There is debate being waged by those who think competition will “get you killed”, and those who think “Tactical Timmy’s” can’t hang in a competition. This debate has been done over and over again but I felt the need to weigh in after my recent experiences. I have to say that I have a foot firmly planted in both cliques. That’s right…I’m a fence sitter on this issue and proud to be one. Why am I a fence sitter? It’s because I got my start shooting in the defensive/tactical/I’m a civilian ninja operator sheepdog side of the house, but as I have matured, I not only see the benefit of competition, I realized that I had totally forgotten about what made me love shooting…it’s fun! I also started competing because somewhere in my internal basement there is a guy that loves to compete. Sometimes, it’s against himself, and other times, it’s against any takers. What can I say, that little sportsman just needs to be let out every once and while! At least with shooting, I don’t have to shave my chest and oil up (before you start to wonder, I should note that I was a competitive body builder in a former life).
While both sides have valid points it is my opinion that most people should still seek fundamentally grounded training beyond a basic CWP course. An instructor worth the time and money will stick to an essentials based curriculum no matter what the class material may cover. A person should at least be introduced to the core elements and have a grasp of them before shooting on the move, shooting from cover, and dealing with the various weapon manipulations. As a tactically educated shooter, I believe that learning to do these things correctly will not only enhance your defensive skill set, but also get you primed for competitive gun play. From what I have seen, the average competitor’s gun handling skills are leaps and bounds ahead of the average CWP holder. They spend more time with their gun, and use it under intensely scrutinized safety and competitive pressure. However, the inner ninja in me can’t help but wonder when I see continuously fumbled reloads, bad trigger control, and an inconsistent draw how much better they could be with just a dash of “tactical” training or training with a competitive shooter that can also teach. Unfortunately it is these same competitors that often tout the “I don’t need training”, or “competing is training” line. I beg to differ on this point, as the consistency of basic mistakes and the reinforcement of bad habits are glaringly obvious to me. Conversely, we also meet the “Training Groupie”. He knows his guns and gear, has all of the best equipment, and has trained with every big name instructor (only one time each though, he has to collect those certificates of completion). Sadly, he seems to never improve because the only time he shoots is in class with the latest big name. This is the guy that holds fast to the “competition will get you killed!” mantra. His opinion, while having never registered for a match, much less felt the jitters while being on deck before a stage, seems a little trite. Perhaps Cowboy shooting may not be the greatest technique for defensive firearm use, but there are plenty of disciplines that encourage a tactical mindset when the buzzer goes off. In truth, I think these folks are just nervous. I think we can all agree that training makes us a better shooter, but public competition can be a very vulnerable feeling. I think this is akin to those that feel safer behind a $1000 gun instead of a $500 gun. There is a self deception at play, and folks can easily talk themselves into believing their skills with their gun are excellent, but they never really test themselves in fear of failure. I’m sure we all know a black belt martial artist that has never actually been hit in the face. This is no different. Our Ego gets in the way, and it is all too easy to believe in ones competence, then to actually test it out. At this end of the spectrum, it is important to realize that if a person chooses not to compete, it is still important to practice the techniques that have been learned while in a class. This can be done by keeping a training journal and logging scores, times, and progress tracking. Not many people do this and just go by “feel”. That isn't exactly quantitative data. No recreational shooting fully mimics a life and death experience, but shooting under the basic stressors of a competition can enhance and reinforce properly learned fundamentals (if they are there). Shooters often don’t have the resources available to practice shooting from different positions, multiple targets, low percentage targets, or timed drills. Practical competition encompasses all of these elements. Conversely, competition can also give a shooter a false sense of security, reinforce bad habits, and be construed to be something it is not (combat simulation). Thankfully, there is a growing demographic of people out there that see a need and use for both types of shooting. Training can help you build your foundational skills, while competition gives you exciting ways to rehearse those skills. On a side note, something that I see plagues both competitions and defensive classes are that participants will often compete/train with a firearm that they would never use for their CCW. While not necessarily a bad thing, it is something to bear in mind that the gun you would most likely defend yourself with is the gun you have the least trigger time with. Just food for thought… It’s an unfortunate state of affairs when we have two die hard “cliques” in the gun world arguing over something that is quite trivial compared to the constant threat to our 2nd amendment rights. Both disciplines use “high capacity” magazines and evil black guns quite regularly. Either style requires a dedication to improving beyond Saturday afternoon plinking. Either camp can quite easily carry their skills into the other arena; yet many in both groups will ignorantly bash each other. It really is a silly grudge match, as competition shooting and defensive training have their uses and there is a huge overlap that can be used to blend the two together. So, if you have enjoyed a training class in the defensive use of a firearm, then maybe you should look into trying out IDPA, USPSA, or one of the other shooting games available to us. If you love your Saturday morning matches, but just can’t seem to get better scores, then you should seek out competent instruction to break down all the components to drawing, shooting, and reloading. Either way, just reach out and ask, because at the end of the day, achieving a higher standard of shooting should be every shooters ultimate goal. Accuracy is a direct result of a shooter understanding, if not outright mastering the fundamentals of marksmanship. Unfortunately, simply training for “combat accuracy” is often used as an excuse for “good enough”. This term found its way into circulation mainly from magazines stating a gun was “combat accurate” after it turned in less than stellar performance in the accuracy department, and the reviewer didn’t want to hurt ad revenue. It is also used to relate to the decrease in accuracy that a shooter may experience under extreme stress. This term has now pervaded the training industry as a way for an instructor to ego stroke their students, or an excuse for an instructor’s inability to properly diagnose a student.
The standard silhouette that is commonly used is not anatomically correct, generously large, and is not an efficient target to train on. No particular target will truly prepare a person for a deadly encounter, but It would behoove us to shoot on the smallest reasonable target to squeeze every ounce of accurate performance out of the shooter and firearm. This is because that under extreme stress, accuracy will greatly suffer, and a person may not have a full silhouette to aim at (this is just as true if you are training for your next match). This is why we train on challenging targets such as 3x5 index cards, 3-5” circles, partial targets, and other precise targets. These are often shot at extended ranges to increase difficulty. By increasing the range, we apply mental stress to the student and achieve a higher standard of focus and shooting ability. Training for a high degree of accuracy is beneficial for a multitude of reasons. First is that shot groups will almost certainly enlarge during rapid firing regardless of distance, so the goal is to learn to mitigate that group from opening up. Second, it challenges the shooter mentally as well as physically, thereby improving focus. Third, if a shooter can hit a small target on demand at 25yds, then that shooter can do it at 5yds while doing it much faster. Shooting a 3x5 index card at 15 yards is a challenge for many shooters because the fundamentals must be stressed to successfully make the shot. Some front sights may even completely cover the index card at 15 yards, much less at 25yds! Extreme accuracy is mentally challenging because it forces the shooter to focus on every part of the fundamentals. Every movement is exaggerated with smaller targets, especially at distance. Whether in a life or death struggle, or if a championship is on the line; making every shot count is what every shooter should aspire to. Once again, a higher standard is never a bad thing. The challenge of extreme accuracy is a rewarding one to overcome. This is by no means the “end all be all” of training, as there are countless things to work on with unlimited variables to challenge oneself. The important thing to realize is that a balance should be struck, but “good enough” should never be a part of the accuracy equation. Don’t let a 10” circle at ten yards be good enough for your “combat accuracy” standards. The vast majority of people are more than capable of higher standards. Continue to improve and always strive for a high standard with both your training and your practice. Don’t let the misunderstanding of a cliché word become your standard as often the case these days with training. As of late two terms have been used with great popularity in the training industry, (even more so than extreme tactical advanced operations). Often times an instructor will use either efficiency and/or economy of movement as if the two are interchangeable when they are very different terms with very different definitions that can affect a shooter’s knowledge base.
Shooters that truly understand efficiency know that every movement (or lack thereof) must have a purpose. Sweeping away a cover garment, the “work space” during a reload, and the way the gun clears the holster during a draw. Efficiency is what makes a decent action seem fast. It is what truly separates the good from the great, and it is jaw dropping efficiency that makes you say “smooth”, when you see a shooter conducting a flawless drill in an impressive time. Efficiency takes more than practice; it takes hard work conceived over thousands of hours of practice. That practice consisting of both dry and live fire drills learned from competent instruction. A strong economy is the “toolbox” of techniques that a shooter draws from for the various situations a shooter may encounter. A shooter recognizing that there will be setbacks (recessions), is a maturation of practice and experience…you only get it by getting out and learning by pulling the trigger. Having a strong economy when it comes to shooting is also having the ability to recognize what works for you. Whether that be a new technique shown during a class that doesn’t hit home until you later practice it on your own, or having the understanding that a technique may be worse for you than the housing bubble of 2008. An economical shooter is not scared of a new technique during practice; it is the willingness to take a step back to get two steps ahead as that minor economic recession will ultimately make the shooter permanently more efficient. The two terms economy and efficiency should be used to show two separate concepts that are used to help individual shooters achieve their goals. It is important that shooters develop their economy to ultimately become more efficient. As shooters gain experience they should hopefully recognize that efficiency is derived from a healthy economy that needs to stay strong and continue to grow so as not to turn a temporary recession into an outright depression of skills development. An often overlooked portion of EDC (every day carry) wear for many who carry a concealed firearm is the belt. A belt is the heart and soul of daily carry wear much like the bolt and barrel is for the AR-15. A proper belt should be rigid enough to support the weight of the firearm, spare ammo (you do carry spare ammo right?), the mini laptops known as phones, and at the same time hold your pants up. Without a good belt that $100 custom
holster will not be nearly as effective as it should be. Whether a belt is made to be used for duty, competition, or for the average person wanting to conceal carry the job requirements are the same. A good holster that doesn’t stay where you put it, or flops in the wind is directly due to the belt not being up to the job that you require of it. It should keep your holstered pistol close to your body, and it should properly manage the weight of your equipment to reduce discomfort and fatigue. There are two main materials that belts are currently made of which are nylon and leather. Nylon has made a very large inroad to being the most popular material that conceal-carry belts are made of. It can be made very stiff, is generally cheaper, doesn’t squeak and make noise while against a holster, and generally doesn’t stretch or wear out like leather can do. Additionally, nylon belts eschew the traditional notch and prong buckle for a versatile friction buckle. A friction buckle may be a better option, as it allows the user infinitely more flexibility in fitting, especially after Thanksgiving! Leather, while usually being more expensive, does not scream “gun!” It is essentially a more traditional look, and blends in well with office or casual attire. The secret to leather is often thicker leather that has been well cured to give it a more robust durability, while still remaining supple. It can wear out, and sometimes, the notch and post buckles don’t fit as perfectly as we like. However, a well -crafted leather gun belt is a joy to own, and there is an old world craftsmanship that is easy to love. It might require some break-in time with your holster, but so did your first baseball glove. Unfortunately it is a common occurrence at the range to see a cheap Chinese leather belt trying its best to support a full size steel framed pistol. Also, thicker belts that are generally used for construction or hard labor are also not up to par as they are not rigid enough. Another familiar sight is someone wanting a smaller firearm because their sub-compact is too heavy; after a quick examination it is plain to see that a better, more rigid belt is all that is needed to help distribute the weight, and make the firearm more concealable as a belt will naturally pull the gun closer to the body. Weight distribution is the biggest factor of what a belt is designed to do…regardless if you are carrying a gun or are batman with multiple gadgets on your waist. A dedicated carry belt should be part of the purchase plan when buying a holster as they go hand in hand. Be aware of cheap knock offs; this especially holds true with nylon belts. A minimal amount of research is required as it is important that the width of the belt itself does not exceed the width of your normal pant belt loops. It is imperative that the shopper only buys from reputable sources as just because it is made out of nylon, or is “mil-spec” does not mean the belt is made to carry a firearm on a day to day basis. Proper fit is important, and it makes the difference between picture perfect presentations, holstering, or a sloppy and unsafe game of “where’s my holster?” A good belt, whatever the material, will often cost just as much as a good holster. The good side of this is that a good holster and belt can quite honestly give the individual a lifetime of service. This will help ensure that the individual carries a firearm more often which is, of course, the purpose of obtaining a CWP in the first place. The second most important aspect of carrying a firearm, besides the firearm itself, is the choosing of the correct holster. Just like a firearm, holster choice is an incredibly personal one. Holsters are generally made of leather, kydex, or nylon. Just like everything else though holsters are not all made equal. It is imperative that the holster chosen fits the firearm , retains the firearm from arbitrarily falling out, covers the trigger guard, gives the shooter the ability to re-holster, and gives some level of comfort from everyday carry of a chunk of plastic and metal being on your hip for hours at a time. A bad choice of holster is just as detrimental as a bad firearm choice because the wrong holster can fail when you need it most. Choosing a way to carry is the first step in choosing the correct holster for you. The most popular ways to carry are outside the waistband (OWB), inside the waistband (IWB), and the increasing popularity of appendix inside the waistband (AIWB). All three types have their pros and cons against each other such as weapon retention, speed of drawing, concealment, and comfort. Keep in mind carrying a gun will not be as comfortable as your Sunday sweatpants, but it isn’t supposed to be. The key here is to find what style works for you…then buy the best quality you can in the way that you choose to carry. Being on the range more than a fair amount of time I have seen many different types of holsters. Many of those holsters being of the nylon variety have unfortunately made appearances at the more “advanced” classes. Generally, nylon holsters tend to be cheaper both in price and in quality. Because of the price point they happen to be very popular with the new shooter or usually the ill-informed. They are generally prevalent during a basic CWP qualification. This is one of the types of holsters that consistently fail. Even if the holster remains in one piece it fails because it does not do any of the above mentioned features and then it becomes a safety issue to keep the shooter on the line due to shoddy equipment. Do not be that guy! An instructor usually spends more time on the range than the oblivious nylon offender so don’t get upset when you are removed…it’s a safety issue, nothing personal. Being a new shooter does not preclude an individual from having a holster at least fit the gun and safely cover the trigger guard; especially in this day and age of easily accessible, free information. There is no excuse for a holster that falls apart though due to poor craftsmanship. Having a holster fall apart on the line is usually just an embarrassing day for the student. Thankfully that is where learning occurs and the situation is a “self-correcting error”. Watching students holsters literally melt off their loops, stitching rip from just drawing the gun, and watching a holster flop in the wind is something no man should get used to seeing. A flying holster is not just relegated to nylon…there are some really cheap leather works out there too. One thing that doesn’t get old is seeing a cheap holster come off of the belt, or when the student goes back to re-holster the firearm the holster is no longer where it was before! Of course, a good belt is STANDARD with a good holster which will be discussed in the near future. A holster being as imperative as it is to safe, comfortable carry, cannot be overlooked or to “cheap out” on. The material used is not so important as to the quality of the holster. There are actually quality nylon holsters out such as offerings fromBianchi. Kydex is probably one of the most popular materials to be used right now as it does not bend, lose elasticity, and retains the firearm incredibly well, and is often cheaper than a nice leather rig. Of course, it is hard to beat a good leather holster for all holster uses and they just have a classic look about them, especially when you put a nice 1911 or Browning Hi-Power in one. The choice is yours, and the choices are plentiful so choose wisely or should you get the proverbial “box of holsters” collection that many, including yours truly can accumulate. Just like anything else, try to choose from holster makers that are established and highly reputable in both the construction and follow through of customer service when buying something as important as a carry holster. Doing so will save you time, money, and hopefully a little embarrassment in your next firearms training adventure. There is a very real reason that the old saying, “Buy once, cry once” holds true in the firearms industry. As both an instructor and a firearms retailer, I have been fortunate enough to see what reliably works, and what consistently fails during classes. It is incredibly important to equip your-self with quality gear, and not to emotionally attach your-self to any particular brand. As your knowledge expands and evolves, you should remain open to new techniques and equipment. While many former military may love the 92FS, that doesn’t mean it is the best tool for every job. This holds true especially for students who choose handgun training for the unfortunate possibility he or she may have to use it in self-defense. We want our gun to go bang, our holster to hold firm, and our extra magazines to be exactly where we left them on our belt. It doesn’t matter if you are racing against the timer in a qualifying round, or praying that you aren’t going to have to pull your pistol in the dark parking lot. Like your car, it all needs to work.
While most firearms are at least fairly reliable on a beautiful range day, the cold reality is that those same firearms may not be suited for hard use such as duty, training, or even daily carry. Common offenders within this firearm category are some of the smaller .22 through 380acp pocket pistols, inexpensive 1911s, and various “value” manufacturers with unlimited warranties. While an unlimited warranty is nice, if it is there to offset mediocre quality control, then it may not be the best use of your money. There is a reason that some companies have a sterling reputation…it’s not that their guns never fail, it is that the occurrence of a breakdown is much slimmer than guns of lesser quality. Another aspect of choosing ones equipment is the ability to supply a plethora of spare parts, and offer accessible armorer support. There is a very real reason that companies such as H&K, S&W, and Glock offer civilian armorer support and easily accessible replacement parts. Armorer support is crucial so a shooter can find help to not just fix, but to perform routine maintenance on a firearm. It doesn’t take much time in the gun world to realize that aftermarket manufacturing for support gear and high quality replacement parts is significantly higher for a Glock 19 than a Bersa Thunder or a Ruger SR9. Not all manufacturers and firearms have this claim to fame. A word to the wise, just because aftermarket parts are available, doesn’t mean they should always be used…but the option is always nice. In the firearms industry “just as good as…” rarely pans out. We would love to believe that the Taurus 85 series is just as good as a Smith and Wesson J-frame. It is not. An established “1st world” firearm company is often more expensive because of the materials used, the quality control measures, and the manufacturing processes that are used to build their products. Polymers are not all created equally, and neither are steels and alloys. For example, H&K uses a proprietary barrel steel that is specifically manufactured to handle the over pressure of a squib load being caught in the barrel and another round being fired behind it. S&W reinforces their polymer frames with steel. FNH cold hammer forges their barrels which is the same process that is used in our military issue M-4 rifles. The point being, not every gun maker can claim such high levels of engineering to ward off the degradation of hard gun use. Yes, a lower tier gun may shoot fine even the often disregarded hi-point won’t explode in your hand. However, a few more dollars goes a long way to ensure that your guns will hold up over time, and if something catastrophic happen(criminal assault, overcharged reload, etc), your odds of remaining unharmed are much higher. The lesson to remember here is that all firearms are not created equally. It is imperative that an individual does their due diligence on their firearm selection. Considering the vast consumer resources of the internet, your local gun store, or training academy, there is really no excuse to not have a good understanding of what you are purchasing. Should the firearm be acquired for defensive use, with the added rigors of every day carry, then these ideas should be underlined and highlighted. While a shooter may not need an expensive pistol, the goal of this article is to encourage a higher standard of equipment. There is no doubt that skill and mindset are the biggest factors in any defensive shooting scenario. We cannot factor in the countless environmental, emotional, and legal elements involved in any shooting situation, but we can stack the deck in our favor. With the appropriate weapon, support gear, and the vital training, it doesn’t matter if you are facing a home invader or the buzzer just started your latest IDPA round . . . you have done what is in your power to come out on top. |
Tim ElmerTim Elmer is an instructor at Shootlogic LLC. working alongside Tommy Judy for the past several years. He is an avid shooter that makes the attempt to keep up a blog. Archives
April 2017
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