I just love this new show that’s featured on my hunting channels called “Tactical Impact” — though my wife gives me un-ending grief for watching it. Not sure if you’ve heard about it, but it’s a pretty good resource on high-speed operations, weapons, equipment, tactics and history.
It’s headlined by Aaron Roberts and Larry Vickers. Roberts is a former special operations Soldier and top trainer at Blackwater, while Vickers was a Delta operator for years and now runs a training company called Vickers Tactical. I spoke with Larry at the SHOT show about Tactical Impact and he said they renewed for another season and had a full slate of programs.
I like it because the peel away the layers of combat tactics to give you whys — not just the hows. And I especially like the segment “choose your weapon” where they lay out a specific combat scenario (this week’s was the Green Beret team tasked with crash landing into the center of the Son Tay prison in Vietnam) and give you three weapons to choose from to take on the mission. They then go through each one and explain why they’d choose what they did (I always choose the AK-47 even if they don’t give me that option).
Well, the producers have been kind enough to post some of the show’s segments online, and I share a pretty cool one with you now.
Happy Friday everyone!
– Christian
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
This show should be renamed “Common Sense 101″.
Great clip!
I have a question. My brother-in-law just got back from Afghanistan. He is a door kicker and said that the Afghan’s were always using armor piercing rounds in their AK’s. I was watching Tour of Duty on the Military channel today and they said the same thing.
I guess my question is, are the bad guys really using AP rounds as standard issue? I have an AK and I have seen the power of standard rounds. If I was on the receiving end, I would say that they were all AP rounds too, even the Hollow points.
Just curious…
Your wife is right. This is majorly cheesy. I watched a few of their videos. They talk a lot, but offer very little real instruction beyond the obvious. Did you know that the Glock 17 isn’t very effective against body armor? Did you know that bolt-action rifles don’t fire fast enough to repel a mass attack? The dialogue amounts to something like “I will now engage the target. There is the target. I will now fire my weapon. I have now fired my weapon. I will now engage the next target…” Thanks guys. Very informative. The fact that these guys can call their show “Tactical Impact” with a straight face should tell you everything.
Given the collective experience of the hosts maybe their trying to tailor it to people like me who don’t have basic knowleadge of firearms and tactics. I liked what I saw and hope they’ll increase the depth.
Very well produced video… but I was kind of expecting something a little bit more interesting from delta vets…
If that is representative of the rest of the show, I wouldn’t be watching anymore.
Me thinks, it’s time to visit the range, and get away from this damn computer!
“.50 BMG Vs. 18 Hard Drives” ~HardOCP
http://www.viddler.com/explore/HardOCP/videos/32/169.142/
(Starts off with pics & music, then shows the vid.)
Outstanding video. Every infantryman and indfantry officer should see this one.
P.J. Busche
SSgt, USMC retired
Semper Fidelis
@Ptsfp:
AP cartridges with very hard and dense material are quite expensive, but normal steel-core bullets aren’t. The latter may be in wide-spread use. 7.62×39 AP shouldn’t be able to penetrate level IV plates anyway.
The video is too limited in its scope. It’s not just about hitting and saving ammo. It’s also about different training levels, psychological effect, sights, weapon type and distance.
Thanks Sven,
Yeah, that is what I thought. I didn’t think they would all have AP rounds.
Unless Iran was supplying them or they were large stashes of ex-Iraq stuff.
To Sven:
- First round isnt propably gonna penetrate but it will seriously damage integrity of the plate. Therefore second or third round might be able to punch through.
To Ptsfp:
- AK round is basically high-powered penetrating round. It doesnt break, it doesnt shatter, it doesnt mushroom, it just penetrates therefore its far more penetrating than M4 round (i take standard round, not some hardcore penetrator).
Video:
I dont get it, these guys R supposed to be top-class, they use HK416 and they dont even get a goddamn compensating muzzle brake? Our guys in cz army can shoot better on full auto than this and even with vz58 using 7,62×39. Who doesnt believe here is a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvC_oQmqUKE
(full auto – 02:41)
Yeah, the “Tour of Duty” show on the Military channel showed an officer with an AK clip confiscated from some Taliban. Sure enough it was full of black tip ammo. Also my brother-in-law had one go through a steel MG shield and it just missed him by an inch or two.
I just didn’t realize that Armor Piercing ammo was that common in Iraq/ Afghan. Left over from the Russkies I guess…
I am telling U, almost all ammunition is basically highly penetrating, only M855 cannot get through 5 cm of concrete
Vickers is a fine marksman. Very informative, accuracy is key. I would like to see the 6.8mm be the standard round, but its not gonna happen.