THE BAYONET
I think that by now my perspective on political correctness is well known. Similarly my objectives in regards to accomplishing the mission, regardless of how many sacred cows are turned into filet, has not been hidden. Our unbiased concepts have been proven in force on force and have brought the CCW community (the police are still trying to catch up) to new levels of what is possible in a fight.
These studies have recently been focused on the rifle?or as we fondly call it, the CDR (Civilian Defensive Rifle). Not only through our own experiences, but also in collaboration with other progressive rifle trainers such as Paul Gomez and Sonny Puzikas, as well as war veterans on WT with combat experience such as Anthony, we have begun developing a very dynamic and progressive rifle system.
History from the Old West to our own modern wars as well as civilian rifle experience from the Watts Riots to the Rodney King Riots, and from the Northridge Earthquake to the Katrina the lessons seem to point out that contacts will be close?..most within 25 yards. And since most of these modern ?battlegrounds? tend to be urban in nature, closer confrontations, as well as fights inside dwellings may be quite likely.
One aspect of our study has been the use of the rifle as an impact weapon. Force on force and street experience has shown us that at arm?s length, you may not even get a chance to use the rifle to shoot, and may need to repel the physical attack first. Moreover, even the most reliable of weapons can fail, or simply run out of ammunition at the most inconvenient times. The ability to use the rifle to strike someone with, BEFORE making a transition to pistol, cannot be ignored.
One area where our studies have taken us is the study of the bayonet.
Quick advantage list in favor of having a bayonet:
1). Multi-purpose tool usage (pry bar, wire cutter, knife, etc.). Yes, a set of wire cutters, and an actual pry bar and all the specialized tools will do a better job, but minimizing gear is also an asset and a bayonet can be pressed into all of these roles.
2). Aid in weapon retention. When working FOF in close proximity of a building, it is very easy to come face to face with an adversary. A bayonet provides an instant ?air bag? response to the disarm attempt.
3). The rifles we would likely select for In extremis problems tend to be short anyway. The addition of a bayonet will not increase that length very much, and if necessary, the bayonet can always be removed.
4). Although the bayonet may change the point of impact of the rifle, it will not do so hardly at all in the CRG environments we are looking at. I recently worked at the range with my AK with bayonet added and the POI did not change at 25 yards (at least not that I could tell).
5). And this one may not have a tactical benefit, but like wearing an Infidel T-Shirt, it gives one all manner of warlike warm-fuzzies ? It annoys the com-libs to no end to think that people like us have bayonets on our rifles.
Try these drills with your bayonet fixed rifle ?
1). At close range (within arm?s length) press the trigger on the empty rifle as if you had a malfunction. Immediately without glancing at the weapon to see what is wrong, thrust the bayonet into the target, move off line (ripping the blade out in a coring action) as you transition to pistol and fire.
2). Work on the FMA knife lines of movement. Think of an ?X?. Attack along the lines of the ?X? with both blade and butt stock, working both thrusts and smashes. Add a linear thrust to the center of the ?X? as well as immediately above the center and immediately below the center.
3). Integrate the footwork from the Die Less Often DVD using the rifle to ?catch? attacks in a similar manner to what Sonny P does in his AK-47 DVD.
Not only will this give you a dynamic workout, but it will give you a new-found confidence in your rifle and what you can do with it. Remember, its about fighting and not merely about shooting. I defineitely see a need for alternative force issues with the rifle. I recall several times when an MP5 muzzle briskly applied to the forehead ended a grab attempt in close quarters. The bayonet is simply an extension of the concept.
What is the spirit of the bayonet??!!
