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The Tactical Journal


EricW

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OK, I just got a hold of a couple of copies of the Tactical Journal. Overall, I think it's good, but I just gotta ask:

How long has Ken Hackathorn been using the SWAT getup for his "profile picture"? Is he an LEO, and I'm just unaware of it?

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Does he shoot IDPA matches with that get-up?

No, he wears street clothes like everyone else. I shoot about once a month with Ken at Ft. Harmar IDPA match. He's a regular guy (I also used to live a couple of block down the street from him). Nice to everyone.

He just got back from overseas training a SWAT team. The guy really gets around. I don't know when he had time to work a real job!

Marvin

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I don't know when he had time

Yea, he retired recently. He has quite a resume for LE. Nice to have as a neighbor too. When I lived in Marietta, within 2 blocks of our house lived Ken, two city policemen, a deputy sheriff, an OSHP commander and an asst. prosecuting attny (plus I was a deputy US Marshal in the mid eighties)! Not a neighborhood to try to start something!!!

Great place to live! I really miss it!

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Cool. Thanks for cluing me in.

I was just intrigued by Ken's picture after watching American Sho.....er......Shooting USA after they droned on and on about IDPA being for civillians who carry concealed, so seeing that picture was a little curious.

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Ken Hackathorn is a deputy sheriff and a SWAT team member in Ohio. He was US Army SF in Viet Nam. He is also a well known weapon instructor. His instruction career started at the American Pistol Institute aka Gunsite when he taught under Jeff Cooper. Since leaving API, Ken has taught numerous local and federal law enforcement organizations from individual level to team tactics. He has instructed many armed forces alphabet teams as well as foreign law enforcement and military.

In the mid 70s, Ken along with Jeff Cooper, Richard Thomas founded IPSC at the Columbia conference. In the mid 90s, he and a few of his original IPSC cohorts organized what is now known as IDPA.

Ken has walked the walk and talked the talk. I respect him tremendously and am proud to call myself a Hack Kool Aid Drinker. :)

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In the state of ohio the have what are called "special deputy's" along with some other names i believe. they are basically voulenteer police officers. To my knowlege at this time that is what Ken is in Washington county Ohio. He has made many personal donations of his time, and of equipment to the local department

I have taken numerous classes to him and have a great respect for him and his techniques. he is one of if not the smoothest shooter i've ever seen. not super fast but very fluid.

Ken Hackathorn and Rob Haught (arguabally his #1 student the argument would be that scott warren is as Ft. Harmar is where he got his start in shooting sports) Both are FBI instructors for many levels of their classes and teach many classes throughout the US.

Yes he has shot IDPA matches in that gear, actually quite a few of us have, Rob haugh Ken, Larry Vickers, a few others and myself (thought not swat or a trainer i may train some some day, it's always good to know how the equipment works and to be fluid with it) usually the helmet is left asside but some training must be done in your real gear. Please note these were NOT scored in with normal IDPA scores but listed at the bottom just for comparrison sake. and other times stages were ran with anything from an M4 carbine to an MP5 to 20 round mags in our guns. shotguns...... well Bill nesbitt even did it with a cowboy action outfit..... whats next bows and arrows?

If you have a good IDPA club with competent shooters. (all of us shooting were MA and EX) have run stages at the club etc. sometimes it makes a good break.

Bottom line Ken does his best to keep things to be tactically correct, challengin and FUN. and he almost always succeds this is a VERY rare to find today. He is also very easy to talk to... just please don't take all of your IDPA rants to him he is well aware of most of them.... and will help you with any shooting problem you have. I've seen him help trouble shoot guns on the range, help beginners with their equipment choices, setup and run stages... he's just like anyone else.. just a lot more experienced.

as for the Kool-aid.. i don't drink it. strictly water and gatorade for me :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

I couldn't believe this article. My thought was that you'd be better off learning to read the lift and return of the front sight than learning double taps. Much less the paranoia of the local 7 11 clerk hanging around the range. We don't have some secret Ninja skill as portrayed in the article. By and large the Tactical Journal is full of "we shot at the North Eastern, South Western bubba shoot and we had fun" articles. I can't remember ever seeing an article about any real shooting technique. Why not a how to shoot a certain course of fire better? Maybe it's just me. but there doesn't seem to be a lot of thought put into the magazine.

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DRamsey,

The magazine gets its articles from its members. Why not try writing an article for it?

Not to single you out at all, but I've met quite a few folks who have told me they want to be gunwriters someday. This really is a perfect vehicle for doing it so why not give it a try? Heck, my girlfriend even wrote one http://www.idpa.com/articles1.asp?title=Ho...olume=8&issue=1

As far as the article you mention, I was not very fond of it at all, or the ideas in it. Free country though.

I don't mind reading about all the local clubs. IDPA is supposed to be about the club level and it's nice to read about the folks out there having fun. That's what the sport is about.

The mag seems to get better each time. At least they got rid of the backgrounds this issue.

Ted

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Anyone up for starting the White International Pistol Association?

We sure as hell don't want any minorities coming to any type of pistol event. Last thing we need to do is to show them' people the secret of the almighty "hammer."

Can you imagine what would happen if gangbangers and terrorists learned the power of the tac-reload or the ability to use cover.

Tongue-firmly-in-cheek,

Josh

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At one point the author of the article( :ph34r: )writes:

"Though we don't usually think in these terms, the membership of IDPA generally constitutes a highly trained warrior class, not unlike the Samurai of ancient Japan."

:huh:

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At one point the author of the article( :ph34r: )writes:

"Though we don't usually think in these terms, the membership of IDPA generally constitutes a highly trained warrior class, not unlike the Samurai of ancient Japan."

:huh:

Thank you. Didn't that strike an odd nerve with anyone else?

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It sure did with me.

A lot like an article in "Tactical Knives" (and hell no, I did not purchase the magazine, it was given to me as part of a promotional kit) that tells how "A sword can save your life!" - which makes buying that Claymore in tactical black no longer a silly impulse purchase, but part of one's overall defense strategy.

On that note, I think I'll shut down this thread, if for no other reason than to curb any further temptation on my part.

:ph34r:

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