How often do you practice drawing your CCW?

[izzkidioto]

Are you comfortable enough to practice once a month? What circumstances do you practice? Robbery? Car? Do you practice with snap caps? In front of the mirror? Practice the tap, rack, ready drill? Any other good practices that you recommend to better prepare for that one (or more) time you are in that situation? Thanks in advance for your input!

[Hard Ball]

Once or twice a week.

[Sigma 40 Blaster]

M - W - F - Su

I will do at least 30 draws from IWB holster with T-shirt covering it on each of those days. I do use snap caps, I'll decide right before the draw if I'm going to ready or straight to firing. I do this in the back room in my house that has four concrete walls with no windows. My "target" is a light switch.

I started this to see if it would have any noticeable difference on my draw times for IDPA. It did have a huge impact and my point of aim on the draw is getting more consistent. If I were not a weekend warrior I probably wouldn't practice that much, maybe a few times a month at the range. I wish I could find a method for one hand drawing from that same mode of concealment without getting hung up in my shirt a few times out of ten.

Once a month or two I'll take some snap caps to the range, mix them into mags with live rounds and practice tap rack bang and the procedures to clear double feeds (I can do it, just not type out all the stupid steps). I also make sure that I do my reloads exactly as I would clear malfunctions (bang the mag home, slingshot the slide vs. using mag release).

I also try to use a verbal warning on the draw, practice shooting from retention, and have focused on one handed shooting more than shooting supported.

Something else I do is dry fire 30-50 shots on two of those days. Instead of letting the trigger go I'll keep the trigger back, rack the slide enough to reset the gun, and focus on letting the trigger up only enough to reset. That's a very hard habit I'm trying to break. Working with an XD, 1911, M&P, and DA revolver makes that skill a very important one and the most difficult for me to remember.

[dwatts47]

often enough that I can do it with my hands dry, wet, sticky, slippery, tired or full of other things (like I practice dropping items that I'd normally be carrying). I can do it with dry or wet clothes, when I'm tired or sleepy, whether I'm out of breath or completely rested.

Its important that you be ready to draw whenever you may have to actually draw.... like leaving a restuarant after eating way too much, or while carrying a bag of groceries.

[ZeSpectre]

I'm really inconsistent on that. Sometimes I'll practice a lot (20-30 draws at multiple times for a number of days in a row). Then I'll go a month or so without doing much.

When I can I go to the outdoor range that will let me do draw and fire. The rest of the time I simply practice access and draw with an empty gun (I don't pull the trigger during those drills).

[Threefeathers]

Daily.

[doc540]

several times a week

the SmartCarry poses a challenge

[pgg]

Everyday when I put it on.

[DWARREN123]

Everytime I put the holstered firearm on.

[threegun]

I carry in a fanny pack. I practice several times a week on getting it out in a hurry from different positions. I practice draw and dry fire at the same time.

Most of the time though I have accessed the gun discretely in advance. Not pulling but gripping or just opening the pack to allow easier access. No one the wiser.

[Erik]

Concealment wise, I find myself praticing:

Most days, drawing and reholstering.
At least weekly, dry firing, reloading drills, manipulation.

[JBriggs]

Every morning I practice with 5 draws. Takes just a few moments and over a long period of time it has made my draw smooth and fast. I do not have to think about it now with a lot of concentration- it just happens naturally.

[TexasSeaRay]

Hardly ever.

Instead, I practice alertness and looking for potential problems/trouble every time I set foot out of the house.

Jeff

[starshooter231]

Every single day. At least 3 times. When at the range I draw from all the holsters that I use.

[FM12]

Not nearly enough. Just too complacent, I guess.

[Double Naught Spy]

I practice every range session in the course of doing various drills, in these examples, retreat drills...

http://www.vholdr.com/video/moving-target-retreat-drill
http://www.vholdr.com/video/com-retreat-drill

[jackmcmanus21]

I practice at the range and whenever I can when I'm alone. I don't want to scare anybody.

[Stevie-Ray]

Hardly ever.
Instead, I practice alertness and looking for potential problems/trouble every time I set foot out of the house.Same here. Though I must admit, I feel I should practice more with the various weapons and ways I carry.

[Sparks2112]

Whenever I walk our little white dog (that my wife decided she wanted but then decided she didn't want to walk unless it's 72 and wonderful out) around our property. Which is about 4 times a day.

Me = 6'2" 250lb BIG GUY (Big, not fat).

Dog = White, 7 pound Moodle (I refuse to call it a multi-poo since that should only describe what happens after a bad taco-bell / white castle experience.)

Doing 1 handed draws from concealment with my G32C while he trails along trying to get me to pick him up makes me kind of glad the neighbors can't see our house, though I bet it'd make a good youtube video. The distraction does add a certain interesting flavor to the proceedings, and practicing it one handed means I'm really fast with two.

And FYI, the gun is loaded but not chambered when I'm doing this. The only time I don't keep one in the tube would be while practicing draws this way, I like having the ammo in it to make sure the weight is right however.

[hkg3]

…2004, 2006, 2008…Not nearly enough. :o

[izzkidioto]

Thanks for all your replies! This is definately all good input.

I used to practice at least once a week, 5-10 times each way, standing in front of a mirror with a snap cap in the hole and one in the magazine. I practiced FTF drills with them; pulling the trigger, tap, rack, fire again. Different scenarios: pulling the trigger
1) as soon as I can, for close scenarios (barrel parallel to ground up to two handed support)
2) as soon as I can while retreating for close scenarios (barrel parallel to ground then up to two handed support)
3) full draw with two handed support then fire, presumed ~1-2 seconds time for warning

Now, I have extended my practice to inlude the full weight of the loaded magazine with all these drills, with a snap cap for FTF drills. This is an excellent idea, Sparks2112.

[Chui]

I sketch pistols, revolvers and rifles all the time... :p

[bikerbill]

before I head out, I unload my PM9, slip it into its pocket holster and practice 10 draws, five with my hand in the pocket, five from outside ... then I reload and off I go ...

[Deaf Smith]

Every week at least one night using the laser glock below. I ripped out the innards of the airsoft 26 pictured, glued a laser to the barrel of it, then snaked the pressure switch under the trigger (no wires on the outside.) Added a floor plate with lead to make the gun fell more like it's loaded. Fits my Glock holsters. I were full street concealment.

Using the laser gun one can turn the lights out and practice against lamp shades, light switches, vases, oh... just about anything that has a silhouette. I even use 'Bob' my punching bag dummy in the garage.

Then I go the gun range with the real glock (a 26 for practice, my carry version is the 27.)

And people wonder why I look so good on the range. Now you know.


http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=21917&d=1167275410

[absolute0]

Deaf Smith's got the right idea...

"Quick Draw" practice with a loaded firearm in an uncntrolled environment is a good way to get your name in the paper.

[Joey Link]

Not enough :(

[c4v3man]

Tonight!
But technically it's not my carry weapon until it's added to my permit in another 3 weeks or so. Still helps me to get ready for my first IDPA match this weekend.

[mpage]

Off and on for the past couple months I've been repetitively practicing drawing a 1911 in Condition One in order to get used to it in the event I'm CCW with it. I'm still not comfortable with it, though.

I have been practicing the tap, rack drill.

The one thing about the 1911 that is unfortunate, is that I can't practice a failure-to-feed drill, as that action can bend the extractor out of shape. I suppose I could practice that drill with my Hi-Power.

[evan1293]

I used to do a TON of dry fire drills (reloads, breaking shots, etc). I tend not to do that as much anymore however. Within the past couple of years I did a real lot of live fire shooting, exhausting about 600-1k rounds a week. Married life coupled with the high cost of ammo has ebbed some of that, so now I tend to only shoot about 300 rounds every couple of weeks.

When I do go out, I do most of my shooting within 7-10 yards. I spend about 15-20% of each range session working on distance shooting (15yards +). Every so often I'll work on standard drills (bill drills, el presidentes, failure drills, etc).