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Excellent information on vehicle fighting from one of the best in the business. Mark James is a “REAL WORLD” instructor. He suggest firing from a vehicle (under a controlled range environment, of course)without ear protection to “understand the experience” and not surprise, disorient or shift your focus from the immediate threat during the fight. This is what real training is all about. You should train as realistic as possible. Great Job!
Six, We loved the video. I have to confess though; before I watched the video I thought this was going to be another video about how to shoot from a moving vehicle. However, to my delight the tactics were sound and you emphasized a few key tactical points.
1. Shooting from a moving vehicle should be avoided if possible, unless the vehicle is disabled and you have no other choice but to stand and fight. 100% of our shots must be on target, less we strike innocent bystanders, that is very difficult to do from a moving vehicle.
2. Great use of the vehicle’s cover and concealment assets.
3. Thoughts on shooting through glass. I have also done this in training (with both rifles and pistols) not only does the hit ratio drop significantly, but (if not for eye and ear protection) I would have been def from the report of the weapon and blinded by glass shards. This is especially true with armored vehicles.
I also appreciated your above comments and agree with your analysis of this tactic, as this is only one tool for the protection specialist’s tool kit. I look forward to more videos from you and your team. Thank you and good luck.
Great additions by Oper8tor. For those of you who regularly carry a firearm and have never fired it from inside of an automobile, I encourage you to do so sooner than later, without ear protection (as you probably won’t have any on during an encounter) so you can understand the experience. It will be loud as hell and may disorient some as pointed out by Oper8tor. Your ears will also ring for a couple of days after the experience.
If you are protecting clients who are high risk and have confirmed threats you may want to take them to the range at some point and discharge a few rounds from the vehicle with them and practice giving them commands, under fire. Hopefully you and your client have also developed some basic hand signals in the event verbal communication is challenging.
This is a good drill to also practice with your family so in the event you have an attempted carjacking or other adverse event you are better prepared as a family. I guarantee the spouse and the kids will probably be crying and screaming during the ordeal.
Oper8tor
The tactical gun fighting concepts mentioned in the “Vehicle Gun Fighting” video are all good in concept…if you’re alone. If you are transporting a principal, without question, never stop the vehicle and egress off the “X”. All concepts covered in the video should be applied only if the vehicle is inoperable or you are blocked in.
One SIGNIFICANT issue not mentioned in the video! – if the threat requires the shooter to discharge a fire arm while still mounted in a “soft” (UAV) vehicle…stand by to have your bell rung! The sound and air pressure from the discharge of your firearm will disorient you…even if the windows are opened,lowered or shot out out.
It should also be noted, the professional security practitioner should ALWAYS drive with ballistic rated eye protection-at least at the ready. Eye Protection will not only improve ones vision for driving but will mitigate some of the threats to the individual’s vision mentioned in the video’s scenario.
Not really sure I understand your source of confusion. There are many thoughts around fighting with a firearm in general and with or around a vehicle. They goal of the video was designed to share some key basics. The are only basics and one approach that could be considered. Below are the keys I tried to focus on:
1. Stay mobile, a tactical escape beats a tactical encounter every time. 2. Make a decision to fight or flee, most people don’t shoot well, while they are driving or drive well while they are shooting. Make a decision to do or the other. If this is a deadly force situation and I can run over the threat vs. shooting I will make them a hood ornament. 3. If you are fighting your vehicle is probably disabled. I prefer to fight from around the vehicle verse staying in the vehicle, and the threat or adversary limiting my options to escape later. I also prefer to exit to be able to better control where my rounds will go. Shooting through glass with most handgun rounds is very unpredictable. 4. Use cover and concealment whenever possible these are universal firearm concepts, we need to understand where cover exists on a vehicle and where concealment exists. Both are good but cover is better, as cover can stop a bullet. 5. Most people when you point a gun at them comply or start moving (usually running), so you will probably be moving yourself or potentially shooting at someone on the move, so understanding the concept of leading threat or trailing the threat when you fire, to make the round move into them or they move into the round is required or your just spraying and praying and hope is not an effective countermeasure.
Hope that adds some clarity. Again these are just my thoughts, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but there is only so much you can share in 4 minutes. Most importantly take time to go to the range and practice. Precision shooting is a diminishing skill, use it or lose it. In our business if you are missing you and your client are probably dying. In the military when we make a mistake or miss it is called collateral damage in the private sector it is called a lawsuit. Stay safe everyone and God Bless!
Ronald A.Docdocil
Thanks for the detailed video, it was an added lesson to me.
Hans
I just got done viewing the video, very nice. This is good basic info for any beginner, over all a must have if you don’t know already. Bad news though is that many of todays engine blocks are made of aluminium, unlike the old days when cars were ment to last, lol. If not by stopping the bullet, the new age engine block can at least redirect the bullet. So still good info bud. Take care and God bless.
CHARLES MOYE
VERY GOOD AND INFORMITIVE, HOWEVER YOU MUST REMBER TRAINING IS AN ON GOING THING. THIS BRIEF CLIP ONLY TOUCHES THE TIP ON THIS SUBJECT.
THIS VIDEO IS VERY GOOD INFORMATION AS AN E.P.AGENT ANY TRANING THAT ONE CAN GET IS VALUABLE .THIS VERY WELL COULD HAPPEN TRANING IS KEY . I WAS A POLICE OFFICER FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS TRANING KICKS IN . AND DECATION TO YOUR SAFETY AND YOUR CLIENTS SAFETY .
Hello. I was reading someone elses blog and saw you on their blogroll. Would you be interested in exchanging blog roll links? If so, feel free to email me.
Excellent information on vehicle fighting from one of the best in the business. Mark James is a “REAL WORLD” instructor. He suggest firing from a vehicle (under a controlled range environment, of course)without ear protection to “understand the experience” and not surprise, disorient or shift your focus from the immediate threat during the fight. This is what real training is all about. You should train as realistic as possible. Great Job!
Six,
We loved the video. I have to confess though; before I watched the video I thought this was going to be another video about how to shoot from a moving vehicle. However, to my delight the tactics were sound and you emphasized a few key tactical points.
1. Shooting from a moving vehicle should be avoided if possible, unless the vehicle is disabled and you have no other choice but to stand and fight. 100% of our shots must be on target, less we strike innocent bystanders, that is very difficult to do from a moving vehicle.
2. Great use of the vehicle’s cover and concealment assets.
3. Thoughts on shooting through glass. I have also done this in training (with both rifles and pistols) not only does the hit ratio drop significantly, but (if not for eye and ear protection) I would have been def from the report of the weapon and blinded by glass shards. This is especially true with armored vehicles.
I also appreciated your above comments and agree with your analysis of this tactic, as this is only one tool for the protection specialist’s tool kit. I look forward to more videos from you and your team. Thank you and good luck.
Phoenix Executive Services
http://www.pes-inc.us
Great additions by Oper8tor. For those of you who regularly carry a firearm and have never fired it from inside of an automobile, I encourage you to do so sooner than later, without ear protection (as you probably won’t have any on during an encounter) so you can understand the experience. It will be loud as hell and may disorient some as pointed out by Oper8tor. Your ears will also ring for a couple of days after the experience.
If you are protecting clients who are high risk and have confirmed threats you may want to take them to the range at some point and discharge a few rounds from the vehicle with them and practice giving them commands, under fire. Hopefully you and your client have also developed some basic hand signals in the event verbal communication is challenging.
This is a good drill to also practice with your family so in the event you have an attempted carjacking or other adverse event you are better prepared as a family. I guarantee the spouse and the kids will probably be crying and screaming during the ordeal.
The tactical gun fighting concepts mentioned in the “Vehicle Gun Fighting” video are all good in concept…if you’re alone.
If you are transporting a principal, without question, never stop the vehicle and egress off the “X”. All concepts covered in the video should be applied only if the vehicle is inoperable or you are blocked in.
One SIGNIFICANT issue not mentioned in the video! – if the threat requires the shooter to discharge a fire arm while still mounted in a “soft” (UAV) vehicle…stand by to have your bell rung! The sound and air pressure from the discharge of your firearm will disorient you…even if the windows are opened,lowered or shot out out.
It should also be noted, the professional security practitioner should ALWAYS drive with ballistic rated eye protection-at least at the ready. Eye Protection will not only improve ones vision for driving but will mitigate some of the threats to the individual’s vision mentioned in the video’s scenario.
Latin Joe,
Not really sure I understand your source of confusion. There are many thoughts around fighting with a firearm in general and with or around a vehicle. They goal of the video was designed to share some key basics. The are only basics and one approach that could be considered. Below are the keys I tried to focus on:
1. Stay mobile, a tactical escape beats a tactical encounter every time.
2. Make a decision to fight or flee, most people don’t shoot well, while they are driving or drive well while they are shooting. Make a decision to do or the other. If this is a deadly force situation and I can run over the threat vs. shooting I will make them a hood ornament.
3. If you are fighting your vehicle is probably disabled. I prefer to fight from around the vehicle verse staying in the vehicle, and the threat or adversary limiting my options to escape later. I also prefer to exit to be able to better control where my rounds will go. Shooting through glass with most handgun rounds is very unpredictable.
4. Use cover and concealment whenever possible these are universal firearm concepts, we need to understand where cover exists on a vehicle and where concealment exists. Both are good but cover is better, as cover can stop a bullet.
5. Most people when you point a gun at them comply or start moving (usually running), so you will probably be moving yourself or potentially shooting at someone on the move, so understanding the concept of leading threat or trailing the threat when you fire, to make the round move into them or they move into the round is required or your just spraying and praying and hope is not an effective countermeasure.
Hope that adds some clarity. Again these are just my thoughts, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but there is only so much you can share in 4 minutes. Most importantly take time to go to the range and practice. Precision shooting is a diminishing skill, use it or lose it. In our business if you are missing you and your client are probably dying. In the military when we make a mistake or miss it is called collateral damage in the private sector it is called a lawsuit. Stay safe everyone and God Bless!
Thanks for the detailed video, it was an added lesson to me.
I just got done viewing the video, very nice. This is good basic info for any beginner, over all a must have if you don’t know already. Bad news though is that many of todays engine blocks are made of aluminium, unlike the old days when cars were ment to last, lol. If not by stopping the bullet, the new age engine block can at least redirect the bullet. So still good info bud. Take care and God bless.
VERY GOOD AND INFORMITIVE, HOWEVER YOU MUST REMBER TRAINING IS AN ON GOING THING. THIS BRIEF CLIP ONLY TOUCHES THE TIP ON THIS SUBJECT.
VERY GOOD STRONG POINTS ON HOW TO PROPERLY POSITION ONE SELF IN USING CONCEALMENT AND COVER WITH THE VEHICLE!
Nikida CPA-1/EPS
Second Shadow Close Protection Services
THIS VIDEO IS VERY GOOD INFORMATION AS AN E.P.AGENT ANY TRANING THAT ONE CAN GET IS VALUABLE .THIS VERY WELL COULD HAPPEN TRANING IS KEY . I WAS A POLICE OFFICER FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS TRANING KICKS IN . AND DECATION TO YOUR SAFETY AND YOUR CLIENTS SAFETY .
I don’t get very well the concept here, so I believe people may disagree with it.
Hello. I was reading someone elses blog and saw you on their blogroll. Would you be interested in exchanging blog roll links? If so, feel free to email me.
Thanks.