I'm a pretty good shot... and hand, finger, and grip strength have a lot to do with it.

While most of the firearms we have are "stock", we still have quite a few with modifications... including various "trigger jobs" on rifles, shotguns, and handguns. A friend recently told me he was ordering a "Ghost Trigger" for his Glock because the gun's stock trigger pull was messing up his "groups". Now... I have a couple of Ghost products and they do a pretty good job on different guns, but a "trigger job" is what a lot of folks turn to rather than work on fixing themselves first. A "trigger job" won't fix a poor application of the shooting fundamentals or... make up for a lack of hand, finger, and grip strength.

Ruger SR9... my usual EDC... demonstration for students... draw and fire...
controlled pairs... flash-sight picture... at five yards...
.22LR single shot in bullseye was demo from ten-yards with Ruger Mark II Government Target Model...

Don't get me wrong, there are mechanical modifications and accessories that can truly improve a shooter's performance... but only if the fundamentals and decent hand and grip strength are already in place. I've shot some S&W M&Ps and Glocks that were amazing guns after folks like Bowie Tactical Concepts and Boresight Solutions had worked their magic, but for the most part beyond sights... our Every Day Carry guns around here are bone stock... and I shoot them pretty well because of two reasons... in my humble opinion... I have a pretty good grasp and application of the fundamentals... AND... I have developed and maintain pretty good grip and trigger-finger strength.

Ruger SR9... demonstration for students... trigger-control focus... ten-shots... at five-yards...

Most folks these days don't do a lot of manual labor, especially manual labor that works fine motor skills to where they build up strength in their hands and fingers, especially with regard to their grip. There are even some regular "gym rats" I know that haven't been purposeful about building hand and grip strength on the same level as their biceps and triceps. Now I've had students that have limitations due to injuries, arthritis, and other problems, but that's not the majority of folks. Also, I'm not picture of overall fitness... I do exercise... but I'm also a fat guy who could stand to lose a few or eighty pounds... but I have still developed very good hand, finger, and grip strength.

So, let's identify some of the advantages to great hand, finger, and grip strength:

• Easier manipulation of the firearm's action and controls.
• More consistent trigger press and management regardless of trigger weight.
• Stronger grip for two-handed and one-handed shooting.
• Better recoil control for controlled pairs or follow-up shots.
• Better retention of the firearm if someone tries to take it from you.
• Less fatigue when doing a lot of shooting.

Glock 17 Gen4... three shots draw and fire... then ten shots...
trigger-control focus... all at three yards...

So the next question is... how do we improve our hand, finger, and grip strength? Most people I know, even those who work-out at a gym, are not necessarily purposeful about building hand and grip strength. Regular shooting and dry-firing is great for developing your fine motor skills as they relate to shooting, but it doesn't necessarily build the strength in the hand, grip, or trigger finger any more than a weight-lifter doing curls with a five-pound dumbbell every day. 

S&W M&P9... eleven shots... seven yards...

You need to be purposeful about building hand, finger, and grip strength and fortunately... you can do a lot by incorporating it into your everyday activities. I do a lot of my grip exercises while driving to work. So if you want to build hand, finger, and grip strength... here are some exercises to try:

• Grip Exercisers - Equipment: grip exerciser or ball... I still use the GripMaster daily.
• Arm-Hang and Towel-Arm Hang - Equipment: chin-up/pull-up bar, towels.
• Wrist Curls and Hammer Curls - Equipment: dumbbells, kettlebells.
• Pinch Curls - Equipment: Weight plates, heavy books,
• Farmer's Walk - Equipment: Dumbbells, buckets with water/weight in them.
• Hand Stretch - Equipment: Stretching bands or heavy/larger rubberbands

Here are some links that explain the some of the above exercises and other exercises you can do at the gym or at home:

• The 16 Best Exercises for Your Grip by Men's Health
• 8 Grip Strength Exercises For A Stronger Grip by Built Lean
• Exercises to Strengthen Your Hands by Live Strong

I'm not saying a trigger-job or stippling your grips on your gun won't help, but I think you'll find that as you develop your strength... you'll see your shooting improve... and that's why I believe... I'm a pretty good shot... and hand, finger, and grip strength have a lot to do with it.

We live with guns...

Our dogs are part of our family. I've always said that we don't own them, we live with them. They live in our home and our lives fully.  Recently, our friend Melody Lauer made a comment on Facebook about living with guns. Our family is the same with guns, they are an integral part of our everyday lives for self-defense, fun, sport, hobbies, reading, learning... just about whatever.

The one gun safe is in our kitchen right next to the refrigerator. We tend to be in and out of both the refrigerator and gun safe twenty-four-seven. Heading out to the barn, grab a bottle of cold water and an AR in case a coyote decides to get within range. Heading out to the shooting range out back, grab a shotgun, an extra couple of mags... and hmmm... haven't shot the gal's Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield in a while... let's grab that. Maybe that Glock 19 would go better with the gal's outfit today. Heading to 4H Shooting Sports, grab a few guns to take along like that Ruger MKII Government Target model and that Ruger 22/45 Target model.

Our daughter grew up living with guns and she was taught safety and shooting fundamentals early on and the idea of living with guns keeps us always in the mode of safety, mindset, and where our guns are at any given time... and they're not always in the safe... we carry around home too. We're actively involved as firearms instructors and in shooting sports, hunting, and just about anything that involves shooting... it's just our "thing". Truth be told, there's usually not many places we are in our lives.. home, vehicle, barn, or out and about... that there isn't a gun handy.

Now I know a lot of people own guns. They have that shotgun they get out for hunting every fall or the gun that "gramps" passed down to the family or that pistol bought for home protection that hasn't been fired in three... err... six... uhh... seven years. So, maybe a question you might think about... Do you own -or- do you live with guns?

We live with guns...

Six considerations to maintain perishable self-defense skills...

Many of us are life-long learners, continuing to build our knowledge, skills, and abilities through various endeavors... but how do we maintain the previous knowledge, skills, and abilities we've acquired? This is really were balance, planning, and time management in life can really make or break us, especially in regard to our self-defense skills... both mentally and kinesthetically.

Now that I'm in my third decade as a firearms instructor, the one thing I've noticed with students is that ultimately the impact of the training they receive and improvements made in class and on the range is often completely lost when they leave and don't do anything to maintain or improve those skills. I've even found some students are actually spending too much time attending courses and instruction or training and not enough time internalizing, practicing, refining, and applying the skills they've learned. Balance and steady progress is the key.

Merriam-Webster defines perishable as "liable to spoil or decay" and skill as "a developed aptitude or ability"... so we can safely say that a perishable skill is a developed aptitude or ability that is liable to decay. So, to get right to the point... here are six considerations to keep your self-defense skills from perishing:

Conditioning: While the actual implementation or use of a specific skill or set of skills for self-defense cam be separate from the activities involved with conditioning both your mindset and body, it is still essential for the ease, proficiency, and endurance. We need condition both our mindset through activities designed to stimulate, stress, and challenge our mind to move from our instinctive reactions to purposeful responses that overcome our inherent fears, biases, and expectations that make us vulnerable to apathy and aggression.

Physically, we need to develop our strength and endurance that relates to and enhances the specific physiological processes, movements, and skills used for self-defense, whether it be empty-hand skills or skills in the use of various tools such as knives, impact weapons, or firearms.

Visualizing: This is one of the most overlooked aspects of both mental and physical conditioning a lot of self-defense minded people overlook, yet it has been proven effective for athletes, doctors, pilots, and many others... even showing in some studies that it actually triggers the autonomic nervous system. Simply, visualizing is mentally rehearsing actions and responses in specific situations, conditions, and environments.

The advantage for self-defense is that it can be done almost anywhere. You can take a moment in the office to visualize an attack you saw on video and how you would react and respond. You can close your eyes in the comfort and safety of your home or as you lie in bed and visualize an arm-bar technique or malfunction clearing of your firearm. You will find that "seeing" can help in "doing".

Practicing: Everyone says, "Well, duh... of course practice is important." Since we can all agree that practice is critical to success with our skills, let's focus on why we don't practice. Most of us our too busy and too involved in too many things. This is why I like simple self-defense moves, techniques, and skills because when it is all added up, we don't have enough time to do everything. I truly believe quality and frequency of practice is more important than quantity and breadth. That means that dropping by the shooting range regularly every two weeks for an hour and being very purposeful about practicing with fifty rounds of ammunition is probably more valuable than blasting away hundreds of rounds once every few months.

You're probably better off practicing three good draw-and-dry-fire sequences each night and also practicing your knife and empty-hand skills than to do fifty dry-fire shots and neglect practicing your other skills. While I'm on the subject of dry-fire practice, I do it and it is a good thing... but I know some people have gone too far with dry-fire to the point of never getting to the range and just like katas in martial arts are good for conditioning and practice, it doesn't replace actually striking a bag or working with sparring partner.

Additionally, we need to make sure we're practicing with purpose... and that means doing drills that apply to reality and developing our mindset while practicing with good techniques and responses. Why are you scanning and assessing after your shots are fired, is it self-defense theater, or something with purpose? Do you practice verbalizing while you practice self-defense moves or firing shots at a bad-guy target? Do you practice with your spouse or partner? Don't forget to develop and reinforce your mindset and critical thinking skills by incorporating thinking and decision-making in your practice routines and sequences.

Simulating: We obviously can't go full-Rambo in empty-hand or weapon self-defense practice and training... or half of us wouldn't survive to use our skills against a real aggressor. That being said, we all need a good "punch in the face" once in a while. We need to stress our bodies and minds with that blasted shot timer or some competitions like IDPA matches or sparring at our local dojo.

We need to do things like regularly practice and simulate our family's home invasion plans and we need to make pressured shoot/don't shoot decisions on the shooting range. One reason I like practicing hostage shots occasionally is that... while I think in real life it is highly unlikely that most of us can pull off a true hostage shot at much distance with live aggressors and hostages moving about... it helps me build mental stress visualizing and realizing that a missed hostage-taker shot is a killing-shot for my loved one... there's no second chances... there is no "oops"... threw that one a little low on the target!

If you can occasionally get to a FATS or Sim-Trainer at a local range, take advantage of it. If you can practice your escapes and self-defense moves in the gym or dojo with a partner, do it. Good simulation will involve both mental and physical challenges that will help you develop your mindset and body to understand your reactions and refine and control your responses to threats and other stimulus while you're under stress. You'll soon start to realize the impact of stress on your breathing, heart-rate, and muscles and determine how to manage it, develop confidence in your skills, and control your responses.

Coaching: Once the instruction is done, and while coaching often occurs during instruction, the coaching often ends with the course or class. If you have access to a mentor or instructor who can provide you with some coaching, it can really help you refine your skills and correct bad habits, sloppy techniques, and inefficient movements. Just like football, once the instruction is done and the players know the plays, their team-mates and moves... the coach helps refine, coordinate, and bring it all together on the field.

Fortunately, I have several fellow instructors that occasionally get together throughout the year to help coach each other and see things in my shooting that I don't. Once the instruction is done, a good self-defense trainer or martial arts teacher or sensei can provide coaching to help you refine and grow your mindset and techniques.

Evaluating: Finally, evaluation is critical to check progress. To me, one of the most important shots I evaluate with the shot timer is the time of the first shot I fire drawing from concealment when I walk onto the range. My benchmark to draw and fire an accurate shot at seven yards is two seconds. Sure, I can practice and game my stance and clothing positioning to get down under a 1.8 or 1.7 seconds drawing and firing from concealment, but that is not reality nor the benchmark I care about. You need to set realistic and applicable benchmarks and standards with metrics to measure them, then evaluate your skills.

Evaluate your equipment, staging, positioning, and how it effects your performance against the benchmarks and standards you've set. Adjust your practice, conditioning, and other areas based on solid data, not just what you "feel" you need to do. We tend to focus on what we like doing, but maybe that weak-side palm strike or weak-side-only shooting is where we need more time.

No matter how hard I practice... I still can't employ a folding knife as quickly, effectively, and reliably as I can a fixed-blade knife so I prefer to carry a fixed-blade knife to meet my personal benchmarks and standards. You will have to make your own decisions as to what works for you, but make sure your evaluation is realistic and applicable with metrics you can document. There's a lot of "derp" out there on the internet and in the movies.

Finally, you sometimes need to push your skills to the point of failure. If you meet every benchmark and standard you've set... then it's time to raise your benchmarks and re-evaluate the standards you're trying to meet or even add new skills.

While each of these considerations could be greatly expanded... hopefully, you'll find it a good framework to start thinking about your mindsets and skillsets... and assess what you do... with these...

Six considerations to maintain perishable self-defense skills...

Over 18,500 rounds through a Ruger SR9...

To admit my bias up-front, most people who know me know I love all things Ruger. Ruger is an innovative (especially in manufacturing), debt-free company that produces American-made guns made by hard-working Americans... and that's something that has always appealed to me.  Now, as a firearms instructor, I often recommend to my students that want a self-defense or concealed carry pistol, that it's hard to beat a Glock or S&W M&P... but for me and also budget-conscious people... it's hard to beat the quality and reliability of most Ruger products in any given category.

That budget concern is one of many factors that led my family to select the Ruger SR9 and SR9c pistols for home defense and concealed carry because I wasn't just purchasing one pistol, we were purchasing three pistols. It was a pistol, at the time back in 2008, that was very slender in the grip and seemed to fit the hands fairly well for my wife, my daughter, and me. We were looking for a standardized gun for the family that would work well for self-defense, plinking, IPDA, and concealed carry, while allowing magazine interchangeability between family members, having common parts to keep on hand, and even holsters too.

Some of our Ruger SR9's - we have a number of them - were purchased through Ruger's Instructor Purchase Program and are used in the firearm courses and 4H Shooting Sports that I instruct. One particular Ruger SR9 we purchased in 2009 became my "endurance-quality" test gun. I wanted to see what problems we'd encounter over time.

We started with Todd Green's 2000-round Challenge back in 2011.  I took this new SR9 right out of the box, visually inspected it, but did not clean it... and finally after 2,618 rounds fired... we had a stove-pipe on round 2,619! The gun needed cleaning... badly. We had only had three prior failures during those 2,618 rounds due to ammo not firing with clear, deep primer strikes using Winchester White-Box and Federal 115 grain FMJ ammo we had used.

Now, this particular gun has been our primary practice gun (we do shoot the others regularly) and I decided that I wanted to see what would break or wear-down first on this gun since my entire family is betting our lives on the Ruger SR9 series. The gun was regularly cleaned and maintained after that first 2,619 rounds and just passed 18,500 rounds fired this past weekend.  It did go back to Ruger once after 12,200 rounds to replace a Striker Spring Cup that had cracked (Part #25 in the Ruger SR9 Manual)... which Ruger took care of at no cost... although they probably had no idea how many rounds had been through the gun.

So... here we are, well-past 18,500 rounds fired with many brands of ammunition and 9mm variations... still with the original springs in the gun and magazines. There is definitely wear showing on areas of the barrel and inside the slide, but not so much we're concerned and it still holds tight groups. Yes we've had failure to fire and other malfunctions mostly due to ammunition problems or students limp-wristing on occasion, but the over-all, steady reliability of this gun gives us complete confidence in these pistols. Hopefully, we'll pass 20,000 rounds this winter and keep on going... as I'm curious as to how long the springs will last providing reliable cycling.

I remember three years ago when my wife, daughter and I showed up at the Tactical Defense Institute's Defensive Pistol Levels 1, 2, and 3 with our Ruger SR9's as part of my daughter's high school graduation present. We were told they never saw a Ruger SR9 make it through the three-day, high-round-count course without failing. Well, two of the three Ruger SR9's we brought with us did fine with over 1,300 rounds through each of them, but one started to have light primer strikes on day three after about 900 rounds... mostly due to being gunked-up with residue from over-oiling by my daughter. Lesson in lubrication learned! Oh, and by the way... we also saw Glocks, M&P's, Sig's, F&N's and many other pistols malfunction during that course.

So, while we do own a number of Glocks and S&W M&P's, along with other pistols and brands... our Rugers are still our go-to guns for the most part... and I tune-up/re-build most of them every 3,000 to 4,000 rounds... we feel pretty good about our choice for many reasons, including... Over 18,500 rounds through a Ruger SR9...

How have your experiences been with the Ruger SR9 series?

Blinded by the light... shining in YOUR face!

As I drove up the long lane to the house, the lights of a vehicle suddenly came on and momentarily blinded me. I quickly stopped the cruiser about a hundred yards from the other vehicle just as my eyes adjusted and the silhouette of a man with a shotgun stepped in front of the lights. Grabbing my pistol with one hand and the handle of the spotlight with the other, I lit him up... with the spotlight... it was the farmer who called in the prowler he saw behind his house. That was more than two decades ago, but it taught me early on and reminded me quickly that as much as we were instructed and trained about the temporary blinding effects of unexpectedly shining our flashlights or spotlights on a suspect... the same could happen to us.

As close as I can recall from my memory and records, I've completed nine different training opportunities as a police officer or regular citizen over the years that either included a component of shooting in low-light or at night or were focused specifically on that type of shooting or self-defense situation. I've even participated in two force-on-force courses that involved low-light scenarios. The idea that a flashlight or other light might be shining back at me was never even discussed in any of these training courses or opportunities.

As much as we were taught the importance of clearly identifying our potential threats and targets and instructed on the many techniques for shooting in low-light while using a flashlight, tactical light or weapon light... none of those courses ever dealt with encountering a person or aggressor shining a light back at you... in your face... temporarily blinding you. I asked a friend about it who is a recently retired LEO with many years of Special Response Team experience... and he said he had never seen that situation presented in training even though he had encountered it while on duty several times over the years.

If you were to base your assumptions about possible encounters with aggressors or criminals... or even neighbors... at night or in low-light situations based upon much of the training currently offered or that most people receive... YOU are apparently the only one that brings a light with you into a low-light or dark situation. I would hazard a guess... that if you encounter someone, there is the distinct possibility they will have a light with them, even if it's just the one on their iPhone. The basic low-light course I teach incorporates a number of different scenarios to help train people using a tactical light to clearly, accurately, and quickly identify and confirm a possible threat. One scenario I have my students try is confronting a target that shines a flashlight back in their face.

Positively identifying people and whether or not they pose a threat in low-light or dark situations is a difficult task that requires the proper mindset, tools, training, and practice to do well... but encountering a light shining back in your face can really make that process difficult by temporarily blinding you. Even a low-power flashlight like the the cheap ones I use in various scenarios on the shooting range, like in the photo above, can temporarily cause all else to go black as the light blinds you, your eyes try to adjust, and your OODA loop becomes O...O...O...O.

It's a really tough situation to be in, but it's not an unlikely situation. Maybe it's a burglar who brought a flashlight with him. Maybe it's a neighbor with a spotlight you encounter in the back yard who heard the same "bump in the night" that you're investigating. Maybe it's the lights of another vehicle or porch lights that jut came on. There is a strong possibility that you will sometime find yourself staring into a blinding light that diminishes your visual sight to identify potential threats.

This situation presents a number of problems for anyone interested in self-defense as darkness seems to come around about once a day and lasts several hours.  If someone "lights you up" in the dark, you need to make quick decisions. Can you quickly get back behind cover or concealment? Are you in the middle of the yard or a garage where you have no readily available cover or concealment? If you shine your light on them, can you see well enough to identify them and if the pose a threat?

Here's a couple of thoughts to consider. Try to not look directly at the light, but don't look completely away either, and scan around the light to determine where the person is in relation to the light. Also, you can shine your light back at them putting them in the same disadvantaged situation. Either way, this is a tough situation to be in. Fortunately for us, we have a private range where we can practice these low-light situations.  If you don't have access to a range that allows low-light shooting, you might try incorporating it into your practice at home with either your dry-fire practice (try lighting yourself up in a mirror) or consider role-play (not using your real gun) in your home with family members playing the other person or intruder with a light shining back at you.

So... have you trained... practiced... or visualized what you're going to do... when you're...

Blinded by the light... shining in YOUR face!

Note: If any of you have been to training that addresses this situation in the classroom or on the shooting range... let me know when and where and who... I'd love to sharpen my iron with other instructors or training opportunities...

Five reasons to shoot your Every-Day-Carry Self-Defense ammunition!

Like everyone else in a time zone that follows Daylight Savings Time... we set our clocks back an hour last night and enjoyed an extra hour of sleep. This also begins a semi-annual ritual we have in our "prepping" mindset of checking, changing, updating, and discarding items to keep our "tools" in top shape, ready for use.

Many things are checked over and refreshed. Flashlights get new batteries and the old batteries are rotated out to more mundane tasks such as powering television remotes or toys... fresh, stabilized gasoline is put in the generators with the old going into the vehicles... and most importantly... we practice out back on the range, shooting our chosen self-defense ammunition that has been carried daily since the last time the clocks were reset.

As a life-long shooter... former law enforcement officer... a long-time firearms instructor... and a daily concealed carrier... I am always amazed at the number of people I meet who have either never shot their self-defense ammunition or have been carrying around the same self-defense rounds in their firearms for years... even more than a decades! The most consistent excuse I hear is, "Do you have any idea how much that ammo costs?" Apparently it costs just a bit more than what your life is worth.

Everyone has to make their own choices. As a general rule of thumb... I don't carry a gun until I'm comfortable with it's reliability, particularly with the self-defense ammunition I've selected.  For me, that means at least 500 rounds fired reliably through a gun with at least 100 rounds of that being the self-defense ammunition I've chosen. That way I know the ammunition works when I need it to.

So with that being said, here are five reason you should shoot your Every-Day-Carry Self-Defense ammunition at least twice each year:

1. It confirms your firearm functions reliably with that particular ammunition.
2. It acclimates you to the the "feel" of firing that ammunition - including sound, muzzle-flash, and recoil - which may be substantially different than the inexpensive practice ammunition you use on the range.
3. It keeps the ammunition in your daily-carried self-defense firearm - that has likely been exposed to heat, cold, humidity, moisture, sweat, or other contaminants - fresh and reliable.
4. It forces you to practice. For some of you, if we're being completely honest here, it may be the only two times each year that you actually fire your gun and twice a year is better than none.
5. It reminds you to check your firearm over and clean or lubricate it as necessary.

Some of you may have other thoughts on how often or why to shoot your daily carry self-defense ammunition... but I think you'll agree that twice a year is budget-friendly enough for most people who don't shoot it due to the replacement cost. If nothing else, I hope you'll agree that these are...

Five reasons to shoot your Every-Day-Carry Self-Defense ammunition!

Try some drive-by dryfire practice...

A recent video posted online of the woman being kidnapped and robbed has generated a lot of discussion on the internet. Kathy Jackson over at the Cornered Cat has a great write up about that particular situation, but one question I have for those of us that carry a concealed firearm... are you ready to defend yourself while you're in your car?

Now realize a gun may not always be the only answer when you are threatened while seated in your vehicle. You may just want to drive away, make an evasive maneuver, or use your vehicle as a defensive weapon... but sometimes you need to draw your gun from concealment and stop the attacker or threat.

The gals and I happened to be blessed with our own shooting range here at home where we can actually practice drawing and shooting from concealment while we are in our vehicles.  Many of you may not have facilities that provide access for you and your vehicle to practice drawing and firing from concealment... so might I suggest you try some dry-fire practice while drawing from concealment while seated in your vehicle.

Have you ever tried drawing your gun from concealment while seated in your vehicle?  Have you tried drawing your gun from concealment while seated in your vehicle while wearing the typical heavier jackets and clothing many of us wear at this time of year? Appendix carry may be a lot easier to access and use with heavier clothing and jackets. The holster in the three-to-four-o'clock position might work fine or it might be pinned under your seatbelt or wedged between you and the center console or door - depending on whether you're right-handed or left-handed - in the popular "cockpit-style" design used in many cars, cross-overs, trucks, and SUVs these days.

Before trying some dryfire practice from your vehicle... ALWAYS make sure your gun and magazine are both unloaded... I always check and cycle the action at least three times to make sure... in fact, I don't even have any ammunition present in the area.  When you begin, think about the basics again.

Can you access and get a good grip on the gun with your carry rig, clothing, seat-belt, and obstacles in your vehicle while in the seated position? Can you readily reach your spare magazine or speedloader for a reload? Have you thought about unzipping your jacket or pre-positioning your clothing to draw your gun while seated in your vehicle? You may find your elbow hitting the seat-back when you try to reach back and draw your gun. Can you then draw the gun from the holster without getting caught on the seat-belt, seat, console, controls, or steering wheel?

Once you've drawn your gun from your holster, how do you get it into the firing position in the safest manner possible? I carry on my right side, so I draw and then bring the gun up and over the steering wheel to keep from muzzling my two femoral arteries which is what would happen if I crossed my lap with my muzzle pointed downward while getting into a firing position while seated in my vehicle.

As you begin to rotate your body and press out with a two-handed shooting stance while coming up on target, make sure you understand the constraints of your particular vehicle and how it may throw you off a bit in your shooting.  How much range and rotation of motion do you have while aiming and dryfiring from your seated position?

Practice drawing and dryfiring through the closed window simulating an attacker right up at your driver's door.  Practice drawing and dryfiring at an attacker with just your left-hand so you can still operate your vehicle with your right-hand.  Make sure if you are right-handed shooting out the left driver's door you don't muzzle your left hand or arm.  Practice drawing and dryfiring at an attacker approaching on your right, passenger side.  Practice drawing and dryfiring through your windshield at an attacker directly in front of you too.

Now don't forget to use a little common sense too... because doing dryfire practice while seated in your vehicle in the apartment parking lot or in the driveway in your neighborhood... might cause a bit of alarm. So, if you carry in your vehicle and haven't tried drawing from concealment while you're in your vehicle... maybe you should... Try some drive-by dryfire practice...

A home-defense gun and ammo for $246 bucks?

This idea has actually evolved over the past couple of years since I began to write this blog post.  It originated with a young mother who was referred to me by a friend. She has two young children, a dead-beat husband who up and left her two years ago, lives in a small rented house in a rural area, and was the victim of a burglary while at work... one of two jobs she holds to make ends meet. She wanted to get a gun for home-defense and had two-hundred dollars to spend... what should or could she get?

Greg Ellifritz, over at Active Response Training, posted on Facebook about his experience with a concerned, young lady who had just bought a gun... a cheap gun that was all that she could afford.  He re-posted it on his blog, so take a look here before reading on.  Owning a firearm is not an inexpensive endeavor anymore. You can't walk into a Kmart anymore and pick up a rifle for $59.97.

So, with skipping a couple of meals, turning the heat down to sixty-four degrees in the winter, and skimping on a couple of other necessities for daily living... this young mother scraped up a little more than $200... she has $246 bucks to get the best home-defense gun and ammo she could afford to defend her home. I agonized over my advice for her, realizing that she was a new shooter, inexperienced, lived in a rural area that might also require dispatching a four-legged critter or two... and recommended she buy a Ruger 10/22... a plain, basic, blued .22LR rifle. A Hi-Point 9mm was a real consideration.

Wait a minute... you recommended a Ruger 10/22 for home-defense? Are you nuts? Well, let me ask you this question: You have $246  to bucks spend. That include gun, ammunition, and sales tax, transfer fees, shipping, etc. What would you recommend to a new shooter for home defense? What pistol, shotgun, or rifle - with ammo - would you recommend within that budget?

Over the years, I have witnessed new shooters... without any instruction beyond "don't shoot your eye out"... take a .22 rifle and hit targets at five to fifteen yards without any trouble. Now I'm not advocating handing a gun to a new shooter without any instruction, I'm just saying I've witnessed it. Pistols take more time to build accuracy skills for similar distances and purposes than a short rifle... and shotguns are a handful for many new shooters. Except for the recent "ammo shortage", .22LR is typically available for reasonable prices to practice with and keep on-hand.

You can find a basic, new Ruger 10/22 on sale for about $219 and occassionally for $199. So in Ohio, that would be about $235 with sales tax. Pick up a box of fifty decent (as in not Remington Thunderbolts or Winchester Wildcats) .22LR rounds for the remaining $11... and you're done... $246 bucks spent.

Truth be told, she bought the gun back at that time... and I gave her a box of CCI Mini-mags, cheap uLine safety glasses, some foam ear-plugs, and some free training with time at our local range. So, just setting aside our judgmental tendencies about her situation in life, why she might be there, or why she doesn't save to get a real gun... the true reality is... she has $246 bucks to spend and extra funds for ammunition, practice, or training are probably non-existent for the foreseeable future. Don't get all judgmental... it's reality for a lot of people.

OK, I know you'll ask why the Ruger over the Marlin 60 or 795, or the Remington 795, or the whatever... my personal experience with semi-auto .22 rifles is that the Ruger is the best overall considering reliability, quality, accessories, value, and company support. Or why the Ruger over a shotgun or pistol... well, what would YOU recommend?

Now, YOU have $246 buck to spend. Here is YOUR exercise in critical thinking for the day...

What would you recommend and why? Fire back in the comments below. The situation is:

• You're recommending a home-defense gun for a new, inexperienced shooter desperately wanting to protect her family via her God-given and Second Amendment-protected rights.
• She has $246 to spend... maximum, that includes the firearm, ammunition, sales tax, transfer fees, shipping, or any possible cost involved.
• Your recommendation must be a recommendation that is able to be duplicated... no one-off, "found a used, mint Model 10 S&W revolver in great condition for $125" on the internet baloney. If new shooters can't find at least a half-dozen for that price, don't recommend it. 
• Disregard the recent ammo shortages and current .22LR shortage in your decision (because it's cyclical and has subsided for most calibers except .22LR), but do figure on current ammunition costs to have enough ammunition to try a few shots with the gun and have it loaded for self-defense,,, let's say... fifty rounds.

Can it be done? Have we reached a point where we're just dead-meat because $246 just won't do it... or have we reached a point where if a Hi-Point 9mm and a rock were our only two options... our egos and tacti-cool, ninja crap would choose the rock over the Hi-Point 9mm?

What are your thoughts or recommendations... for... A home-defense gun and ammo for $246 bucks?

Five thoughts for firearms instructors...

Over the past couple of years, I've read a number of blog posts and articles about what new shooters and students should look for when seeking out a firearms instructor. Most of the suggestions are pretty good and some are just common sense... suggestions that would work for finding and selecting an instructor or trainer for just about anything.

The problem I see is that no matter how hard you try to prepare as a student by doing your research, reading reviews and AARs, and planning... a student really won't find out how good an instructor is until they take the class or training and that is why they often seem to rely a lot on the opinions and recommendations of friends and acquaintances when selecting a place or person for firearms training so your reputation as an instructor may be you single biggest asset in this business.

Personally, I do pretty well as an instructor. I'm not nationally known and I've never been on Top Shot. I don't really advertise, yet have no problem filling most classes by word-of-mouth from previous students and friends who have shot or trained with me. I've trained literally thousands of youth and adults, men and women, kids and grandparents... and I still love every minute of it... especially that smile of the first shot fired, or when you hand that target with a solid group to a student, or even that experienced shooter who just corrected a poor trigger-pull habit that was dragging their hits down and left.

Ultimately, it's up to the instructors to provide safe, competent, and professional training and instruction... and if you do that well... it will benefit the students and you as the instructor no matter what your motivation is... building your business, promoting self-empowerment and the second amendment, doing service to society and common good, increasing your circle of influence, or whatever it is that drives you as an instructor. With that in mind, allow me to offer some thoughts to the instructors out there that will benefit them and their students.

Be Professional.

A good firearms instructor is safe, competent, and knowledgeable... and that is clear to his or her students. You should dress, act, and speak like a professional. Everything you do adds or takes away from your professionalism and reputation. I am a half-century old, overweight, gray-haired man, but I still do my best to dress, act, and speak like a professional. No matter where you are or what you do, you can always improve the professional presentation of what you do.

We have our own shooting range, and now we have a new, small-but-big-enough, multi-purpose building that is heated and air-conditioned for training and instruction. We've also built a brand new half-bath that the women love and even the men appreciate.

Yes, our classroom is a "barn"... but it is set up and appropriately outfitted to be a professional classroom environment. We, and you, are not running a five-star hotel, but make sure you present yourself, your materials, and your facilities as professionally as you can. Proof read your documentation. Clean what you can clean. 

If you're using a primitive range, then trade in that third tree on the left and rent a good, clean port-a-potty if you can or at least clean the one that is already there. Make sure your equipment is clean, usable or at least in good repair, and professional. Be set-up and ready when students arrive.  Greet them professionally.  Act professionally. Speak professionally and leave the four-letter words, gutter-talk and drill sergeant baloney for your buddies in the man-cave.

Speaking of women... I have a pretty good reputation with the ladies. What I mean is that my reputation is such that I have a lot of women choosing to take my courses. Guys, if you act like a professional... then the women will feel comfortable and confident with you as instructor. I don't think it's necessary for women to be trained and instructed by women, but there are a lot of neanderthals out there who don't know that women learn, think, and react differently than men and a professional instructor will know how to have the gals achieve success with professional instruction and a professional learning environment. Yes, I do own several FlashBang holsters, concealed carry purses, and other training aids just for the gals.

Be Honest.

You say that sounds like a no-brainer, but in our world of guns and tactical ninjas... that is a significant problem.  You have instructors who honorably served their country, but their four years as a 91L Construction Equipment Repairer with service in Iraq turns into a special op's gig with missions they still can't talk about for the sake of national security.  Worse, you have posers who just outright lie.  DON'T DO IT! Don't exaggerate your credentials!  The best credentials you have are your current reputation and you are continually building it. If one lie or exaggeration is found out, it will be assumed that all your credentials are lies or exaggerations. Just ask Cory over at Range Time.

I worked as a police officer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I did a good job, learned a lot, and like most... was just plain lucky at times. There was no SWAT or SRT experience in my daily duties. Jeepers, we didn't even have ballistic vests back then and our main entry tool for breaching during a search warrant was an eight-pound sledge hammer the sergeant brought from home. 

I've had my gun pointed and ready to shoot a number of times when facing a deadly threat, but thank the Lord, I never had to shoot or kill anyone. Just because an instructor has military or law enforcement experience does not necessarily have anything to do with their worth as an instructor. For all you know, they did everything wrong in their last fire-fight and only made it out by the good Lord's graces, not their special-ops-ninja-like tactical skills.

Now, with that being said... Military and police experience can be very valuable to some instructors, but I don't think military or police experience is necessary to be a good instructor and I've met and have been trained by a lot of poor instructors over the years that had extensive military and law enforcement experience and conversely had excellent training from firearms instructors that never wore a uniform since Cub Scouts or Brownies.

Finally, if you don't know something... don't lie or fake it. There is not a single question I've ever been asked that I didn't have an answer to... but sometimes that answer is, "I don't know, let me check on it and get back to you." Then check on it in a reasonable and timely manner and make sure you get back to them!

Be Certified.

Some type of basic certification is essential. It gives you some starting credentials and a framework to use as a foundation and lets your students know that you have at least met some kind of minimum standards. I'm a big supporter of the NRA's training programs and certifications. If you follow the NRA's curriculum for each course... they have good materials, solid instructional design, and are very thorough.  That being said, there is a reason the NRA uses the word "BASIC" in most of their course titles.

There are other entities out there offering training and certification for instructors including Tom Givens' Range Master, Rob Pincus' I.C.E., the USCCA, and others. One of my goals is to complete Givens' Range Master Instructor Development Course in the next couple of years as time and money allow.

Be Safe.

You need to practice safety as if you had a zen-like, fifth-degree blackbelt in safety. No one wants to take a course from the instructor who shot himself in the leg or had a student accidentally shot. When my students walk through the door, I want them to feel safe. How I act, pick up a firearm, point a firearm, have them double-check the action and chambers in addition to me checking them each time I pick up a gun in the classroom helps ensure safety, it teaches them to be safe, and gives the students confidence that they are in a safe environment and that safety is paramount.

Just like every NRA Range Officer is taught, even in the classroom, I begin with a safety briefing. There is a sign in the classroom and at the shooting range that lists the local emergency numbers, the property description, the contact names for emergencies, and other pertinent information. They are shown where the first-aid kit is, the bathroom, the telephone, etc. Students who feel safe feel comfortable and confident in their instructor; and safe, comfortable and confident in their instructor learn more effectively. Ask if there are any safety or medical concerns you should know about as an instructor before or as the class starts. If you've ever had a diabetic student with a gun in their hand faint and collapse on the range like I have, you'd know what I'm talking about.

As an instructor you need to provide a safe learning environment in the classroom and on the range. I've taken some pretty advanced courses myself and it makes me cringe when an instructor says something like, "lock-n-load... big boys rules" because I have no idea who all these people with loaded guns are standing around me looking around as concerned as I am... especially the dude that looks as if he just took his AR out for the very first time and keeps dropping his magazine on the ground while trying to release the bolt. If I don't feel safe, I'm not staying because my life is worth more than my ego or a little embarrassment. I tell students to let me know if they ever see something or feel that something is not safe. I will explain it or correct it, even if it's another student doing it.

Also, I think it is just being a responsible instructor to get some basic, if not advanced, first-aid training and appropriate first-aid supplies on hand. First-aid and CPR training and certification are a good start and I recommend further training like some type of trauma first-aid training as band-aids and two-by-two patches of gauze are not going to fix a gunshot wound.

Finally, safety in numbers is something to consider. I often train small groups as I work alone or with with my wife on hand as an assistant.  Therefore, I typically keep classes very small as in four to six at most.  Sometimes I work with other instructors and at 4H Shooting Sports we work with one-to-one or one-to-two instructor-to-student ratios for safety. 

The first time I have new students on the range and they have loaded their guns I usually call a cease fire and have them unload their guns to see if they can do that safely.  That little exercise will tell me a lot about my students and their current skills levels. I've had veteran law enforcement officers drop their magazines and lay the gun down on the shooting bench and say they're clear and safe without ejecting the round from the chamber and locking the slide back so never assume anything about safety or your students' capabilities.

A final thought on safety is sometimes you can do everything right and it can still go wrong. Work with a competent attorney to have a legally solid liability/indemnification waiver and carry insurance. I carry instructor insurance through the NRA/Lockton program and while not inexpensive, it's not outrageously costly either.

Be Competent.

You need to be competent in the skills and knowledge you are instructing and be competent in being an instructor. You should be able to competently demonstrate anything you teach. Does that mean that I can out shoot any student? NO! It does mean that I can demonstrate and competently shoot anything I'm expecting my students to shoot? YES! I don't think a defensive line coach has to be able to block and tackle every three-hundred pound lineman on his team, but he should be able to instruct, demonstrate, and competently execute the knowledge and skills that are necessary.

You need to know guns, shooting, and techniques... so get trained. A good instructor is a good student... always learning and actively teaching. I read articles and blogs, watch DVDs and YouTube... but more importantly... I practice regularly, attend training from other instructors and schools, and even get personal coaching and training from other instructors. There's a reason Tiger Woods has a coach. There's a reason Peyton Manning uses a personal trainer.

When you attend training and instruction yourself, you can learn a lot about being a good instructor by observing, both good and bad, habits of other instructors. I have learned a lot by watching other instructors and have no problem borrowing or adapting something they do well. I've taken higher levels of training that I don't feel ready or competent to teach yet...  and that is OK, because as I've grown and progressed as an instructor... I've offered more to my students, but there are also other entities, schools, and instructors that offer more advanced training than I do and all I can say is, "Awesome, learning... go get you some!"  In fact, my wife and I have already signed up for the Advanced Concealed Carry course at the Tactical Defense Institute next spring. I know how to show a gal a good time!

Finally, every class I teach builds my competence. If I see a gun I've never laid hands on before, I'll ask a student if I can look at it... or even put a couple of rounds through it. Most are glad to share and oblige. Sometimes a student will have a product or holster I'm not familiar with. I'm not afraid to say so and ask about it to build my knowledge base. I can honestly say that after all my years with firearms and instructing, there are very few modern firearms that I haven't had the opportunity to shoot via friends, acquaintances and students... and that knowledge helps you to be a competent instructor and assist your students.

Final Thoughts:

For new instructors... don't get discouraged. I think I do a pretty good job, but it has taken years of learning, practice, acquiring firearms-equipment-facilities, attending additional training, and working with hundreds of students. I've built a collection of firearms, accessories, and training aids that allow students to try many popular brands and models, and learn more effectively through hands-on activities that provide instant feedback. 

If you're a really new instructor, consider partnering with or observing an experienced instructor and don't forget to get back to basics and fundamentals by occasionally taking a beginning or intermediate course or training yourself... you might refresh your skills and you may learn a better way to instruct something your doing.

As for bad instructors... get better or give it up... or you end up making all of us look bad.

So... take a look at what you do, how you do it, and think about some of the items discussed... maybe you can add some thoughts in the comments to help me learn and progress as an instructor...

And as my Good Book says in Proverbs 27:17... "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

...and there you have it... Five thoughts for firearms instructors...

30 days with the New York Reload...

I've carried a lot of different guns in even more different holsters over the years as a law enforcement officer in the 1980s and 1990s... to concealed carry in the 2000s, almost every day for over ten years now here in Ohio. I've carried full-size revolvers, snubbies, derringers, pocket-autos, 1911s, wonder-nines, and more... Rugers... Smith and Wessons... Glocks... and others.

I've carried in every hour on the clock from one to noon... small of the back, thigh, high, low... angled, canted, straight... leather, nylon, kydex... no retention to can't-get-it-out-of-the-holster with a tow-truck retention... ankle... shoulder holster... pocket carry... fanny pack... glove box... boot... you name it, I've probably tried it in  my continual quest of life-long learning.

My primary Every Day Carry (EDC) gun the last few years has been either the Ruger SR9 or SR9c... and mostly the full-size variant the last year or two. I typically carry the SR9 on my strong side hip and one spare seventeen-round magazine on my weak-hand side which gives me thirty-five rounds.  In my EDC routine... I typically carry a cell phone, knife, keys, wallet, flashlight, and... sometimes a SabreRed Spitfire Pepper Spray... and sometimes a Back-Up Gun (BUG).

While the New York Reload... grabbing a second gun when the first runs dry, rather than reloading... lives mostly in the movies and gun-ninja blogosphere... I decided to give it a real try this summer... for thirty days. Shoot... ENDO even has a t-shirt out celebrating it.

I practice shooting with my weak-side/off-side regularly... and I practice occasionally with my gun holstered on my weak-side simulating my strong-side being out of service  I've carried a BUG on my weak-side before and this past spring I started thinking about what would it be like to carry a full-size pistol on each side... at the same time... where I usually carry my spare magazine.

Two Ruger SR9s... two loaded seventeen-round mags for thirty-six rounds on board (you do carry with one in the chamber right... two chambers)... and one right-side Comp-Tac MTAC and one left-side Comp-Tac MTAC... and we've got the New York Reload ready to go... well, kind of.

There are inherent problems with this carry method... including concealment, drawing from the concealed weak-side, and how do you grip a gun when you're already gripping a gun. I have a pretty soft mid-section... and far more girth than when I was in high school... and have no problems wearing two full-size guns at three and nine without them showing through my clothing or cover garments.  In fact, it wasn't until the third week of this experiment that my good friend noticed the gun on my left side while I adjusted my belt and asked when I switched... not noticing I still had a gun on the right side.

Drawing from the concealed, weak-side is not really a big problem as I've practiced that on and off anyway. The real problem is drawing a gun with your weak-hand when you still have a gun in the strong-hand.  Now most of this also applies if you're carrying a BUG too... and you have to look at your options.

Option 1: Re-holster the empty gun, then draw the second gun. This is OK if you have time, but if your actively engaging a real threat, it is slow and that creates a problem.

Option 2: Drop or ditch the empty gun, then draw the second gun. It's hard to toss a good gun to the ground or throw it at the threat... even if it's empty... but in a real SHTF situation... an empty gun is about as useful as a brick... so maybe you want to use it like a brick and throw it.

Option 3: Dual-wielding by drawing the second gun with just your weak-hand. Oh... come on... every action-movie, tactical-ninja, fanboy wants to dual-wield two handguns and blast away, but remember... you're drawing your second gun as your reload so what good does the gun still in your strong-hand do for you when it's empty and the slide is locked back? Drop it like you would any empty magazine you stripped from your gun... and leave the dual-wielding fantasies to your day dreams while you're scarfing potato chips in your BVDs watching Chuck Norris' Delta Force movies.

The other problem you may find in the real world is how to you secure and retain two guns in a close encounter situation. Well, standard weapon retention techniques will likely still work... and it is unlikely your threat can go for both guns at the same time, but you have to be aware of that possibility. Also, just like a knife or other weapon, if you're using a retention technique on one gun, you can use the other gun as a secondary weapon against your attacker. It's no different if you're carrying a Back-Up Gun.  You have two guns to think about retention or protecting in that situation.

What about carrying spare magazines too? Well, you can do that. It ultimately comes down to what I say about AR accessories... how much can you hang on to a gun before you can't hang on to a gun... how much can you hang on to your pants before you can't hang on to your pants. Each person has to make their own decisions.

Would I recommend the New York Reload for EDC... nah... not for me. I'll stick with my SR9 and a spare magazine... maybe a Ruger LCR or Ruger LCP for a BUG on occasion... but you know what... it was fun to try... and I learned that I still need more practice with my weak-side... so it was worth it... a summer learning experiment... 30 days with the New York Reload...

So, what are your thoughts?

Five guns for gals who carry...

What gun should I get?  If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question, the gals and I'd be living on a ranch out west by now.  There's an endless number of blog posts, gun magazine articles, online reviews, and opinions out there on this topic... so why not one more.

As a firearms instructor for almost three decades now... I've had the opportunity to shoot just about every handgun out there including a few shots recently through an SCCY 9mm, a Glock 42, and Remington R51. Now, a few shots of a gun is a great introduction, but when it comes to recommending a gun to someone... I have a simple philosophy... I education, YOU decide.

So with some discussion with my gals, we'll take a look at five of our personal guns for all of you gals to consider for concealed carry. So without any more delay, from our collection... the gals and I recommend you consider three compact pistols including the Glock 26, Ruger SR9c, or Smith & Wesson M&P9 Compact... or for something a bit more slender... consider two compact, single-stack pistols... the Ruger LC9 or Smith & Wesson M&P Shield in 9mm.

Why you ask, well... here are ten things to consider:

1. They are all 9mm... which is an acceptable self-defense cartridge with ammo widely available in many configurations.  The ammo is not expensive to practice with and the recoil is controllable for most folks and significantly less than similarly sized guns in .40S&W or .45ACP.

2. All the guns have usable sights with enough of a sight radius (the distance from the front sight to the rear sight) to allow for decent accuracy and precision when acquiring sight alignment and sight picture in a hurry or stressful situation.  No little "nubs" on these guns like a Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec 3AT.  Additionally, the sights are all replaceable with aftermarket options if you want something different than the stock offerings.

3. They all have a trigger pull that most gals will find acceptable.  All are striker fired except the Ruger LC9, which is double-action-only and has an easy trigger pull, but some might find it a bit long.

4. Three of the guns have interchangeable back-straps to allow you to customize the size of the grip to better fit your hand.

5. All of the guns are compact enough to be easily carried concealed without printing through your clothing or they can be carried in a purse... although I don't recommend off-body carry for a number of reasons.

6. All of the guns have slides with spring tensions that are easily cycled by most folks.

7. All will accept and have higher capacity magazines available so you can carry a ten-round magazine in your Glock 26 with a fifteen-round spare magazine from the Glock 19 if you want.  Carrying a higher capacity magazine or adding the extended grip floor plate to your magazine for these guns also offers a "pinky perch" for a full grip with most folks.

8. All of these guns are popular enough to have a wide variety of IWB, AIWP, OWB and other holsters from many manufacturers and concealed carry options such as Crimson Trace laser sights available.

9. These guns are available for between $300 and $600 which make them affordable for most folks who want a quality gun that will last a lifetime. It is really hard to find a new, quality handgun under $300 to $400.

10. All the guns have good track records and the manufacturers have excellent reputations for service and repair.

Hey... wait... what about my gun... or that gun... or XYZ gun?  There are other guns out there that will work just fine.  The Springfield XD Compact and XD-S come to mind... the gals and I just don't own any... but we've shot them... and look at the criteria discussed in the ten things listed for you to consider... there are other guns out there that meet those considerations.

So if you're a gal (or even a guy) and your looking for a gun to carry... from my gals and I to you... Five guns for gals who carry...

Bullseye and combat accuracy... you need both!

My friend and I were out back on our shootin' range putting some lead downrange and the discussion of bullseye verses combat accuracy came up after some recent blog posts out there on the interwebs. I think both are important and I've used a lot of different drills I've found online, but here are some drills I've developed myself.  We started out shooting some bullseye targets with our everyday carry guns at fifty feet.

The protocol was to draw and shoot one-round into the black bullseye of the MidwayUSA free, printable pistol target in under five seconds at fifty feet. Repeat this five times. This is a drill to check and enhance fundamentals such as grip, sight alignment, trigger-squeeze, breathing, follow-through. Think carefully about your draw too... and carefully looking and re-holstering your gun.

Next, we did a similar drill at fifty feet... but now you have to draw, aim, and fire one round into the bullseye, strip the magazine (you can drop, we strip), reload and fire a second round into the bullseye... in under seven seconds.  Your time does not count, you just have to be under the time-alloted and have EVERY round in the bullseye. Slow and smooth are the keys... and you'll likely find yourself having far too much time at five and seven seconds for these drills.

The next drill we worked on for accuracy was a kind of dot-torture test at twenty-five feet using an International Benchrest Target for 50-yard Rimfire. Loading ten rounds into two of your magazines and then nine rounds and one random dummie round into one magazine, you then mix up the mags so you don't know which one has a dummie round in it.

There are twenty-nine bullseyes on the International Benchrest Target... and you have twenty-nine rounds... put one round in each bullseye circle.  Using a shot-timer, like our PACT shot timers, you draw (or from low-ready if you can't draw on your range) and begin firing at the beep.  This will involve two reloads and one failure-to-fire malfunction clearing. This is about accuracy under pressure... so add five-seconds (ouch) to your time for each miss. Try to complete the drill, shooting clean, in less than sixty seconds as an initial benchmark or goal.

After some fundamental refreshers with my accuracy drills, I like to mix it up with some combat-accuracy drills... and I don't shoot with just any Tom, Dick, or Harry! Our Tom, Dick, and Harry are nicknames for our three one-quarter sized armor-plate targets from Arntzen Targets.  We have some full-size targets from Arntzen, but I figure the quarter-sized targets force me and the gals to be better with our shot placement... we're not going for bullseyes... we're shooting for incapacitating hits on people... for combat - or as we call it - self-defense accuracy.

I won't run through our various drills because we have some regular ones to check our progress and we constantly visualize and set up various scenarios to challenge ourselves. We always try to incorporate some reloads and malfunction clearing while using cover and concealment. Shooting and moving are done to raise our heart-rates and stress... all while under the timer.

There are a lot of good drills and practice scenarios from far more skilled and smarter folks then me... but these are some of the things we do... to keep up our skills... because... Bullseye and combat accuracy... you need both!

Training, Practice, and Conditioning for those of us who don't operate...

"Bro, do you even operate?" says the bumper sticker of a local tactical wanna-be type... on the back of his jacked-up, never-seen-mud, black tactical Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with all the subtlety of an M1 Abrams tank in a McDonald's drive-thru during lunch hour. Fortunately, he carries his cocked and locked .45 almost out of sight in a Serpa holster tucked under his black 5.11 shoot-me-first vest.

Now I probably shouldn't pick on folks and their lifestyle choices too much, because most would not likely make the choices the gals and I make, but when it comes to guns, prepping, and self-defense... I'm guessing there are a lot more of us average, non-operator types out there. I worked in law-enforcement for a few years a couple of decades back, but the gals and I have day jobs as educators that have nothing to law-enforcement, SWAT teams, security contractors, or operating in any way, shape, or form.

The gals and I are not going to be buggin' out with hundred-pound ALICE packs on forty-mile hikes anytime soon, but that doesn't mean that we want to give up our God-given rights, liberties, or freedoms.  With that in mind, we do like to budget some training, practice, and conditioning into our daily lives to help with self-defense and family protection needs.

I don't have four hours a day to lift, run, dry-fire, shoot, prep, hike, prepare food, read, study, train, and pay for it all.  Rather than just give up without even trying, I do try to spend some time every day and throughout the year, budgeting time and funds to train, practice, and condition to keep my EDC skills, abilities, and mindset on a slow and steady, but continuous pace of improvement.

Training is important and to me, that involves learning from others.  You need instruction from others with better or different knowledge to help you improve or modify your knowledge and skills. We try to combine efforts when possible like last year when the gals and I spent a three-day weekend together at TDI's Handgun Levels I, II, and III course as a family activity and mini-vacation. We do try to get to training at least two or three times each year... definitely at least one firearms training course... sometimes more, but sometimes it involves medical training or prepping-related training.

Sometimes my training is active and other times it is passive. I spend thirty minutes a day, three times each week, working out on a Schwinn Airdyne and often use that time to watch training DVDs or other shows and DVDs that increase my knowledge and improve my mindset. You can accomplish two things at once to save time and be more efficient in our busy lives. I then try to review and incorporate what I learn in my practice routines. I've watched some of our training DVDs several times each over the years, but don't think a DVD can completely replace the training and feedback of a live instructor... balance is the key.

Practice involves applying your training and becoming proficient with what you've learned. It doesn't necessarily take hours. Every day when I take my EDC gun, knife, and flashlight off at the end of the day... I practice for at least a few minutes. I empty and clear my gun... cycling the action and checking it three times to make sure it is empty.  I practice drawing and dry-firing five to ten times from concealment with a practice reload on the last draw and dry-fire using empty magazines.  On Sundays, I do everything with my off-hand. When I'm done, I reload my gun with ammunition, top off the magazine (you do top off your magazine, don't you?), and get it ready for use.

Fortunately, we have our own shootin' range out back and so at least a couple of times each week I can walk out and put a few rounds through my guns. I don't necessarily shoot a lot, maybe a magazine worth, maybe two or three magazines with two to six rounds in each to practice shooting and reloading with both my strong-side and weak-side. Maybe an occasional transition from my handgun to carbine and vice-versa since we keep both our 9mm's and AR's handy for home-defense work.  I also usually practice drawing and opening my EDC knife a few times with one hand and then the other hand each day.

Conditioning involves getting your body and mind in shape for practice and training. I'm not in great condition when compared to athletes and real operators. I've managed some significant weight-loss in recent years and hope to lose more, but for now my conditioning consists of taking this half-century old body to the gym for weight-lifting three days each week and spending thirty minutes on the Schwinn Airdyne three days each week. I realize that's not at Navy SEAL levels, but it's what I have time to work into my life with all my other commitments and I'm able to maintain it.

Integrating conditioning into other everyday life activities is important too. I exercise my hands and grip during my hour-long commute to work. I try not to park in the closest space to the door and be random in my parking and routines. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is standard for me these days while walking for short trips rather than taking the car or truck is now the norm for me. I also practice several basic, physical self-defense moves three times each week to make sure they are ready when needed.

Preparing and conditioning for the proper mindset is also important. To condition my mind... I enjoy reading, studying, and visualizing. I can visualize every step and part involved with taking apart every single firearm we own in detail. I visualize threats and self-defense scenarios I've read about, seen on TV or Youtube (yeah, admit it... you watch the videos and dashcam vids on youtube too), and encounter in my every day life.

I try to think through each scenario to evaluate my awareness, preparedness, opportunities, capabilities, potential actions, and possible outcomes. I also try to reduce my daily stress and achieve some inner peace by conditioning my mind with some daily Bible reading and devotions. Maybe mediation or some other mind-relaxing technique works for you, but don't underestimate the harm and fatigue mental stress can cause you. Conditioning your mind is as important as conditioning your body.

So when it comes to training, practice, and conditioning... what are you willing or able to do? Are you overestimating your capabilities... most of us do. There is a reason our Bug Out Bags are kept at thirty-five pounds or less... because as Dirty Harry said, "A good man knows his limitations." I think it's also important to include your family and partners in your training, practice, and conditioning... at least as much as you can or as much as they are willing and able. Let's face it, the fastest reload you'll ever see breaking into my house is my redhead reload... that's when my gal continues steady fire into your center-mass while I reload.

I think the key is to do something... and I recommend starting and increasing incrementally. Chances are if you start next week trying to spend three hours each day when you're doing nothing now... you will fail. You will likely be better off committing fifteen minutes a day and gradually increasing your time... staying consistent and dedicated to an attainable goal, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't push yourself occasionally.

So, with all that being said... WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS about... Training, Practice, and Conditioning for those of us who don't operate...