The movie “Saving Private Ryan” is a classic military movie directed by Steven Spieldberg. The main characters of the movie all went through a mini boot camp taught by Warriors Inc Cadre (Founded by Ret. USMC Capt Dale Adam Dye – a California company that specializes in training actors for realistic military portrayals, for movies), the trainers of the 80’s hit movie “Platoon”, that shaped Charlie Sheen & Tom Berenger into grunts.

Back to Saving Private Ryan, here are some of the things that the main characters under went to get them not into shape, but the shaping of the characters behind the grunts of WWII. With further ado, I give you Warrior Inc Cadre commentary.

Our Warriors Inc. Cadre included the CO, 1stSgt. John Barnett, Sgt. Billy Budd, T5 Brian Maynard (Medic) and Cpl. Laird Macintosh as Platoon Right Guide. As we designed the WW II Ranger training schedule, we assigned each Cadre member a specific actor/trainee for special attention. Capt. Dye focused on Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks), 1stSgt. Barnett worked with SFC Horvath (Tom Sizemore), T5 Maynard taught T4 Wade the squad medic and Cpl. Macintosh worked with T4 Upham, the attached interpreter. We all pitched in to provide training and character building background for the remaining three Rangers in training.

The Cadre designed a seven-day, seven-night schedule that was to take place in the deep woods near Hatfield, England, an abandoned British Aerospace manufacturing plant where several of the major sets were being built. The weather typically turned English on us. It was raining most of the time and mud quickly became an infantry mobility problem. Regardless, we were up early each morning for PT, which included long runs to improve stamina and endurance. Weapons handling was a priority and we spent long hours firing and reloading M-1s, Thompson SMGs, carbines and BARs under simulated combat conditions. Weapons maintenance also became critical as the rain and mud were always getting into actions as the troops crawled or maneuvered through the rough terrain.

Courses taught were land navigation, fire and maneuver, patrol formations and tactics for assault on fortified positions since all of these events were called for in the script. Also included in the curriculum were classes on Communication Procedures, field first aid, casualty evacuation, close-quarters combat and bayonet training. Many of our patrols took place at night and over extremely constricted terrain. Rangers in training ate British 10-in-1 rations in the field and slept under leaky canvas when they weren’t running night patrols. By the end of T-3 (training day three) the Ranger unit was functioning under its own chain of command and the Warriors Inc. Cadre plus some locally recruited help from the production staff were serving primarily as aggressor forces.

One extremely valuable and interesting aspect of this training was conducted by Doc Bryan Maynard who obtained a partial sheep carcass from a local butcher to teach Ranger Medic Wade how to suture wounds and probe for bullets or shrapnel.

When we moved to southeast Ireland for the D-Day sequences, Capt. Dye was called away to consult with Director Steven Spielberg and the Warriors Inc. Cadre came into its own during an exhausting two days of getting 1,000 Irish Army Reserve soldiers into shape to portray American GIs on Omaha Beach. They did an outstanding job in a very short time-frame. Just prior to filming, we took all our available Higgins Boat Landing Craft to Wexford Harbor where Capt. Dye taught the actors and the Irish Army procedures for landing from these boats on a hostile shore.

Incidentally, we intentionally did not include Matt Damon who plays the actual Pvt. Ryan in our field training, as we did not want the Rangers to bond with him. They resent him in the story and we wanted to preserve that feeling. Warriors Inc. Cadre did train Damon and other paratroopers in his unit later in the production while shooting on other locations was taking place.

Horrific Weather
While filming in England for the big D day, the weather was just horrific, nothing but rain. (Sounds like Seattle) There were stories that people had quit the training while filming. It’s not true, all actors complain, but that’s natural in this kind of settings.

What was true was that there wasn’t enough equipment to keep the actors warm and dry. The Cadre wanted to replicate the conditions that was back in D day. The Cadre’s went on to explain the real conditions that the Rangers had to endure to storm Omaha beach, which was much worse than the filming conditions. As actors they were fortunate to re-enact this significant historic scene, surely they can do with a little discomfort.

Source:WarriorsInc.com

Browning’s first reaction, was to try to dissuade Bennett from pursuing a lever-action shotgun. Browning had been working on a slide-action design (later to see light as the Model 1893), and he felt strongly that his pump gun “would be easier to operate and better-looking.” On the other hand, speculation has it that Browning had just been handed a $50,000 check from Bennett for his 1886 rifle patent so he might have been feeling somewhat solicitous that day toward Bennett.

In any case, less than a year later, Browning had been issued a patent for a perfectly functional, compact, lever-action shotgun, which Winchester dubbed their Model 1887 and put into immediate production. A remarkable fact is that in three successive years, Winchester Repeating Arms had purchased and placed into production three of Browning’s greatest designs: the Model 1885 single-shot rifle, the Model 1886 lever-action rifle and the Model 1887 lever-action shotgun.

In March, 1887, at the age of 32 and married with two children, Browning was “set apart as a Mormon missionary to the southern states.” He had never seen a production model of the 1887 since it was not released until June of that year, and Browning had left on his mission in March. In a window of a southern sporting store, John Moses Browning finally got his first glimpse of the Winchester Model 1887. He entered the store, picked up the shotgun, mounted it and rapidly cycled the action before Browning’s companion told the flabbergasted owner the man operating gun invented it.

UNIQUE ACTION
Like most of Browning’s designs, the action of the Model 1887 is unique and distinctive with a minimum of moving parts. The humped-back action is actually compact when you consider that the shotgun was chambered for the 12- and 10-gauge shells. The secret to its compact design is that it is a true, enclosed rolling block.

As the lever is opened, the breechblock rotates rapidly away and down from the chamber. As the lever is closed, the breechblock rotates up and forward, another shell is positioned to be chambered by a lifter being fed from a 5-round tubular magazine, and the recessed hammer is fully cocked. There is an interference built into the parts so that the lever must be fully closed and locked before the gun can be fired. The hammer features a 1/2-cock safety notch, which is engaged by lowering the hammer as the trigger is pulled.

It’s a fast action to cycle. In an era when single- and double-barreled shotguns prevailed, the 1887 provided an astonishing level of firepower—six quick shots to be exact—one in the chamber and five in the magazine.

The Winchester proved popular on both sides of the law. The first Model 1887 I ever saw was on the floor of Jensen’s Gun Shop in Tucson, Ariz., 4 decades ago. It was a 20-inch barreled, riot gun in 10 gauge and marked along the barrel “TPD” or “Tucson Police Department.” Not knowing any better and at the time focused on 1911 match pistols and big game rifles, I passed it by.

The Model 1887 could be ordered in a variety of grades, finishes and barrel lengths. The standard 12-gauge model featured a 30-inch, full-choked barrel and either a case-hardened or blued receiver. The 10-gauge model sported a 32-inch, full-choked barrel. Either model could be ordered with a cylinder or modified choke at no extra cost. Winchester even offered Damascus barrels as an upgrade.

According to Winchester historian, George Madis, three, rifled-barreled, Model 1887s are known to exist chambered for the .70-150 Winchester cartridge. That’s a .70-caliber cartridge formed from a brass 12-gauge shell pushing a bullet weighing 700 to 900 grains by 150 grains of powder. A real stomper round on both ends!

In production for 11 years, from 1887 to 1898, approximately 64,855 Model 1887’s were produced.

In 1901, Winchester introduced a refined version of the Model 1887. According to the contemporary Winchester catalog, “It has a tighter breech joint more completely supporting the shell in the chamber. A positive firing-pin retractor is supplied. The 2-piece, finger lever is made separate from the breech-block and with a finger lever lock.” The Model 1901 was available only in 10-gauge. It was in production from 1901 to 1920 and only 13,500 were produced.

The fact is that another Browning design, the Model 1893 and its successor, the highly successful Model 1897 pump gun, and simply destroyed the lever-action shotgun market, but the 1887/1901 is back and back big.

Cowboy action shooters, who were familiar with the movie debuts of the big Winchester in The Professionals (1966) and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), were a natural market for the intriguing model.

Then flashing across the screen in 1991 in the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a sawn-off barrel and pistol grip stocked lever-action Winchester. Hollywood producers seemed to fall in love with Winchester’s lever-action shotgun because in a matter of years it made a series of big screen appearances in Jumanji (1995), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Mummy Returns (2001), Monte Walsh (2002), Ghost Rider (2007), Hot Fuzz (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Public Enemies (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). Hollywood should have awarded it an Oscar.

It didn’t take long for companies like Cimarron Firearms and Chiappa to move quickly to fill the demand with the most recent and most affordable model being imported from China by Century International Arms. The model pictured here is the Century International Arms 20-inch barreled, 12-gauge, riot gun rendition which is being made for them in China by the Zhong Zhou Machine Works. It carries with it a suggested retail price of only $399.95.

The Century International Arms model is not as nicely machined and finished as an original or as one of the more costly replicas. It incorporates an abundance of cast parts, but it functions just like an original Winchester, and it functions fine as long as you cycle the action with gusto.

The bore at the muzzle measures 0.725 inch on my gun, which places the choke midway between cylinder and improved cylinder, and I have been extremely pleased with the uniform and well centered patterns it throws at 25 yards.

The Century Model PW87 is one of those unique, historical and affordable fun guns. I could see myself carrying it hunting cottontails over beagles or quail over pointers. It’s perfect for informal clays shooting, and you’ll probably be the only one in the community to own one.

“Iconic” is the word for Winchester’s big lever-action shotgun!

Source:Holt Bodinson – GunsMagazine.com

Meant for entertainment purposes only!

Below is an extensive interview with Bradley Voytek, Zombie neuroscience expert (seriously) and Zombie Research Society. They provide an explanation of zombie behavior due to abnormalities of the brain and suggestions on surviving against zombies.

In my research on necroneurology, my colleague Timothy Verstynen and I, in conjunction with the Zombie Research Society (http://www.zombieresearch.org/ad…), have identified several key features of zombie behavior.

This disorder, which we have dubbed “Consciousness Deficit Hypoactivity Disorder” (CDHD): is marked by the loss of rational, voluntary and conscious behavior replaced by delusional/impulsive aggression, stimulus-driven attention, and the inability to coordinate motor or linguistic behaviors.

Furthermore, in our detailed scans of the zombie brain, we have been able to reconstruct the exact brain areas that have been destroyed in the zombie. The profile of damage we have outlined corroborates the behavioral observations we have made.

By closely examining zombie neurology and behavior, we can leverage our knowledge of the physical limitations and behavioral susceptibility of the zombie to our survival advantage.

First: find some leather.

Seriously.

Why people in zombie movies don’t wear leather neck guards and boots is beyond me. Put on a simple leather jacket with a high collar and some leather boots and you’ll prevent any surprise zombie bitings from behind or down low.

Practice safe zombieing!

Back to the science.

From a subjective standpoint, the pattern of cerebral atrophy in the zombie represents a most heinous form of injury unparalleled in the scientific literature. It would lead to a pattern of violence and social apathy; patients thus affected would represent a grievous harm to society, with little chance of rehabilitation.

The only recommendation is immediate quarantine and isolation of the subject. Based upon our observations, we are confident enough to offer a few strategies to maximize survival in the event of a zombie encounter:

1. Due to damage to the cerebellum, zombies exhibit severe ataxia and thus will be slow and uncoordinated. So outrun them. Climb to a high point or some other place where they will have trouble reaching. Practice parkour.

Though be warned, as of now we have identified two distinct zombie phenotypes. The previously-mentioned ataxic class and a second, “fast” zombie.

This second class has an intact cerebellum and superior parietal cortex, making them faster, more coordinated, and thus more dangerous.

Know your zombie types!

2. The zombie memory is terrible due to medial temporal lobe damage (think “Memento”). So, if you can hide long enough, the creature will mill around only until something else captures its attention. Be patient but keep quiet! They can still hear!

3. Due to damage to the parietal cortices, zombies can’t feel pain; if you can’t kill them by damaging the brainstem, don’t try to fight them. They won’t feel a thing. Your options are quick disposal or a hasty retreat.

Fortunately, the extent of damage to the zombie parietal cortex, zombies also suffer from a form of Balint’s syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal…), and thus are especially prone to lapses in attention. This leads us to survival point four:

4. Distraction, distraction, distraction. Throw something behind the zombie to capture its attention. Set off a flare. Use a flashbang. Whatever you need to do to distract it to get away.

Interestingly, zombies also appear to exhibit a form of the Capgras delusion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap…) such that when they do recognize you, their conception of you is no longer one of love or caring, but of confusion or even anger. This leads to tip five:

5. If the zombie’s ataxia isn’t enough to allow you to outrun it, you may wish to act like a zombie until you can escape. Mimicking in-group zombie behaviors may buy you critical moments!

Finally: although they may look like your loved ones, there is no reasoning with them. Their prefrontal cortex, as well as language production and comprehension areas, are so damaged that there is no possibility for communication. Do not fall prey to your own ignorance of the brain!

Written by Jon Hines

Source: J Briggs infograph & Dr Bradley Voytek

Zombie Survival Guide
With the upcoming epidemic, humans will be extinct at a great rate globally.

This post is intended to help you survive against zombies without firearms. Part two of this series will cover best guns for Zombie Apacalypse. There are only a few ways to handle zombies, so the following guide breaks it down to simplicity.

With information flowing in to our data center, following these simple steps and working within groups, suggest stay in groups of 10 plus will increase your chance of survival. If you’re caught by yourself with more than 1 zombie, your chance is decreased.

The following Guidelines can increase your odds of survival:

Avoidance – Run away from zombie

Termination – Final Option use any method

Zombie Infection – In case of a bite  – arm yourself with these time tables

– Depending on where the bite occurs time is of the essences to get the infected out of your area of operation

– Neck or Head Bite – 7 to 10 hrs complete transformation

– Arm Bite – 12 to 24 hrs complete transformation

– Leg Bite – 20 to 30 hrs complete transformation

If you’re out of ammo or you don’t have a firearm – some other options to consider:

– use a baseball bat

– a good size cast-iron skillet

– a flashlight to smash or to blind (white or Blue halogen light)

Look for the next post of best guns for Zombie Apocalypse.

So What are your favorite Zombie Survival Plans this summer?
 
 
Information courtesy of: Justin Briggs Infograph, REI, and Max Brook WWZ

Reprinted from our May print edition, this article will make you laugh.

Glaringly inaccurate portrayals of firearms in Hollywood movies

by Wendy Cunningham

WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE, sitting at the Cineplex, popcorn bucket in one hand, ridiculously large pop in the other, ready to settle in for a solid two hours of serious gun play–only to be reminded that when it comes to all things firearms, Hollywood takes artistic license to new limits. Just as I’m irritated (or amused) by the fact Hollywood can’t seem to get military uniforms correct, or the fact they frequently amuse “locals” when a certain town is represented inaccurately in a movie (Wayne’s World’s depiction of Aurora, Ill. drove me nuts), they are equally as inept when it comes to firearm accuracy. I know, I know, I need to remember that I didn’t just shell out a small fortune to check every aspect of a film for authenticity and validity. I’m there to laugh, to cry, and simply to be entertained. Entertaining it is, as the firearm follies seem endless! So go grab your own popcorn (because I’m not sharing mine), and let the entertainment begin.

Sometimes I wonder how many cups of coffee the sound guy has in the morning before he starts his work. Some of the most outlandish errors in movies come from overzealous sound effects, and at the top of my list is the mysterious “CLICK.” Just about every handgun seems to “CLICK” as it is pointed at its target. How or why, I do not know. Another “CLICK, CLICK, CLICK” as the bad guy realizes he is out of rounds, again a technical mystery. And why on earth is a striker-fired Glock “CLICK”ing at all?

Next up, the infamous “KERCHUNK.” How many times do I hear the ever-intimidating pump of a shotgun only to see the firearm in question is a side-by-side? Moreover, are you telling me the shooter in question has been standing around in a potentially deadly situation without a chambered round? While he is terrifying his opponent with an audible “KERCHUNK,” the bad guy has most likely shot off a few rounds of his own, perhaps incorporating another favorite, the “TING,” “PING” and “ZING.” These frequently represent the constant and needless ricochet sounds in the much-loved Spaghetti Westerns. I never knew there was so much metal in the Old West!

Finally, let’s not forget that according to Hollywood, silenced guns make almost no sound at all.
The Cohen brothers try to convince us that Javier Bardem successfully silences a Remington
11-87 in No Country for Old Men. Although a really great concept, “silenced” guns are still loud,
some reaching as high as 130 decibels. That’s louder than a clap of thunder and comparable to
a military jet taking off, so if you’re looking to perhaps confuse your location, I’d say a silencer will
work wonders. But if you are a budding spy hoping to covertly take out your next target, think
again.

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS SUPERVISORS must take notes from the Foley Artists when it comes to firearm creativity. We have all seen the excessive muzzle flash that screams “Hey bad guys, I’m over here,” the recoilless guns sometimes shot sideways, sometimes from the hip, and sometimes shot unusually accurately from men and women alike. We’ve also seen and heard the never-ending ammo from not only machine guns, but from Steve Buscemi’s  supposed 30-plus round Smith & Wesson in Reservoir Dogs.

But have you noticed all the magic bullets? You know the ones I’m talking about, right? The rounds that cannot penetrate a car door, a sofa, a locked bedroom door, or even a toppled over kitchen table, but somehow can kill a man under water. I’d like to see them explain that because unless your target is already doing the dead man’s float, he would have to be within about eight feet of the surface of the water, and directly below the shooter, in order for the round to blow a fatal strike. For all you Mr. Wizard fans out there, at sea level water is nearly 800 times denser than air, providing considerable protection from not only a 9mm, but also a .223 and even a .50 cal. If you don’t believe me, check out Mythbusters episode 34.

In the world of special effects, penetration power is usually followed up by some serious pyrotechnics. The exploding bullet is a close runner-up to the magic bullet as I’ve watched bullets explode everything from cars to sharks. How many of you remember the climatic scene in Jaws where Brody fires a round at a scuba tank lodged between the shark’s teeth, causing a huge explosion? It just doesn’t happen like that. Neither cars, nor sharks (and the pressurized containers in them) explode so easily, and if they did, an ordinary fender bender on a morning commute might resemble more of a Michael Bay or Tony Scott movie, providing an endless log jam of gapers and rubber-neckers.

But before the Foley Artist can tinker with the sound, and the SFX Supervisor can amp up the pyrotechnics, some direction is needed from the, well…Director. With glazed over eyes, I watch bad guys spray endless bullets out of a machine gun at the good guys, never seeming to find their target. Meanwhile, the good guy pulls out a pocket-sized snub nose, sends a single shot down a dark hallway, and somehow nails the bad guy in the chest, of course putting him permanently out of commission. By the way, the good “guy” these days is more often than not a woman…in high heels (insert eye-roll here).

THEN THERE IS THE OBSESSION with working the action of a firearm. At some point in movie history, the act and sound of a hammer being pulled back and a round chambered became synonymous with “I mean business,” but with the innovation of things like double-action pistols, the need to repeatedly cock your pistol has become obsolete. Someone forgot to tell Hollywood this, and in turn, the MacManus Brothers in Boondock Saints. In the efforts of boosting their intimidation factor, Connor and Murphy MacManus must have actually been de-cocking their pistols before shooting the bad guy in order to make the ever-dramatic clicking sound. Similarly, in Reservoir Dogs, there is so much cocking that I wonder if it was actually written into the script as the main antagonist. When there isn’t repetitive cocking, there is the unnecessary pump of a shotgun, or the superfluous pull back of the slide. All of this really makes me wonder, is Quentin Tarantino trying to convince me that not only are these men walking into a gunfight without a chambered round, but then uselessly pulling back the slide of their pistol which realistically sends unspent rounds cascading to the ground? If so, I suppose that gives need to the creation of Steve
Buscemi’s thirty-plus round magazine mentioned earlier.

The icing on the cake for pure directorial fantasy though is in True Lies as Arnold Schwarzenegger hands Jamie Lee Curtis’ character, Helen, a MAC-10 during one of the movie’s many intense action scenes. Helen attempts to incapacitate the bad guys but unable to control the muzzle climb, she fumbles and drops the MAC-10 down a flight of stairs. Cartwheeling off each step, the gun conveniently continues to fire (but not at her), sending several rounds into the warehouse, each miraculously finding their intended target and nearly clearing the room of all threat. Mythbusters got their mitts on this one as well and in episode 189 proves Jamie Lee Curtis’ accident as nothing more than humorous.

Unfortunately, humor is not an added benefit from all tactical flubs, especially when firearm safety is involved. To prevent negligence and promote accuracy, more often that not, technical advisors are hired in order to provide detailed information and advice to the Director. One would think Zero Dark Thirty would be exempt from foolish errors in firearm artistry, especially since the movie spent more time behind a desk than behind a gun. While trying to get over the fact the film is more about the obsession of the female agent’s quest to find bin Laden, and less about the actual mission, I quickly realize that the military advisor was either negligent or napping as some bush-league  mistakes transpire when boots hit dirt.

First and foremost, the team breaks firearm safety rule number one: always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Infrared lasers humming, (think dog whistle, not light saber) the men infiltrate the compound bin Laden is thought to be hiding at. Experiencing the mission in night vision, I watch the green dots of their lasers bouncing between empty doorways and yes, you’ve got it, the back of their teammates’ heads. Unless friendly fire is the mission, I’d say the back of your fellow soldiers’ helmet is not a safe direction. Muzzle swiping is a serious no-no. Furthermore, I watch them tightly hug walls as they round corners, forgetting the arms length rule for cover. And did the writers not consider that al-Qaida might have access to night vision goggles as well? They have eBay too, you know! No soldier, much less a member of an elite team such as the one that took out Bin Laden, would keep their IR lasers switched on. They might as well have a target on their chest.

Whether it is the Writer, the Director, the Editor, the Foley Artist, the SFX Supervisor, or perhaps the Technical Advisor to blame, it never ceases to amaze me some of the firearm theatrics we are force-fed at the movies all for the sake of being entertained. I could keep going and discuss the many backwards magazines (please don’t use the term “banana clip” because it is neither a banana, nor is it a clip), bullet holes going the wrong way or just simply over-exaggerated, and one of my all time favorites, caliber identification from a swollen tissue puncture on a corpse, but I am about out of popcorn so I think I’ll save those for another day and savor my last few handfuls while I watch Scarface. “Say hello to my little friend.” Gotta love Hollywood.

Editor’s note: The Blonde Behind the Brass, Wendy is the sole owner and graphic designer of Raining Brass, a marketing provider for the firearms industry and beyond. She also spends quite a bit of her time writing for the industry as well, but it hasn’t always been that way…Check her out at www.rainingbrass.com.