The reserve component of the U.S. Army will begin receiving the XM153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon System (CROWS) this year in bulk issue. Last year ten Army Reserve units received the remotely controlled mounted weapon system, but due to supply and logistical issues the rest of the Reserve’s vehicle fleet slotted to receive it didn’t get it and will be getting it this year. Beginning with units in Arkansas, New Jersey and South Carolina and then continuing on throughout the Reserves.

Slovenian Youtube Channel and training company Polenar Tactical has finally released their “AK Operator Training” instruction series. The series is available shipped on DVD, USB, or can even be streamed on Vimeo when bought from the company’s website for 36 Euros (including tax). Polenar Tactical first began discussing producing such a series in 2012, and I was very much looking forward to the final product and even contributed towards their public Indie Gogo fundraising campaign. Since 2012 I practically forgot about the DVD, consigning myself to accepting that it wasn’t going to finish completion. But to my welcome surprise, after meeting the Polenar Tactical guys at SHOT 2017, I was overjoyed to hear that production of the DVD was finally out and it was shipping. I would very much like to get a copy of the DVD myself, and hopefully review it for our readers here.

According to the National Post, the Canadian government will begin supplying elements of the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq with small arms and light weapons. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously announced Canadian material support for the Peshmerga a year ago, but only recently made good on the promise this month. Germany has a history of supplying small arms to the Kurds, but recently stopped according to the article, after German rifles were found for sale on the Iraqi black market. Both countries are currently providing much training and support through troops deployed to the region, but this is the first official announcement that Canada would be providing material. From the National Post-

Earlier on TFB we reported on the transition from MILES to DISE within EUCOM. However, it must be noted that the MILES system is still in use, even if sparingly. In fact, during Swift Response ’16, a multi-national airborne training operation, we have seen some of the most recent usages of the updated versions of the MILES gear. Most of the upgrades appear to be in weight reduction, with soldiers carrying less cumbersome and bulky versions of the personally worn vest. However there is another introduction that has the MILES Small Arms Transmitter taking advantage of the picatinny rail installed on most of the U.S. Army’s weapon systems. From a distance the Small Arms Transmitter could easily be mistaken for a black PEQ15 ATPIAL instead of the training device that it is. Since the 1980s MILES has gone through a number of manufacturers throughout its design phases, however most recently Cubic Global Defense is providing the latest iterations of the design, to include the picatinny mounted Small Arms Transmitter. From Cubic Global Defense-

Did you know that you can convert your Glock from 40 to 9mm quickly and safely?

Images from a joint European/ U.S. lead paratrooper training exercise named Swift Response in June of 2016 have shown that the Rheinmetall Defense Light Laser Module Mk.3 is being used on operations with the British Paratroopers, aka “Paras”. Initially the LLM Mk.3 was procured by the Ministry of Defense for the Royal Marines in 2014 under a £53 million purchase of a number of other items. However, it appears that the Marines haven’t been using the picatinny mounted ATPIAL on operations outside of Britain, or at least images and news reports of the branch do not show them being used. Their issue among the Paras could possibly be because the Marines ended up not liking the devices, and transferred them to the Parachute Regiment, or this could possibly be a completely different purchase altogether. We have some reports of the Marines using the device in training with this sketch from a Commando Course blog entry recently-

As I have mentioned before in articles, I like to consider myself a life long student. This year I am setting a goal to attend some type of firearms training or event every month.

The U.S. Air Force recently posted solicitation for 150 M4 training rifles coming from Olympic Arms, under the name of Cobolt. This is not at all to be confused with the high end competition AR company similarly named Cobalt. It turns out that the Air Force has been using these trainers for some time now, especially during Air Force basic training. Unlike standard blue trainers made out of plastic, the rifles are essentially a demilitarized version of the M16A2. This is accomplished by turning an actual M16A2 parts kit into a rifle, minus the trigger group and a filled barrel. From what I can gather, either the trigger group has been filled in with some substance, or it just can’t operate if attached to a functioning upper receiver at all. The Trainers can be ordered with either blue or black furniture and are available as a M16A2 or M4 configuration. Olympic Arms made the Trainers, but since the company has gone out of business, this might be an opportunity to provide a similar trainer to the DOD. The need for these don’t seem to be stopping, and they look ridiculously simple to manufacture from existing A2 parts kits.

Plinker is an automated target company that is bringing to market a dual target system that can be swung into place and controlled off a electronic device. It works off of a pneumatic operated canister that propels the target frame into and out of place. The system is specifically designed for Law Enforcement application because it can replicate a Shoot-No Shoot scenario by first introducing a Shoot target with a firearm printed, and then introducing a No Shoot target with a hostage image printed on it. In addition, the system is really just a dual target holder, so it can really be used with any sort of target attached to frames that can be inserted into the target system. For an example anything fitting the dimensions of an IDPA target can be used if one wants to. From the description-

Amused31 is a Facebook Page ran by a currently serving U.S. Army Sergeant First Class. Unlike many videos being posted these days, making fun of Army Drill Sergeants or Marine Corps Drill Instructors, SFC Muse is a former Drill Sergeant herself as seen from the oval Drill Sergeant Identification Badge on the left side of her uniform.

Having gone through the Simunitions instructor program, I can attest to the fact that it Is some of the most realistic force on force training available to law enforcement and the military. Although at first glance the program may look like a more realistic version of paintball, the use of converted firearms and following  use of force guidelines make Simunitions a recognized training component of numerous agencies world wide.

The overall point of the WW II Live Fire, apart from creating an episode for our Youtube Channel, was to gain information and knowledge about these small arms that were used in World War II in ways that we couldn’t have gathered from shooting them on a square range or individually. Something that I think we really need to focus more on from a researcher or historians outlook is that these weapon systems weren’t developed and used in isolation. Sure, the M1 is a fantastic rifle for CMP matches but in all honesty that was very far from John Garand’s mind when he worked on the design. These weapons were designed to used by units of men, working very closely with each other, to accomplish an objective of overcoming an enemy force. Reenactments accomplish this well, but they don’t simulate the treatment these firearms would have gone through in combat due to the presence of live ammunition and actually trying to hit an enemy target at a distance. Bear in mind that we didn’t stage a reenactment, we staged a recreation, because we were literally trying to recreate history. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, please give it a look and then continue to read the article because it will make much more sense.

The Bundeswehr social media outlets recently released this training video of a Bavarian mountain battalion executing a vertical ascent and subsequent assault on an enemy position. The video is very interesting to watch when to comes to observing how the Germans perfect their mountain warfare tactics. Notice how the assault team uses a scout to lead the way up the cliff face, then pushing the rest of the team on top, thereafter assaulting the objective down below. Obviously the team climbed up one side, then descended on the enemy from above on the other side of the mountain.

This image was captured by U.S. Army soldiers on post outside Mosul, Iraq and ran in Stripes. A seemingly very uninteresting image apart from the Drone Defender propped up against the concrete wall. Due to Daesh’s increasingly lethal use of drones not just for surveillance/forward observation capabilities but also dropping lethal payloads on Iraqi forces, it appears the the U.S. Army has taken this threat very seriously and is deploying purchased Drone Defenders, mounted on an AR lower receiver. I suspect that warfare is slowly going to take a huge step in the drone direction, not just for conventional usage, but also with irregular asymmetrical usage by such terrorist and insurgent groups worldwide. This is mostly due to the ease of purchase and manufacturing of drones, which also ties into the world wide proliferation of cheaper and higher quality electronic equipment. Daesh’s use of drones would have been unheard of among previous insurgent groups a decade ago, but not it is of enough concern that the U.S. Army is employing these Drone Defenders among soldiers standing post.

The P3 Racker is a new product that was specifically designed for those with disabilities or the elderly, persons who might otherwise not have sufficient hand strength to functionally rack the slide on a semi-automatic handgun. Although I cannot see this tool being used in a self-defense situation, this allows for those who still want to enjoy a handgun collection at the range, without having to jeopardize any safety aspect, or overexerting when using the handgun.

Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) matches are to the United Kingdom what CMP Service High Power matches are to the United States. Matches are held from 500 meters to 100 meters and consist of what the British shooting community calls “Full Bore”, designating anything larger than .22 LR rimfire. There are numerous divisions within the matches, for historical rifles, bipod mounted, non-bipod, etc… However the largest difference in actual firearms is that the CSR shooters are limited by the UK’s laws when it comes to the operation of the rifles. All rifles in the U.K. have to be manually charged for every shot. Most interestingly, this is done very effectively with ARs, using a sort of reciprocating charger drilled and tapped into the bolt.

We have seen some rather impressive AK magazine reloads but this one is not only smooth it looks refreshing.

One aspect of USPSA stages may involve a shooter to move up range. With all shooting games there is a strict 180 degree rule. For those not familiar with the 180 degree rule, the muzzle of your gun must not pass 180 degrees from the shooting bay. This is to prevent any possibility of shooting the people behind you while you engage the stage.

Gunpower Inc, is a South Korean company that has introduced training equipment very similar to the currently issued MILES used by a number of militaries around the world. The equipment is called the GPR System and comes with a full suite of products. The catch is that the system is purely Airsoft based. It uses a sort of flak jacket and Kevlar helmet that senses a 6mm BB hit. Once the equipment is hit, the user’s Airsoft rifle is essentially deactivated and the user is more or less put out of action. It uses a electronic frequency to sends signals between the gear and the user’s rifle to accomplish this.

Earlier last year, during the dry fire training series I did, I was able to run the Salted Earth Atlas 8 training units for a short couple of weeks (Salted Earth needed the test units back early). I was sad because they ended up being a pretty useful component and I was just starting to get the in groove with them.

I had the pleasure of first encountering Triumph System’s Pivotal Trainer and Threat/No-Threat targets at the CAA/Hartman Event last month. They provided a very different experience that just shooting on a flat paper target.

Honestly, who doesn’t like shooting targets that react? I suppose there are some luddite purists among us that are fine shooting on paper. I, however, have a little bit of additional glee when shooting something that explodes (fire, paint, water, etc).

In a bold move Curtis Hallstrom, of VSO Gun Channel, puts himself down range while pontificating on the 4 rules of Gun Safety.

Having some small dissatisfaction with my previous job and looking to move jobs, I had been searching for awhile while the FFL was up and running. I was fortunate enough to find my “dream job” which was going to require relocation from my dear Fort Wayne. I was loathe to leave it, especially if that meant that I had to give up my FFL and start the process all over again.

I challenge you to watch the above video, and tell me the majority of the tactics, gear, people, and location couldn’t have been easily mistaken for a large training center in the United States, such as Gunsite, Blackwater. The Erbil Training Center (ETC) claims to be the largest training facility within Iraq, and autonomous Kurdistan (northern Iraq). ETC boosts numerous short and long distance ranges, a CQB maneuver house, rappel tower, in addition to a wide variety of other establishments and shooting facilities. The Center appears to be much more specialized within the PSD and special operations capacity training than strict infantry material, or what the majority of the Peshmerga is engaged in when it comes to fighting Daesh. Indeed, with previous videos of Kurdish “SF” groups, I can recognize some of the background at this facility.

Lyman introduced this product at SHOT 2016, but I’m not sure how we didn’t get around to covering such an innovative product. The Lyman Auto Advance Target System is a target holder that incorporates a roll of targets, like a scroll. When activated from a firing line, the target system pushes the roll down, showing a brand new, un-shot target. The previously shot target is rolled into the bottom roll. Activation is controlled by a handheld wireless switch. The entire system has holes in the feet that can be staked down into the ground for a windy day. Essentially the system is designed for shooting over long distance, where the need to expedite a range session is readily apparent, thus removing the need to walk down range in between shooting sessions. They are currently available on Amazon for $190. Target rolls are $16.

There was definitely a lot of lively discussion on my teaser article for the very first course put on by the makers of the RONI line of “Glockerbine” conversions.

E-Blanks is an interesting concept that has been around for at least the past two years. The Norwegian company makes a recoil actuating bolt that replaces a standard AR15 Bolt Carrier Group, coupled with a battery powered straight walled magazine, and a muzzle device essentially turns an AR15 into a cosmetic blank firing device. The reasoning behind this is because there are some situations where firing actual blank ammunition could not be allowed or would ease logistics. Such as if a police department wanted to train in a mall, or maybe a school, whatever the case maybe. It also reduces the logistical footprint of having to supply and carry around pallets of blank ammunition, not to mention not cleaning the weapons afterwards. According to Jane’s, the Dutch Government has acquired some of the product for testing.

In a video that has been making the rounds on Facebook, a man in a wheelchair appears to be attending a class where the shooters are practicing a drill where they shoot as they are approaching the target.

The following photographs are from a conversion of a .40 S&W Glock 22 Gen 3, to a 9x19mm. Although most parts are OEM, bare in mind this is in no way representative of what a stock Glock is, and is an indication to be mindful when converting a .40 S&W Glock to fire 9x19mm rounds.