The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

OnTheFly · November 4, 2015, 01:55 PM

I am an advocate of pushing your shooting abilities. Going to a range, standing in a shooting lane, taking carefully placed shots on a silhouette target and being pleased that most of the hits were near CoM does not mean you are ready for the stress of SD using a firearm.

Occasionally the competitions I attend have pretty inexperienced competitors, though they are not new to firearms. I can't tell you how many times I have heard comments like "I've never shot strong/weak hand only", "I've never had to do a reload", "I've never shot out to 25 yards before", "Can I step around the wall to shoot the target because otherwise I have to lean around it?", "I couldn't hit the target because my heart was beating so fast", and many others.

A person with limited time/resources may "train" for the most likely SD scenario which may be that magic ____ yards. However, the chance for any of us to be in a SD situation or to ever have the need to use a firearm is incredibly low. For some, the chances may be higher due to employment, environment, or other factors. The average though is quite low.

So what is a person to do with limited time and resources when doing what they can to "train" for that unlikely need for a firearm? Probably look at statistics, maybe listen to the SD "Experts" and see what the basics are that they need to be able to perform.

I think MANY gun owners that carry/own guns for SD need to do some simple things such as practice a draw. Not at the range, but at home with an unloaded firearm. Snap caps would be even better because they could also practice a trigger pull. For all of those that carry, when was the last time you practiced your draw from your preferred method of carry? Sure, behind the back may fit your body and lifestyle the best, but can you deploy your pistol quickly when needed? Does it take you 1.5 seconds to present it, or do you struggle with the reach and clothing getting in the way all resulting in an inconsistent draw? Put a timer on yourself and see just how practical your method of carry is. Then see if you can do a reload. By the statistics of average rounds fired in a SD situation it is unlikely that you would have to reload, but do you know if you can do it? How coordinated is it and how fast? Can you do it in 2 seconds, or does it take you 5 seconds?

While you are practicing your draw, why not add in a safety check? Is your finger off the trigger until pointing at the target? Is your finger off the trigger while loading/unloading? I see this one a LOT and people have no idea they are doing it. Do you sweep yourself when holstering, unholstering, reloading, unloading, etc? If you are holding your gun and you reach for something with your weak hand, does your muzzle point at what you are reaching for, and thus sweep your weak hand? A practical example of that is carrying a pistol in your strong hand, and reach to open a door with your weak hand. Are you pointing the muzzle at the doorknob which means pointing it at your weak hand?

I know people who own guns for SD and do nothing to train with them. I know others who go to the range and practice accuracy. Others go to the range and practice speed + accuracy. Others attend matches (IDPA & USPSA) and put themselves under the stress of competition and a timer to push their skills. Then there are others who not only compete, but also have a healthy regime of dry/live fire training. Then there is the school who doesn't believe in such shenanigans, and does a lot of training trying to simulate real life events such as car jacking, muggings, home invasion, zombie tactics. Yes, zombies are real...it's coming just you wait!

In the end, I don't fault people for training to their level of comfort or perceived need. Though what I do fault people on is not training themselves to use at least the basic rules of firearm safety. This means PHYSICALLY practicing it. Not just learning the words and telling themselves "I'm a safe gun owner". Levels of learning: wrote, understanding, application, and correlation. So many stop at the understanding level or even wrote. sigh

Fly

November 4, 2015, 01:55 PM	#5
OnTheFly Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2007 Location: SE Nebraska Posts: 859	I am an advocate of pushing your shooting abilities. Going to a range, standing in a shooting lane, taking carefully placed shots on a silhouette target and being pleased that most of the hits were near CoM does not mean you are ready for the stress of SD using a firearm. Occasionally the competitions I attend have pretty inexperienced competitors, though they are not new to firearms. I can't tell you how many times I have heard comments like "I've never shot strong/weak hand only", "I've never had to do a reload", "I've never shot out to 25 yards before", "Can I step around the wall to shoot the target because otherwise I have to lean around it?", "I couldn't hit the target because my heart was beating so fast", and many others. A person with limited time/resources may "train" for the most likely SD scenario which may be that magic ____ yards. However, the chance for any of us to be in a SD situation or to ever have the need to use a firearm is incredibly low. For some, the chances may be higher due to employment, environment, or other factors. The average though is quite low. So what is a person to do with limited time and resources when doing what they can to "train" for that unlikely need for a firearm? Probably look at statistics, maybe listen to the SD "Experts" and see what the basics are that they need to be able to perform. I think MANY gun owners that carry/own guns for SD need to do some simple things such as practice a draw. Not at the range, but at home with an unloaded firearm. Snap caps would be even better because they could also practice a trigger pull. For all of those that carry, when was the last time you practiced your draw from your preferred method of carry? Sure, behind the back may fit your body and lifestyle the best, but can you deploy your pistol quickly when needed? Does it take you 1.5 seconds to present it, or do you struggle with the reach and clothing getting in the way all resulting in an inconsistent draw? Put a timer on yourself and see just how practical your method of carry is. Then see if you can do a reload. By the statistics of average rounds fired in a SD situation it is unlikely that you would have to reload, but do you know if you can do it? How coordinated is it and how fast? Can you do it in 2 seconds, or does it take you 5 seconds? While you are practicing your draw, why not add in a safety check? Is your finger off the trigger until pointing at the target? Is your finger off the trigger while loading/unloading? I see this one a LOT and people have no idea they are doing it. Do you sweep yourself when holstering, unholstering, reloading, unloading, etc? If you are holding your gun and you reach for something with your weak hand, does your muzzle point at what you are reaching for, and thus sweep your weak hand? A practical example of that is carrying a pistol in your strong hand, and reach to open a door with your weak hand. Are you pointing the muzzle at the doorknob which means pointing it at your weak hand? I know people who own guns for SD and do nothing to train with them. I know others who go to the range and practice accuracy. Others go to the range and practice speed + accuracy. Others attend matches (IDPA & USPSA) and put themselves under the stress of competition and a timer to push their skills. Then there are others who not only compete, but also have a healthy regime of dry/live fire training. Then there is the school who doesn't believe in such shenanigans, and does a lot of training trying to simulate real life events such as car jacking, muggings, home invasion, zombie tactics. Yes, zombies are real...it's coming just you wait! In the end, I don't fault people for training to their level of comfort or perceived need. Though what I do fault people on is not training themselves to use at least the basic rules of firearm safety. This means PHYSICALLY practicing it. Not just learning the words and telling themselves "I'm a safe gun owner". Levels of learning: wrote, understanding, application, and correlation. So many stop at the understanding level or even wrote. sigh Fly __________________ I told my wife I was scheduling a mid-life crisis. It was either a Harley or guns. Secretly, I've already decided on guns. :-) Bang... Bang... Bang...