A great legend in firearms training past on Tuesday 6/24/14. Louis Awerbuck was a great trainer and a vast book of knowledge on everything shooting and was always willing to share his knowledge. He was well known for his ability to spot your mistakes from the other end of the firing line and had an uncanny ability to see hits on steel at 100 yards at night while wearing sunglasses. I always marveled at his ability to call sight adjustments that were always dead on, no matter the distance or firearm. Even though he taught hundreds every year, he would always call me by my name when I seen him.
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On 6-15-2014 we assisted Indy Pistol Training with a NRA Basic Pistol Class at the Shelbyville Boy's Club. This is our second class at this location and it has worked out great both times. The Boy's Club came to our rescue after a scheduling conflict with our regular location when we hosted our Woman's Only Basic Pistol earlier in the month. We are trying the Boys Club as an alternate location to host our classes in case of weather issues, scheduling conflicts and for when the FOP upgrades their range so we can avoid any missed training dates. The Shelbyville Boys Club has a long history of being firearms friendly as they have taught shooting sports in their indoor range for years. They give boys and girls the opportunity to learn safe firearm handling and have friendly competition from an early age that sticks with them for the rest of their life. I personally took my first 4-H shooting sports program at the Shelbyville Boys Club as a kid. The current program offers .22 rifle, BB & Pellet rifle and archery. The class day started with the normal admin procedures to get the paperwork out of the way and we jumped into the material. We had 2 woman and 6 men in this class with a range of ages. The reason for attending the class ranged from seeking additional education to becoming an educated new gun owner to those who had shot in the past but were looking to gain formal instruction. All the students either planned to purchase a firearm in the near future or had recently purchased a new pistol. The NRA Basic class is a class designed to work from the ground up. We start with nomenclature and demonstrations then move onto hands on practice prior to taking the test and hitting the range. We believe this gives the student the best grasp of the material. For hands on we allow the student to use their own pistols or use pistols that we provide. For some students this is the first time they have handled a pistol and for others this is the first time they have handled a pistol under the eyes of an instructor. This is where some start to see the advantages and disadvantages to the pistols they have purchased or plan to purchase. After we complete the test we proceed to range. This was the first time we have used the indoor range for a class and it was a learning event for both student and instructor. As with any indoor range, noise is an issue and can be a hindrance to a new shooter or one only accustomed to shooting out in the open. We had the students wear both soft earplugs and muffs while shooting and soft earplugs only when observing. This allows the noise to make less of an impact on the students and allow more concentration on shooting fundamentals. The downside, your students can't hear you as well so you to have to yell a lot. One huge advantage of the indoor range is the ability to take weather out of the equation. This allows the student and instructor to keep the focus on shooting and to not have the weather effect the completion of the class. As with every class, the live fire is what makes the entire day of instruction make sense. Group sizes start at baseball to paper plate size and shrink into golf ball or even quarter size groups by the end of the range session. We had a great group of students that all listened and put the fundamentals into practice. All the shooters improved from their first shot to their last and everyone kept safety as their #1 priority. One disadvantage of the Boy's Club is we are limited to .22 caliber pistols unless using frangible ammunition due to the trap design and distance available. To allow the students that brought their own pistols a chance to shoot them we headed to the FOP outdoor range. Three students took advantage of the outdoor range and shot outstanding groups with their pistols. One student had shot his pistol in the past, the other two had a brand new pistol never shot and one with only one magazine through it. All three had awesome groups, included a female student who had never shot her pistol as they had just bought it prior to class. She had only fired the .22 caliber pistol we shot earlier and had not shot a 9mm. She shot an outstanding first group with a 9mm Shield that any shooter would be proud to brag about. The other shooter with a Glock 22 shot a great group and improved by the end of the session. Our third shooter had a Springfield XD 9 that he was able to empty all 19 rounds into a quarter size group. In all we had a great day of learning and shooting, what more could you ask for. We fired approximately 400 rounds of .22 ammunition between 8 students. The .22's we provide are the M&P 22 that continue to shoot and run like a champ. The pistols brought by students included a Glock 42, XD 9, Glock 22 and 9mm S&W Shield. This was my first chance to handle the 42 and personally the pistol is too thin for my hands. It reminds me of a combination between a Kel-Tech .380 and a Diamond Back .380 in the grip diameter. Of interest was a circle hole in the rear of the Glock 42 that is on the right side of the slide backplate and extends into the slide. I have not seen any armorer or company updates explaining the reason for the hole, so it's purpose has peaked my interest as no other Glock model has this. We had no issues with any of the pistols and no ammunition issues, which is rare in this day and age with .22. I want to thank all the students for a great class and hope to train with them in the future. NRA Basic Class with Indy Pistol Training 3-23-14 Had a great time on Sunday assisting Indy Pistol Training with a NRA Basic Pistol Class at Shelby F.O.P. Lodge 84 in Shelbyville. We had 5 women and 2 men in attendance.
Experience ranged from never owning or touching a firearm to 40 plus years of hunting experience. Weather was chilly and in the 30, but partly sunny. It stayed dry so the weather was bearable. All the students improved in some way during the class. We start with classroom and incorporate hands-on practice after each section to allow the student to make a connection with the information provided. Trigger pull, stance and follow through improve with practice and improvement is typically seen in short order in class. We have in the past and continue to have dedicated students who attend our classes. They listen to instruction and are all typically willing to try something new. We greatly appreciate this as this is the key to learning. We end the day with live fire as a way to allow the students to incorporate everything they have learned. It is always fulfilling as an instructor to see the students put to use on the range what they have learned throughout the day, Sunday was no exception. Groups started as large as the 7 ring and shrunk to golf ball or quarter size groups by the end of the range time. Three participants brought their own pistols to the class, a Taurus 738 in .380, Smith & Wesson Corp. Bodyguard in .380 and a Ruger SR22 in .22 LR. The pistols all survived the class without an issues. Students were able to quickly determine some advantages and disadvantages of their choice of pistols during the dry fire and live fire portions of the class. What often seems like the perfect pistol at the gun shop can quickly turn in a questionable decision on the range and in practical use. Poor sights are found to be easily lost on the target or dark backgrounds, trigger pulls are found to be excessive and rough, safeties are found to be hard to disengage and size is often found to be a disadvantage when shot vs. carried. This is why we recommend students bring their pistols to class so they can determine these issues at class instead of at the worst possible time. Some downfalls of a pistol can be corrected by something as simple as painting a front sight with a paint pen or modifying a technique. Other downfalls can only be corrected by selecting a different pistol, this is where a class environment is helpful. Indy Pistol Training and myself try to have various makes and sizes of firearms on hand during classes to give students an opportunity to try something new without the financial involvement of purchasing a new firearm. Often those who shoot good with a smaller pistol find they shoot far better with a full size pistol. More often than not, students learn that shooting a 9mm, 40 or even 45 is far easier than a small .380. This often gives them the knowledge and experience to choose a more capable pistol in the future. Every class we run into the issue of assisting female students find the best way to carry a firearm. Sadly females have few options for carrying concealed on their person that does not interfere with their body structure or cause printing issues with clothing design. One option we gladly recommend is the Nickel and Lace holster. This holster is currently one of the best options for women to carry concealed. This option allows for woman to carry concealed with today's fashion and is designed to fit woman. Purse carry is another option and I often recommend Bold and Courageous Woman as their purses are made specifically for carrying a firearm. For any firearm carried in a purse, bag, off person or stored in a console the trigger should always be covered to stop items from entering the trigger guard. The best option is the VG2 by Raven Concealment Systems. This allows the trigger to be protected, but can be quickly removed during the draw stroke. I want to thank all of our students for their dedication to their own personal safety, wiliness to learn and for helping to support the Second Amendment. A knowledgeable gun owner is a safer gun owner. What is the big deal with this belt? In August of 2012 I spoke with Jake of Ares Gear in reference to their Duty Belt. I was interested in what made his duty belt different from other Nylon duty belts on the market. I explained that I have avoided Nylon Duty Belts my entire 13 years in Law Enforcement, except for the one year as a Jailer when we experimented with a “new” brown Nylon duty belt. That trial ended in failure due to lack of accessories, lack of quality and no company support. I explained my main issues with Nylon duty belts over the years has been their lack of stiffness when used with security holster such as the Safariland 070. The Nylon belt, even when used with keepers and a Velcro inner belt, would bend when drawing from the holster. Due to this issue I always used Safariland “leather” duty belts and replaced them every 4-5 years. Jake advised that his belts are different due to the materials used. Jake explained that his belts are made of three layers of scuba webbing and stitched so the material stays together. Jake also advised that Ares belts use the highest quality materials and the belts are made one at a time so quality control is top notch. Jake advised that I could make my own decision on his Duty Belt if I promised to give him a true no BS review of the belt after using it at work. Jake advised me to contact Brad at Ares customer service to advise him of what we had discussed and to get instructions on how to properly measure myself for the correct size belt. Sizing Little did I know how difficult it was to actually measure yourself for a properly fitting belt. I advised Brad my belt size was easy as my current Safariland belt size was 36 as was my jean size, which I wear a size larger due to the carrying inside the waist band. I have always wore a larger gun belt to allow for the layers I wear under my uniform in the winter. Brad quickly informed me that I would need to use a tape measure and measure my current belt at the exact notches where I currently wear it. Once I got my proper belt size I was to send him an email. My Duty Belt style of choice for several years has been a buckleless Safariland “leather” duty belt so I could get the most real estate as possible, this also allowed me to change my belt size without having to take the belt apart to move the buckle. To get the proper size I hooked the belt together at the notches where I wear it in the warm weather and the cold weather and threaded a cloth tape measure under the pouches. I quickly determined that Safariland stamps their belt sizes based on the smallest size they will go, which was news to me. This explained why Brad advised to actually measure the belt I use. After measuring my belt I determined that my duty belt size was actually 38, which meant my inner belt size was also wrong. I emailed my sizes to Brad and my belt arrived in 4-5 weeks. Delivery and Initial Impression When the package arrived the first thing I notice was how stiff the belt was. You cannot twist the belt or fold the belt over on itself like most nylon belts. The duty belt uses a unique style of adjustment. A single layer webbing is heavily stitched to the belt, threaded through the male cobra buckle then looped back to the belt where the tail is attached by a loop of Velcro. This loop of Velcro is then used to secure the belt at the chosen size. You must adjust the belt prior to putting it on as the loop of Velcro wraps completely around the belt. Building the belt Pouches are easy to thread on the belt as the belt is slightly undersized when compared to other duty belts. This smaller size does allow pouches to rock back and forth slightly, but nothing that interferes with their use. The smaller size does not affect holsters mounts as the belt’s stiffness makes it tough to get a holster threaded on. Once on the belt the holster does not move. I use a Safariland triple mag pouch for my Glock 22. The belt loop on these pouches is oversized causing the pouch to slide back and forth and rock up and down even when attached to a standard belt. To solve this issue I have crisscrossed zip ties and pulled them tight eliminating any play. This could also be done with a holster, but I have yet to find a need. First Night I wore the duty for the 1st time Halloween night 2012. I knew I would be in and out of the car or standing for long periods and I wanted to start the trial off right. When you put the inner belt on you will notice that it is stiff, but not enough to cause discomfort. The left attaches to itself then uses two attached Velcro loops to secure the belt together. They tabs are not needed, but an excellent additional for extra security. The belt requires some minor tweaking of the fit once you actually put it on due to the final position of the pouches. The 1st thing I noticed is that once the inner and out belt attach they do not want to come apart. This is a major improvement over Safariland Velcro belts as their Velcro seems to only lightly attach. Make sure you position the belt where you want it before you close the buckles as it will not move without removing the belt completely. To center the belt on my waist I always center the female buckle half where I want the belt to line up at then wrap the rest of the belt around my waist. I noticed immediately that the belt felt lighter due to the stiffness of the belt. The belt stayed in position all night never shifting in any direction. I have always used keepers as extra insurance, and will continue to with this belt. Due to the overlap in the front behind the buckle the belt does stick out slightly farther than my other belts have, but is not an issue. Pouches do not move as the interface between the two belts stop them from moving. Long Term I have used the belt 5-6 days a week since October and the belt remains stiff with no breakdown of the primary belt. I have found that the hook and loop Velcro that holds the tail end of the belt secure does weaken due to pouches rubbing on it. It stays secure, but the security is less now than when I received the belt. I have had the loop fail once, but once I resecured the loop it has stayed in place. I believe the failure was due to a pouch pulling the edges of the loop loose. I repositioned the pouch over the loop and have not had another issue. The loop created by the tail of the adjustment strap can bind under pouches making proper adjustment a trial and error event. You will set the strap where you believe it needs to be and either need to expand it or tighten it once you actually put the belt on as the strap slides under the pouches. Any pouch that fits tightly on the belt will cause you major issues with sizing as the fit of the pouch will not allow the sizing loop to move freely. I found this out with a body mic pouch I had made out of Kydex by Raven. The tight fit causes the sizing loop to bind and you must remove the securing strap to thread it through. This same tight fit will also cause the strap to not align properly which you do not find out until you put the belt on. You will notice the belt becoming loose while you wear it and will have to reposition the tail after wearing the belt. The securing loops of the inner belt also wear heavily due to the aggressive hook on the outer belt. The inner belt securing loops actually lose their loop over time. My Suggestions for Improvement I would like to see more loop Velcro on the duty belt outer face between the adjustment loop attachment point and the end of the belt. This would allow the two ends to be secured in addition to the cobra buckle. The belt includes a small section, but I believe it needs more as pouches mounted to the front of the belt obscure the loop. When the patches are obscured the belt relies solely on the cobra buckle to hold the belt together. Due to the sizing loop being only a strap and not reinforced, the belt will sag in the front where the two ends of the belt overlap while wearing it. The only way to minimize the sag is to tighten the belt slightly more than needed. Another option would be to use a keeper just around the two portions of the belt. Caution must be used when the belt is new as the edges of the nylon are sharp and will cut you. After you use the belt for a while and slide pouches around, the edges will dull. The only other issue that I have discovered with this belt is that Tek-Loks will not lock closed on this belt. The Tek-Lok is tall enough, but the distance between the face of the lock and the back of the lock is too narrow when closed to lock closed. I have tried everything to make one close, but it will not. This isn’t an issue if you don’t use Tek-Loks, but I had to stop carrying my Raven custom made multi-tool pouch on my belt and start carrying the tool in my uniform thigh pocket. I wonder if the company that makes Tek-Loks could make the lock wider or have an option for a wider lock. Overall This belt is far superior to any belt I have used so far. I would without doubt buy another one with my own money if this one wears out, which I don’t see happening any time soon. I would definitely recommend this belt to anyone who want to invest in a piece of equipment that will last you for years. They do cost more than a standard belt, but the quality and lifespan will be worth it. Today we assisted Indy Pistol Training with a Basic NRA Pistol Class at the Shelby County FOP in Shelbyville. The weather was overcast, but dry and the temperature was in the 70's all day. You could not have ask for a better day of training in July in Indiana. We had 5 students in attendance, two women and three men who were all motivated to learn. Two students traveled from Illinois, the others were from Central Indiana. This class was different as all the students brought their own pistols. Indy Pistol Training and Proactive Firearms Training will supply S&W M&P 22 pistol to any students who requires one during our training classes free of charge, but we always encourage those who own a pistol to bring it. We typically start everyone off with the M&P .22 to ensure they have the fundamentals down and to create a baseline to work from for each student. After a few magazines with the M&P we allow students to shoot their pistols. This class shot their pistol entire time except for a few trial runs with the M&P by those who had not shot a .22 pistol. One major benefit of the using the M&P 22 is the fact it is a 1:1 ratio pistol, meaning it matches the dimensions of a 9mm, .357 Sig or .40 full size pistol. This helps with transitions from .22 to full power defensive pistol calibers. The experience level of this class ranged from never shooting a pistol to those with a few years of experience. No matter your experience level, training is always a good investment. Even experienced shooters can benefit from a basic class as getting back to basic will help you fix bad habits, reinforce what you already know and improve your shooting by practicing basic shooting skills. Equipment issues were limited to a Kimber Solo in 9mm that started failing to extract during the live fire portion of the class. I witnessed that the pistol would randomly eject dummy rounds out of the magwell during dry fire, but seemed to load with out issue. Once on the range the pistol would fire one round and only extract the fired case partially out of the chamber. The extractor would slip off the case then attempt to load a second round created a combination failure to extract and double feed. I field stripped the pistol and did not locate any damaged or loose parts. The other instructor and myself shot the pistol with different ammunition and the malfunction happened two more times. At this point we discovered that the extractor claw had broken off the extractor leaving only a small sliver of metal that would pull the case rearward, but could not extract it. The pistol was placed out of service and I loaned the student one my pistols to shoot. The student stated that she had shot the pistol a few weeks earlier with out issue. This incident helped to reinforce the need for a backup pistol or alternate form of self defense as Murphy can sneak up at anytime. Ammunition availability continues to be an issue. Rumor is that it is improving and that was reenforcement by our students as they were able to find ammunition in small quantities. All students passed the test and practical with out issue. Due to the small class size we were able to provide the students with additional instruction after the NRA Basic Class was completed. We provided the students a small sampling of defensive shooting and allowed them a chance to see the difference between shooting bullseye targets and silhouettes. Total rounds fired per students was around 250. Looking forward to our next class Aug 11. Karl Kelly Memorial Conservation Officer’s Youth Camp 13th Annual Range Day June 19, 2012 History of the Indiana Conservation Officer’s Youth Camp The original camp was held in 1997 at Camp Atturbury and hosted 77 campers and advertisement was by word of mouth only. Due to an increased interest in the camp a new location was chosen for the camp in 1998, Bear Creek Scout Camp outside of Connersville, Indiana. In April of 1998 Indiana Conservation Officer F/Sgt. Karl E. Kelly was killed during a training accident while saving fellow officers from a low head dam. The decision was made to name the camp after F/Sgt. Kelly due to his commitment to teaching and for saving his fellow officer’s lives at the cost of his own. The camp was held at Bear Creek for the next two years and 120 kids attended both years. In 2001 the camp was moved to Ross Camp outside of Lafayette, Indiana and has remained at that location. Each year the number of campers is kept close to 120 to allow for a better experience for each camper. Requirements to be a camper: The camp is open to any boy or girl that has completed the fifth or sixth grade in the preceding school year. Camp fee is $300 per camper and includes all meals, lodging and equipment for camp. Scholarships may be created by interested groups or individuals and they may select the child or donations may be sent to the Indiana Conservation Officers Organization to assist a camper in attending. The Indiana Conservation Officers Organization will not select a child to receive a scholarship by any outside group unless directed to. Applications are released each year after January first at ICOO.com or through Indiana Conservation Officer District Offices. Camp Organization: The camp is ran by Indiana Conservation Officers and staffed by volunteers. The 120 kids are divided into four groups: Otters, Bobcats, Falcons, and Eagles. Each group is led by four young adults who attend Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana. Originally the councilors were students of the Conservation Law Enforcement Program, however in recent years it has been expanded to other majors. The students must apply for the position, be interviewed by a group of Conservation Officers and give up at least seven days of their summer to attend the camp. Each group of four councilors is advised by a Conservation Officer. All instructors for the camp are volunteers from various sections of the Indiana Outdoor Education sections including hunter education instructors, boater education instructors, wildlife education instructors and 4-H Shooting Sports instructors. Each camper has the opportunity to camp for 7 days and 6 nights in an outfitter’s tent, camp for a night in a dome tent in the primitive camp, sample wild game cooked and smoked over an open fire, rock climb, scuba dive, ride air boats, go fishing, take a canoe trip, ride wave runners, earn both the Indiana Boater Education and Hunter Education certifications, learn to use a compass and watch K9 demonstrations. The first two days of the camp are spent learning the Indiana Hunter Education program. The third day, Tuesday, marks the most popular day of the camp, Range Day. Range Day 2012: The day started with a breakfast of sausage and gravy, hash browns and fruit at 0700. After breakfast the ranges were set up by the volunteers for each firearm discipline and made ready for the arrival of the campers at 0830. Prior to range day each instructor is allowed to choose a primary interest and secondary interest from the following disciplines they would like to instruct: rifle, pistol, shotgun, muzzleloader, muzzleloading shotgun, archery and lastly tomahawk throwing. At 0830 the ranges opened and temps were already in the 80’s with steady breeze. My location again this year was the rifle range. Each group of campers rotates through all the shooting stations. Every camper receives one on one or at the most one on two instruction due to the great volunteer turn out we have every year. The range included three tables with three positions for rifles and three tables with three to four positions for handguns. Each camper is allowed to shoot the following .22LR firearms; Ruger 10/22, CZ 423, Henry single shot, Marlin single shot, Henry lever action, S&W K frame 10 shot 22, Thompson Center 22 pistol, Ruger Mark III and Taurus revolvers. Each group is allowed 2 hours to shoot each discipline and allowed unlimited ammo use. Rifles and pistols are shot on reactive targets to allow the camper instant feedback on their accuracy and proper application of the fundamentals they are taught on the first two days. A majority of the campers are first time shooters or have limited experience, so either sandbags or rests are used at each position. We are proud to announce that by the time most shooters leave the line, the white painted center of most targets are bare metal. Even with temperatures approaching the mid 90’s, the campers kept their heads in the game and kept it safe. This year the 104 campers sent 24,000 rounds of 22 LR down range in one eight hour day with no firearm related injuries. Equipment Issues: As you would guess some of the rifles and pistols started to have issues due to the high round count and high temperatures. The main malfunction on the rifle line was the Ruger 10/22’s showing double feeds and stove pipes. The Henry lever actions again this year suffered from random failure to fires throughout the day. After watching some of the campers closely while they fired the Henry lever actions I determined that some were not compressing the lever completely against the stock. The Henry lever actions have an internal lever safety and the lever must me completely closed to fire. After pointing this out to the campers the issue went away. One bolt action did show a reoccurring failure to eject. This was fixed with a bolt swap. The .22 pistols seem to suffer magazine malfunctions again this year which some attributed to carbon buildup on the followers. This year’s ammo was American Eagle and Winchester and Remington Target. Stovepipes were occurring about 2 times per mag on the 10-22’s along with double feeds which we contributed to both ammo and fouling. We taught the campers to perform malfunction clearances and they were performing them without coaching in no time. Prior to the first round down range, another instructor and I gave all the firearms a dose of original Slip 2000. At the end of the day all the actions were still slick. One added point, some of the rifles and pistols are reaching 3-8 years on the firing line at the camp and holding up. If you know a child that would be interested, applications are released each year around January first at ICOO.com or through the Indiana Conservation Officer District Offices. I was surprised to find out they only had 104 campers attended this year as the camp typically has a lengthy waiting list and fills with in a month of the applications becoming available. I was advised one issue again this year was advertising the camp. If this camp seems like an event your child or someone you know would like to attend, pass on the information. Attendance is not limited to Indiana residents. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Traveling Display This is a traveling display and the only requirements to have the display come to your area is the Berrien County Sheriff requires that Lt. Michael Kline have a hotel and meals provided while giving the presentation. Lt. Kline gives an excellent presentation and not only knows the history of the event but also the history of the Thompson. All the photos on the website are displayed during the presentation along with other memorabilia and pictures. As someone who likes firearm history and law enforcement history, this is was a great opportunity to get up close and personal with history. To request the presentation contact the Sheriff Department. Here is the link to the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department Webpage where they explain the history behind how they obtained the two Thompsons. http://www.bcsheriff.org/?dept=44&pid=622 Thompson Serial # 7580. When looking at the gun in person, the rust tint is not visible but appears when the flash is used. The finished of the gun was damaged when acid was poured onto the gun to raise the serial number that was removed by the gunsmith. I actually got to handle the firearm, which is amazing considering the history behind it. Also present was a 100 rd drum that had been seized along with the two Thompsons. The serial number had been removed by the same gunsmith that removed the serial numbers off of Thompson 7580. On display was one of the original “bullet proof” vests that were seized along with the Thompsons. The plates were made out of five layers of spring steel. The Lt. Kline had found a short movie from the time period where a volunteer was shot with a .38 to test the vest. It is hard to see in the picture, but the vest included additions to cover up to the clavicle notch, a groin protector and rear flap. Raven Concealment Moduloader Shotshell Carrier I was able to obtain a Moduloaders Shotshell Carrier from Raven last year and have had it in service for a few months. I had seen a version of a Velcro sidesaddle during a shotgun class last summer and thought it would be great idea, but there was no easy way to carry the extra sidesaddles. When I saw the Raven system I was impressed with the ability to carry extra sidesaddles on a vest or a belt or in a thigh pock of a pair of 5.11 Class B uniform pants. The system comes from Raven with a belt/MOLLE mount plate, a section of loop Velcro with adhesive and two elastic shotshell holders with hook Velcro. The belt/MOLLE plate is flexible and can be mounted on a belt up to 1.75”. Raven also just happens to space the loops wide enough to fit between MOLLE loops allowing the backer to be mounted on plate carriers or battle belts. I had been carrying extra shotgun shells on my plate carrier using an ALICE shotgun pouch prior to obtaining this system. This caused issues as the shells would pop out of the loops and roll around inside the pouch. This system holds the shells tight and so far is not showing any signs of stretch. The backer does have some vertical movement when attached on MOLLE; however it is the nature of the beast to allow the backers too securely and completely attach to the shell holders. The backer attaches with “Pull the Dot Snaps” to hold the backer securely and requires quite a bit of force to unsnap the button. So far the snap has stayed secured. One nice addition added by Raven was pieces of hunter orange material to the back of the shell holders. This makes recovery of shell holder that is dropped easier. I attached the adhesive backer to my Remington 870 Less Lethal Shotgun. The adhesive backer is a universal size, so I trimmed the backer down to stay inside the lines of the receiver and to expose the trigger group pins and the serial number. When you trim the adhesive down to this size you leave some of the hook Velcro of the shell holder exposed, but I have found that this helps by giving you extra material to grab when changing out the shell holders. I carry my less lethal shotgun in the trunk of my patrol car, so the shotgun with the adhesive backer has been exposed to temperatures from 60 degrees to wind chills of -5 with no issues so far. I am interested to see how it performs during the summer. One additional location I have found for mounting the shell holders is inside of soft cases. The hook Velcro will attach to the inside of the case and allow you to grab an extra shell holder when you grab the shotgun or carry a different load that could be grabbed depending on the situation. One issue that appear last summer during the extended heat waves we had in Indiana was that the original Velcro loop patch on the shotgun slid off the receiver. I removed the loop patch and cleaned the residue off the receiver with alcohol and contacted Raven. I was sent a new patch of loop Velcro with a stronger heat resistant adhesive. After prepping the receiver with alcohol I installed the new patch and allowed it to set for 24 hours before attaching a panel. So far the panel has with stayed in place with any additional issues. Raven has advised that additional shell holders and backers will be available for purchase separately. Recently they have released a section that has two shell loops along with a smaller backer for mounting on a standard belt. They have also added the option of neon green flags on the back of the loops. Additional accessories are in the works that will attach to the backers; however there is no time line for this release at this time. Karl Kelly Memorial Conservation Officer’s Youth Camp 12th Annual Range Day June 21, 2011 History of the Indiana Conservation Officer’s Youth Camp The original camp was held in 1997 at Camp Atturbury and hosted 77 campers and advertisement was by word of mouth only. Due to an increased interest in the camp a new location was chosen for the camp in 1998, Bear Creek Scout Camp outside of Connersville, Indiana. In April of 1998 Indiana Conservation Officer F/Sgt. Karl E. Kelly was killed during a training accident while saving fellow officers from a low head dam. The decision was made to name the camp after F/Sgt. Kelly due to his commitment to teaching and for saving his fellow officer’s lives at the cost of his own. The camp was held at Bear Creek for the next two years and 120 kids attended both years. In 2001 the camp was moved to Ross Camp outside of Lafayette, Indiana and has remained at that location. Each year the number of campers is kept close to 120 to allow for a better experience for each camper. Requirements to be a camper: The camp is open to any boy or girl that has completed the fifth or sixth grade in the preceding school year. Camp fee is $300 per camper and includes all meals, lodging and equipment for camp. Scholarships may be created by interested groups or individuals and they may select the child or donations may be sent to the Indiana Conservation Officers Organization to assist a camper in attending. The Indiana Conservation Officers Organization will not select a child to receive a scholarship by any outside group unless directed to. Applications are released each year after January first at ICOO.com or through Indiana Conservation Officer District Offices. Camp Organization: The camp is ran by Indiana Conservation Officers and staffed by volunteers. The 120 kids are divided into four groups: Otters, Bobcats, Falcons, and Eagles. Each group is led by four young adults who attend Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana. Originally the councilors were students of the Conservation Law Enforcement Program, however in recent years it has been expanded to other majors. The students must apply for the position, be interviewed by a group of Conservation Officers and give up at least seven days of their summer to attend the camp. Each group of four councilors is advised by a Conservation Officer. All instructors for the camp are volunteers from various sections of the Indiana Outdoor Education sections including hunter education instructors, boater education instructors, wildlife education instructors and 4-H Shooting Sports instructors. Each camper has the opportunity to camp for 7 days and 6 nights in an outfitter’s tent, camp for a night in a dome tent in the primitive camp, sample wild game cooked and smoked over an open fire, rock climb, scuba dive, ride air boats, go fishing, take a canoe trip, ride wave runners, earn both the Indiana Boater Education and Hunter Education certifications, learn to use a compass and watch K9 demonstrations. The first two days of the camp are spent learning the Indiana Hunter Education program. The third day, Tuesday, marks the most popular day of the camp, Range Day. Range Day 2011: The day started with a breakfast of sausage and gravy, hash browns and fruit at 0700. After breakfast the ranges were set up by the volunteers for each firearm discipline and made ready for the arrival of the campers at 0830. Prior to range day each instructor is allowed to choose a primary interest and secondary interest from the following disciplines they would like to instruct: rifle, pistol, shotgun, muzzleloader, muzzleloading shotgun, archery and lastly tomahawk throwing. At 0830 the ranges opened and temps were already in the 80’s with high humidity. My location again this year was the rifle range. Each group of campers rotates through all the shooting stations. Every camper receives one on one or at the most one on two instruction due to the great volunteer turn out we have every year. The range included three tables with three positions for rifles and three tables with three to four positions for handguns. Each camper is allowed to shoot the following .22LR firearms; Ruger 10/22, CZ 423, Henry single shot, Marlin single shot, Henry lever action, Marlin lever action, S&W K frame 10 shot 22, Thompson Center 22 pistol, Ruger Mark III and Taurus revolvers. Each group is allowed 2 hours to shoot each discipline and allowed unlimited ammo use. Rifles and pistols are shot on reactive targets to allow the camper instant feedback on their accuracy and proper application of the fundamentals they are taught on the first two days. A majority of the campers are first time shooters or have limited experience, so either sandbags or rests are used at each position. We are proud to announce that by the time most shooters leave the line, the orange painted center of most targets are bare metal. Even with temperatures approaching mid to high 90’s, the campers kept their heads in the game and kept it safe. This year the 108 campers sent 21,100 rounds of 22 LR down range in one eight hour day with no firearm related injuries. Weather held this year until after the ranges were tore down, but did move in late canceling some of the camper’s events in the primitive camp. It was a disappointment to miss out on goose kabobs, smoked chucker and deer burgers. Equipment Issues: As you would guess some of the rifles and pistols started to have issues due to the high round count and high temperatures. The main malfunction on the rifle line was the Ruger 10/22 bolt releases failing to release the bolt. All the rifles have the stock bolt release and require all but a third hand to release. Extended mag releases and improved bolt releases have been purchased for the rifles. The Henry lever actions began suffering from failure to fires as the day went on. The firing pins were failing to strike the round, which we believe was due to buildup of residue in the firing pin channel or weakening hammer springs. I never witnessed a single malfunction with any bolt action. The .22 pistols seem to suffer magazine malfunctions this year which some attributed to carbon buildup on the followers. Ammo misfires were limited to 1-5 fail to fires per 50 round boxes with Remington, Federal and Winchester standard velocity ammunition. Prior to the first round down range, another instructor and I gave all the firearms a dose of original Slip 2000. At the end of the day all the actions were still slick. One added point, some of the rifles and pistols are reaching 3-7 years on the firing line at the camp and holding up. If you know a child that is interested, applications are released each year around January first at ICOO.com or through the Indiana Conservation Officer District Offices. I was surprised to find out they only had 108 campers attended this year as the camp typically has a lengthy waiting list and fills with in a month of the applications becoming available. I was advised one issue this year was advertising the camp. If this camp seems like an event your child or someone you know would like to attend, pass on the information. One additional note is a noticeable increase in female campers this year. We need to share our sport and the outdoors with everyone and help them succeed at getting outdoors. News Footage from this year’s camp: http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/wlfi-lafayette-youth-camp-teaches-outdoor-safety?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true# http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/local/wlfi-lafayette-youth-camp-teaches-outdoor-safety?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true# SLR-15 Grant Rifle I work for a small department in Indiana without a budget for police equipment. My department currently issues a Glock 22 and Remington 870 shotgun to each officer and allows rifles to be carried if purchased by the officer and the officer attends an approved rifle class. On the plus side, my department does supply duty ammunition for our handguns, shotguns and 100 rounds of rifle ammo. For 10 years I have carried two different personal rifles while working for the department and supplied all the equipment out of pocket, this included optics, magazines and accessories. While visiting a forum I saw a post by Greg “Sully” Sullivan of Defensive Edge/SLR15 Rifles advising they were taking applications for grants to supply rifles and training to departments that may be in need. The rifles that are granted are rifles that have slight blemishes in the finish from being handled during photo shoots or are former demo rifles. One example of a photo shoot would be the rifles used by ATK in their LE ammo advertisements, the rifles used are SLR15 Rifles. I had received my armorer certification through Defensive Edge the year prior and had the chance to handle a couple of the SLR15 Rifles including the Grail and was impressed with the rifles due to the quality of parts and attention to detail during assembly. I had requested the department purchase rifles in the past to assure rifles were of good quality, contained quality parts and to make sure an officer would not suffer financial hardship or be without a rifle if involved in an officer involved shooting with his rifle. I was advised that as long as they are free, the department would allow department issued rifles, so the search began. Prior to applying for the SLR15 rifle grant I had only applied for one other grant. The application process was far easier than the previous grant application as all that was required was filling out a form and emailing it to Sully. Some time passed and I believed that I had not qualified as I had not been contacted. Out of the blue I was contacted by Sully and asked if I wished to host an armorer’s course or a carbine instructor course which would include an armorer’s course. I was advised of a class minimum and time frame for both classes and advised to work out the date and locations for the course. My department does not have a range of our own and we must qualify with the local Sheriff Department on their range. Due to this I knew an instructor’s course would be hard to schedule and to be approved, so we opted to host the armorer’s school. After posting the school on several forums and notifying several surrounding agencies I was only able to muster seven people interested in attending the class, this was half of the required class minimums. This concerned me as I felt that we had lost a once in a lifetime opportunity. I contacted Sully and was advised that they would work with whatever class size we could muster. When I contacted them with the class totals I also ask if we would still be able to receive a rifle due to the low turnout and was advised that they would work something out. The day of the class we found that we had a very diverse group. In attendance was a house wife, medical helicopter dispatcher, gun store employee, and three Police Officers. Defensive Edge allows two officers to attend the class as part of the grant, so I attended the class. Being that I had attended the armorer’s course a year prior, I was able to reinforce what I had learned previously and feel more confident in what I was doing. The Armorers Course Defensive Edge’s armorer’s course is taught not only with lecture and power point, but with plenty of hands –on exercises. You can tell Sully is a cop and teaches in a way that cops and lay people can understand. When he shows a picture of a bad part or part failure he also hands an example around the class allowing the info to sink in. Sully recommends that you bring your personal rifle or a department rifle so that you can get familiar with a rifle you will use, and they can provide rifles for people to use as well. You break down and reassemble the rifle several times during the class and any parts found warn, damaged or lost during the class are replaced by Sully on the spot. All tools are supplied and students are taught first to use the bare minimum tools in both disassembly and reassembly. After you learn the hard way Sully will hand out specialty tools that allow you to learn the easier way of doing things. The first day concentrates on proper maintenance, the bolt carrier assembly, cycles of fire and timing issues , and finishes with a “graded” breakdown and reassembly of the lower. The second day of class consist of more practice on the lower and moves into disassembly of the upper, talk about accessories and trouble shooting. Sully only requires students to assembly and reassemble the rear sight once, stating that this is a part of the rifle that should only be disassembled if the rifle is submerged, has been in a fine dust environment or a part fails. As stated before, Sully supplies all the tools necessary including three heavy vices mounted on stands which came in handy when removing barrels. As a final the entire gun is reassembled and Sully inspects your work. Sully gives everyone who attends an armorer’s manual along with a tool list. The manual is a plus and I have found that not all classes and companies supply a manual. On the second day of class Sully advised me that I would build our new department rifle for a better understanding of the rifle I was receiving. I had contacted Sully prior to the class and ask if a SBR would be an issue when it came to the rifle the department would receive. The reason for my question was that my patrol car is equipment with a Pro-gard half cage requiring any long gun to be mounted vertically between the seats. Due to the limited space an SBR is required to fit in the rack. After lunch on the second day of class Sully started to hand me parts that would be used to build my department’s rifle. All parts, the lower and the upper had no visible flaws. The Rifle as Receiver The Lower The features of the lower included the CY6 emblem used by SLR15 on the left side of the magwell. Additionally Sully uses a set screw to allow adjustment of trigger creep on the trigger, this little addition along with quality springs and parts creates a clean, crisp single stage trigger pull that equals the national match two stage my RRA came with. Additionally the lower has the safe and fire markings stamped on both sides of the receiver and an area on the front of the magwell that is checkered to assist with magwell holds. Sully included a Sully stock and Daniel Defense slot sling mount. I had read some articles on the Sully Stock and I was interested to try one and finally had the perfect opportunity. The Sully stock is the same length as my personal rifles that are set two notches. The Sully stock has a butt pad made out the same material as the stock and does include checkering. The Upper The upper is a flat top with T markings and M4 feed ramps properly cut into the extension. As stated previously I contacted Sully about a short barrel and he delivered. Sully advised me that he had a new barrel finish he was working on and asks if I would be interested in testing the barrel for him on the rifle. I jumped at the chance and was handed a matte black 12” barrel. Sully advised me that the barrel has a Melonite-QPQ finish causing the finish to be extremely hard and as far I can tell scratch proof. Sully explained that the new finish is so hard that the barrel must be fully machined and ready for mounting prior to applying the finish. Once the finish is applied, the barrel has to be trashed if any further machining is needed. To demonstrate the toughness of the finish Sully removed his pocket knife and ran the blade back and forth on the barrel. A silver streak was left behind and appeared to be bare metal, Sully handed the barrel to me and asks me to simply rub my hand across the “scratch” and see what happens. When I wiped my hand down the “scratch” the “scratch” disappeared and the barrel was unharmed. The metal on the barrel was from the knife blade and had not penetrated the finish. I have repeated this demonstration several times without any damage to the barrel. A PRI low profile gas block was installed along with a carbine gas tube and an A2 flash hider. Sully supplied me with a PRI Gen III Free Float forearm in black with quad rails mounted on the front half of the forearm only. For sights Sully gave me options, and I chose a PRI rail mounted flip up front sight and for a rear sight I chose a Daniel Defense A1.5 Fixed Rear sight. I like the Daniel Defense rear sight as it has the A1 style windage knob that stops the sight from being accidentally moved. The bolt carrier gas key was staked with a MOACK tool and the bolt contains a 5 coil spring, black insert and Crane O-ring. Optics All my personal rifles have optics in the form of Aimpoints and I did not want this rifle to be any different. I obtained a few Aimpoint M2s through the LESO program and mounted the sight in a LaRue LT-150 purchased by the department. Department Supplied Equipment To keep the cost to the department down I choose a Surefire G3 and mounted it to the rifle in a Viking Tactical mount. My area of patrol includes both urban and rural so I prefer a 9 volt light. The G3 seems to be a good compromise in cost and weight when compared to other 9 volt options. The A2 grip was replaced with a MagPul MIAD as an experiment. Until now I had not used the MIAD and so far, I like it. Total cost to the department, $250. Personally Supplied Equipment I am a fan of the VTac Padded Sling and had an extra lying around so it was added to the rifle. I add a quick release buckle to the sling to allow me to remove the sling easily and if the sling is damage I can attach the buckle to my URBAN ERT vest mount single mount. Being a fan of short vertical foregrips I attached a MOE Vertical Grip as another experiment. So far for the cost and weight, this foregrip shines and stands on its own with more expensive vertical grips. Cons if you can call them that One issue I have discovered with the Sully Stock is when placed on a uniform shirt the stock tends to slide around. After a post on a well known forum I received a tip to use the spray on rubber coating made by Plasti Dip on the buttpad. Sully recommended sanding the butt pad to remove any releasing agent left behind when the stocks are made prior to applying any coating. The spray rubber coating does work, however it has started to flake after some training sessions and on the job deployments. I may try the Plastic Dip liquid that comes in a can after the current coating rubs off. The only issue I have had with the PRI forearm was that the left rail was too short to install both a sling mount and a Viking Tactical flash light mount. I contacted PRI and they advised for a small fee they would modify and install a longer rail if I sent them the forearm. I removed the forearm and sent it to PRI. One plus with being in Indiana is PRI is based in Ohio. The repair and return was under a week and the cost of the new rail, modification and install was around $50. I am thinking about sending the forearm back to have a longer top rail added if I am able to obtain an IR illuminator. I had some issues zeroing the front sight as the full ring on the front sight prohibits most sight tools from fitting properly. I’m not use to a full ring on a front sight and find myself focusing on the ring when sighting in instead of the post. While sighting in the front sight I thought the post was loose and moved way too much in the base. I returned the sight to PRI when I returned the forearm and they assured me it was installed correctly. Performance of the Rifle In just over a year I have around 700 rounds through the rifle. Ammo cost and availability has put a pinch on my shooting and training this past year. I have used the rifle at a Louis Awerbuck class, during patrol rifle qualification and various range trips with no issues to report. I am hoping to attend some additional classes this year to increase the round count on the rifle. Thank You Defensive Edge & SLR15 Rifles |
Brad Trittipo
Owner and Lead Trainer of Proactive Firearms Training Archives
June 2023
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