Stephen Littlechild, Author at The K-Var Armory

An Accident By Any Other Name

There was an incident in our area recently where someone at a range narrowly missed hitting their instructor with an accidental shot from their handgun. That’s how it was reported. The shot was unintentional for sure, but accidental maybe not so much. [Read more…] about An Accident By Any Other Name

Hot Weather Shooting

Temperatures are rising and it’s time to be aware of what that heat can do to your weapons and your ammo. Aside from the basic safety practices that help to keep you and those around you safe – what and how you shoot will dictate how much attention you need to pay to the warmer weather. [Read more…] about Hot Weather Shooting

Avoiding Scope Bite

Getting ‘scoped’ when shooting a rifle is always a risk, but it’s one that can be minimized if you take a few precautions. This injury goes by a few different names like Scope Bite or Scope Eye and it’s always a highly unpleasant experience for shooters at any level. [Read more…] about Avoiding Scope Bite

Shooter Fitness

Now, no one is expecting you to go shirtless and get all oiled up to hit the range, but some attention should be paid to your fitness level to help get the best results. [Read more…] about Shooter Fitness

Vehicle Concealed Carry

Presumably, you would wear your concealed, defensive handgun somewhere on you that would be the most comfortable and allow easy access in the case of an immediate need. What happens though, when you climb into your car or truck and that weapon is in a position that just isn’t practical? [Read more…] about Vehicle Concealed Carry

Always Use Protection

I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any shooter that doesn’t understand the need for eye and hearing protection. It’s standard industry practice, most all reputable ranges insist on their use and it’s really just common sense. [Read more…] about Always Use Protection

Just Breathe

There’s very little that we do in sports or other physical activity where controlled breathing doesn’t help – and shooting is no exception. [Read more…] about Just Breathe

Know Your Muzzle Attachments

A lot of new gun owners often don’t fully understand the attachment at the end of their barrel and what it can and can’t do. Aside from a sound suppressor (which most everyone can recognize), a lot of these devices look pretty similar and can be hard to tell apart. [Read more…] about Know Your Muzzle Attachments

Size Matters!

Shooting a gun that really fits well can make all the difference in the world. As a general rule though, off-the-shelf firearm models are manufactured for the ‘average’ shooter (for good reason), and you may end up with a less-than-ideal experience if you get a bad match. [Read more…] about Size Matters!

The 12 Days of Home Protection

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…

…were a whole variety of security gaps that could ruin your holidays in the event of a break-in.

Hey, I know it doesn’t rhyme but you get the drift.

Range Rules

Hitting the gun range for the first time can be exciting, but you’ll want to make sure that you’re at least somewhat familiar with how everything works before you get there. You don’t want to be unsafe in any way, or at the very least you don’t want to be that doofus newbie that everyone rolls their eyes at. There are also some basic rules that apply to even the most seasoned of shooters. [Read more…] about Range Rules

Situational Awareness – Keep Your Head Up

There are certain places and times when it’s good to have an acute sense of what’s going on around you, in order to avoid potential risks to yourself and others. Situational awareness is a skill (and a habit) that helps to focus your attention on your surroundings and hopefully allows you to be better prepared for, or avoid, nasty encounters with those who may wish to do you harm. [Read more…] about Situational Awareness – Keep Your Head Up

Center Mass Targeting

I had a police officer buddy lament recently that there had been some public push back on a shooting where a man had been wounded in a gunfire exchange during a robbery. He’d been hit in the chest (and will survive), but the talk was centered around the old ‘why couldn’t you just shoot him in the leg’ question. Not the first time that this one has come up and it probably won’t be the last.

Keep It Clean

Like any tool or equipment that you may own, keeping your firearms clean and in good working order goes a long way in maintaining optimal performance. Even a rank novice knows instinctively that ‘clean is good’ when it comes to your guns, but there are some elements of the process that may be misunderstood, not considered or that get forgotten about due to laziness or neglect.

[Read more…] about Keep It Clean

Visual Cross Dominance & Shooting

The vast majority of people worldwide have a dominant hand that dictates what side they use to write, throw a ball, bat etc. and this would certainly include how they shoot. Very few are truly ambidextrous – and just like your hands, most have one eye that is more dominant than the other. [Read more…] about Visual Cross Dominance & Shooting

For the Sport of It

For almost as long as people have been shooting, there has been a desire for opportunities to showcase individual talents and to engage in competitive events. From archers in ancient civilizations to the earliest matchlock and flintlock shooting competitions in Europe and early America, expert marksmanship has been a much-lauded skill over time. [Read more…] about For the Sport of It

Close Quarter Shooting Part 2

In one of our blogs a few months ago we talked about shooting handguns at close quarters and introduced a bit of a reality-check on some of the elements involved. Here’s what we know:

Personal attacks requiring a defensive response typically happen VERY quickly
It’s easy to underestimate the fear and stress that a real-life defensive situation can cause
Actions will almost always be faster than reactions
Your decision-making and reaction time are likely slower than you think
Most consider ‘close quarters’ to be within 6 feet from an aggressor – consider though that studies have shown that an average person (not an Olympic sprinter) can cover up to 22 feet of distance in about 3 seconds

No need to re-hash the details, but we know these facts to be true. [Read more…] about Close Quarter Shooting Part 2

Has My Ammo Gone Bad?

For most hunters and sport shooters who use their firearms regularly, you don’t have to give too much thought to your ammo aside from keeping it dry and safely secured when you’re not using it. Beyond that, you’re cycling through your inventory pretty consistently with few issues. Modern, factory-made ammo is very reliable and will last for a long time under the right conditions, however there are instances where you could be pushing your luck.

Kids & Guns – Communication and Common Sense

When is the right time to introduce your kids to the world of firearms?

For the most part, it really depends on the child (we’ll get back to that in a moment) and your willingness to fully communicate the do’s-&-don’ts of gun handling and the potential risks if they are misused. Whether you simply own a handgun for personal protection or are a ‘shooting’ family that hunts or participates in sport shooting, a child’s understanding of guns will be of benefit.

Close Quarter Shooting – Part 1

With home and personal defense being the number one reason that people purchase firearms, you’d think that more time would be spent training for potential close proximity threats.

Turns out, not so much.

This is a wide-ranging subject that covers a lot of ground, so we’re going to split this one up into two segments. Here, we’ll dive into some of the realities of self defense shooting and then get into specific techniques in another post. To help define it further, we’ll stick to handguns and what we would consider to be the ‘average’ novice gun owner.