Cruel Hand Luke

9AM - 5 PM .

Just a quick heads up for those who like to listen to podcasts...I was a guest on the "That Weems Guy" show Sunday night 4/28/24 with John Hearne and Tammy Bartels with Sherman House handling the hosting duties. The subject matter was Emotional Control and then Instructor Credibility. The episode aired on 4/29/24. Here is the link....That Weems Guy show 4/28/2024 Enjoy !

This one is coming up THIS SATURDAY !!!!!

Hopefully.

April 27th Harris Combative Strategies TN/GA/AL Training Group Training Day (Dayton TN) Subject: Carbine and Pistol Combo Day ! We will be working with both the Pistol and Carbine (can be rifle caliber or pistol caliber). We will focus on reactive shooting with the pistol - Get off the X and defend yourself . And then we will focus on 100+ yard shooting with the rifle. We will start out zeroing your carbine and then move right into the shooting drills to help smooth out your shooting and manipulations. So bring your rifle and your pistol and we will give them a workout ! Instructor: Randy Harris Location: The Ridge Shooting Range 11534 US Hwy 27, Dayton, TN 37321 Time: 9:00 to 3:30pm EASTERN Price: $80 + a $10 Range Fee (range fee needs to be cash paid at class) You can pay through Eventbrite or save the Eventbrite fees and pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). If you plan to pay at class you need to call and RSVP with Randy. What you need to bring: Pistol , at least 1 spare magazine (or speed loader if you bring a revolver), Carbine, at least one spare magazine, 100 rounds of carbine ammo, 100 rounds of pistol ammo , holster, eye and ear protection, clothing appropriate for the weather. Please bring 1 extra EMPTY carbine magazine . Leave one empty so you do not have to unload it to start. Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/april-27-pistol-and-rifle-combo-training-day-dayton-tn-tickets-875615297927?aff=ebdsoporgprofile Paypal – Randy@harriscombative.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 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!

This one is coming up in about 2 months !

This one is coming up this weekend !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harris Combative Strategies Primary Skills for the Armed Citizen The street knowledge, gun handling and marksmanship skills that you need for dealing with criminal assault. Location : Sumner Gun & Supply, LLC 526 West Main Street Gallatin, TN. 37066 https://www.sumnergunstore.com/sign-digital-range-waiver Instructor : Randy Harris (Randy's Bio) This class is the street knowledge, gun handling and marksmanship skills that you need for dealing with criminal assault.. After a brief discussion on legal, moral and ethical considerations we cover dealing with unknown persons that approach you on the street, recognizing the cues of impending criminal assault, taking appropriate action for the situation, use of empty hand techniques, use of pepper spray ,drawing from concealment, delivering fight stopping hits with your pistol, reloads, malfunction clearance and we look at dealing with police after the action is over. Equipment Required: Pistol and at least 2 magazines , carry gear, Eye and Ear Protection Ammo count: 200 Rounds. Price: $200 (Plus a $20 range fee payable to the range at class) Payments can be made through Eventbrite or by by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (Use Friends and Family option or add 3% if you pay it as a Goods and Service) ) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). This will also be listed on Eventbrite if you prefer to sign up there but you can save the Eventbrite fees and tax that they charge by paying me directly. Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/primary-skills-for-the-armed-citizen-tickets-858457869597?aff=ebdsoporgprofile Paypal – cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47

Reminder that this one is coming up THIS SATURDAY !

Harris Combative Strategies TN / GA / AL Training Group ! On Saturday March 23 we will hold a Pistol and Shotgun Training Day at the "usual location" in Pisgah Alabama ! Subject: Shotguns and Pistols Instructor: Randy Harris Randy's Bio Location: Phillips/Edwards Farm 763 County Rd 332 Pisgah AL 35765 (Location is a private location about 40 minutes from downtown Chattanooga TN and about 10 minutes from Ider High School) Time: 9AM - 3PM CENTRAL time Price: $80 – you can pay through Eventbrite or to save the Eventbrite fees you can pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). If you plan to pay at class you need to contact me and RSVP so I can plan for targets and equipment. Eventbrite - Eventbrite Link Paypal – cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 What you need to bring: Pistol, pistol magazines, carry gear and at least 150 rounds of ammo. Revolvers are welcome if you like to party like it is 1899. Shotgun ( Semi Auto or Pump ) and 75 rounds of birdshot and 25 rounds of Buckshot. 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!

Reminder that this one is coming up in a couple of weeks !

Harris Combative Strategies Red Dot Pistol Basics ! Saturday March 9 at Windrock Shooting Range & Training Center we will be holding a Red Dot Training Day! We will be working on some of the basic skills with some drills to get you more comfortable, competent, and confident with your pistol mounted optic ! Instructor - Randy Harris (Randy's Bio) Subject - Red Dot Pistol Basics Location - Windrock Shooting Range 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 Time: 12:30 - 4:30PM Eastern time (after the morning Backup Gun match at Windrock) Price - $80 What you need to bring: Red Dot equipped pistol . I have a few loaners if you do not already have one and would like to attend the class. RSVP with me to reserve a loaner. 200 Rounds of ammo. Holster / mag pouch / carry gear . Eye and ear protection. Drinks and snacks. Payments can be made by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). This will also be listed on Eventbrite if you prefer to sign up there but you can save the Eventbrite fees by paying me directly. Eventbrite - Eventbrite Link Paypal – cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47

Saturday March 2 2024 at Cohutta Pines 367 Old Highway 2 Cisco, GA 30708. Harris Combative Strategies Intro to IDPA class. Do you want to get involved in the exciting and fast paced shooting sport of IDPA but you are not sure how to get started ? Or have you been participating for a while but would like to be able to perform better at matches without it taking years to improve? Or have you been shooting for a long time and just cannot seem to get over the hump and move up in classification? This class is for you ! We will cover the history , basics and rules of the sport and then move into drills that will help you to start cutting time off your match scores and strategies that will help your stage planning. This class also serves as a tune up for the IDPA class taught by Memphis Beach in May at Cohutta Pines. This class is taught by Randy Harris. Randy is a sponsored IDPA shooter who is a Master class competitor in 6 divisions , has won multiple State Championships and finished in the top 10 in his division at the 2023 IDPA World Championships. More info about Randy and all the classes he offers can be found at Harriscombative.com. Location : Cohutta Pines 367 Old Highway 2 Cisco, GA 30708. Time : 1pm to 6pm Saturday March 2 after the monthly IDPA match at Cohutta Pines. Price : $ 70 plus $20 range fee payable to the range. What you need to bring: Pistol , spare magazines or speedloaders , 200 rounds of ammo , eye and ear protection, drinks, snacks , clothing appropriate for the weather, and note taking materials. Payments can be made by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). This will also be listed on Eventbrite if you prefer to sign up there but you can save the Eventbrite fees by paying me directly. Paypal – cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 Eventbrite Link : https://www.eventbrite.com/.../intro-to-idpa-tickets...

Harris Combative Strategies Red Dot Pistol Basics ! Saturday Feb 10th at Windrock Shooting Range & Training Center we will be holding a Red Dot Training Day! We will be working on some of the basic skills with some drills to get you more comfortable, competent, and confident with your pistol mounted optic ! Subject - Red Dot Pistol Basics Location - Windrock Shooting Range 720 Windrock Rd, Oliver Springs, TN 37840 Time: 12:30 - 4:30PM Eastern time (after the morning Backup Gun match at Windrock) Price - $80 What you need to bring: Red Dot equipped pistol . I have a few loaners if you do not already have one and would like to attend the class. RSVP with me to reserve a loaner. 200 Rounds of ammo. Holster / mag pouch / carry gear . Eye and ear protection. Drinks and snacks. Payments can be made by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). This will also be listed on Eventbrite if you prefer to sign up there but you can save the Eventbrite fees by paying me directly. Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/red-dot-pistol-basics-tickets-819082988267?aff=ebdsoporgprofile Paypal – cruelhandluke2000@yahoo.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 And just a 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!

Grossman’s work has some issues. He quotes SLA Marshall who was later proven to be essentially full of crap. There is a long history of humans slaughtering each other at genocidal levels . When Hannibal fought the Romans at Cannea there were 75,000 casualties stabbed and hacked to death that day. Grossman grossly overstates the hesitation for humans to kill other humans.

REMINDER ! This one is coming up this Saturday !

Judging simply by what we know of the Windrock range their match will most likely be 30 yards and closer on the stages. That’s the distance we will be focused on . Essentially “pistol distance” .

January 13 Harris Combative Strategies TN/GA/AL Training Group Training Day (Oliver Springs TN) Subject: Carbine and Pistol Combo Day We will be working with both the Pistol and Carbine (can be rifle caliber or pistol caliber). This can also help serve as a prep session for the Jan 27th 2 gun match at Windrock. Expect a lot of precise shooting with both and transitions between the two . We will start out zeroing your carbine and then move right into the shooting drills to help smooth out your shooting and manipulations. So whether you want to run a 9mm PCC or a 308 Battle Rifle or anything in between bring it and your pistol and we will give them a workout ! Instructor: Randy Harris Location: Windrock Shooting Range & Training Center 720 Windrock Road Oliver Springs, TN 37840 Time: 12:30pm-4:30pm EASTERN Price: $80 – you can pay through Eventbrite or save the Eventbrite fees and pay at class by cash or check or Electronic payment by paypal or venmo (friends and family option) or by credit card (contact Randy by phone 423 827 9133 or by email at randy@harriscombative.com for CC payment). What you need to bring: Pistol , at least 1 spare magazine (or speed loader if you bring a revolver), Carbine, at least one spare magazine, 100 rounds of carbine ammo, 100 rounds of pistol ammo , holster, eye and ear protection, clothing appropriate for the weather. Please bring 1 extra EMPTY carbine magazine . Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tngaal-training-group-pistol-and-carbine-combo-day-tickets-785157706837?aff=oddtdtcreator Paypal – Randy@harriscombative.com Venmo – www.venmo.com/Randy-Harris-47 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!

We had 10 people show up. We do these about 8-10 times a year there at Windrock right after the Backup Gun Match most months. We will be back on January 13th , Feb 10th , March 9, April 13 , May 11th , July 13th , Sep 14th , Oct 12th , Nov 9th , and Dec 14th next year.

I (and @chances R and a couple of other students ) were guests on the After Action Project Podcast discussing the Harris Combative Strategies Fundamentals of Vehicle Defense class. Link to podcast Enjoy !

The dot allows you to do things that you cannot do nearly as easily with irons. The dot does not have to be centered in the window...meaning that no matter where the dot is , if you can see it on the target that is where the bullet will impact. So you are able to aim from contorted positions where it might not be possible to get both the front and rear sight aligned with the eye. The dot also allows for more precise aiming at distant or small targets. And it also allows for focusing on the target and "noticing the dot" instead of focusing on the front sight and noticing the target and the rear sight. It means your focus can remain on the target and you have eliminated one of the 3 focal points (rear sight) from your aiming consideration. And finally the dot allows people who are far sighted (as many people become as they get older) to see the dot even if they cannot see (or see a fuzzy ) front sight. Now do you NEED a dot? No and we can make an argument that inside 5 yards you don't even need SIGHTS at all if your grip, trigger press, and presentation of the pistol are good. But the dot allows you to easily engage targets at distance that would be "iffy " with irons.

This one is coming up in TWO WEEKS !!!

This is coming up THIS WEEKEND !!!!!!!!!

I'm truly blessed to have such good friends .

Next up was the live fire stages. I went on to the pneumatic stage which was a bar with a robbery/murder in progress, where again having been disarmed upon entry I picked up a fallen bartender’s revolver ,reloaded it and searched for my sister. Some practitioners did not think to check to make sure the revolver was loaded. Some did not even see the spare ammo. Some did not make sure the brass in the cylinder was in fact loaded ammo. I cleared the structure and saved my sister. Ammo management was an issue as some folks used to carrying auto pistols fired 4 or 5 rounds into the first target and used up half their ammo on that one target. I shot sparingly and used cover and reloaded the revolver as necessary , never running it dry. On the “Mystery Gun” stage I was in the doctors office and had to clear my way out of the structure using an exposed hammer double barrel shotgun, 5 rounds picked up off the ground, and a flashlight that should have been thrown away last year ! When asked where I was shooting the targets because they fell quickly I told them.” In the face”. Not the answer they expected apparently, but it was effective . At short range room clearing distance you need to put the BGs down NOW. What better way than a load of 12 gauge shot in the eye? I also “tac loaded” the shotgun. That is I would fire 1 round and reload 1.That way if I had to fire 2 at any point I would be able to. Some were very uncomfortable with the gun. I was intimately familiar with it from all the time I have spent with “cowboy” guns. It is a good idea to have a working knowledge of more than just the equipment you carry on a regular basis. Interestingly some of the Marine contingent used the shotgun to butt stroke opponents. Gotta love the Marines! Next was the “standards – or lack thereof” stage where you shoot several preordained courses of fire. This tests your ability to work your equipment. I will admit I was expecting to do pretty well here, but gremlins reared their ugly heads on one string of fire. On the malfunction clearance string my “Tap , Rack” was less than robust and I had to do it twice, eating up precious time. I had spent the prior weekend telling people in the class I taught to not be worried about hurting their guns. Manipulate them forcefully! Of course I then proceeded to not get a good grip on the slide and short stroked the rack. Talk about irony! The other stage had you engage 2 targets each near to far from both the right and left side of cover behind a wall. I had an overall 1st place time for the event on that one. In fact John Hearne finished 1st on the 1st standards stage and I finished 1st on the other and Tom Givens finished 2nd overall on both. On the next stage I was sent into the “school” to make a speech. This took place on the 360 degree range. As I waited for my guide to lead me to the gym all hell broke loose. With it being a school, I was unarmed of course before I was allowed entry. I grabbed my steel bodied writing pen in a Pikal grip and stabbed the first knife armed target repeatedly in the jugular with the pen. I then got behind cover and found the security guard laying on the floor unresponsive. I took his Ruger P85 and checked to make sure it was loaded (it only had 3 rounds), found his spare mag (half loaded) and proceeded to work my way through the problem. One issue with the “core” targets is the solid core only goes to the lower part of the face. So eye socket shots which are what we train for do no good. Unfortunately I ate up a lot of my ammo discovering that. The range officer who monitors the stage through video and communicates with us through a head set tried to tell me to stop shooting, but that headset mutes out when gunshots are going off. So now I have an empty gun and 1 target left to engage around a corner. I went back and got the knife from the guy I stabbed with the pen and crouched at the corner. I then leaped out hurling the P85 at the bad guy mannequin hitting him squarely in the head and knocking him down. I then pounced on him stabbing him repeatedly in the carotid artery and ran out the door. The next stage was the courthouse where I fully expected to be disarmed again. My pepper spray and knives and sap were secured and as I put my spare magazine in the gun box an explosion rocked the courthouse. Oh joy! I got to use my own gun! I used a combination of slow pieing and dynamic movement to clear the building and find my niece who was there to hear me testify. I got the key card from the wounded security officer and called 911 for him. Unfortunately I did not thoroughly check the closet I pulled my niece out of. I missed the guy deep in the closet. My otherwise stellar run was ruined by that careless blunder. Better to learn this hard lesson here than on the street. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and stay focused instead of getting caught up in the events unfolding. Lesson learned. The final stage was an airport scenario where you are being picked up by your sister. All of your firearms are in locked cases per TSA regulations. You are also in possession of a Stag Arms left handed AR15 you are supposed to evaluate. I will tell you that there is just really no quick way to get cased unloaded guns that are separate from their ammo up and running . We were confronted by several AK armed terrorists at distances from 15 to 150 yards. You also needed to drag your wounded sister to cover and get her to the medic. I was preparing to put a tourniquet on her when the medic told me to bring her to him. In the heat of things I forgot about the core of the target not going to the ocular window and directed 4 rounds through the head of a target with the AR15 before I remembered they have to be body hits to knock ’em down. This left me using my pistol on the far targets, one at about 100 yards and one at about 150 up on a hill. I hit the far one, but never could dial in on the 100 yard one but I caused him worry and consternation with my near misses. He “ran off” and the stage was over. That evening we retired to the conference room to hear Tom Givens’ presentation on 7 shootings involving his students in Memphis. As always quick violent counter attack launched without hesitation or mercy wins the day and did in these cases as well. Also there was no time to go get a gun. CARRY YOUR GUN ON YOU! Next up was John Hearne’s lecture on the culture and experience of the criminals we are likely to face on the street. He postulates (correctly in my humble estimation) that they are in fact a different species and have different life experiences and often much more experience with violence than good people do. The next day we piled in the van and drove to the Gettysburg battlefield. I had of course seen it on TV before but until you are there it just doesn’t have the same effect. We stood at the Confederate lines where on day two of the battle the Alabama troops finally arrived on the field. They had marched 25 miles that day to arrive at 4pm and their orders upon arrival were to take the steep hill called Little Round Top. The shear determination of those men and their will to fight must have been incredibly inspiring. We then stood on little round top where Union officer Strong Vincent was wounded by southern sharpshooters while rallying his men to drive back the Alabamans. Again the terrain of the field and steepness of the hill gives you a very different perspective and you see what these men faced. We then toured the confederate position at the base of Little Round top around the Devil’s Den and saw just how far those sharpshooters were that took such a heavy toll on the union lines. Amazing. In an age of finely made technologically advanced military rifles, I question whether anyone now could be the match of those sharpshooters. We then went to Cemetery Ridge and the Angle and looked out over the vast expanse that Confederate general Pickett’s men had to cross under withering rifle fire and cannon shot to close with and actually penetrate into the union lines before being repulsed in fierce hand to hand fighting with rifle butt and bayonets. We stood at the spot where General Lewis Armistead led his troops into the union lines and fell. There was a marker there surrounded by several small confederate flags that visitors had placed there at its base. I crossed over the low stone wall the union soldiers used for cover and walked barefoot in the field that some of the Army of Northern Virginia’s bravest charged barefoot across trying to take that hill. Powerful stuff that frankly makes me marvel at their fortitude and question whether I could ever even come close to measuring up to that kind of bravery under those conditions………And then we retreated back to Harrisburg. That evening we heard John Holschen’s lecture on “Terrorist Techniques and Tactics Update” and a lecture by another presenter who I’m not sure how much I should mention about on the “Evolution of Islamic Militancy.” Doctor Glen Meyer also gave a short presentation on some interesting findings from a study on whether what type of gun used effects the sentencing in a bad shooting. Again, as we say all the time …righteous shootings tend to not matter what gun was used. A good shoot is a good shoot. But then again we live in more reasonable jurisdictions than some. On Friday we lounged around and that evening there was the panel discussion about teaching people the skills they need versus the skills they think they need. It was a quandary over how to convince civilian students that what they need to know differs from what police and military use in their work. Also discussed was how to attract students to classes that teach them how to think, not just how to shoot. Then we went for our daily trip to Brusters Ice Cream. Yes the ice cream stand was frequented every night by an alarming number of steely eyed gunmen. What can we say ? We like our ice cream. Afterwards we retired to the pub for more story telling and camaraderie. Saturday brought the pairs force on force. John Hearne and I partnered up for this evolution. I was actually kind of worried that I would get John killed or otherwise let him down. It is one thing to screw up and get yourself killed but to screw up and get your buddy killed….. In the first scenario we were testifying in court (disarmed as usual ) when the defendant’s girlfriend entered and tried to help him escape. I warned the bailiff that someone was coming up the hall, but the bailiff was shot before she could react. John jumped up and snatched the gun from the girlfriend as I leaped from the witness stand to assist. We were congratulated on solving it so quickly. John really gets all the credit there for his quick reaction. I was under the gun the whole time she came up the hallway and could only wait for him to make the first move. He didn’t hesitate and we survived. Next was another trip to the school and the obligatory disarming. Do we see a pattern here for the week? I was told to stay with the security guard while the auditorium was prepped. John went to the restroom and then the explosion went off. The security guard called for backup and told me to stay put while he investigated. Of course he was shot immediately as he opened the door. With the school on lock down I could not escape through the door I came in so I picked up his revolver and took cover in that small outer room. Laying there wounded he warned me to not get involved. I gave him a tourniquet and told him to put it on to stop bleeding while I covered the door and waited for the reinforcements to arrive. I could hear the attackers yelling “kill them all”. I did not yell to John as I knew if they knew we were there together they would tell me to come out or they’d execute him. I wasn’t going to come out because then they would then execute BOTH of us. As I later told the judges, this was not going to be my Little Big Horn. I kept moving so that they would not know where in the room I was and each time they opened the door I would shoot one of them from a different direction. Finally I think this took their attention off of John long enough for him to escape out the back and link up with the SWAT team. He informed them he is a federal law enforcement officer and asked for a backup gun to go back in, but he was told they were just holding perimeter. I continued to shoot whoever opened the door until the last bad guy and I exchanged shots and he missed and I didn’t. The scenario was deemed over. The way they had envisioned it was that I would exit the room and get a gun from one of the terrorists and clear the building working my way to my friend. Of course my own plan was not what they expected and they were now reacting to me not the other way around. This broke down their OODA loops and gave us the advantage. I had learned my lesson in the courthouse on Wednesday. This time I would be the man in the closet. We not only survived but won the fights in both team FOF scenarios and retired to the hotel for the debriefing and then the banquet. After the debrief we added a new crewman to our merry little band. One of the Marines joined us as our world view more closely matched his own than some who were questioning his aggressiveness. But sometimes aggressive counter attack is all that works. After all it is hereditary. He’s from South Louisiana …Scots-Irish…a Marine….a new addition to “Givens Khan’s Mongoloid Horde”! At the banquet John Farnam gave a moving speech on the importance of passing on what we learn to younger guys so the information is not lost and have to be relearned on some foreign battlefield. Skip Gochenour summarized the story of Beowulf and how a small group of righteous warriors is all it takes to defend society from evil. A big thanks to Skip and Hirsch and Jim and all the team members for a job well done. It is a LOT of work to put this event on. My hat is off to them. As far as equipment goes I used my Glock 34 I carry everyday with 19 round magazines. I carried it IWB in my Blade Tech Universal Fits All Glock holster. I used a Glock 26 with 12 rd mag carried in a Mitch Rosen pocket holster as my backup gun. You can only carry 1 spare mag if you have a hi cap pistol so between primary, backup and spare mag I carried a total of 52 rounds of CCI Gold Dot 124+P ammo. I also carried my Clinch Pick, Boston Leather Sap, Fox Labs OC, and my blow out kit(aren’t cargo shorts wonderful?) and cell phone and Surefire G2. I never used the flashlight and never even had to draw the backup gun. For that matter, I never even fired a full mag. I did do a proactive reload at least once – just in case-, but didn’t ever fire enough to empty a whole mag. Of course most of the scenarios had us unarmed and using picked up guns anyway so my opportunities to actually empty a magazine were somewhat limited. In the FOF scenarios I carried the J frame in a $7 nylon holster made by Double Triple brand I bought at a gun store in West Virginia we stopped to look in on the way. Tom suggested we get holsters for the FOF J frames so we would not have to just stick ’em in our pockets or waistbands. Beware those sneaky old bald guys. I carried the revolver A-IWB . I carried the spare J frame ammo loose in my pocket. Frankly I just didn’t think to bring a speed loader,(or to buy one in the gun store) but I didn’t need it either. From what I remember John Hearne. used a Sig 220St and a SW640, Tom used a Glock 35 and Khar arms 9mm, John Justice used a 1911 and a Khar, Jeff Boardman. used a Glock 35 and a Khar. I think the only one of us to pull the backup gun was John J. in the courthouse. He pulled it as a “tac load” (his single stack gun was running low) on his way out of the building, but never had to fire it. Now for some numbers. In FOF scenarios I fired 8 shots and scored 8 solid hits. I fired 5 shots in the restaurant all one handed using Alternative Indexing Methods. After all I was shooting reactively. I scored 5 hits (4 fatal torso hits and 1 arm hit) on 3 targets in a dimly lit room in the span of about 3 seconds. In the courthouse in the team FOF I fired 3 CAREFULLY aimed torso shots as I was shooting proactively waiting for them to come to me. As I continuously say, it is not “either sights or alternative indexing” it is all of the above! The better you can shoot…the better you can shoot no matter the circumstance. More importantly than just shooting, I did not get killed in any of the interactive FOF scenarios. I’m pretty happy with my performance for a first time participant. Did I make some dumb mistakes that I knew better of in the shoot houses? Yes. But I learned from them and didn’t make them in the team FOF. But did my training carry me through when it was real live interaction? ABSOLUTELY. It is a big validation of our program when a first timer goes there and survives all the FOF and scores 100% hit ratio. I have to thank all the guys who’s training has gotten me to where this was possible. Gabe Suarez , Southnarc, Tom Givens, William Aprill, Paul Gomez, Marc Denny , Tom Sotis, Henk Iverson and everyone else who has worked with me in local groups. And a big thanks to Tom for inviting me, and John J. John H. and Jeff B. for making this trip a great experience. Ice cream anyone? In the pic left to right John Justice, Jeff Boardman , Me , Tom Givens and John Hearne is taking the picture in front of Brusters Ice Cream.