TOTM Jan. 2016- Shooting- Training, Tips, Tactical

I never liked the "put your hand over your heart/arm over chest" bit. All I ever saw was a bullet hole in the arm/hand and someone shot in the chest because they didn't use the sights, didn't hold the gun with both hands, didn't hit the target. Yeah I am old enough to remember when that was the latest and greatest (pull gun out of holster, squat down like taking a dump, hold gun at waist level, cover chest with arm), but like most "new" shooting positions and/or ways to hold the handgun, it was tried 100+ years ago, found to be stupid and didn't work, but hey, it was "new" again, as are all things old when they come back. Don't believe it? Go look at the IPSC shooting from 50-60 years ago (the "Leather Slap" matches) and then all the goofy "hold the gun like this and put your thumb here..." stuff every idiot pushed as the latest and greatest for the next 40 years. ANYONE do ANY OF IT that way NOW? Nope. I may be old and cranky, but I'm still walking (OK, hobbling) around and not taking that dirt nap yet. Like Calvin (of "Calvin and Hobbes" fame) said "I was in the bar drinking, I had three shots in me, only one was liquid..."

 

Sights are over rated on pistols. Useful but over rated. Especially in the dark, snow and at ranges less than 10 yards with multiple targets running towards you. But they are definitely useful in hostage situations.

 

We have a bear problem here (brown and black). I have a beautiful Super Redhawk (.44 mag) with awesome high visibility orange glowing in the dark adjustable sights. The trigger is fair but not like a Smith. The pistol easily capable of hitting coffee cans at 50 yards. But like I said when I'm in the brush (less than 7 yards visibility) with my family and it is dark and raining returning home after a fishing trip... the sights are no help. It reminds me of what Wild Bill Hickok said about combat pistol craft; he said that he just pointed his finger where he wanted the bullet to go.

 

#technology

 

This is my club Rio Salado Sportsman Club in Mesa AZ.

Great club, rifle, pistol, LR rifle Sporting Clays and more.

Every Tuesday Night is Tuesday Night Steel. During cool weather, we can have up to 200 shooters shooting 4 stages in a night. Most time with those numbers we will have over 30 Grand Master Shooters running the course.

Most stages require multiple mags changes, running, shooting from behind/around/through cover.

If you cant get real tactical training, this is the next best thing. Shooting moving and changing mags.

Here is the first video and I Will post more as I find the good ones.


Here is a world champ to show how its done

 

great vids! Thanks!
I'll bet we got people on this forum who can match/beat those dudes!

 

Its on every Tuesday Night. Any time you are in AZ stop by and give it a try.

Normal course of fire is ~100 rnds IF you hit each target with one shot

I always bring a "few" extra mags just in case

 

I have a question. When you buy a new firearm- rifle or handgun, are there certain things you do?

The day I bought my first handgun, I picked it up from the shop and went directly to the range. I loaded it up and started shooting. It was spitting bullets, a few every magazine. Issue was that it needed oil. It had factory gunk that needed to be cleaned. I learned a lesson that day. I learned to make it mine. Clean it as I would any existing gun. As one is never to assume that a gun is unload, one should never assume a gun is ready to fire.

I was in a shop the other day and a man & wife were purchasing a pistol. The sales man joked and said give your wife the manual and she will tell you everything. It seemed to be implied that only females read the manual. Did make me wonder, how many actually read the manual. I do.

I saw this article and wondered if monkeys follow these steps with a new purchase. Do you know your gun prior to firing?
8 Checks to Run Before Firing Your New Gun

1. Verify the Accessory Set
2. Read the Owner's Manual
3. Clear the Bore of Obstructions
4. Give It The Once Over
5. Strip, Clean & Lubricate
6. Give It a Twist
7. Double Check Ammunition Compatibility
8. Run a Bench Check

 

#1 for sure
#2 buy the time I but I know everything about the operation
#3&4 are taken care of in #5
#6 WTF?
#7 is taken care of in #2
#8 at the range as I am ready to fire.

For those running Glocks for the first time or long time users. They like to run dry. There are a few specific spots to lube/greese.

 

I'm a typical guy that does not read the manuals/instructions unless I have to. If you are mechanically inclined most firearms are pretty easy to field strip and if not, then I break out the manual. Of the 8 steps I normally do 5 leaving out the manual, twist and ammo compatibility.

 

Manuals are to be used as follows:
1 - remove all staples from the spine, thus separating the pages
2 - lay pages out on the floor, desk, table or workbench in an overlapping pattern (OCD will determine the level of surface coverage)
3 - catch all debris, oil, dirt, debris and "extra" pieces that fall through the assembly
4 - maybe pick up once installation, maintenance, assembly is complete, square corners and retain for future use

p15 - The "never been written" Man Book

 

Very true.
Way back when in a previous life I worked part time in a gun shop/indoor range to support my habit. I can proudly say that in all the time I worked there I never cashed a check from that shop. Just signed them over every week to pay my tab Anyway, when ever a customer purchased a firearm, part of our job was to show them how to field strip it for cleaning/basic maintenance.

 

TM. Thats the way it should be done. You not only make the customer safer, you earn their trust amd will most likely come back for more.

 

Day at the range:

I decided to try a new place. A couple of people had recommended it so why not. Nice new facility. I went in planning on shooting my my revolver .38 special- small, light and pink (to be my ccw). I also brought a .22 lr because cheaper ammo and easy shooting. It was the first time I had shot the .38. After 5 shots I knew the grip was to small, my finger while on the trigger was still to long. When in the store and just holding, the grip had felt fine but when my hands and fingers were in shooting position and while shooting, it just felt like I didn't have a firm grip. It didn't feel solid in my hands. So a new bigger grip is a must and practice, practice, practice. But it really hurts the thumb. It is normal but I am hoping a new grip will cut down on that. The range master also talked about find the half way with the hammer, so the pull is not whole thing at once. Sorry- I don't have the technical jargon but shooters should know what I am talking about.

So with a new range comes new range master- nice guy. He chatted with me, stood back and watched. Came back, made a crack and I turned and said you're Navy aren't you. He was kind of surprised that I knew but I told him I could tell by the way he was talking to me. Good or bad, I think it unsettled him. So then the shooting instructor arrived.

We worked on 100% aligning my hands. He took a pen and drew exactly how my hands were to be. Line went from left onto the right. Line them up and stay that way, those were the orders. We worked on my stance. Because I am left hand dominate, left eye dominate he changed my stance a bit. The instructor said, don't stick your ass out, you are not Michele Obama. That was my phrase. Every time I brought the pistol up from rest position I whispered, I am not Michele Obama. Bang, bang..... rest, up, I am not Michele Obama, bang bang.

I have a tentative appointment on Sunday and was told to bring the kid.

 

It was many years ago but, as I remember, the small light .38 never stopped hurting the base of my thumb. It was one of the things that made me the first to cheer when we switched first to Ruger P series and then to Glock...they are bigger and heavier but oh so much more comfortable to shoot. A lot of guys I worked with got better because they practiced more.

 

Which is why it's nice to be able to rent a couple and try them first whenever possible. Some places do, some don't.
Did your instructor discuss this with you? A lot of places will take your pistol and put on a couple of different grips to let you feel how YOUR pistol will feel in YOUR hands. If this place will, take advantage of it. It really helps. Grips are really a minor thing in that it's no biggie to change them, but they can make such a major difference in how the pistol feels in your hand, and in turn how you present the pistol to the target every time.

@Motomom34 REALLY glad to hear you and your son are getting some quality training!

 

Kind of funny that you are using the SIRT icon now for this topic. I was going to post about it a while back and just didn't get around to it...so here it goes.

@gunbunny had some posts on the SIRT training pistol but has not been on here since 6/15 so I will ask the current people here if they have any experience with this pistol or know anyone that does? Watched a DVD training video on it and considered buying one although at $239 it's a little high so I want to make sure it is worth while before putting the money out. Any advice is appreciated.

Home Page

SIRT Training Pistol

 

Good video on the basics.

Introductory SIRT Training with Mike Hughes