Vanguard Holster:

This video is direct and to the point; if you want a minimalist carry for a Glock, the Raven Vanguard is a great solution.

Yes, there are a hundred Holster companies, making thousands of different holsters. Everyone has their favorites, including me. For tactical work, I swear by the Safariland ALS system. I believe all the Weapons & Tactics instructors at Tier-1 Group prefer to run an ALS holster. For inside the belt concealed carry, Crossbreed is the standard by which all others are trying to play catchup.

However, sometimes you just want to go as minimal as possible. For that, I’ve fallen in love with the Raven Vanguard. Now, I get no kickbacks from Raven Concealment Systems. All I get, is the same as you get; which is a great holster from a company that is turning out lots of great products. Here’s their website: http://raven-concealment-systems1.mybigcommerce.com/ You can explore their other great products there.

At their website, you’ll see lots of different options for the Vanguard. I didn’t cover these in the video because, well, I’m already long winded and we didn’t want these videos to be too long. I showed the Lanyard version, but they also have belt loop versions and new advanced upgrades with a claw for immediate stripping of the clip when leaving your belt. While all versions are cool and functional, I still prefer the Lanyard version.

Why? Several reasons… mainly because it is more “minimal.” (Yeah, my English teacher is turning in her grave) If I wanted a belt-clip holster, I would just run my Crossbreed. When sitting in the vehicle, traveling, I prefer to remove the gun from the holster, and have it located for easy draw within the vehicle. However, that still leaves me wearing a bulky holster to dig into my seatbelt area. However, with the lanyard version, I can just let that string dangle with my beltline.

Another reason I like the lanyard version, is it can be used in other carry methods. For example, let’s say your wife carries a Kimber in her purse (tough girl). She better make sure that thumb safety stays engaged every time she pitches in her car keys or grabs that lip stick. Now can you imagine a chambered Glock bouncing around the bottom of that same purse, mixed in with pens, keys, and all the other hundred items that women pack around daily? Something would work its way into the trigger guard and cause an ND. Now, enter Vanguard with the lanyard option. She can pin the lanyard to the bottom of her purse. Now the trigger is protected from that pesky floating eye-liner. If she needs to draw in a hurry, the lanyard keeps it anchored and the Vanguard clears the weapon before the weapon clears the top of her purse. This would also work with fanny pouches and other concealment bags.

However, don’t take my word for it. Drop the coin and give the Vanguard a try. If you’re like me, and prefer a minimalist approach, you are gonna like the Vanguard. Yes, it takes some practice because it is going to slightly change your draw. However, building this new muscle memory can be done with just dry-firing, and will cost you nothing.

Once you have tried it; I’m looking for comments, both pro and con. I learn every day and am always open to other’s opinions. Also, if you have questions, please just post them below, and we’ll get you an answer. Strength and Honor.

Karl is back with veteran Special Forces sniper instructor Dave Davis, to talk about the M110 Semi-auto Sniper Rifle. Based on the combat-proven SR-25 MK-11, the M110 is providing Army snipers with a suppressed semi-auto precision capability.

When our operators go through that fatal funnel (doorway) and find themselves confronted with targets, they don’t have time to be thinking about lining up sights and trigger-control. They need to be focused on “Is it a Threat?” All the marksmanship skills and manipulations need to be pushed into the subconscious mind. How do we do that? It’s just like driving; it takes lots and lots of practice.

IR Illuminators are a great tool for the modern rifleman looking to conquer night shooting. Karl talks about some of the unique capabilities and techniques used by military snipers to get the most out of these great tools.

So, you have made the conscious decision to carry a firearm. Now, you need to make the conscious decision to Practice with that firearm. Get off the computer and get out to the range. Take combat marksmanship courses trained by professional instructors. There are lots of great courses out there, and I’m sure that you can find one local.

The importance of training with both eyes open cannot be stressed enough. Karl covers the physiological reasons behind this thought process. If you are going to train for combat, train with both eyes open.

Proper Shooter/Spotter Dialogue equate to time saved in competition and in combat. You and your buddy can be the two best shots on the range; however, if you can’t work together as a team, you’re going to get beat every time. Tactical Rifleman got two SOF Sniper instructors to demonstrate the current technique being taught in the school house. Learn from the pros, adjust it to meet your team’s requirement, practice till it’s second nature, and you’ll be a better shooting team.

Tactical Rifleman is the go-to destination for advice and tips for all things military, tactical, survival, driving and shooting related. This is not just a gun or shooting page; We will have subject matter experts across various different fields share expertise learned through years of military experience . We will show you how the US military shoots, moves and communicates and how we use the latest and greatest equipment. We will show you that knowledge is the best tool for the job and knowledge is your best weapon.

Whether you’re a military sniper looking to see what is coming down the pipeline, or you’re a rich civilian wanting to see what to try to purchase next; everyone is going to want to put their greasy fingers on this puppy.

Karl runs a friendly test between two SOF snipers; one with a bolt-action PSR, and one with a gas-operated LBR. While Vince does great with the bolt-gun, you’ll see why most operators will agree “You don’t bring a bolt-gun to a gunfight."

Special Forces veteran Karl Erickson talks about flashlights and night pistol shooting, and covers a few different techniques. Find a “night shooting” technique that most closely resembles how you shoot most of the time. Find it, then practice it, until you’ve made it a part of your standard training plan.

Take a look inside the Special Forces actual sniper locker. See what Special Forces operators think of the Barrett .50 cal. Karl talks with veteran sniper instructor Dave Davis, about the infamous Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle. This gun is a real force multiplier, and it’s a blast to shoot.

Reloading your own ammo can be a very rewarding hobby. For accuracy, properly hand-loaded ammo will usually perform better than most commercially available match-grade ammo. Sometimes, it’s even cheaper to reload. However, it isn’t really a skill/trade to hang your family’s survival on.

I miss getting behind the minigun. We used to run them on a few of our Assault Force HUMMERs, back when I was working with the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force (ICTF). This was a joint force, consisting of trained Iraqi operators led by their US Green Beret advisors. Troops would conduct “Rolling Assaults” using about a dozen HUMMERs. These HUMMERs were open-topped with running boards, to haul about 9 assaulters each. They were armed with a .50cal BMG in the turret, and 4x M-240s mounted on swing-arms off the sides and back. Usually one HUMMER per Troop would mount an M-134 Minigun. Occasionally, if I wasn’t tied up, I would roll on these raids manning that minigun. While being a vehicle turret gunner sounds boring (and it is), it is a job that needs to be done. However, every once in a while, someone would be stupid enough to pick a fight with us, and I would get to flip up that Red Safety, hit that trigger, and let that “Breath of Allah” sing.