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People like to argue about which home defense gun is the best or should be preferred over others. However, what the vast majority of pundits and self-appointed experts completely skip over in their argument is a discussion of the primary purpose of said firearm.

Lucky for you, Professor Paul has been doing this for quite a while. He will break it down, cut out all of the bull crap and focus on what is most important.

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We continue to address the “good enough” mentality or the “combat effective” lies.  Those who spread such garbage do not understand the stages of learning.

There are several stages of learning: conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. Unconscious Incompetence is the stage where we all begin, but little or no learning takes place in that stage, because you don’t know what you don’t know. You don’t even realize that you are ignorant.

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Professor Paul considers the lessons learned from the Newhall Shootout from 1970. What lessons should we have learned? What can we take away from this horrible situation?

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Despite the advice from some “C” students masquerading as firearms instructors, marksmanship or more precisely the ability to deliver shot placement on demand is important, even in combat. We have historical evidence to support our position.

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How can you get the most from your time and ammunition? Both ammunition and time are investments. We certainly do not want to waste money or waste time. Let’s consider how we can get the most from both our monetary and time investment. www.oneboxworkout.com

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Do you need aftermarket parts from your fighting rifle? Should you add aftermarket triggers etc. to your AR? What are the pros and cons? Remember we have a new book; the Martial Application of the Rifle available at www.shopsotg.com

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Do you and your buddies only go to the range when it is sunny and warm outside? When it gets cold, do you stop practicing? When it comes to team building, adversity builds camaraderie. People will not remember a range trip on a sunny afternoon, but they will recall that training session in the cold, rain, sweltering heat, etc.

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We are going to go back to the theme of episode 001: How to find a good instructor?  This time we are going to consider the difference between a coach and an equipment manager. If you missed Professor Paul’s article, take a look. 

https://studentofthegun.com/articles/firearms-training/coach-vs-equipment-manager/

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Is it your desire to get on the road to mastery? If so, how do you get there? Regarding the use of firearms, how can a person become a master in their use?

One way to achieve mastery is to focus your efforts on a single area or project. Too often, your pathway to mastery is broken by distraction or task confusion.

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We have come to the final pillar of the Four Pillars of Combat: Gear. For most American men, it is the topic of gear that occupies the majority of their thoughts, their money, and their time.

Good gear cannot be and should not be discounted. How do we sort through all of the noise and clutter to secure high quality, useful gear for ourselves?

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As we continue with the examination of the Four Pillars of Combat we move on to the topic of skill. Skill requires dedication and commitment. It has been said that education or training combined with dedicated practice produces skill.

Skill is absolutely important. However, we must ask ourselves, is a high level of skill enough for us to succeed and be victorious in combat? We have a few examples for you.

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Continuing with the Four Pillars of combat, we will address tactics. When all else is equal, it is the tactics employed by the individual or the unit that will decide the outcome.

Tactics combine skill but are not merely skill. Tactics also employ mindset, but mindset alone is not enough to ensure victory.

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There are Four Pillars of fighting or personal combat. During the next four episodes we will discuss each of them and their importance to the armed citizens or the warrior.

Mindset comes first and it is the most important. Your mindset is what determines the choices you make and how you look at all of the other pillars. Without a proper mindset, everything else is just games or a waste of time.

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What is The Naked Principle? How does it apply to firearms training? Professor Paul shareshis thirty plus years of teaching people, young and old, male and female,  how to employ firearms.

We will discuss the best way for a husband or boyfriend to help their wife or girlfriend to become proficient in the use of arms. Paul will give his advice in regard to where to get training for our significant others. Also, there is some bonus material for current small arms instructors.

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Guns and gear and accessories are tools, it is the human that is the operating system. In what condition is your operating system? 

Too often we try to fix problems by buying things. Expensive guns do not shoot themselves. If you plan to survive a hostile encounter and to keep surviving, you need to spend some time focusing on the operating system for the gun.

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“The most important lesson I learned...was that the winner of a gunplay usually was the one who took his time. The second was that, if I hoped to live on the frontier, I would shun flashy trick-shooting--grandstand play--as I would poison...In all my life as a frontier peace officer, I did not know a really proficient gunfighter who had anything but contempt for the gun-fanner, or the man who literally shot from the hip.”  - Wyatt Earp

Please, stop playing around with your guns. Someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed.  Instagram models are the top suspects here. Stop it.

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This will be one of many future “mythbusting” episodes. Today we will examine home defense or personal defense shotgun. The shotgun is a tremendously effective self-protection tool when used properly.

During this segment we will address popular myths surrounding the defensive shotgun. Is it truly impossible to miss with a shotgun? Do you need to train and practice with a shotgun? What is the difference in shotgun ammunition?

The Martial Application of the Shotgun book: www.shopsotg.com

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Before you adopt the latest technique or purchase the newest product that is supposed to fix a problem that heretofore did not exist, you need to have an honest conversation with yourself and determine the goal of the exercise.

Mission or goal focus is critical for success. Anything that detracts from the goal should be considered with a critical eye. Is that new technique or that new product helping you reach your goal or distracting you from it?

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We have noticed a trend over the last decade or so. Rifle scope magnification power has gone up dramatically. Fifteen to twenty years ago, a ten power scope was considered to be a high power magnification.  A 3-9x variable was the industry standard. Now the old 3-9x scopes seem antiquated or underpowered.

What is the real answer? Do you really need 15, 18, 25x rifle scopes? What do you plan to do with the rifle? Have you ever dealt with mirage? Now is the time for a reality check. Carlos Hathcock used a fixed 8x rifle scope and had 93 confirmed kills.

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One of the many lessons from our Precision Rifle course is that you cannot neglect 100 yards if you want to hit 1000 yards.  It is the same fundamentals that you apply or do not apply at 100 yards that will translate to hits or misses at 1000 yards. 

We stress to our students that the fundamentals of marksmanship translate, regardless of the distance or the equipment. Shooting a target at 100 yards is not as cool or impressive as shooting a target at 1000 yards. Regardless, the 100 yards target is just as important if not more so.