Author: Andrew Tuohy

I'm sure I have managed to anger a few people with the title of this article alone. That's not my intention. As the saying goes, you get more flies with honey than with vinegar - although in this case, putting out carb-rich food wouldn't be the best course of action. I don't know you and can't say what, if anything, you are preparing for. What I can say is that almost anything you might be preparing for by going to carbine/pistol training courses or taking an active interest in blogs… Read More

So there's this site called GearScout, and it's run by a real journalist named Rob Curtis. Using his keen sense of journalistic smell, he discovered that SOCOM's armor plates are defective. "They don't stop bullets" defective, not "they might discolor in sunlight" defective. The solution is...well there really is no solution. Bad plates are being identified through the highly scientific method of SOCOM dudes tapping their plates before every mission and listening for a "ting" instead of a "thud." Yes, every mission. The problem is described as a "latent delamination… Read More

The first handgun that I bought was a Kimber Custom II in .45 ACP. I still have it, and still shoot it a lot. Even underwater. It's had basically every major and minor part replaced, and it's been completely refinished, because the original finish was simply unsuited to the real world. But that's beside the point. Why did I buy a .45, especially after carrying and being completely satisfied with the performance of my issued 9mm Beretta M9? Well, that story begins in Iraq, when I was about to redeploy… Read More

While searching an old hard drive for an essay I wrote in college, I came across some unrelated documents which I had saved at approximately the same time: ATF position papers/reports on the importation of semiautomatic military-style rifles. I briefly skimmed these documents, and found several interesting points that I would like to raise. First, a brief refresher course on some recent history, with points illustrated by photographs of cute animals. Jerry Tsai, former editor of Recoil magazine, made some comments about how HK MP7s served no sporting purposes, and… Read More

I have met a number of instructors in the, for lack of a better term, "tactical" world. I have the benefits of being a constant shooter and several years' experience teaching in classroom settings to form opinions of instruction and training for real-world firearms use. And I have had the opportunity to discuss the effectiveness of various instructional techniques with professional military and law enforcement individuals who were willing to speak frankly and did not hold anything back in their assessments. All of this has led me to the conclusion… Read More

Ever since the dumbest firearms law in America, the ban on imported semiautomatic rifles, was enacted in 1989, it's been difficult for foreign manufacturers to sell their products here. Naturally, because people are smart and politicians are not, we've basically gotten around that law by importing certain parts and manufacturing others here in the US. This means we can basically have all of the same rifles, as long as the manufacturer is willing to make an effort to import/manufacture what they need. A manufacturer's willingness to go to these lengths… Read More

As a meat-eating, gun-owning, do-it-yourself kind of guy, it would only seem natural that I would also be a hunter. I'm not. However, that doesn't mean that I'm against hunting. In fact, my father hunted to feed my family when I was younger. As a boy - into my teens - I hunted varmints almost daily. Those who are critical or hateful toward hunters puzzle me. Unnatural death is everywhere - and some form of death brought those critics their last meal. Even raw vegans have to "kill" vegetables before… Read More

While attending the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting, also known as AUSA, I saw many things which were pretty cool, but did not really fit into any category I normally write about on my blog. Still, because they were cool, I will post them here. Things that no one asked for, like tracked Strykers! I might go play tourist for a while after this, so you may or may not see a whole lot more exciting AUSA coverage from me. Check out Gear Scout for more stuff,… Read More

I've had various brushes with competition shooting over the years, and every single time I am struck by how much drama there is surrounding the action shooting world. I guess that's a good way to get people interested in things - drama, that is - but it doesn't appeal to me at all. Take, for example, the recent controversy surrounding Michelle Viscusi's accession to "Team Glock." Those familiar with my blog will probably have already read my article about why Michelle is a force to be reckoned with. Many people seem… Read More

Earlier this year, I noticed an increase in the number of attacks on PMCs (private military companies) and the people they employ (military contractors). To be sure, PMCs have never been far from the point of aim of a lot of anger and resentment. But the stuff I've been hearing lately has been especially vitriolic. Why? The politically expedient withdrawal of US troops from Iraq didn't mean an end to the US mission in Iraq. To protect the infrastructure (such as the embassy in Baghdad) and personnel (diplomats, support folks,… Read More