Cruel Hand Luke

From the TN/GA/AL Training Group meeting Saturday 7/17/21 Rastoff's Challenge . The course of fire is ... 4 rounds at 3 yards 6 rounds at 5 yards 6 rounds at 7 yards 4 rounds at 10 yards All rounds must be inside the X ring for a perfect score. The X is about 2" by 3" . Breaking the line does NOT go to the higher score. No time limit. Pure accuracy test. This was the first pistol drill we shot.

Agreed.

So if you wouldn't bring a rifle into the hotel then you'd leave it in the vehicle unattended in the parking lot? It's coming into the hotel with me (and everything else I don't want stolen) and getting taken with me when I leave the room. I don't even like leaving my clothes in a hotel room unattended.... Now the biggest problem here is that it was in Chicago with their draconian gun laws. If this were Jackson MS, or Memphis Tn, or Savannah GA, or Fort Walton FL, or Harrisburg PA, or Shepherdsville KY, or Little Rock AR or Prescott AZ, or Ann Arbor MI, or any number of other cities I have traveled to either taking or teaching classes or just simply vacationing (with a long gun and loaded mags each time) then this would not be an issue. But the fact that it was A in Illinois and B in Chicago is where this becomes a problem and C if you are going to have to leave it in the room you are going to need to put the do not disturb sign up and hide it somewhere like behind the fridge or somewhere that the casual observer does not see without having to put forth some effort.

We get calls everyday from people that got "just the leads" or "bullet heads" when they were expecting AMMO when they ordered something listed as BULLETS .

Nice !

Here is an article about NYPD and their shooting prowess.... https://citylimits.org/2016/11/29/nypd-gets-pressure-from-the-right-on-guns/ Pay attention to this passage.... According to the NYPD’s annual firearms discharge report, individual officers fired fewer than 15 rounds in 89 percent of the combat incidents in which the NYPD was involved last year. Sixty-five percent of officers involved in what the PD calls “adversarial” shootings in 2015 fired five or fewer bullets. What that just said is that in 35% of the incidents they fired more than 5 and in 11% they fired 15 or MORE .

The problem is that the less it will penetrate drywall the less it will penetrate the bad guys.... There are no legit "bumper sticker sized" answers to this. Things are complex. If you want a round that will not penetrate things you need either a light weight thing (ping pong balls are notoriously bad at penetrating things) or something designed to break apart that is moving extremely fast. Some people recommend birdshot for shotguns. In my opinion that's a suboptimal idea. The tiny little pellets make penetration through multiple layers of drywall less likely but at the same time they also make penetration deep enough to hit vital organs less likely on the guy or guys you are trying to stop. Birdshot wounds tend to be nasty looking surface wounds with little penetration unless you shoot them from 3 feet away (or closer) . I'm frankly more concerned with making that guy who is trying to kill me stop what he is doing immediately when I hit him than I am about what happens in an uninhabited room IF I miss him. And in fact my HD shotgun is loaded with full power 000 buck because semi autos run more reliably with full power shells and 000 patterns tighter than full power 00 loads due to the way the pellets are stacked (8 vs 9 ) in the shell. Tighter pattern is less likely to have a "flier" that misses. If you run a pump I'd roll with the Federal Low Recoil Flight Control 00 or Flight control #1 buck. Flight control delivers extremely tight patterns ...especially at across the room distance. Bird shot is for birds...not people , some of whom are the size of black bears. On .223 things are complicated by barrel twist. If you want the least penetration and a round that will still probably perform well enough to stop someone reliably then the 40 grain Blitzking or Hornady V-Max round at about 3600 - 3700fps will break up when it hits something but still ruin the bad guy's day when he gets hit with it. IIRC Phoenix PD had good results with it out of their Steyr Augs in the 1990s. The down side is that a 1/7 twist barrel can spin the jackets off of 40 grain bullets in flight because of the extreme speed. But then again how far will they be flying in your house? Maybe 7 or 8 yards? If you are running a 1/7 twist I might go with a 50 or 55 gr V-max . The 55gr V-max is what I have loaded in my AUG (1/9 twist) for indoors and 55 gr gold dots for outdoor use. It seems odd that we never seem to really devote much time to worrying about our Gold Dots or HST or DPX rounds in our CCW pistols penetrating too much on a miss in the streets where there is a whole world of people out there to potentially be hit but we are terrified of what a miss will do inside a house.... This seems kind of ironic when we are shooting a shoulder fired weapon which is far easier to hit with than a pistol and the longest shot you are taking in most houses is overwhelmingly likely to be less than 10 yards and generally at someone who is closing distance with you.... I think if we just spent more time actually becoming better shooters the other stuff takes care of itself.

THIS ONE IS COMING UP THIS SATURDAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JULY 10 we will be at the Windrock Shooting Range for a meeting of the TN/GA/AL training group. "How Qualified Are You?" Training Day at Windrock Shooting Range 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 (https://windrockshootingrange.com/) Time is 12:30PM to 4:30PM EASTERN TIME. Price is $80 and you will need 120 rounds of pistol ammo and 50 rds of rifle ammo. This one will take place right after the monthly Back Up Gun Match at Windrock . If you want to REALLY test your skills come shoot the BUG match and then shoot the Training Day qualifications with your backup gun ! So again the time on this is 12:30PM to 4:30PM Subject: HOW QUALIFIED ARE YOU ? Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: Windrock 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 DATE : Saturday July 10 Time: 12:30 PM EASTERN time - 4:30PM EASTERN time Price: $80 - pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) Paypal - cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo - www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What you need to bring: Pistol, at least 2 pistol magazines and at least 100 rounds of pistol ammo. Revolvers are welcome if you want to party like it is 1899. A Rifle and 50 rounds of rifle ammo. I will try to have ammo available for those who want to replenish what they shoot. We will be shooting some challenging warm up drills and then the Federal Air Marshal pistol qualification, FBI pistol AND RIFLE qualification courses and a few others. I will also keep records of these (if you are happy with your scores) for future reference and use . This will serve to get your shooting prowess on record by a third party in case it is ever needed in the future in some legal matter. This is also something your church might like to have for their records if you are a member of a church security team. As far as the courts are concerned if it isn't documented it didn't happen so this is an opportunity to get some official scores on paper in case you ever need them . Not only that but it will be a good day of shooting some somewhat challenging and well known courses of fire. This is an EXCELLENT chance to bring someone you know who might need a "reality check" on where their skills actually are. We all know people who are gun owners who keep threatening to get some training. The training days (especially the pistol qual day) are a great way to get them into that and show them what is possible with some directed practice and see where they REALLY are at their present skill level. And it is a good chance to get to meet people with the same interests that don't think you are "crazy".

And THAT is part of the problem, the fact that there is a lot of confusing stuff and that essentially everything in TN is illegal , there are just "exceptions" to the law . These laws were largely written to allow for discretion in certain circumstances and not in others but that is a discussion for another time and place.

From 1996 until 2018(?) if you wanted to legally carry a pistol on your person either concealed or openly out in public you got a HCP (Handgun Carry Permit). Then they created a CCP (Concealed Carry Permit) that requires concealed carry and has further restrictions than the standard HCP had and no reciprocity with other states. So the governor and legislature allegedly want to pass "Constitutional Carry" so instead of eliminating the one sentence in TCA that would make it possible they end up creating a new permit with less benefits and an ambiguous and confusing change to the law that now allows people over 21 who can legally own a pistol to carry them (most places but not public parks or greenways) but with further restrictions and it is all just a mess. Here's an idea that would not take a lot of legal or political gymnastics to accomplish. Make the ECP a TRUE "enhanced" permit. If you choose to take the class you can carry ANYWHERE not forbidden by Federal Law. ANYWHERE . Signs have no force of law anymore. You have reciprocity with other states. (I'd also suggest changing the "no alcohol" to simply "as long as you are under the legal limit to drive" like Pennsylvania and several other states but I also know that is very unlikely to happen) If you cannot afford the +/- $70 for the class plus the $100 for the Enhanced Permit or you just don't want to fool with getting it and you are a resident of TN (and you can legally own a pistol) then you would have the right to carry inside the borders of TN but with no reciprocity (not because I believe you shouldn't but because we cannot force other states to allow people from our state with no permit to carry there) but all other features and restrictions would be same as the current HCP is now. Pretty simple.

It is not a perfect world. People don't all respect other people, or their rights . Some people commit crime. Some people don't like guns. Some people don't like people carrying guns. Some people don't like being around people carrying guns - even if they are uniformed police. Some people don't like it that some people choose to not helpless and some people (and businesses) are more worried about perceived liability and the bottom line than anything else. And while we should all be able to do pretty much whatever we want as long as it does not harm others we all know that that is just not reality. So having said all of that , Since apparently the legislature is not going to implement "Constitutional Carry" by simply removing from TCA 39-17-1307 "A person commits an offense who carries, with the intent to go armed, a firearm or a club." then we are operating under the hodgepodge of rules as currently written. And until they decide what exactly they are trying to accomplish with making it kind a sorta legal to carry without a permit in some places but not others then what I'd like to see is the signage have no power of law. They can ask you to leave at which point if you refuse you can be arrested for trespassing but the carrying past the sign would have no legal consequences. In fact I think a good way to get that ball rolling is to eliminate the restrictions on where you can carry if you have an "enhanced permit" or whatever they are calling the "standard" permit now.

JULY 10 we will be at the Windrock Shooting Range for a meeting of the TN/GA/AL training group. "How Qualified Are You?" Training Day at Windrock Shooting Range 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 (https://windrockshootingrange.com/) Time is 12:30PM to 4:30PM EASTERN TIME. Price is $80 and you will need 120 rounds of pistol ammo and 50 rds of rifle ammo. This one will take place right after the monthly Back Up Gun Match at Windrock . If you want to REALLY test your skills come shoot the BUG match and then shoot the Training Day qualifications with your backup gun ! So again the time on this is 12:30PM to 4:30PM Subject: HOW QUALIFIED ARE YOU ? Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: Windrock 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 DATE : Saturday July 10 Time: 12:30 PM EASTERN time - 4:30PM EASTERN time Price: $80 - pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) Paypal - cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo - www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What you need to bring: Pistol, at least 2 pistol magazines and at least 100 rounds of pistol ammo. Revolvers are welcome if you want to party like it is 1899. A Rifle and 50 rounds of rifle ammo. I will try to have ammo available for those who want to replenish what they shoot. We will be shooting some challenging warm up drills and then the Federal Air Marshal pistol qualification, FBI pistol AND RIFLE qualification courses and a few others. I will also keep records of these (if you are happy with your scores) for future reference and use . This will serve to get your shooting prowess on record by a third party in case it is ever needed in the future in some legal matter. This is also something your church might like to have for their records if you are a member of a church security team. As far as the courts are concerned if it isn't documented it didn't happen so this is an opportunity to get some official scores on paper in case you ever need them . Not only that but it will be a good day of shooting some somewhat challenging and well known courses of fire. This is an EXCELLENT chance to bring someone you know who might need a "reality check" on where their skills actually are. We all know people who are gun owners who keep threatening to get some training. The training days (especially the pistol qual day) are a great way to get them into that and show them what is possible with some directed practice and see where they REALLY are at their present skill level. And it is a good chance to get to meet people with the same interests that don't think you are "crazy". ON JULY 17 2021 we will be meeting at the "regular place" for the TN/GA/AL Training Group. This one will be a bit more convenient for the Alabama and Georgia members than the one in Oliver Springs on July 10 . Subject: HOW QUALIFIED ARE YOU ? Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: Phillips /Edwards Farm 763 County Rd 332 Pisgah AL 35765 (about 35 min SW of Chattanooga) Time: 9AM CENTRAL TIME - 3PM CENTRAL TIME ! Price: $80 - pay at class by cash or check or you can pay by electronic payment by paypal or venmo (Friends and family option) Paypal - cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo - www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What you need to bring: Pistol, at least 2 pistol magazines and at least 150 rounds of pistol ammo. Revolvers are welcome if you want to party like it is 1899. A Rifle and 50 rounds of rifle ammo. I will try to have some pistol ammo available for folks who want to replenish what they shoot. We will be shooting some challenging warm up drills and then the Air Marshal , FBI pistol AND RIFLE qualification courses and many others. I will also keep records of these (if you are happy with your scores) for future reference and use . This will serve to get your shooting prowess on record by a third party in case it is ever needed in the future in some legal matter. This is also something your church might like to have for their records if you are a member of a church security team. And finally ON AUGUST 15TH we will be at The Ridge in Dayton TN "Close or Far Rifles Are the Best " Subject: Close or Far Rifles are the Best Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: The Ridge 11534 Rhea County HWY , HWY 27 Dayton TN 37321 Time: 9AM EASTERN time - 3:30PM EASTERN time Price: $80 - pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo. Paypal - cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo - www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What you need to bring: A Rifle and 150 rounds of rifle ammo. At least 2 rifle mags and a way to carry them. Pistol and at least 25 rounds of pistol ammo. We will be working on both close range get off the X type shooting and longer range (100 +) shooting. And just a final reminder EVERYONE is welcome ! The TN/GA/AL Training Group started as a way for alumni of classes taught by Randy Harris to get together and stay current on skills and get some coaching in a one day format at a discounted price from what a normal class would cost. As it continued to grow we opened it up to ANYONE who is interested in coming out and learning some skills and just seeing what it is that we do and meet some new people with the same interests. So even if you are not an alum of one of my classes you are welcome to come join us!

If you have noticed there has been a worldwide uptick in knife attacks by religious extremists over the last few years. Knives are far more easy to procure than a gun and easily concealed. Most people never get any training in dealing with knife attacks and if they survive them it is largely more due to luck or the ineptitude of the attacker than any skillful countermeasure from the victim. This class deals explicitly with reacting to those close range knife attacks and gives you skills and strategies to deal with them should the unthinkable situation arise.

This one is coming up this Saturday !!!

If you look in the background of the pic with Tom and me shaking hands you can see the targets. If I understand your question, all the targets we used were the same but they do make that target in at least 3 variations where the shapes are in different locations and have different numbers. You can see them here..... LE Targets Discretionary Command Targets

For those not familiar with the drill a word of explanation might be in order..... The Casino Drill was created by Tom Givens as a way of practicing accurate shooting at speed, target discrimination, reloads, and thinking with gun in hand. The target is 6 numbered shapes that are shot in order with the same number of rounds as the face value of the target. That is shoot #1 once, #2 twice , #3 three times etc . That adds up to 21 rounds. You NORMALLY start with 7 rounds in the gun, seven rounds in a spare mag, and 7 rounds in a second spare mag. (21 rounds) . And par time to "pass" is 21 seconds. So 21 rounds and 2 reloads distributed among 6 different targets in 21 seconds. When you first do this drill that accomplishes all of those things it is designed to work. But as you shoot it more and more and become accustomed to it, it simply becomes a race to the pre determined #s where you will reload and then you just shoot the correct number of rounds left on that target after the reload (3 on #4 and then 1 on #5 after the reload ) and your time is largely effected by whether your reloads are smooth or not and whether you have any misses The having to think is really curtailed by "knowing how to play the game" . Now there are a few ways to make it difficult again... You can make them shoot it starting with #6 and working backwards, or you can make them change the #of rounds in the magazines and instead of loading them 7 , 7, 7 you load them 6 , 7 , 8 or any other combo of such. Since this was an Instructor level event and everyone there has probably shot it more than once in the past (and some probably practiced shooting it leading up to that weekend) Tom had us shoot it COLD (first thing at 8AM Sunday morning with NO WARMUP) and load mags with 6 , 7, and 8 rounds and then mix up the magazines so that we did not know which was in the gun and which were in which mag pouch. This brought the "randomness" of where to reload and kept you from just racing to the predetermined reload positions without having to involve any mental effort on WHEN to reload and how many more shots were needed on that particular target after the reload. As John Hearne mentioned... Once the reloads became random there wasn't anyone turning in anything close to a 10 or 11 second time. (Incidentally the record for the Casino Drill is something like 10.33 ) . So there it is . It was shot cold - no warmup- 1st thing in the morning . We loaded magazines with 6 , 7 and 8 rounds, mixed up the mags so we wouldn't know which were in the gun and how many rounds were in which mag in which pouch and we shot it 1-6 on the numbered shapes.

TN / GA / AL Training Group! On Saturday JUNE 26 we will hold a meeting of the TN/GA/AL Training Group in the Chattanooga Area ! Subject: My First Knife Fight ! Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: Ooltewah United Methodist Church Gym 6131 Relocation Way Ooltewah, TN 37363 Time: 9AM EASTERN time - 3PM EASTERN time Price: $80 - pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo. Paypal- cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo - www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What You Need to Bring: NOK trainer knife. I have several NOK Trainer loaners. You will also need eye protection. Shooting glasses are fine. Also a good idea is to get 2 "thigh wraps" or "back wraps" from Walmart to use as cheap forearm guards. They are not mandatory but they are a really good idea as they will save you a lot of forearm soreness later. Snacks and drinks. NO AMMO is needed so there's no ammo expense, so all you need is a NOK training knife (loaners are available) eye pro and back wrap . If you want to purchase your own NOK trainer you can get them here...https://shivworkspg.com/product/nok-training-knives/ get the "Hummingbird" they are about $25 and delivery is fast...maybe 2 or 3 days. The primary skills we work on will be empty hand vs knife - keeping the bad guys from turning us into a pin cushion - accessing our own tools (knife ?, gun?, sap?, blackjack?, hand grenade?) and then using it to keep your attacker at bay. As far as footwear goes it is a basketball floor so no boots please. Just regular tennis shoes .!!!! IMPORTANT LUNCH INFO Last time we decided to go straight through instead of stopping for lunch. We then did a long and LEASURELY lunch afterwards at a local restaurant. So I'm going to suggest we eat afterwards. Just bring something to snack on and we will take a 30 min break to eat and rest during the normal lunch time. Hope to see you there !

Casino Drill Coin

Casino Drill Coin Presentation

Casino Drill at the Rangemaster Instructor Reunion in Athens Ga 6/13/21 20210613_082108.mp4

I find carrying about 2 o'clock to be the most comfortable of the IWB positions for me. It is still fast ( legit sub 1 second draw to first shot from concealment on a timer ) as AIWB but more comfy for me. I carry a G34 or a G17 that way in a holster with the FBI cant. So essentially take your holster that you would be wearing at the 4 o'clock position and move it forward so that the barrel of the gun goes right under the watch pocket of your jeans. The grip then kind of disappears into you. Here's a pic of me (black shirt) carrying an RMR equipped G17 at 2 o'clock, clinch pick knife at 11:30 o'clock and spare 24rd G17 mag IWB at 11 o'clock ...

The Instructors....

The participants....

On June 5th some members the TN/GA/AL training group did a private class at Ronnie Dodd's range in Sale Creek TN ( https://doddtraining.com/) and spent the day shooting the Rogers Reactive Target Range. Some of you may be familiar with the Rogers Shooting School. Ronnie was the chief instructor at Rogers for 15 years and he has two bays (and soon to be three) of the Rogers Reactive Targets at his range in Sale Creek. I took the class in 2015 and got an Advanced Ranking and use some of their methodologies in my own classes (http://harriscombative.com) . We have known each other for over 20 years so Ronnie and I conspired to put together a private class for the TN/GA/AL Training Group so that they could experience the Rogers system without having to sign up for the full class , and so that they'd have a better feel for why I recommend it so highly. This was a chance for my training group guys (and gals) to learn first hand about "Reactive Shooting" where you have a minimal amount of time to shoot a target that will appear and then disappear. Just like in a real life, you won't have all the time you want, just the time that is available. Ronnie presented the material just as he would in a full blown class and I assisted by shooting demos for the drills and providing coaching to the shooters. They essentially shot about 80% of Day 1 of the Rogers Reactive class. It was both challenging and fun and as one member said.... "Everyone had both victories and defeats without it being soul crushing ...and it was a lot of fun, plus we didn't have to pay for the full class to get a taste of what it is all about....I'm looking forward to signing up for the full class sometime now." A couple of the participants are TGO regulars and hopefully they will pop in and comment. The Range....