It's OK if you go to the local shootin' range occasionally or regularly, but are you drawing from concealment? I'm talkin' bout real concealment, not the unzipped jacket or shoot-me-first concealment you see folks sportin' at an IDPA match. It was a high of eighteen degrees 'round here yesterday. CCW folks are not walkin' around here with t-shirts tucked into their jeans covered by an unzipped wind-breaker or fishin' vest.
Now don't get me wrong, practicing shooting at the range or in competition are great for building skills... just like weight-lifting and aerobic exercise is great for football players, but you still need to get out on the field and run some plays before game day. And just like the coaches, you need to track your progress too. Are you "scoring" your targets while timing yourself? If you're not keeping track of your hits and accuracy while timing yourself, how do you know if you're getting any better?
Do you practice and run your gun, holster, and equipment like you carry daily? Do you practice reloading from your concealed extra magazine? Do you have a "competition" holster and a "daily carry" holster? Do you practice with your "daily carry" holster too?
Now I realize that many folks don't always have a place to practice that allows you to draw and fire from concealment... let alone shoot move or practice seeking cover, but it would be good if you can at least find some place that will let you practice you real-life skills occasionally. We're fortunate to have a place out back, but I'm sure if you look around your area, you'd eventually find some place to practice those daily carry skills.
So when you're walking around in 18 degrees with gusty winter wind blowing about... how fast can you get to your gun when your wearing three layers of clothes under your fully zipped-up, heavy winter jacket? Do you carry in an alternative location in that situation?
As I asked before... Do you practice like you carry?
So, what are your thoughts?
In a way, I dont have a choice but to practice like I carry since I only own one holster, An IWB clip on. When I decided to try IDPA out I splurged and bought a kydex two mag holder, which is now my only carry ammo. At my first IDPA shoot, I just wore my usual flannel shirt and placed dead last in my class, but had no safety violations and didnt shoot any friendly targets, so it was a good night.
ReplyDeleteOne challenge is that many ranges wont allow drawing from leather for safety and liability reasons. Even the military does their pistol qualification without drawing from leather.
That's a real problem at most ranges...
DeleteDann in Ohio
Dry fire practice is free and can be done at home. The top shooters do tons of dry fire. There are many good books on how to do effective dry fire practice in "tactical" skills - look for books by Steve Anderson, Ben Stoeger, Michael Seeklander and others. The SIRT pistol, which is a $200 laser training tool, is a great option for practicing draws, reloads, movement and multiple shot/multiple target drills without going to the range.
DeleteGreat pointers. I practice most often in the range.
ReplyDelete"... it would be good if you can at least find some place that will let you practice you real-life skills occasionally..."
ReplyDeleteThere are none in the state of Ohio. If you know of any please share.
There are several clubs and ranges in our area... southwest Ohio... the Clinton County Farmers and Sportsmen's Association allows you to practice at there outdoor ranges drawing as long as the muzzle is in a downrange or safe direction... What area are you from?
DeleteDann in Ohio
Don,
DeleteThere is a list of ranges on the Ohio DNR site: http://www.ohiodnr.com/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/shooting_infolandingpage/shooting_ranges_default/tabid/17601/Default.aspx
Check out the unsupervised ranges as you'll likely have fewer problems with rules, though needless to say, you need to be safe. Od check out any IDPA clubs to see if they know a suitable place.
I live in Minnesota, and I'm fortunate to live near an unsupervised range in a quarry.
Our USPSA matches have a Concealed Carry side match every 3 months. (Rotating with Carbine and Shotgun as well). The rules for the CCW match is it must be in your standard carry gear and it must be concealed.
ReplyDeleteUsually we will either re-task an existing stage or there will be another stage just for it.
j frame in winter jacket outside pocket, if it's that cold your hands are gonna be there anyway:-)
ReplyDelete