Mabel Monday!

Jack asked, "How do I even convince my wife to carry a flashlight? She doesn’t even think she needs to have one of those let alone thinking about protecting herself from bad guys!"

Mabel says, "Start by giving her a small flashlight. Anything from one that goes on her key ring to a small one to slip in her handbag. If you discover (by asking) that she hasn’t used it after having it for awhile, wait for that perfect time when you are out and about together when a flashlight would be useful and ask to borrow it. Tell her how glad you were that she had it for you to borrow! (Ignore the one in your pocket!) It is a start for her to learn about what is "useful" to her. You are not the only one Mabel has heard this from!

Spending the second day on the range at Gunsite with custom 1911s from Robar was an extraordinary experience! After using Glocks on the first day, trying to compare that with 1911’s on the second day is the well known apples to oranges comparison. With a history more than twice as long as Glocks, the 1911 is still an ever popular handgun.
All that said, here are some observations after working exclusively with 1911’s on the second day. There was little doubt that each of the participants scored higher on the same proficiency test with the 1911s than they did with Glocks! One comment was that 1911s are more forgiving, but that has to be defined as the result of a shorter and lighter trigger press. Either way, the results were fantastic! The fundamentals skills don’t change and still must be well practiced, but there is no doubt one can be very accurate and go very fast with 1911’s! Did you want that in 45 ACP or 9 mm?
But, on the other side of the coin, cleaning a Glock can be done quickly and there are fewer parts to keep track of! Why did that 1911 spring go flying trough the air as if jet propelled? Just be sure that internal parts from either 1911s, Glocks or any of your other handguns are coated with Robar’s NP3. That facilitates the quick, easy and thorough cleaning of all the parts and pieces of any handgun.
Below are pictures of the custom 1911s from Robar with a description.
Top pistol – RC-1911JCP in Black Satin Roguard and NP3
2rd Row from Top – (left) RC-1911CQB in PolyT2 Tan (right) Colt M45A1
3rd Row from Top – (left) RC-1911TSP in PolyT2 Gun Metal Grey (right) RC-1911 in PolyT2 Dark Green
Bottom Row – (left) Caspian 1911 in PolyT2 Black (right) RC-1911 in Black Satin Roguard and NP3
Also shown are Raven Concealment Holsters and the new SEAL1 cleaning kit.

Robar Guns has long been the leader in grip reductions for Glocks, but they have now come up with the second modification which cinches the deal for making Glocks or Springfield XDs useable for people with smaller hands and shorter fingers than the average person. By carving away material from under the trigger guard right where the trigger guard and the frame meet, they have created an perfect indentation for the middle finger of the strong hand to snuggle up into tightly. It’s called the High Grip Modification and that is exactly what it does. Combined with a standard grip reduction, it allows the smaller than average strong/master hand to engage the entire grip at a higher position than the original design. The result is the trigger finger then has a shorter reach to the trigger. The small hand can now achieve a grip which is closer to the ideal of having the barrel and forearm in a straight line. The need to compromise and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the grip by turning the strong hand around to the side of the grip to reach the trigger is no longer necessary. After years of frustration with pairing a smaller than average hand with the grip of a Glock 19, last week at the Writer’s Conference at Gunsite, I was able to shoot over a hundred rounds without any the usual malfunctions caused by a less than adequate grip. The same modifications but on a Glock 43 were excellent as well.

Now add a FALX trigger by Overwatch Precision which will sit further back within the trigger guard than the original trigger thus enhancing the shorter reach to the trigger. This all for the completes the perfect package of modifications for small hands.

And two other modifications are icing on the cake. One is having material scalloped out from around the magazine release button and replacing that button with one from Vickers. This allows easy access to a user friendly button. The Vickers slide stop lever is also user friendly. There is a small rolled edge at the top which helps the thumb stay in place when applying upward pressure to the lever.

All of these modifications can be excellent changes for anyone, but perhaps they will be most particularly useful for women who have struggled to use a Glock or Springfield XD, which is a little bit or a lot too big for their hand. Here are true solutions they never knew were possible. Thank you Robar Guns!

What an awesome three days we had last week at the Robar Writer’s Conference. Each day was filled to the brim with information supplied by our wonderful host, Freddie Blish, owner of @Robar Guns, along with two (out of 7) of his knowledgeable and competent gunsmiths, Jesse and Jim. And, to top it all off, the weather was perfect and what better range location could there have been than at @Gunsite.

Day One was a chance to try all the difference customizations offered by Robar for Glocks and Springfield XDs. Sounds easy enough until we realized we would be trying out these features while working on the challenges presented to us by instructor Jeff Gonzales! No slacking allowed! What a grand opportunity to fail! That of course, is another way of saying that a lot of learning was taking place!

Day Two we learned about, and experienced, the variety of options available for 1911’s from Robar in both 9mm and 45 ACP. Exciting, demanding and challenging. Freddie put us through all the same drills as the first day. The differences in performance from the day before were very interesting!

Day Three was for the Robar PolymAR rifles. Short distances, long distances, slow shots and timed shots, standing or prone our skills were challenged again while the rifles performed flawlessly. Freddie presented some "eye opening" experiences for us with optics as well.

And, each day we had to clean the guns we had used! Actually, that was the easy part as will be explained.

More details to follow!

Mabel Mondays!

Jim asked, "How do I convince the female agents in our "plain clothes" agency how important it is to carry their issued weapon consistently? They have no problem giving me a list of reasons of why not to carry!"

Mabel says, "Jim. I asked a woman who is recently retired from an agency which also worked "plain clothes" and "undercover" to tell us her thoughts on this critical subject because as a supervisor she too heard the "list" of reasons why not to carry from her agents. Here is her comment.

"Obligation – something (as a formal contract, a promise or the demands of conscience or custom) that obligates one to a course of action." In our roles as police officers, we swear an oath or obligation the first day on the job. That obligation speaks to our newfound responsibility to the community we serve as well as our fellow law enforcement officers.

In my particular discipline, we worked in a plainclothes/covert unit exclusively and carried the issued handgun in a concealed manner under ordinary street clothes or business attire. Considering the normal attire, it was easy for Agents to "get away with" not carrying the issued handgun while on duty, in violation of department policy. Some Agents were guilty of this, especially when in the office completing "administrative duties". They complained that the equipment wasn’t comfortable and they were in a "secure building" after all. Desk drawers were the holster of choice for some agents. Our female agents were more likely to not carry their weapon than our male agents. Why does a perfectly reasonable and conscientious agent in almost every aspect of their profession chooses to fail their obligation over this issue?

Consider the effects of that decision to not carry on your partners and their mindset. Do they ask you if you have your weapon before you leave the office to work in the street? Do you think they wonder if you’ll have their back if you can’t even carry your issued weapon? How many times have you gone home unarmed because you forgot it in your desk drawer? What example are you setting for the other officers in your agency? If you aren’t concerned about what others think about you and your conduct as a police officer, at least consider what your partner thinks. You know, the agent that you spend more time with than your own family some times. The one that you count on when it’s just the two of you in the mud and blood and the beer.

Trust is hard earned. Trust between partners is even more precious. Trust isn’t issued to you with your shield and equipment. Trust comes from doing the job everyday and being the officer that your partner counts on. Your partner deserve more from you than your desire to ease your discomfort. I have to believe that the officer standing beside me is just as committed to the obligation as I am. Just as committed to my safety as I am to theirs. I’m obligated to protect my community and my partner! I can only do that if my tools are at the ready – all of my tools!

It’s still a tough job for females. There is still an expectation that we will fail. I will always remember the first female agent on our job. She worked undercover investigations and kicked ass and took names in the early days of women in policing. What I remember most were the stories that some of the older male agents told about her and how well she did her job. Those agents that I had so much respect for, respected her for her abilities. We strive to be part of a team, to be a partner in this profession. She was the example that I followed.

There is never an excuse to be unarmed while on duty. Let us resolve to be worthy of their trust and uphold the obligation that we swore. After all, someone is watching you, trying to find an example to follow. Don’t let your guard down – ever. Always Victorious!

These law enforcement firearms instructors at the Regional IALEFI Training Conference in Bend, OR are experiencing the challenges of learning to shoot a handgun with a grip too large to hold comfortably or efficiently. They are further burdened with extra weight hanging from their hands, much as a smaller-statured officer often experiences when using a handgun. Extra weight eventually takes it toll and changes body posture.

It is essential for male instructors to experience these effects if they are to overcome the challenges of teaching women to shoot!

Learn more about these and other methods taught in DTI courses.

Did you see this?

http://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/woman-fights-off-would-be-robber-with-back-scratcher

http://youtu.be/gp7pbKKRRgU

MARION, IN – An intruder didn’t get away with anything except for injuries after an Indiana couple sent him running from their home.

A robbery suspect broke into a detached garage in Marion, Ind. on Monday night, police said.

The suspect reportedly grabbed a large wrench and duct tape and then broke some glass to get into the couple’s home. The homeowners, believed to be in their 60s, confronted the man after he broke in through their back door.

Authorities said the suspect asked Don Kearney for his gun, but he said he did not have one. That’s when Patty Kearney asked the suspect if he had a gun. He said no and she began beating him with a wooden back scratcher she had been carrying, police said.

Patty then picked up the large wrench the suspect had laid down and continued to beat him, police said.

“I don’t think he expected an overweight woman on oxygen to attack him. I really don’t,” Patty said.

Patty said the intruder had ordered her to use the duct tape to tie up her husband, but she said she knew if she tied him up they would be done. She said anger eclipsed her fear and she instinctively fought to protect her  family.

The suspect ran away from the home and the couple was not injured. The man was described as white, 5 feet 7 inches and was last seen wearing a green sweatshirt and a plastic mask over his face.

The Kearneys have since added security measures to their home including an alarm system.