> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Review: Operation Z Vol. 2 - Carbines, Rifles and Shotguns

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12/12/12

Review: Operation Z Vol. 2 - Carbines, Rifles and Shotguns

Note: Please wear a shirt during the zombie apocalypse.
Operation Z Vol. 2 picks up right where Vol. 1 left off - pretty much literally. If you haven't read that review, give it a skim to get some background on the series. Vol. 1 covered handguns, and this DVD delves into carbines, rifles and shotguns. Both were filmed over the same time period--probably a day or two on handguns, and then the next day or two on long guns.

Chris Costa seemed to spend less time on some of the fundamentals as he did the first time around, so you'll get less on things like trigger control, reset, sight picture, etc. He demonstrates proper technique and then hands off. Each shooter cycles through a couple long guns, firing off a magazine while Chris coaches. Most of the shooters are pretty bad, so there's a lot of teaching moments. Costa will occasionally interject, grab the long gun and start showing 'em how its done.

For the viewer at home, this teaching portion serves as a refresher on (or introduction to) the basics. The newbies' errors are fairly obvious and exaggerated, emphasizing why stance is important, why you don't want to flinch, etc. Seeing someone else making mistakes, Costa correcting them, and their shooting improving (a bit) is a helpful learning experience. Newer/non-shooters will of course benefit the most.

Like Volume 1, the training portion here also emphasizes that shooting is a fairly serious skill - you can't just pick up an AR and suddenly be an action hero. Headshots all day long? Not likely.

I thought it was also interesting to see how much accuracy improved when shooters moved from offhand and iron sights to prone with a scope. Or how some of the shooters who struggled the most with carbines and irons did a a lot better with a 12 gauge.

There are also a lot of cool guns featured throughout--always a nice. From the suppressed .22s to the .338 Lapua Magnum and everything in between, there's a nice array of guns. From the new to the seasoned, there will be some new guns to drool over.

Another point I appreciated - Costa gives a balanced run down of the shotgun's pros and cons to start off that segment. Many people, for whatever reason, seem to think the 12 gauge is the end-all-be-all of defensive firearms, that you merely need to work the pump and bad guys will collapse to the floor, etc. Shotguns do some things really well, others not so well - trade offs, like everything in life.

I actually enjoyed the second DVD in the set - the extras - more than the main DVD. Costa delves into survival bags - his get home bag, his bug out bag and the gear inside. He's Chris Costa, so he is of course running the top of the line stuff--3rd gen NVGs, RMJ Hawk, custom knives, a 10MM custom 1911, Arc'Teryx clothes, etc. One of those "If I had unlimited money to spend" kind of deals. Anyways, fun to see his picks and hear about his thought process. Very solid.

This time around, I noticed a bit more foul language, which can be a hindrance when trying to get a spouse to watch.

Overall, a good-but-not-great training DVD that's made more compelling by the $15 retail price. Not a bad Christmas present for zombie fans, either.

Get it on Amazon >

Operation Z Vol. 3 is about Vehicles - there's a short teaser trailer at the end of the DVD - so I'd assume bug out vehicles of some variety. I don't think Chris Costa is involved in this next volume, but I've been wrong before.