A Bunker Mentality

Mans use of the shield dates back centuries to the Bronze Age and probably beyond. The shield served to protect the soldier as he closed ground to a point where the offensive weapon — sword, spear, axe or club — could be brought to bear by the strong hand. There’s also no question this was hand-to-hand combat in its truest context. Today’s trend to use the terminology of combatives for this and that system as applied to small arms may in fact be correct, yet in my head and eyes I still see battlefields with men locked in combat at a true arms length or at least the length of the longest spear.

Shields were used to lock and hold the line against inbound threats as well as to “push” the attack forward to physical contact. Probably one of the best and basic uses of the shield was to stop incoming high velocity projectiles be they arrow or spear. Made from hides, wood and metal or in some cases composites of all, the shields of the past were and are the foundation for the modern ballistic shields cops use today.
Today’s shields serve much like their fore bearers. They’re used to protect, close ground, stop high velocity projectiles and place the shield carrier in a position allowing an offensive weapon to be brought to bear on the threat thus terminating conflict. We used shields in the past, shields are being used today and shields will be needed, even more so, in the future.

Bullet resistant bunkers are being seen more often as American law enforcement SWAT teams wisely move away from some of the bravado of the dynamic entries often seen in the 80-90’s. Violent resisting suspects and threats using rifles and weapons often at least equal to what law enforcement use should be cause for all cops — SWAT and conventional — to consider or at minimum rethink applied tactics based on what may be waiting for them at the end of the hall or at the top of a stairwell.

These conflicts often occur in diminished light, at close range and in constricted environments mandating proper weapons function and the shield holding up to incoming fire. Hopefully, this allows officers to return thoughtful, accurate fire that will be a ballistic home run to effectively terminate the fight. The shield may in fact protect officers from direct and indirect fire, but in reality, their best protection will come from the ability to place return fire on the threat. In many cases, the suspect attempts to ambush the shield carrier by picking the time and place to attack — in a hallway, doorway or at a corner. So the shield is important as it gets us in close to the threat, and after that closure a wise selection of firearms is required to terminate the threat.

Big Gun Or Best Gun?

It’s no news to anyone who knows me that I strongly prefer rifles and without reservation would pick a rifle to fight with if couldn’t just get the day off on short notice instead. That said, the rifle is effective, it has a magazine should multiple shots be required and serves as a good platform for lighting and sighting assistance tools often required for a compressed environment. However, rifles can be unwieldy to manipulate through doorways around corners and in stairwells.
Additionally, they can be cumbersome while wearing armor or gasmasks and while humping a shield while trying to communicate with the non-complainant turd at the end of the dark hallway. Should you get any inclination to think I am not in favor of a shield like in “just dump the shield thing and we’ll just go get this asshole outta here so we can go home” — you just read it wrong! I’d strongly suggest if you have a shield you use that sucker as it may in fact ensure you or we go home at the end of this shift.

Best Gun Or Another Gun?

Rifles are good to use in a fight if there has to be a fight at all. But, can also be awkward — it equates to ten pounds of crap being stuffed into a five-pound aperture. In these compressed areas an optional use firearm may be a handgun. Without going into a book format, lets say the semi-auto, most often recoil operated ,is great and used by many departments, but works most reliably with a proper two hand hold and solid resistance provided by the shooter. But, if a shield-bearing officer gets a stoppage with a semi-automatic pistol while deploying the shield he’s going to be one busy beaver sorting all the crap out in front of him. Duly noted here, cover officers should cover the shield guy with the fouled piece in hand. This situation falls under the category of a great theory having a golden opportunity of being mugged by a gang of facts. Simple fact, semi-autos can and will have the potential to malfunction if not provided a solid platform, or if fired one handed with a limp or weak wrist or from awkward positions and or angles that could affect the recoil operation and cycling of pistol. Also reciprocation of the slide needs to be protected as while firing the slide may strike the shield inducing a stoppage. At the risk of starting WWIII, there’s another choice.


The Revolving Handgun

In an era long ago in a galaxy, wait a minute…different story.

The revolving handgun has many redeeming values especially in a hallway or stairwell to hell environment especially while being anchored behind a shield when rounds are inbound. The revolver works as well as any handgun and better than most on the planet. It’s not sensitive to cycling or malfunctions. The revolver operates easily with one hand and should the revolver foul in the sense of not firing the shooter simply strokes the trigger again to bring the next charge hole into line. Should you bring up the fact revolvers don’t hold much ammo, I would have to bring into the discussion the fact that the cover officer should be covering the shield guy no matter what the problem. Besides my revolver choice for the shield guy holds eight rounds of .357 Magnum in the cylinder. Although it’s great fare for recurring nightmares, not too many crack monsters can wade through hits by eight .357 magnums and the cover man’s magazine full of buckshot or .223s.

The Pitch

About now this probably sounds like a sales pitch to you, I know I just reread it — it isn’t.

I can tell you I’ve shot seven thousand plus rounds through my S&W 327 in the last eight months. This revolver is a rock solid tool that shoots straight as a laser beam and runs like the proverbial Swiss watch.
I didn’t talk about the gun on some chat forum thing or write little magazine ditty’s — I shot it…and I shot it a lot. If you’re running a shield and need reliable hammer for your nail problem down the hallway, this is the hammer for you.

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