ATACTV Firearms Blog

Start with unloading your handgun and to remove all ammo from the magazine and your pockets, we are going to do this dry. Even performing this without ammo, you must follow all the safety rules. Strating from the holster. (Where ever you carry it) These are the basic steps of the Presentation.  If you need to SEE the steps, go to ATAC Firearms channel and view the 1911 or Glock Presentation, Grip and Stance, and / or Sequence of Shooting Programs. Doesn’t matter which handgun; the steps are basic to all. 

(DRY PRACTICE DRILLS SHOULD BE AT ¼ TO ½ YOUR NORMAL PRESENTATION SPEED!)

• STEP 1 Eyes on TARGET, establish a firing grip on the handgun while in the holster, at the same time move support hand up to mid-line tight to your body as you focus on your target.
  

• STEP 2 Handgun is drawn straight up, trigger finger is straight along the frame, (not on the trigger) as elbow drops down, rotating the muzzle toward target, anchor the butt of the handgun in a rib near your pectoral muscle, support hand in mid line of chest tight to your body. Bring the gun as high as you can and is still comfortable for you. Eyes are still on target. (This could be a shooting position, if needed, more on this in the advanced programs)
  

• STEP 3 As Handgun is raised up toward your line of sight, support hand mates with firing hand, safety goes off if you have one, Handgun is raised higher into your line of sight, and pushing out toward target, trigger finger (firing hand index finger, if you haven’t figured this out yet?) starts to enter the trigger guard and the center of the first pad your index finger is placed in the center of the trigger and pulls the slack (free play of trigger) out. Now shift your focus from the target to the top of the front sight post AS the  sights are brought on target.. This is one of the biggest faults many shooters do not practice and their ability can only go so high.  Most often you cannot diagnose what is going wrong.  You MUST practice shifting the focus from the target to the top of the front sight post. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!  Shift your focus to the front sight and STAY on the front sight post! DO NOT SHIFT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TARGET AND FRONT SIGHT!
  

• STEP 4 HANDGUN COMES TO REST AT FULL EXTENSION, Focus has moved from the target to your sights, front sight level with the rear sight with equal light passing on the right and left sides of the front sight post, (aligning your sights and eye focus SHOULD be happening between Step 3 and 4) closing your non-dominate eye and establish 100% focus on that front sight post.  You are ready to shoot!

At this stage, start your trigger press until the trigger “breaks”. (It should surprise you) With 100% focus on the FS post, it should NOT move when trigger breaks! Trap the trigger to the rear, simulating a “reset” while focusing on the front sight (follow-through) trigger finger goes straight along the frame, lower the handgun to about 45* as if following your target to the ground, and perform appropriate After-Action-Responses.

• Handgun is in the ready position (In both hands, pointed low, about 45* angle) RESET your trigger by racking the slide and releasing it.
  
• Return to holster in the reverse order, from the ready position, move through STEP 3 to STEP 2, and PAUSE.  Look around to make sure you are ready to re-holster. The muzzle should be point straight out, down range towards your target.
  

• Move from STEP 2 to STEP 1 (re-holster carefully)

DO AS MANY REPETITIONS THAT YOU CAN WHILE REMAINING 100% FOCUSED ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IF NOT, STOP! Dry Practice only when you can focus 100% on the exercise and stop when interrupted or tired. Do not ingrain bad habits by getting SLOPPY. Do it perfectly on each reputation to ingrain it into muscle memory.  It will PAY huge dividends in your skill level.

Next is adding movement, see you after a few thousand dry presentations. and a thousand live rounds for validation.  Example, dry practice 30 presentations 5 days week, the shoot 50 rounds. Immediately after the 30-5o rounds end it with 30 more dry presentations. Rest 7th day. Start all over the next week. After 5 months of this, then move onto the advanced programs.  If you want to learn faster do more sooner.  Do two- a days, 30 in the am and 30 in the pm and 60-100 rounds on the 6th day. The in 2.5 months you will be ready to move on.

* REMEMBER, it is OK to cheat in a fight, we actually applaud you for it.  But NEVER cheat yourself in training or practice. DRY PRACTICE IS THE SKILL BUILDER!

Learn HOW to do these drill

ALL SAFETY RULES APPLY! These drills should be performed at the RANGE or an appropriate area, do it dry, with an UNLOADED FIREARM!

Always abide by the four rules of gun safety:

1.      All guns are loaded. (Treated as such)

2.      Do not point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3.      Finger off the trigger, out of the trigger guard until sights are on target.

4.      Be sure of your target and foreground/background

Let’s talk about Presentation from the holster and doing it as a Dry Practice exercise with 1 EYE OPEN.  What the heck is this? This is the BASIC presentation, to get your handgun from the holster to “sights” on target, AND YOU CLOSE THE NON-DOMINATE EYE to get the 100% focus on the front sight!  OK, this technique IS required to guarantee that “LONG” shot or a close precision hit like a hostage takers eye socket, or just shoot a nice tight group.

You must learn that situations dictate the amount of precision sighting required for a hit, is measured in distance and target size.  More about this subject in the 2 EYE OPEN blog and the advanced Dry Practice Programs that will teach you the difference between shooting 3 feet OR 15 yards, as an example,  3’  -   2 eyes,   15yds   -   1 eye open. You need to learn the 1-EYE OPEN method first, then move on to more advanced techniques.

Everyone at ATAC Training courses trains with semi-auto pistols, but the firearms are carried in variety of locations. It does not matter what type or brand of handgun you run, but you are ABSOLUTLLY NUTS if you don’t Dry Practice with it from the location you carry it!  THIS IS THE DRILL THAT MUST BE REPEATED OVER AND OVER UNTIL THE PRESENTATION BECOMES A REFLEX ACTION!  THIS MIGHT SEEM BORING, BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT HIGHER SKILL LEVELS.

Understanding know and unknown distances prior to starting:

Start with establishing a known distance.  As you begin, or if you think you have judging distances mastered, that doesn't mean you DON’T NEED to practice the basics.   Judging unknown distances is a stand-alone exercise.  On the other hand, we will give you two methods.  There are all types of controversy out there on one or both eyes open when shooting.  Lets keep it simple; if you were going to push a thread through a needle you would shut one eye.  Yes, we shoot with both eyes open and the conditions and distances will dictate using a dominant eye only or both eyes open.  Lets move forward and give you a simple solution.  From 7 yards and in you can get away with hitting "close enough" to your intended point of impact.  But, it will only be close to rather than the exact intended point of impact.  (As you read further down, between steps 3 - 4 you need to learn to shift your focus.) For those of you that think you only need to shoot with both eyes open, here is a question for you.  If you were held by the neck as a hostage and the hostage taker only exposed one eye every few seconds. Would you tell the cop, SWAT, or XXXX to, "use both eyes, it is faster, just shoot it is not a precision shot". I doubt it, your exposed to all types of errors which could be fatal.  The point is, at any distance you need to guarantee the hit, not hope for the hit.  Yes, you may think this is advanced; no it is the basic fundamentals. This is not an range drill trying to hit a big steel plate; you are trying to ht a quarter over and over.  Then be able to pick up the pace.  As you excel in your skills, you need to ALWAYS give yourself a refresher course on distancing while shifting your focus from the target to the top of the front sight post.  After time you will develop a natural point of aim, which will ONLY last as long as your continuing education does.  So lets dry practice at 7 yards with one eye for now.  You can go to the next stage of both eyes open after you have performed at least 1,000- 2,000 dry presentations.  In our advanced programs we explain in great detail with video of what happens as you back up and forget to close that eye.  It a tactical environment, you may have to keep both eyes open to have a wider field of view.  But before you go off and start point shooting, get the basics down.  It is a safe number to say if you have 10,000 rounds through your pistol and 2 - 3 times as much dry practice, then you can move on to more advanced tactics with both eyes open.  In the end, regardless of how much you have trained just remember, if it is a precision shot, use your dominant eye only!  You may only get that one shot.

Check our the programs on www.AtacTv.com

ATAC TV Staff spends time training techniques including firearms, edge weapons, empty hand, physical conditioning, tactics and many others to maintain and increase our personal skill sets.  A lot of time is spent in dry practice and life fire with assorted weapons platforms.  This is how you build proper skill sets to effectively use the skill set when needed.  Ever thought about visualization in your mind’s eye as a training technique? Visualization is a valuable tool and includes it in our additional training and development.

Visualization of techniques and skills you have learned on the shooting range, for example, can be reviewed in your mind and ultimately reinforce the mental and physical skills developed through dry practice and live shooting with firearms.  Sound like something crazy?  Not really, people use their built-in visualization process all the time.  As an example, you lost your phone and can’t find it.  Finally you stop and think about when was the last time you had the phone in your hand.  A mental picture develops in your mind and you see yourself setting the cell phone down on the nightstand while you were grabbing needed items out of the nightstand drawer.  This is and example of visualization and anyone can do it.  Everyone has this ability, as you are hard-wired with the capability at birth and is built into your neurology.  Most people use their visualization skills unconsciously, without paying any attention to how they do it, or to the quality of the pictures they create in their head.  It can be used as a continued learning skill to reinforce skills you already developed by practicing and imagining them in your mind. Guess what?  It works!

Visualization and the neurology associated with it are important components of memory.  Visual memory is especially important in the retention of skills associated with tasks involving hand-eye coordination like shooting firearms.  Many experiments conducted by neurologists, where various parts of the brain were electrically stimulated under controlled conditions, as well as sessions of deep hypnosis targeting a persons visual recall, have determined the visual memory is essentially perfect.  In other words, perfect recall of that skill.  Now you know why some people can recall everything they ever did.  Most people have less clarity in their conscious memory for a reason.  The distortion and deletion of some of our visual memory in conscious recall is a function of the brain to eliminate data overload.  Your eyes and body amass an huge amount of data every second. The brain must put order to an overwhelming amount of information causing some of the data to become distorted, such as certain memory of crimes and/or automobile accidents when the information intake is enormous.  This is the reason three people witnessing the same event have entirely different stories about what happened.  Our preconscious internal filter activates and sorts information according to what we believe our priorities are at that moment, which might not be what we actually want to happen.  We are all different individuals.

You might hear other people saying things like “running it through my head”, or “seeing myself doing the deed” and “see it my mind’s eye”.  This is descriptive language that tells us they are visualizing the act of performing a certain skill learned in the past.  Anyone that uses visualization skills will enhance their particular performance in any sport or skill.  Most people that are good at what they do use this technique, some without knowing they are doing it.  Now imagine utilizing this ability to enhance your shooting skill by practicing “in your mind” during those times it is not possible to dry practice or go to the range.

So, lets apply this visualization skill to shooting a handgun.  In your mind, visualize a target; you present your Glock out of its holster and point into the threat or target.  In your mind you see the front and rear sights aligning on center mass and the front sight snaps into focus.  You press the trigger and get a surprise break as the bullet impacts the target.  This represents a cycle of dry practice without physical movement, but has reinforced your mental skills, which translates to your physical skills too. 

In a training program for shooting, visualization can be used in addition to a developed range program to generate quantum leaps and bounds in performance of an individual by utilizing these simple techniques.

• While actively training the skill on the range using visualization will increase and amplify the visual-kinesthetic memory associated with the skill set.  Simple go back and forth between mental and physical techniques
• Visualization used other times and locations, when not on the range will increase the retention of the skill set.
• If you have a specific task, prior visualization will reinforce the skill set and reduce reaction time during the actual task while reducing the stress level.
• Creating a perfect sight picture of the front/rear sight on your firearm in vivid color will remind you what perfect sight alignment should look like when firing.Imagine a scenario requiring you to present your firearm, align the sights and generating the perfect surprise break from the trigger press.  This image should be the solution to the issue as you have successfully hit the target where you aimed, in your mind’s eye.

The key to visualization is to actually see the fine details and take notice of them in your memory.  You see the action in your mind’s eye; try to feel what is happening with your body in the picture you have created.  It will add more value to the mind’s image of the skill set.  The mind can recreate the actions if you train yourself to remember each detail.

A good way to start a training program to utilize this technique is to mimic your established dry practice program.  The more you do this, the better shooter you will become.  The techniques are easy to learn and apply to almost any situation or skill.  As long as your eyesight is good, have imagination and the willingness to experiment training your brain, it will help you perform to an entirely new level of skill.  And, it costs you nothing, but the performance gain is priceless

Today, an NRA-supported amendment offered by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.) to prohibit funds from being used by the Department of Justice to conduct "gun-walking" programs similar to the now-infamous "Fast and Furious" operation was passed in the Senate with unanimous, bipartisan support (99-0).

Specifically, the amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill states that:  "No funds made available under this Act shall be used to allow the knowing transfer of firearms to agents of drug cartels where law enforcement personnel of the United States do not continuously monitor or control such firearms at all times."

Responding to the passing of the amendment Sen. Cornyn said, "Today's bipartisan effort is just the first step towards ensuring that such a foolish operation can never be repeated by our own law enforcement.  The onus is now on Attorney General Holder to hear not just today’s bipartisan call for answers, but the American people’s demands that Washington be held accountable."

To read Sen. Cornyn's official press release, please click here.

We will be sure to inform you of further developments.

Veteran’s Second Amendment Rights Bill Passes U.S. House, Senate Companion Bill Introduced
 
Friday, October 14, 2011
 
As we previously reported, on September 9, the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee passed an amendment by U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) as a part of a larger piece of veterans’ legislation.  The “Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act,” which was added to H.R. 2349 as an amendment, will provide individuals receiving veterans' benefits with added protection against loss of the right to possess firearms due to mental health decisions.

Currently, when a person has a fiduciary appointed to handle his or her veterans’ benefits, the federal government considers that person to have been "adjudicated as a mental defective" and therefore prohibited from possessing firearms.

The injustice of this process has long been criticized both by NRA and veterans' groups.  The current system disarms veterans and others receiving benefits based on a totally administrative process and without requiring any finding that the person poses a danger to himself or herself or to anyone else.

The NRA-backed bill (also supported by major veterans' groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars) would provide that, for purposes of the firearm prohibition, a person subject to a mental health decision by the VA would not be considered "adjudicated as a mental defective" without a court finding that the person is dangerous.

This week, the House considered H.R. 2349, and, we are happy to report, passed the measure by a voice vote.

Also this week, U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.), along with 10 other cosponsors, introduced S. 1707—the U.S. Senate companion bill to H.R. 2349.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor and support NRA-backed S. 1707.  You can find contact information for your elected officials by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or you can call your U.S. senators at (202) 224-3121.  To see if your senators are cosponsors of S. 1707.

Please watch for our reports on future developments.

Accuracy Vs. Speed Ratio

One of the prime factors that drive an individual to train with a firearm is to increase their skill set.  Whether you train with guns for hunting, sport or self-defense purposes, it all starts with the basics.  ATAC TV Firearms Channel can help you with these training basics no matter what you are working to accomplish.  As a person builds their skills set, it becomes evident that they can be shooting too fast for their skill level by producing large groups.  In a self-defense situation, this can be a problem.  You can’t shoot fast enough when you are missing your target.  The other problem can be your groups are too tight.  This means you are shooting too slowly.  There has to be a balance to strike between how fast you shoot and your ability to make these hits.  Don’t Shoot faster than you can guaranty the bullets are striking your target or threat.  The ideal way to increase your skill level is with Dry-Practice.  We will talk about this practice with no ammunition, but the same practice can be accomplished on the range with a loaded firearm.   Before we get started, lets review safety with the firearms.

While dry practicing or live fire with any firearm platform, ALL SAFETY RULES APPLY and all ammunition must be removed from the training area when training dry.  Dry practice becomes dangerous if you get lazy or comfortable and complacent with the learning process.  You do not want an accidental discharge with your firearm, and/or nervously tracking the path of your bullet through your house. 

Always abide by the four rules of gun safety:

1.    All guns are loaded. (Treated as such)

2.    Do not point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3.    Finger off the trigger, out of the trigger guard until sights are on target.

4.    Be sure of your target and foreground/background

The basics of making a firearm hit the target you are aiming for are simple to explain, but much harder to execute until you get enough practice, and doing it correctly.  Here are the basics:

Stance or platform: 

You must have a stable stance from which to practice.  This position is not the same for everyone as each person has different body structure.

• Feet shoulder width, feet flat in the shoes.
• Feet, knees, hips and shoulders in alignment, bladed from your target.
• Knees slightly bent forward for stability and quick movement.
• Bend over slightly at the waist, and suck your belly button into your spine.
• Head up looking to your target with hands at your side.

Presentation with Sequence of Shooting:

This is the ATAC TV 4-COUNT PRESENTATION from the holster.

Get the Handgun clear of ammo, and back in the holster. (Where ever you carry it) These are the basic steps of the Presentation.  If you need to SEE the steps, go to ATAC Firearms channel and view the 1911 or Glock Presentation, Grip and Stance, and / or Sequence of Shooting videos. Doesn’t matter which handgun; the steps are basic to all.  (DRY PRACTICE DRILLS SHOULD BE AT ¼ TO ½ YOUR NORMAL PRESENTATION SPEED!)

STEP 1

Eyes on TARGET, establish a firing grip on the handgun while in the holster, at the same time move support hand up to mid-line tight to your body as you focus on your target.

STEP 2

Handgun is drawn straight up, trigger finger is straight along the frame, (not on the trigger) as elbow drops down, rotating the muzzle toward target, anchor the butt of the handgun in a rib near your pectoral muscle, support hand in mid line of chest tight to your body. Bring the gun as high as you can and is still comfortable for you. Eyes are still on target.

(This could be a shooting position, if needed, more on this in the advanced programs)

STEP 3

As Handgun is raised up toward your line of sight, support hand mates with firing hand, safety goes off if you have one, Handgun is raised higher into your line of sight, and pushing out toward target, trigger finger (firing hand index finger, if you haven’t figured this out yet?) starts to enter the trigger guard and the center of the first pad your index finger is placed in the center of the trigger and pulls the slack (free play of trigger) out. Now shift your focus from the target to the top of the front sight post AS the sights are brought on target.. This is one of the biggest faults many shooters do not practice and their ability can only go so far.  Most often you cannot diagnose what is going wrong.  You MUST practice shifting the focus from the target to the top of the front sight post. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!  Shift your focus to the front sight and STAY on the front sight post! DO NOT SHIFT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TARGET AND FRONT SIGHT!

STEP 4

HANDGUN COMES TO REST AT FULL EXTENSION, Focus has moved from the target to your sights, front sight level with the rear sight with equal light passing on the right and left sides of the front sight post, (aligning your sights and eye focus SHOULD be happening between Step 3 and 4) closing your non-dominate eye and establish 100% focus on that front sight post.  You are ready to shoot!

Start your trigger press until the trigger “breaks”. (It should surprise you) With 100% focus on the FS post, it should NOT move when trigger breaks! Trap the trigger to the rear, simulating a “reset” while focusing on the front sight (follow-through) trigger finger goes straight along the frame, lower the handgun to about 45* as if following your target to the ground, and perform appropriate After-Action-Responses.

Handgun is in the ready position (In both hands, pointed low, about 45* angle) RESET your trigger by racking the slide and releasing it.

Return to holster in the reverse order, from the ready position, move through STEP 3 to STEP 2, and PAUSE.  Look around to make sure you are ready to re-holster. The muzzle should be point straight out, down range towards your target.

Move from STEP 2 to STEP 1 (re-holster carefully)

So why not just go shooting more often?  It is fun to shoot, but burning through cases of ammunition could be non-productive to your skills. There are many great benefits of dry practicing you would miss if all you do were to shoot live cartridges.  Practice the entire sequence of shooting, which includes presentation from the holster, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control and follow through.  As you dry practice, pressing straight back the trigger, 100% focused on the front sight, you must pay attention to any slight movement of the front sight, which will affect the accuracy of the shot, resulting from a mash, flinching or bad trigger control.  You must to be 100% focused as you dry practice, or it becomes a waste of time, or much worse, ingraining bad habits that are hard to fix.

OK, We talked about a proper stance, presentation, sequence of shooting and safety with the firearms to increase your skill set.  Now that you have been practicing and your skill levels are getting better, you start shooting too fast and the groups open up.  You have to balance the speed you press the trigger against your level of skills and the sight picture you have to make sure the bullet will strike the target.  Simple, slow down until the group is about a hand-sized group in center mass.  If the group is smaller than that, increase the speed a little.  This is the balancing act between accuracy and speed.  You can’t miss fast enough to win! 

For more instructional video training, go to ATAC TV Firearms Channel.  Click the link below for a video demonstration by Tom Clarke on balancing Accuracy Vs. Speed.

Accuracy Vs. Speed Ratio Video on ATAC TV Firearms Channel

VENOM TACTICAL RIFLE RECEIVERS

Lenny Bolton, owner of Venom Tactical and ATAC TV Staff member use the Remington receiver on his custom sniper rifles because once re-machined he has found that it really does not have any down sides in performance compared to some of the custom actions available. Also, Lenny found that some of the custom actions out there are not perfect and have had to machine these also. Anything that is mass-produced will have variances. The production quantity usually dictates the amount of variance.

The process used when re-machining a receiver begins by line boring the bolt bearing surfaces. This insures the bolt raceway is aligned and is then used as the datum or centerline for the other machining processes. The receiver is then placed in a fixture and indicated at 2 points to less than .0001” misalignment of bore centerline. The receiver barrel threads are single point threaded, receiver lugs machined and the receiver face trued in the same fixture.

Because the bolt bearing surfaces are enlarged to .705” in the alignment process, the bolt must either be bushed or a replacement over sized bolt must be used. After bushing many bolts Lenny decided to design his own bolt. The Venom bolt is made from 4340-chrome molly steel. After the bolt is heat treated, it is ground to an elliptical shape. This means the bolt has a loose tolerance when in the loading/unloading position and much reduced clearance in the closed position. The difference in the bolt dimensions allows dirt to be cammed of the bolt surface when the bolt is closed this also helps alleviate bolt freezing problems in extreme cold.  The bolt has a .063” firing pin hole. The handle on the bolt is dovetailed and pinned in position and is much stronger than the silver soldered stock bolt handle. The firing pin is a Venom design and has a .0625” diameter hardened tip and is lighter than the stock pin. The shoulder on the pin is grooved to allow the firing pin to not hydraulic in the bolt in case the rifle happened to get submerged. The bolt knob is over sized to allow easier bolt manipulation when gloves are used.

The recoil lug is also a Venom Tactical manufactured piece. It is pinned to the receiver and precision surface ground and has a Rockwell rating of 62c. This allows the barrel to be torqued much over stock torque without the lug crushing. The use of Spiralock^® barrel threading system makes this possible. Barrel torque has a large effect on cold bore and overall consistency.

These are just a few features incorporated in the receiver portion of a Venom rifle build, and part of the reasons why the Venom Tactical sniper rifles are so accurate.  Watch the sniper instructional videos on ATAC TV Firearms Channel as the ATAC TV Staff uses sniper rifles build by Lenny Bolton/Venom Tactical.

ATAC TV Firearms Channel    

Independence Day – 4^th of July

What is Independence Day for you?  This Day is normally associated with parades, barbecues, carnivals, concerts, picnics, baseball games, fairs, fireworks, political speeches, family reunions, local shopping, and many other interests and activities for Americans to celebrate the three-day weekend.  Have we lost sight of the true meaning of Independence Day? 

History tells us that Independence Day is a federal holiday celebrated in the United States commemorating the official adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  On this date, it became official that the United States declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.  It is a day to celebrate the history, government, and the traditions of the United States, becoming the national day of the United States.  There are many public and private events celebrating the birthday of a nation.  A lot of water has passed under the bridge, but the pride and honor of being an American continues on to this day.  America the Beautiful, is still the land of opportunity and a great country, for the people and by the people.

Here is a quote from the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” Declaration of Independence

The United States of America operates today based on Rule of Law, and “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”.  The Government operates on the consent of the people.  We, the people of the United States of America, have the right to control our government, through processes built into the Constitution.  This is something to be proud of as a citizen of this country.  We vote for our elected officials to represent us in the decision-making process on local, state and the federal levels of government.  There are not many countries in this world where by the people decide who represents their country as a whole.  Be proud; celebrate Independence Day as an American in whatever fashion works for you.  Happy Birthday America!!!

Shooting in Your Mind’s Eye

ATAC TV Staff spend time training techniques including firearms, edged weapons, empty hand, physical conditioning, tactics and many others to maintain and increase our personal skill sets.  A lot of time is spent in dry practice and life fire with assorted weapons platforms.  This is how you build proper skill sets to effectively use the skill set when needed.  Ever thought about visualization in your mind’s eye as a training technique?  ATAC Staff believes visualization is a valuable tool and includes it in our additional training and development.

Maybe you should too!

Visualization of techniques and skills you have learned on the shooting range, for example, can be reviewed in your mind and ultimately reinforce the mental and physical skills developed through dry practice and live shooting with firearms.  Sound like something crazy?  Not really, people use their built-in visualization process all the time.  As an example, you lost your phone and can’t find it.  Finally you stop and think about when was the last time you had the phone in your hand.  A mental picture develops in your mind and you see yourself setting the cell phone down on the nightstand while you were grabbing needed items out of the nightstand drawer.  This is and example of visualization and anyone can do it.  Everyone has this ability, as you are hard-wired with the capability at birth and is built into your neurology.  Most people use their visualization skills unconsciously, without paying any attention to how they do it, or to the quality of the pictures they create in their head.  It can be used as a continued learning skill to reinforce skills you already developed by practicing and imagining them in your mind. Guess what?  It works!

Visualization and the neurology associated with it are important components of memory.  Visual memory is especially important in the retention of skills associated with tasks involving hand-eye coordination like shooting firearms.  Many experiments conducted by neurologists, where various parts of the brain were electrically stimulated under controlled conditions, as well as sessions of deep hypnosis targeting a persons visual recall, have determined the visual memory is essentially perfect.  In other words, perfect recall of that skill.  Now you know why some people can recall everything they ever did.  Most people have less clarity in their conscious memory for a reason.  The distortion and deletion of some of our visual memory in conscious recall is a function of the brain to eliminate data overload.  Your eyes and body amass an huge amount of data every second. The brain must put order to an overwhelming amount of information causing some of the data to become distorted, such as certain memory of crimes and/or automobile accidents when the information intake is enormous.  This is the reason three people witnessing the same event have entirely different stories about what happened.  Our preconscious internal filter activates and sorts information according to what we believe our priorities are at that moment, which might not be what we actually want to happen.  We are all different individuals.

You might hear other people saying things like “running it through my head”, or “seeing myself doing the deed” and “see it my mind’s eye”.  This is descriptive language that tells us they are visualizing the act of performing a certain skill learned in the past.  Anyone that uses visualization skills will enhance their particular performance in any sport or skill.  Most people that are good at what they do use this technique, some without knowing they are doing it.  Now imagine utilizing this ability to enhance your shooting skill by practicing “in your mind” during those times it is not possible to dry practice or go to the range.

So, lets apply this visualization skill to shooting a handgun.  In your mind, visualize a target; you present your Glock out of its holster and point into the threat or target.  In your mind you see the front and rear sights aligning on center mass and the front sight snaps into focus.  You press the trigger and get a surprise break as the bullet impacts the target.  This represents a cycle of dry practice without physical movement, but has reinforced your mental skills, which translates to your physical skills too. 

In a training program for shooting, visualization can be used in addition to a developed range program to generate quantum leaps and bounds in performance of an individual by utilizing these simple techniques:

• While actively training the skill on the range using visualization will increase and amplify the visual-kinesthetic memory associated with the skill set.  Simple go back and forth between mental and physical techniques.
• Visualization used other times and locations, when not on the range will increase the retention of the skill set.
• If you have a specific task, prior visualization will reinforce the skill set and reduce reaction time during the actual task while reducing the stress level.
• Creating a perfect sight picture of the front/rear sight on your firearm in vivid color will remind you what perfect sight alignment should look like when firing.
• Imagine a scenario requiring you to present your firearm, align the sights and generating the perfect surprise break from the trigger press.  This image should be the solution to the issue as you have successfully hit the target where you aimed, in your mind’s eye.

The key to visualization is to actually see the fine details and take notice of them in your memory.  You see the action in your mind’s eye; try to feel what is happening with your body in the picture you have created.  It will add more value to the mind’s image of the skill set.  The mind can recreate the actions if you train yourself to remember each detail.

A good way to start a training program to utilize this technique is to mimic your established dry practice program.  The more you do this, the better shooter you will become.  The techniques are easy to learn and apply to almost any situation or skill.  As long as your eyesight is good, have imagination and the willingness to experiment training your brain, it will help you perform to an entirely new level of skill.  And, it costs you nothing, but the performance gain is priceless.

T&E of the Venom Tactical Cottonmouth 

Firearms built to be used, as “Sniper Rifles” require much research and product testing to be considered for any important mission. The Venom Tactical custom Cottonmouth has earned its reputation as reliable, robust and extremely accurate precision sniper rifle worthy of consideration by any shooter that delivers lead at long distance.  With designs and forethought, Lenny Bolton is building sniper rifles that exceed accuracy and handling expectations of the most experienced snipers.  This is a “custom” rifle.  You can order a rifle build to exactly the specifications of your desires in a sniper rifle.
The rifle tested is chambered in .308 with the recommendation from Venom that only Federal Gold Match 168/175gr ammunition be used exclusively.  The chamber reamer is a custom made design for this factory ammunition. Once a stock Remington receiver is mounted in a custom jig, truing, threading and cuts in the lathe are made without disturbing the initial alignment.  This insures the bolt; firing pin, receiver and barrel are in perfect alignment.  The end result of the machining process constitutes the major difference between Venom’s rifle building process and what other manufacturers normally do by simply facing the receiver and bolt lugs to improve alignment.  The design and meticulous machining skills by Lenny are far superior to what other rifle builders consider being “good enough”.  Spend some time researching on the Venom Tactical website exploring the specific techniques involved in the production of these fantastic shooting rifles.  It all comes down to repeatability from shot to shot and this rifle has shot ¼ inch groups or less.

There are many innovative designs included in the production of the Venom/Lenny Bolton rifles that exists only in his custom firearms. It all starts out with the line-bored Remington receiver and custom elliptical bolt that locks up in the front /back of the receiver for perfect alignment with the barrel. Custom built firing pin also in alignment with the bore line and receiver.  Barrel facing and the bolt lugs are machined in perfect alignment and perpendicular to the bolt centerline.  Lenny uses a Brux Stainless barrel with a custom twist rate and taper.  More notable parts in every rifle build are Badger Ordinance bottom metal M5 trigger guard, AI magazines, Remington trigger set to approx 3 lbs and a Manners T3 pillar bedded stock with 1 inch decelerator pad. You have a choice of Cerakote or DuraCoat finish on the rifle, in any color or combinations.  The fit and finish is unparalleled.  Custom IS custom, so make it your own.  Many options are available for each model of Lenny’s custom guns.

At the range, the first 5 cartridges fired from this Cottonmouth grouped inside .30 thousandth of an inch.  This was a great start, but it was consistent through the entire day of shooting.  Later in the afternoon, the wind picked up and the worst group of the day turned into a 5 shot string that measured at just under 1/2 of an inch.  Great shooting firearm and defiantly a cut above the rest, when it comes to sniper rifles.  Doped the rifle out to 1200 yards with first and second round center hits in the wind.  Venom Tactical has earned and deserved to be the dedicated sniper rifle for ATAC Staff.