Low Light Practice

Down 3 Points

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 be under low light conditions; however, few people pursue low light training even where the opportunity exists.

We’ve finished the Low Light Classes and practices for the year. Although shooting accurately with a flashlight is much more challenging than simply using a normal two-handed stance, our shooter’s improvement over the past several years is impressive. Accurate shot placement is becoming the norm rather than the exception. 

This session we fired the modified Texas LTC qualification course. We stayed within Texas LTC time limits; however, we used an anatomically correct picture target and scored based upon the hit’s probable effectiveness (i.e. central nervous and critical circulatory system hits counted higher that lung hits). In some cases, this meant that a shooter who didn’t have a perfect group actually earned an acceptable score. Shooters started all strings of fire with flashlight in hand, drawing from the holster with the exception of the 2 second strings. 

The second qualification was the Texas Department of Public Safety qualification course. This course of fire is much more involved and challenging than the LTC qualification with some movement, reloads, and distances out to 25 yards. (see video)

We’ve learned that practice shooting and manipulating the pistol with the light in hand and recovering the light dangling from the lanyard (reloading) is crucial. Happily, this can be done in daylight on the range and in our dry fire practice. Although shooters initially tend to discount the Rogers/Cigar/Syringe (call it what you wish) technique, they often find that it is necessary to use it while shooting around the side of cover to prevent unacceptable reflection.  

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 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. 

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. 

Click here to learn more about low light shooting techniques 

If it Falls, Let it Drop!

Let it Fall!

An oops. We’ve all had them and will likely have them again. I was shooting at stage at the Short Range Match and was drawing my pistol from concealment. I normally carry with a loose-fitting shirt and the shirt tail out covering the pistol so that is how I was shooting the match. The proper way to draw the pistol concealed in such a fashion is to acquire a grip on the shirt with your hands positioned on either side of the pistol, lift outward and upward as high as the shirt will go (ripping shirt and buttons as necessary if you are drawing the pistol to defend yourself). Release the shirt with your primary hand while holding the shirt up with your other hand. Obtain a solid firing grip and draw the pistol.

Note I said outward, and then upward—not straight up. Although I have drawn pistols carried this way literally thousands of times, this time I did not draw the pistol properly. I grabbed the shirt and then vigorously pulled it upward. My analysis of the video of this somewhat less than stellar moment leads me to believe that the shirt cupped around the butt of the pistol and as I pulled the shirt up it drew the pistol upward as well. This pulled the pistol far enough out of the holster that it began to tilt forward, rotating as it fell to the ground. The pistol in question, a S&W M&P is “drop safe” and my carry pistol is mechanically sound so the pistol did not fire.

If it Falls, Let it Drop

If you happen to lose control of your pistol while it is in your hand or if it falls out of your holster or your hand during a draw, let it drop. It is extremely dangerous to try and grab the weapon in the air. There is a chance you will get tangled up in the trigger and pull the trigger in the process causing the pistol to fire. This is a training issue as the natural response for most people is to try to catch something they fumble as Robert Evans did when he dropped his cell phone and a shotgun moments after confronting a thief on his property. 

I mentioned that the S&W M&P is “drop safe.” The vast majority of modern handguns have this “safety” which prevents inertia from driving the firing pin or striker forward and slamming it into the primer. This helps prevent accidental discharges if the gun is dropped. The picture below shows 3 pistol brands (l-r Glock, M&P, XD) and the drop safety for each. The devices on these pistols prevent the striker from hitting the primer unless the trigger is fully to the rear. The XD design on the right shows the drop safety in relation to the striker—in the picture it is engaged. Other pistol manufacturers have solved this problem in different ways.

Some pistols are not drop safe. Many of the older mechanisms that John M. Browning designed are remarkably similar and are not drop safe. The 1911 is sometimes drop-safe and sometimes not depending upon which variation of the design the manufacturer is using. The Colt Series ’80 and later Series ’90 are mechanically drop-safe due to an internal firing pin lock that the trigger system actuates. The 1911 pistols from Para USA pistols use the same Colt safe system, Sig Sauer 1911 pistols use it as well. Kimber uses an internal firing pin safety for its 1911s that works off the grip safety.

Holsters—use one 

“Longtime SWAT Magazine Contributing Editor Steve Malloy was killed in a tragic shooting accident at his home on April 16, 2009. As best as can be determined, Steve had a pistol in his waistband and when he bent over to tie his shoes, the pistol fell onto the floor and discharged—the bullet struck Steve in the chest. He was found in the garage, apparently trying to leave the home to summon aid.”* 

When I dropped my pistol, I had it in a holster—this didn’t stop it from falling to the ground. If you simply put the pistol in your waist band you are all but guaranteeing that you will drop it at some point, perhaps with tragic results. Use a good holster. 

A quick word about belts 

Just as a good house is built on a strong foundation, an effective carry system is built on the foundation of a strong belt. 

I cannot count the number of times that I’ve seen shooters in matches and students in classes trying to get by with wearing a handgun on a flimsy department store belt. This usually leads to discomfort and dissatisfaction with the holster’s performance when in fact the challenges the shooter is facing are the result of a flimsy belt. A department store may belt may be of good quality and hold your pants up perfectly; however, it is not designed to bear the weight of a handgun and spare ammunition. 

Beyond creating (or magnifying) discomfort, a flimsy belt will not provide the stability necessary for the holster to function well. A weak belt will often allow the butt of the handgun to lean out away from the shooter's body and under certain circumstances allow the pistol to drop free.

Conclusion

Consider it an unwritten addition to the four rules of gun safety: never try to catch a dropped or falling gun. You should just let a loaded pistol fall if you drop it. If it is a modern design in mechanically sound condition the odds of it firing as a result of the impact are infinitesimal compared to the odds of you accidentally pulling the trigger trying to catch it. If your pistol is not drop safe perhaps it is time to upgrade to a modern design.

If you would like to read similar discussions, subscribe at the link in the upper right corner of the page or see:

Fundamentals, Polish Your Shooting Skills  

Tap, Rack--Or how Not to Blow Up Your Pistol
 
To train with Sensible Self Defense click here for more information

* Denny Hansen-S.W.A.T. Magazine, 2009

Suarez Red Dot Pistol School

Jon Payne demonstrating the Sul Position

This past weekend I sponsored Suarez International instructor Jon Payne for the Suarez Red Dot Pistol School at Cedar Ridge Range just north of San Antonio Texas. There are some of my observations. 

As Gabe Suarez has stated many times, the red dot on a pistol is not for everyone. 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. This is what many students in this weekend’s class learned.

Jon started the class with the mandatory medical and safety briefings and then we moved on to the theory and concept of the red dot system on handguns. We spent the first day doing drills and skill building exercises with no sights (i.e. sights taped), iron sights, and ended with the red dot. Jon worked with every student to ensure they understood and mastered their natural point of aim.

One thing that many novice shooters do not understand is that having a red dot sighting system will not fix a poor grip nor a poor trigger press. You must have mastery of the shooting fundamentals of grip, stance, sight alignment, sight picture, breathing, trigger press, follow through, and trigger reset. Once you do, the red dot sighting system combines and simplifies sight alignment and sight picture and enhances the shooter’s ability to make precise shots.

Jon then explained the two types of visual focus with a red dot and the visual hand-off between the iron sights and the red dot and we ended the day with additional drills using the red dot.

On day two Jon began with the tips and tricks for RMRs and some other red dot sights. We then continued skill building drills with a primary effort on developing the ability to quickly acquire the dot as you draw the pistol. Jon also had every student confirm their zero with their red dot sights. Figure #1 shows the perhaps the ideal iron sight and red dot relationship. However, you do not necessarily need to have the irons and red dot in exact alignment as many students initially believed. Figure #2 shows the iron sight and red dot relationship on my pistol. You’ll notice they are not in exact alignment; however, my iron sights and my red dot are both correctly, and independently zeroed for point-of-aim, point-of-impact with my carry ammunition—the two just don’t happen to coincide. 

We then shifted to the steel bay and began shooting drills using steel targets. Jon had everyone do a clock exercise with their red dot to demonstrate a point that many students were finding conceptually hard to grasp—that once the red dot is zeroed, it does not matter where the dot appears in the window for you to hit the target. We started with the dot in the upper left as shown in figure #3 firing one shot. We then moved to the 12 o’clock position, then the 1 o’clock, etc. firing one shot from each spot in the window. All the shooter must do is place the dot on the target where she wants the bullet to impact and then properly press the trigger. The bullet will impact exactly where the dot is placed regardless of its position in the window or position relative to the iron sights.
 
Day 3 saw more skill building drills and firing from awkward positions including 12 o’clock prone, side prone, sitting, and even a demonstration of firing the pistol upside down. In every instance, the students discovered that point-of-dot equaled point-of-impact provided the student did their part with the trigger press. In picture #2 you can see a student using side prone with the pistol oriented in a 90-degree angle firing at targets 45 yards away. Hits? No Problem. 

We finished day 3 pursuing one of the class’s stated goals of every student being able to make head shots (a 6” x 6” square) on a silhouette target from 25 yards. Every student met that goal and many surpassed it. Several students were making consistent head shots at 45 yards, some doing it mirror image with their non-primary hand, and a few doing it one handed!

 

All in all, 3 great days of training and skill building. I’ve have taken several Suarez International classes with Jon and highly recommend him as an instructor. If you want to learn more about this class, tune in to episode 408 of Bob Mayne's HandgunWorld podcast which will be available on 26 February 2017. 

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Intruder Alert!

One of my neighbors told me about intruders at his house.  He said that he had set the house alarm and had gone to bed; however, was not able to fall asleep.  A short time later, he noticed flashlights shining on his bedroom window from the back yard.  He retrieved his pistol and moved to the front of the house where he could hear voices on his front porch.  He said that he turned on the porch light, yanked open the door, and simultaneously pointed his pistol at two police officers who were on the porch and were about to ring the doorbell. Both officers immediately stumbled back off the porch loudly yelling that they were police as my neighbor lowered his pistol.

My neighbor believes that his inadvertently entered the duress code on his house alarm. A duress code is a secondary, covert signal designed to be entered on the alarm keypad in the event that an intruder ambushes you at home and forces you to disarm the system. On monitored alarm systems, the duress code appears to disarm the alarm; however, it sends send a silent panic alert to a monitoring station that something is amiss in the home. This causes the alarm company to call the police without calling the house first to see if everything is OK.  

The house was dark so the officers checked the perimeter to see if there was any obvious problem (hence the flashlights on the bedroom window).  Seeing nothing, they planned to contact my neighbor just as he yanked open the door. 

I do not believe that anyone in this incident necessarily did anything wrong. The police officers were responding to a silent alarm at a home that indicated that an intruder might be present.  My neighbor believed he was defending his home from suspicious intruders on his property. In the end, no one got shot and everything turned out fine; however, this incident could have ended very differently.

How do we prevent situations like this? I asked my neighbor if he called 911.  He indicated that he had not—that he didn’t even think about it. Had he called 911 and provided his address, it is probable that the dispatcher would have told him police were at his home. I asked why he opened the door rather than waiting to see if the someone was trying to break in. He said that it just seemed like the right thing to do. 

In Texas, using force against an intruder who you know or have reason to believe was unlawfully and with force entering or attempting to enter unlawfully and with force your occupied habitation, vehicle, or place of business or employment is presumed reasonable under certain circumstances (if you live in another state your results may vary).* Therefore, someone in similar circumstances can simply wait to see if the intruder attempts to enter their house and respond accordingly from a cover position if they are successful in entering.  

If someone does manage to defeat your door and enters your home, responding from a cover position increases your chances of survival and builds the foundation of “reasonableness” for your actions.  I am not a fan of leaving your home to confront intruders.  I did that once and learned just how foolish that can be.  Exiting your home and confronting a possible intruder outside increases your physical risk and may negate the presumption of reasonableness for your actions.   

The first step is to think it through now and develop a plan based on your particular circumstances.  In my house, someone yelling “BEDROOM!” is giving the command for everyone to instantly stop what they are doing and go to the secure bedroom. A reinforced bedroom door provides a safe room you can retreat to if you are in another part of the house when someone attempts to break and enter. From there you can call 911 and prepare to take other necessary action.

There are few nightmares worse than to awaken with a stranger in your bedroom.  When we are secure for the night, there are at least two solid doors (barriers) between us and potential intruders. Your bedroom door should be made from at least 1-1/2 solid wood, with a deadbolt, and have a frame reinforced with the Strikemaster or similar product. Even if someone gets in the house, attempting to enter the bedroom is impossible without power tools and significant noise that will alert the homeowner. 

If you exit your home armed and find yourself facing the police instead of an intruder, you may well finish up on the receiving end of police gunfire.  On May 7, 2015 Bryan Heyward called 911 to report armed men attempting to break into his mother’s home.  When sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, Heyward exited the house through the back door holding a gun.  A sheriff's deputy yelled “show me your hands!” and fired twice at Heyward in less than a second. One bullet struck Heyward in the neck and he may be permanently paralyzed.  

I’m not criticizing police who have an extremely difficult job nor is this a discussion of poor police training (“show me your hands” is not the command to drop a gun). It is much safer to stay put and deal with a possible intruder on your terms rather than exiting your home and charging into a situation where you may not have enough information nor enough time to make a good decision. Making contact with police on the scene is also much safer if you are not visibly armed.

Remember, not every “intruder” is necessarily a criminal. My neighbor didn’t have reason to believe that the police would be at his house nor did he break any laws.  Regardless, there was a completely valid reason for the police to be poking around his back yard and coming to his front door. There are many completely legitimate and legal reasons why you could find a police officer, fireman, or utility worker on your property.  We live in a quiet and relatively safe gated neighborhood.  It is more likely that someone on my property is either a neighbor or first responder rather than a criminal. 

Police officers in similar situations should take extra care to identify themselves in any ambiguous situation.  Had those officers loudly identified themselves as police they likely would not have had a bird’s eye view of the muzzle of a 1911.  Police should look at their actions from an armed homeowner’s viewpoint.  Would an armed homeowner view their actions on his property as “suspicious?” If so, the officer should change his approach to ensure that the resident knows that the person lurking in the darkness is a police officer instead of a potential home invader.

Police officers don’t want to get shot.  Legally armed citizens don’t want to mistakenly shoot a police officer who is trying to help them and certainly don’t want the police to shoot them.  In reality, both want the same outcome. 

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. 

* I am not a lawyer. While I take pride in the accuracy of this educational information, this site does not and cannot, constitute legal advice. It is solely for illustrative purposes and does not purport to accurately communicate the laws or court decisions of any actual cases that may have non-public or other nuanced information. If you need legal counsel, please retain a competent attorney.

San Antonio Mall Shooting Update

Additional information has become available concerning the attempted robbery and shootings at Rolling Oaks Mall the afternoon of 22 January 2017.  As I mentioned in an earlier Facebook post, a robber now identified as Jose Luis Rojas shot and killed a Good Samaritan identified as 42-year-old Jonathan Murphy. 

We now know that Murphy who was in the store with his wife was not armed. Although there were reports that Murphy tried to stop the robbers from fleeing, I now believe those reports were in error.

Mrs Murphy wife stated in an interview that he just stepped between her and the robbers (presumably to protect her) when Rojas shot him without comment.  Photos of Murphy show that he was probably a pretty big guy so it is possible that Rojas thought Murphy was going to interfere with their escape or Murphy simply intimidated him.  

A legally armed citizen then shot Rojas as he and his accomplice Jason Matthew Prieto were fleeing the jewelry store.  Rojas was critically wounded and fell in the mall while Prieto began wildly firing his pistol hitting two other bystanders as he fled. Converse Police subsequently arrested Prieto after he crashed a stolen car in Converse.

Some observations concerning this incident. Regardless of how many precautions we take, we can suddenly find ourselves in a dangerous situation. The key to dealing with these situations is mental preparation and training. Taking some time to think about how you would act in a dangerous situation helps you remain calm, be aware of what's going on around you, and be prepared to act if the situation requires action. 

No matter how familiar you are with firearms, looking down the wrong end of the barrel is intimidating. If you are facing an armed individual and you are not armed, don't make any sudden, unexpected moves. A nervous criminal may think you are attacking him and respond with violence.  Slow, careful, cautious body language tells a robber that you are cooperating and that you're not resisting or interfering.

In many situations fighting back is not worth the risk. Rojas and Prieto were both mentally and physically prepared to explode into violence to achieve their ends. To go from thinking about the rest of your day or what you are going to buy at the supermarket to the instantaneous action necessary to overcome an armed opponent is beyond most people. However, if you have prepared yourself mentally and have trained yourself physically then you are in a better condition to respond.

One final point.  If you are not in the immediate vicinity of the incident or in immediate danger, the strategy that has the highest survival rate is run from the shots or commotion to the nearest exit. In the Army, we had a saying that the best place to be when there was an ambush was somewhere else. It's hard to get killed if you aren't there anymore. Many people in the mall simply hunkered down were they were and started tweeting or posting about how scared they were.

The Sig Sauer P320 -- A new Army pistol

After a number of frustrating years, the U.S. Army has picked its first new handgun. The Sig Sauer P320 pistol is now the M17 handgun and will replace the M9 Beretta.

In 2014 the Army announced a competition for a new Modular Handgun System (MHS) to replace the M9. Twelve companies entered pistols in the competition including the Beretta APX, CZ P-09, FN Herstal's Five-Seven Mk 2, the General Dynamics/Smith & Wesson M&P, the Glock 17 and Glock 19; and the Sig Sauer P320. The Army selected the Sig Sauer and Glock as finalists in December 2016.

Army officials notified Sig Sauer that the Army had selected the P320 at the 2017 SHOT Show in Las Vegas on 19 January. SIG will manufacture all pistols at the SIG SAUER facilities in New Hampshire.

The MHS requirement called for a non-caliber specific weapon with modular features to allow for interchangeable grips to fit different hand sizes, alternate magazine options, an integrated rail for mounting lights, lasers, or other sighting aids, no magazine disconnect, and an external safety mechanism. 


SIG modified the P320 to meet the external safety requirement (see picture above).  Even though I was a 1911 guy for many years, I’ve learned that a manual safety is generally an unnecessary addition. I suspect it will become a training issue with troops who have learned to de-cock the M9 and then return the lever to the up position.


SIG reportedly has modified the military version of the P320 to secure the take-down lever so that soldiers in the field cannot remove the fire-control unit from the plastic frame. The military P320’s slide cover-plate at the back will be secured as well for the same reason.


The military P320 pictured in various announcements has the large takedown lever rather than the slim lever that many commercial P320 owners are installing.  I also wonder if SIG has resolved the issue with the takedown lever O-ring that some commercial owners have reported.


The MHS is a system and SIG will also provide suppressor kits, holster sleeves that will function with the Improved Modular Tactical Holster (IMTH) Blackhawk holster system, and a conversion kit with everything needed for the pistol to fire the M1041 dye marking rounds (similar to the Simunition.® I also noticed that the P320s pictured in the announcements appear to have a the slide milled for a red dot sight. Perhaps red dots are an option as well.


SIG will deliver full size and compact P320’s over a period of ten (10) years. The SIG P320 modular pistol has interchangeable grip modules that permit changing frame size and caliber. This is an interesting feature that will provide the Army useful flexibility if the Army decides to change calibers in the future.

The Army’s selection of the SIG P320 will likely mean more police departments will consider the pistol as well as many more American gun owners. Any gun that can pass the Army’s rigorous tests is worth consideration. I may have to try one myself.