Reading List And Commentary

BY Herschel Smith
10 years, 8 months ago

First is Max Velocity, who gives us another good entry on the presuppositions under-girding being able to operate in the field, which he titles More Detail On Rucking Fitness.  This is another valuable post from Max, and he gives us an example of what we should all aspire to achieve.  But I feel like I’m listening to my son (former Marine) describe humping 100+ pounds kit for twenty miles in 105 degree heat at Camp Lejeune.  At some point these guys have got to adjust their counsel for 53 year old guys with a slight belly, who walk five miles a day and get to the gym two or three times a week for weights.  Somewhat in shape, but not nearly the degree to which Max describes.

From Montrose, Texas we have another example of SWAT misbehavior.

“A man identified himself as the SWAT sergeant. He said I had exactly ten minutes to come downstairs or they were going to start tearing my house down,” Castorena said. “About a minute later, the SWAT team runs through my front yard and batter rams my front door.”

Castorena was led out in handcuffs and charged with felony assault.

The whole thing started over loud music.  No, seriously.  Loud music.

David Codrea’s articles are always worth reading, but one in particular bears reading again regarding judge Kidd making the injunction against the Mississippi open carry law permanent.  We’ve discussed this before, and I just can’t help but believe that turning to judge Kidd at all in any form whatsoever is illegitimate, even attempting to get him to overturn his ban.  The man did something unconstitutional, as he has no right to ban laws because he thinks they are unclear.  Judge Kidd is a candidate for impeachment, and if I were the governor and attorney general I would go ahead with the law and call a special session of Congress to throw Kidd out.

Next, read Kurt Hofmann on gun control pushers hoping to exploit the Zimmerman case for more oppressive laws.  Of course they do.  Has a statist ever done anything or taken any action to decrease the power of the state?  Can a leopard change its spots?

Always drop by Western Rifle Shooters Association every day, and I appreciate WRSA for bloggrolling me.  I consider this an achievement.

“The AR-15 muzzle flash is the new torch of liberty” according to Representative Steve Stockman, R- Texas.  Just so.  Related, one commenter at reddit/guns has a post on AR-15s that might interest you, some of it good, some of it so-so, but be warned.  If you carry on that discussion here, we don’t use Eugene Stoner’s name in any other context but effusive praise or hushed reverence.

Finally, Bob Owens has a rifle suggestion for Zimmerman now that he’s a free man.  Not all that dissimilar from mine (excluding the EOTech).  I have my tactical light on an offset mount because I don’t want it under the weapon and in front of the forend grip.

I hold my weapon the way my son taught me to, using the forend grip only as an anchor point rather than grasping it, and thus my hand uses much of the forend of the weapon.  This is also similar to the way Travis Haley teaches, not coincidentally, and the more exaggerated version of this is in vogue with SF where the arm is outstretched straight and gripping the forend of the weapon on the side completely without a grip in order to avoid over-rotation of the weapon during target acquisition (this technique comes from the gamers).

UPDATE: David Codrea has some thoughts on hauling rucks.  When you look at it that way, I guess I’ll bring up the rear with David and die in a firefight while laying down cover fire for the rest of you.  So be it.  There are worse ways to go.

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Comments

  1. On July 15, 2013 at 11:44 pm, Justin said:

    I’ve taken to the straight-armed approach with the AR. I hate to be “faddish,” but I find it suits me well. I bought a long forend/rail system just with this in mind. It works well for me.

  2. On July 16, 2013 at 11:30 am, Chuck said:

    Re: Rucking. While both Mosby and Max wax poetic about SOF-level physical fitness standards, it should be noted (though patently obvious) that only a very small number of what is already a small minority of all service members who actually serve in combat arms units could meet the standards they describe in such excruciating detail.

    In my late teens/early 20s, while serving on active duty in an airborne infantry unit, long ago in a far away land, we rucked once a week anywhere from 4-12 miles per week carrying well over 60lbs of kit at well under a 15 min/mile pace, with a quarterly 20 miler at the same pace. I was in damn good shape and my body hadn’t yet broken down from all that abuse and yet there is no way I would have been able to meet every one of Mosby’s standards. Some of them, yes, all of them no. Maybe if we had trained for them, but we weren’t that high speed back in Reagan’s Army.

    Today, pushing 50 yrs old, I’d break myself off trying to meet those standards. I still PT five days a week, and ruck about once a month (somewhere between 6 and 12 miles) but my pace is now in the 17-18 minute mile range.

    The human body can only withstand so much punishment before the constant abuse and the aging process takes its toll. This is not to say that we shouldn’t continue to strive toward goals and push ourselves, but (one hopes) with age comes wisdom, and we should follow Harry Callahan’s advice. If you break yourself trying to train for a standard meant for a very, very small group of younger men, you will not be of much use to your family when the time comes.

    DISCLAIMER: This post should in no way be meant as an excuse to slack off. It’s simply meant to be a dose of reality and dash of common sense for those who read Mosby’s and Max’s tales of nearly superhuman feats and think, “man, I could never do that shit…oh well, back to the couch, and crack another cold one and finish off this plate of nachos…”

    We can ALL be in better shape than we are, and should continually strive for it. But be smart about it and set realistic goals for your own level of fitness and age and any physical maladies you might have.

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This article is filed under the category(s) Guns,Recommended Reading and was published July 15th, 2013 by Herschel Smith.

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