tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201687458658373382024-03-26T22:41:05.231-07:00Sensible Self DefenseLaunched in late 2016, I envision this blog as a resource to provide firearms, self-defense, and violence prevention education to everyone.
If you understand how to use firearms, when and what constitutes self-defense, and the dynamics of violence you can make informed decisions concerning your lifestyle, safety, and preparing to defend yourself and your family should the need arise.
That is my goal with this blog; I hope you find the information useful.Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-71296978505383680712024-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:002024-03-24T13:25:59.616-07:00My Friend Could Not Stop the Bleed<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneCsh08YkqjpvBRt1Bf5SAWR2mIW54AajKJ84U_BFGAsjsr5ITdIgb1xMCPwr9PfdLwb85wI2OtlL6UA-hynDKvKVlXdPsr27P_5wp6igsUgEbL0TwO_NxcLPpm4U5HkED6IkqDtmufzsxv8HzZJugZHJfX8bTcma9_3pBiwsscwm9LpG67QsIOmGPs4-/s310/stop-the-bleed.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="310" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneCsh08YkqjpvBRt1Bf5SAWR2mIW54AajKJ84U_BFGAsjsr5ITdIgb1xMCPwr9PfdLwb85wI2OtlL6UA-hynDKvKVlXdPsr27P_5wp6igsUgEbL0TwO_NxcLPpm4U5HkED6IkqDtmufzsxv8HzZJugZHJfX8bTcma9_3pBiwsscwm9LpG67QsIOmGPs4-/s1600/stop-the-bleed.jpg" width="310" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A close friend of mine died recently—he shot himself in the left femoral artery and bled to death. It may have been an accident or it may have been intentional, the totality of recent circumstances in his life leave me and his other friends in doubt. We will never know with certainty; however, we do know that regardless of the original intent, he did try to apply a tourniquet but was not successful.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This prompted some reflection on my part. I consulted a friend of mine (Troy M.), a retired emergency room physician and my wife (also a former ER physician) and asked that given a “worst case scenario” how fast could you bleed out from a cut femoral artery? They both stated that worse case would be 60 – 90 seconds depending upon where and how the artery was damaged.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If the worst case is that you are by yourself (as my friend was), dealing with the shock and trauma from a gunshot, and with a 60 second clock ticking, digging through boxes to find the tourniquet you need to save your life is probably not going to work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I tend to handle firearms in only two places in my home – the master bedroom and my workroom. The master bedroom is where I don and remove my every day carry pistol and my workroom is where I dry practice, clean, and maintain firearms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Our master bedroom doubles as our safe room, so we have a complete trauma kit with tourniquets properly staged and other medical supplies ready to treat gunshot wounds and to stop the bleed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That was not the case in my workroom. Although I do store medical supplies in my workroom, I did not have anything properly staged and ready for immediate use. I have corrected that oversight. Rest in peace my friend. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-45073335001996290992024-02-25T11:36:00.000-08:002024-02-25T11:36:00.476-08:00Gunfight Anatomy: The Bruce Lua Incident<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mRtKeda33JRYWXECFyL3kOvBlfVCuPbLuGDXa45N5tFflG70z5TTwrKl_JIVx-6HXzSyieP2xLGiPkq2qLIJVQNAOZ-lhWzhpji3bzQRnzq5-6zFCzWNW9ZdhP2a5tAEs5ZDWYx8P01xTMdjhx4LeAJl6AxPcd0vIXm0wD81-U6T8xzXxqPiDe93F-9u/s437/Lua%20Shoots.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="437" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mRtKeda33JRYWXECFyL3kOvBlfVCuPbLuGDXa45N5tFflG70z5TTwrKl_JIVx-6HXzSyieP2xLGiPkq2qLIJVQNAOZ-lhWzhpji3bzQRnzq5-6zFCzWNW9ZdhP2a5tAEs5ZDWYx8P01xTMdjhx4LeAJl6AxPcd0vIXm0wD81-U6T8xzXxqPiDe93F-9u/s320/Lua%20Shoots.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This is the first in a series of articles and accompanying videos demonstrating just how fast deadly encounters can evolve. I have heard people say, “there is no timer in a gunfight.” The statement is obviously silly – the timing of your opponent’s actions dictates how fast your reaction (your timer if you will) must be in a gunfight.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">One of the challenges anyone faces in a reactive gunfight is their perception-reaction time. The time required to respond to a given stimulus varies greatly across different tasks and even within the same task under different conditions. It can range from less than 0.15 seconds to many seconds depending upon the type of stimulus, the observer’s circumstances, the environment, and the stimulus complexity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In the discussion below, I analyze the actions of three individuals involved in a gunfight. Two were Chicago Police Officers and one was a run of the mill violent criminal actor. <br /><br />The Background:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">On 16 May 2021, Chicago Police began to receive 911 calls concerning shots being fired in a North Lawndale suburb of Chicago, IL. Simultaneously, the Chicago ShotSpotter system began registering gunfire </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(see note #1 below).</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Chicago police responded to the area and a bystander indicated that Bruce L. Lua might have been the shooter. The police (in a marked patrol car and on foot) followed Lua for several blocks; however, Lua did not acknowledge the officers and did not follow their instructions to stop.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Other officers arrived and encountered Lua walking down an alley toward their marked patrol SUV that was stopped in and partially blocking the alley exit facing Lua. Officers Garcia and Nakayama exited their marked SUV and ordered Lua to stop and show his hands. Lua ignored their commands to stop and continued walking toward the officers with his hands concealed in his hoodie pockets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Gunfight: <br /><br />As Officer Garcia exited the passenger side, he drew his Glock 19 to a low ready with his right hand and continued to order Lua to stop as he approached him--Lua ignored his command and continued to walk forward. Officer Nakayama exited the SUV driver’s side and began moving to his left away from the vehicle into Lua's likely path but did not draw his pistol.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When he was within three yards of Officer Garcia, Lua began withdrawing both hands from his hoodie pockets just like the officers had commanded. Lua used his left hand to shield the fact that he had a pistol in his right hand as he fired one shot at Officer Garcia striking Garcia’s pistol and hand. Lua then turned to Officer Nakayama and fired five shots, shooting him in the right shoulder and left hip respectively with the first three rounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Gunfight Analysis:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lua drew and fired his pistol at Officer Garcia in 0.60 seconds; however, Lua’s pistol was only visible to Officer Garcia for 0.52 seconds before Lua fired (see red arrow below).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fVSm_FOwDbj4E9Rp20UrzxeSpRLMVtuYvWfcChEVCBualaY_OKCCJNXm2RQqcH0rjOlMHKaVgZ03a9XiIKLBDzwusV5EBJz0B2774L8-CxAGeiuLSPj7gk8QZIUJaJW54nrflIywZsuyt2bKf6CaFreMgJQClJ6b118502OcfLRAJmo47bzdb5NPtBrD/s2666/Lua%20Pistol%20Visible.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="2666" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fVSm_FOwDbj4E9Rp20UrzxeSpRLMVtuYvWfcChEVCBualaY_OKCCJNXm2RQqcH0rjOlMHKaVgZ03a9XiIKLBDzwusV5EBJz0B2774L8-CxAGeiuLSPj7gk8QZIUJaJW54nrflIywZsuyt2bKf6CaFreMgJQClJ6b118502OcfLRAJmo47bzdb5NPtBrD/w640-h362/Lua%20Pistol%20Visible.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Moment Lua's Pistol Becomes Visible</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Based upon a review of the body worn camera (BOC) videos and police reporting, I believe the bullet Lua fired at Officer Garcia struck the trigger guard of Officer Garcia’s Glock 19 pistol. The bullet then entered the pistol grip, damaging several rounds in the pistol’s magazine (and partially ejecting the magazine) before entering Officer Garcia’s right palm and exiting the back of his hand. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Officer Garcia’s pistol fired when Lua’s bullet struck it and this bullet impacted the concrete at Lua’s feet </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(see red arrow below).</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> In an instant, Officer Garcia’s primary pistol was rendered inoperable. If he had a backup pistol, Officer Garcia never attempted to draw it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincvy9r0AStXxkvM8ssRBOyH6DBpqoKlECCX32DUrVQZMtrfjxqygiNMqeL1cE9P7r87wy9ea2fgp6f0CZQEyf7LF6Cub85zdBxpqF64pOORYjCBZihoDa8qKB_zWnHy2uRW1XFCVBWyfxmwTHnPcckP8FFaLRtHTWPPzzJCBG6uybhtO2Vcd0otR-KOFV/s2672/Garcia's-Pistol.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2672" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEincvy9r0AStXxkvM8ssRBOyH6DBpqoKlECCX32DUrVQZMtrfjxqygiNMqeL1cE9P7r87wy9ea2fgp6f0CZQEyf7LF6Cub85zdBxpqF64pOORYjCBZihoDa8qKB_zWnHy2uRW1XFCVBWyfxmwTHnPcckP8FFaLRtHTWPPzzJCBG6uybhtO2Vcd0otR-KOFV/w640-h362/Garcia's-Pistol.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Officer Garcia's Pistol Fires the Moment Lua's Bullet Strikes It<br /></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lua turned and fired his first shot at Officer Nakayama 1.28 seconds into the gunfight and within 0.68 seconds of shooting Officer Garcia striking Officer Nakayama’s right shoulder on his bullet resistant vest. Lua fired a second shot at Officer Nakayama 0.50 seconds after the first which likely missed. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lua fires a third shot 0.33 seconds later </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">likely striking Officer Nakayama in the left hip which caused the officer to stumble backwards and ultimately fall.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Lua fires fourth shot 0.25 seconds later and a final shot, both of which miss <span>Officer Nakayama. Lua's fifth shot hits the ground. In the image below left, you can see LUA firing his first shot at Officer </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Nakayama in the below right, Lua is firing his third shot. Notice, Lua continued to aggressively advance toward Officer </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Nakayama as this exchange of gunfire unfolded.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCOY9IZC41XoqK3O6U7SfczDgTntD6q5X0pw5-qcZqZEBNVaUALlDsRR8PNfAfMgDwKXwq0rs_kbe0oEnTYn7I__abYua89IPhAOQ9FVQVRnT4OwD3e7qdTh_aXzMRLMXp5Xt_oK_beZ8P97h5EoDYdscyCEMhDY3uhqueuvCrnICV1l7E2xjS8I_ZBsP/s2570/Lua-shots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="2570" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCOY9IZC41XoqK3O6U7SfczDgTntD6q5X0pw5-qcZqZEBNVaUALlDsRR8PNfAfMgDwKXwq0rs_kbe0oEnTYn7I__abYua89IPhAOQ9FVQVRnT4OwD3e7qdTh_aXzMRLMXp5Xt_oK_beZ8P97h5EoDYdscyCEMhDY3uhqueuvCrnICV1l7E2xjS8I_ZBsP/w640-h210/Lua-shots.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Officer Nakayama drew his pistol and fired his first shot one handed 1.74 seconds after Lua initiated the gunfight and 0.66 seconds after Lua’s first shot had struck him. Officer Nakayama’s first shot appears to have struck the ground—not surprising since he had just taken a hit to his primary shoulder. Even though it was on the vest, the hit likely disrupted his draw to a degree. Nakayama point shoots a second shot with two hands 0.38 seconds later which likely struck Lua in the shin because Lua begins to fall.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Within 1.70 seconds of initiating the gunfight, Lua had shot at and hit two police officers with the first four rounds he fired. The entire gunfight lasted 2.62 seconds. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(see note #3)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Perception and Reaction -- Is There a Lesson Here?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Events happen very fast in deadly force encounters. Quickly recognizing what is happening and then rapidly executing a pre-programed response is the key to prevailing in a deadly force encounter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The person who takes the initiative gets to start the fight—all they require is decisiveness. Lua initiated the gunfight which gave him a significant time-advantage over the police officers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Although Officer Garcia had drawn his pistol, he had no indication that Lua was going to use unlawful deadly force until an instant before Lua shot him. It is unlikely that Officer Garcia could have successfully engaged Lua before he was hit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lua’s first shot transition to Officer Nakayama was likely much faster than Officer Nakayama could have drawn his pistol from a retention holster. Nakayama was in the process of drawing his pistol when Lua’s shot struck him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If we look at this incident using Boyd’s Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA) decision cycle from the officer’s and the Lua’s perspective, Lua has already passed through a full OODA cycle</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">. He Observed the officers approaching, Oriented when they parked the car, Decided to engage them, and began Acting while the officers were still in the Observe stage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The quicker the defender (in
this case the officers) perceives what is happening (observe), the
quicker the defender can act (i.e. execute a response) (see notes #3</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> and #4)</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The defender is typically behind in the decision cycle because the violent criminal actor is usually in the act stage while the defender is still observing. This is true of police and the private citizen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Mental awareness and mindset is a critical component to surviving any defensive encounter involving deadly force. However, mindset alone is insufficient. It must be coupled with awareness, proper training, and a willingness to act. The solution to this challenge is to develop mental models of if “X” observation, then “Y” reaction. This allows one to skip the intervening steps in the OODA cycle.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In this example, Chicago Police policy (G03-02-05) permits the use of OC spray against “active resisters.” I am not going to second guess these officers and I recognize the difficulties all officers face in today’s politically charged environment. However, Lua was clearly an active resister and the immediate use of oleoresin capsicum spray may have precluded his ability to effectively engage the officers with deadly force.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The same holds true for the private citizen. If an unknown contact is approaching and attempting to engage you, there are several immediate actions you can take depending upon the totality of the circumstances. The key is to have a set of pre-planned actions to execute in response to a given stimulus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">For example, if I am pulling into my driveway and a car stops at the driveway entrance with young men exiting, I have several options. If I am still in the car, I can simply drive away. If I have exited the car, I can take cover and covertly draw my pistol and challenge them. Going through “what if” scenarios based upon your daily activities and deciding what your action would be in each scenario will significantly speed up your reaction if you are suddenly facing unlawful deadly force.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. Your information will never be distributed.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Notes: <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(1) ShotSpotter uses a series of microphones and sensors to detect and geolocate gunfire.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(2) I base my time analysis on the FPS or frames per second of the videos the Chicago PD released which provides data to the 100ths of a second accuracy assuming the frame rates have not been altered. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(3) "Understanding that the simple elements of an officer’s response such as perceiving, deciding, and reacting take time, and understanding how much time is critical in assessing train-ing tactics and in investigating the dynamics of officer-involved use-of-force scenarios." Police Officer Reaction Time to Start and Stop Shooting: The Influence of Decision-Making and Pattern Recognition, William J. Lewinski, PhD; et al.; Law Enforcement Executive Forum, Vol. 14, No. 2 • June 2014</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> (4)</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> For an in-depth discussion of Boy’s concepts: https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/ooda-loop/ <br /><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-65625170318984412022024-02-05T09:22:00.000-08:002024-03-23T13:42:03.303-07:00The Dirty Dozen: Twelve Bad Shooting Habits Updated<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>This is an update to an article I published over seven years ago.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Bad
habits are something we all try to guard against, but they often creep
into our shooting. Some shooters learn bad habits because the people
teaching them do not know any better. Even when taught correctly, others
develop bad habits through failing to apply what they have been taught.
Flinching, anticipating the shot, chasing the sights, changing your grip, etc., are all bad habits. In this article I examine some of the
more interesting variations I typically see. <br /><br />1. Going too fast for your skill level. <br /><br />This
is an issue for shooters, instructors, and match safety officers. From
the shooter perspective, do not try to go faster than you can safely
perform the task. I tell novice shooters they must master the
fundamentals of safely drawing and presenting the pistol before they try
to speed up. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTTQkBoO8xRlHuixuWIRl_G64363MuOZ254nRg9ElnxYVSRlJqXysKdMjVC1ISXy4IYN4Sjz-oOFEtFamdj-rWQB_eiLBhKHjONXGed3HHHyYESkVL4doBvwFzbuPXRsP33W6gs6wgGZG/s1600/Draw.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTTQkBoO8xRlHuixuWIRl_G64363MuOZ254nRg9ElnxYVSRlJqXysKdMjVC1ISXy4IYN4Sjz-oOFEtFamdj-rWQB_eiLBhKHjONXGed3HHHyYESkVL4doBvwFzbuPXRsP33W6gs6wgGZG/s400/Draw.png" width="361" /></a></span></div><p>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The
picture at right shows a video frame capture of a of a novice shooter
trying to draw faster than his skill level. In this draw sequence, he
fired the round into the ground approximately 3 feet in front of where
he was standing. Although he did not believe he was doing it, he was
subconsciously placing his finger on the trigger early in the draw
process before his pistol cleared the holster and was pointed toward the
target--a negligent discharge waiting to happen. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>This
is not just a novice issue. I recently asked several accomplished
Expert and Master-level shooters if they had ever felt the pistol muzzle
with their support hand when they were trying to draw quickly. In other
words, had they ever let the support hand get ahead of the firing hand
on a draw? All admitted that had happened at least once when they were
learning to draw and shoot quickly. Speed comes with the mastery of the
fundamentals. Don't go too fast for your skill level. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>2. Performing ritualistic movements during static range training</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>I
see this all the time from novice shooters in classes and during pistol
matches. One student would rotate the pistol to the left every time
after he reloaded — even when doing the reload at speed. When I asked
him why he did this, he sheepishly admitted he had seen someone else do
it and thought it looked cool.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Unnecessary
flourishes and motion might look cool to some, but this does nothing
more than add time and inefficiency to the task. That extra half-second
required to get your sights back on target adds up and could cost you
your life in a self-defense encounter. Efficient pistol manipulation is
critical to developing speed and eliminating unnecessary movement is the
key.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>3. Drawing slower as distance to the target increases.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>I
routinely see shooters who draw quickly when the target is close and
who literally go into slow motion for distant targets. Your draw speed
must be the same regardless of distance.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Indeed,
the faster you draw for distant targets, the more time you will have to
settle the sights and make an accurate shot. Keep your draw speed the
same for every distance. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>4. Taking your finger out of the trigger guard between shots.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The
only time your finger should be in the trigger guard is when you are
intentionally firing a shot. That said, new shooters often take their
finger completely out of the trigger guard between shots even when they intend to
fire a follow-up shot. Instead, the shooter should release the trigger
and allow the sear to reset and prepare for the next shot. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Trigger
reset is the distance the trigger moves back toward its "at rest"
position before it re-engages the internal linkages (sear, etc.) at
which point the pistol may be fired again. This distance varies among
pistol designs. All motion equals time, so you want to eliminate
unnecessary motion. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>For
those who wish to advance further, the next step is to train yourself
to begin resetting the trigger as soon as you feel the pistol start to
recoil. Your goal is to have the sear reset as soon as your gun returns to battery (slide fully
closed). Then, as the pistol settles and the sights return to the target
after recoil recovery, you are ready to press the trigger once again. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>With
practice, most shooters should be able to easily achieve splits (the
time between shots) of 0.25 - 0.30 seconds. Many shooters will get in the
0.19 to 0.24 range and truly advanced shooters will get into the 0.14 to
0.18 range with some going beyond. Gordon Carrell, who has more than 60
national, regional and state titles including the 2011 Smith &
Wesson Indoor National Championship, once told me his fastest recorded
split was 0.11 seconds. A friend of mine who is an IDPA 6-gun Master did
it in 0.10 seconds as measured frame-by-frame in a video.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>5. Failure to maintain a solid firing grip.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Anytime
you have your pistol in your hand, have it in a solid firing grip with
your finger along the slide or frame outside the trigger guard. This
includes initially loading the pistol. Do not switch hands when loading -- have the magazine in a pouch or pocket accessible to the non-firing hand. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>When holstering the pistol, s</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>ome shooters just sort of hold
the pistol’s slide and grip--a sure recipe for
eventually dropping the loaded pistol when they snag something as they
attempt to holster.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Maintain a solid grip with the firing hand.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>6. Unnecessarily adjusting your grip:</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Another
common problem is the shooter who unnecessarily adjusts or
re-grasps his pistol before and during a firing string. This is a bad
habit that always seems to be waiting in the wings. I typically see this immediately after the draw; however I've seen novice and even
experienced shooters do it after every shot.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>More
unnecessary motion. Learn to acquire a solid firing grip as you
initially grasp the pistol while it is in the holster, then maintain
that grip as your support hand comes into play and you begin to fire. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSYcXhWbmo0D_IGB3lu69O22W93FRAaZ_1mgt1wZN1MTfwXlT5gB_YAfrfJB6nf3-2Cz3RnQvfisHpVEIlH30TNMbo0u2d4_Ji5DxkjoAuCFFLmLQR-ML5izVwoqla3CdiRuxRyb0kmAw/s1600/Digging.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSYcXhWbmo0D_IGB3lu69O22W93FRAaZ_1mgt1wZN1MTfwXlT5gB_YAfrfJB6nf3-2Cz3RnQvfisHpVEIlH30TNMbo0u2d4_Ji5DxkjoAuCFFLmLQR-ML5izVwoqla3CdiRuxRyb0kmAw/s400/Digging.jpg" width="400" /></a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span>7. Pointing the pistol at yourself when you holster: </span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Some
shooters tend to dig for the holster with the pistol's muzzle when they
holster the pistol. This is often accompanied by the shooter pointing
the pistol inward toward his hip or waist. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>This
is common when the shooter is using an inside-the-waistband holster
(IWB) or when using a holster design that allows the mouth of the
holster to collapse when the pistol is withdrawn. Although not as much
of a problem with outside-the-waistband (OWB) holsters, I've seen
shooters do it with this design as well. Don't point a loaded pistol at
yourself.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> (Note: Some IDPA guys had an absolute fit when I originally used this picture. The pistol had a chamber flag and was clear of ammunition.)<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>8. Failure to train with the auto-lock trigger finger manipulation holster:</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The
auto-lock trigger finger manipulation holster has been commercially
available since 2006 with at least four variations currently on the
market. As a retention holster, this design protects and retains the
pistol well and automatically "locks" the pistol in the holster when it
is inserted without the need to manipulate anything.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The
retention release mechanism is located on the outboard side, in the
pistol's trigger/trigger guard area. To properly operate the release,
the shooter establishes a strong-hand grip, extending and straightening
the trigger finger exactly like a draw from any style of holster. The
shooter then applies finger-pad pressure with the trigger finger to the
"release button" that deactivates the retention and allows the shooter
to draw the pistol.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>However,
unless the shooter deactivates the retention before beginning upward
pressure as part of the draw, the retention continues to hold the pistol
in the holster. Often, the inexperienced shooter then begins tugging on
the pistol and tends to transition from finger-pad to finger-tip
pressure causing the trigger finger to bend.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>When
the novice shooter finally manages to deactivate the retention and
draws the pistol, this bend in the trigger finger positions the finger
near or on the trigger, and the finger tends to stay in motion. As the
trigger guard clears the holster, the finger enters the trigger guard
and contacts the trigger — occasionally with unpleasant results. I have
witnessed two people shoot themselves doing exactly this.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The
holster is not the problem, it works exactly as designed. If you are
going to use an auto-lock trigger finger manipulation holster, you
absolutely must train with the holster until a safe draw is second
nature — for that matter, you should do this with any holster you use.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>For
Safety Officers: You will see the belt rise if someone is doing this.
Stop them immediately and explain what they are doing incorrectly.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>9.
Failure to clear cloth in holster:</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>IDPA,
USPSA, IPSC, CAS, etc are all active sports, and shooters often have
their shirt tails or other garments drift out during the course of a
stage. If the shooter fails to clear this cloth from the mouth of the
holster when he re-holsters his pistol, this cloth can find its way into
the trigger guard.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>As
the shooter presses the pistol into the holster, the cloth jams, which
can lead to an unwelcome loud noise as the cloth tightens around and
pulls the trigger. Always visually confirm that your holster is
completely clear of any cloth or other obstruction when you holster a
loaded pistol.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>10. Placing empty or partially empty magazines in your mag pouch:</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>I
cannot guess the number of times I've seen shooters put an empty or
partially empty magazine into their mag pouch, then later discover it is
not fully charged when they run out of ammunition. In a match, this is
cause for laughter at the competitor's expense, but in a self-defense
encounter it could be fatal.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Stow your empties in a pocket, not in the pouch.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>11. Crowding Cover:</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Novices
frequently want to crowd (get extremely close to) cover. This limits
their available work-space to manipulate the pistol and may lead them to
point the pistol in an unsafe direction as they maneuver to the next
firing position.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>With
IDPA fault lines, a shooter is considered behind cover no matter how of
much his upper torso is exposed, as long as his feet are not touching
the ground on the other side of the fault line. The fault line must
extend at least three feet from the cover barrier. Not crowding the
cover provides space to manipulate your pistol and maneuver.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>On
the competition stage design side, I occasionally see stages designed
in such a manner that they force shooters to crowd cover. In a IDPA
match where I served as safety officer, one stage required the shooter
to maneuver in a tight V-shaped barricade space and fire through ports.
The stage had a barrel obstacle in the center of the V which forced the
shooter to maneuver close to cover and prevented the Safety Officers
from staying with the shooter as they fired the stage — obviously a
less-than-optimal design.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>On
a related note, many stages have ports through which the shooter must
engage a target. Shooting through the port does not mean you must stick
the entire pistol through the port. The time you lose poking your pistol
through is doubled when you now must pull it back out before you can
move on. More inefficient and unnecessary motion.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>12. Hollywood Ready</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9lK2MVQ8ruBMOfOS0OhQNwRr6OnhWZ66SmXnDGyZxTbXITxdYOftsjyCLIaBhxEVsyg4fJDTdsQdgigjhP5DBYxHLUomIrpfOuzvn2mLERWyQmgGKkgpxcPWcCqscxG5xwt1wKvsot_E/s1600/Not_Ready.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE9lK2MVQ8ruBMOfOS0OhQNwRr6OnhWZ66SmXnDGyZxTbXITxdYOftsjyCLIaBhxEVsyg4fJDTdsQdgigjhP5DBYxHLUomIrpfOuzvn2mLERWyQmgGKkgpxcPWcCqscxG5xwt1wKvsot_E/s400/Not_Ready.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>At
some point, film and television producers began directing the actors to
hold the pistol vertically next to their face so both were visible in
the scene. This generated a bad habit among novice shooters who believe
pointing the barrel at the sky is an appropriate ready position.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>There
are several reasons not to do this, including the fact that if you fire
a round with the pistol next to your face you will likely cause
permanent hearing loss.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>I
often see novice competitors who are crowding cover use the "Hollywood
ready" as they move away from a shooting position. Step away from the
cover and use a low ready or compressed ready when you move.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Bad Habits</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>These are some of the bad habits I've seen — I suspect there are others and welcome comments or input.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>If
you like this article please click subscribe in the upper right corner. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><br /><br /></span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-71481430581016216222024-01-19T16:34:00.000-08:002024-01-23T11:21:28.801-08:00Shotgun Light: A Review of the Olight Baldr Pro R with a Green Laser<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPucMHHifjBPjJt8i9hlTpnGfJO75_1BCre0aSwPn9Uqr1K6p-QSCbnYzQcxSDsROfQfPmclA-q-1iBSFPVX5GUkRs9L1J0iRSslPE3A9LpGBmPa6hIHrKcs-eUVghDdIl-ikt45Sky7LGexbJTpvGemuQQwy6bflBZ5ywOm9Y0xDdsSmRdOcJaQmBIcEV/s1496/Shotgun-25-yards.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1336" data-original-width="1496" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPucMHHifjBPjJt8i9hlTpnGfJO75_1BCre0aSwPn9Uqr1K6p-QSCbnYzQcxSDsROfQfPmclA-q-1iBSFPVX5GUkRs9L1J0iRSslPE3A9LpGBmPa6hIHrKcs-eUVghDdIl-ikt45Sky7LGexbJTpvGemuQQwy6bflBZ5ywOm9Y0xDdsSmRdOcJaQmBIcEV/s320/Shotgun-25-yards.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a quick review of the Olight Baldr Pro R rechargeable light with a green laser. The Baldr Pro R has a flashlight with a 1,350-lumen output and five milliwatt (5mW) class llla green laser located within the flashlight’s reflector. I wanted a light for my home defense shotgun to replace a Surefire® light with a fragile plastic latch that frequently failed. I believe the light failed due to the light’s inability to handle the shotgun’s recoil.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A compact light with a laser seemed to be just the trick and the Olight Baldr Pro R fit my requirements. The Baldr Pro has a selector which gives you the ability to switch between white light only, green laser only, or both white light and green laser. The Baldr Pro is rechargeable and has an internal battery charged via a magnetic charging port. This port also accepts a remote pressure switch which attaches to the magnetic port (the picture below is the light installed on my Beretta 1301).</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTLUtkxw8uryzxFrE7upoGN_eU3-khyphenhyphenCAfaXBYqqR8SqJmvlyFFRLLFOz-hBfrWIigYHaYnoDJzNInjhoErEQ8mXUhumw-BjsarxRHvOEHY6zeUepPNO0sDwGYPO2ErOssdHu_2R31diodaMUatDGox3kfCvex_eCUctbSuqo-2fzYnhCt6fEUjCKHKp/s4558/light_mounted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1602" data-original-width="4558" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTLUtkxw8uryzxFrE7upoGN_eU3-khyphenhyphenCAfaXBYqqR8SqJmvlyFFRLLFOz-hBfrWIigYHaYnoDJzNInjhoErEQ8mXUhumw-BjsarxRHvOEHY6zeUepPNO0sDwGYPO2ErOssdHu_2R31diodaMUatDGox3kfCvex_eCUctbSuqo-2fzYnhCt6fEUjCKHKp/w640-h224/light_mounted.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Recharging the light is simple. Simply take it off the Picatinny rail (it also works with Glock rails) and plug the (included) USB recharging cord into a charging device (not included). You could also charge the light while mounted on the gun although this might not be as convenient. The small LEDs turn green when the battery is fully charged. I always replace the light in the same position on the rail and have had no problems with the laser’s zero wandering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPAytxAP8WltBnSl7VP1Vzx84sBipxGpduHTdcxh-Rd0p0XVDWFm07xZ1MQVc14tjMRGGP6eiU3Qplsi3sd-n2e-IDqwxk0DxfmYQEduUCCgQ3UwshhLK8qS0LnCE4IgMFm7CuvEm-C0o65Lu77oBgZFepkhcDpsToo_056KNseYrtpO_uNj6hyphenhyphen5BB4MV/s6870/charging.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1984" data-original-width="6870" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPAytxAP8WltBnSl7VP1Vzx84sBipxGpduHTdcxh-Rd0p0XVDWFm07xZ1MQVc14tjMRGGP6eiU3Qplsi3sd-n2e-IDqwxk0DxfmYQEduUCCgQ3UwshhLK8qS0LnCE4IgMFm7CuvEm-C0o65Lu77oBgZFepkhcDpsToo_056KNseYrtpO_uNj6hyphenhyphen5BB4MV/w640-h185/charging.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Baldr Pro has held up very well so far. I have fired over 300 rounds of buckshot and slugs with the light attached to my home defense shotgun without any problems. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I zeroed the laser at twenty five yards with the Federal LE-132 low recoil slug—putting four of five shots in a five-inch circle (picture below left). This zero gave me the same point of impact for Federal LE-133 8-pellet buckshot at twenty yards (picture below right - five shots of Federal LE-133). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TmciYZHIOqysIJTGMQ-BInuuSDuyUY0SS648Vl_mAbE-5ni5Udlc2G3Z703gwJiuboMmqk9p0YvCL9B3FeYIHE-QJ6JWlqE8-7HdYPy03lPGbXpCoRO2CYyCcsEbOV6MxkoIMTlwRdHCTWp1YOz4KQBXXidCHDGEhQIPdcCYOttqzF_8agRK9B4IlPx9/s3186/Twenty-five-slug-20-buck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="3186" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6TmciYZHIOqysIJTGMQ-BInuuSDuyUY0SS648Vl_mAbE-5ni5Udlc2G3Z703gwJiuboMmqk9p0YvCL9B3FeYIHE-QJ6JWlqE8-7HdYPy03lPGbXpCoRO2CYyCcsEbOV6MxkoIMTlwRdHCTWp1YOz4KQBXXidCHDGEhQIPdcCYOttqzF_8agRK9B4IlPx9/w640-h330/Twenty-five-slug-20-buck.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I still had some slugs (I hate partial boxes) so I finished the session shooting four Federal slugs at a 10x12 inch plate 65 yards away. Four hits for four shots (see picture below and <b><a href="https://youtu.be/rRIcE6tnhzI " target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">video here</span></a></b>).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDW6gY6E5hShpsdnxkY-4WG5JPs-kouiiBrAX_QlRYAtuw573qiBzMmHIjTmg4N4cq__KyTq8KCpqKIdx4Z4nCCusyYRBfFGdBzYes6buMeQ_jGdo-9ic0I3RBPH7Fsi-F1UlJfn4Ib6VnCifagI06TVLB0p-eivJJWjL8Sm0m37tYbNflPQ3X6iNB-uSV/s3130/25-yards-plate-shooting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="3130" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDW6gY6E5hShpsdnxkY-4WG5JPs-kouiiBrAX_QlRYAtuw573qiBzMmHIjTmg4N4cq__KyTq8KCpqKIdx4Z4nCCusyYRBfFGdBzYes6buMeQ_jGdo-9ic0I3RBPH7Fsi-F1UlJfn4Ib6VnCifagI06TVLB0p-eivJJWjL8Sm0m37tYbNflPQ3X6iNB-uSV/w640-h344/25-yards-plate-shooting.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you like these articles you can follow by clicking the link in the upper right corner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Note: I purchased this light and received no remuneration from Olight.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-70707438323973290772024-01-16T09:29:00.000-08:002024-01-22T13:14:03.285-08:00Pattern Your Home Defense Shotgun<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRVOhT3NpftwdzahZ55f7EZjdYHjtTH9tB4lXha-2SaYOdiaIRGLg0pPkv37mESNuUqk3n_KBkUV3EEUDBXD07rRVi2KGyrXFIquhVAYk9Aa9vLl_y3XQ2DuBC3fdP_sbhku_-lvRRe1J3vcqhTO5Dy86Ds-KhbFtlpEaPyzLIp0dELQMkeNdKdcfQxoX/s630/Federal.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRVOhT3NpftwdzahZ55f7EZjdYHjtTH9tB4lXha-2SaYOdiaIRGLg0pPkv37mESNuUqk3n_KBkUV3EEUDBXD07rRVi2KGyrXFIquhVAYk9Aa9vLl_y3XQ2DuBC3fdP_sbhku_-lvRRe1J3vcqhTO5Dy86Ds-KhbFtlpEaPyzLIp0dELQMkeNdKdcfQxoX/s320/Federal.jpg" width="248" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A critical, but often overlooked aspect of being prepared to use your home defense shotgun is determining the pattern that your shotgun produces with a particular buckshot load. In shotgun circles, this process is called patterning your shotgun.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Without patterning you will not know the size and shape of your shotgun’s pattern with a given load at a given distance. You must do this with the ammunition you intend to use in your home defense shotgun. The way manufacturers produce shotgun barrels means that no two guns will pattern exactly alike--even with the exact same ammunition. Your gun may pattern very poorly with one brand or size of buckshot, yet do very well with another. The only way to know is to shoot the buckshot loads at varying distances.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Pattern Size: </b>A rough estimate is that your pattern size will grow about one inch per yard of travel in a typical home defense shotgun with standard buckshot loads. Federal LE133 and the equivalent Speer loads are the exception and usually shoot a much tighter pattern. You should experiment with different loads and different brands to find the load that works the best in your particular gun. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Pattern Concentricity and Consistency: </b>The pattern needs to be roughly round in shape with pellets evenly distributed throughout the covered area.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Effective Range: </b> With buckshot, your maximum defensive range is the distance that all of your pellets impact within 4-inches of your point of aim (i.e. within an 8-inch circle). This may be 10, 15, 20, or even 25 yards or more depending upon the load/gun combination you select. The distance where your gun with the particular load you are using throws even one pellet outside of the 8-inch circle is the maximum defensive range for your shotgun with that load. Once you reach a distance where your pellets impact farther than 4-inches from your point of aim, the odds are very high that you will miss with one or more of the pellets and potentially endanger others in addition to your target.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>A Pattern Experiment:</b> In December of 2023 I experimented with the Federal LE-133 8-pellet buckshot load in two different shotguns—one was a Remington 870 pump shotgun and one was a Beretta 1301. Both shotguns had cylinder bores. I fired five rounds from each gun at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX2OyYoqB9zlMC_EFVgHlWN-jCnNXf51O_TtXrg2-0roqQqsFk-sIySHXi7lAuBf6MHLVpcdWSM5ty6NIrRERJjWvYW0i8nW7DVVbwY_W6zE8Ss1ho0SknWIALXTYKmrAEiWoGCIZaCVLqzF2NKTUyVT3gBKCY3s0D2GPahYGXwRs5n98_hduK6DnPIo8/s2961/five-ten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2961" data-original-width="2737" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX2OyYoqB9zlMC_EFVgHlWN-jCnNXf51O_TtXrg2-0roqQqsFk-sIySHXi7lAuBf6MHLVpcdWSM5ty6NIrRERJjWvYW0i8nW7DVVbwY_W6zE8Ss1ho0SknWIALXTYKmrAEiWoGCIZaCVLqzF2NKTUyVT3gBKCY3s0D2GPahYGXwRs5n98_hduK6DnPIo8/w592-h640/five-ten.jpg" width="592" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The pattern from both guns at five and ten yards was essentially one hole (the lower right </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">hole </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">at ten yards with the 1301 was shooter error. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7apSvdjfqN-rBkyGpxt1zjPLj_F9N2yJd082QErmYQXaTjwSfPv9HuTSeQZ9oNZ6OD7TX0f94z_RJW_gAgxORqqbUMWt0YInsQp0CZwmWKOtQj5mebE0pWnPe_rV1Q124Slt_7SWDB5zjtVBA99e_d4GycewslH9s_o_YpSGNyenYI2yNgpsTNskVc1eU/s2822/fiftyeen-20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2822" data-original-width="2737" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7apSvdjfqN-rBkyGpxt1zjPLj_F9N2yJd082QErmYQXaTjwSfPv9HuTSeQZ9oNZ6OD7TX0f94z_RJW_gAgxORqqbUMWt0YInsQp0CZwmWKOtQj5mebE0pWnPe_rV1Q124Slt_7SWDB5zjtVBA99e_d4GycewslH9s_o_YpSGNyenYI2yNgpsTNskVc1eU/w621-h640/fiftyeen-20.jpg" width="621" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">At fifteen yards, the Remington 870 and the Beretta 1301 patterns remained acceptable. At twenty yards, the Remington 870 threw one pellet out of the acceptable pattern circumference (small circle). The Beretta 1301’s pattern remained within tolerance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGD1g7vE3D3FrdNODQykjcQlW5uvqsdrTsumATgORPzIHPuDYd0xVQv-12C_wVP63W_MqNiCcOpg4dBBOhTQyF5fK4qqt_oREdMWzyLvtUvJ4xIlGZAWJDW99b8pbl0QZlM2VNwFOMp5TNCZZb__8jzBd9CPuHsjWBjEpuFd3HPDGBSw_54gDKkMunIVw/s3022/Shotgun-Pattern-25-size.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="3022" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGD1g7vE3D3FrdNODQykjcQlW5uvqsdrTsumATgORPzIHPuDYd0xVQv-12C_wVP63W_MqNiCcOpg4dBBOhTQyF5fK4qqt_oREdMWzyLvtUvJ4xIlGZAWJDW99b8pbl0QZlM2VNwFOMp5TNCZZb__8jzBd9CPuHsjWBjEpuFd3HPDGBSw_54gDKkMunIVw/w640-h330/Shotgun-Pattern-25-size.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">At twenty five yards, the Remington 870’s pattern was over fifteen inches in diameter while the 1301 remained (barely) within an eight inch circle. I need to check the zero of the Beretta 1301's optic and laser at twenty five yards. For a YouTube video of the patterning process<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span><a href="https://youtu.be/nGOb_jFpVoo"><b>click here</b></a></span></span>.<br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Unless your house is very large, the maximum home defense engagement distance is likely to be less than twenty yards and for most of us, less than fifteen yards. That said, both of these shotguns patterned acceptably at five - fifteen yards with the Federal LE-133 buckshot lot that I used in this experiment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If your target is beyond the maximum defensive buckshot range for your gun, you would either need to transition to a slug load or maneuver to get closer. Never forget that a single buckshot pellet can kill and you are accountable for every pellet that leaves your gun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As we saw in this experiment, at shorter ranges your buckshot charge will not have opened and you are essentially shooting a very large single projectile that must be precisely aimed just like any bullet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In an earlier experiment, a Fiocchi 9-pellet standard buckshot load in my Beretta 1301 shotgun at a distance of twelve yards generally put all nine pellets within a ten inch circle. I say generally because occasionally this load throws one wild pellet off the target at that distance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4uhziaGhyMPsy7TzrIQvG8hVQXqtWp-o3NbyNpcvaxEWbpIeGRJNz9x7fHm53UuXXAs2eGzPEmnTRXdjUqvwbiYY8KQAM92tchXjFikhWvoTkJ9QTpO1PhcpCqS4v-Ld_8K4MgmjdVsN20s4QWOINQ7_uKxbsnEOfq2KXldm1vNwMS2F0DXxpSxTfJAK/s976/Fiocchi-Federal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="976" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4uhziaGhyMPsy7TzrIQvG8hVQXqtWp-o3NbyNpcvaxEWbpIeGRJNz9x7fHm53UuXXAs2eGzPEmnTRXdjUqvwbiYY8KQAM92tchXjFikhWvoTkJ9QTpO1PhcpCqS4v-Ld_8K4MgmjdVsN20s4QWOINQ7_uKxbsnEOfq2KXldm1vNwMS2F0DXxpSxTfJAK/w640-h414/Fiocchi-Federal.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With the wild 9th pellet flyer potential, I consider the Fiocchi 9-pellet buckshot load to have a ten yard effective range in that particular gun. In contrast, the Federal 8-pellet 00 LE133 Buckshot load put all 8 pellets through a hole 2-inches in diameter at the same distance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My Remington 870 and my Beretta 1301 have occasionally patterned acceptably out to 35 yards with some lots of Federal LE133 in the past. That said, I have noticed erratic behavior from Federal 8-pellet LE133 lots at times so I will stick to 25 yards or less for the Beretta and fifteen yards or less with the Remington 870 which exceeds the maximum potential defensive engagement distances in my home. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you like these articles you can follow by clicking the link in the upper right corner. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-33008608304011697532023-12-13T15:18:00.000-08:002023-12-26T13:55:58.610-08:00HE STOLE MY STUFF!!<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnse2AczYuSzVrjEOfeMN5QFjZIu0UjjzgPPIXaXVy04F6G4WdIwV7Qs0ldXT7iEUPfpWytpuA4V0PA7WB7sXX6SCrct0-XzqNb1JGR_l41iceM6xmv9OF-tm1CwsLTJaznpnwflEjqLgBH5UUfSBOZcxue8HvpAm_O3Q_Ae6ZS-cBK7dg08gWf3wWgnb/s2387/Truck-Burglar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2387" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnse2AczYuSzVrjEOfeMN5QFjZIu0UjjzgPPIXaXVy04F6G4WdIwV7Qs0ldXT7iEUPfpWytpuA4V0PA7WB7sXX6SCrct0-XzqNb1JGR_l41iceM6xmv9OF-tm1CwsLTJaznpnwflEjqLgBH5UUfSBOZcxue8HvpAm_O3Q_Ae6ZS-cBK7dg08gWf3wWgnb/s320/Truck-Burglar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Searching Vehicles</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>On 2 December 2023, gunfire shattered a San Antonio, Texas neighborhood’s quiet. Apparently, a group of young thugs were breaking into a truck when the owner caught them. The thugs fled and the owner reportedly got in his truck to chase them, driving around the neighborhood until he came across the thieves actively breaking into another neighbor’s automobile. The truck owner exited his pickup and confronted the thugs. One ran to a resident’s driveway and hid in front of their car. The thug then opened fire on the truck owner with a pistol.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The resident reported that she heard two gunshots and that she immediately ran, got her kids out of their beds, and onto the floor. Six additional gunshots followed the first two while the resident called the police. When the police arrived, they found shell casings on the caller’s front porch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When it was all said and done, the thugs had fled and no one was hurt. According to the police, gangs of thugs are searching neighborhoods and looking for unlocked vehicles to ransack or KIA cars to steal. This particular variation of criminal behavior is becoming epidemic in San Antonio, Texas and surrounding cities.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">One has to wonder what the truck owner was thinking when he exited his vehicle and confronted the thug. Probably the same thing a number of defenders are thinking when they leap to confront fleeing criminals—NO ONE STEALS MY STUFF!! The defenders certainly are not thinking of the potential life changing consequences of their actions. In this case, the criminal was willing to use deadly force against the truck owner and the owner survived because the thug was a poor shot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This was not the case in another incident that news organizations widely reported. A man and his female companion exited a shopping mall and the man noticed that his Ford pickup truck was missing. As the pair attempted to locate the truck, they saw it in a nearby parking lot at the same mall with the presumed thugs still sitting in it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The owner approached his truck, displayed a pistol, and ordered 34 year old Kevin Eric Garcia (the driver) and the Garcia’s 25-year-old female passenger to step outside and sit on the pavement. Moments after the owner called police, Garcia drew a pistol from his waistband and shot the truck's owner. The owner returned fire, hitting, and killing Garcia and critically wounding his companion.</span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYNIjnPMnYPGTNy7OLg8TMUC2PozrCzBiydyyqz3ixmY1Lx6HJfF3ANOOcU1hW9RgXwb9zolP6N-m3UGrU2lTcFCE774aE2h0xdX5PNcdUXiXGgLcvasCTNEI_pPQIu4CNBtYHSDc08zxzEuVW8pXpPoeJBwC9uJK4Ji0KupE8RLqk-BTsjpJZJ5h9N0V/s357/truck-wounded-female.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="351" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYNIjnPMnYPGTNy7OLg8TMUC2PozrCzBiydyyqz3ixmY1Lx6HJfF3ANOOcU1hW9RgXwb9zolP6N-m3UGrU2lTcFCE774aE2h0xdX5PNcdUXiXGgLcvasCTNEI_pPQIu4CNBtYHSDc08zxzEuVW8pXpPoeJBwC9uJK4Ji0KupE8RLqk-BTsjpJZJ5h9N0V/s320/truck-wounded-female.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Police Assisting Garcia's Wounded Companion</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">After police arrived, the truck’s owner and Garcia's female companion were taken to the hospital. The owner was in stable condition and the female thug was in critical condition at that time. As of this writing, no charges have been filed against the truck’s owner.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In most states, using deadly force to defend property is problematic at best. Although Texas Penal Code (Title 2, sec 9.41 & 9.42) does permit using force and (under certain circumstances) deadly force to protect or recover property, the consequences faced in doing so can be considerable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Trying to hold any individual at gunpoint is extremely dangerous—particularly if that individual has a hidden weapon. At least for the moment, the thug knows that you have decided not to shoot; otherwise you would have already fired. That gives him the advantage of being able to plan an immediate response to your inaction. If you are in the open and in close proximity, the thug has a clear (if fleeting) time advantage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Your ability to react to the thug’s movements come into play as well. The Force Science Institute conducted several experiments in a 2014 study to measure police officer reaction time to start and stop shooting. In experiment one the officers were positioned in a firing stance with a training pistol, finger on the trigger, and were instructed to fire the pistol when a green light came on for 0.5 sec.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">On average, it took officers 0.25 sec to begin the trigger pull (i.e. react to the stimulus) and 0.06 sec to complete the trigger pull (defined as the actual travel time of the trigger from a position of rest to a position back against the frame) for a total reaction time of .31 sec. This was when the police officer knew he was about to fire. (Lewinski, Hudson, & Dysterheftt (2014). Police Officer Reaction Time to Start and Stop Shooting: The Influence of Decision-Making and Pattern Recognition. Law Enforcement Executive Forum 14(2), 1-16).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you are trying to hold someone at gunpoint, your reaction time in response to the thug’s movement will be much greater than 0.31 seconds because you must not have your finger on the trigger until you have made a conscious decision to intentionally fire a shot. Your reaction time will likely be closer to .50 to .75 seconds at a minimum and this assumes that you see and react to the thug’s movement the instant it occurs. If you are multi-tasking and calling 911, looking around for other threats, or dealing with other distractions, bystanders, etc. your reaction time will be much longer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you are going to try and take someone at gunpoint, it is critical that you do so from a position of cover if at all possible. While true cover is sometimes difficult to find, anything is better than standing in the open. Even if such material does not stop a bullet, it may deflect it or slow it down and reduce its wounding potential.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Massad Ayoob tells us that, in general, very few criminals dismiss or defy an armed citizen holding them at gunpoint – they tend to believe that citizens are more willing to shoot than the police. That implies that only irrational subjects with an emotional disturbance, a death wish, or extreme hatred/disdain of the armed citizen in question will defy commands at gunpoint. That does not mean they won’t try something as shown in this example.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps an even better solution is to tell the thug to depart. While it may grate on our conscience (HE STOLE MY STUFF!!), it is clearly preferable to being shot. Unless you are a police officer, you have no duty to try and hold the thug(s) for the police. Once again the thug’s reaction may be irrational. He may decide that you fear to shoot him and may start or resume threatening behavior so be prepared for such a reaction. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you find these useful, please follow via the link in the upper right.<br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-71803924588009619252023-11-27T21:19:00.000-08:002023-11-27T21:19:57.133-08:00The Range Master Nov 23 Drill of the Month<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5c3zf_pHn8-WNq1bht9TavTS0In2sXLw3ZHxrn3pzcZ5a2w5_kPs3T_iDZsbBKMyNBwdahDwlJ3CNuDDsuCx4-0aAepcmQf5CPZrljnjXVORePv4nOKDXFYSSeeB7NlCVk1wr1TdNcjpKko4iREWYY8d5eMzxrWkuThH7SY4jFTfk71n5m4HocJOspfj/s4195/NOV23_DOM.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4195" data-original-width="3016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5c3zf_pHn8-WNq1bht9TavTS0In2sXLw3ZHxrn3pzcZ5a2w5_kPs3T_iDZsbBKMyNBwdahDwlJ3CNuDDsuCx4-0aAepcmQf5CPZrljnjXVORePv4nOKDXFYSSeeB7NlCVk1wr1TdNcjpKko4iREWYY8d5eMzxrWkuThH7SY4jFTfk71n5m4HocJOspfj/s320/NOV23_DOM.jpg" width="230" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I went to the range this weekend and shot the Range Master Drill of the Month for November 2023. Tom Givens and Range Master include their drill of the month in the Range Master monthly newsletter. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Per the newsletter:</span></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Target: Use the IALEFI-Q, IDPA Cardboard, or RFTS-Q target</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Scoring: 10 points for any hit inside the 8 inch circle in the chest, or inside the head ring. 5 points for any hit inside the silhouette but outside the 8”circle or the head ring.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Drill: Begin with the weapon holstered and concealed, loaded with only two rounds. On signal, draw, fire 2 rounds to the chest, reload the pistol and fire 2 more rounds to the chest, then one to the head circle. Record the time for the string.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fire the drill at 5 yards and then again at 10 yards.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ten rounds total. 100 points possible. Add the two times for a total time.</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hit Factor: Total points divided by total time = score. (Hit factor scoring)</span></span></i></p><p><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Par score = 6. The goal is a score of 6 or higher.</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This drill covers a concealed presentation from the holster, fast accurate shooting, an empty gun reload, and a transition to a smaller target. It also requires a timing shift when changing from 5 yards to 10 yards. This integrates a number of important skills in one fairly quick, low round count exercise.</i> <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I started my practice session with the Nov 23 DOTM shot cold with my P320 full size from concealment per the instructions. My five yard run was 4.69 seconds and my ten yard run was 6.87 seconds. I shot it clean with a total time of 11.54 seconds giving me a hit factor of 8.66.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I then ran the drill seven more times for practice and averaged my hit factor for those seven runs. My best run was 8.72 seconds with 90 points producing a hit factor of 10.32. The worst run of the seven was 11.34 clean with a hit factor of 8.81. My average for the seven “warmed up” runs was 10.22 seconds with a 9.56 hit factor.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My reload average for all runs was 2.37 seconds -- not very fast. I don't practice reloading as much as I should.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good drill; I enjoyed it. The Range Master Monthly Newsletter has a lot of good information and is available at:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://rangemaster.com/newsletter/<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you like these articles you can follow by clicking the link in the upper right corner. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-91819377989816016432023-11-24T14:46:00.000-08:002023-11-24T14:46:55.285-08:00Vang Comp Thunderstick Summit 2023 - After Class Report<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0mGOgfsnJA6IUKp7NIOh_m2cXD21seRvO1qk9nAdvEMpTXvY8Ao4ZyN9SxRWimBf7mfU4BrBG7hNdVPkoaz5A_MpeWRQMYv8zKIIPC4CZqBykOgDicojo9My3s6Hp-NuC9MFezn4MSen3q3ZFiQOSTDspH7eGgZIi9AJf9zWoPEU4_kj2aqluzeamMrN/s3968/pump-gunner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2233" data-original-width="3968" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0mGOgfsnJA6IUKp7NIOh_m2cXD21seRvO1qk9nAdvEMpTXvY8Ao4ZyN9SxRWimBf7mfU4BrBG7hNdVPkoaz5A_MpeWRQMYv8zKIIPC4CZqBykOgDicojo9My3s6Hp-NuC9MFezn4MSen3q3ZFiQOSTDspH7eGgZIi9AJf9zWoPEU4_kj2aqluzeamMrN/s320/pump-gunner.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I recently attended the October 2023 Vang Comp Thunderstick Summit. The Thunderstick Summit is a 3-day training event which features instruction from some of the top defensive shotgun trainers in the United States.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The summit trainer line-up included Darryl Bolke, Greg Ellifritz, Steve Fisher, Mark Fricke, Erick Gelhaus, Rob Haught, and Matt Haught. I personally attended classes from all of the trainers except Steve Fisher. Nothing against Steve’s classes, time and availability became a consideration. For those of you familiar with the Range Master Tactical Conference, the summit was a similar round-robin format with students rotating between different ranges for classes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The summit opened with classes</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> geared toward novice shotgunners with a
buckshot patterning exercise. Since I know how my shotgun patterns, it
was a good warm up. My group then went to a
different range to confirm how our shotguns performed with slugs—more
warm up.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From my perspective, the highlights of my summit experience were classes from Mark Fricke and the father and son Haught duo. I was not familiar with Mark and found his support side/injured shooter and less lethal classes to be very informative.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2FgTsROQyJClkGwaAWvsFmkVhDV_BGptWAbu00VtVVHyi2grXZTCemS2YjwaZ_-5Z-jXmUPG1gqFjyIkQPvHKMx6rItkp5zwEPHlV4OQn9_siGjcx96UosX85R2TwWvJVq9p0tTwnOu4ml71waqA0KSj-n9XsYeVfHbncWO-xngLYXzuKOys_Mhp2IZj/s2820/Haught-demo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1842" data-original-width="2820" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2FgTsROQyJClkGwaAWvsFmkVhDV_BGptWAbu00VtVVHyi2grXZTCemS2YjwaZ_-5Z-jXmUPG1gqFjyIkQPvHKMx6rItkp5zwEPHlV4OQn9_siGjcx96UosX85R2TwWvJVq9p0tTwnOu4ml71waqA0KSj-n9XsYeVfHbncWO-xngLYXzuKOys_Mhp2IZj/s320/Haught-demo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rob and Matt Haught Demonstration</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I received (fifth-hand+) instruction on the Haught push/pull technique many years ago when I worked with DEA in Lima, Peru and I was looking forward to receiving instruction directly from Rob Haught. I was not disappointed. The Haught’s classes were well structured and I learned a great deal about the push/pull and retention push/pull methods.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I am pretty well versed in the home defense use of the shotgun, so the other live fire classes I attended provided the opportunity to tune my execution of the push/pull technique. Effective deployment of the defensive shotgun requires a gun set up for that purpose and complete mastery of a specific set of basic techniques. While there are few “advanced” techniques when it comes to deploying the shotgun, tactical considerations do come into play. This is where the Ellifritz close quarters retention overview class and the Haught retention push/pull classes were useful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Some of the classes stressed techniques more geared toward law enforcement deployment such as setting the shotgun up to enable an immediate switch to a slug and therefore were perhaps less useful to the private citizen. Using a slug inside your home is probably not a good idea given to the slug's penetration ability. The need to exit your home to engage a violent criminal is certainly a possibility (an armed attack against a family member in the driveway for example); however, such a scenario is more likely to be solved with a handgun given the urgency of the response and the time needed to retrieve a shotgun.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was somewhat surprised at the number of attendees who did not know how their shotgun functioned. During the slug exercise, the shooter next to me was having trouble chambering a round in his very well tricked out Beretta 1301. I reached over and hit his shell release. He then asked me what the button I pressed actually did? I told him that it released a shell from the magazine onto the lifter and he said he didn’t know the Beretta did that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Vang Comp plans to sponsor the Thunderstick Summit as an annual event. If you are planning to go to next year here are a couple of tips for a satisfying summit:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Know how your shotgun functions. As I mentioned above, many people struggled because they did not know how to load, unload, use the safety, and in general how their shotgun functioned. You will enjoy your time at the summit more if you are not trying to learn your gun’s basic functions on the fly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- If you are using your shotgun at the summit (Vang does provide rental guns), make sure the ammunition you bring actually functions in your gun. Some guns (notably Mossberg semiautomatic shotguns), are particularly finicky with some birdshot loads. I noticed several shooters struggling with ammunition that did not function reliably in their shotguns. On the positive side, they did receive a lot of practice clearing failures to eject, failures to load, etc.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Ensure you have a sling for your shotgun. While I do not recommend a sling for a home defense shotgun, from a practical perspective the shotgun gets heavy when you carry it around all day. In classes, there is some time spent standing and holding the gun during demonstrations, relay rotation, etc. A sling makes life much easier in this regard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6PgPWfUqQlnlnUMpiG73pmZegdjqQO4EPradlCqhwZEIsk2E3XBvcYH8CY1nIF9F86Q6HqaI9clEO9us3jjSK5SR8DpK9myAJhUxOneWWE1E3TKrN6N0ahW9EAHsi8VUgPZJwaYRZqxQntN25XMrTkvqaxd9vr8bUGx5sXusCARQpR_QwAWtGLLDcWhP/s3940/Adam-Roth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2256" data-original-width="3940" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6PgPWfUqQlnlnUMpiG73pmZegdjqQO4EPradlCqhwZEIsk2E3XBvcYH8CY1nIF9F86Q6HqaI9clEO9us3jjSK5SR8DpK9myAJhUxOneWWE1E3TKrN6N0ahW9EAHsi8VUgPZJwaYRZqxQntN25XMrTkvqaxd9vr8bUGx5sXusCARQpR_QwAWtGLLDcWhP/w320-h182/Adam-Roth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Adam Roth replacing a Quick-Detach Carrier</span></td></tr></tbody></table> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- An ammunition sidesaddle or butt cuff on the gun helps with the classes containing loading exercises. In a home defense scenario you are probably going to deal with the incident using only the ammunition on or in the gun so learning how to load with ammo on the gun is important. The picture on the right shows Adam Roth owner of Aridus Industries (a Thunderstick Summit 23 sponsor) replacing an empty Quick-Detach Carrier with a loaded one.* </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> -- You should also have the ability to carry additional ammunition to the firing line on your person. I found the 5.11 Flex Shotgun Ammo Pouch to be very handy in that regard. Others used elaborate chest rigs, bandoleers, belts, and other accouterments. Unless you practice with the elaborate rigs and have them staged and ready to go, you are unlikely to be able to use them in a home defense response.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Next year’s Vang Comp Thunderstick Summit is planned for October 11 – 13, 2024 at the Firearms Academy of Seattle, WA. If you are into shotguns I would certainly recommend it. Vang has not announced the enrollment dates as of this writing. See the Vang Comp System’s website for more information (<a href="https://vangcomp.com/">https://vangcomp.com/</a>)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you like these articles you can follow by clicking the link in the upper right corner. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">* Some pictures courtesy of Kickeez (https://kickeezproducts.com/) <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-29781763602841523292023-11-17T19:57:00.000-08:002023-11-20T10:32:30.457-08:00 Check Your Shotgun Ammunition<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0SSAmvXPiKT-dUqCUm67ZNjO6wZdLn-qKuiY9dyrCJ67Pk-HBvnTtRUkpQLJLdpcygtGbV4fO_UWH7OzfI4Ou9FaFqsKbMzoujJueYfzUNXiNRxMqOBMpUrT06zxKfqqP7VpvZ2MymF9JtNW6uVHa9mGybJp3DqvHwr9KYDS6XTqmOkCN6rYhdoam3L8/s837/Shotgun%20le-133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="646" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0SSAmvXPiKT-dUqCUm67ZNjO6wZdLn-qKuiY9dyrCJ67Pk-HBvnTtRUkpQLJLdpcygtGbV4fO_UWH7OzfI4Ou9FaFqsKbMzoujJueYfzUNXiNRxMqOBMpUrT06zxKfqqP7VpvZ2MymF9JtNW6uVHa9mGybJp3DqvHwr9KYDS6XTqmOkCN6rYhdoam3L8/s320/Shotgun%20le-133.jpg" width="247" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When you are using a shotgun, always double check your ammunition and ensure you are using ammunition of the correct gauge. This is particularly true if you own shotguns in several gauges which increases the potential to mix shells. Although many ammunition companies use different colored shells for different gauges, this is not always the case. Several people have told me that they have found stray shells of different gauges in new factory ammunition boxes. Something that is clearly plausible/possible; however, I do not have any direct knowledge of this.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a shotgun instructor class I completed, the instructor (Tom Givens of Range Master) mentioned the chance of mistakenly placing 20 gauge ammunition in a 12 gauge shotgun. The 20 gauge may slide down the barrel far enough so that the shooter can unwittingly load a 12 gauge shell in the chamber behind the 20 gauge shell and fire it with the obvious potential for catastrophic results.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A friend of mine and I were checking Federal FliteControl patterns in a variety of older shotguns. Remembering Tom’s comment, we decided to drop a 20 gauge shell down a 12 gauge barrel to see how far it would enter the barrel. We then placed a dummy round in the gun and closed the action; putting the gun in a firing condition. In the picture sequence below you can see how this can happen.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoJN79CloNgvHNomNntcK0phvkacwD1LI2sv91llzVp1u1EKEmbv2b-eNxMTRuA4xV8s-fH0z5RzlpJ-k8s9O213-pb_plFSjKM3cFmLXh586KJMS00Emhgo1eavqiQ69-bGSAYVBt98DmMh_xMHawJv-titQGRZrJQWFbHR5Q-v2-WfzDUr9c7OIgO01/s4632/20%20gauge%20in%2012%20gauge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="4632" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoJN79CloNgvHNomNntcK0phvkacwD1LI2sv91llzVp1u1EKEmbv2b-eNxMTRuA4xV8s-fH0z5RzlpJ-k8s9O213-pb_plFSjKM3cFmLXh586KJMS00Emhgo1eavqiQ69-bGSAYVBt98DmMh_xMHawJv-titQGRZrJQWFbHR5Q-v2-WfzDUr9c7OIgO01/w640-h184/20%20gauge%20in%2012%20gauge.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ironically in the shotgun instructor course, one of the students in the class had a gun that suddenly would not chamber a round. Examination showed that the barrel was obstructed with another shotgun shell. Considerable pounding with a cleaning rod produced a 16 gauge shell that had entered and become stuck in the barrel. The student sheepishly admitted that he owned a 16 gauge shotgun. Both shells were the exact same red color and only a close examination would have identified the 16 gauge shell.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you are setting up your shotgun for home defense, a couple of additional inspections are appropriate. Examine the primers, ensure that the shells are not damaged or corroded, properly crimped, and that the shell mouth has not expanded. Shotgun shells that have been in a tubular magazine for an extended length of time occasionally swell which may result in an inability to chamber the shell.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you find these articles useful please “follow” using the link in the upper right hand corner of the page. Your information will never be sold. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-81005565534521077442023-10-12T08:39:00.003-07:002023-11-04T10:18:47.853-07:00Bullets Go Through Things<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHtgj71nKq9vtE4OPgEY0OcQp7HGUlHHzedhzslC-KT817ag9YR9rdBjZX3Yn_2IIcqcwWxcMPe7MUIVoXcntzfQ2_akLYCnHWYbegdp0w_1pTv_HZOmMKK6vVjIlG20WhJWvL4RMDqPO4_PlsdaCx2f31IcAAdieR96ogn4CvaRO7TOa5JzVyVkTZO8F/s1155/Boer%20shooting%20lead.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="860" data-original-width="1155" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHtgj71nKq9vtE4OPgEY0OcQp7HGUlHHzedhzslC-KT817ag9YR9rdBjZX3Yn_2IIcqcwWxcMPe7MUIVoXcntzfQ2_akLYCnHWYbegdp0w_1pTv_HZOmMKK6vVjIlG20WhJWvL4RMDqPO4_PlsdaCx2f31IcAAdieR96ogn4CvaRO7TOa5JzVyVkTZO8F/s320/Boer%20shooting%20lead.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Bullets go through things—a rather genius observation; however, sometimes a handgun bullet’s penetrating ability is surprising. During a confrontation between an individual having a mental crisis and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputy sheriffs, the deputies fired numerous rounds which penetrated multiple sheetrock walls and metal garage doors. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>A number of years ago an individual who worked for me at that time suffered a mental crisis. He threatened suicide and was preventing his family from leaving their home. BCSO deputy sheriffs responded to a 911 call and the individual hid in a bedroom closet with a shotgun. When the deputies tried to get him to come out and drop the shotgun, he pointed it at the deputies who opened fire with their handguns.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>The back wall of the bedroom closet where the individual was hiding was adjacent to the laundry room. The laundry room’s wall was adjacent to the resident’s garage (see diagram).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1_FtA59z3GD_GhI3ZwsFUsxSMzEIujQYkKvBjkgZxZVeG1E7-8IgxVI7TpzQB4EEmTdiyEUlNYQsXSe8iJp7GznXRY9iPu_fNjgIlJtbazaN5Ie1UJFx8xwvbsqp_0bdda8XHj_QuSrPSBLA5HjOXZtYGwQ5QTDXDVIdfrlv_EzD3fc7b9sX-dayqBmC/s2848/Boer%20Shooting3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="2848" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1_FtA59z3GD_GhI3ZwsFUsxSMzEIujQYkKvBjkgZxZVeG1E7-8IgxVI7TpzQB4EEmTdiyEUlNYQsXSe8iJp7GznXRY9iPu_fNjgIlJtbazaN5Ie1UJFx8xwvbsqp_0bdda8XHj_QuSrPSBLA5HjOXZtYGwQ5QTDXDVIdfrlv_EzD3fc7b9sX-dayqBmC/w640-h354/Boer%20Shooting3.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Reportedly the deputies fired over twenty rounds, three of which struck the individual in the lower abdomen, groin, and leg--he survived the shooting. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Several of the deputies’ rounds penetrated into the laundry room and struck appliances. At least nine of the deputies’ bullets penetrated the closet and laundry room sheetrock walls and three fully penetrated the resident’s garage door (see picture #1 below). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Two of these traveled across the street and penetrated a neighbor’s garage door and one of these penetrated the sheetrock wall in the back of the neighbor’s garage. (see pictures #2 & 3 below). These bullets clearly possessed sufficient mass and energy to cause serious bodily harm or death even after they had penetrated two sheetrock walls and two metal garage doors.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Y3nC8ZXZai94TtSzaFYm4p1WxtPErpbV7kT3q2xWV_zaE0WjUNM7Jyx_ghsPk1782ljC9pBNSLO-2E7tEhHQiFddeIjvxuSNZtuWRv2tys9NEhNTARTdoRWDOkLbytJgRpiAKCnF036m2lBRYMt5QI3kSNIBVTtb8PJNaGsn2Ll-pVjipMUKVH4MQFbM/s2299/Boer%20garage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2106" data-original-width="2299" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Y3nC8ZXZai94TtSzaFYm4p1WxtPErpbV7kT3q2xWV_zaE0WjUNM7Jyx_ghsPk1782ljC9pBNSLO-2E7tEhHQiFddeIjvxuSNZtuWRv2tys9NEhNTARTdoRWDOkLbytJgRpiAKCnF036m2lBRYMt5QI3kSNIBVTtb8PJNaGsn2Ll-pVjipMUKVH4MQFbM/w640-h586/Boer%20garage.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Jeff Cooper’s forth rule of firearms safety is “Know your target and what is beyond it.” This incident certainly brings this point home given the penetration of the 9mm rounds the deputy sheriffs fired.* Since many/most people use a firearm for home defense, understanding engagement angles is very important. A safe assumption would be that any round you fire will penetrate at least two interior walls—perhaps more. This may apply to certain exterior walls as well depending upon the home’s construction. In 2021 a Texas woman fired a rifle through the wall of her home, killing a man who had allegedly been peeping into her window.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Residential sheetrock interior walls are little impediment to most handgun, shotgun, and rifle rounds assuming that the rounds do not strike studs or other items in the wall. It seems that residential metal garage doors and some exterior walls are little better.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>If you enjoy reading these please follow. The link is on the upper right side of the page. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>* I have been told that the BCSO uses Speer Law Enforcement 124 grain +P Gold Dot; however, I have not been able directly confirmed this. I welcome correction. </span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-41764295524568271732023-09-29T19:36:00.000-07:002023-09-29T19:36:33.656-07:00Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor Certification<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMqbFvyhnKuB9SQjMDEQII2JRVbXG0qW7C0P5VGEDQn-RE8telD7bxj6tPXSlr5gDTIQkNa85pwV_ozGhBVjRXlvac1c8T09Nan9mMo7f_WRR2mx5Gu3x4P5PeExYp6SJmqRazNuDyTMO-0ujd15yQgd62G0rPgGRLCzkH2Ujh3oZLZG5rZUZOaYGvdI3/s2954/TCOLE-Cert-pic.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2954" data-original-width="2286" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMqbFvyhnKuB9SQjMDEQII2JRVbXG0qW7C0P5VGEDQn-RE8telD7bxj6tPXSlr5gDTIQkNa85pwV_ozGhBVjRXlvac1c8T09Nan9mMo7f_WRR2mx5Gu3x4P5PeExYp6SJmqRazNuDyTMO-0ujd15yQgd62G0rPgGRLCzkH2Ujh3oZLZG5rZUZOaYGvdI3/s320/TCOLE-Cert-pic.jpg" width="248" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I recently completed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Firearms Instructor Certification. Eric Wise of Cornerstone Performance taught the class. Attending the class were three Austin Police Officers, an officer from the Bryan Texas Police Department (PD) tactical team, a Deputy Sheriff from Bandera Texas, a retired Homeland Security investigations Special Agent, Karl Rehn from KR Training, and me. It was a great class with learning all around.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The TCOLE Firearms Instructor Course requires students to shoot two courses of fire (handgun and shotgun) on the first day of the class with a minimum score of 90%. The handgun course of fire is 50 rounds on a TQ-19 target or equivalent from 25 - 3 yards with a possible score of 250 points. The shotgun course of fire is shot at 25, 15 and 10 yards with five slugs and five buckshot rounds. Any student who cannot achieve 90% or better on both is dismissed and cannot participate in the class.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was familiar with the TCOLE qualification course since I use it in a number of my intermediate daylight and low light classes. The difference is that for local students in my classes I use a target that matches the city or county where the student lives. These targets are typically the San Antonio PD or the Austin PD targets which have a smaller scoring area than the fairly generous TQ-19 target. I scored a 100% or 250 on the handgun and the shotgun qualifications on the TQ-19.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The other students did very well also with a class average of 248.6 points on the handgun qualification. Out of the six law enforcement officers, four scored 250 on the handgun qualification, one scored a 245, and one scored a 244. Karl Rehn of KR Training scored a 250 as expected.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As the class progressed, it was apparent that every student was a very good shot. All of the students were shooting at the IDPA Master or USPSA A class or better. Our instructor Eric Wise, is a USPSA (Limited and Production) Master, an IDPA Master (Carry Optics Division), and a multiple division Grand Master in Steel Challenge. Eric’s shooting demonstrations reflected this skill level.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The TCOLE Handgun Qualification is as follows:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From the 25 yard line:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, at the start signal draw and fire two shots in five seconds. You do this four times for a total of eight shots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, at the start signal draw and fire six shots in 20 seconds. You do this one time for a total of six shots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From the fifteen yard line:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, at the start signal draw and fire two shots in four seconds. You do this one time for a total of two shots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol at ready, at the start signal draw and fire two shots in four seconds. You do this five times for a total of ten shots.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From the seven yard line:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered with six rounds in the pistol, at the start signal draw and fire twelve shots in twenty seconds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There is a timed reload on this stage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From the three yard line:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, hands at sides, at the start signal draw and fire six shots in twelve seconds using primary hand only.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">* Safely transfer the pistol to the support hand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Starting with the pistol in the support hand at the ready, at the start signal fire six shots in twelve seconds using support hand only.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Training days two – four were focused on shooting skill drills and learning the live fire material. On day four all of the students conducted “teach-backs” on our assigned live fire topics with the instructor Eric Wise. On training day five the students taught the live fire curriculum to an open enrollment class of students from the Austin, Bryan, and College Station areas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The student skill level for this class varied from fairly good to brand new shooters who had no formal training. Each of the instructor-students taught their assigned training module to the class and then conducted live fire drills to practice the skill—all of the students showed significant improvement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you have the opportunity to take a class from Eric Wise, I would highly recommend him. Eric is a professional and competent instructor who knows his material and presents it in an easily-understood format. His company is <a href="https://www.cornerstoneperformance.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Cornerstone Performance</span></a>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I take my instructor continuing education seriously and I typically attend 3-5 classes per year. Eric’s TCOLE class was my seventh class for this year. I have attended enough training that I consider a class a success if I walk away with three or four new teaching tidbits or skills. I walked away from Eric’s TCOLE Firearms Instructor class with an unusually large number of new ideas and/or approaches to teaching the handgun—a very satisfied student.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. <br /><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-62056619777927632062023-09-27T10:47:00.004-07:002023-11-27T13:48:05.620-08:00Training Ammunition - One of Reloading's Benefits<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXxhecm08lInKj9WtNKvwW7ln0UfZQ3vXg2YhkNiusHBrzM9vDutwdhZcLjClYuTtijqVOGYGMRoqiEq14mwPyVvycQljxUSAgOLyO8jO6DCkhBRTPjwoDAMybNQDUNLfpQgoANIquQ7zYkheYzK8Mt79_6FUnhj79Ys2h9P94v3oKSLeAjh7RaV_tL2o/s2983/Reloads-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2410" data-original-width="2983" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXxhecm08lInKj9WtNKvwW7ln0UfZQ3vXg2YhkNiusHBrzM9vDutwdhZcLjClYuTtijqVOGYGMRoqiEq14mwPyVvycQljxUSAgOLyO8jO6DCkhBRTPjwoDAMybNQDUNLfpQgoANIquQ7zYkheYzK8Mt79_6FUnhj79Ys2h9P94v3oKSLeAjh7RaV_tL2o/s320/Reloads-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As I was preparing for a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Firearms Instructor Certification class I wanted to confirm the zero on my pistols with the training ammunition I planned to use in the class. I zero my SIG P320 and P365 everyday carry pistols for my carry ammunition, the Hornady Critical Duty 9mm 135 grain FlexLock standard pressure round. However, I wanted to determine where the training ammunition was hitting with my carry zero.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Many years ago I developed a 135 grain training load that shot close to the same point of impact as the Hornady Critical Duty. I load the Xtreme 135 9mm 135 flat point plated bullet; Winchester primers; 3.7 grains of Universal Powder; and typically do not sort my brass. I have found that this load has worked well in my SIG P320 and P365.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Being able to match your reloads to your carry ammunition is one of several advantages reloading offers. Reloading can be very satisfying and can save you money as well. Of course, safety protocols are always important to consider and follow. If you are completely new to reloading, there are a variety of books and online information that can help you get started. <a href="https://www.sensibleselfdefenseblog.com/2018/03/reloading-tips-and-tricks.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Click here</span></a> for an article that discusses some reloading tips and tricks I've learned over the years through my own experience and that of others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My training load continued to perform satisfactorily with a 15-yard zero within a 1.697-inch circle if I discount the single flyer (that I called). The same held true with the Hornady Critical Duty 9mm 135 grain FlexLock standard pressure round that was also within the 1.697-inch circle discounting the single flyer.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPolZH-O0Lm5gnv6ezecdjUUUkSzSOp8MVNyORRezoR7zkO1I9QEutiPhza5Hrv-CedUYgb0P9lewvVaKnY5DvZ50NKD769a7gOZCHJpwGwuVpXe0ESVbREuGGN6-mshDB-8emltQBxlyejpwQttuVLavFDqSCDl-TT2OCWXxc3UMZLYmotP37ZZF04FfB/s6273/Reloads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="6273" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPolZH-O0Lm5gnv6ezecdjUUUkSzSOp8MVNyORRezoR7zkO1I9QEutiPhza5Hrv-CedUYgb0P9lewvVaKnY5DvZ50NKD769a7gOZCHJpwGwuVpXe0ESVbREuGGN6-mshDB-8emltQBxlyejpwQttuVLavFDqSCDl-TT2OCWXxc3UMZLYmotP37ZZF04FfB/w640-h245/Reloads.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I have always had good results from the Critical Duty standard pressure round in every pistol in which I have tried it. In my pistols, the standard pressure round is typically a little more accurate than the +P version. The fact that the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety (state police), and my county sheriff’s office also use the Hornady Critical Duty is a happy coincidence. For several reasons, it is a good idea to carry the round a national law enforcement agency or your state or local police carry, if possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial", "helvetica", sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">Carry
ammo is expensive. Reloading your ammunition can provide a more
economical practice round for matches and training. The opportunity to
develop a load that matches the point of impact for your carry
ammunition is an added plus.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you enjoy reading these please follow. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-44623873968638750782023-09-07T16:50:00.005-07:002023-09-15T20:46:53.508-07:00Quit Blowing Up Your Pistols<p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzoq6sY4u2mCEGbCvnLkq1HwpsJj7o38pyYu6OKZ666vJoWBQjG3c5nJTrlvMfdtmk267HNzn6dixbDtDh-pSjkFDHN1BVz1FhjkfEx0OpKAhn2nkCEN-p1WRBZNPNUX071vKLbR2sjPnGZ5Q3CjxOVeiUlqDLxOFlGf94Wf4Y9hDipKKunHL_xlxyaMl/s726/Picture%20%234.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="726" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzoq6sY4u2mCEGbCvnLkq1HwpsJj7o38pyYu6OKZ666vJoWBQjG3c5nJTrlvMfdtmk267HNzn6dixbDtDh-pSjkFDHN1BVz1FhjkfEx0OpKAhn2nkCEN-p1WRBZNPNUX071vKLbR2sjPnGZ5Q3CjxOVeiUlqDLxOFlGf94Wf4Y9hDipKKunHL_xlxyaMl/w320-h272/Picture%20%234.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quit Blowing Up Your Pistols</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In yet another example
of how to blow up your pistol, a competitor in a recent pistol match
very forcefully hit the back of his pistol’s slide with his left palm in
an attempt to clear the malfunction. </span></span><span data-offset-key="b0co0-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As he struck the slide, the round detonated in the ejection port. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">t one point, hitting the back of the slide was a commonly taught response to a 1911 pistol failing to go into battery. However as we see in this incident, that may not be a very good idea and indeed could be very dangerous. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The competitor was recording a video of his match so we had the ability to analyze what happened. In picture #1, you can see that there is no round in the chamber. In picture #2 you can see that a round has “nose-dived” into the magazine and was likely holding the slide to the rear. In the video, you can see the competitor pull the slide to the rear to attempt to clear the malfunction which seems to exacerbate the problem because the slide ends up stuck further to the rear.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbWVN_1ezjPUrluTKb9WuOW0XkYz7tKJfDVK6vBZqR1iSOIf4ppCnqvUFoejxtxDlxGpt9QapLgjU3EUXCO3isiwNyrc-sgIxi2MjjR6nRDmX-14VBRdwKI04CvXlHURaLo1XRrBPR9wRn9tuZeskzqN6EOK7TtNp2ZxEQAMlLDzgm29kdoe-NfhLec2p/s1485/Pics1-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1485" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbWVN_1ezjPUrluTKb9WuOW0XkYz7tKJfDVK6vBZqR1iSOIf4ppCnqvUFoejxtxDlxGpt9QapLgjU3EUXCO3isiwNyrc-sgIxi2MjjR6nRDmX-14VBRdwKI04CvXlHURaLo1XRrBPR9wRn9tuZeskzqN6EOK7TtNp2ZxEQAMlLDzgm29kdoe-NfhLec2p/w640-h338/Pics1-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In picture #3 you can see the competitor’s hand an instant before he slams the slide forward. Note the slide’s position in relation to the muzzle. In picture #4 we see the instant the round detonated in the ejection port—note the slide’s position. The competitor hit the slide so hard he easily forced it forward an inch or more. The competitor received relatively minor cuts since his hand was not directly over the ejection port. The pistol was not seriously damaged, but the magazine was ruined.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebU_IR8IYD816K7MPZBwlNtSq2YdfQsrT3FmEXP5GMF0No-bTsoGEkTQEDneGjjZG17i0vENYB20FXCx1llz_TSYbNfrIX9lzeYycG67Kbm47S6wUQNjdJ5mVK78kVzx22FBmIcRkwpzFxYBpbVmseqOZ0LytfppnVpuCLJ7rzLaNKuDP7gqQ7V2y_Rso/s1594/Pics3-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1594" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebU_IR8IYD816K7MPZBwlNtSq2YdfQsrT3FmEXP5GMF0No-bTsoGEkTQEDneGjjZG17i0vENYB20FXCx1llz_TSYbNfrIX9lzeYycG67Kbm47S6wUQNjdJ5mVK78kVzx22FBmIcRkwpzFxYBpbVmseqOZ0LytfppnVpuCLJ7rzLaNKuDP7gqQ7V2y_Rso/w640-h358/Pics3-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So what caused the round to detonate? Before everyone starts—NO, it was not the ejector. The arrow in picture #5 shows the part of the slide which strips a round from the magazine and inserts it in the chamber when the slide moves forward ( I do not know what this part is called and could not find any info identifying the part). When the round nose-dived into the magazine, it perfectly positioned the primer in the path of the slide. Picture #6 shows the detonated round’s primer. Picture #7 shows that the primer fits perfectly into this part of the slide.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf48FB29A3OuhHra4p2X_MvTvtRAWt2mh2wsxv4sCx2UB5WTfl1sJXxDZM_3WzVYgJMgDStGeYc_sb0tOyDuQEk7N5EwcFyOjC-xsk0kJrAEB7V7R8NSSLoJs_m8ondtuOabmadP7okDCeLswEghnegpsdQTjxcb7Ej8LoFd36fcrly1YYr-5Z7tGf4zZF/s2300/Pics5-7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="2300" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf48FB29A3OuhHra4p2X_MvTvtRAWt2mh2wsxv4sCx2UB5WTfl1sJXxDZM_3WzVYgJMgDStGeYc_sb0tOyDuQEk7N5EwcFyOjC-xsk0kJrAEB7V7R8NSSLoJs_m8ondtuOabmadP7okDCeLswEghnegpsdQTjxcb7Ej8LoFd36fcrly1YYr-5Z7tGf4zZF/w640-h250/Pics5-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As
I researched this article, some additional information became
available. Earlier in the video the competitor was having feeding
problems with his pistol. He mentioned that he had recently replaced
the magazine base pads with “+4” extensions without replacing the
magazine springs. This coupled with the fact that the magazines were
not new may have contributed to the feeding problems and the nose-dive.
If you are going to change or add anything to your pistol that takes it
out of factory specifications, make sure that the change works.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In my classes I teach that the proper response to a click instead of a bang is to tap the magazine (to ensure it is properly seated) and rack the slide—tap, rack. This will often clear the malfunction. If it does not, the proper response is to lock the slide back, aggressively strip the magazine out, and then reload the pistol and continue to fire if the circumstances so warrant. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the proliferation of striker fired pistols, b</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">eating the back of the slide is an outdated technique that </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is counterproductive.</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After reloading, if it does not fire you probably have a broken pistol that's not going to be easily fixed on the spot. If you are under assault, the proper response at that point is to aggressively depart the area or take other necessary action.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span data-offset-key="9f2me-0-0"><span data-text="true">when serving as a match Safety Officer, I have become more aggressive with stopping a shooter when I see them excessively struggling with a malfunction. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> This is the fifth incident of this nature that I have direct knowledge of over the past ten years in the San Antonio area. I doubt that it is only happening here. I have noticed that as competitors begin to struggle, the chances of them doing something unsafe rises quickly. These are matches, not life or death situations. If a competitor is having problems we are better off stopping them and allowing them safely resolve the problem and then to reshoot (if necessary) before we permit something unsafe.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you enjoy reading these posts, please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-31893174702706027512023-09-02T13:58:00.002-07:002023-09-09T07:58:30.328-07:00The Federal Air Marshall TPC revisited using the FBI QIT-97 Target<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyB8ua-oErYcGthn6Ro1cdAKjgephmGEOQPbN7fiJEwu0IcezTB3l0NxIL86p2tPgFdKBZNGkt1Tjdz7pcCSqklrPvx1ZY39WcgeHheU1CqzCuDE32VjPhfl1bYmRjdmLPhBii4eV5XQ22LjsmZ_aSyFRIi0xp7AqajzxfWlZHvsERLnYtF0f3c9Sz4t3P/s1246/FAM-qual-QT-97-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="933" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyB8ua-oErYcGthn6Ro1cdAKjgephmGEOQPbN7fiJEwu0IcezTB3l0NxIL86p2tPgFdKBZNGkt1Tjdz7pcCSqklrPvx1ZY39WcgeHheU1CqzCuDE32VjPhfl1bYmRjdmLPhBii4eV5XQ22LjsmZ_aSyFRIi0xp7AqajzxfWlZHvsERLnYtF0f3c9Sz4t3P/s320/FAM-qual-QT-97-cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This is an update of an article I wrote in 2018 that described what I was able to glean concerning the pre 9/11 Federal Air Marshall (FAM) qualification or Tactical Pistol Course (as it was known at that time). From 2016 – 2018 despite numerous tries, I could not pass the TPC even though I was shooting at an IDPA Master level on the old 90 round qualification. I essentially stopped trying.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Fast forward to 2023 and Duane Thomas’ article in the Dillon “Blue Press” on the FAM TPC using the FBI Q target (The Blue Press, June 2023, pages 60-63). Coincidentally, a friend’s daughter is interested in becoming a FAM and asked me to teach a basic pistol class for her and another student. Since I was satisfied that I could pass the TPC using the FBI Q target, I dug out some FBI QIT-97 targets so I could demonstrate the pre 9/11 TPC using that target. I shot it cold and passed the time requirements (barely) and the points.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I shot the qualification with my P320 Carry in 9mm with a Holosun green dot optic sight.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I used an open front concealment garment for the strings that required concealment. I was somewhat concerned that the accuracy necessary for success on the QIT-97 would require a bit more deliberation and therefore a quicker concealed draw than the FBI Q target—this proved to be the case.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Target Placement: Two targets placed three yards apart from edge to edge with a third target placed in the middle. Targets are seven yards from the firing line.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Scoring: The maximum possible score is 150 points with a minimum passing score of 135 points. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Hits earn five points for inner bottle,
2 points for line hits on inner bottle or full value hits on outer
bottle. Zero points for line hits on outer bottle or for a miss. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">You must be within the time limits for each string of fire. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Shooting the FAM qualification course within the time limits while hitting the inner bottle necessarily requires a careful balance between speed and accuracy. This is not trivial. If you do not meet every stage’s time requirements, you fail even if you managed to shoot a passing score overall.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Qualification:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 1: From concealment, draw and fire one round on one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 3.30 seconds for 2 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 2: From low ready, double tap (two shots) on one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 2.70 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 3: From low ready, fire 6 rounds into one target. Maximum time is 3.00 seconds for 6 rounds fired and all splits (shot to shot time) must be 0.60 seconds or less.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 4: From low ready, fire one shot, reload, fire one shot into one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 6.50 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 5: From low ready, fire one round into the one of the two outer targets and then transition and fire a round into the other outer target. Repeat. Maximum time is 3.30 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 6: From concealment and facing up range with back to targets, turn 180 degrees and place one shot into each of the three targets. Repeat. Maximum time is 7.00 seconds for 6 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 7: From low ready and standing, fire one round into one target, slide locks back, drop to one knee, reload, fire one round. Repeat. Maximum time is 8.00 seconds for 4 rounds fired. (Note this is essentially a slide lock 1-reload-1 drill just dropping to a knee while reloading)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4YDgAgioJEoxEs4u9SdiCF0y6tsNb6smk3IekjCvx7OEaaCKVCnQR3-6Xnn1ycvM95TyjfE4WFnZqc7VxQFrdLJfL2qnoChFoXKbVPdHNQAebWn_bJVF4B6yyr2kj8C1gJ9aBNLV7gchBwSi1VnKTIemGU_HqB5K4cNZbH-RenBgOkXkCfy89je6qUZa/s2686/FAM-qual-QT-97.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="2686" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4YDgAgioJEoxEs4u9SdiCF0y6tsNb6smk3IekjCvx7OEaaCKVCnQR3-6Xnn1ycvM95TyjfE4WFnZqc7VxQFrdLJfL2qnoChFoXKbVPdHNQAebWn_bJVF4B6yyr2kj8C1gJ9aBNLV7gchBwSi1VnKTIemGU_HqB5K4cNZbH-RenBgOkXkCfy89je6qUZa/w640-h306/FAM-qual-QT-97.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />The times for the qualification shown in the picture above using my P320 Carry were as follows:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 1: Draw: 1.56, 1.57 = 3.13 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br />Stage 2: Double Tap: 1.06, 1.03 = 2.09 (Standard: 2.70 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 3: Rapid Fire: 2.84 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 4: Speedload: 3.26, 3.34 = 6.50 (Standard: 6.50 seconds or less) I barely squeaked by on this stage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 5: Transition: 1.55, 1.49 = 3.04 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 6: Turn & Draw, 3 Targets: 3.04, 3.07 = 6.11 (Standard: 7.00 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 7: Slidelock Reload: 3.10, 3.98 = 7.08 (Standard: 8.00 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Times = Pass for all strings</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Points = Passed with 138 points (I dropped a total of four shots (or twelve points) outside the inner bottle)<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Federal Air Marshall TPC is an extremely challenging pistol qualification and particularly challenging using the QIT-97 target.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-13744100275824417852023-08-28T20:03:00.005-07:002023-09-02T14:10:25.253-07:00Shooting the Pre 9/11 Federal Air Marshall's Qualification Course or TPC<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglWqQk3_x0AmmOfb4Eto9sLGajg4y7XzEhDLERckb_3OWsgbyE2VGNKiG6pNKfn_XezFNxGZ3PpTR141EtWb535-qHLyX-Azs6hHC_YpBhEUqN0NQKFgxXbuHjEczOBhT7ieGXOEGi9e9h9XQ_GuWTuC1Bswkcc4Rr1JF_xQF6O9Qsn91Zj8adaOiTaqB/s1170/FAM-lead-picture.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="790" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglWqQk3_x0AmmOfb4Eto9sLGajg4y7XzEhDLERckb_3OWsgbyE2VGNKiG6pNKfn_XezFNxGZ3PpTR141EtWb535-qHLyX-Azs6hHC_YpBhEUqN0NQKFgxXbuHjEczOBhT7ieGXOEGi9e9h9XQ_GuWTuC1Bswkcc4Rr1JF_xQF6O9Qsn91Zj8adaOiTaqB/s320/FAM-lead-picture.jpg" width="216" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Recently Dillon Precision’s “Blue Press” published a Duane Thomas article concerning the pre 9/11 Federal Air Marshall (FAM) qualification course.* This article, in conjunction with a close friend’s daughter expressing an interest in becoming a FAM rekindled my interest in the earlier FAM qualification. (*The Blue Press, June 2023, pages 60-63). </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was talking about the qualification with a shooting partner when he mentioned that a mutual friend had been a FAM. Since our mutual friend had retired as a Special Agent (SA) from another federal agency, it never occurred to me to ask about the FAM qualification. I will refer to my friend as Special Agent (retired) or SA ret. for the remainder of the article.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">SA ret. confirmed all of the FAM scoring, target positioning, etc. that Thomas mentioned in the Blue Press article. Since SA ret. was a firearms instructor at his agency, he had been detailed to the FAM program literally the week after 9/11 as the government scrambled to increase the number of FAMs in the program. My friend said that since they were all credentialed LEOs or Special Agents, the detailees were put through an intensive firearms training program to ensure that their shooting skills were up to FAM standards. SA ret. said that they shot all day, every day for two weeks. He said that they literally shot so much that at the end of the training the FAM program replaced all of their issued pistols because they had exceeded the pistol’s service life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I had written an article in 2018 that described what I was able to glean concerning the pre 9/11 from research and a discussion with Mike Seeklander at the 2016 IDPA Nationals. Mike Seeklander indicated that the FAM had used an FBI QIT-97 Target and a scoring system that differed from that which Thomas mentioned in his article which was the FBI-Q (milk bottle) target. As Thomas mentioned, the FAM program has likely used a number of qualification courses and targets over the years; therefore, the discrepancy between what Thomas mentions as the standard target and the QIT-97 Seeklander mentions are probably a result of different time frames.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Scoring: The maximum possible score is 150 points with a minimum passing score of 135 points. A minimum passing score of 135 allows for three complete misses. From my experience, if you are at the level where you routinely miss the FBI Q entirely your chances of passing the qualification are slim.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">You must be within the time limits for each string of fire. Shooting the FAM qualification course within the time limits while hitting the bottle necessarily requires a balance between speed and accuracy because of its strict adherence to the maximum time requirements for each stage. This is not trivial. If you do not meet the stage’s time requirement, you fail even if you managed to shoot a passing score overall.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Shooting the FAM qualification course is best done on an outdoor range. The course requires you to shoot targets spaced across lanes and one of the stages requires the shooter to turn 180-degrees without sweeping anyone. You must use a concealment garment for two of the seven stages.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The course of fire is 30 rounds from 7-yards, fired at three targets spaced three yards apart. Per Thomas: “The FAM set up the outer two targets with three yards – nine feet – between them edge-to-edge, then centered a third target between those. When you do it that way, according to my tape measure the distance between targets edge-to-edge is three feet, six and a half inches.” Some INTERNET sources claim the targets were three yards apart. Thomas goes on to state that given the FAM program’s mission, the nine feet distance makes sense. No commercial aircraft was wide enough for three people to stand eighteen feet apart in a fuselage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Target: Thomas mentions that the pre 9/11 FAM qualification used the standard FBI-Q target scored as five points for a full value hit within the bottle and zero points for hits outside the bottle. In other words, a hit on the line of the silhouette scores as a miss. SA ret. told me that in the FAM program he attended they used a version of the FBI-Q target that had a circle in the upper chest; however, they ignored the circle for scoring and used the entire bottle with full value scoring.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Qualification:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 1: From concealment, draw and fire one round on one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 3.30 seconds for 2 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 2: From low ready, double tap (two shots) on one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 2.70 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 3: From low ready, fire 6 rounds into one target. Maximum time is 3.00 seconds for 6 rounds fired and all splits (shot to shot time) must be 0.60 seconds or less.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 4: From low ready, fire one shot, reload, fire one shot into one target. Repeat. Maximum time is 6.50 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 5: From low ready, fire one round into the one of the two outer targets and then transition and fire a round into the other outer target. Repeat. Maximum time is 3.30 seconds for 4 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 6: From concealment and facing up range with back to targets, turn 180 degrees and place one shot into each of the three targets. Repeat. Maximum time is 7.00 seconds for 6 rounds fired.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 7: From low ready and standing, fire one round into one target, slide locks back, drop to one knee, reload, fire one round. Repeat. Maximum time is 8.00 seconds for 4 rounds fired. (Note this is essentially a slide lock 1-reload-1 drill just dropping to a knee while reloading).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My friend and I shot the FAM qualification during a training session in August 2023. The temperature on the range was 102 degrees with no shade so the heat challenged us a bit. We used the Range Master Q target which is similar to the to the FBI Q Target (with additional circles inside the bottle and a line at the bottom). We used the middle target for most strings which resulted in a possible hit count of 22 hits on the middle target and four hits each on the outer targets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I shot the qualification with my every day carry (EDC) P320 Carry in 9mm and my alternate P365 in 9mm. Both have Holosun green dot optic sights. I used a closed front t-shirt as my concealment garment for the strings that required concealment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I completed two qualifications with my P320, the first shot cold, and passed both. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdpC1V1_fQtdxhfB8Z33u2ezHxamRdwyswVj3MXnNH-n3TgxoFFleVEKhiaCQBjcsiNlxvLHxo6oPasFSYTxcIOfUMxXxf6POiF699EdOS5ftmz7n7P5luFfMJpsUaSQdADSf_sCKzc-EBaAgOJAl78BDi9ZRPlLy3YvBPgXrb2V5u0xDot56dmLspMTZ/s2484/FAM-Qual-P320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="FAM Qualification with the P320" border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="2484" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdpC1V1_fQtdxhfB8Z33u2ezHxamRdwyswVj3MXnNH-n3TgxoFFleVEKhiaCQBjcsiNlxvLHxo6oPasFSYTxcIOfUMxXxf6POiF699EdOS5ftmz7n7P5luFfMJpsUaSQdADSf_sCKzc-EBaAgOJAl78BDi9ZRPlLy3YvBPgXrb2V5u0xDot56dmLspMTZ/w640-h300/FAM-Qual-P320.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">FAM Qualification with P320</span></b></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The times for the qualification shown in the picture above using my P320 Carry were as follows:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage 1. Draw: 1.48, 1.39 = 2.87 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 2. Double Tap: .88, 1.08 = 1.96 (Standard: 2.70 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 3. Rapid Fire: 2.20 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 4. Speedload: 3.06, 2.95 = 6.01 (Standard: 6.50 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 5. Transition: 1.32, 1.28 = 2.60 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 6. Turn & Draw, 3 Targets: 2.69, 2.71 = 5.30 (Standard: 7.00 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 7. Slidelock Reload: 3.54, 3.79 = 6.53 (Standard: 8.00 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Times = Pass for all strings <br /><br />Points = Passed with 150 points</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH7Un3dJHj9wIVgfG_sDIho5bDp4Who7KnoEjBDD6ULJhFuc2p31Xo57IfnnEoIHly4ICQWKw-omRm01O2MwYfIoJNH0rtPfigTyJ7OY4p-fJvEfoaRrOCXGqF4fgwAngZyTF8KoUkjFdi6OKcZK015MjW986KzZyueIwveEpMwJmkFbRUGm-TQyvTl6v/s2558/FAM-Qual-P365.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="2558" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYH7Un3dJHj9wIVgfG_sDIho5bDp4Who7KnoEjBDD6ULJhFuc2p31Xo57IfnnEoIHly4ICQWKw-omRm01O2MwYfIoJNH0rtPfigTyJ7OY4p-fJvEfoaRrOCXGqF4fgwAngZyTF8KoUkjFdi6OKcZK015MjW986KzZyueIwveEpMwJmkFbRUGm-TQyvTl6v/w640-h338/FAM-Qual-P365.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">FAM Qualification with the P365</span></b></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I completed three qualifications with my P365 and passed all three. The times for the qualification shown in the picture above using my P365 were as follows:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 1. Draw: 1.62, 1.52 = 3.14 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 2. Double Tap: 1.15, 1.06 = 2.21 (Standard: 2.70 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 3. Rapid Fire: 2.75 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 4. Speedload: 3.04, 3.41 = 6.45 – barely squeaked by on this string due to issues with the concealment garment during the reloads (Standard: 6.50 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 5. Transition: 1.37, 1.48 = 2.83 (Standard: 3.30 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 6. Turn & Draw, 3 Targets: 3.22, 3.01 = 6.23 (Standard: 7.00 seconds or less) <br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Stage</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> 7. Slidelock Reload: 3.80, 3.77 = 7.57 (Standard: 8.00 seconds or less)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Times = Pass for all strings</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Points = Passed with 145 points (the shot touching the line on the middle target is a miss).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The FAM Qualification course tests several major tasks you must perform in the course of shooting a match or using a pistol for self-defense. They are:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Safely draw the pistol (clear concealment garment)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Extend to fire</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Transition between targets</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Reload the pistol (clear concealment garment)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Execute precise shots (sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Turning then drawing the pistol </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">-- Moving from standing to kneeling</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In my series of articles on deliberate practice I discuss the value of structured drills with specific goals designed to improve performance. Each of the major tasks listed above is composed of sub tasks that also must be performed correctly. Once we break each major task down into sub tasks we can then apply the deliberate practice methodology to improve our shooting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">For example: I have been practicing coming on target from a low ready position and firing an accurate shot. My practice has resulted in a .20 to .30 second improvement. When you do this five times during a qualification that time savings adds up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Federal Air Marshall course of fire is an extremely challenging pistol qualification and is a good tool for concealed carriers to use to benchmark their skills. If you can stay within the time limits and score a perfect 150, I will tip my hat to you. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed.<br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-19155447976797350392023-04-22T20:30:00.001-07:002023-04-22T20:57:48.506-07:00Practice Update -- The Same Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3o6k3c8Sj_AAkNYv9qzC4Yt50qR7w86wpQTrj2V4OaqU4OCMi6w2JJ3OSG6Z-wJQt5ZnSJYAIkUdj92M43WEMFNO2FOm-XGTakv-QWEMkmqX8TQOZ6yqNtVxJaF5GkAV5r02tlLBHh6P/s1600/stance.png" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="608" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3o6k3c8Sj_AAkNYv9qzC4Yt50qR7w86wpQTrj2V4OaqU4OCMi6w2JJ3OSG6Z-wJQt5ZnSJYAIkUdj92M43WEMFNO2FOm-XGTakv-QWEMkmqX8TQOZ6yqNtVxJaF5GkAV5r02tlLBHh6P/s320/stance.png" width="284" /></a></div><p>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;">This
is an update to a post I published in 2018 that reflects some of the techniques and lessons I
have learned in the last few years. The journey continues. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;"><b>The Same
Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time.</b> My students tell me that my mantra is often the one thing that
really sticks in their mind. I tend to repeat it over and over during the
course of a class. To shoot well you must do the same thing, the correct way,
every time.</span></p><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;">So
what does that mean? Particularly for beginners, you must have an acceptable
foundation upon which to build your shooting stance. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next time you are at the range, take a moment and look
at how most untrained pistol shooters are standing — you will see every
variation imaginable; most are not optimal. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The correct shooting stance is an aggressive
stance with feet approximately shoulder width apart, while your knees are
flexed (bent). If you're doing it correctly, you'll feel tension in your calf muscles.
One foot may be in front of the other as in a slight karate-style front stance.
A stance that's too wide will inhibit your ability to swing to shoot multiple
targets and your ability to move. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A common problem I often see is beginners
literally standing with their heels in a line perpendicular to the waist. While
this gives the illusion of a stable stance, there is no lateral stability. A
too-narrow stance can cause you to lose your balance as the pistol recoils.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bend your upper body slightly
forward with shoulders slightly in front of the waist, ears in front of
shoulders. Your spine should be relatively straight. This posture puts the
majority of the body weight slightly forward and uses the body's mechanics to
help control recoil.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grip the gun as high on the frame as
possible with the shooting hand indexing against the beavertail and making full
contact with the rear of the frame. If your hand size permits, extend both
thumbs toward the target along the slide or frame while exerting inward pressure with the palms of both hands.<br />
<br />
The shooting hand squeezes the gun from front to rear; the support hand
squeezes the shooting hand from side to side. This creates a clam-shell effect
that generates four-way, equal pressure on the pistol. Having the proper
pressure balance on every side allows the gun to track more consistently in
recoil and then return to the target quickly and consistently. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Use 100% of your grip strength. Some instructors advise using 60-40 or some other percentage--I do not. If you are using 100% of your grip strength (what ever that might be), by definition you cannot increase your grip pressure when you press the trigger. This helps prevent you from moving the pistol out of alignment when you press the trigger.<br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Aim--Align in the Middle</b>. Ensure
you have a proper sight alignment and sight picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sight alignment and sight picture are often
confused, but they are not the same. Alignment refers to the relationship
between the front and rear sight; the sight picture is the relationship between
the aligned sights and the target — what you see the instant the pistol fires.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1N16oLjfb6we9I9rbddk2znN7HWR0AEpJapQmHnjxBmZFuGiDZ9syDbfvmn5HG7lwb5cLWEbCbhmWxiIT36zhaPWy_UFUzJiYszz6hC4qhEY7hzRzYyj8-vqqbwMslw0TYaScAxLQbeo/s1600/Sight+Picture+2.png" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1N16oLjfb6we9I9rbddk2znN7HWR0AEpJapQmHnjxBmZFuGiDZ9syDbfvmn5HG7lwb5cLWEbCbhmWxiIT36zhaPWy_UFUzJiYszz6hC4qhEY7hzRzYyj8-vqqbwMslw0TYaScAxLQbeo/s640/Sight+Picture+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alignment is correct when the top of the front sight is the same height as the
top of the rear sight blade, and there is an equal amount of light showing on
either side of the front sight. With optical sights, alignment consists of
seeing the dot in the window — regardless of where it appears.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
must focus on the front sight (or dot, etc.) to fire an accurate shot. The
human eye's physical characteristics preclude simultaneously focusing on
objects at multiple distances. Focus on the front sight, not the rear sight and
not the target. If you are using a dot, focus on the target and super impose the dot on the spot on the target where you want the bullet to hit.<br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, you must simultaneously do
all the above while pressing the trigger to the rear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can have the perfect sight alignment and
picture, but if you move the pistol out of alignment when you press the trigger it does not matter how you press the trigger. The shot will not hit where you want it to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgvGecRIxmBH3iyruW2rhe01uEec8IzO5t6sCB2Q8JI7QTNYYvUtYXBNF149q6tlEaSD9WhCV_B1YoeifPLiXZxpS-n9ETDiCGg0nOftbsCPCj4kMHJMBtZibeWQFQHYSZi7FCS5yZBZw/s1600/5x5-Drill.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgvGecRIxmBH3iyruW2rhe01uEec8IzO5t6sCB2Q8JI7QTNYYvUtYXBNF149q6tlEaSD9WhCV_B1YoeifPLiXZxpS-n9ETDiCGg0nOftbsCPCj4kMHJMBtZibeWQFQHYSZi7FCS5yZBZw/s320/5x5-Drill.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;">I did not do
this as I was shooting the lower target in the picture 5x5 drill picture. My friend Steve and I were shooting the standard
version of Gila Hayes' 5x5 drill (not the IDPA version). I was using my P320
with an RMR. I had a great group going until I moved the pistol as I pressed the trigger on
the last two shots. I failed to grip the pistol and THEN press the press the trigger correctly two times.<br />
<br />
The group on the upper target was the same pistol with the RMR turned off and
using the iron sights. A bit of a drift to the lower left (I’m right handed) indicating
that I did not have a perfect 100% grip every time on this run either.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">The Same
Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time. </span>Back to the range for more deliberate practice!</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;"><br />
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side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when
I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 18pt;"> </span>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-84307466079883504102023-03-26T11:59:00.005-07:002023-03-26T17:06:01.589-07:00Store Owner Shoots Armed Robbers -- A Short Range Match Scenario<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbzMdbuTLETTYE6XXk9kPAswsUgAmoSZ5Hv7ckFWESiqXWBwKDd2kUQ4bFuaaMUyK2m8RgMcm6_5KXtEwi2QhVEG3j1pqPeGy4jLt-AUBbX6B32i2mLCLKXH7QoJy-ZZAgRpU-ILg4sdmAMXWtoappz7IgHZjbKS5hPN82TNoo6NPKGQvyp-tij9I_g/s3381/Store-Owner-Shoots-pic2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3381" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbzMdbuTLETTYE6XXk9kPAswsUgAmoSZ5Hv7ckFWESiqXWBwKDd2kUQ4bFuaaMUyK2m8RgMcm6_5KXtEwi2QhVEG3j1pqPeGy4jLt-AUBbX6B32i2mLCLKXH7QoJy-ZZAgRpU-ILg4sdmAMXWtoappz7IgHZjbKS5hPN82TNoo6NPKGQvyp-tij9I_g/w400-h272/Store-Owner-Shoots-pic2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">In the video linked below a store owner reacts to three thugs attempting a robbery. The thugs enter the store and immediately threaten the owner and customers with firearms. The thugs are committing aggravated robbery and threatening the use of unlawful deadly force—both acts are serious felonies. <a href="https://youtu.be/9lTRHfTV_xU" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">(see video)</span></a></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">At one point the store owner has retreated and a thug is on the counter threatening him with a pistol. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The store owner cooperates until he has the opportunity to retrieve his pistol. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">We next see the store owner after he has returned to the front and grabbed a pistol from under the counter. He opens fire on the three thugs and at least one returns fire as they scramble to escape out the front door.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The thugs then exit the store and the owner pursues. Pursuing the thugs is a bad decision as this creates a second event distinct from the earlier aggravated robbery. The owner is now using deadly force against the thugs who arguably no longer pose the threat of unlawful deadly force. As of this writing, there is no indication that the store owner has been charged.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The store owner’s pursuit of the thugs however, does provide a prosecutor the opportunity to charge the store owner with aggravated assault. If he had not pursued the robbers into the street, the prosecution would have faced an almost impossible burden in attempting to disprove any claim of self-defense or defense of other innocents (there were at least three customers in the store). This would have made the store owner extremely hard to convict and prosecutors do not like taking cases to trial that are hard to convict. Do not chase escaping thugs.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">We used this incident as a basis for a Short Range Match stage. The Short Range Match safely replicates real-life incidents on the range which then allows competitors to solve the problem. All threat targets have a visible weapon or full mask distinguishing them from the non-threats who have no visible weapon and their face is not covered. In this particular stage, we had the competitors fire the stage three times (strings of fire) beginning from three different start positions: hand on pistol, hands at sides, and hand in surrender with wrists above shoulder.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/9lTRHfTV_xU"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Eric Shooting the Short Range Stage" border="0" data-original-height="2087" data-original-width="3491" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0pbRiwZJ6aFgVcHfG8tN5Yscyo4xRnrHnosVKPQ_1KG99zGijChlY3BO04Wp69u3xFf7L9IboPb4COkxat1ast8V3zghwzu1jXe07RiNuqnvta09oDxgtG7Gn9rCdzUHe-5t59FPaVWSrV01pN_i_t75E_4vpo5p9EBU1ujversfS-OIaY4acm2h6Q/w400-h239/Store-Owner-Shoots-pic.jpg" title="Eric Shooting the Short Range Stage" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/9lTRHfTV_xU"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Eric Shooting the Short Range Stage</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The stage is set with two non-threats in front of the threat targets and one threat standing on the counter as you will see in the video. My string for the stage shown in the video is with me using a P365 (I am an IDPA Master with the Back Up Gun) and starting with my hand on the pistol. My draw time measured from the instant I initially moved at the start signal until I fired the first shot was 0.63 seconds. This measurement does not include my reaction to the buzzer. As a point of interest, the buzzer’s “beep” lasts 0.30 seconds and I reacted to the onset of the beep in 0.20 seconds. My draw from concealment starting from hands at sides was 1.77 seconds and my draw from surrender was 1.67 seconds.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Another IDPA Master shooter using a Carry Optic measured in the same manner resulted in a 1.10 second draw with hand on pistol, from hands at sides was 1.30 seconds, and his draw from surrender was 1.60 seconds.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I’ve collected data on literally thousands of runs comparing these starting positions and (depending upon the shooter’s skill) starting with the hand on the pistol saves 0.50 – 1.75 seconds or more over starting with your hand on the pistol versus starting with the hands in another position. Clearly, if you see a potentially unlawful deadly force incident developing, placing your hand on your pistol can save significant time on your draw.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-70497583859446098502023-03-24T12:13:00.002-07:002023-03-24T12:15:27.459-07:00Massad Ayoob Group MAG 40 After Class Review<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAZm5ov8IpBXX1nCWXCaSPg3XumZAa9aEhMxPHQVEyBRwEoOhv7PkML-Ic9KtVRhNqucFIllxZtTmbjoFnT0OcfV7eb5eBvKMGvU22CEfXC_wEsprZcLWGjajnJmNHIOPcdtTdeX4Y5N4MD9PJ8NXnalK78WeIbP8Gt3pqIgukwM2qAZXUDgxcGbLnw/s4032/IMG_6238.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAZm5ov8IpBXX1nCWXCaSPg3XumZAa9aEhMxPHQVEyBRwEoOhv7PkML-Ic9KtVRhNqucFIllxZtTmbjoFnT0OcfV7eb5eBvKMGvU22CEfXC_wEsprZcLWGjajnJmNHIOPcdtTdeX4Y5N4MD9PJ8NXnalK78WeIbP8Gt3pqIgukwM2qAZXUDgxcGbLnw/s320/IMG_6238.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">We completed the Massad Ayoob Group MAG 20 live fire and MAG 20 Classroom in March 2023. It was a great class with learning all around.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I instructed the live fire portion and Massad Ayoob taught the classroom portion. Together, these courses constitute the MAG 40 and provide the student with the tools to effectively use their pistol to defend themselves; to interact with suspects, witnesses, and responding police officers; to develop a solid mindset, recognize threats, and manage the social, psychological, and legal aftermath after having been forced to use deadly force in defense of themselves or other innocents.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">We had ten students for the live fire portion and the class average for the qualification was an impressive 293 points out of a possible 300.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Students in the MAG 20 live fire shoot the Standard Speed Qualification course of fire as follows:</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">From the four yard line:</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">-- Starting with the pistol aimed at the bottom of the target: Six rounds with your support hand in 8 seconds</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, hand on pistol: Six rounds with your primary hand in 8 seconds</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">From the seven yard line:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, hands at sides, using your preferred stance: Six rounds, reload, six rounds in 25 seconds</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">From the ten yard line:</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">-- Starting with the pistol aimed at the bottom of the target: Six rounds using the cover crouch, reload, six rounds from high kneeling, reload, six rounds from low kneeling in 75 seconds.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">From the fifteen yard line:</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">-- Starting with the pistol holstered, hands at sides: Six rounds using the Weaver Stance, reload, six rounds using the Chapman Modified Stance, reload, six rounds using the Isosceles Stance in 90 seconds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">The MAG tradition is that if a student or staff member ties or beats Massad’s qualification score Mas signs a one dollar or five dollar bill indicating that you have beaten him at his own game. I have eight signed five dollar bills and hope to accumulate enough of them to buy a good bottle of bourbon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOWfFl-vfuZ-2pRkxQIFs1bamKsvrnhMoKzBdG8N_cauLGv1cCHglCPk3Vnc_Q0mCA7ww0h53rJrhMsRKIAxO0qwCmTA4To9kiyLqgHzxzKWLDikC5AY4WlHHBPj84HBNssu8Jy0GQraaTq0sKjbsXYwqIUPdTtrCkdpj4C3J6KMPYooVovd9LbuCbg/s4032/Eric-Mas-Mar-23.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOWfFl-vfuZ-2pRkxQIFs1bamKsvrnhMoKzBdG8N_cauLGv1cCHglCPk3Vnc_Q0mCA7ww0h53rJrhMsRKIAxO0qwCmTA4To9kiyLqgHzxzKWLDikC5AY4WlHHBPj84HBNssu8Jy0GQraaTq0sKjbsXYwqIUPdTtrCkdpj4C3J6KMPYooVovd9LbuCbg/w400-h300/Eric-Mas-Mar-23.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">I shot my P365 for the qualification and used factory equivalent reloads. I shot a 300 and managed a 3-1/4 inch group which was 1/8" larger than my record group of 3-1/8 inches. Its always that one shot that causes issues and in this case that one shot added 1-1/8 inches to my group size. I would have been very happy with a 2-1/8" group. Sigh. <br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">This is my 10th year as a Massad Ayoob Group Staff Instructor. The MAG 20 Live Fire program continues to provide outstanding instruction in the use of the handgun under stress and the MAG 20 classroom provides the absolute best instruction on the armed citizen’s rules of engagement that you can find anywhere in the United States.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you enjoy reading these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed. <br /></span><br /></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-46586985794227945902023-02-28T15:19:00.001-08:002023-08-08T16:47:51.880-07:00My Performance on a Police Use of Force Training Simulator Pt 2<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSk-wunzbEyp7BA2NrglaJric9l3eO2bgH92bV1aj1NHYEHH9nzNAAfK7OfWZqZO4Vb3UfJ9Yag-kQJA2aoc8Bf5m8hMFfHIJE7MxjY3ynl9meMGh4p-SltfmDOWoqz9iIggnBq0CuwviBTH1SP6VvGjPm5OtZdsh7VQcrmIUUUaQ4HfWAM6Il-Y6PRA/s878/Virta%20File%20Photo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="878" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSk-wunzbEyp7BA2NrglaJric9l3eO2bgH92bV1aj1NHYEHH9nzNAAfK7OfWZqZO4Vb3UfJ9Yag-kQJA2aoc8Bf5m8hMFfHIJE7MxjY3ynl9meMGh4p-SltfmDOWoqz9iIggnBq0CuwviBTH1SP6VvGjPm5OtZdsh7VQcrmIUUUaQ4HfWAM6Il-Y6PRA/s320/Virta%20File%20Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Virta Simulator File Photo</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This article is the second in a series discussing my experiences training on a sophisticated police use of force training simulator or PTS. During the training session, I completed several law enforcement-themed scenarios including domestic disturbances, drug-related incidents, a robbery at a convenience store, and several active killer incidents. It was an interesting experience and I was satisfied with my performance overall since I did not get shot in any of the scenarios. However, in some of the scenarios I did not act quickly enough to stop the perpetrator from other harming others.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One scenario involved a dispute between two neighbors who lived in different houses across the street from me. Since these scenarios were LEO-focused, even though I was at home, I was acting in the role of a police officer. When the scenario begins, I hear loud yelling coming from across the street and go to investigate. As I step around the blind corner of a garage leading to an area between two houses I see a man holding a shotgun at his waist and pointed at a woman. Both individuals are loudly arguing about something.<br /><br />I draw my pistol, point it at the man, and command him to drop the shotgun. He immediately complies and places the shotgun on the ground, steps back, and raises his hands. I lower my pistol to low ready and that was the extent of my actions in that moment. The woman continues loudly yelling at the man and he becomes more agitated. Thirty seconds or so pass and suddenly he lunges for the shotgun, picks it up, aims at the woman, and shoots her in the chest. A soon as he aims it toward the woman, I shoot him—he goes down; however, I was not fast enough to prevent him from killing the woman.<br /><br />As I completed several scenarios, I did not hesitate when the threat was directed at me. However, when I was not immediately threatened, I experienced an instant of hesitation deciding whether I should act. My hesitation resulted in several people being “killed.” As I reviewed my performance after the training, I realized I was approaching the scenarios with a private citizen mindset and not the mindset of a police officer. The last time I wore a police uniform was 1983–almost 40 years ago—so in retrospect I guess this is not surprising. Over the years I have given careful thought to what situations I will and will not get involved in and in all but extremely rare occasions, stay out of other people’s business. <br /><br />Practicing reactions to deadly force scenarios or other emergencies increases our confidence, and increased confidence lowers</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> our body's</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> stress response when we actually face dangerous situations. Our field of vision is not as narrow as it might be otherwise, and our tendency to fixate on a "fear object" or other distraction diminishes. Because our brain is in a more relaxed state, it is more able to dedicate resources to creatively addressing new challenges (for example, incoming gunfire from an unexpected direction). </span><br /></span><br /> </p><p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-30573331975945553582023-02-21T10:55:00.000-08:002023-02-21T10:55:10.335-08:00My Performance on a Police Use of Force Training Simulator Pt 1<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV363ao9dh5tZJJtBVqBwnSV-STRI2xqR4qK7_mq9JyHoSIxaaXKq9RYVMTwUdp6TZjvPclM2NcublFOciVWOtEWgV9Bps6PSqI3ccKRBXKOM38NLGR2fJ1CpGDWSk1yrZ8pfHik7GYo722R1oC5wiwV29mpY4xBqfRz8u0paz3esIUt0qk2etS_q0DA/s2298/Screenshot%202023-02-21%20at%2012.53.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="2298" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV363ao9dh5tZJJtBVqBwnSV-STRI2xqR4qK7_mq9JyHoSIxaaXKq9RYVMTwUdp6TZjvPclM2NcublFOciVWOtEWgV9Bps6PSqI3ccKRBXKOM38NLGR2fJ1CpGDWSk1yrZ8pfHik7GYo722R1oC5wiwV29mpY4xBqfRz8u0paz3esIUt0qk2etS_q0DA/w640-h341/Screenshot%202023-02-21%20at%2012.53.30%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I recently had the opportunity to train on a sophisticated police use of force training simulator and completed several law enforcement-themed scenarios. The scenarios included domestic disturbances, drug-related incidents, a robbery at a convenience store, and several active killer incidents. It was an interesting experience and I was satisfied with my performance overall since I did not get shot in any of the scenarios. However, in some of the scenarios I did not act quickly enough to stop the perpetrator from other harming others.<br /><br />Police electronic training simulators or ETSs help prepare law enforcement officers for real-life incidents using realistic scenarios that demand critical decisions in tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations. The training scenarios in the simulations had real actors and extensive branching options that reacted to the participant’s verbal commands, decisions, movement, or other actions. The branches allowed the incident to unfold based on the instructor’s or the participant’s decisions. The ETS detected where the participant was pointing their pistol’s muzzle and required precise marksmanship. <br /><br />I experienced tunnel vision in one scenario. The scenario had me walking around a blind corner toward the entrance to a convenience store. Suddenly a young man runs from the convenience store straight toward me. When he sees me, he immediately raises his empty hands in a surrender position and lays down on the ground without any command from me (since it was an LEO scenario, I presume I was in a “virtual” police uniform and that explained his actions). <br /><br />An instant later another man in street clothes runs from the store with a pistol in hand pointed at the ground. I draw and challenge the individual to drop his gun whereupon the individual produces a badge and identifies himself as a police officer. As I am staring at the badge, I do not see the individual on the ground roll over and produce a pistol. It wasn’t until he pointed it at the plain clothes police officer that I first became aware of this individual’s actions—I was too late, he fired at the officer. As the individual on the ground turned his pistol to shoot me, I shot him in the head ending the scenario.<br /><br />During this scenario I experienced a form of inattentional blindness — a temporary loss of peripheral vision also referred to as tunnel vision. Tunnel vision can result from a variety of factors including high adrenaline levels in the body from stress or anger. Although I was not experiencing high adrenaline levels in the scenario, I was stressed since I wanted to do well. Tunnel vision can also result from a hyper focus on something such as the badge in my case.<br /><br />I do not know how long I was focused on the badge and failed to ask during the after action review; however, I do not believe it was more than a second or two. Clearly it was long enough for the perpetrator to shoot the officer. When I saw the perpetrator shoot the officer, I turned my attention to him and reacted appropriately to the deadly threat against me.<br /><br />So how do we prevent tunnel vision? The first step in dealing with narrowing attention is understanding that it can happen as your stress level rises and your body does an adrenaline dump in response. Being able to control your stress is one of the best ways to combat the ill effects of the hormonal chemical dump that changes your psychological, cognitive, and physical performance. Breathing techniques can be effective if you have time.<br /><br />If you find you are fixating on one sound or one task, make a conscious effort to unlock your senses from it and force yourself to scan your environment. During the scenario, the police officer and I were both focused on each other and not on the perpetrator (the officer did not defend himself either). Obviously my best response upon seeing the badge would have been immediately turning my attention on the perpetrator and commanding him not to move. Would the perpetrator have acted anyway? I do not know; however, I would have been better prepared for his attack and may have been able to prevent him from shooting the officer. <br /></span> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br />Practicing reactions to deadly force scenarios or other emergencies increases our confidence and increased confidence lowers our body's stress response when we actually face dangerous situations. Our field of vision is not as narrow as it might be otherwise, and our tendency to fixate on a "fear object" or other distraction diminishes. Because our brain is in a more relaxed state, it is more able to dedicate resources to creatively addressing new challenges (for example, incoming gunfire from an unexpected direction).<br /><br />If you enjoy these please subscribe. The link is on the upper right side of the page. All that will happen is that you will receive an e-mail when I post an article. Your information will never be distributed.</span>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-42351530884775582622022-12-07T12:00:00.001-08:002022-12-07T12:01:22.260-08:00Florida Deputy Shoots and Kills His Officer Roommate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOxY7tMvAH12wmJm36dEevoosv3DSQq1fqhn5RXNQh5PYpH0QOn2lbq1bzqrCDdDEouTvuL4jZ6jU-TD4-yA_alRlu4zGdeIBJFFFQugOEqcolmDLL_hbumQpcW2SdwBp3XdqwRpy8aq585XNDGrJBgevoobqT23rD2YsmnjmHW4anr_Pv5KRik4qow/s1000/Austin%20Walsh.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1000" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOxY7tMvAH12wmJm36dEevoosv3DSQq1fqhn5RXNQh5PYpH0QOn2lbq1bzqrCDdDEouTvuL4jZ6jU-TD4-yA_alRlu4zGdeIBJFFFQugOEqcolmDLL_hbumQpcW2SdwBp3XdqwRpy8aq585XNDGrJBgevoobqT23rD2YsmnjmHW4anr_Pv5KRik4qow/s320/Austin%20Walsh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff’s Deputy
Andrew Lawson and his close friend and roommate Deputy Austin Walsh were
at home playing an online game when the two reportedly took a break.
Deputy Lawson picked up a pistol he thought wasn’t loaded and reportedly
in jest, pointed the pistol at Deputy Walsh and pulled the trigger,
killing him instantly. Lawson called 911 immediately after the shooting.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement later took Deputy
Lawson into custody on a no-bond warrant for manslaughter with a
firearm.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
officials called this incident a “tragic accident.” Did Lawson intend
to shoot his roommate? Undoubtedly no; however, this was negligence,
not an accident.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The four firearm safety rules:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">1.
Treat every firearm as if it is loaded at all times. Are all firearms
always loaded? Of course not; however, if we always treat them as if
they are loaded our actions are less likely to result in tragedy. Did
Deputy Lawson know the status of the firearm he was holding? No he did
not. <b><span style="color: red;">FAIL!</span></b><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">2.
Always point the firearm in the safest direction — this is dependent
upon the environment and circumstances. We live in a 360-degree world. A
safe direction one minute may not be safe a moment later. It should go
without saying, NEVER point a firearm at anyone or anything you are not
willing to destroy. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did Deputy Lawson intent to destroy Deputy Walsh? Very likely he did not, yet he pointed a deadly weapon at him. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">FAIL!</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">3.
Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard unless
you are intentionally firing a shot. Discard all other variations of
this rule. Intentionally firing a shot is a conscious act. Did Deputy
Lawson </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">consciously </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">intent to shoot Deputy Walsh? Very likely he did not, yet he placed his finger on the trigger and pulled the trigger. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">FAIL!</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Did Deputy Lawson consider Deputy Walsh a target? Very likely he did not. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">FAIL!</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
four firearm safety rules are multilayered for a reason. You can
typically violate one without catastrophic consequences. Once you begin
to violate two or more you are in trouble. Deputy Lawson violated all
four of the firearm safety rules.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some may consider my comments harsh--I don't. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Firearms are dangerous tools—not toys and must be treated as such. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deputy Lawson presumably received </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">firearms safety </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">training at the academy. Perhaps he was absent that day. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">A moment’s buffoonery resulted in one life lost and another ruined. </span></span>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-35942878298583526792022-11-14T11:55:00.001-08:002022-11-14T19:23:44.588-08:00Shot in the Heart: The Ghaznavi - Parks Gunfight<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrxzy4ECFS_6qlpzVfQoA7tSbOCOtGcgV9fr7o286HaSH1RCFDXSid1cKwO2alHnjxVzm9kU8OI2B9-LcoAVcN3AiZNppXmbBT7eR-I9PS4sByQhRMdrL7MlDzYJttSqir38XtTl9UGXV1P76ANHgHu_xQo1zBSOv29jSfQyL4TilSf2UpZJdmd6OCQ/s3262/Java%20Gold%202010.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2159" data-original-width="3262" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrxzy4ECFS_6qlpzVfQoA7tSbOCOtGcgV9fr7o286HaSH1RCFDXSid1cKwO2alHnjxVzm9kU8OI2B9-LcoAVcN3AiZNppXmbBT7eR-I9PS4sByQhRMdrL7MlDzYJttSqir38XtTl9UGXV1P76ANHgHu_xQo1zBSOv29jSfQyL4TilSf2UpZJdmd6OCQ/s320/Java%20Gold%202010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2010 Robbery</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pistols generally are not instantaneous fight stoppers. As numerous incidents have demonstrated, the only pistol shot that will instantly stop a fight is one that destroys the brain or severs the spinal cord thereby disabling the central nervous system. Gunshot wounds to the circulatory system and some head wounds often leave their victim capable of purposeful action for many seconds after the fatal wound.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mehmood Ghaznavi, the owner of the Java Gold jewelry store was no stranger to violent armed robbery. In April 2010 security cameras recorded an armed robbery at the Java Gold jewelry store in Houston, Texas when three men robbed and severely beat Ghaznavi and an employee. Police eventually caught all three attackers. After the 2010 robbery, Ghaznavi armed himself and unfortunately was killed in a gunfight with Anthony Lee Parks during an attempted robbery in a separate incident a year later.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Ghaznavi - Parks </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gunfight</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">In July 2011, Anthony Lee Parks decided to rob the Java Gold jewelry store. The Java Gold security video shows Parks talking to Ghaznavi for 10-15 minutes prior to attempting the robbery. The video shows Parks reaching into the pocket holding his pistol several times and then removing his hand without the pistol. Although I am speculating, it is very likely that Parks was trying to get up the nerve to go through with the robbery. It is unfortunate that he did not just walk out.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">When Parks drew his pistol, Ghaznavi grabbed his pistol as well, a Taurus Judge. During the initial exchange of gunfire, a bullet from Park’s .38 Special S&W Model 37 inflicted a fatal wound on Ghaznavi striking part of his heart. Both men were standing 3-5 feet apart during this exchange.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Parks ran to his car and was attempting to start it when Ghaznavi calmly walked to the door of the business, opened it, and fired two aimed shots at Parks as he sat in his car outside. One of Ghaznavi ‘s shots penetrated the windshield and struck Parks in his upper right forehead, an inch or two above and to the left of his right temple. The bullet lodged in his brain and was later removed during surgery.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ghaznavi’s Taurus Judge was chambered for the 45 Colt; however, the pistol was loaded with .44 Special cartridges. Why Ghaznavi had loaded the pistol with .44 Special cartridges is unknown; however, a .44 caliber, .429-inch bullet fired in a .452-inch bore meant the bullet did not get the rifling’s full benefit. After shooting Parks, Ghaznavi collapsed in the doorway, almost 30 seconds after he was initially shot.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The actions each man was able to take after receiving what arguably should have been incapacitating wounds is illustrative.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">After being shot, Ghaznavi was able to continue purposeful action for almost 30 seconds and in that time, shoot his attacker. After being shot in the head, Parks was able to get out of his car, go back into the store (stepping over Ghaznavi’s still-twitching body), go to the restroom, and stop the bleeding of his head wound with paper towels. Parks then realized that video cameras had recorded the incident, so he began searching for the digital video recording (DVR) equipment, which turned out to be locked behind thick glass. Parks tried shooting the glass with his pistol, but he was out of bullets. He then took Ghaznavi’s gun and tried to shoot the glass again, but Ghaznavi’s pistol was also empty. Parks then PICKED UP A CHAIR and was able to smash the glass to get to the DVR. This is where the video ends as Parks disconnected the DVR, took it outside, and hid it in some bushes along with his pistol.</span></span></p><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrXYwP5yFdIz7_9WBVGrN1IzJTyPra1Gm_cJ21JNDJQIOomxbbbn9lPFzkEXzLGC5cwaBHZeu90kl-9-8_QIew2UhxH62wjfq613tPdbEMKvPqKMocX9_FWEdReC0bPG-b7ofWAPOHJz6laYJESigdxSUHwMBx0nhOC7PAhKlGcnJ8hMBaAbmiE9Dkg/s432/Java%20Gold%20police.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="432" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrXYwP5yFdIz7_9WBVGrN1IzJTyPra1Gm_cJ21JNDJQIOomxbbbn9lPFzkEXzLGC5cwaBHZeu90kl-9-8_QIew2UhxH62wjfq613tPdbEMKvPqKMocX9_FWEdReC0bPG-b7ofWAPOHJz6laYJESigdxSUHwMBx0nhOC7PAhKlGcnJ8hMBaAbmiE9Dkg/s320/Java%20Gold%20police.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Police at the Scene</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Police found Parks at the scene when they arrived suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of his forehead. Per an individual who worked on this case, Parks tried to pull the old “they went thataway!” and told Houston Police that some guys had just robbed the place and shot him. The Houston Police allowed an ambulance to transport Parks to a hospital, but his story quickly fell apart. As police reviewed the crime scene, they discovered the DVR equipment and Parks’s pistol hidden in the bushes. The police recovered the video of the robbery and subsequently arrested Parks for Ghaznavi’s murder. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">A jury later convicted Parks of Ghaznavi’s murder and sentenced him to 40 years in prison.</span></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWRmVvSsAWGhsdeJAj7B7qQpc93Mbty2kihvCv-XZHKoxXu00fai-WmrdQPoFmmL8XW1G3It3YBTIMVIjYruM8xyW05-8g3vkScT2tkhuZHJwZcppMrGiYX1gBsWH_GN9Y4smiaUl54Ya5RkldvGvonTmN1OPzo4EA4Zmq0ouEmHwvEsa4PU3MNjDfA/s227/anthony%20parks.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="196" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWRmVvSsAWGhsdeJAj7B7qQpc93Mbty2kihvCv-XZHKoxXu00fai-WmrdQPoFmmL8XW1G3It3YBTIMVIjYruM8xyW05-8g3vkScT2tkhuZHJwZcppMrGiYX1gBsWH_GN9Y4smiaUl54Ya5RkldvGvonTmN1OPzo4EA4Zmq0ouEmHwvEsa4PU3MNjDfA/s1600/anthony%20parks.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anthony Lee Parks</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">An individual involved in the trial stated that he noted no sign of cognitive difficulties for Parks when he met him a few days later in the jail. He stated that Parks was intelligent, polite, and respectful. If Parks had any long-term brain damage, it did not manifest itself during his murder trial. </span></span><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pistols Are Generally Not Instantaneous Fight Stoppers</span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Extensive research has shown that the only pistol shot that will instantly stop a fight is one that destroys the brain or severs the spinal cord thereby disabling the central nervous system. Shots that do not strike the central nervous system must rely on a critical level of blood loss to cause unconsciousness. Often someone who has received a fatal wound that reduces blood circulation will still be capable of purposeful activity for ten seconds or longer because the brain can remain sufficiently oxygenated.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">In other words, even if you inflict a fatal wound, your assailant may have a significant period of time in which they can still injure or kill you. There is no physiological reason for an individual to be incapacitated until blood loss is sufficient to drop blood pressure and/or the brain is deprived of oxygen. As discussed here, there are many documented instances where someone continued fighting for much more than ten seconds after taking a serious wound to the heart or other critical circulatory system components.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">The same applies to head wounds. The human skull is hard and has evolved to protect the brain. If the brain or the spinal cord remain intact, there is no guarantee that the person will be incapacitated. Parks’s head wound, although it might have been ultimately fatal without medical intervention, was not immediately incapacitating. The shot to the head most likely to guarantee immediate incapacitation is a shot to the ocular cavity. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you found this analysis educational, please subscribe at the link in the upper right of this page <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /></span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-83345136083809223622022-10-30T19:28:00.001-07:002022-10-30T19:29:41.268-07:00SSD Special Match: Little Buzz Saws<div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_7i"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaNra1O2Lm0JsNDrFrpiD65yFkmaZ1RbtPyT7e_8C_SMbCXiszC41acQAWQTV9SACjc5ZDrIqIIUsr5wA-DW_deFlxuYtKF4Oay_7lDMNTqXnMN0gQD-e8CSDIKjrQi3A-vrQKaIIy7aej_bXgEWxybvIEBbGk_-Sc1Ikh7yK7FfHL4TbHq_6Ws_GkA/s3711/holes.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3228" data-original-width="3711" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaNra1O2Lm0JsNDrFrpiD65yFkmaZ1RbtPyT7e_8C_SMbCXiszC41acQAWQTV9SACjc5ZDrIqIIUsr5wA-DW_deFlxuYtKF4Oay_7lDMNTqXnMN0gQD-e8CSDIKjrQi3A-vrQKaIIy7aej_bXgEWxybvIEBbGk_-Sc1Ikh7yK7FfHL4TbHq_6Ws_GkA/s320/holes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As I was processing the targets from yesterday's SSD Special Match, I noticed a number of .223/5.56 bullet holes that were a perfect silhouette of a bullet. This means that the bullet was tumbling when it passed through the target.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Typically this is caused by either the barrel not stabilizing the bullet (i.e. the barrel is shot out or the twist is incorrect for the bullet weight) or the bullet striking something.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It is possible that the bullets were striking a flash hider, muzzle brake, or a baffle in a suppressor. There were no other intervening obstacles.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It is also possible that the shooter's barrel was the wrong twist for the bullet they were firing. For example: a 55 grain bullet in a 1:6" twist or a 62 grain bullet in a 1:16" twist. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u" dir="auto" lang="en">At
one point in my military days, I would often see this with M-16s that
had the barrels shot out. At 25 yards the bullets struck the targets
sideways. It was a great hoot firing them on full auto, shooting
bullets like little buzz saws--they <a tabindex="-1"></a>would really chew up the targets.</span> <br /></div></div></span></span></span></div></div></div></div>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-8838546524778188302022-10-16T08:58:00.002-07:002022-10-16T08:59:04.586-07:00Dave Spaulding and the Handgun Combatives Legacy Class<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aKNoFGFYRU-whfp46fsnNm5tsYRlxHxTU_0WMRVz73qacuAk_1iQ8Z81C0WEccDGijzYXkRyhDeLnTUufMs3cytO1Ifwz-LXiPFqceNCaYcz-5Li7x8aAhpceBXjtKnhxysoGwpdrun4iEJud7rdG3F1SUbkuR2DEvJKlzBKz4T6NTdeInJBLP8e4w/s4032/IMG_1500.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aKNoFGFYRU-whfp46fsnNm5tsYRlxHxTU_0WMRVz73qacuAk_1iQ8Z81C0WEccDGijzYXkRyhDeLnTUufMs3cytO1Ifwz-LXiPFqceNCaYcz-5Li7x8aAhpceBXjtKnhxysoGwpdrun4iEJud7rdG3F1SUbkuR2DEvJKlzBKz4T6NTdeInJBLP8e4w/s320/IMG_1500.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">I came across Dave Spaulding and his Handgun Combatives courses late in his career—much to my regret. My first class with Dave was eye-opening. Dave is one of those unique individuals who can perceive the obvious. I do not say this lightly, the only other individual that I have encountered in my professional life that had this skill was GEN Maxwell Thurman, an Army four star general. At the time, I was one of two officers that the Intelligence Director permitted to brief GEN Thurman because he was a difficult individual to brief. This permitted me an interesting perspective because I was facing the audience full of other generals and colonels. GEN Thurman would make a comment or observation that in immediate retrospect was obvious; however, no one had considered it until that moment. </span></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">Dave has that ability and that is why I enjoy his classes. His unique perspective and ability to distill shooting tasks down to their essence is a pleasure to observe and has improved my own teaching ability. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IfHoIqVsbDLAudif67am6G1wf8GyPG-Im-Q_lCSPwQUV--JvSUNq3VhD-feRIuKIqeZwdxLERcvPsSIfXmvmgeS45MXbJMuygIbL4QX9WbNeDRGYq5e8YoUui_wlretJNJggWI_mlrNUJP9fmYjmPxA-AsaHLImnZTbg9LlQlXyil9JhDFDZiBwew/s4032/IMG_1474.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IfHoIqVsbDLAudif67am6G1wf8GyPG-Im-Q_lCSPwQUV--JvSUNq3VhD-feRIuKIqeZwdxLERcvPsSIfXmvmgeS45MXbJMuygIbL4QX9WbNeDRGYq5e8YoUui_wlretJNJggWI_mlrNUJP9fmYjmPxA-AsaHLImnZTbg9LlQlXyil9JhDFDZiBwew/s320/IMG_1474.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the picture on the right with Dave and me is Gunsite instructor Randy Watt. You might ask why a Gunsite instructor would be taking a pistol class? All good instructors/teachers continue their professional development and take classes from other instructors. I rarely learn something new about shooting per se; however, in every class I take I walk away with a new instruction technique or new insight I had not previously considered.<br /></span></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">The legacy class I
attended was Dave’s last formal class and his company Handgun Combatives
has ceased operations after eleven successful years so an after action report on the class is pointless. Of course, that
does not mean that Dave will not teach in the future. If you get the
chance to attend one of Dave’s classes at some point, I suggest that you
do so.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">In that vein, if there is a particular teacher or class you would like to attend you might seriously consider attending sooner rather than later. Many of the well-known trainers are nearing the end of their careers and you may not have the chance if you postpone. I was fortunate to receive a slot for Dave’s legacy class off the waiting list—otherwise I would not have had the opportunity to enjoy his teaching one last time. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /> <br /><br /></span></span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720168745865837338.post-71251924399599329812022-09-18T18:01:00.001-07:002022-10-10T10:09:24.501-07:00Tap Rack Revisited--How to Not Blow Up Your Pistol.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrfQZCjf6_arNm-Eb6QJyH74VlIAaJ39SjfVkSYf-ceJ8v7RiLa6YrX1UX9g04Dc4wixrDY0o_CjZfeo0N0xasmeKfn4ybEstlmMJEj655QGQiJIsRMxlu2Dc5xeFpQti59igVcTdH-Sg/s1600/9mm-burst-multi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrfQZCjf6_arNm-Eb6QJyH74VlIAaJ39SjfVkSYf-ceJ8v7RiLa6YrX1UX9g04Dc4wixrDY0o_CjZfeo0N0xasmeKfn4ybEstlmMJEj655QGQiJIsRMxlu2Dc5xeFpQti59igVcTdH-Sg/s640/9mm-burst-multi.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is an update to an article I wrote several years ago, spurred by a recent incident during a training session. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I
still routinely see competitors trying to catch rounds when they are
clearing their pistols or holding their hand over the ejection port in
an attempt to catch the round instead of letting it drop to the ground.
This is not a good idea.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I
was always somewhat skeptical when I heard stories of rounds detonating
in the ejection port. I now have personally witnessed </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">two </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">examples
of rounds doing just that. One as the shooter was clearing the pistol
and one when the shooter (a cardiologist) was attempting to close the slide on a round
that apparently had not gone into battery. Fortunately, although the doctor's hand was lacerated, no tendons were cut.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnrX48TJAoynZ4QHq0-m5mTuN8Vn1eaYS8wnNAZ5MNH0mpmvrOUP-qqMHHslY3Wu0BvE18oxcR43xuOU_XQlEJv6pH-aSm58vmD35KdOCktk3AEBJDPmfyCLvLMRuUF5oLanX7fYTgMW_9j0veA0gcPHc2b7xxXGocsluTuxU86XK-b1KeDT9ozuPmA/s1132/Stuart's-Bullet.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnrX48TJAoynZ4QHq0-m5mTuN8Vn1eaYS8wnNAZ5MNH0mpmvrOUP-qqMHHslY3Wu0BvE18oxcR43xuOU_XQlEJv6pH-aSm58vmD35KdOCktk3AEBJDPmfyCLvLMRuUF5oLanX7fYTgMW_9j0veA0gcPHc2b7xxXGocsluTuxU86XK-b1KeDT9ozuPmA/s320/Stuart's-Bullet.jpg" width="296" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Recently
during a training session, a shooter was clearing his 1911 pistol. The
round apparently managed to turn sideways in the ejection port and
detonated from the primer striking the ejector. The brass case departed
stage right and we did not recover it. The bullet struck some part of
the ejection port and we found it on the ground at his feet. It had
minimal damage and could have easily been reloaded and fired.</span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">If the shooter had placed his hand over the ejection port, the brass case would likely have severely lacerated his hand.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">At
one point, a common response to the slide of a pistol failing to go
into battery was to strike the rear of the slide.
I do not see this too often as striker fired pistols have come into
mainstream usage. However as we see in the incident discussed below,
that may not be a very good idea and
indeed could be very dangerous as well.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I
was serving as the match director in our Short Range Match when I heard
a loud pop instead of a bang as a competitor was completing a stage. I
looked up and saw the safety officer walking toward me with the </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span data-offset-key="57ose-0-0"><span data-text="true">competitor</span></span>
who was holding his left hand with blood pouring through his fingers.
His pistol was lying on the ground where it had fallen from his hand.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The </span></span><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span data-offset-key="57ose-0-0"><span data-text="true">competitor</span></span>'s
pistol had failed to go into battery and he had aggressively hit the
back of the slide with his left palm in an attempt to clear the
malfunction. As he did this, his fingers went forward over the top of
the slide just as the round detonated in the open ejection port.
Fragments of brass severely cut his left index and middle fingers. After
examining the </span></span><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span data-offset-key="57ose-0-0"><span data-text="true">competitor's</span></span>
injured left-hand, a doctor at the scene determined that he was not
seriously injured and only had some bloody but not serious cuts.The
competitor was a heart surgeon so this was welcome news indeed!</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">When
I retrieved and examined the pistol, I saw that the remains of the
detonated round were still in the ejection port. The round had nosedived
into the feed ramp and that in doing so it literally positioned the
primer exactly over the extractor. When the </span></span><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">competitor</span></span> slammed the slide forward with his left hand the extractor had crushed the primer causing the 9mm round to detonate. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If
you look at photo #1 above you can get an idea of the quantity of brass
fragments that struck the shooter’s hand. In photo #2 you can see where
the extractor (not the ejector--look at the picture) crushed the primer
(pistol was a Kahr 9mm). This particular gentleman was very forceful
when he manipulated his pistol. Photo #3 shows where the force of the
detonation slammed the bullet into the feed ramp. Photo #4 provides
another view. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In
my classes I teach that the proper response to a click instead of a
bang is to tap the magazine (to ensure it is properly seated) and rack
the slide—tap, rack. This will often clear the malfunction. If it does
not, the proper response is to lock the slide back, aggressively strip
the magazine out, and then reload the pistol and continue to fire if the
circumstances warrant. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After reloading, if it does not fire you probably have a broken pistol that's not going to be</span></span><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> easily </span></span><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
fixed on the spot. If you are under assault, the proper response at
that point is to aggressively depart the area or take other necessary
action.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you enjoy
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /><br /></span></span></p>Sensible Self Defensehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129257934738494029noreply@blogger.com0