Arctic Survival Skills

https://www.army.mil/article/233327/alaska_guard_trains_in_arctic_survival_m17_pistol


Per ...

The lead picture shows a Guardsman firing a pistol without gloves. This ultra cold weather survival technique is ultra top secret burn before reading.

The MOST IMPORTANT training aspect mentioned in article is "and trust each other".

Marksmanship with a pistol in the Arctic dark ? In a desert with a gas mask on in the Arctic dark ? Don't know what a pistol sight picture is.

Wait 'till that enemy drone's spray gets on the new Sig pistol held by SSG Davis. The unworkable pistol will survive SSG Davis.


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Nearly forgot; army.mil = People Magazine and Psychology Today Magazine.

 

I'm sure there is good information in the article that is pertinent to the people who live and work there. For me, I would like to think the only way I am going to the Arctic is if the plane I am flying in gets hijacked there. I don't like the Winter where I am much less several thousand miles North of me.

I have no intention of going there, or anywhere near there. Survival on a tropical beach or a deserted South Sea Island would be much more useful. Just my 2 cents.

 

When it come to tropical environment (jungle / rainforest) that is something I knew about and I can definitely help you or anyone else on the subject

 

Pragmatist, What is your question on combat pistol training at night in either the artic or desert. Sight picture is a term indicating the cone of view over the weapons sights that shooters focus on while engaging a target. Your trained to increase your sight picture to increase awareness of targets and friendlies in your area of action. In combat it is easy to focus so hard on your target that you won't see an enemy that is aiming at you or even moving at you, as well as miss seeing friendlies that may be moving through, past or into your area on action. The technique is taught (or at least was taught), to all combat soldiers for CQB and pistol combat.

Dale

 

Good morning Dale,

When will a pistol be used in the Arctic dark while wearing a gas mask, involve a cone of sight ?

Pistols, for military combat, are out. Better to use the saved weight of pistol/ammo for better/more PPE or eg RX paragoric.

The battlefield environments have changed.

 

The main thing I learned about combat,...expect the unexpected. As far as artic conditions and a gas mask, I would consider any petroleum sites in AK as possible for handgun and mask, for multiple reasons. I always carried a 1911 with me. It saved my bacon once when my M16 stove piped, but that was jungle environment.

Pistols still have a place in combat, just limited to mission parameters. I don't think every grunt needs a sidearm, but I would be shocked at any operator that didn't carry. I even had opportunity to carry a modified (suppressed) 22LR pistol a few times. Once again, mission specific and not for every day operations.

Just sayin.

Dale

 

Good afternoon Dale,

Well received.

Understand.

 

Many years ago a friend explained to me that if I wanted to use a handgun for protection in a combat situation that if I had to aim it I wouldn't survive. He taught a form of combat shooting that involves programming your eye-hand coordination such that if you LOOK at a target that your hands would direct the gun to the target for you and nail it. this was not target shooting where you were trying for tiny groups rather the ability to hit a target that is about the size of a man's head, about a 5" circle, without ever consciously seeing your sights.

To do this you have to shoot thousands and thousands of rounds with the same gun. Once you have the program you can add different guns with slightly less practice. This sort of technique maks low light conditions much less of a problem. You actually have a serious advantage in most low light conditions because you can shoot someone several times while they try to aim at you or while they fire of unaimed rounds that are unlikely to hit you. This guy was insanely good with his gun and completed in pin shooting competitions all over the South West.

It is a lot like the ability to shoot rushed three-point shots in basketball. You don't have time to aim or think about it you just DO IT.

PS: If I am ever dumped out in the Arctic I am in DEEP trouble. I have never even seen snow that was much over a few inches deep. I can deal with temperatures in and above the 120s F but have only seen temperatures in single digits once and have neither the clothing or the knowledge of how to survive in that. Global warming doesn't scare me nearly as much as the possibility of a coming ice age.

 

Bill Jordan could hit aspirin at ten feet with his 357 mag with regularity, he did not aim.

 

If you are so inclined, I believe he was a Texan too, probably not much arctic experience though.

http://darkcanyon.net/BillJordan_TopGun.htm

 

TD - I was taught a similar system and never rely on sights for combat shooting. I don't practice as much as I should any more (time and money) but when I do I still consistently hit 2 to the chest/heart region and 1 to the head. It does take time and a lot of ammo to learn, but if your a combat soldier or certain other professions, I would recommend learning.

Dale

 

At one time I was shooting about 500 to 1000 rounds a month. I usually reloaded on Saturday night. A friend and I would shoot up a huge number of rounds on Saturday and then reload them that night. We were feeding two Ruger Mini 14s and handguns in 38, 357, 45 ACP, and 44 Special. This was before progressive presses but with two of us, we could operate a Lyman turret press almost as fast. I had a supplier that sold bullets by the pound and we were buying powder in 5 pound lots. Along with the combat type of shooting I liked silhouette shooting and trying to shoot one hole 25 yard 5 shot groups. I lived in the country with a thousand-acre rice field/pasture for a back yard. I reloaded in the back bedroom and shot paper and metal targets out to 300 yards out the window when I was working up loads.