Bang, Bang, You're Dead For those not familiar with force-on-force training, it replicates real-world scenarios in a controlled environment where participants are armed with guns firing some sort of marking, less-than-lethal projectile.

Bolt Action Hunters, military and law enforcement precision marksmen need reliability in rifle function and often one or more fast follow-up shots. With proper operation a bolt-action rifle can deliver both. What might surprise you is that with rifles chambered for modern hunting cartridges, accurate sustained fire with a bolt-action rifle can be as fast as what can be obtained with semi-automatic rifles.

Disabled Lives can change, even end, in a single heartbeat. A perfectly healthy adult can leave the house early one morning and only find their way home six months later in a wheelchair, unable to move fingers, arms or legs. Such was the case with my daughter three years ago when her single-car accident left her a quadriplegic struggling to care for her three young children.

IWB Holsters  Many years ago, an incident in the restroom at a convenience store convinced me I needed a better concealed carry method. I had a Colt Commander tucked in my waistband when I rushed into the restroom for some pressing business. When I dropped my trousers, the Commander bounced off the floor and the patron in the next stall exited in a hurry.

Light 'em Up   Most of us hate being awakened unexpectedly; but even more so when it’s your lifemate desperately whispering, “I just heard a noise downstairs.” In an instant you must go from relaxed slumber to full alert. Your senses must be acutely aware of what is in place and what is not.

Low Light So, you’ve got an AR. Now what? Traditional iron sights or even dot sights and scopes do little good in the dark. The best riflescopes transmit 95 percent of the light that enters to your eye, but 95 percent of nothing is nothing. It would be fantastic to have a thermal sight mounted on your carbine, but unless you drive an Italian sportscar, you can’t afford one at $10,000-plus per unit.

Paddle Holsters   Easy-on, easy-off is the appeal of the paddle holster; a holster you can remove or put on without messing with your belt. This is made possible by the attachment of a paddle or sheet of material to the back of the holster. The paddle is slid down behind the pants, pinching them between the holster and the paddle.

Pancake  Here’s the first of a five-part series on holsters and concealed-carry options GunsAndHunting.com will run over the next few months. These articles will help anyone who carries a handgun choose the proper holster and carry method for their build, pistol and lifestyle.

Shotgun Savvy  Few firearms are more intimidating than a shotgun. Perhaps a criminal’s worst fear is to poke around a corner inside a darkened house during a home invasion and hear the paralyzing shuck-shuck of a 12-gauge pump.

Shotgun Tactics  Instructor Doug Harris drilled me as I worked through a shooting house during a low-light exercise at Blackwater USA in Moyock, NC, the premier private training facility for military, law enforcement and civilians from around the globe. In a life-or-death situation, tactical shotgunning relies on much more than simply hitting your target.

Single Action There are those who believe that anyone who gets involved in a gunfight armed only with a single-action revolver is not only hopelessly outgunned but practically unarmed. The strongest printable reply available to me in response to such thinking is “Balderdash!” At the end of the 19th century the U.S. Army returned to the single-action .45 Colt because the double-action .38 Special revolvers then in service failed to stop enemy combatants before they inflicted serious harm on our troops.

Special Forces I recently received an invitation to join the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, NC, home of the one of the most covert, respected and focused fighting units in the world—the Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. This elite group maintains a grueling physical and mental entry curriculum that results in a 75-percent dropout rate.

Straight Talk Far from being antiques, modern single-action revolvers are extremely popular among today’s handgunners. In this day of higher-capacity semi-autos and double-action revolvers, it’s difficult for some to consider the single action as a viable choice for personal defense.