Draw and fire

[jdivence]

I had a day off and it has been warm for a few days here in NE Ohio so I decided to head out to the backyard range armed with 200 rounds of wwb and all my holsters for my EDC Glock 23. I have practiced my draw before and am pretty quick. I also get out to the range as often as I can. I set up a around 30 feet and put 13 rounds in a decent group. Now for the hard part. I holstered my Glock and practiced drawing and firing. As this was the first time I practiced drawing and firing I saw my groups getting bigger (all still within an 8 in. paper plate). My drill was as follows. Draw and double tap, lower weapon to low ready then, bring it up for a follow up shot. After running this drill with the rest of my 200 rounds I did get better but still not where I would like to be. This drill was a rude awakening to me so treat this as a P.S.A. practice your draw and fire whenever possible!

P.S. after my range secession i held all my targets up to my torso...I still would have inflicted heavy damage to a B.G. but I will be running this drill a lot more.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SilenceDoGood]

Great drill and great shooting. Just remember when weapon is in "low ready" to scan. Get in the habit of scanning. First the 45 degrees off of either side of your target and your shoulder then 90 degrees between your strong hand and the target and then the 90 degrees between your weak hand and your target and finally behind each of your shoulders. Get in this habit, because scanning prevents tunnel vision, and more than likely if you are attacked by one there will be two and you definitely want to see him too.

[NavDoc]

We were taught...From the holster, two shots center mass in under 2 seconds, scan, then two shots to the head if needed.

[NativH]

I used a range that allowed me to draw and fire from concealment because I took a tactical class there. Excellent practice and like you my groups were bigger than I wanted. But I will give up grouping size to have three rapid shots into the meat of the BG. I don't ever want to miss, but I also don't want to be second to the punch. Two or three good shots mid torso with a followup head shot, with combat accuracy not target shooting accuracy, is what I look for. Better grouping will come with practice. I practiced on their timed range and got the first shot off in less than 1.2 seconds with the last one being around 1.5 seconds out of three shots. My reflexes just aren't better than that unfortunately.

[robertm1771]

I just joined a group of guys that shoot IDPA and USPSA matches about once a month. Might be something to look into its great training to shoot under some stress as well as IDPA you draw from concealment.

[tns0038]

I like your target practice idea.

At ATTACT today we practice drawing and firing two rounds in COM from 15 feet out to 45 feet 100 rounds each.

Normally we like to set up three half silhouette targets, at 15 yards.

A person will say left, center or right, and click the stop watch. You have three seconds, to draw and shoot the target they say first, then the other two. All hits must be in the com to count.

To jazz it up some, we sometime, shot the first target twice then the other two. Still within the three second time.

[JerryM]

I have always thought the teaching to fire two shots, and then go to low ready position to scan was foolish. I will be able to see if he is down or disabled without going to a low ready. I understand the current teaching is to keep shooting until he is down. That is the wise choice in my view.
I do agree one needs to try to determine if there are additional BGs, but if my target is still standing with a gun he gets more shots.

Regards,
Jerry

[sigmanluke]

sounds like fun shooting, my buddies and me go to our local range an1 shoots at a time. one other verbalizes when the target is down. It's good practice because you don't know how many shots it will take to down them. Try it sometime.

[Persquaffty]

I have always thought the teaching to fire two shots, and then go to low ready position to scan was foolish. I will be able to see if he is down or disabled without going to a low ready. I understand the current teaching is to keep shooting until he is down. That is the wise choice in my view.
I do agree one needs to try to determine if there are additional BGs, but if my target is still standing with a gun he gets more shots.

Regards,
Jerry

excellent point about not going to the low ready. In the Marine Corps we are taught to scan with our rifles up after firing. This should be no differet for a civillian armed with a handgun. Since one should always be aware of his target and what is beyond it, I see no reason to lower a weapon until the threat is undeniably over.

[Thumper]

Just a thought... maybe add some dry fire practice at home. You would be amazed how much it helps.

[KenpoTex]

I agree with the others who are cautioning against automatically going to low-ready after two shots. Doing so means you're forming a habit that may work against you if you find yourself in a situation where more shots are necessary. Change it up...fire 2 one time, 4 the next, 7 the next time, etc. Don't allow yourself to get too "set" on one response.

Then, of course: assess the target, scan 360*, and top off your weapon.

Also, remember: "slow is smooth, smooth is fast." If your accuracy is suffering, it's a sign that you need to slow down a little.

[jdivence]

thank you all for the good advice.

[rhinokrk]

Just a thought... maybe add some dry fire practice at home. You would be amazed how much it helps.

+1
10 minutes, 3 times a week makes a world of difference. IMHO.

[dukalmighty]

I have a shooting friend that is a Doctor(GUN NUT)We shoot at least 2 hours shooting everything from 22 to 45 ACP,we use a timer and shoot timed hostage etc. to practice shooting under stress.