Author Topic: 6 Essential Practice Tips for a Concealed-Carry Revolver  (Read 1038 times)

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Offline Elderberry

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6 Essential Practice Tips for a Concealed-Carry Revolver
« on: April 11, 2019, 11:33:46 am »
NRA Explore  by Chris Christian - Tuesday, April 3, 2018

There is a reason the Roman Legion was one of the most-feared armies of its day. One Legion commander explained it with the quote: “Our training is bloodless battles and our battles are bloody training.” They trained like they fought, and mastered the tactics and equipment they would use. Our elite military units continue that training philosophy today. But, the value of that training concept isn’t confined to the military.

Border Patrol legend Bill Jordan once recounted an instance where an officer got involved in a gunfight. His assailant was more than 100 yards away, armed with a rifle chambered in .30-30 Win. The officer only had a .38 Spl. revolver, but he was a highly skilled shooter who practiced regularly. He took cover, applied “Kentucky windage” and eventually resolved the fight in his favor. When backup officers arrived, one asked about the big lump in the officer’s uniform’s right-front-trouser pocket. The officer, perplexed, reached in and to his surprise discovered that the “lump” was every empty case he had fired. Right in the middle of a gunfight, he took the time to transfer his fired cases from his revolver to his pocket. Why? He was a reloader, and that’s just how he did it during his practice sessions on the range.

Larry Kelly (of Mag-Na-Port fame) related an incident involving himself, an Alaskan hunting guide, a small cabin and a big brown bear that was not on the menu for that hunt. The bear took exception to their presence, prompting a foot race to the cabin. Despite Kelly and the guide winning the race, the bear decided to come in anyway. That resulted in a lot of smoke and noise at powder-burning distance. The guide emptied his .375 H&H rifle, while Kelly emptied his Ruger .44 Mag. double-action revolver. Once the affair ended, Kelly was stunned to realize that, at just a few feet, he had deliberately thumb cocked his revolver to single-action for each shot. Why? Because that’s exactly the way he practiced on the range and how he used the gun in the hunting fields.

Under stress, you will most likely react as you have trained. That reaction will include the subconscious mind taking control of many small details, freeing the conscious mind to attend to more-pressing matters. The subconscious mind is somewhat like a computer. It can only process and playback what is input into it. Range practice sessions become that input. A common computer term is GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out): If the input is poor, the output will be equally poor. Given the limited capabilities of a five- or six-shot snubby, you can’t afford to have “garbage out” during a life-or-death situation.

That’s an important point for civilian concealed-carry licensees to consider, because just having a handgun does not guarantee surviving a violent encounter. The firearm, by itself, won’t make you safe. It only provides a means for you to secure your own safety, and it’s is up to the operator to use it effectively to that end. What you repeatedly do on the range, you will be likely to do when it matters. Avoiding “garbage in” requires adopting a practice regime that programs the subconscious mind to make the right decisions. Here are six ways to do that.

1. Use Realistic Targets

It’s a rare criminal who wears a bullseye on his chest. But, if the traditional round, black bullseye target is what you practice aligning your sights on, the subconscious could potentially short circuit if it can’t find one in a hurry.

The most-effective targets are those that approximate the human torso, like the buff-colored targets used by the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) or the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA). Many gun shops will also have law enforcement-type silhouette targets available. These will condition the subconscious to shoot for center mass. An inexpensive roll of masking tape can cover fired rounds, making a target last for many practice sessions. If precision practice is indicated (and some should be done at any practice session) it’s a simple matter to tape a 3x5-inch white index card somewhere on such a target and direct rounds there.

More: https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/4/3/6-essential-practice-tips-for-a-concealed-carry-revolver/