Shots in the Dark: A Low Light Qualification

Research indicates that criminals often choose the darkness or low light conditions to pursue their nefarious profession. A significant number of shootings involving police officers happen at night as well. Criminals view darkness as an asset and use it as an advantage against those whom they would victimize. These realities mean that if you are forced to defend yourself, odds are it will happen under low light conditions; however, few people pursue low light training even when the opportunity exists.

Although shooting accurately with a flashlight is much more challenging than simply using a normal two-handed stance. My experience with students who have been practicing over the past several years is that low light mastery (like all shooting skills) comes with practice and the proper equipment.

For the first practice session in the 18-19 season, we used a modified Texas LTC qualification course. The first run was within Texas LTC time limits; however, we used the San Antonio Police Department target. Shooters started all strings of fire with flashlight in hand, drawing from the holster with the exception of the 2 second strings. My score on run #1 were acceptable with a 248 out of a possible 250. I was shooting my SIG P365 with Hornady Critical Duty 135gr standard pressure loads.

The second qualification was a modified Texas LTC qualification course as well with the same parameters. This time we used the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) target; however, we covered the target’s body with a clean t-shirt and the head with a mask. This makes it impossible to use previous hits, tape, etc. as an aiming reference point. For run #2 I used my SIG P320 with a Trijicon Red Dot, also shooting Hornady Critical Duty 135gr standard pressure loads. My score on run #2 was 250 out of 250.

Using your local or state police targets, qualification course, and (in this case) ammunition allows you to demonstrate your skills if you are ever called upon to prove it in court after a self-defense shooting.  I keep witnessed records of my qualifications and do the same for my students.

Flashlights

Through experimentation over the past several years we have confirmed much of the conventional wisdom concerning low light gear. While the 60 lumens Surefire 6P was certainly state of the art decades ago, modern high intensity lights have come into their own. We have discovered that a powerful light (300 lumens and up) overpowers a weaker light and permits the shooter to identify and engage targets that would otherwise be hidden from view.

The spot size of the flashlight beam is also important. Ideally when you illuminate a threat you want the spot shining directly in their eyes. Some lights have a very small spot designed to throw the light over longer distances. While this works well as a spotlight, it loses effectiveness when used as a self-defense light because the narrow spot requires too much precision to effectively blind the threat.

A flashlight with a large spot requires much less precision and therefore works better. For the last two years I have carried a Fenix FD30 and an older model of the Surefire 6Z. The Fenix has proven to be a good general purpose every day carry and self-defense light. It is small, lightweight, takes rechargeable and standard batteries, and is adjustable from 8-900 lumens. The FD30 has an adjustable spot that works very well as a self-defense light. I keep it adjusted for a wide beam spot which will blind anyone within self-defense distances. If I need the extra throw, I can adjust the spot to a more focused beam. A drawback to the Fenix and many lights like it is the tail cap design which makes using some flashlight techniques difficult.

Surefire lights are also a good choice. I have an older model Surefire 6Z that works very well with some modifications. My Surefire has a modified Malkoff Devices drop-in LED1 which throws 450 lumens and has a generous spot as well. My lights have a modified TorchLAB McClicky tail cap from Oveready. (2)  This tail cap allows you to click the light on with a press of the button unlike many Surefire lights that you must twist to activate constant on. There are literally dozens of flashlight models on the market today and it is impossible to test them all; although, the members of Candlepowerforums.com certainly try and is a good place to learn about all aspects of modern LED lights and rechargeable batteries.

How about a flashlight on the pistol? We have had several police officers who attend our low light classes and practice sessions and some are issued pistols with mounted lights. I have no objection to pistol mounted lights and they can make firing the pistol much simpler with the proper switch configuration. However, I do require everyone to master the hand-held light techniques for several reasons. Searching with a mounted light virtually guarantees that you will point the pistol in unsafe direction at some point. For that reason, I require shooters to search with their hand-held light and then they are free to release it and go to the pistol mounted light if they wish to engage.

Challenges

When I first started doing low light classes (2014) we discovered that the two biggest challenges for shooters was recognizing the threat targets in decision-based scenarios and then hitting the threats. When initially exposed to low light problems, even very accomplished shooters who have very little difficultly hitting a target under normal lighting conditions often go through an adjustment period as they learn low light techniques.

So what is posing a challenge for them under low lighting conditions? Almost every student initially shoots high on the target or (presumably) over it. We discovered that students were subconsciously tilting the pistol up slightly in order to see the front sight better in the low light. Regardless of the lighting conditions you must properly align the sights and then concentrate on the front sight while simultaneously pressing the trigger. Hard to do under normal circumstances with good light--more difficult to do under low lighting conditions.

You must practice low light techniques to have any hope of using them under stress. As we’ve discovered, students simply don’t master the low light techniques from class--you cannot practice it once and get it down pat. Using a light in conjunction with a handgun is difficult and it requires practice. Thankfully you can practice the techniques with live fire during daylight if your range won’t allow night shooting. So how do you practice engaging multiple threats and shooting on the move with these techniques?

If your local range has IDPA matches, shoot the course of fire using your flashlight if the match director will permit it. Your score won’t win the match; however, you will learn how to shoot and manipulate your pistol under some stress. Practicing how to search a structure (like your house when nobody is home) in the dark is important as well. DO this with AN UNLOADED PISTOL (check it 3 times!). This helps you identify how the various angles and corners in your house make one technique a better option than the other.

To my knowledge, no data exists concerning private citizen-involved shootings with criminals under low light conditions; however, since a lot of criminal activity occurs after dark we can assume that there is a likely correlation. There are several reasons to use a flashlight: to observe and detect, to illuminate and navigate, to eliminate anonymity, and to identify and engage threats. Used properly, a flashlight lets you see danger before it can affect you and it can encourage the danger waiting in the dark to go elsewhere.

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1: https://malkoff-devices.myshopify.com/products/m61-mod-to-fit-surefire-and-malkoff 

2: https://www.oveready.com/flashlight/torchlab-mcclicky-self-installation-clicky-kit-for-z41-p-c-z-g-x/

Thugs in the Dark: A Low Light Practice Session

Police say a husband opened fire on two home invasion suspects as they tried to hold his wife at gunpoint as she arrived home around 10:30 p.m. According to the Houston Police, it started when the man’s wife pulled into their driveway. Two armed suspects ran up and tried to rob her. They took her purse and then tried to force her into the house. However, her husband heard the commotion from inside the house, grabbed his gun, and ended up exchanging gunfire with the intruders. Fortunately, the couple weren’t hit; however, the husband shot one of the suspects in the head, the other suspect took off running.

This real-life incident is exactly like one of our decision-based scenarios that we use during our low light classes and practice sessions. I ran this during our final practice session last season and several participants found it difficult, so we did it once again for our first session this season. Situation: The participants were at home expecting their spouse or other family member accompanied by a young child to arrive soon. Headlights appear in their driveway; however, their family members do not come in the house. The participant steps outside to determine the cause for delay; but, cannot see past the headlights. The participant calls out to their family member who immediately responds with cries for help.

This year everyone did fairly well; only one participant clipped the child’s ear with a 9mm round which would have still hit the bad guy. After everyone ran the scenario, the guys reset it for me with different targets. The setup for my run is shown below.

The idea is to “slice the pie” using the wall as cover to determine what you are facing and then to engage any threats from cover. From cover position one, you can engage target one.  Then moving once again (still using the wall as cover), from cover two you can engage T2, etc, until you have solved the problem. As I saw each threat, I engaged it with a head shot. The first shot I fired was at the female and hit her pistol. I thought I hit her in the head, but I probably jerked the trigger a bit. My hit on the pistol would have potentially taken it out of action and probably would have forced her to drop it. I then settled down and did fairly well with the remaining threats one shot each to the head. Distances were from 5-10 yards.

For scenario number two, I had a picture target of a kid with a phone and headphones in his ears (a non-threat) and a police officer (also a non-threat) visible under a street lamp some distance behind the headlights. As soon as the participant cleared the wall the police officer challenged him with “Police, Don’t Move! Hand up!” Amazingly, some participants drew their pistols. Not a good idea. Others turned and ran—also not a good idea. No one did what the police officer was commanding them to do.

I added this scenario because we get too accustomed to thinking that every training scenario is solved with a pistol. I have noticed this over the years, so now I often provide potential choices in the scenario that do not involve shooting someone.

This was the case with scenario three. I told the participant to go get in his car and leave. As soon as he cleared the wall, a man with a knife was demanding his keys. Everyone immediately engaged the knife wielder with gunfire rather than retreating back into their “house” which was closer and quicker. The point of this scenario of course was to avoid the threat if possible—always a better choice if you can do so safely.

As we continue the 2018-19 Low Light season, I plan to hold a class in Jan 19 and more practice sessions in the following months. Once you take the class, you can participate in the practice sessions. I also plan to incorporate more low light decision-based scenarios. These are challenging and I had gotten out of the habit of including them because they were so difficult; however, I see their value and we will do more. I also plan to add force-on-force with airsoft for the more advanced participants to add a little more realism.

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Gunshot Residue and Personal Carry Ammunition

In September 1997, after 8-1/2 years and four trials, Daniel Bias Jr. began a six-year prison sentence for murdering his wife. One of the key issues associated with the case was the presence or lack of gunshot residue on Lise Bias after the shooting. The defense attorney in Bias’s trial argued that Lise Bias died accidentally as she was pointing a pistol at her head: however, the prosecution argued that the lack of gunshot residue on Lise Bias's nightgown and head wound shows she could not have shot herself.

A prosecution witness and ballistics expert testified that the bullet that killed Lise Bias would have left a powder residue if it had been fired from any distance under 45 inches. However, ballistics testing on the ammunition Lise Bias’s wounds could not be run because the ammunition in the pistol that killed Lise Bias was ammunition that Daniel Bias had reloaded. As a result, there was no way of knowing if the cartridges were all the same reloads or not and therefore they could not be relied upon for gunshot residue (GSR) testing.

Per Massad Ayoob: Defensive shootings are often very close-range affairs in which gunshot residue from your muzzle is deposited on your attacker’s body or clothing. This can become a critical evidentiary factor if the other side insists he was too far away from you to endanger you at the moment he was shot.* With reloaded ammunition, the forensic examiner cannot verify distances because there is no un-biased sample to measure it against. The accused has literally manufactured the evidence; therefore, judge is unlikely to admit the reloaded ammunition as an exhibit in the trial.

Picture #1 below shows powder burns on a white t-shirt when I fired a 9mm pistol with the muzzle in contact with the shirt.

#1: Muzzle Contacting T-Shirt

From a distance perspective, the lead deposits in picture #2 is similar to what happens with gunshot residue. Closer shots deposit more material, while more distant shots deposit less. These are pictures of reloaded ammunition firing plated bullets. The rifling in the barrel will often cut the plating and the bullet will spray an extremely fine mist of lead as it initially leaves the barrel. Bullet “A” was 12 inches away, bullet “B” 24 inches, and bullet “C” was 36 inches from the t-shirt.
 

#2: Muzzle at 3 Different Distances

Picture #3 shows the same phenomena on cardboard with bullets fired from various distances. Picture #4 is gunshot residue deposited on a target from a pistol approximately six inches away.

#3: Muzzle Various Distances

#4: GSR Six Inches

What can we learn from this? GSR distance testing is often done with exemplar ammunition or ammunition that is identical to what was in your pistol. This is the primary reason to carry factory ammunition for personal defense. When you purchase this ammunition, try to buy several boxes from the same lot. Write the date you entered the ammunition into service on the box. Load all of your carry magazines with the same ammunition from the same box—do not mix ammunition lots or brands in your carry magazines.

After you load your magazines for carry, save at least five rounds in the box. If you find yourself in a short range defensive situation, the forensics examiner can use the ammunition sample from the lot that you have saved to verify distances with powder testing. If the prosecution objects to this, your attorney can request an independent sample from the manufacturer. Large ammunition makers keep samples for each lot for exemplar testing for 10 years. This is why keeping the box intact with the lot numbers is important.

This does not mean you must practice only with expensive carry ammunition, reloads can have a role in this process. Reloading your ammunition can provide a more economical practice round for matches and training if you can match the point of impact for your carry ammunition. For example, I carry the Hornady Critical Duty 135gr standard pressure 9mm round. My reloads with 135gr plated bullets closely match my carry round. In the picture below, you can see a 15-yard group with the Hornady Critical Duty circled in red and three groups of my reloads circled in black. I was shooting my normal P320 carry pistol with a Trijicon RMR06 red dot sight. I adjusted the RMR so the Critical Duty impacted in the center of the one inch square.  Good enough.

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* https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/handloads-not-a-good-idea-for-concealed-carry 

15 Yard Groups of 3 Shots

Practice 2018: IDPA 5x5 Qualification Drill

IDPA 5x5; SAPD Target

I managed to get to the range for a short time this last weekend and continued to practice self-defense drills.

For this session I started with the IDPA 5x5 qualifier. This qualifier serves as a good baseline measure of competence.

The 5x5 is shot on a single target placed 10 yards from the shooter as follows:

String 1: Draw and fire 5 shots freestyle

String 2: Draw and fire 5 shots using primary hand only

String 3: Start with only 5 rounds in your pistol. Draw and fire 5 shots, emergency reload (slide lock) and fire 5 additional shots freestyle

String 4: Draw and fire 4 shots to the body and one shot to the head freestyle

I shot the first qualifier cold on the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) qualifier target. This target is slightly more forgiving than the standard IDPA target with a 9-1/2 x 9 inch “zero down” area in the body and a 5 x 2-3/4 inch zero down rectangle in the head.

I used my SIG P320 carry pistol. This pistol has an X-Carry Grip Module, a 3.9 inch barrel, and the slide modified to use the Trijicon RMR06 with the 3.25 MOA dot.

My times on the first qualifier were:

String 1: 3.29;  String 2: 4.41;  String 3: 7.52;  String 4: 3.68

Points down: 1 point

Score: 19.90

As you can see in the photo, I dropped on shot in the -1 equivalent on the target. The head shot on the target is a down zero when measured from the center of the rectangle. The score would have been a Master run on a standard IDPA target. 

I then shot three more qualifiers with the red dot and got progressively slower on each. My average times for all four were:

String 1: 3.42;  String 2: 4.48;  String 3: 7.56; String 4: 4.10

Average Points down: 1.5 points

Average Score: 20.64

I finished the 5x5 session with two qualifiers using iron sights only. I did OK with the irons shooting the exact same overall score of 21.42 for two runs. Even if you use a red dot sight, you should continue practicing with you iron sights periodically.

I stepped back to the 50 yard line and shot five head shots with my reloads and five with a new lot of Hornady Critical Duty standard pressure ammunition using iron sights. I periodically rotate my carry ammunition and always confirm that the point of impact for a new lot is where I expect it to be. The Hornady Critical Duty is typically a bit more accurate than my reloads at longer distances.

  

At 50 yards, the front sight that I have on my SIG completely covers the standard IDPA target's head.

I then did several 4-yard speed drills on a standard IDPA target of 2-shots to the body followed instantly by a head shot. I started with my hand on a concealed pistol. My average times were:

Draw: 0.99 seconds        Total for 3-shots: 1.43 seconds

I then completed the Texas Department of Public Safety license to carry qualification course. I shot the course using the DPS times; however, drew the pistol from concealment and reloaded the pistol when necessary on the clock for the 10 and 15-second strings. (Note: The standard LTC course is shot from low ready and does not require reloads on the clock)

Texas Department of Public Safety LTC Qualification

I finished the practice session with five head shots from 75 yards using the red dot sight and the Hornady Critical Duty ammunition. The picture below shows the results of these shots on the SAPD qualification target. This target’s inner (light-colored) bottle measures 6-1/4 x 3-3/4 inches.

Does the red dot sight make someone who cannot shoot a better shot? No, it does not; however, it can make a good shooter more precise.  The red dot sight shines at longer distances

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Practice: The KR Training Three Second Drill

For the last several months, getting to the range has been challenging so my live fire practice has suffered. We’ve had lots of rain in San Antonio which has rendered range conditions unacceptable. In this practice session I decided to focus on self defense shooting skills.

I started with the KR Training Three Seconds or Less Drill. Per KR Training, this drill is roughly twice as hard as the Texas LTC shooting test. It is intended to define a baseline minimum competency level that every person who carries concealed should be able to achieve. Please go here for the full drill description, background, and scoring: KR Training

The drill requires you to shoot at three and seven yards, starting holstered and concealed or from the low ready. The shooter must complete all strings in 3 seconds or less and scoring is standard IDPA or IPSC scoring. For this drill I used a photorealistic target with the “down zero” circle centered over the heart for the body and the down zero circle centered between the eyes for the head shot for scoring purposes. (Note: I added the circles for illustration in the photo—they were not present on the target while I was shooting.)

I shot the drill cold with no warm up using my normal carry pistol. I carry a SIG P320 with an X-Carry Grip Module, a 3.9 inch barrel, and the slide modified to use the Trijicon RMR. I use the RMR06 with the 3.25 MOA dot for reasons I will explain below; however, I used the back-up iron sights only for this drill.

Seventeen shots to the body, three shots to the head for a possible score of 100.  As you can see in the photo (small circle), I dropped one shot in what would have been the -1 equivalent on an IDPA target. Per KR Training scoring, this would equate to a score of 98 out of a possible 100.

After the KR Training warm-up drill, I did several short range getting off the “X” drills. You start at 3-4 yards with the target at the 12 o’clock position. Several repetitions moving off the X to the 1-2 o’clock, 10-11 o’clock, 9 and 3 o’clock, and then a confined space drill. The confined space drill is something I picked up from Suarez International as an affiliate instructor. Gabe later posted it in a blog entry you can read here. Suarez International 

I then completed the Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas State Police) old-style qualification course as follows:

Stage I: 3-yard line - 19 shots fired in the following sequence: (two-handed grip)

     -- From the holstered position on command draw while moving 2 steps to the right and engage the target with 3 shots. Re holster on command. Remain in position to the right of the target. (time limit: 5 seconds)

     -- From the holstered position on command draw while moving 2 steps to the left and engage the target with 2 shots. Re holster on command. Remain in position in front of the target (time limit: 4 seconds)

     -- From the holstered position on command draw while moving 2 steps to the right and engage the target with 2 shots. Re holster on command. (time limit: 4 seconds)

     -- From a holstered position on command draw and engage the target weapon hand only, standing position, with 6 shots in a 3-2-1 sequence without returning to the holster. Shooters will remain in place during this sequence of fire. (time limit: 4-3-2 seconds) Reload.

     -- From the ready position on command with support hand only, standing position, engage the target with 6 shots in a 3-2-1 sequence. Shooters will remain in place during this sequence of fire. (time limit: 4-3-2 seconds)

Stage II: 7-yard line – 18 rounds fired in the following sequence:

     -- From the holstered position, on command draw and engage the target with 6 shots standing (two- handed grip), while reloading move one step to the right and engage the target with 6 more shots. (time limit: 20 seconds)

     -- From the ready position; engage the target with 6 shots support hand (two-handed grip). (Time limit: 15 seconds) Shooters will remain in place during this sequence of fire.

Stage III: 15-yard line - 12 rounds fired in the following sequence:

     -- From the holstered position, on command draw and engage the target with 6 shots standing (two- handed) move one step left and engage the target with 6 more shots. (Time limit: 20 seconds) Reload and on command re center on target.

Stage IV: 25-yard line - 11 rounds fired in the following sequence:

     -- From the holstered position, on command draw and engage the target with 6 shots standing (two- handed) move one step right and engage the target with 5 shots standing or kneeling. (Time limit: 25 seconds).

Total number of shots fired is 60. Qualifying score is 240 or above out of a possible of 300 or 80 percent. My score was 300 using the more stringent IDPA-style scoring. 

I finished the practice session with five head shots from 75 yards. Twenty-five yards and beyond is where the red dot really becomes a significant aid. My first encounter with a red dot on a pistol was in NRA Bullseye competition many years ago as competitors began mounting the Aimpoint G2 and MKIII on bullseye pistols. We had guys that could hold the 1.695 inch “X ring” at 50 yards on a standard NRA bullseye target with one hand. I personally detested the red dot because I simply did not have the skill to hold it steady enough and the bouncing red dot was a distraction.

Fast forward to the modern red dot that the Trijicon, Delta Point, and others represent. Although a quality red dot is not cheap and it does take practice to master its use, the red dot will enhance your capabilities as a shooter beyond what "traditional" equipment will allow.

In 2018 I worked on my longer-range pistol skills. At one point I was using a 6.5 MOA dot and discovered that the dot size covered up too much of the target at longer ranges. I switched to the 3.25 MOA dot of the RMR06 which is visible enough for fast-paced, closer range precision shots while also working well for longer range (greater than 50 yard) shots.

The picture below shows the results of five shots fired from 75 yards at the head of the photorealistic target. This target’s head is 20% larger than the IDPA target so the shot in the upper left would have missed an IDPA target.

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The Socialist Rifle Association—Coming to a Range Near You?

The SRA Logo©

I was reading John Farnam’s blog when I encountered an entry concerning the Socialist Rifle Association. Wait!! The what? 

Yes, the Socialist Rifle Association. I immediately did an internet search and indeed the Socialist Rifle Association exists and per their website has “chapters” across the country. On 8 October 2018, the Socialist Rifle Association Inc was formed in Kansas as a not-for-profit corporation that qualifies under 501c4 tax code provisions.

So what is the Socialist Rifle Association? The Socialist Rifle Association purports to be an educational organization to provide working class people information to permit self and community defense through a left-leaning platform free from what they characterize as racist and reactionary prejudices. 

They claim no specific ideology beyond generic socialism, but rather state that their membership includes Anarcho-Syndicalists, Marxist-Leninists, Luxembourgists, Maoists, and many others. Educational material on their website includes the Communist Manifesto, Anarcho-Syndicalism, and the ABC's of Socialism which discusses Bernie Sanders views in some detail.

Per the SRA website, the SRA focuses their opposition on state, fascist, and reactionary right attempts to maintain a monopoly on lethal force. They advocate a counter to that monopoly through training and readiness to “take our fate into our own hands.”*

The “state, fascists, and the reactionary right.” I assume by the “state” they mean the duly elected federal and state governments in the United States. I’m pretty sure that they are talking about you and me when they discuss “fascists and the reactionary right.” 

The SRA takes square aim at the National Rifle Association calling it an organization aligned with the Republican Party. They decried the NRA’s appointment of Oliver North as President and call upon “principled gun owners” to abandon the NRA and join the SRA. 

It is ironic that the rights SRA members enjoy are absolutely the result of the NRA and its member’s efforts over decades to prevent the erosion of all law-abiding citizen’s right to own firearms. 

Taking a close look at the SRA may well be worth the time and effort. In particular, their education and resources sections. I believe that these people are serious. Their brochure shows the Tulsa, OK chapter's September 2018 range day; however, the faces of those who are training is obscured.  Hmmm.

We also have a chapter here in San Antonio—this might explain some of the interesting folks that have begun coming to some of the local rifle and pistol matches.  

You can find the SRA here.

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* The SRA logo and all material I quote in this article from the SRA is copyright of that organization. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.