I have a range here at home, but I want to take some classes soon. It would be nice to get some useable info now so I would not be behind in a class.
I have a range here at home, but I want to take some classes soon. It would be nice to get some useable info now so I would not be behind in a class.
I really can't imagine what a "class" could teach me about firearms.
I know how they work, I know how important the safety rules are and I always follow those rules.
I'm pretty good at hitting targets with a rifle, I'm dangerously good hitting targets with a pistol and I occasionally can hit a clay with a shotgun.
What more do I need?
Gentlemen may prefer Blondes, but Real Men prefer Redheads!
From the tactical (or is it tacticool) videos I see on the Internet you might need to know how to fight off military type attacks of a dozen or more assailants. The first step is to learn the tactical mindset . Then modify your weapons system with all sort of tactical doodads and learn how to properly configure your tactical vest/body armor. Then one apparently practices running and gunning, rapid magazine changes, long gun to handgun transition, and of course the vital skill of room clearing.
I have to add that I have been reading the Armed Citizen (in the American Rifleman) for decades. In reading a recap of perhaps hundreds of incidents I don't recall any Navy SEAL skills being used or required to stop a criminal attack. I don't even recall anyone have to execute a magazine change. This seems to validate Jeff Coopers comment that none of his handgun students ever had to execute a magazine change in a gun fight and several of them did become involved in gunfights.
Yeah I kinda thought that. My wife, son and I have really improved our skills over the years. I guess I was wanting some tacticool work.
anyone that says they have no more to learn will fail.
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SHADILAY, SHADILAY!
Ammo Alley here locally gives gun defense classes of various kinds. Its where I got my certification for my carry permit back in the day. I don't know a lot about them except that the entry level class covers gun use in your home in case of a home invasion. As I understand it it gets more involved from there with training similar to what law enforcement would get.
Gentlemen may prefer Blondes, but Real Men prefer Redheads!
Don't get me wrong. The tacticool videos are fun to watch and great entertainment. That being said the average person would be better served by increasing their practicing of drawing their handgun over and over (using the same gun and holster as used for concealed carry) to build up muscle memory rather than spending a lot of time shooting since (per the NRA) personal defense encounters generally take place at less than 7 yards.
The purpose of gun training should be repetition and more repetition and yet more repetition of basic skills rather than a lot of military type training that will never be required or used. IMHO all one needs for basic handgun training is a gun, holster, a target, and a timer. Stand 7 yards away from a target and practice quickly drawing and firing - one shot or two. I did this every day for a year in my back yard for about 10 minutes each day and at the end of the year my drawing and firing was quick and instinctive.
I had one occasion when I had to rely on training (other than firearms training) to survive a life threatening situation and when this happened my training just sort of kicked in without thinking -- so there is value to training but it has to be the right kind of training.
Thanks Jet. Lots of great info, Guys. Thank you
im with jet all the way on this one. teh problem with firearm classes, by definition, is that they over complicate things. they have to have dozens, if not hundreds, of "techniques" to show you to justify teh time and money they are taking from you. take jets example of drawing. you need to learn how to draw your gun in the most effective/efficient way, and learn that well. thats one draw that takes 5 seconds to teach. when you have to justify taking your money for a class you get these guys that "teach" you, "well, when your in this situation, draw this way, and if a guy is coming at you from this angle, you have to draw your gun this way...." this is all jerk off tacticool bullshit that WILL get you killed, imo. if/when you are in a situation where you actually need to draw your weapon, it is going to be a VERY high stress situation. that last thing you need in a situation like that is to stop to think, "hmm, how an i supposed to draw my weapon in this situation?". that half second of hesitation may very well be the difference between living and dying.
dont get me wrong, the tacticool stuff can be fun. i enjoy 3-gun and idpa competitions, even though they are scenerios that will never happen in real life. if you enjoy classes and events just to learn and enjoy the "art" of shooting, great, go for it! jusst, imo, dont think you are learning "training" that you are going to use in real life.
The one thing that should probably always be said regarding draw practice is to watch the shirt tail when re-holstering and increase speed over time - i.e., don't start out trying for a lot of speed. Most of the Glock self-shootings seem to happen on the re-holstering due to a shirt tail getting into the holster rather than on the draw. And then there is the reported self-shootings on the draw with the Serpa holster.
With my practice, as I started to get really faster, I noticed some issues with my Blackhawk Serpa holster that caused me concern, so I switched to an OWB Fox holster which has a little more cant than I like but conceals easily, has adequate retention, easy to re-holster, and a good price.
https://www.foxxholsters.com/
Last edited by jet3534; 05-22-2017 at 10:05 AM.
"And how we burned in the camps later thinking, what would things have been like, if every security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain, whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family?"
"And how we burned in the camps later thinking, what would things have been like, if every security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain, whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family?"
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