There are thousands of caves in Afghanistan’s rugged mountains. This includes natural caverns and man-made tunnels.
Many of these tunnels date back to the war with the Soviet Union in the 1980s. The same tunnels were used to hide and move around during the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
During the U.S. war in Afghanistan, British soldiers worked alongside U.S. forces to hunt down terrorists.
In one instance, a British SAS Sergeant took the lead entering a cave and confronting Taliban fighters, including a high-value senior commander.
As the terrorists fled in an underground cave complex, the SAS sergeant went after them.
The cave was about 2 feet wide and 4 feet high, and the sergeant recognized he couldn’t use his rifle effectively because of the tight spaces.
So, he transitioned to his pistol (a Glock 9mm), and for the next 30 minutes, the sergeant relied on sound to track and eliminate six terrorists.
He shot three of the terrorists with his Glock and killed the other three with a claw hammer.
There is no question that the odds were against the sergeant.
He was outnumbered six to one and operating in unfamiliar territory, in near-total darkness.
But he knew what tools would be most effective in that limited-space environment.
Now, whether for home defense or hunting, many shooters use a rifle as their primary weapon.
However, there could be times where your rifle runs dry, malfunctions, or isn’t the best weapon for the task…
And your best option is to transition to a pistol.
So, here are a few things to keep in mind when transitioning from your rifle to your pistol.
Guide it down:
Once you decide your rifle is no longer the best option you want to guide it down to your side.
If you wear a sling this is something you should practice doing with a safe and empty weapon.
Smoothly bring the rifle down to your hip on your support side. This should ensure the rifle is kept clear of your handgun holster.
You want the rifle to be in a position where it doesn’t affect your pistol draw.
No sling:
It’s not uncommon to carry a rifle without a sling. But without a sling, you need to keep control of your rifle and not put it on the ground.
One method is to put the buttstock of the rifle under your armpit, which will allow you to maintain control of the rifle.
Plus, it will stay pointed down range and the non-shooting arm cradles the rifle.
This will prevent the gun from falling or flopping around while moving.
Cover and Concealment:
As a reminder, cover is something that will stop bullets, concealment is just a visual barrier.
When transitioning from a rifle to a pistol it’s worth getting behind cover or concealment.
But if you are engaged in a shootout, you may not want to take time to find cover or concealment.
Instead, you may want to just transition to your pistol and engage the threat.
Now, in the above story about the British SAS Sergeant, he was restricted in the confines of a cave…
But what about tight spaces that you’re in every day or week – places you might not even think about, let alone prepare for a gunfight in?
One obvious confined space is your vehicle…
Getting your pistol quickly but safely into the fight when you’re in your car can be very challenging…
Not to mention knowing how to position yourself behind adequate cover in the cramped spaces of your car’s interior (FYI: doors only stop bullets in Hollywood)…
There are strategies, tricks, and little-known techniques for using your gun inside a vehicle.
