Stephen Littlechild, Author at The K-Var Armory

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.

Safe Storage Continues To Be A Choice For Most

How safe are your guns?

How safe do they need to be?

Currently, there are more guns in personal possession in the U.S. than there are people. That’s a lot of firepower. Let’s take a look at the numbers:

Less than half of all households claim to own any firearms at all – that means that more gun owners certainly have multiple weapons within their homes
54% of those owners report that they do not take measures to store all of their guns safely
20% of those households have small children in the home
10% of owners indicate that they keep all of their weapons unlocked and loaded

For most people, the concept of gun safety really isn’t an issue. You’re not high-risk, you take care of your firearms and take reasonable steps to make sure that they’re secure after use. That’s probably why government intervention hasn’t really been all that necessary up to now. [Read more…] about Safe Storage Continues To Be A Choice For Most

Handgun Stances: Traditional vs. Modern

Everyone wants to shoot quickly and accurately, and the stance that we choose can make a big difference in how we perform.

The right stance can be different for each shooter (and situation), but it’s a major factor in how we control sight alignment, body position, balance and recoil offset.

Think of it this way – you wouldn’t build a new house with a weak foundation, and it’s the same with how you establish your body before you shoot. Also consider any other sport or dynamic activity and how a solid base-of-support sets you up for optimal performance. From boxing to tennis, how you set-up is the first step to success.

Now having said that, there are a number of factors that we have to consider. [Read more…] about Handgun Stances: Traditional vs. Modern