5 Reasons why you need a Glock Airgun

It goes without saying that shooting is an expensive sport. The guns aren’t exactly cheap, nor is the gear that goes along with it, or the ammo, or the classes. Even 9mm gets expensive when shooting large quantities of ammunition. Sure you can reload, but even that requires an initial investment… and time to reload… and components.
Now anyone that is serious about firearms training does a good bit of dry fire practice. That’s important and it does help a lot. But there’s something else out there that is far better and fills in the gap very nicely between dry fire practice and actual live ammo training.

Umarex Glock 19 offical licensed by Glock

I’m no airgun expert and the Umarex is no fancy pants airgun. There’s airguns out there that cost over a thousand dollars. Thanks, but I’m not spending a grand on an airgun.

Umarex is good enough for my intended use. They make a very nice Glock 19, officially licensed by Glock. Trigger pull is close enough, geometry, grip, sights, all very much the same. So you’re not only practicing trigger pull, but the point of aim is similar, so is point of impact. The lack of recoil allows me to focus on the basics, meaning pulling the trigger without moving the gun. Creating muscle memory in the airgun version translates directly to the real Glock.

Glock Authorized Gen 3 G19 Gas BlowBlock Airsoft Pistol $169.95

So why bother with an airgun?

Five very good reasons.

1)They are cheap.
I got mine for about 100 bucks, and the Umarex Glock airsoft model showed above with a slide that cycles when fired costs 170 bucks. Sure, there’s junk airsoft toys for less, but for a good quality replica that doesn’t fall apart and you ‘ll be using maybe more than your actual gun, its pretty reasonable. Follow the link above and see what other models are available. Umarex makes airgun replicas of most common pistols.

2)Ammo Price
Here’s where these things pay themselves off in a few shooting sessions. Ammo is dirt cheap in both steel BB 4.5mm and airsoft 6mm plastic BB. 3 or 4 bucks per 1500 rounds. That’s a lot of ammo. These guns are powered with small CO2 canisters, and these cost under a dollar a pop, each 12g canister lasting 50-100 rounds. At the end of the day firing 50 rounds of airsoft or steel 4.5mm BB costs about $1. Your typical box of 9mm costs at least ten times that, more like fifteen. As you see, the original investment on the air gun pays for itself in just a few shooting sessions.

3)Training
With an airsoft or steel BB replica you get to save a lot of money, but also a lot of time. If I want to practice a bit and actually have an idea of where I’m hitting I have to drive to the range back and forth, which is easily an hour wasted in traveling. With my Umarex Glock 19 I just place a few targets around the basement, garage or backyard and get to shooting. So I’m saving money AND time. Two of the most valuable, and at times scarce resources we have.  Even better, I can put my targets around the house simulating a home invasion scenario, and get to train and shoot in the same place home invasions would occur, not the range.
Also for new shooters and for teaching kids, this is a great way for them to get some trigger time and learn basic firearms safety. These are not toys though so eye protection is very much mandatory at all times.

4)Pest control
The 6mm plastic version isnt powerful enough but the steel BB 4.5mm can kill small birds, rats and bats well enough at close range. 22LR is fine, but keep in mind it may be illegal or simply unwise to fire a gun indoors. Usually discharging a firearm within city limits is not allowed. With 4.5mm steel BB you can dispatch small pests easily.

5)FOF training
Force on force can be practiced with airsoft 6mm plastic BB guns, which cant be done with steel 4.5mm BB. Just make sure you have airsoft protective gear. Ive been to classes were airsoft was used on the FOF scenarios and you do get to learn a lot from the experience.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Gun Instructor Killed: What Went Wrong?

The purpose of this article is not to criticize the man that died in this extremely unfortunate event but to learn about it so as to try to avoid similar tragedies. I write this from the perspective of a firearms instructor and a father that taught his son to shoot at a very early age.

The wrong idea in the first place

The anti-gun groups are out for blood and it’s sad to see gun owners also attacking SSG Charles Vacca. Although some mistakes were made in this tragedy, the problem starts with the kind of establishment in the first place. “Burgers and Bullets” was intended as a fun gun range, kind of like a theme park with guns. That’s the problem right there. You can teach children safe gun handling, but that doesn’t mean gun ranges can be turned into theme parks. Shooting firearms is serious business, and when you try to make it a careless fun activity for all the family you have problems. A child should be VERY well instructed along a long process that will eventually allow him to handle a firearm. You start with airguns, then you instruct on the use of firearms, mostly rifles. After extensive instruction and dry fire practice only then you use some small caliber live ammunition. Handing over a 9mm sub-machinegun to an inexperienced 9 year old is complete madness and a recipe for disaster. You can’t have everything in life, and one of the things you can’t have is a Disneyland with guns. It’s as insane and as incompatible as a Disney hospital where kids operate on people for the very first time… and eat great burgers. You might as well go for a Biological warfare lab theme park. 

Using the right gun

Shooters should start with proper instruction, dry fire and then live ammo shooting. Once you start with live ammo, you are better suited using a bolt action or single shot long arm, in a small bore caliber such as 22LR. Only after a good amount of practice should you move to handguns and big bore calibers. A full auto Uzi is probably the most dangerous weapon you could hand over to a child. Not because it’s particularly deadly, there are plenty of bigger calibers, but because of the size (smaller being more dangerous and harder to control) and the difficulty of handling full auto bursts, even for experts.

In this case, the folding stock seems to have disengaged and folded to the right as the girl fired the burst, losing control of the weapon.

Dealing with inexperienced shooters

An instructor has to be all over his student, even more so very young ones like this little girl. In this case the instructor should have stood to the right and not to the left, behind the 180º angle in front of the shooter, with his left hand over the girl’s right shoulder, his right hand ready to control the weapon if needed. New shooters make mistakes. It just happens. They move around, get distracted, move the muzzle of the gun all over the place and the risk of an accidental discharge is significant. Inexperienced shooters may even get scared and drop the gun after firing the first time. That happens a lot. Even experienced shooters may try to grab the gun as it falls or slips from their hands, accidentally discharging it. This is why you are taught to let the gun fall if it ever slips out of your hand during more advanced firearms training that involves movement and single handed shooting. 

Not all Instructors are alike

Before trusting an instructor with your life, and the life of your loved ones, know who you’re dealing with. Not all instructors are alike so its important to learn about their reputation, talk with them and ultimately decide yourself it this is  a person you can trust. I’ve sat there in class with my best poker face while a certified NRA firearms instructor explained to me how Glock pistols have hidden, internal hammers that strike the firing pin and that the first trigger pull of a Glock is in double action while the ones that follow are fired in lighter single action. I asked again because I couldn’t believe such incompetence, but didn’t bother to correct the instructor in front of the class when I was reassured such facts about Gaston Glock design. Not all instructors are good. You can be an Olympic medal winning shooter or a Navy SEAL operator and still lack the pedagogical skills to be a good firearms instructor.

Guns can be fun to shoot folks, but toys they are not and shooting firearms is serious business.

Dead serious. 

FerFAL

Losing Weight

"Even better, use cash instead and write down every single cent you spend on daily basis. I did this and I can’t begin to explain how it puts everything into perspective."

F,
RIGHT ON THE MONEY, as usual.  Having said that, let me make a suggestion for those 100 lb over weight people.  It's actually exactly what you said above.

But -"WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU EAT.  EVERY THING.  Then review it in thirty days."

You know how you had the epiphany about spending money by writing it down.  Try it with FOOD.  You will be shocked at how much JUNK we put into our bodies.  And I don't know about you, but I don't work the fields from sunrise to sunset and therefore DO NOT EAT THREE MEALS A DAY.  I generally just eat ONE meal a day.  Lunch.

Anyway.  Keep up the great work, as usual.

STAY SAFE, my friend.

jim

That’s a good one Jim. Its absolutely true that writing these things down puts them in a new perspective.

Working out and going to the gym helps too. You burn calories and the more muscle you have the more calories get burned on daily basis by your own body. But just doing that alone will do little to get rid of pounds of fat if you’re overweight. You’ll be strong and feel good but the fat is still there.

 Probably the best tip on losing weight  I heard comes from something a famous actress said once, Jessica Biel. Her tip couldn’t be more simple but is effective: She just eats half a plate of food.

If you’re fat, unless you have a medical problem, the most common cause is that you eat too much.

Some people have a metabolism that allows them to do this, most folks don’t.

In today’s world food is cheap and plentiful, its unnatural, and people end up eating out of pleasure rather than true hunger, eating more than what the body needs.

If you’re overweight try just serving yourself half a plate and leaving the rest for another meal. Dieting some will do you good and you will soon see how cutting calories in half reduces your weight.

Another great tip often recommended: Since you’re going to be eating less you wont feel as full, but before sitting down to eat try drinking a big glass of water or two. Your stomach will feel a bit more full and what food you eat afterwards you wont be eating through it like a starving wolf!

Take care folks.

FerFAL

Future classes and training inTexas

Mr. Aguirre,
Again, I truly enjoy reading your blogs and your book! I live in Dallas, Texas, and unfortunately wasn't able to meet with you when you recently visited us. I know that you and your family are planning on moving to the US soon, is there any possibility that you will settle in the Dallas area? It would be really cool to have you here! Don't know if you'd be interested or not, but getting everyone together a couple of times a year or so for different training would be a nice thing.

Hope all is well, and stay safe!

D

Indeed the plan is to move to Texas next year, and yes I'm organizing so as to put together urban survival classes every now and then once I moved over there. Of course other training you may have in mind is welcomed as well, count me in if there's shooting :)

The idea is to have complementary training to what you learn in shooting schools, but running real world role playing force on force situations. Still brainstorming but I can assure you I really want to do it and that means it will get done at some point. :-) Other classes may include other topics discussed here frequently in the blog.

Stay tuned future neighbor, and keep in touch !
I’m posting this here because I’d like to hear your opinion, what type of training or seminar topics would be considered interesting by the blog readers.

FerFAL