That brings back memories from a few years ago… a friend, or rather someone I thought was a friend wanted to learn about firearms because he drives a taxi in Chicago, ugh… so I had a pellet rifle and an acceptable target for the pellet rifle and invited him over. The first thing he did when he picked it up, AFTER I told him several times NEVER TO PUT HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER, AND NEVER POINT IT AT SOMETHING YOU DO NOT WISH TO SHOOT, what did he do? He immediately put his finger on the trigger and pointed it at me. I took it away from him and said let’s try that again, the second time he picked it up and actually shot my poor German shepherd… who wasted no time in biting him in well, umm, a very sensitive area very hard… in sure everyone knows where. That was the end of me trying to teach him about firearms and actually the last time we ever spoke. On another note about him, I’m sure that’s why he never could have children, I’m sure my German shepherd solved that, and it is likely a good thing.
Brian,
as a kid, I had a dart gun, with a rubber tip, I still have it, that I aimed and shot at everything and probably killed my teddy bear many times. Children will go to the trigger first. I haven’t studied this phenomenon as to why children and or adults muscle memory the trigger. In training shooters, we have had a few adults that cannot keep their finger off the trigger. I don’t have an answer. Just lucky that the cabbie didn’t have a fatality at your expense. I always demonstrate a drill, when we have visitors or family at our house. I will take my SIRT tool, tell the visitor or family member “want to see my new gun” as I attempt to hand to them. I then go into a demonstration and caution about accepting a firearm without first unloading and show clear, keep finger off the trigger., rules of firearm safety, etc. In this phenomenon, everyone is willing to accept this tool, as what appears to look like a real firearm without any caution. AND most, after my dissertation about safety, will take the SIRT and place his or her finger on the trigger.
I don’t talk to him much because of that but the last time I did he is still driving a cab and had been robbed twice. Fortunately never injured. He asked again about firearms and I told him I don’t think that’sa good idea.
I just attended an intermediate level shooter training course. It assumes you’ve had the “intro” level course and builds upon that. I learned a couple of new things:
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When you’re done shooting in a booth at a gun range, lay the semi auto on its left side with slide locked open, pointing down range. That allows a range officer to see directly into the open chamber. Similarly, lay the magazine down with its base plate pointing down range. The RO can immediately see if it has any rounds in it.
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For safety, when you pick up a semi auto, touch your trigger finger to the slide first. That way you are not likely to put it on the trigger first, which is how one naturally tries to pick it up.
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To get the most out of a full size torso target,
use six aiming points: X-ring (center of mass), 7-ring on the right, on the bottom, on the left, at the top, then the head. For each aiming point, dry fire ten times, then shoot five rounds. If you’re a really good shot, you can define four more aiming points: left and right shoulders, left and right love handles. That’s ten areas, or 50 rounds total.
Stephen,
Statistics show that 85% of all self defense shootings occur between 10 & 15 feet. So when I go to the range to practice defensive shooting skills I keep within those distances. Trigger press, recoil management, single precise shots to a 3” target & multiple shot strings to a high center chest area, incorporating lateral movement, emergency reloads. are some of the things I typically incorporate into my range time. If it’s a new skill, I start out slow and gradually run the drill faster. Of course what I practice depends on the range and it’s rules concerning rapid fire, drawing from the holster, etc. Most indoor ranges limit the rate of fire, presentation from the holster and lateral movement is limited. Just check with the RSO, on duty to make sure what you intend to practice is allowed. I also use a blue gun, for practice at home, for such things as emergency reloads, presentation from the holster, and lateral movement. Depending on your everyday carry, there are blue guns available that will be molded plastic or rubber replicas to match your everyday carry weapon.
Best,
Jerry
@Jerry53 Thanks for the detailed response, Jerry. I appreciate it. This is excellent advice, and the type of information that I was hoping for.
I think it’s important to point out the differences between the two types of target shooting, at least the two I’ve learned about so far.
The first is about what @Jerry53 said above. This is effective shooting. The aim point is center-of-mass, and the goal is to deliver as many rounds into that region as possible, as quickly as possible. The second is about what many shooting courses focus on, accurate shooting. The point here is to achieve the smallest group size.
From what I’ve learned (I’m still a bit new to all this) is that effective shooting is the goal in self defense, while accurate shooting is the goal of competition shooting. Self defense, like Jerry said, is most often between 10 and 15 feet (5 yards and under). Competitions can be at any distance, but most often for me, practicing accurate shooting is at a distance of 21 feet (7 yards).
In January, I took the Defensive Shooting I class. 90% of it was classroom instruction. The remainder was on the range, where we concentrated on quick target acquisition, quick trigger reset, and quick delivery of bullets to the target, concentrating on center mass. I didn’t measure the distance (the instructor did), but it looked to be no more than 15 feet, and probably closer.
@AlexV Thanks Alex. Your comment has helped me to clarify with myself that my goal, at this moment, is to become proficient with my pistol for self-defense purposes. I only have so much time in my day/week and at this point I’m going to focus on self-defense shooting.
@OldGnome Did you find that the 90% classroom was valuable? To someone who hasn’t taken that type of course, 90% classroom seems like a lot to me. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks!
I did find it valuable. I know most courses of this type are 90% range, but the other three individuals in the room were much, much newer to handguns and shooting. The instructor spent more time with them in class and on the range. Since the instructor helped me - quickly - fix a basic flaw in my handgun grip (I can hit what I’m aiming at now!!) once we got to the range, that alone was worth the price of admission for me.
I also got a lot of good information about defensive shooting vs. target shooting.