How Skilled is Your Attacker?

An interesting read here:

The first thing that the researchers learned is that our assumptions about criminals not training are wrong. Nearly 40% of the criminal attackers in this study had received FORMAL firearms training (mostly in the military). More than 80% of the criminal attackers regularly practiced with their firearms, with an average number of 23 Practice Sessions Per Year! They conducted these practice sessions in trash dumps, wooded areas, back yards and “street corners in known drug trafficking areas”. What that means is that the practice sessions were taking place in realistic environments, under conditions similar to those the attackers were likely to face in combat

Iowa Basic and Intermediate Pistol Classes Aug 24th & Sep 28th

Cedar Valley Defensive League will be offering the following classes:

Basic Defensive Pistol, Saturday Aug 24
This class is a beginner class and no prior firearms knowledge is necessary. Range portion will include taking your first shots, acquiring adequate trigger control and shooting from the ready position. Upon Completion a certificate will be awarded for use to obtain Iowa Carry Permit.

Intermediate Pistol Training Saturday, September 28
This class is designed to enhance your shooting capabilities. The total day will be at the range. Holster is required. The class will entail 200-300 rounds of ammo. Upon Completion a certificate will be awarded

Instructors: John and Melody Lauer, NRA Instructors

To reserve your place in class and details:
Contact: Joyce Kienast
Cedar Valley Defensive League (CVDL)
Phone 319-404-5792

We had a lot of good feedback from the ladies only class last month, these upcoming classes are co-ed.

Course topics for the "Basic" include

Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting
Principles of Self Defense
Carry Lifestyle
Iowa Code
Equipment (beyond firearms)
Tactics
A Female Specific handout as well as a 100pg Student Handout and Reference Packet.
Live Fire Training

This is a FULL day class. Not a 2-4 hour thanks for coming here's your certificate type of class.

**************
The Intermediate Class as stated is ALL on the range.

We start with working from the holster and on to reloads, one-handed usage, malfunction clearing, basic movement, multiple targets and shooting from cover.

Re: Champer Empty Carry & Weak / Support Hand Injuries

A couple weeks ago I discussed chamber empty carry (condition 3 or C3 carry) and that a lot of persons that carry in that manner don't take into account how quickly an injury can negate "all the training" they put into drawing the gun "The same way every time"

When discussing this on the forums, a lot of the C3'ers will scoff at the mention of such an injury.

Today I sliced my thumb, barely missing some tendons.

Caution, some mild pics below. Not too nasty but if bloody pics make you squeamish, you may not want to look at them.

Click "Read More" below to continue.

Chamber Empty Carry and Perfect Storm Scenarios

In the concealed carry world, we talk about different scenarios where one may find themselves drawing a firearm and defending themselves. Everything from home invasions, robberies, active shooter scenarios, multiple attackers, single attackers, female attackers and everything in between.


There are two distinct types of scenarios that are kind of dangerous to the mental physique of a concealed carrier. Those two are the Kobayashi Maru, AKA the un-winnable scenario (taken from Star Trek 2, the Wrath of Khan) and what I call the "Perfect Storm" scenario.


In the perfect storm scenario, every possible thing goes in favor of the defending party.


A "good" scenario needs to be somewhere in the middle, you should think about and plan for things going wrong and totally not the way that we would "want" it to go. Why? Stuff happens. Sure, the desired outcome is being victorious, but if all you think about is the perfect storm, you don't take into account a lot of variables that can effect a victorious outcome.


We would all like to think that on any given day that we may be called to draw and God forbid use our firearm that we will have crystal clear situational awareness, see the threat approaching from 20 yards away with a red neon sign indicating evil intent, have all the time in the world to sweep a concealment garment out of the way, draw the pistol, step into the text book stance of our liking, and aim in at the target ensuring proper sight alignment, sight picture and start tactical breathing all by the time the threat reaches that magic number of 21' so we can dispense a text-book Mozambique and save the day!



That's probably not the way it's going to happen.



The day that you end up needed to draw your pistol and fight for your life will probably be the day that your dog died, your wife left you for your best friend, you just found out that you're getting fired from your job and your favorite team is not going to the Super Bowl this year.


You're going to have things on your mind, you may see the guy approaching but so what, this day can't get any worse, maybe you even think "Man I wish this guy would try something so I could kick his ass!" and while you're day dreaming, playing THAT scenario out with a grin on your face the dude is now inside your space and straight jacks you in the jaw and THEN you're trying to go for your gun etc.


So where am I going with this? Some of the individuals in the "Carry Community" take these things this into account: what if I don't see it coming, what if I'm injured, what if I'm out numbered, what if.... lack of good lighting, clear threat indicators, etc. We think about things from the worst possible angle, not the best. Lets be honest, if we even have to draw our gun, any hopes of an easy way out of this situation has all ready gone up in smoke and we've just won the lottery of shitty luck, and it's probably not going to get any better.


But if there's one group of people that seem to glance over this it's the "Chamber Empty" or Condition 3 Crowd. Condition Three, or C3 is the weapons condition code for loaded magazine in the firearm, but the chamber is empty requiring manual preparation of the firearm (Most often manually cycling the slide) before the gun can be used.


The most common means of getting the firearm ready for action is to use the support hand to manipulate the slide. That's pretty easy, after all that's pretty much what a lot of people do to load the gun in the first place or it's what many do when facilitating a slide lock or emergency reload.


The main-stay of most C3 carriers regarding this is that "it only takes a second (on a static range, at a non moving target, in optimal conditions) to get the slide moving and chamber a cartridge."


I speculate that many have never tried this with gloves on or in the rain with wet hands, or better yet on their back with their support hand keeping an attacker at bay. Never mind the fact that they are relying on an appendage that may not be available when in need to operate that gun. What if the first indication of an attack is a ball bat striking your support side elbow? What if the threat is pretty close, lets give it the ideal Tueller range of 7 yards and your attacker rushes you and now you're trying to get off the X. When you start rapidly moving your hands tend to travel in opposite directions. You can fumble the loading process by short stroking the slide and now have a JAMMED gun.


If the stats are to be believed, an average gunfight is supposed to be 3yards, 3-5 shots, and be over in 3-5 seconds. Do you want one third of that time (assuming all the ideal conditions have been met) spent trying to get your gun ready to shoot back?


If you are responding with lethal force, you are all ready behind the power curve, you are even further handicapped with a firearm in that is not ready to be fired.


I can understand many that are new to carry or maybe even shooting in general to be....concerned with Condition One (C1-- loaded magazine inserted, cartridge in chamber, firearm on safe (if equipped with one)). For the most part that will wear off with time as training is obtained and the shooter's comfort level increases. But there are some that should know better than to cling to C3 carry as as a "safer" method of carry. Their claim is that there is no possible chance of negligent discharge. While that is true, there's also a lesser chance of an INTENTIONAL discharge.


Provided that proper equipment and gun handling is being used, a firearm carried C1 is just as "safe" as a firearm being carried C3.


Just today I read the following from two members of a gun forum:





Um No. I practice racking with left hand as I get on target. Pretty fast after all these years. No write [right] or wrong here. I just do it the same EVERY time.

AND


Most of the time I don't carry with one in the chamber either, as I posted quite a while ago. Some people don't realize exactly how quickly you can chamber a round if they don't practice it much, if at all. Don't have to worry about ND/AD at all (as long as we treat them like they are loaded every time), if a bg (or even a child) somehow gets your gun it will not fire without racking the slide, no bullet setback. There's a lot more benefits too but I don't have time to list them atm. As long as you practice, it makes no difference how you carry, anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't practiced it enough.


Regarding the first statement, if this chambering process is done the same "every time" how will this process be effected when it CAN'T be done the same way as practiced? What about the possibility of fending off an attacker while drawing a firearm? Lets take the human threat aspect out of this, as much as the concealed carry loves "dog topics," I hate them but lets go there for a second.


What if you're being mauled by that viscous poodle from down the street and your support hand or "weak hand" is now an effective chew toy that managed to keep the dog from latching to your throat? How will you chamber a round then?


Now, I don't put a whole lot of weight into this being something that everyone needs to worry about. There are lots of other possibilities and what ifs and it doesn't take a big imagination to create possible scenarios that would hamper one's ability to defend themselves with an unloaded gun.


I did ask the author of the first statement what he would do should he suffer an injury such as a broken arm, sprained wrist, or shoulder injury and he replied with something along the lines of if aliens removed his arm in his sleep that he would carry with a round in the chamber. Do you really think he's taking carry seriously if he can't even factor in real life injuries? All that time spent doing one way of loading that gun with his support hand is one fall off a ladder, one slip on an icy drive, or one sports injury away from being completely irrelevant.


In the event that the support hand is tied up, many will advocate a rear sight that will facilitate one handed racking of the slide. The idea is not relegated solely to the C3 crowd. It's "tactical" to be able to do this and I will admit that most of my guns have this capability. It's mainly done for malfunction clearing should the support hand be injured, etc. Doing this on the draw can be problematic depending on mode of carry and location. It can add excessive movement to a draw stroke. Remember that 1 second time to chamber a round being 1/3 of a gun fight? That one second grows to 1.5, to 2 seconds pretty quick when the process becomes more complicated. Using the rear sight of a pistol to cycle the slide will depend on a lot of variables going right to do it under stress. That rear sight isn't very large and you need an object or surface to use in conjunction with that rear sight.


Regarding the second, italicized statement, I think that the reason that every single professional instructor out there advocates carrying with a round in the chamber is that they have "practiced" enough to see the huge disadvantages and training gaps associated with carrying a firearm C3 for self defense. I would think that if some TRAINING were added to supplement the "practice" and a little more knowledge be learned about how sudden a situation can develop, fight continuum, getting off the "X" and close quarters defense etc. that attitude might change.


I'm very big on solidarity regarding weapons functionality. I don't want to have a draw stroke process that is different or X, Y, and Z. Getting your gun out of the holster and into play should should be A+B=C, not solve for X.

From Pistol-Training.com : Competition Pros and Cons

Competition: Pros and Cons

 

Some points of interest from the article and comments:

So, you need to be honest with yourself about your motivation. Are you there to supplement your training or are you there to compete for the sake of competition? Both are perfectly valid choices, obviously. But the answer to that question is going to have an impact on what you practice. Time you spend working on competition-oriented skills is time you could have used to work on defense-oriented skills.

Another potential snare of competition shooting for the defense-minded shooter is equipment selection. When you go to a match, it’s hard to look at the guys with their tricked out race gear when you’re wearing a Glock 27 in an IWB holster under a sweatshirt (which is exactly how I shot my first USPSA match in the mid-90s). The temptation to compromise a little here and a little there can be strong. First you switch to a G34… because, hey, it’s basically the same gun, right? But it’s not. Seeing how you can shoot with a G34 isn’t the same as seeing what you can do with a much smaller, greater recoiling G27. Then you switch to a faster holster. Now you’re practicing to draw a different way and perhaps from a different location on your body. We said earlier that people will focus more on the definitely-game this weekend than the maybe-fight in the future. So where will your focus be, on your CCW gear or your game gear? On the other hand, if you’re going to run your “real” gear you cannot use it as an excuse or a crutch. You’re making a decision and that’s 100% on you. Don’t try to convince yourself you would have beat the World Champion if only your holster was a little faster or your sight radius a little longer.

 From the comments section.

Stealing a quote from Soutnarc’s forum; “You can’t go as deep training as in a race or a fight. If you don’t compete it’s easy to convince yourself you’re going hard. You’re not.” Mark Twight
I do find that I have to be careful to not let bad habits get into my tactical toolbox, like standing in a doorway port at an IPSC match and just blazing away at targets to get max speed on the string of fire, or running balls-to-the-wall down a hallway at an IDPA match instead of moving as I would in real life.
I almost never win a local match, but I do well, and with IDPA I very often get “most accurate” at the match running a G19 with a NY1 trigger from an IWB holster under a T-shirt, instead of the “concealed carry” guns other guys are running, like a tricked G34 in a Blace Tech holster under a ‘shoot-me” vest.

 It's all about what you're there to get from it and being up front with yourself about it too.

Update: Bowie Tactical P30S w/ Delta Point

Ran the Bowie Tactical / HK  P30S again @IDPA today in Ames, IA with the emitter taped over to get better acquainted with the irons, I could have shot Open Div. in USPSA today, but want to get better with the more familiar sights before really diving into the red dot...well that and I just felt like shooting with the guys in Ames.

I'm having trouble tracking the front sight, need to paint it and may possibly have a tritium vial installed in it. On a good note I was running some hotter ammunition and did not have any failures of any sort. Previously I was having some random failure to feed issues. Not sure if was from the refinished slide which seems to be a little tighter than pre-coating or if the added mass of the Deltapoint had anything to do with it, all I know was that I had no issues while running Winchester Ranger T NATO ammo today. After a couple hundred more I'll try some standard velocity 124gr FMJ and some 115gr FMJ and see what kind of results I have.

On a P30 only note, the slim slide stop lever assy. I installed has fixed my failure to lock open on empty issue.

Had some decent Bill Drill runs @ 10 (4.13), 7(3.53), and 5 yards(2.42), was down 2 for the stage, forget n which strings but think I dropped 1ea on the closer targets.


Head shots with the irons took a little more work. Still need to get to the in-door range and properly sight in the Delta Point.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the gun, I'm still shooting the 1911 better, but it will take some time to get used to something different.

On another topic, Suarez International is holding some Red Dot Equipped Pistol specific training classes,

in October, unfortunately I won't be able to partake this time around but will be looking for these offerings in the future.

Blackhawk! Serpa: Just Say No!!!!

The Point Blank Truth: Blackhawk SERPA Holster Warning: I know that cost is always an issue in gear selection so I try to consider all factors before transitioning from "harsh criticisms" to out-right trashing.  There are few things that I believe all consumers in the shooting community should avoid like the fucking plague ; one being the Blackhawk SERPA holster (BotachTactical.com being another) ....

~Insert gratuitous amount of Serpa Failures / List of Trainers and Establishments prohibiting use of the Serpa here~

....In the end, even if you are one who is of the mind that proper training can overcome the ND/trigger finger issue, the fact remains that the holster can easily be broken and rendered inoperable in several ways.  That alone is reason enough for me to shit-can it.

Just passing this along. Nothing I can really add or subtract other than to say that there is rumor going round that Blackawk is working on redesigning the Serpa...

RIP Paul Gomez...

Paul Gomez, of Gomez Training Intl was reportedly found deceased Sunday or Monday

At this time there have been no details released as to cause of death.

Paul was very well known and held in high regard by many in the training community and will be surely missed.

Photo Editing Credited to Tom Jones

Please pray for Paul's family and friends.


Edited to add @ 6-5-12 3:20 CST

It's been said that Paul passed from diabetes related issues.

Three Days of Partner Tactics Training @ TDI...

We're home from Ohio and have lots of notes and other information to process, the AAR will be posted later this month.

On the Topic of Gun Games and Training....

...And the differences between the two:

USPSA Close Quarters Standards....15, 21 & 30 feet? Close Quarters?

"Training" Close Quarters (skip to 4:30)

Not knocking USPSA, I just got my member packet in the mail, just stating why we need to keep things in perspective between the two.

AAR: Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions - April 21-22 w/ Roger Phillips and Greg Nichols

Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions

April 21-22, 2012

Big Springs Range – Searsboro, Iowa

Roger Phillips and Greg Nichols

~Preface~

First and foremost, I will say that I am writing this with the intent to post it at multiple venues and that some comments may be made to certain groups of individuals and not the member base of any one particular forum etc. Also, please excuse any typos or errors, while I usually go through great lengths to use proper spelling and grammar, I've been writing most of this with my 4 month old daughter on my lap and it's been kind of hard to type...

It seems that whenever I see a review of a Suarez Intl. Course posted outside of Warrior Talk, Gabe Suarez’s forum and meeting place for his students, customers, and colleagues; that some will take to condemning the organization for elements of Gabe’s past.

I do not care about Gabe’s past, it was in the past and that is it. If you have some beef about Suarez as an individual, I would ask that you not air your issues where this class review is being discussed as it’s not really about Gabe Suarez.

I did not take this course because of Gabe Suarez, I enrolled in this class mainly because of Roger Phillips. I’ve been reading Roger’s writings for years at DefensiveCarry.com and have always found his pieces, well written, technically and tactically proficient, valid and quite informational. To this day, every time I shoot a shot looking for maximum accuracy (yes that does mean using sights), I do so using information that I obtained from Roger and his writings.

I have wanted to take this course for years, particularly under the instruction of Roger, for many reasons I was never able to make it to this class until this month, I have taken a few training classes with other instructors but I've still wanted to take this class.

The final straw driving me to this class was when I was attending a course at the Tactical Defense Institute of Ohio (TDI) one of the instructors, Greg Elfritz made mention of a study on movement and other factors and how they altered the results of modeled gun fights using AirSoft Force on Force training. Near the end of this study, the following can be found.

"This clearly identifies a need for additional training and highlights the critical importance of making yourself a moving target during a gunfight. If highly trained shooters hit their opponents’ torsos with only eleven percent of rounds fired, imagine how much worse the average street thug with no training and minimal experience will perform under similar conditions!"

"I’ll simply say that we as trainers need to do some more work. We need to find a better solution to allow our students to hit their targets with a greater percentage of rounds during the stressful, fast-evolving nature of a gunfight. Whatever that solution is, be it training in point shooting techniques, an enhanced sighted shooting curriculum, or stress-inoculating scenario-based training, it is our collective responsibility as trainers to find it."

While some of the material from the Point Shooting Progressions Course, hereafter referred to as PSP had been covered in those classes other classes, PSP is just the class to fill the gaps referenced above from Greg’s article and I highly recommend it. I have no qualms referring friends, family, and my own students to Suarez International (SI) and after reading this after action review (AAR) in its entirety, neither should you. 

~Day 1~

The class was hosted by Suarez Intl. Staff Instructor, Greg Nichols. While Roger did a majority of teaching the course, Greg did his fair share of giving feedback to the students and word is that he is doing quite well inside the SI Organization. I have a feeling I'll be seeing more of him in the future and have some friends and prior students looking to take the Defensive Pistol Skills Class with Greg this June. I will be eagerly awaiting more feedback from this class.

It will surprise a lot of readers to learn that this class, which is often thought of as the “must have” of point shooting classes did not start off with a sacrifice along the lines of sights being sawed off from pistols and thrown into the trash, after all the paper work was filled out, mags were loaded, eyes and ears in place; we started with…

…An exercise in accurate shooting. That’s right, the first shots in POINT SHOOTING CLASS were shot using our sights in a “One hole drill” where the goal is to try and shoot five (5) shots into as tight a group as possible with a single hole being the desired result. Range was only about three (3) yards and the “target” was a small piece of blue tape no bigger than the fingernail of my little finger. This is just to see if anyone is having any issues regarding the fundamentals of shooting a pistol.

HK P30S 9mm & Other Updates

Just a quick update on the P30S. I received my Milt Sparks VM2 for the P30 and have been wearing that pretty much 100% of the time I'm carrying. I am pleased to say that I am not having the issue of de-cocking the gun during the access part of my draw stroke.

I changed out the front and rear sight to a fiber optic front and plain black rear from Dawson Precision and I really like the sights. One thing to note with the P30 is that there isn't much flat, vertical surface to the slide and using a sight pusher can be tricky. I ended up using my 10-8 Armorer Tool as a wedge to keep the slide from canting in the pusher. On a side note, the 10-8 rear sight for the HK45, 45C, P30 and P30L is done and in stock.

I haven't ordered one (10-8 rear) yet, but plan on adding one to the HK45 here in a couple of weeks.

I was kind of worried about my alignment of the sights as the front sight appeared slightly off center, but my initial testing @ 50' from a rest proved the sights to be centered, or at least centered enough for me.

Dawson Precision Fiber Optic Front

Dawson Precision Rear Sight

Five Shots, Rested @ 50 Feet

The gun then went 1200+/- rds of Winchester Ranger NATO @ the Point Shooting Progressions Course I attended in Searsboro, IA with Roger Phillips and Greg Nichols and the sights didn't budge.

An after action review (AAR) of the class is in progress. I apologize for lack of blogging of late but the wife is taking EMT training, which leaves me busy with the kids while she's at class or studying, the IDPA thing, and that pesky thing called a job have been taking their toll on my time for other things.

STAND, MOVE, OR SEEK COVER…WHAT WORKS IN A GUNFIGHT

This article has been out floating around for a while but the topic came up recently and was a good time to bring this back into circulation.

STAND, MOVE, OR SEEK COVER…WHAT WORKS IN A GUNFIGHT
By: Greg Elefritz

As the full-time training officer and firearms instructor for my police department, I often have the opportunity to attend firearms training sessions from some of the best trainers in the world.  I have noticed that most of these trainers teach students to shoot their firearms while moving, with the premise being that a student is less likely to be struck by incoming fire if he/she is a moving target.  In addition to “shooting on the move”, almost all trainers advocate moving to cover in a gunfight, if said cover is nearby.  These two techniques make seem to be very logical.  Most people would agree that making yourself a moving target and seeking bullet-resistant cover could only help one’s chances of winning a gunfight.  Having an inquisitive mind, however, I’ve always wondered exactly how much of an advantage one could expect to gain over his opponent through the use of movement and cover.

To answer this question, I began an exhaustive search of hundreds of firearm tactics books and countless accounts of police-involved shootings looking for examples where utilizing movement or cover saved a person’s life during a gunfight.  During my search I found many instances where officers and civilians reported that they used cover and/or movement to help them win a firefight.  I also found quite a few articles and books extolling the perceived benefits of cover and movement.  I did not, however, find any concrete scientific evidence describing any quantifiable advantages of using movement or cover in a gunfight.  The question remained: Which is the best tactic to use in a gunfight…remain stationary, move, or seek cover?


Because I couldn’t find the type of information I wanted, I designed a scientific experiment to get my own data.  Besides training law enforcement officers, I also teach firearms skills at the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI), a shooting school in southern Ohio.  John Benner, the owner and chief instructor at TDI was very supportive of the idea of my experiment and was curious what the data might show.  He suggested that the ideal test subjects would be in his soon-to-be–held “final intensive scenario training” (FIST) class.  The students enrolled in this class were highly trained, all having graduated at least six levels (ten days) of TDI’s handgun curriculum.  Most had additional training from other shooting schools as well.  John graciously allowed me to perform my experiment during a segment of the two-day FIST course.


THE EXPERIMENT

The test I conducted was loosely based on some training drills created by Sam Faulkner, an innovative trainer recently retired from the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy.  The experiment had three phases.  During each phase, one student faced another with a distance of fifteen feet separating them.  Each student was outfitted with safety gear and armed with a .38 caliber revolver loaded with two “Code Eagle” brand marking cartridges.  For those of you unfamiliar with this technology, the marking cartridge is a .38 paintball powered by a special primed plastic case.  It chambers in any .38 revolver without modification and shoots the paint ball at approximately 300 feet per second.  The rounds produce a sharp stinging sensation and a bright smear of red paint on the bodies of the people who are hit.  Obviously it is necessary to wear protective face shields when using these rounds in order to prevent eye injuries.  In prior training exercises I’ve found the Code Eagle rounds to be very valuable in gunfight simulations.  They are reasonably accurate, and produce quite a “pain penalty” to the person who is struck.  Anticipation of even the small amount of pain these projectiles generate causes considerable anxiety for most people.  This anxiety at least partially duplicates the stress reaction one is likely to experience in a gunfight.

 In the first phase of the experiment, shooters were given orders to fire their two rounds at each other as quickly as possible after a surprise start signal was given.  I instructed the students to remain stationary during the simulated gunfight.  Absolutely no movement of the feet was allowed.  Phase two was identical to the first phase, except that students were allowed free movement (forward, backward, or lateral) after I gave the surprise start signal.  In phase three, students started a step away from one of two fifty-five gallon steel drums.  These drums were to simulate cover.  On the start command, students were instructed to move to their steel drum and use it for cover while engaging their respective adversaries.


 THE RESULTS

A total of nineteen students participated in the experiment.  One hundred fourteen rounds were fired, with thirty-eight rounds fired per phase.  I tracked and compared hit percentages during all three phases, differentiating between hits on the torso and the more peripheral hits on the arms and legs.  The data are as follows:

 PHASE                                   HIT RATE                TORSO HITS
#1-STANDING                      85%                             51%
#2- MOVING                         47%                             11%
#3- USING COVER                26%                             6%

LESSONS LEARNED

 The students who participated in my study were as surprised by the results as I was.  We all expected that movement and the use of cover would reduce the hit rates of the rounds fired.  We were astonished, however, at how much difference moving and seeking cover made.  The difference in hit rates between standing and moving cannot be explained away by a lack of skills by the shooters.  Each shooter had extensively practiced shooting on the move, with most being able to hit a twelve-inch steel plate on demand any distance inside of fifty feet while moving.  Similarly, these students are adept at hitting a moving target while standing still.  The critical factor seemed to be the difficulty the shooter experienced in hitting a moving target while moving his own body at the same time.  This clearly identifies a need for additional training and highlights the critical importance of making yourself a moving target during a gunfight.  If highly trained shooters hit their opponents’ torsos with only eleven percent of rounds fired, imagine how much worse the average street thug with no training and minimal experience will perform under similar conditions!


 It is also clear that when students used cover they fared even better than they did while moving.  The hit rates would be far less than reported if several students didn’t break cover and retreat after running out of ammunition during the drill.  Most of the hits occurred when this happened.  Proper use of cover almost eliminated the chance of being hit.


One other critical statistic needs to be noted.  Thirteen percent of the hits across all phases of the experiment struck the hands or guns of the person at which they were fired.  This indicates a strong focus on the threat being directed against the shooter and a lack of attention to the front sight, creating some implications for future training.  These shooters are strongly indoctrinated in the use of their weapon sights for most shooting situations.  Even when shooting fast, they generally utilize a “flash” sight picture when shooting on targets.  Even with extensive practice, very few students reported seeing their sights in this experiment.  Not wanting to bring up the dreaded “point shooting versus sighted fire” debate in this forum, I’ll simply say that we as trainers need to do some more work.  We need to find a better solution to allow our students to hit their targets with a greater percentage of rounds during the stressful, fast-evolving nature of a gunfight.  Whatever that solution is, be it training in point shooting techniques, an enhanced sighted shooting curriculum, or stress-inoculating scenario-based training, it is our collective responsibility as trainers to find it.


It was interesting to note that some of the shooters in the above experiment shot with only one hand despite doing the majority of their training from a two-handed platform.  When asked why they had done this, most were unaware that they had fired one-handed.  Their bodies seemed to be on autopilot, self-selecting what was perceived to be the fastest way to get their guns on target. This fact, combined with the prevalence of hits on the hands or guns of the shooters indicates that we should focus much more of our time training one-hand shooting, hand transitions, and support-hand shooting techniques.  We should also emphasize the importance of carrying secondary weapons in case our primary gun becomes inoperative after taking a bullet.


Overall, this experiment generates more questions than it does answers.  I set two very critical limits in this experiment…a fifteen-foot separation distance and the firing of two rounds per shooter.  I chose the distance because a large percentage of law enforcement officers are killed while facing gunmen at this range or even closer.  For this study, it seemed an appropriate balance between a range that was so close that hits were virtually guaranteed and one that was too far for the Code Eagle projectiles to be effective.  It is likely that the results would be somewhat different if the ranges were altered.  Similarly, firing more or fewer rounds will probably change the results.  Who knows what to expect when variables such as multiple attackers are injected into the equation.  The true value of this experiment may not be the data obtained, but the experience given to the students.  They received a chance to see for themselves what techniques worked and which were not as successful. I do not expect anyone to alter their tactical doctrines or teaching styles as a result of this article.  I only encourage all trainers to examine the tactics they present to their students and be willing to put them to the test in a somewhat more chaotic environment than the traditional “square range”. It is only this type of thorough examination that will promote a greater understanding of tactical issues and, in the process, save our students’ lives.

Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions - Searsboro, IA...

Just a reminder that this class is coming up and slots are almost full.


Guns, Guns, and More Gosh Darn Guns: Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions - Searsbo...: I've been wanting to take this class since I lived Back East, something always came up when these were being held but Roger is coming to Iowa...

The Keith Borders Incident: Why I Love This as a Reference

First and foremost, I regret the taking of any life as I do feel that life is sacred, I feel for the wounded officer for having to take a life, I feel for Mettinger family and all those involved.


But I love this story.  I've referenced this article in two sepearate posts:

An End to the Caliber Debate?
Sometimes "Center of mass" Just Isn't Good Enough...

And I want to take a little more time to address why I find this article so worth hanging onto and discussing any time I can.

It contradicts everything about "average gun fights"

Yes, this is a story about a law enforcement officer, but is it too hard to think of a scenario where this could be you against a felon inside your home with your family that is armed with a shotgun?

From the failure of the .45ACP with six (6) center mass hits (and a severed foot), to the amount of ammo expended, to the fact that a pistol beat a long gun, to the fact that an officer almost had to draw his back up gun, this story smacks down every thing that is erroneously regurgitated by the masses regarding training, prepardness, mindset, and equipment.

"Two shots from a .45 center mass will take a person out of the fight"
WRONG! This guy took 6 hits to the chest and had his foot taken off, AND NO he was not "on drugs"

"But the average gun fight is 3-5 shots"
 TOO BAD! While covering and suppressive fire are seldom found in civilian shootings, it's not a far fetch to admit that it may be required. As gang activity continues to increase and the "issues with Mexico" continue to spill over who knows what some may encounter.

"I don't need to carry a spare mag, let alone two."
THINK AGAIN! This officer was carrying a Glock 21, it has a capacity of 13+1, he almost expended ALL of the ammo for his duty gun and was looking to pull his back up, a revolver holding five (5) cartridges.  He fired 39 times and scored 10 hits, 7 of those hits were to vital areas.

"If the bad guy has a long gun and all you have is a pistol, you're done for" 
NOT IF YOU HAVE THE WILL, AND THE SKILL TO SURVIVE. (a whole lot of luck also goes a long way)

"The basic class I took six years ago was more than enough" 
FIREARMS TRAINING IS NOT A ONE TIME DEAL! 

Firearms Training
Officer Borders credits his firearms training for much of his success. He scored 10 hits out of 39 rounds fired, for a hit ratio of 26 percent, and seven of his hits were to vital areas. Although a 26 percent hit ratio is only about average for a police shooting, Borders' accuracy was far better than his hit ratio seems to indicate. Besides the fact that Mettinger was often more than 20 yards away, never closer than eight yards, and moving or behind good cover for most of the gunfight, Borders also expended a large number of rounds in his successful effort to keep Mettinger from reaching the 00 buckshot stored in the back of the garage. In addition, Borders had to deal with the blood flowing into his eyes, which distracted him, blurred his vision and forced him to pause several times to wipe it away. Under the circumstances, Officer Borders' accuracy was exceptional and that kind of proficiency cannot be achieved without good training.

Did your eight hour NRA Basic Pistol Class prepare you for this? Did the on-line class you took even teach you how to shoot? How long ago was that class? Have you ever drawn from your concealed holster and fired a single shot? Have you ever performed a reload from a magazine carrier on your belt? When the gunsmoke is filling the air and people are screaming, you're not going to have a range bag on a nice tidy bench for your to fish through at your leisure.

Training is paramount.

It is also important to note that Borders is a person who is never content with just being good enough. Rather than settle for the firearms training provided by his department, as good as it was, he trained on his own as often as possible. In addition, he practiced not only his basic shooting skills, but advanced skills as well, like the ricochet shots that served him so well in this case. This is typical of winners. They recognize that police work is a serious business that exposes its practitioners to violent people in desperate situations. Rather than be frightened by that fact, they plan for the day when it may happen by training as hard and as often as possible.

Some key points from the summary of the article:

• Trust your instincts when you detect potential danger signs, and always put safety first. 
• Consider carrying a third spare magazine and a backup gun in case you're ever involved in an extended gunfight involving the expenditure of an unusually large number of rounds. Backup guns can also be invaluable in a wide variety of other situations. Every officer should carry one.*
• Gunshot wounds are seldom fatal. If you are shot, ignore the wound and focus on winning instead.**
•  Besides developing the skills needed to effectively counter threats, training also instills the self-confidence needed to win. Train often, and train hard. 

*I do not carry three magazines, and have on occasion carried a secondary firearm, at least one spare magazine should be the bare minimum for a "civilian" conealed (or open) carrier. For any LE that may be reading, up your mags to at least three, if your agency allows back up guns (BUGs), carry one of thsoe as well.

**This works both ways, both Mettinger and Borders were hit and continued to stay in the fight. Do not expect one, two, or even three rounds to stop an attacker. I'd rather be surprised after the fact that it only took two or three than standing there in bewilderment that two didn't do the job.

 

In closing, "The Average Gun Fight Is..." If you're in a gun fight, the law of averages is all ready against you. The argument of the average gun fight being 7 yards or less, 3-5 shots and over in 3-5 seconds is just that, average. If you want your capabilities to be "average", you're not looking at this self defense thing the right way. Do you really want to be prepard for the "average" situation when defending your life, or do you want to be prepared for an above average situation?

Dropping a gun....

Is never a good thing, while most newer firearms have "drop safeties" that are supposed to prevent a discharge as a result of a drop/fall, you can never count on a "safety" to do it's job as some times, things break or just don't work right from the factory.

One poster on a forum kind of stepped in it by citing that (allow me to paraphrase)...."ALL guns made after the GCA of 1968 are drop safe and dropping a gun is nothing to worry about"

Now without getting into the folly of that statement regarding handguns of domestic manufacture, lets look at a couple of things.

Even if a gun IS drop safe, a lot of people will try to catch that gun and that's when they blow hole in an unintended object/person. Guns such as your Glock, M&P, etc have that nice little trigger safety that works great until you try to catch a falling gun, as you are clutching with your hand and stand a pretty good chance of getting a digit inside the trigger guard and breaking a couple of firearms safety rules.

NEVER TRY TO CATCH A FALLING GUN!

Second, sometimes manufacturers just don't get things right, take into account the previous recalls on the Ruger SR9 and LCP

Ruger - LCP® Product Safety Warning and Recall Notice

Ruger has received a small number of reports from the field indicating that LCP pistols can discharge when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. We are firmly committed to safety and would like to retrofit all older LCP Pistols. The retrofit involves installation of an upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge to the customer.

http://www.ruger.com/SR9Recall/index.html

We have determined that some Ruger SR9 pistols manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008 can, under certain conditions, fire if dropped with their manual safeties in the "off" or "fire" position. The pistols will not fire if the manual safety is in the "on" or "safe" position.

We will retrofit all affected SR9 pistols (those with serial number 330-29999 or lower) with these parts at no charge to our customers. In order to ensure correct fitting, the new parts must be installed at our Ruger factory in Prescott, Arizona. We will remove the old parts and install the new trigger group promptly, at no charge, and will return the pistol to you. The old parts will not be returned.

So, regardless of age, or newly incorporated whizbang safety implements, never count on a dropped gun to not go off, and in the event that you should drop a gun, never try to catch it.


Edited to add: If you're about to drop your gun into a lake etc. it may be worth catching and long guns are a different story...

Cental / North East Iowa IDPA Update +

So in some previous posts I mentioned some upcoming changes in IDPA in the Waterloo area.

Wolf Creek IDPA appears to be a no-go for 2012, but Blackhawk Pistol Club (BHPC) has decided to take on IDPA in addition to USPSA monthly shoots.

I've been approached to help out and will initially be acting as match director for a few matches, maybe the whole season but hopefully we'll get some of the new shooters from 2011 up to speed  and willing to step in.

There will be a lot of familiar faces from past USPSA and IDPA shoots and it will be good to see those folks again. We're entertaining the idea of holding matches on Saturday instead of Sunday, or maybe just a few Saturday matches throughout the season to see how they do.

There's  a bunch of us looking to obtain the IDPA SO Cert. so hopefully that will help us run the new club.

There's sure to be some hurdles to overcome, but it will be a fun and enjoyable shooting experience as BHPC has been doing a great job with USPSA this last year and it's sure to only get better. Talk of a 2013 Iowa State IDPA Match is also floating around as the range where BHPC holds it's shoots is being expanded.

In other news, it's 03:26am and my wife is NOT in active labor like we thought she was, the house remodeling is almost finished...one year+ into a 9 week job and work has been hectic, so please excuse the lack of content over the last few months.


If you'd like to learn more about the BHPC, there is an active segment at the Iliowa (Illinois/Iowa) Practical Shooters Forum

In other news, I'm shoring up my training calendar for 2012 and it looks like the wife and I are in for a good time.

I'll finally be attending a Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions Class with Roger Phillips, this is a class I've been wanting to attend for a while, don't let the title fool you, there's more to it than just point shooting.

The wife and I will be attending TDI's Partner Tactics Course, yet another course we've been wanting to take forever, we would have done this last year but her pregnancy interfered with those plans.

I'm also wanting to attend Todd Green's Aim Fast / Hit Fast in Indianapolis in Oct of 2012, but it's not open for registration yet.

Suarez Intl. Point Shooting Progressions - Searsboro, IA

I've been wanting to take this class since I lived Back East, something always came up when these were being held but Roger is coming to Iowa and I'll finally get the opportunity to take this class.

 Hope to see some familiar faces there. Click the link below for more information/registration.

 

April 21-22, 2012 - Point Shooting Progressions - Searsboro, IA

Instructor: Roger Phillips

Experience has proven beyond any argument that the traditional shooting range methods are simply not suitable for reactive gunfighting. In this course you will learn the "Fight Continuum" detailing exactly when point shooting is suitable, how far to extend the pistol to the threat, the various visual indexes, the combat draw and other life saving skills that will have you shooting at speeds previously considered impossible. This material is comprised from material from virtually every threat focused shooting system in existence and refined to fit into a simple progression of instruction. This course distills it all into one well thought out and extremely applicable system that dovetails neatly into the regular Close Range Gunfighting matrix, presenting the full aspect of the integration of sighted and unsighted fire at CQB distances.

We must point out that THIS COURSE IS NOT FOR THE NOVICE SHOOTER. If you have not received basic instruction, or have a question about your skill level, please call us first.

DURATION:	2 Days
TIME:	8:00AM to 4:00PM
PREREQUISITES:	NONE
AMMUNITION:	Appx 700 rounds (Minimum); Bring more if you want to shoot more
YOU NEED TO BRING:	Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape)
REQUIREMENTS:	Pistol, Carry Holster, 3 Magazines and Magazine pouch and Range Safety Gear
LOCATION:	Big Springs Shooting Complex 4945 Highway 146 Searsboro, IA 50242 641-593-6635 http://bigspringsrange.com
DIRECTIONS TO RANGE:	From I-80 E or W: * Take Grinnell Exit, Exit 182. * Turn South on hwy 146. * Bear left to stay on Hwy 146 at junction with County road F62, approximately 8.7 miles from I-80. * Stay on Hwy 146 for 1.2 miles. * Range will be on your left. NOTE: Using Google Maps and searching for the address 5015 Highway 146, Searsboro, IA 50242, will get you a pointer right by the range gate. It’s not the correct range address, but using the correct address, of course, doesn’t work on Google Maps or in most vehicle GPS systems.

 

Lifespan of a Pistol Magazine.

From Todd Green's Pistol-Training.com website:

The pistol suffered another “slide over base” stoppage during the class. It was a different magazine than previous but it seems likely the mag springs are giving up the ghost. Almost all of my shooting has been done with six dedicated training magazines each of which has seen 5,000+ rounds so far. All six magazines are getting replaced. While the problem would most likely go away with a simple mag spring change, it’s always been my personal policy that a bad mag is a Bad Mag and needs to be destroyed. When mag springs go bad, followers and feed lips and floorplates may not be far behind. Unless you live in a state where your pre-ban standard-capacity freedom-loving magazine tubes are irreplaceable, the best approach to fixing a problematic magazine involves crushing it and then replacing it with a nice new magazine.

I've met a few  shooters that think of their mags as a one time investment but they are really  a disposable commodity with what often times is an unknown service life. I know it's a hard thing to do, but eventually you will most likely have to just flat out replace the whole dang magazine. The magazine if the life-blood of a semi-auto pistol, if it's having issues you don't want to hope the problem has been fixed. Pending on firearm type or more specifically the construction of the magazine, you can do more harm to your gun trying to diddle with fixing magazine tubes.

Bottom line, if you have problems you believe to be mag. related, ditch the mag. Have a good numbering scheme for your magazines, or groups of magazines and once mags start diving you issues, get them out of rotation ASAP. Some like to keep them for range use to induce random failures, if that's your thing find a way that makes them visually different than all the others that is a little less subtle than simple numbering, blaze orange floor plates etc. are a good idea. 

"My gun is shooting to the left..."

More often than not, most threads regarding guns not putting shots where the shooter wants them starts just like that: "My gun is shooting to the left", or some variation, high left, low left etc.

The first remedy they ask about is "how do I adjust my sights.


The first such thread on this topic I read this week was from someone shooting 6-8" left with their Sig P238. The manual for the P238 states the following:

Change windage by moving the rear sight either to the left
or right in its dovetail. When you do this, follow the rear sight
rule: Move the rear sight in the direction you want the group
to go. Moving the rear sight 0.020” in the dovetail changes
the point of impact by approximately 3” at 25 yards.

So...I asked this poster at what distance they were shooting....


The answer was seven yards. Without breaking out a slide rule, calculator and some paper and pens I'm going to just go ahead and wager that for a rear sight to be off enough to result in 6-8" of error it would have to be hanging off the slide.

Here it is folks, most people are right handed and when you jerk the trigger or have too much or even too little finger on the trigger, your jerk shots to the left or right...if you have a flinch you'll drop shots low. When you combine the two you get low left, low right etc. the list goes on and on. There's a handy diagnostic target out there on the web that give some helpful hits, but it can't cover all the possibilities of error combinations.

What one needs to do to determine if it's them or the gun, is either properly shoot the gun from a rest in attempt to remove as much shooter error as possible, or let someone that knows how to shoot test fire the gun, preferably both. If after such testing the gun is still shooting left, consult your user's manual regarding how to properly adjust sights, if you are not mechanically inclined, and do not own appropriate sight adjusting tools...like a Ameriglo Rear Sight Tool, you may just want to ask around at your favorite local gun shop & range and see if they have one and are willing to adjust your sights for you. DO NOT TRY TO USE A SCREW DRIVER AND HAMMER!

And maybe, just maybe if your gun is shooting straight from a rest or in someone else's hands, you may just want to check around for a basic marksmanship class.