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S.W.A.T. wraps up its 27th year with a bang – actually 224,000 of them. Plus not one but two timely articles on saving money while maintaining your optimal tactical fitness. And product reviews, the latest from the field, TTP wisdom and all our regular columns. Get down ‘n’ dirty with S.W.A.T. December, on sale now.
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The Briefing Room:
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Peace in Our Time
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by Denny Hansen
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Street Smarts:
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Communication
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by Brent T. Wheat
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Against All Odds:
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Land Navigation 101: Techniques To Keep Yourself Found
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by Jeff Randall
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Frontline Debriefs:
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Why Suspects Get Lucky
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by Scott Reitz
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Enemy at the Gate:
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Celebrate Bill of Rights Day!
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by Stewart Rhodes
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Training & Tactics:
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The Feint of Heart
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by Louis Awerbuck
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| Mail Room: |
| Letters from our Readers |
| Staff |
| Lawful Carry: |
| BLACKHAWK! Back Up Guns: Three New Carry Options |
| Flint Hansen |
| Long Guns: |
| NightForce 1-4X24NXS |
| Leroy Thompson |
| Offbeat: |
| Finding Your Way with Bushnell |
| Paul Hantke |
| The Cutting Edge: |
| FSB Alfa’s Kizylar Combat Knife |
| Leroy Thompson |
| Gear Locker: |
| New Products and Accessories |
| Staff |
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| Advertisers’ Info |
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Previous tables of contents and featured articles can be found in the Archives ...
check it out >>>
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Click on the cover
image for an larger
view of the
December 2008 Cover |
SHOOT ‘n’ SAVE
FREE BULLETS - From .22 to .223
If you believe that the .22 LR round is an economical way to practice, your local range is probably littered with the small cases by now. You have two choices: let them lie or recycle them into jacketed bullets for reloading into .223/5.56mm cases. That’s right, with the right equipment you can indeed make the proverbial silk purse from a sow’s ear and turn “useless” .22 LR cases into quality .224 caliber bullets.
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by Denny Hansen
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DOWN AND DIRTY
224,000 Rounds in 12 Days
What happens to a bunch of ARs, AKs and various pistols when you subject them to 12 very intense days and nearly a quarter-million rounds of ammunition? Everything! Recently at Tactical Response, 22 students were attending three courses, and the author documented everything that malfunctioned, went wrong or otherwise f-ed up as men and machines were pushed to their limits and, in some cases, beyond.
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by James Yeager
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MALFUNCTION REDUCTION
Stay in the Fight! Part 1
A malfunction is a stoppage in the cycle of operations. This stoppage can take many different paths, and we codify each one and break them into two broad categories: those that can be reduced with Immediate Action and those requiring Remedial Action. Immediate Action is non-diagnostic—immediate being the operable word. Remedial Action requires additional effort, intended to correct or improve deficient skills in a specific subject.
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by Patrick A. Rogers
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Select the image to the right for a larger view of the December 2008 Table of Contents
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WHEELGUNS 101
Six (Or Five, Seven or Eight) For Sure
Or, on the range at a Firearms Training Associates Revolver class. In addition to running some of the most high-tech, high-speed/low-drag class curriculums in the tactical training world, FTA still has a soft spot for the revolver, and schedules a couple of classes a year for anyone else who shares that bent.
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by Paul Hantke
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IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE
SLR15 Lower AR Receivers
Greg “Sully” Sullivan (Defensive Edge SLR15 Rifles) and Randy Hengl (Territorial Gunsmiths) have been making top quality AR-15-type rifles for several years now. One thing that sets their rifles apart from some others is the fact they reject any parts that do not meet their strict standards—including the lower receiver. At the 2008 SHOT Show, Sully and Randy told me they were fed up with having to return lower receivers that were out of spec and had decided to manufacture their own. The “in-the-white”
prototype they showed at SHOT looked very promising and I placed an order on the spot. Here’s what happened when I received three of them.
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by Denny Hansen
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MIND OVER MATTER
Software Beats Hardware at National Tactical Invitational
I just finished participating in the National Tactical Invitational (NTI) XVIII. I am sitting in my hotel room wet, tired, slightly bruised and feeling euphoric. This is an amazing event full of information and challenge. I often hear people say, “If I learn just one thing, it will be enough.” Well, I assure you that you will learn more than one thing by attending NTI.
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by James Yeager
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HANDS DOWN A WINNER
Glock 21 on a Diet
Glock's new Model 21 SF is a minor modification of the well-established Model 21, basically a Model 21 with four changes: a smaller grip, a Picatinny instead of a Universal rail, an ambidextrous magazine release button, and different magazines. The author looks at the pros and cons of these alterations.
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by Duane Thomas
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ROCK RIVER ARMS LIMITED MATCH 1911 PISTOL
Defining Quality
When one hears the words “Rock River,” one immediately associates it with some of the finest AR-15 type rifles in the business today. In a relatively short time, Rock River Arms (RRA) has built quite a name for themselves among shooters, law enforcement, and government agencies when it comes to quality parts and rifles. However, RRA offers a lot more than just rifles and quality parts. RRA produces an extended line-up of custom 1911 style pistols for competition, concealed carry, and law enforcement. Within this line, RRA offers 12 custom 1911 models along with a host of parts and accessories. The author was curious to see what performance their custom pistol line had to offer.
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by Steve Malloy
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SEW YOUR OWN TACTICAL GEAR
Talk And Training At BlackWater Midwest
The author’s career as a seamstress (or is that “seamster”?) began out of frustration with the commercial availability of custom accessories for his weapons. Machinegun enthusiasts and specialized armed professionals don’t represent a statistically significant group of consumers. As a result, while it might be really cool to produce a custom concealed carry rig for a MAC-11 submachine gun, there are not enough potential customers to make commercial production worthwhile. As such, the only truly practical option is to sew your own. Here’s how.
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by Will Dabbs
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