In this guide we are going to go over the Top 20 Firefight Rules for any warfighter to live by. In this day and age of high speed drills, and ‘tacticool’ gear we can often lose sight of essential firefight rules, fogging up the basics and getting your ass in a world of hurt. With this in mind we are going to talk about 20 bedrock rules anyone who will end up in a firefight should know. Focus on these rules first and foremost, worry about looking cool later…
- Ditch style for the kill…
I know you guys all love Travis Haley, focusing on your stance and strategies. The reality is in a firefight all that shit goes out the window and no one will give a damn about your stance, tactics, or caliber. The only thing that matters is who lives, and who dies, if you have to operate dirty for the kill, do it…
- Communicate, communicate, and communicate…
Here’s the thing, if you’ve never been in a firefight, but you’re an avid airsofter or paintballer, you’re still going to be surprised how communication sounds in an actualfirefight. There’ll be confusion, frustration, and a mashup of ‘F#ck!’, ‘Reloading’, ‘Where the f#ck did that come from?!’, ‘Contact!’ and ‘Moving!’…
- Make sure they stay dead…
I’ve said it a million times before and I’ll say it again, ammo is cheaper than your life. Never forget the Mozambique technique, put two in their chest and one in their hard drive. A big mistake a lot of people make is thinking a center mass shot will put down your target, reality is they can keep moving long enough to plug you a couple times…
- Keep your distance, find cover, and shoot…
If it all possible keep your distance from your target using lateral or diagonal movement to get to bulletproof cover. No, before you even think about it I am not talking about car doors. They are not bulletproof! Concrete, stone, and 10” thick bricks work very well as cover. Once you find cover, shoot…
- No honor in a firefight…
If you are in a firefight with some preconceived notion of an honorable duel, you’re going to get your ass handed to you. Instead, play dirty, do whatever you have to do to gain the tactical advantage, and get the kill…
- Pucker factor for the kill…
You may think that accuracy will get you the kill in a firefight, but in reality more often than not the pucker factor will get you the kill. Basically extreme fear is going to make your butthole tighten up and you’re actions will become panicked. At the end of the day accuracy is a relative term…
- Never go to a firefight with a pistol or a low caliber rifle…
If you have a choice, never go to a firefight with a pistol, and never go to a firefight chambered in anything less than 5.56 mm, 7.62 NATO, or 6.8 SPC. Anyone who tells you a .22LR caliber rifle is just as good a caliber for a firefight is completely full of shit, and it would take a very skilled marksman to get a kill shot with .22LR in a firefight. Your pistol is only a backup, and should only be used after all of your ammo for your primary weapon has been exhausted…
- You’re not a ninja…
Ditch the knives, swords, and nunchucks for a gun. A lot of the guys I talk to are often brainwashed by this Hollywood horseshit, where you see Jason Statham in The Expendables getting in a knife fight every ten seconds, but again the reality is your knife will rarely come out to do anything else than to cut paracord, and eat your food…
- Prioritize ammo…
If you are going to a firefight or travelling through an area where you know you will encounter enemy forces, prioritize ammunition above all else! Bring three times the ammo you think you’ll need because you have no idea how much you are going to be hating life when your ammo is gone. 75%+ of your load better be ammo…
- Have a plan, and have a backup plan…
When going into a firefight have a clear objective, with a well organized plan that will get you the tactical advantage. That being said, ten seconds into a firefight Plan A will be shot to shit, so you had better have a backup plan for when everything goes to hell..
- Stay on guard…
Never drop your guard! Do a 360° scan for threats at all times. Even after you know you dropped a target, you and your unit need to secure the area and maintain situational awareness at all times or someone’s going to pop up from behind a wall to punch your time card..
- Flank when possible..
Any untrained combatant will succumb to their fear and will get tunnel vision focusing what’s directly in front of them, while trained operators know to do a 360° scan. Flanking will not only side-blind the enemy but will force them to redeploy to face the new threat, causing confusion making their goals more difficult. With this in mind, you should always guard your own flanks…
- Life over morality…
Many of you will be faced with ethical conundrums of whether it is right to shoot this person, or if you are justified in taking another person’s life. Get out of here with that mentality. This is a cruel world we live in and I’d rather be bummed out than dead..
- Be fast…
Speed loading and tactical reloading both have their advantages and disadvantages, but regardless of which technique you employ know this, the faster you finish a battle the less people will shoot at you 😉
- Never use an unreliable gun…
You never want to go into a firefight with an unreliable weapon, to do so is almost assuring you a quick death. Stress test your rifle in the rain, in dirt, mud, and any other grimy situation you can contribe. Don’t worry you can clean it later. The idea is to see if your rifle is going to fail you once it get’s some gunk in the works.
- Not all firefights are in the day…
Almost every video, or picture you find of people actively training for firefights are in the middle of the day with optimal lighting conditions. Again, be realistic. You will have a firefight at night and you need to be prepared for that..
- Be more aggressive, and faster than your enemy…
In any firefight the primary rule you must employ at all times is to be more aggressive, and to be faster than your enemies. By keeping your tempo higher than theirs you will maintain a mental tactical advantage…
- If it’s on the ground it better be empty…
If your enemy finds your weapon it better be completely out of ammo, you never drop your weapon if it has ammo…
- Faces lie…
No matter what is a person is saying to you or how big their smile is they could very well be planning to kill you. Watch their hand movements for any threatening gestures, and/or if they are reaching for something and immediately draw down on them before you end up dead…
20. Listen to Gen. Mattis…
. I hope they have their affairs in order before they violate my rights.
Paraclete, Please keep these great articles coming, thanks again…
I will add one more rule: NEVER shout warnings, threats, or hesitate to pull the trigger. If you are faced with looters or other invaders, they aren’t there to bring you cupcakes. Kill the bastards as quick as you can and just get it done. For me that includes men, women, and kids. I agree, never assume a ” center mass ” hit is fatal. I have a .22lr pistol for the final ” termination ” shot. Also, these ” invaders WILL include your neighbors who have failed to prepare. What’s the old saying ? ALL is fair in love and war, and when the shit goes down, it will be war, make no mistake. One more thing, NEVER leave an enemy’s weapon on the street. . . .
Your final coup- de- gra should be a. 22 mag. in the temple.
if you’re going to use a .22
I completely agree PARACLETE. Hollow point rounds will do the job.
“One more thing, NEVER leave an enemy’s weapon on the street. . . .”
If it’s a rifle, simply remove the bolt to make it unusable.
Then swing the barrel at a concrete wall.
Thanks for the tips, Paraclete.
“If your enemy finds your weapon it better be completely out of ammo, you never drop your weapon if it has ammo…”
If it’s your ONLY weapon, never drop it even if you ARE out of ammo.
Your dead enemies will provide fresh ammo.