Good enough???

Posted on by May 2, 2023

This is always an ‘interesting’ question to ask in just about any undertaking, but I want to be a bit more specific this time.

What is good enough as a person that carries a weapon for personal protection?

I had a discussion with a friend yesterday about this. He teaches CCW classes on the east coast, and I’m an NRA instructor. We were looking at what would be the ‘basic’ competency that should be the goal.

Note- This is result of ‘our’ discussions, take this for what it is worth- e.g. nothing…

Have taken at least basic pistol classes to learn safety procedures, four rules, state laws, etc. Two recommended courses are Gunsite 250 or similar, and Mas Ayoob’s MAG 40. Attending state required concealed carry classes with certified instructors.

Actual proficiency boils down to these three things-

Being able to hit what one is aiming at; shot placement is key, regardless of caliber used. Knowing where your rounds are going, e.g. keeping them in the target… Taking a course and never going to the range will cause those limited skills to atrophy in a hurry!

Pistol drills- Reloads, malfunction drills, round counts, clearing/safing pistol. Can the person do those safely without muzzling themselves or anyone else? Again, practice is required to maintain that skill set.

Manipulation of the pistol- Safely drawing the pistol from how ever it is carried, in different environments e.g. summer, winter, with/without heavy cover garment/gloves.

  • Outside the waistband holsters, or OWB.
  • Inside the waistband holsters, or IWB.
  • Pocket holsters.
  • Shoulder holsters.
  • Ankle holsters.
  • Purses
  • Murses

Some people change their carry pistols depending on the situation/time of year/other. If you do that, make sure you maintain proficiency with ALL of them.

Knowing when/where to use your pistol. Just because you carry one, doesn’t mean every situation calls for it. Being a ‘smart’ individual, e.g. not being where bad things are happening, in the wrong places, with the wrong people, etc.
Practical means of defusing a situation, e.g. leaving the area, getting under cover (NOT just concealment), etc.
Of note- There are a lot of ‘higher end’ courses one can take to improve your weapons handling TTPs but the bottom line is you need to go to the range and practice or dry fire routinely to maintain proficiency! Annette Evans wrote an excellent book on how to safely practice dry fire at home. I have a copy and use it!
It can be found on Amazon, HERE, and it is aimed at all shooters-
Dry fire – practicing without live ammunition – is an essential tool for every gun owner who wants to learn how to handle his or her firearm more proficiently. It saves time and money while remaining an effective training method whether you are interested in guns for a hobby, for self-defense, or for competition. While there are many books that describe specific dry fire regimens, they don’t always give you the information you need to use them best. That’s where The Dry Fire Primer comes in. It bridges the gap between “I’ve heard of dry fire” and “I’m going to be a dry fire maniac and use it to its greatest potential.” Whether you’re brand-new to dry fire or just feel like you could be getting a bit more out of it, this book is for you.
YMMV, IANAL, and I sure as hell didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night… In other words, this post is supposed to make you think about where you are in your training/proficiency as you go about your daily lives and where you want to be.

Comments

Good enough??? — 16 Comments

  1. As an aside, I find dry fire with a laser very informative.
    It becomes obvious how much control you have and the influence trigger pull has on shot placement besides releasing the bullet..

  2. I’m a big fan of this trainer if you can’t go to the range…

    https://coolfiretrainer.com/

    Lets you have some feel of recoil as the slide cycles. Forces you to reacquire the target each “shot”. Can also be used to practice your draw. Add the laser and you can practice in a hallway.
    It doesn’t replace range time, but it is effective.

    Practice practice practice.

  3. Some years back, a cousin who was (and still is) employed in law enforcement told me that there are at least two different aspects of self defense. Accuracy and Speed. His thought was the ability to put three rounds into a paper plate in less than five seconds from drawing from holster. The further the better but at least within 30 feet.

    Only latter did I wonder what if said target was in the dark and wasn’t wearing a paper plate on this vital zone. But I take his point – getting there even in optimum conditions for the defender requires practice. And there lies the rub – without that practice, skills become lost.

  5. “Some people change their carry pistols depending on the situation/time of year/other. If you do that, make sure you maintain proficiency with ALL of them.”

    I’ve been a cop my entire adult life and a firearms instructor since 1987, and I came to the decision over the years that changing your carry pistol or carry location based on time of year, weather, or anything else is not a good idea. I’ve believe in carrying the same type pistol in the same place all the time.

    These days, I’m required to carry a Glock on duty. Not being a Glock fan, I carry a Smith M&P Compact off duty. Both are 9mm with the same ammo. They ride in the same place on my body, so I don’t have to do the “where is it today” and since they function the same, I don’t have to consciously think about safeties or anything else.

    Someday, when I retire, I might go back to my 1911 or maybe even a wheel gun (I’ve got a 2 1/2″ Smith .357 that has been whispering that I need to carry it again). But whatever I carry, I’ll be proficient and it’ll ride in the same place on my belt as I’ve always carried.

  6. Good enough? In my case my decision is to not carry even though I’ve had a CCW permit for decades. Main reason is, at my age with macular degeneration, hitting what I might be aiming at is problematic. Bystanders at risk is a consideration.

    What I carry in my vehicle is wasp spray.

    In public I try to maintain situational awareness.

    I’m down to one firearm, a revolver, having given away the rest to relatives who can use them. Not much practice needed if content with five rounds.

  7. Possible additions.

    1) Shoot some kind of competition with your carry pistol. You don’t need to try and win, just get some stress harding.

    2) Take some kind of first aid course. You, Ian and Kelly’s Shooter Self Care would be a template for the basics. You don’t need to be a combat medic, just know how to stop the leaks and combat shock.

    3) I liked the DTI firearm pick up training. You should be familiar with other weapon systems enough to load, unload and clear malfunctions. I spent time in places where I was not allowed to carry in, but I felt comfortable if I had to pick up a firearm and use it.

  8. Ed- That it does! I use a SIRT pistol for dry fire practice and was amazed at how ‘wobbly’ I was.

    B- Nice rig, a bit spendy, but obviously good kit.

    jrg- Excellent point!

    Mike- Understood and agreed.

    WSF- That is a decision ALL of us will have to make sooner or later… sigh

    Gerry- Good points! I used to shoot IDPA, but gave up on USPSA due to the cost/attitudes of the shooters. Yes, medical training is recommended (I wish it was required). No question Farnam’s courses are among the best, if you can afford them.

  9. I always take a few shots (usually a magazine’s worth or two) with a pistol I’m about to carry if I haven’t used it in a while.
    I always do a few practice draws when switching pistols, as well as just a few every so often with whatever I have been carrying, just to be sure. Same goes for if I change holsters.

    I have one of those ‘practice’ pistols like you do, I guess I use it once a week at least.

    But all that being said, my first choice is always going to be to avoid the confrontation. If I can’t, to try and retreat from it. Only after that would I ever go to the weapon. Even then, my goal is going to be to retreat and disengage. I have zero desire to ever get in a fire fight. I’ll only ever do that if I have no choice.

    The legalities of pulling a trigger are extreme. I’ll only go there if forced because I fear for my life or the life of another.

  11. Project Appleseed is also excellent training, although this is Marksmanship training for rifles and pistols, and rather intensive, from what I have been told, having never been to one.

  12. Grog- That it is! I have taken it myself and I didn’t make Rifleman which embarrassed the hell out of me (couldn’t change positions quickly enough to meet the time requirements).

  13. I regularly shoot at IPSC competitions here in Oz – sometimes three times a week, year round.

    I have been shooting the same competition gun for over 20 years, so I have muscle memory for where all the controls are, and I’ve experienced most of the possible failure modes (except an RUD).

    All the shooting skill and safety consciousness that I have acquired, even when coupled to a clean criminal record, is not enough for the government to even CONSIDER allowing me to legally carry a firearm for self-defence.

    It’s bad enough that I was seriously contemplating emigrating to the USA, but with all the upheaval that you folk are going through, maybe I’ll stay here.

  14. Sendarius- Understood, and you are an exception rather than the rule. The last is truly sad, as I think you would have ‘enjoyed’ the USA 20 years ago.

    • Funny that you mention “20 years ago”.\

      To expand a little, if I may:

      My wife and I took an extended, delayed honeymoon to Canada and the US five years after our wedding. This was a couple of years before our first child, so that makes it 26 years ago – close enough to your “20 years ago”.

      We flew to Vancouver, then spent six months travelling – first across Canada to Halifax, hopping on and off the train; then down the east coast of the US, across the bottom, and up the west coast by bus, train, and rental car (and one flight to Fairfax to drive up to see the Grand Canyon).
      After that we took a week in Hawaii to recover, then flew home.

      I had an impromptu job interview (and subsequent job offer) while we were in San Francisco, and we were standing in the airport in Honolulu debating whether to catch the plane to Sydney then home, or back to LA to a new job in SanFran.

      We had spent all the US currency we had (IIRC I had less than a dollar in cash left), and that was the decider: home it was.

      The job was in SanFran, and even then it felt “dodgy”. Looking at the place now, I like to think it was the right decision.

  15. Regarding lasers on handguns:

    If you have one mounted, point it at a target or object/surface, and watch for how much wobble your hand generates. See if two hands on the gun moderates the movement, or just makes a different pattern.

    Realize that the size of the pattern/wobble is your hit probability, at best.