Tag: mike pannone

There are too many people in the firearm world - especially when it comes to "real world" or "defensive" use of firearms - who hide behind the word "tactical" as an excuse for poor technique or performance. Today I would like to discuss reloading, both of handguns and rifles. Basically, anything with a magazine. There are many things to discuss when it comes to reloads, and this is a topic I plan on covering in detail in the future. To be specific, I believe that looking at the firearm during… 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

I was first told about "fine motor skills" while in the military; the explanation I was given was that anything to do with using my fingers under stress was a bad idea. That doing so would not work, that I just wouldn't have the dexterity. I was told to use the bigger parts of my hand, or my fingers bunched together, to do any sort of weapon manipulation. This, they said, was a "gross" motor skill that would be better under stress, which apparently makes your fingers turn to jello.… Read More

Back in 2010, Mike Pannone and I were at the range doing some other shooting when we decided to do an impromptu dirt test with an AR. It was similar to the one I did in 2009, but with more ammo, and more dirt. I think we'll be doing another such test soon. Please forgive the poor production quality. Here's Mike's narration: The rifle is a 14.5 BCM M4 Spec barrel, spring was stock, buffer was H, trigger parts were factory. The rifle had fired 1200 rounds prior to the… Read More

I shoot a lot - probably too much at times. This shooting includes various disciplines, from smallbore rifle shooting to service pistol and carbine training to hunting - mostly unicorns and kittens. My first exposure to high volume training was under the guidance of a USMC SNCO who had just come from SOTG. For those who were lost at USMC, this means that my platoon leader was an experienced sergeant - not a commissioned officer - who had recently been an instructor at the Marine Corps' Special Operations Training Group,… Read More

This is a topic I have been thinking about for a long time, yet upon which I have not really spoken to anyone except for a few close friends. I have heard (and read) back and forth discussions about whether it is better to pay for training from a former military or law enforcement shooter - say, someone who spent a long time in a special operations unit of some kind - or from a shooter who has won multiple national titles in something like NRA Action Pistol/Steel Challenge/USPSA/IDPA/IPSC etc.… Read More

I know of no one who personally puts more rounds down the barrel of AR-15/M4 type weapons each year than Mike Pannone. I've had the honor of shooting with him several times, and came away from those brief sessions a better shooter. I greatly respect his opinion and experience on all things AR-15/M4. He's recently completed an exhaustive test of a Bravo Company 14.5" M4 type upper receiver assembly. You can read the details here. In essence, he stripped away all lubrication, replaced critical items in the lower receiver, and… Read More