Civilian Classes:

Military/LE Classes:

Go to training.hk-usa.com  to review and register for the classes.

SHOOT SIG is a shooting experience aimed at getting you from the house to the range in a fun, approachable atmosphere. SHOOT SIG is a membership community welcoming all levels of firearms enthusiasts, encourages participation in shooting sports, and offers generous member-only benefits including: ability to register for SHOOT SIG matches across the country with generous prize opportunities for every participant, participation in the SHOOT SIG Product Purchase Program, entry into an aspirational annual member sweepstakes, quarterly giveaways, webstore discounts, member newsletters and a SHOOT SIG welcome pack.

“In the first year of SHOOT SIG we welcomed thousands of members and laid the foundation for a successful program,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “In 2024 we are turning it up with more matches, more benefits, and more excitement for our members.”

The 2024 SHOOT SIG Competition Season will consist of 25 matches spanning the country with the kick-off match with Team SIG Captain Max Michel, occurring in coordination with the SIG SAUER Academy EDC Championship at Volusia County Gun and Hunt Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida February 10 – 11, 2024.

The following is the initial release of the competition schedule with all matches taking place on Saturday and Sunday, unless noted.

2024 Confirmed SHOOT SIG Match Schedule:

February 10 – 11: Volusia County Gun and Hunt Club / New Smyrna Beach, Florida*
March 23 – 24: Talon Range / Midway, Florida
April 20 – 21: Atlanta Conservation Club / Atlanta, Indiana
April 27- 28: Cavern Cove Competitive Shooting / Woodville, Alabama
May 4 – 5: Summit Training Center / Summit, WV
May 18 – 19: Golden Triangle Gun Club / Beaumont, TX
June 1 – 2: Triggerguard, Wellington, KS
June 15 -16: Frontline Defense Firearms Center / Warrenton, NC
June 28 – 30: Cardinal Shooting Center / Morengo, OH**
July 12 – 13: SIG SAUER Academy / Epping, NH***
July 20 – 21: Laughery Valley Fish & Game / Versailles, IN
August 24 – 25: Easton Fish & Game / Easton, PA
August 31 – September 1: Shadow Hawk Defense / Hedgesville, WV
September 28 – 29: Tri-County Gun Club / Sherwood, OR

• occurs in conjunction with SIG SAUER Academy EDC Championship
  ** occurs in conjunction with USPSA Carry Optics Nationals, 3-days of shooting.
  ***occurs on Friday and Saturday.

Newly schedule matches will be immediately added to the schedule as confirmed and posted to the SHOOT SIG schedule available on SHOOTSIG.com. To learn more about the SHOOT SIG program, become a member, learn how to register for a match, or news visit SHOOTSIG.com.

Close Quarters Battle (CQB), also known as room clearing, is a demanding endeavor that even ordinary citizens may find themselves doing. If we come home to an open door and screaming family, waiting for help is not an option. If we suspect a home invasion, shelter-in-place is insufficient if we need to gather and secure other family members. In such cases, we prefer not to tackle this difficult and dangerous problem without prior experience.

Orion Training Group (OTG) fills this need with open enrolment courses. We first attended an introductory class focusing on solo and duo-response. We honed fundamentals like footwork, then learned to navigate complex room geometries and the use of additional manpower for speed and security. We attended another night vision CQB class. Using fundamentals from introductory course, we dealt with light gradients while learning the limitations of technology first-hand.

OTG imparted knowledge in digestible chunks, introduced multiple methods to solve the same problem, and held students accountable for their choices (or lack thereof) when they outrun their brain. Force-on-force tested our execution. The teaching points were not focused on any citizen, law enforcement, or military context but rather emphasized how resources, mission, and environment dictated tactics. Throughout these courses, we had to consciously slow our movement down to our processing speed in order to make optimal decisions; more than once, we played the fools who rushed in where angels feared to tread.

SPATIAL AWARENESS

CQB is a game of angles. Before we can process and address the angle with our eyes and weapon, we must avoid overexposing and telegraphing our location. We could procedurally short-stock a rifle over or under our shoulder (see this YouTube video, but we should recognize our environment and decide whether it is necessary or desirable. With wide hallways common in commercial buildings, it is possible to pan a door with a shouldered rifle without extending its muzzle past the threshold. There may even be sufficient room for another teammate to hold hallway security while panning. However, environmental features (such as opposing doors) may dictate a simultaneous pan where it is necessary to short-stock our rifles. During force-on-force, we needlessly compressed our pistol to pan a threshold because we always procedurally short-stock the rifle. This left us unable to return aimed fire when confronted during the pan; we could only run away like Monty Python and the Holy Grail. During this scenario, we failed to recognize and exploit the fact that a pistol reduces overexposure concerns.

We also learned our habit of leading with our elbow when pieing around a corner. With a heavy rifle, we chicken-winged to manage the weight. With a pistol, we formed an isosceles stance. Both caused our elbow to telegraph our location long before our eyes can process the scene, make decisions, and apply ballistic counselling.

We observed other students ducking back behind a corner due to incoming fire, only to re-peek at the same height when opposition is ready and waiting. Force-on-force punished these mistakes and reinforced the demand for spatial awareness that can only result from slowing down to our processing speed. Outrunning our processors inevitably lead to failures.

LIGHT MANAGEMENT

We intuitively understand we should minimize light emissions to maximize surprise, but we also learned to broadcast light to our advantage. If we were already backlit (i.e., already compromised), we can create a photonic barrier with our weapon lights and deny information. The opposition can neither discern our manpower, nor choose a point-of-aim. Of course, we must process the environment to judiciously use this at the cost of surprise. 

Light can also be used to disrupt the opposition’s observe-orient-decide-act cycle (aka “OODA” loop) and somewhat increase the violence of action when distraction devices are unavailable. Modern weapon lights with 1000+ lumens can be blinding and might cause recipients to involuntarily squint or raise their hands to block the light, thus disrupting their firing solution. We experienced this during force-on-force. In another scenario, we lost speed while pieing a corner under night vision. Intuiting the bad guy is in the room, we employed white light during entry to increase the violence of action and regain the initiative.

On the more subtle side, we recognized environmental lighting gradients that dictate our entry method. Stacked strong side in a bright hallway and about to enter a dark room, we could have moved across to create a split stack and to better manipulate the door or perform a crisscross entry. However, this would cast our shadows under the closed door and telegraph our location. Mindful of this limitation, we chose to enter strong-side to maintain surprise. In order to make informed decisions, our legs must not outrun our brain.

COMMUNICATIONS

To non-verbally communicate with teammates, instructors emphasized consistency across different lighting conditions. For example, one can muzzle pump or wag to ask a teammate to open the gate for a safe entry. We chose to wag regardless of lighting conditions because one cannot easily discern a pump under night vision by just observing the pointer. The limited field-of-view also forced us to constantly scan for these signals. Moving too fast caused us to miss cues, which created chaos.

Slowing down to process our teammates’ body language made us smoother. For example, a teammate’s intent focus behind a couch indicates a dead space. That prompted us to move and assist. Conversely, we learned to wait for others to process, else we risk launching into the next problem unsupported. This is especially important under night vision with degraded field-of-view, reduced contrast, and such.

Our instructor remarked that the hallmark of a good team is not the lack of mistakes, but the fact that gaps are recognized and plugged on-the-fly. We found we can only achieve that by processing cues. As the class progressed, repetitions improved processing speed. Consequently, movement speed increased, as well.

Every player of an effective sports team knows all plays and calls; every member of an effective CQB team knows all techniques and signals. A team that frequently trains together can establish default tactics techniques and procedures (TTPs) to increase efficiency and reduce confusion. For example, a teammate expecting a strong side entry while another expecting a crisscross can create a fatal foul-up. OTG took pains to present a plethora of techniques and encouraged students to explore, all without forcing their preferences upon us. While students agreed upon TTPs for the remainder of the course, instructors emphasized flexibility by requiring us to articulate our decisions. During a scenario, we found hostages but no hostage-taker during the initial threshold assessment. By processing our environment, we realized we dawdled too long and might be backlit by ambient lighting. Following TTP to pan over for crisscross entry would actually increase risk to both the hostages and the entry team as we lost surprise already. By making a strong side entry without delay, we increased speed to regain the initiative. We were successful because we processed environmental clues while our teammates processed our body language, obviating the need to verbally call for the play.

CONCLUSION

OTG provides open enrolment classes to tackle the difficult and dangerous problem of CQB. Instructors presented multiple techniques and emphasized flexibility while holding students accountable for their choices. We learned to move only as fast as our processing speed for spatial awareness, light management, and non-verbal communications with teammates would allow. Practicing micro drills at home improves individual elements, but we feel the needed to also practice with others for stimulus and communications. This, and the valuable critique from instructors, is why we find utility in repeating courses from time to time.

One handed shooting, and, in particular, shooting one-handed with your non-dominant hand — also called support-hand, off-hand, or weak-hand shooting — is an essential but often overlooked skill. It’s also a tricky one to develop.

To help, here’s a series of tips on training to shoot one-handed.

Why Train for One-Handed Shooting?

While using a two-handed grip will provide the most stability, it’s not always practical or even possible in a real-life scenario. Even with a two-handed grip, training each hand alone can improve your shooting.

Here’s a closer look at the benefits of one-handed shooting.

Strength and Dexterity

Shooting with either hand puts your body under lots of pressure. As a result, the more you shoot and learn to manage the recoil, the stronger and more dexterous your hands will become. Using your non-dominant hand ensures you feel those benefits in both hands.

Studies have found a direct correlation between grip strength and accuracy, suggesting training your grip will make you a better shooter. Typically, you don’t concentrate nearly as much on your support hand as your primary hand while training, so isolating it provides strength and grip training you won’t otherwise get. That will translate into better two-hand shooting over time.

Confidence

Training with one hand will also improve your confidence. Changing your routine is one of the best ways to become a better shooter because it helps you apply your skills under different conditions. When you learn to adapt like this, it’ll have a positive mental effect, even if you never have to shoot in that kind of environment.

Shooting is a lot more than just the physical act of pulling the trigger. Your mentality significantly impacts how you shoot, so the more confident you are, the better you’ll likely be. Getting experience shooting in a variety of styles will naturally build that confidence.

The more confident you become, the less you’ll worry about when you’re behind the trigger. You’ll be able to focus on what you need to, becoming a more accurate and responsible shooter.

Safety

Finally, shooting with one hand is a crucial safety measure. If you’re in an emergency, you may be unable to shoot with a two-handed grip. One of your hands could be injured or pinned or you could be in an awkward position where you can’t reasonably use it. Whatever the specifics, you don’t want your life to depend on being able to shoot with one hand.

Shooting with one hand, especially if it’s your support hand, makes you much more likely to miss. In a life-and-death situation, that will endanger you and the lives of those around you. It’s less of a concern when you’re skilled and confident with one-hand shooting techniques.

If you can shoot well with both hands, you can protect yourself and others even with an injured hand. Hopefully, you’ll never be in a situation where you need that skill, but it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

One-Hand Shooting Techniques

Now that you know why to train with one hand, you need to learn how. There are two main ways to approach this — straight-arm and canted shooting.

1. Straight-Arm Shooting

The straight-arm technique is the most familiar for many gun owners. It’s the most traditional form, involving locking your arm at the elbow so it’s straight and your pistol is perpendicular to the ground.

One of the biggest advantages of this technique is it most closely resembles two-handed shooting. Consequently, it may be the most comfortable. Keeping your gun straight up will also help manage recoil, making you more precise. Remember — precision and accuracy are different things, but you need both for safe shooting.

If your everyday carry has a red dot sight, you may find it easier to aim with the straight-arm technique, too. It may take more work to find the dot from a different position.

2. Canted Shooting

Your other option is canted shooting. As the name suggests, this technique involves leaning your gun slightly. With your shooting arm locked out in front of you, rotate your hand inwards between 10° and 45° to bring the sights in line with your dominant eye.

Turning your gun like this is about more than just looking cool. Some shooters — especially those who like to keep both eyes open — find it easier to aim this way. The position of your arm may also feel more natural, which can help overcome the initial awkwardness if you’re shooting with your off-hand.

When shooting one-handed, your dominant eye may be on a different side than your dominant hand. While just one in 10 people are left-handed, one in three are left-eyed. Check which of your eyes is dominant if you’ve never done so before trying canted shooting.

Which Is Best?

Because it’s best to train for real-life scenarios, you’ll want to practice shooting in the most accurate and precise form possible. However, that varies from person to person. What constitutes the best shooting position depends on what feels most natural to you and works with the habits you’ve already developed.

If you’ve already done a lot of shooting with your dominant hand, you likely have a favorite one-handed technique. Start with that on your non-dominant hand and see how it feels. If you haven’t shot much with just one hand before, try both methods a few times to see which feels the best and produces the best results.

Support Hand Shooting Drills

Of course, your hand’s position is just part of the equation. You’ll need to practice to become an accurate and safe support-hand shooter. Because it’s hard to do anything with your non-dominant hand, that’ll likely entail more than just picking up a gun with your support hand at the range. Here are a few of the best drills to try.

1. Dry Firing

The first drill to practice with is dry firing. Unload your pistol, then aim and pull the trigger just as you would with live ammo. While this won’t gauge your accuracy, going through these motions without actually firing any rounds is a safe way to get comfortable with your off-hand and build muscle memory.

While dry firing is almost identical to regular shooting in practice, it does feel different. Check out SIG Sauer’s guide to dry firing for video demonstrations and technique tips to make the most of these drills.

On average, it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so it’ll take some repetition before this movement feels natural. Stick with it and focus on good form over speed.

2. Straining Your Dominant Hand

Once you get more comfortable with your dominant hand, you can try some other drills. One of the best ways to challenge yourself and prepare for a real-life emergency is to strain your unused hand by holding something heavy. This practice will help you get used to not depending on your off side and firing under the strain like you’d have to if you were injured.

The weight you hold should be moderately heavy for one hand but nothing crazy. Many people use a gallon water jug — a light kettlebell could also work. Try holding it in different positions to strain that arm in different ways, then take your time lining up the shot.

3. Dot Torture

One more common drill you may find helpful is dot torture. In this drill, you’ll shoot at 10 2-inch circular targets on a sheet like this one, going through 50 rounds and various techniques.

When working on your dominant hand, you can hit the ground running and work from the holster. When training your support hand, you can start with the pistol drawn to get things going, but you’ll want to incorporate a support-side draw technique that’s outlined below as soon as you’re comfortable adding it to your training regime.

As you work through the dots, you’ll shoot, holster, re-draw, shoot from the ready position, switch hands, and go back and forth between dots. It’s a long and challenging drill, but that’s what makes it excellent practice. The main downside to this drill is it uses a lot of ammo, so stay focused and get the most out of this expensive drill.

4. Switch Hitting

Switch hitting is another great drill to practice one-handed shooting. Get two small targets — like 3×5-inch index cards — and set them up three feet in front of you, roughly a foot apart from each other. You’ll then shoot the one on the right with your right hand and the one on your left with your left hand.

The goal is to be able to hit both targets in 10 seconds. If you can do that, move the targets back and try again. You should learn to shoot quickly and accurately with your support hand as you progress, with your dominant hand acting like a control group to measure your success against.

5. Draw and Engage

A similar drill you can try is draw and engage. Like switch hitting, this involves shooting at two targets using one hand at a time. Unlike switch hitting, though, you’ll shoot at both with each hand, practicing aiming at multiple targets in quick succession.

Start by getting two fairly large targets and set them up 10 yards in front of you and a yard apart from each other. Draw with your dominant hand and fire two shots into each target within 10 seconds, taking your time to aim carefully. Then do it with your left hand. If you can hit both accurately with both hands, move the targets back further.

Other Factors to Consider

Practicing these drills should help you build the core skills and agility you need to shoot confidently with one hand. However, there are a few other things than just shooting to keep in mind, too.

1. Drawing and Holstering

If you’re in a real emergency, your gun won’t likely be sitting neatly on the table in front of you. You’ll also have to draw and eventually holster your pistol, which can be tricky in your non-dominant hand.

To draw one-handed, start by pulling up your shirt or other garment that’s concealing your holster. If you’re using your strong hand and either a strong-sided holster or appendix carry, pull the firearm out as you would with two hands.

If your holster is on your strong side and you need to grasp it with your weak hand, grab the grip upside-down so that your thumb is by the magazine of an automatic. Pull your gun out of its holster and bring it grip-up to the center of your body.

Press the back of the grip into your body to use your chest to roll the gun one-handed across your body so you can grasp it normally. Make sure the muzzle points away from you and towards the ground the entire time.

You may find it easier to squat and place your pistol grip-up between your knees. From there, you can grab it with a normal grip, stand up and acquire your target.

Drills like dot torture and switch hitting will help you practice drawing and holstering with your non-dominant hand. You can also just practice these motions without firing. Regardless of how you approach it, practice with an unloaded gun first. Unintentional firearm injuries send 27,000 people to emergency rooms annually, so get the motions down before trying them with a loaded gun.

2. Reloading

Similarly, you should practice reloading with your gun with one hand. This technique involves working with your pistol held between your knees. Mastering one-handed reloads may take as much practice, or perhaps more, as learning to shoot accurately with a single hand.

When you’ve fired your last round, press the magazine release to drop it, then bend slightly at your knees, keeping your feet together. Place your pistol grip-up between your knees. Grab a fresh mag, slide it in the magazine well and slap its base to ensure it locks into place.

From there, you have a couple of options for how to rack the slide, but both start with grabbing your pistol with a firing grip. One of the fastest methods is to keep your knees together and press the slide hard against your legs to rack it by sliding your gun forward. Alternatively, you can take it from your knees and hook the rear sight onto your belt or pants pocket to rack it. Once loaded, stand back into a firing stance and acquire your target.

Given how awkward these techniques are, practice with dummy rounds until you get the hang of it.

3. Building Strength in Your Non-Dominant Hand

As the name “weak hand” suggests, your dominant hand is typically stronger than your non-dominant one, which can affect your shooting. Better grip strength will help you control recoil, so you should engage in strength training for your support hand on top of training it at the range.

Simple exercises like using a grip trainer or doing farmer’s carries in your non-dominant hand can help. You’ll build some grip strength just by shooting, too.

Mental Drills for Your Non-Dominant Hand

Learning to use your non-dominant hand is just as much mental as it is physical. Consequently, doing some simple cognitive exercises involving your support hand can help your drills feel more natural.

Try writing your name and drawing various shapes with your non-dominant hand throughout the day. While this seems simple, it engages the parts of your brain involved in that hand’s fine motor skills, which can help drawing, shooting and reloading with your off hand.

Start Shooting with Your Non-Dominant Hand Today

One-handed and support-hand-only shooting are crucial skills to build as a responsible gun owner. The sooner you get started, the quicker you’ll be able to get the skills you need in an emergency.

The DART system, at just 6 x 4 x 5, is the most portable firearms simulator available and can be set up and used in virtually any location. The system’s portability keeps training within easy reach of soldiers making it convenient to train often. Yet, despite its small size, DART is feature-rich and includes capabilities not found on any other platform.

“The Army is moving away from large, expensive firearms training systems because they don’t provide the accessibility and throughput of DART and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more,” said David Avgikos, president of Digimation. “The fact that they evaluated virtually every similar system out there and purchased ours speaks for itself.”

The Army added DART Studio authoring software for each system it purchased underlining its need for enhanced tools that allow every aspect of a course or drill to be customized.

“DART Studio is another significant advantage of the DART system”, said Brian Gaynor, director of training for Digimation. “Gone are the days of practicing with static targets. DART Studio allows the creation of courseware and drills with intelligent, moving targets capable of interacting with the shooter without intervention from the instructor.”

One of the reasons the Army purchased the DART system is its need to train soldiers with no firearm experience, said Avgikos. DART Trace rifles, which were also part of the order, are able to track a trainee’s aim through all phases of a shot: target acquisition, trigger pull, and follow through. Once a shot is made, the aim point can be replayed in real-time and used to diagnose possible technique problems for each trainee.

“Our team has been in close contact with personnel at the Army bases that will be implementing DART, and we’re excited to be a part of their firearms training initiative,” said Avgikos. “We think this will be the first of many orders from the Army, and we look forward to the possibility of working with other branches of the military as well.”

About DART

DART is a highly portable and customizable firearm training simulator that promotes readiness and situational awareness through frequent and enhanced tactical training. DART achieves these results through a combination of leading simulation technology and practical instruction conducted in a realistic setting. DART systems are used by the U.S. Army, more than 300 police departments and various commercial organizations across the nation. To learn more, please visit dartrange.com.

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By Rick Cicero

A Tool for Overcoming Physical and Mental Disabilities

Impetus for Learn to Shoot Again Program

In August 2010, I lost my right arm and leg from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. Six months later, after learning to walk again, a trip to the range with my Dad rekindled my love of shooting. Over the next several years via trial and error and with guidance from other shooting professionals in the military and police, I developed new shooting techniques to work within my physical “limitations.” I was my own worst student. I knew what a proper stance and all the fundamentals should look like, I found myself shooting well, yet I would look down and see that my stance and grip were not what would traditionally be correct. That’s when I finally came to the realization that I had to learn to shoot again using different techniques to suit my abilities.

Advancements in technology, including the SIG Sauer Brace, have been instrumental in honing my skills. Each new success is built on previous successes. After attending an Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA) Family Day event, I became involved in supporting such activities. This organization created associations with other accomplished shooters such as Trevor Baucom and Chris Fleming, also injured veterans. The true success of that day was when I began taking fellow wounded veterans to the range, which was the impetus for what is now the Learn to Shoot Again program—LTSA.

Immediately following SHOT Show 2016, we assembled a team of combat veterans—most of whom sustained and recovered from major injuries including paralysis, loss of limbs and spinal injuries that would have sidelined most. With the support of the NRA and HAVA, the entire team became certified NRA Instructors. Additionally, SIG SAUER Academy has been instrumental in advancing the skills of the LTSA instructors by offering advanced pistol instructor and advanced carbine instructor courses. One of the main focuses of LTSA training is not only to perform, but to perform to the highest standards of the able-bodied shooter without any special considerations and in all environments. All of which lead to the most important benefits: teamwork, espirit de corps, return to a known work ethic, visual success and HAPPINESS!

LTSA has established monthly classes in Florida. Additionally, we work diligently to travel the country and bring the classes to those who will benefit from them the most. Our class format develops shooter skills to compete in pistol, carbine, 2 and 3 gun, and most recently long range.

The positive feedback within the veteran community and firearms industry has been nothing short of amazing. The industry stepped up immediately with optics provided by Leupold and SIG SAUER and rifles provided by Savage. When Kestrel offered to help, they provided directed training, products, shooting opportunities and fundraising; all of which was far beyond our expectations.

Beyond Expectations

This past April, we conducted the first full Long Range Class at the Peacemaker National Training Facility, where Katie Godfrey was a remarkable asset. Kestrel sent her with knowledge, rifles, ammo and Kestrel devices. Katie conducted her full classroom presentation followed by days on the range using the Kestrels to maximize every shot.

A unique challenge was offered to every student—those who hit a three-shot group on a Kestrel zero target at 400 yards would be given one. Even with stiff winds, every student completed the challenge and left with a Kestrel. All of these students now use the devices regularly to compete and or hunt; two of the students have become LTSA instructors. [Fig. 6]

Kestrel further surprised us by making HAVA/LTSA the benefactor of the Kestrel Challenge Precision Rifle Series (PRS) match at Peacemaker in August. Not only did Kestrel donate product, time and money, they coordinated with other industry support. Ruger donated two rifles, Leupold and Vortex donated scopes, Hornady donated ammo, and the list goes on. The funds raised from that event and match supported multiple classes for our veterans.

The greatest value of that match was to have two of our students compete and learn to be Range officers that weekend. Both Justin and Tyler have overcome significant limb and internal injuries that would have stopped most veterans. However, both of these men raised the standard by completing the match, assisting with the fundraiser and working as Range Officers for the match. Nothing can put words to the expressions on fellow shooters’ faces when they see these men in shorts and realize the injuries that no one noticed.

The secondary benefit from that match was the number of shooters who approached us throughout the day and thanked us, not for our service, but for motivating them. We have learned the unique aspect of providing a perspective to the able-bodied shooter that they often forget: it is about the team and not the individual.

Conducting training for our veterans exposes students and staff to so much more. We have encountered and overcome different physical personal challenges I would have never expected. Each student is unique in his or her own way and identical in so many others. We all come from the military whether it is the student with one leg and only two fingers on one hand, the legally blind man who can see through a very narrow field of vision or the man who comes to class in a wheelchair.

Sasquatch, a Defined Success

The success that counts the most for me is confidence and happiness in life. The particular student who comes to mind sustained a gunshot wound in combat and has significant challenges. Unlike most, he completed his tour and was discharged without a full retirement and wanted to go on as a civilian. Unfortunately, his challenges caused him severe pain and loss of consistent ability to hold a regular job. He fell into a depression like so many and expressed to me how he felt a failure.

After attending some of our classes he became a dedicated student in every way. When he told me how much our classes improved his outlook, daily habits and overall quality of life, I was left speechless. We all have demons, and this is the best medicine for so many. Who would have thought that? In true military form we all have nicknames; his is “Sasquatch” (his profile in a shadow is priceless!). He is the great giant of our team. He was among the students in the April Long Range Class and a coach at the Long Range Class just last month. He has competed in several matches and attended the NRA Instructor course. Just last week, he put those skills to work at the HAVA Family Day in San Antonio and the three day class for our veterans in that same area.

As the “Director” of LTSA, it is not a title of management, but a title of responsibility. For students and teammates like the Squatch, the resources, tasks and organization are all worth it. The trust we have in our instructors is exceptional because they are exceptional people. Often the visual prosthetic device or chair gains attention, while others are overlooked. Sasquatch raises that bar and has volunteered to be a leader. Many of us lead in the military, but so many fail to lead in the civilian world. Sasquatch has stepped up and is the remarkable example of this program for so many to follow.

LTSA Tool Box

We create tools to maintain every aspect of our lives—the LTSA tool box is no different. As firearms have advanced over the last several years, we have taken advantage of those that are most practical. We strive to train our students with readily available items that can give them the skills to be as confident and safe as other shooters.

The first tool to provide a significant benefit was the “SIG Sauer Brace,” proving to give stability to the one-armed or impaired shooter to build long-gun skills for stance, grip, sling, balance and flexibility for various platforms and calibers from a .22 to a .300BO.

The advent of ambidextrous pistols like the new SIG Sauer P320, Smith & Wesson M&P, Glocks and more are making one-handed shooting much more accessible—even for those with only a left hand or with great impairment to their right hand. Every advantage our students have helps to overcome their challenges.

Within our long range program, the benefits of left-handed bolt rifles create an option that is efficient and nothing short of a blessing. We have Savage and Remington to thank for such rifles. Even a vertical fore grip on a rifle is a huge benefit to those with prosthetic arms or limited abilities; their control improves drastically.

The Quick Clip provides multiple benefits for those with upper extremity impairments to safely change magazines, clear malfunctions or just walk while maintaining their balance. It also maintains the rifle in a safe orientation for wheelchair users while in motion. And even those with all of their appendages but who have balance issues can maintain control while walking with free arm swing.

Several other manufacturers have supported us by providing unique adaptations to firearms for better access, ergonomics and control.

As our industry develops these unique tools, our community realizes what is already available to expand their abilities. The greatest honor LTSA has is to continue to serve our country and communities through one of the best commonalities our veterans have.

Our Program is Growing

Over the last three years LTSA has trained over 300 students in classes from Florida to California and New Hampshire. We are offering classes for pistol, carbine, shotgun and even long distance rifle to 900 yards and beyond. In 2019 we will be teaching in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, West Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and more. We will also be at events like HAVA Family Days and shooting matches around the country to Coach, RO, Compete and Inspire our veteran community to get out and join us! If you are interested in attending such a class or know a veteran who could benefit from our classes please call Rick Cicero at 434-294-5883 or email at LTSA@honoredveterans.org.

By Nick Steadman

SADW is a monthly electronic publication from Nick Steadman Features. Nick, intrepid world traveling reporter for much of the arms industry, files this 40,000 to 50,000 word report once a month to his loyal subscribers. Those lucky ones pay a mere $50 (US) £32.50 (UK) per year for the privilege of getting the hot tips and insights from one of the industry’s insiders. Nick’s unique perspective is globally based, as is his wit. Each issue is full of insight and information for those with an interest in Small Arms, as well as his observations on world travel.

WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, FUTURE SYSTEMS, TRAINING & RELATED NEWS

SA80 ‘TOTAL RECALL’ ANNOUNCED: the Times & others reported towards the end of Feb 2000 that, subject to ministerial agreement, the UK MOD was to ‘recall’ all 300,000 5.56mm SA80 weapons with the British forces for a rolling programme of modifications to rectify the already well-documented functional shortcomings of this system, particularly in adverse operating conditions. SA80 is currently also struck off the NATO list of approved weapons, since it will only operate reliably using British ammunition. Ironically of course, this system was finalised (in 5.56mm) using foreign ammunition loaded with ball powder, since no British SS109 production existed at the time, and changes later had to be made to adjust its rate of fire with the UK-type extruded propellant which delivers different gas port pressures.

The programme will reportedly focus on having 12,000 SA80s upgraded by 2001, though two years or more will apparently be required to modify the complete inventory, at a cost to the taxpayer yet to be established, though reports said it would be substantial, due to the need for retooling, running into ‘tens of millions’. Components to be rectified are said to include the gas & bolt mechanisms plus the magazines. Renewed MOD interest in finally sorting out SA80 appears to stem from recent criticism by the House of Commons Defence Committee of the time it has taken to ponder the upgrade. Tests of updated weapons have reportedly been carried out already in Kuwait & Alaska, delivering respective reliability percentages of 97.7 and 83.6 for the SA80 rifle and LSW.

The ministry is said to be denying this is a ‘recall’ as such, though that would appear to be a matter of official semantics. PA quoted an MOD spokesman as saying a final decision will most likely be taken in Spring 2000. The MOD is meanwhile claiming SA 80 is still ‘an effective weapon’, the Guardian added. A Times follow-up said that troops had been forbidden to discuss SA80 with the press following the MOD announcement, but the paper nevertheless found two lance corporals in Kosovo who did not feel constrained from airing their dissatisfaction with the weapon.

One was quoted as saying “To be honest, it is useless, it falls apart on you”, and other reportedly added “There are terrible malfunctions. Everyone knows it is a weapon that you couldn’t rely on in a real war.” Perhaps it’s just as well we don’t do too much of that stuff nowadays. Troops were apparently bemused about the restrictions on discussing SA80, and were reported as saying: “It’s weird, because in the past they always told us to say to the press what you think is true. This is the first time in Kosovo they have told us not to talk to the press.”

As readers will know from previous issues, a rolling upgrade is only one choice available to the MOD and – it has to be said – hardly the best choice by a long chalk. We still believe the most satisfactory solution is to purchase new 5.56mm weapons for front-line troops….the M16A2, which is already in limited British service, being the obvious choice. Based on around $450 per weapon, a price representative of US DoD contracts for the M16A2, we calculate that for £1m the MOD could buy 3,778 new rifles, so just £10m would deliver a whopping 37,780 weapons. If the SA80 upgrade bill is truly going to be several times £10m, then the economics simply don’t compute, and government auditors should scrutinise the figures.

Putting the cash data another way, with the apparent emphasis on getting an initial 12,000 SA80s modified at an early date, presumably for the rapid reaction forces, the same number of brand-new M16A2s could be bought for just £3.2m. That would solve the immediate problem of meeting the UK’s military & treaty obligations. Also, let’s not forget the new UK requirement for 15,000 new Personal Defence Weapons (PDWs) (see SADW Feb 2000), but what happens about the rest of the SA80 inventory – much of which is assigned to support elements and other formations rarely using rifles – should be a separate matter for more mature consideration.

A total of 382,000 SA80 family weapons were reportedly bought by the MOD, but there have been substantial force reductions since the end of the Cold War, so a lot of the original buy must now be languishing in storehouses…..perhaps we should sell some off to potential enemies? We understand the cultural reasons why the UK felt it appropriate to develop its own 5.56mm system, as opposed to buying off the shelf, but by any international comparisons SA80 has proved itself an absolute dog, with something over 80 modifications already reported. Now someone in the MOD needs the courage to call a halt to all this Band Aid stuff and make some bold decisions, as the Spaniards have already done with their own equally unsatisfactory 5.56mm CETME-L (of much the same vintage as SA80), which is to be replaced.

Footnote: an item in the UK’s Forces Weekly News said that the UK MOD had ‘accused critical national press reports (about SA80) as having an ‘adverse effect’ on Armed Forces personnel’, and that troops might lose confidence in the weapon. Ermm, it may be just a bit late to worry about that…

That said, other systems are evidently not goofproof either – reports from US military sources recently suggested that the SOCOM M4 carbine may not yet be as reliable as users would like, with some issues dating back to Vietnam-era iterations of the M16 design, and that the R&D organisation is not being as responsive as it ought to user feedback on what might be done to redress shortcomings.

AR-7 SPOTTED WITH INDONESIAN CHRISTIANS?: a photo accompanying a Sunday Business report in Jan 2000 showed what looked like a .22 AR-7 survival rifle, plus ‘home-made’ rifles, with Christian youngsters, bolstered by Indonesian marines, allegedly ready to fight off Muslims in Ambon (Indonesia), the recent scene of more sectarian murders. We use the term ‘Christian’ advisedly, of course, since there is nothing remotely spiritual about what’s going on over there; they just hate each other’s guts. However, the continuing prevalence of home-made weapons in Indonesia proves one thing only too well – UN efforts to restrict the availability of small arms only to ‘approved’ combatants (which essentially means government forces) are futile. Anyway, judging by their actions, some governments are not necessarily worth saving. Indonesia’s could just be one of them.

RUSSIAN TRAINING POSTERS AVAILABLE: LEI in London is offering a range of Russian weapon training posters, covering the AKMS, RPG-7, 9mm PB suppressed pistol, Groza 9mm/40mm modular weapon, 7.62mm NRS-2 silenced knife pistol and the 7.62mm SVU sniper rifle (bullpupped Dragunov variant). Posters are full colour, measuring 42 x 60cm, and are surface laminated. Price is £8.99 each (Mastercard, Visa, Switch accepted). Tel (020) 8903-8305, Fax (020) 8903-8302, http://www.gun-s.com/