*****NOTE*****
One session was just not enough, so we will be finishing up this week.
ORIGINAL POSTS
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This net will involve a discussion of methods and gear that can improve shooting skills. Shooting skills however, is but one component of safe and effective shooting, whether for self defense, competition, or target practice. The other component involves your grey matter, and it encompasses things such as common sense, situational awareness, legal requirements and entanglements concerning the use of force, a thorough understanding of safe shooting and hand loading practices, and the like. This other component will not be the subject of this net, but make no mistake, the two must go together, and both must be developed. To be clear, we will address this grey matter component of safe shooting in another net.
So, with a focus on the improvement of shooting skills, we encourage all to contribute your thoughts to this net, preferably with a description of your ideas, and pictures and links, where appropriate. In no particular order of importance, we offer the following:
1. Grip Improvement and Lower Arm Strength
Accurately shooting handguns, and particularly the big magnums, requires a strong arm and a firm grip. Many a shooter, swayed by a fictional character in the movies, has purchased the most powerful handgun in the world, only to find it most unpleasant to shoot. A few shots later and the gun was either returned to the gun store or relegated to the gun safe where it gathered dust for the remainder of the owner's life.
One of the things that can make handgun shooting more pleasant, but more importantly, more efficient, is the strength of the shooter's arms and hands. For many, this will turn out to be an acquired physical quality, that, with the proper exercises, can help improve your shooting skills. Keep in mind that this is not meant to ignore the need for general physical fitness, as that is important, bur rather to present a way to improve skills that will help shooters to manage recoil, thereby improving your effectiveness (aka, your skills.)
Initially, it bears emphasis that a good grip is not limited to magnums. Most other handgun shooting will benefit as well. Enter the Iron Mind Company, makers of the "Captains of Crush Grippers”: (https://www.ironmind-store.com/Guide-Ca ... info/1401/) Their line of American made hand grips is impressive, and when used as part of your physical training for shooting, can greatly improve your skills. The grips range in strength from novice to superman, and for about 25 bucks, you can have an excellent technique to improve your shooting skills. Here is what they say:
Known around the world as the gold standard for building and testing hand strength, Captains of Crush Grippers are the single most important grip strength tool you can choose--for the fastest route to the strongest grip.
What's special about Captains of Crush Grippers?
the gold standard of grippers: original, authentic, unmatched
the single best grip training tool
perfect fit with CoC compatible grip tools for maximum progress in minimum time
knurled aircraft-grade aluminum handles, pioneered by CoC grippers in 1995
proprietary GR8 springs, only on CoC Grippers and IMTUGs: precise, durable, good-looking
a 20-year history of product development and refinement
precision manufacturing for world-class performance: top-drawer build quality
top-selling, top-rated grippers at Amazon, year after year
made in the USA
no-surprise geometry: you can count on the consistency and precision of Captains of Crush Grippers
11 strengths for a perfect fit
certification on the top-tier CoCs
Made in the USA.
- Captain of Crush-1.jpg (871.33 KiB) Viewed 980 times
They also make another product that helps improve the arm muscles involved in shooting, and they actually market them to the shooting public under the name of "Twist Yo Wrist." (https://www.ironmind-store.com/Twist-Yo ... info/1369/) Here is what they say:
From their website:Put a new spin on your lower arm training with the Twist Yo' Wrist: hit everything from your elbows to your fingertips for gains in strength, endurance, and muscle mass. Give it a turn for strong wrists in all directions and a new way to pump up your forearms, training your grip strength at the same time.
The Twist Yo' Wrist trains both your grip, wrist and forearm, and the movement is radial and ulnar deviation--picture opening a jar of peanut butter with one hand on the lid, the other on the bottom of the jar and twisting. It is designed so that you train both concentrically (winding up the cord) and eccentrically (allowing it to unwind under control).
- Twist Yo Wrist.jpg (365.37 KiB) Viewed 980 times
2. Inert Firearms (Training Blue Guns)
One of the most important skills that is inherently tied to the effective defensive use of handguns, is the ability to quickly and safely access your firearm under all conceivable conditions. A quick and safe draw of your handgun can make all the difference in your world, and in many cases, can be the necessary deterrent to violence. I suspect that far too many of those who carry concealed have not taken the time to perfect their draw. The solution is simple - practice, practice, practice, practice.
Training with the firearm you carry is a must, but certainly in the early stages, using a real gun carries risks that are best avoided. The solution is to use an inert training gun that exactly resembles the one you plan to carry. The use of such inert training aids has become quite popular, and for the best of reasons - safety. There is NO chance that someone forgot to unload the weapon. These training aids are usually blue in color, which serves as a quick visual indicator that it is not a real weapon.
As an aside, the blue guns are so popular that many accessory manufacturers use them to demonstrate how their products feel and function on particular firearms.
This popularity has led to a number of companies that offer them, and which one you select is really unimportant, as long as the trainers are an exact replica of the real deal, including weight, dimensions, grip checkering, design, and all details. Ring's Manufacturing (sold through the Cops Plus website), are the real deal.
Here is what they say (https://www.copsplus.com/ringsblueguns.php):
After considerable research Rings has crafted the most detailed and durable training weapon available in today's market. Rings training weapons known as Firearm Simulators or BLUE GUN are so exact in size and dimension that many holster, grip & laser manufactures use them to display theeir own products. Rings believes that in order to get proper safe tactical training you need to use a training aid that has the look and feel of your personal weapon.
The details on the Ring's training aids are impressive, right down to the use of the Glock name. Other than the color and the fact that they are inert, the guns are essentially exact replicas of the real thing, making them ideal training aids.
- Ring's Training Blue Gun.jpg (884.73 KiB) Viewed 968 times
3. Formal Training and Personal Shooting Drills
Shooting skills, good and safe shooting skills, are the product of training and practice. To a large degree, training is where skills are taught and practice is where they become skills. There are far too many places to mention where training is taught, so I will only mention a few, but they are ones that have well established good reputations, It will be your job to check them out to see if they meet your needs. Translation = do your homework.
Although it goes without saying, I'll say it anyway. Learning and practice are not one time events. Never be afraid to learn new things, and make a practice out of practicing your skills.
I'll mention two organizations where you will be well served to learn and practice. The first is Gunsite Academy (https://www.gunsite.com/.) Gunsite was the creation of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, and his words say much better than I, what Gunsite is all about (also see: https://www.gunsite.com/about-us/):
The original ‘American Pistol Institute’ (API) now known as Gunsite Academy offers firearms training to elite military personnel, law enforcement officers and free citizens of the US.
We know Americans take our rights very seriously, and the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States guarantees each citizen the right to keep and bear arms. However, with each right comes an equal responsibility to discharge that right effectively, legally, safely and within the bounds of morality. Rights demand responsibility.
Owning a piano does not make one a pianist any more than owning a handgun makes one a good shooter.
Lt. Col. Cooper
Cooper was a frequent contributor to gun magazines, which I enjoyed, and from which I learned a great deal when it came to safe and effective firearm use. If you have any interest in learning from one of the great masters of the discipline of "Pistol Craft", you owe it to yourself to collect his writings. While there are many, I will mention only one, a 44 page very well written booklet, which rather concisely and bluntly states his principles. It is titled, "Principles of Personal Defense." The book is most definitely NOT suitable for the less durable members of our society. Reading it once will never be enough, but be prepared, as Col, Cooper warns in the Introduction:
The author assumes that the right of self defense exists. Some people do not. This booklet is not for them. This is for those who feel that anyone who chooses physically to attack another human being does so at his peril."
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Now comes the practice part of this segment. This too, is an area where there is an unlimited amount of different ways to practice, or so it seems. And, so again, I will only mention two - The United States Concealed Carry Association, whose motto is, "We Educate. We Train. We Save Lives." They offer both insurance and training, much of which is contained in their bi-monthly magazine. One can subscribe just to the magazine, which in my opinion, is money very well spent. In addition to the USCCA, there are a number of shooting drills that have been offered in "Handguns Magazine" which I also recommend. (www.handguns.com)
- USCCA Magazine 3.png (368.16 KiB) Viewed 953 times
4. Holsters, Holsters, Holsters, and More Holsters.
The field of holsters is enormous, and it seems like there is a new kid on the block every few months. This by the way, is a good thing, but for someone who is just starting out, the task of deciding which is best will seem overwhelming. If you ask ten people which holster is best, you may just end up with 12 opinions. The question of which holster is the best is the wrong way to start. The questions MUST be, which is the best holster for you. Gun articles, advertisements, gun store employee recommendations, and what the Hollywood stars wear, should rarely, if ever, be your guide. What turns out to be the best for you will depend on your body shape and size, what is most comfortable, what affords the quickest safe access to your gun, and a whole lot more. And, I wish that I could sugar coat this last little bit of truth, but its something that you must know - chances are almost 100% that you will need to buy and test out a number of holsters before you discover the one (or ones) that are best for you.
As much as it would be expedient to simplify this, there are two more important decisions that you will need to make - placement of the holster, and holster material (leather or synthetic.). At last count, these are at least 8 different locations where holsters can be located, and which one, or ones, are best for you, is purely personal:
Hip
Cross Draw or Appendix
Small of Back
Shoulder,
Ankle,
IWB vs OWB (inside waist band and outside waist band)
A few quick OAUSA pieces of helpful advice
- Buy quality and buy American.
- Buy a holster that is made specifically for your firearm - avoid the one size fits all holsters.
- Holsters without straps should provide a snug fiction fit capable of holding the firearm during the types of uses you expect to encounter.
Once you have made all these holster decisions, take your Blue Gun out and practice, practice, practice.
5. Indispensable Practice Components
At the appropriate time, live fire practice must occur, but one must have enough ammo. Unfortunately, finding "enough ammo" these days may be difficult. And, if you take your practice seriously, your need for ammo may quickly exceed the supply at your local gun store. Hand loading may be the answer. If you become a volume shooter, a progressive press is your solution and if not, then a single stage press may do the trick. While this is not a handloading net, this may be a solution to ammo shortages that will allow you to practice.
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- Redding T7 Turret Press.jpg (10.11 KiB) Viewed 952 times
- RCBS Rock Chucker Press.jpg (18.97 KiB) Viewed 952 times
6. Mantis X Shooting Performance Systems
7. Alternate Practice Exercises
- Dry firing
- Air gun practice
- Ambi practice
(I hope to make it to at least half the places this bike has been)
