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Hot off the press, the April issue of S.W.A.T. magazine is on sale at newsstands now. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
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The Briefing Room:
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Die Standing
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by Denny Hansen
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Frontline Debriefs:
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Don’t Throw the Baby Out With The Bathwater
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by Scott Reitz
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Against All Odds:
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S.O.L.? AMK’s New Survival Kit to the Rescue
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by Jeff Randall
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Enemy At The Gate:
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Peace Officer’s Discretion To Do What Is Right
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by Stewart Rhodes
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Street Smarts:
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Never Show Fear
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by Brent T. Wheat
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Training & Tactics:
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The One-Eyed King
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by Louis Awerbuck
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| Mail Room: |
| Letters from our Readers |
| Staff |
| Lawful Carry: |
| Rafter-L Gunleather |
| Flint Hansen |
| Long Guns: |
| Special Ops Elcan Specter DR (SU-230/PVS) for the FNH FS2000 |
| Leroy Thompson |
| Offbeat: |
| UTG M14 |
| Bob Pilgrim |
| The Cutting Edge: |
| SOG’s Vulcan |
| Leroy Thompson |
| Gear Locker: |
| New Products and Accessories |
| Staff |
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| Advertisers’ Info |
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Previous tables of contents and featured articles can be found in the Archives ...
check it out >>>
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Click on the cover
image for an larger
view of the
May 2008 Cover |
WALTHER PPS
A Walther Pocket Pistol For The 21st Century
Everyone who practices concealed carry quickly realizes certain crucial dimensions must be considered. Ignoring these will make for a less than ideal concealed carry weapon that possibly will be left at home one fateful day. For the author, a pistol’s weight, width and grip height are benchmarks for comfortable carry. How does the new Walther PPS (Police Pistol Slim) measure up?
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by Todd Burgreen
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A TALE OF THREE SMITHS
Or, 23,460 Hard-Use Rounds Downrange
In which the author takes three Smith & Wesson M&P rifles and, with a little help from some eager cohorts, shoots the hell out of them over a period of months. And then reports to us how reliable they were over the long haul, under varying environmental conditions and during high-intensity class sessions.
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by Patrick A. Rogers
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SUB-GUN CERTIFICATION MADE EASY
The S.W.A.T. staff would like to apologize for doing something we swore we never would: listing an article on the cover with a title that SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE the title of the article that’s inside the issue. So if you’re looking at the cover, this is the Heckler & Koch’s MP-5: Still Viable? article. We profusely apologize for any confusion caused. And now you’ll have to read the article to find out what either of these headlines is really about.
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by Chase Jenkins
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Select the image to the right for a larger view of the May 2008 Table of Contents
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DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN
Before It’s Too Late
Obviously the S.W.A.T. staff is on a sadistic bender this month, because here is the second article in a row that has an almost entirely different title on the cover. This article is also known as Build a Black Rifle Before It’s Too Late. Here’s the scoop: with a major political shake-up possibly coming in the next year, another, even more restrictive Assault Weapons Ban could become a reality. So if you want your children or grandchildren or even yourself to have an AR-type rifle, build one now. And here’s how.
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by Denny Hansen
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TACTICAL MEDICINE
An Investment You Can Live With
As violent crime increases, so does our police response. Beat officers across the nation are now faced with hostages or barricaded situations and must be trained to upgrade the call for SWAT teams. Times have changed so much we need that specialty team response to include many other components that are just as important to the outcome as the negotiator or the long guns you carry. That activation also needs to include paramedics trained in the tactical environment. This EMS interaction is crucial in many respects, to include your safety and that of the affected public.
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by M. Kevin Johnson
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SENDERO LUMINOSO
Re-Lighting the Path of Peruvian Terrorism
S.W.A.T.’s man in Central/South America has spent a lot of time on the ground in Peru, working with the police and merging with the locals. Peru is also ground zero for the huge illicit cash crop known as coca. And while most Americans can understand the direct results of cocaine on their streets, what they rarely have the opportunity to see is the politics and real dangers associated with it. As the government destroys more and more coca, frustrated citizens who rely on this crop to make a living begin to place greater demands on their government. It doesn’t take long for social unions and strikes to take place, and if no satisfaction is found through these means, it finally boils over into violence and armed gangs. In other words: Peruvian homegrown terrorists Sendero Luminoso are back … with a vengeance.
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by Jeff Randall
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BRUGGER & THOMET TP-9 TACTICAL PISTOL
Ultra Compact and Reliable
Steyr-Mannlicher’s TMP was a very advanced compact 9x19mm submachine gun that was originally intended for military use as a personal defense weapon, as well as for law enforcement tactical operations and counter-terrorist use. For various reasons the TMP never hit it big, but now it’s back, as Swiss manufacturer Brugger & Thomet has purchased the rights to manufacture the TMP and is producing it in an improved configuration known as the TP-9.
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by Scott Oldham
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BA-50 .50 BMG CALIBER REPEATER
Does It Belong In Your Department’s Arsenal?
The author believes that police departments should have people trained in bigger guns such as the .50 BMG. It is like any lethal tool that the police have at their disposal: “I hope I never have to use it, but I want it if I need it.” With the threat of terrorism and idiots on meth who steal dump trucks, anti-materiel tools do have a place on police departments. Administrators get heart palpitations just reading that, but they need to stop believing the Hollywood hype about the .50 BMG’s super-rifle capabilities. It is just a big rifle and in trained hands is safely capable of defeating barriers and stopping vehicles.
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by Dave Morelli
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WHAT’S BEST FOR BACKUP?
Choose What’s Right For You!
Whether in law enforcement or for private citizens today, the choices for backup are extremely diverse. The author examines some options in small- and large-caliber handguns and knives. Before selecting backup weapons, a law enforcement officer must confirm his or her departmental policies and guidelines. Assuming realistic backup weapon policies—backups are allowed and the officer has wide latitude in their selection—it is the officer’s obligation, if the department does not mandate it, that he or she practice regularly with any backup firearm and document such practice in the event a backup firearm is actually used. Private citizens have more latitude in their selection of a backup weapon, though the importance of regular training is the same as for law enforcement.
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by Jerry Ahern
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SINGLE-HAND MANIPULATIONS
Part II: The AR Rifle
You should know how to operate all of your weapons with only one hand. In the first half of this series, we reviewed single-hand manipulations for the semi-auto handgun and the reasoning behind these skills. Now let’s examine the same skills applied to the AR-type rifle. “Is this really necessary?” you ask. If you can imagine yourself fighting with an AR, the answer is yes. If you’re in combat with the AR and one arm or hand is disabled, you’re still in a fight armed with a rifle—and you need to defeat the threat(s) as efficiently as possible. When it comes to terminal ballistics, rifles rule, so continue pounding the bad guys with rifle rounds as long as you possibly can.
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by Tiger McKee
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