handling and functioning of the GI .50 caliber weapon system.

The .50′ GI round is a little shorter, and is slightly larger in diameter then a .45 acp round, and the rim is also reduced to .45 acp specifications.  Looking at the two next to each other the .50 GI rounds slightly dwarfs its cousin the .45acp.  The brass is made by Starline and is beefy and of very good quality. The brass is fully reloadable, and Guncrafter sells the reloading dies.

The GI .50 Commander has felt recoil somewhere between a .45 acp and a 10mm 1911, but without the snapping of the 10mm round.  Since recoil is more of a subjective issue and everyone has a little different opinion on what it means to them, we have given you our opinion to consider.  There are four proprietary rounds made by Guncrafter for the .50 caliber GI handguns. There is the 300 gr TMJ @ 700 fps, the 275 gr Hollow Point @ 875 fps, the 230 gr CHP Hollow point @ 1000 fps and the 185 gr CHP HP @ 1200 fps.

We found no major differences in the placement of rounds or recoil in less than 15 yards.  The 185, 230 and 275 grain HP have felt recoil more like a .45 acp +P, and the 300 grain felt more like a hard hitting .45 acp FMJ round.  The 300 grain groups very well, and is probably the best value for overall CQC training.  The 275 grain is a great all purpose defense and training round, but adds a little more cost and recoil associated to it.  The 230 and 185 grain are machined Guncrafter bullets, and awesome in accuracy, velocity and penetration. Upon impact, both rounds have shown in 10% ballistic gelatin that simulates body flesh composition, that they will expand to a full inch in diameter, or roughly the width of a quarter, and not over penetrate.  The CHP hollow points have pointed petals like a star when expanded, and are significantly higher in price then the other rounds. However after seeing them in action, I wouldn’t leave home without them. http://www.guncrafterindustries.com/50gi-chp.shtml

As far as accuracy with the M3, at 3 to 10 yards was within an inch and a half group from a modified Isosoles stance, with many rounds one on top of the other.  At 15 and 25 yards we had less than a two inch group. We experienced No malfunctions or feed issues during any of the testing phases. I like the Commander size for Concealed Carry, because it is about the same size as a .45 acp Commander, but with a hair more beef to handle the .50 caliber round.

Here are some more features of the GI .50 M3 Commander.  Weighing in at about 35 oz empty, a 7+1 round magazine capacity, a 25 pound flat spring, full length guide rod, and a standard 4.5lb trigger.  I prefer a trigger pull closer to 3lbs myself, but this one is still clean, crisp and consistent.  It has a forged proprietary frame from Guncrafter, a forged slide and a heavy match stainless steel barrel.  They come standard with a parkerized finish, and are available in upgraded black melonite. We had the MT Tactical upgrade package on this M3, which has the tougher melonite finish, shredder grips, ambidextrous safety, bobbed frame for concealed carry, a lighter 3.5lb crisp trigger, Heine or XS Big Dot night sights, and front cocking serrations. Definitely old school 1911 heaven!  I assisted Guncrafter in this M3 design and upgrade options, because I believed it could be the best of the best in 1911 style concealed carry handguns.  There are many nice .45s, but the .50 GI is at the top of the list.

I have carried a many top of the line concealed carry handguns in the last 20+ years, and although the M3 is in the custom handgun price range, the .50 M3 Commander with the MT Tactical upgrades is worth every penny of investment, and peace of mind.

Guncrafter also has the M1 which is the size of a Government 5″, and the M2 is the same size, but with a Light Rail.  We previously did a review and video on the M2, so check it out online. With the added weight of the light rail, the M2 was incredibly balanced and extremely comfortable to shoot, but not practical for most concealed carry situations.

Guncrafter also makes a Conversion Kit of the .50 cal for the Glock 20 and 21.  This kit comes with the slide, barrel assembly and one .50 caliber GI magazine.  It is available in either hard chrome or upgraded to a black melonite finish.

Regardless of your skill level with a concealed carry firearm, or whether you are a new shooter, the person or people you choose to train you can be a significant difference in determining the outcome of a violent attack. Training is more important than whether you carry a .50 caliber, a 9mm or .38 special handgun.  If you are ever attacked, it is so important to compartmentalize the danger, and the fear. You must stay focused and in the moment, and keep your mind on the business at hand of survival that is in front of you. Learn how to manage your crisis awareness, and to be able to react faster or avoid a confrontation completely. Get your mental awareness techniques as sharp as your physical abilities, and gun handling skills.

Contact Mark Volpone at Maricopa Tactical for the structure and functioning of your personal protection, fitness and firearms training, as well as gun sales and gear, or contact a qualified professional in your area.

Your Will and Mind must be Challenged to get the Maximum Results!

Train to Win – Win to Live

Mark Volpone
Director of Training
Maricopa Tactical
www.maricopatactical.com
480.460.0059