Everyone should have a well-stocked medical kit. More-so, I think that all gun owners should have, at the very least, a small kit to deal with the injuries they have an increased chance of encountering. We all enjoy watching YouTube videos of “people doing dumb things and getting injured” but rarely do we see any of these “influencers” applying basic first aid. Let’s take a look at what should be in a gun owner’s EDC First Aid Kit.

Over the last few months, I have posted up a few different articles about the benefits of steel targets when training with a handgun or rifle. One complaint I’ve read in the comments section is the fact some of you guys can’t run steel at your range. That’s understandable and had me thinking about people who can only run paper targets.  I’ve decided to start running drills from various websites and will give you the pros and cons of each drill. I figured it would be a great way to give shooters a tool to use when looking for new drills on range day.

To perfect your draw you want consistency. If your holster is rising with the gun when you draw, you are adding an unnecessary variable to your draw. This negatively impacts the shooter’s grip.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) does a lot of advocacy and good works within the firearms community, that is no doubt. One of their premier initiatives has been Project Childsafe. For 20 years now that program has increased awareness of safe firearms handling and storage practices among millions of gun owners, helped reduce accidental firearms deaths to historic lows and become an indispensable firearms safety education resource for partners in every state and the U.S. territories.

With the 4th of July just passing by, I tend to get a ton of requests from friends and co-workers to go out and learn how to shoot. Typically in the past, I will pass on taking new people out to shoot, but lately, I have switched my position. Many of you don’t know but my day job is a special ed teacher at a public school. The majority of people who work with me know about my love for shooting and the outdoors but tend to fear what’s unknown to them. I used to keep to myself but over the last few years, I have gotten more and more people requesting to go out and shoot with me. It’s important to get people out to the range and trying new things even if it is their first time.

Advanced Target Technologies has just released a Simunition/UTM version of their Lumatic Target Plates. The system is designed for target designation and hit notification with sensors that display information via self healing LED lights. The Sim/UTM Lumatic Targets complement ATT’s current system for live fire training available here. Details, links and information can be found below.

Let’s face it, whether it’s in a large open field or at an indoor range, we all had to learn how to shoot at some point. None of us wake up having amazing fundamentals without firing a shot. I get a fair amount of questions from new shooters asking what the best method of learning how to shoot is and where they should go. The two most common methods of learning how to shoot are slowly with a close friend or family member at a shooting range, or taking classes from a professional instructor. Honestly, both ways can be beneficial but we can run through each method and talk about the pros and cons to each.

I really like when large companies besides publishing product promotional and news content also come up with useful tips and drop knowledge bombs. These companies employ some of the industry’s most professional folks and I am sure any of them can produce such educational content like the recently published Savage Arms video where Patrick Kelley explains the offhand shooting technique called Approach Shooting.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves returns to Taran Tactical Innovations to train with Taran Butler, Keanu Reeves’ trainer for John Wick 1 and John Wick 2. Unlike episodes 1 and 2 of “how to shoot like John Wick”, episode 3 will look at shooting a pistol caliber carbine and/or submachinegun, much like the SIG MPX used in John Wick 3: Parabellum. Want to know how to shoot like John Wick? Make sure to check out the Taran Tactical playlist.

If you aren’t familiar with the Shooter Symposium, let me fill you in. The Symposium is a 4-day annual event put on by The Ranch TX, southeast of Austin, TX. They bring together some of the top names in the firearms industry to put on classes and share knowledge with all those in attendance.

Shoot houses and Close Quarter Battle (CQB) courses are often accompanied by misconceptions. People are confused with what the courses are about and who they are intended for. They assume the information will not apply to them if they are not law enforcement or military. Others see civilians that attend CQB courses as just wanting to attend a tactical band camp or be a Navy Seal for the weekend.

Spring is coming and soon training classes will start to pick up. Courses will be available for every budget and shooter. Some will focus on basic safety and cleaning. Other courses will cut tenths of a second off draw time or teach CQB team tactics.

I was recently contacted by Corey Wardrop, Knight’s Armament Company employee and a former TFB TV videographer, who said that he has a story that might be interesting for TFB readers. Of course, I was all ears and when I learned that Ash Hess, one of Corey’s colleagues at KAC, won a DMR match with an SBR, it was immediately clear for me that this is indeed a story that I need to tell to our readers. Corey kindly introduced me to Ash. We discussed the story and came to a conclusion that the best way to convey all its nuances is to have it told by Ash himself. So, below I’ll present you the interview with Ash Hess.

Almost two years ago TFB mentioned the Portable shooting and training barricades by GTGConsult.

When it comes to concealed carry, just having a gun and successfully concealing it is only half of the equation. Another half are skills – situational awareness, legal knowledge and last but not least – marksmanship. In the previous article, I talked about the  “Triple Nickel”, one of the most challenging concealed carry drills ever invented. But not everyone has access to ranges where you can shoot multiple targets. So today, I will talk about the drill you can do at any range that allows you to draw from the holster – the FAST drill.

Have you ever been so passionate about a hobby that you’ve alienated friends, hurt yourself professionally, or even lost a spouse over it? That’s cool and all, but have you ever violated numerous state and federal laws and built an underground bunker just so you could enjoy your favorite pastime without intervention from pesky neighbors or law enforcement? Now that’s true dedication.

Everyone knows the first rule of a gunfight – “bring a gun”. But just having a firearm is not enough to maximise you chances in case of a self-defence shooting. You would also benefit from proper gear and most importantly – solid gunhandling skills. There are many drills designed to test shooter’s proficiency, but in my opinion, one of the the most challenging and exciting ones is the “Triple Nickel” drill.

Joel Turner Jr. is one of the Army Marksmanship Unit competitive shooters. I’ve RO’d him a number of times at the FNH USA 3 Gun Championships. Joel recently posted a video on Facebook showing a one in a million accident where the bullet triggers race gun.

Strike Industries has released another new product. Nope, this time it is not a gun part or accessory but a target depicting a zombie. If you know this company then you also know that there must be something interesting and innovative in their products. And that’s the case with these targets, too. The 3D Zombie Target is designed to be used with 3D glasses to provide an effect of a 3-dimensional target.

Australian-based Marathon Targets has been quietly changing the scene in the past several years when it comes to making live fire ranges much more realistic and dynamic by using autonomous moving target systems. The systems are starting to see use all around the world, from the Marine Corps in the United States, Australian infantry marksmanship programs, and even are expanding into the Middle East with some of the Gulf countries.

Deals of the Week number 3, 9mm edition.

Which celebrities are the best shooters? What was it like to train Keanu Reeves for John Wick? Do the Kardashians really shoot? Could Zack Morris Mozambique Screech if he wanted to? In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves interviews Taran Butler of Taran Tactical Innovations in Los Angeles. TTI has a reputation as the training ground for the stars: Hollywood productions that need honest, quality training for their stars to make sure they look competent on camera turn to Taran Butler and his crew to get slick for the screen. And not only do we interview Taran, but some of TTIs popular shooters include Jade Struck, Jennifer Irene, and Megan Sweasey all talk about their experience at TTI and working with action movie stars on technical aspects of the job.

Many talk about concealed carry and assume it is all about getting a license. Some take it a step further and attempt to prevent printing, but there is far more to concealment than not printing. Some even attempt to achieve the “instafamous” sub-second draw. While a quick draw can be a useful skill, is it really the end goal? Concealment can also not be simply bought by selecting a good holster.

I recently attended Low Light Partners Shoothouse with Steve Fisher of Sentinel Concepts. The course was held at the Alliance Police Training Facility. It was a large class of 18 students including many who had never taken a shoothouse course before. Steve brought Ephraim Rogers, Bill Peterson, Joe Halloran and Michael Sebastian as additional instructors. They brought a diverse experience pool from military positions to Swat roles.

I recently attended Law Enforcement Protective Operations with Alexander Global Strategies. This was a 5 day course at the Alliance Police Range in Alliance, Ohio. This course teaches the fundamentals of executive protection. Due to the student base of this course, content focused on departments providing or assisting a protection team. However, the same information could be used by the private citizen to protect their significant other.

We know TFB readers and viewers have watched a John Wick film and thought, “damn, I wish I could shoot like that.” Fortunately, James Reeves has your back: James and the TFB crew went out to Taran Tactical Innovations to meet and train with living legend Taran Butler – the man who trained Keanu Reeves for his role in the John Wick series of films. And while normally you’d have to fly out to Los Angeles, star in a movie, and get your studio to bankroll your training with Taran, TFBTV and Taran Tactical are teaming up to show you how to shoot like your favorite silver screen hitman for absolutely free. Save your gold tokens for ammo.

For this episode, we go to Northern Thailand where we take a look at some of the shooting ranges in Chiang Mai. Specifically, we were able to sit down some of the shooters, owners, and instructors at a range called “Shooting Adventure Chiang Mai” and “Range 333” where we quizzed them on such topics of what firearms were popular, prices of guns in Thailand, what kind of shooting sports were practiced, and the sort of training that is available. Unlike the United States there is a strong shooting tourism industry in Thailand that supports tourists from all over Asia where their own countries laws make it impossible to own and even much less fire a firearm on a controlled range.

Throughout my military experience, I have fired the M16 more times than I care to keep in mind. Picture laying outdoors, in the prone position, during rainfall or snowfall, trying to fire; very unpleasant. Amazingly, those factors had no impact on my firing capability. I discovered that while the climate, my mindset, and locality would differ each time I fired, the four rifle marksmanship fundamentals stayed the same. I had set up a stable position, aimed, practiced breath control, and applied trigger squeeze. These techniques appear easy but interestingly many people overlook one or two. Without becoming too technical, I’ll address these four basic skills combining previous experience with textbook responses. I certainly think everybody should comprehend, practice, and utilize these skills on and off the shooting range.

While having the latest kit is great, having it positioned, batteries charged and accessible is just as important.  If you have not heard of the Make Ready Procedure then check out this article. Even when you are not on the range or in full kit, these concepts can and should be applied to daily carry procedures.

This week I am taking Law Enforcement Protective Operations with Alexander Global Strategies (AGS). The Alliance Police Range is hosting AGS in Alliance, OH. While I enjoy a good rifle or CQB course, protection courses can also be extremely beneficial. Whether going to the mall with our family or taking our significant other on a trip out of state, having an understanding of the skills protection agents utilize can enhance our planning and awareness. This is a 5 day course with a full day training scenario on the last day.