Setting up your own self defense firearms training can be difficult and you may need to use a little creativity to get it done. The problem is most of us head to the range and just shoot away with no thought to what we want to learn. I go to the range for fun sometimes and others to train. Sometimes I’ll mix both of them in and do something like this:
Getting the most out of your training and range time is a matter of preparation and thought. If you want to work on some specific skills you already know, pick one thing and devise a couple of ways for you to work on it. For example, when I head to the range to improve my accuracy I’ll use a Dot Torture target, do a touching drill, and maybe some long range shooting. All three are to improve my accuracy and help in different ways. The point is, have a plan and think about it before hand. Then bring the stuff you need to run those drills. It would be dumb to get to the range and forget the Dot Torture targets if that is what you wanted to do.
The key to any good training is having a specific goal in mind. Going to the range to “shoot better” isn’t specific and will get you very little for you dollar. Going to the range to work on off hand shooting is a better goal. Going to work on “gun fighting” is also not a very good goal. Working on drawing from concealment would be a better goal.
The other training sessions I like to set up for myself involve testing some concept or piece of equipment. I generally start with the familiar and then work on a new concept. For instance, the age old question at the end of a slide lock reload, do I press down on the slide stop to let the slide go home and chamber the round or do I pull back on the slide and let it go to chamber the next round and start shooting again. I tested this for a long time on myself and found that I can get over half a second faster by pushing the slide stop to chamber the next round. It took me a timer and three or four training sessions to determine this. It was also hours of practice until I was comfortable using the slide stop. It’s a little button on the side of the gun and is easy to miss.
When you are testing stuff, keep a log. How did it feel and was it easy or hard to learn? Also, how many times do you normally miss it? With the slide stop vs overhand tug it took me a long time before I quit missing the slide stop and I almost gave up on the technique for fighting because my goal was self defense and I need a technique that always works. If you are doing competition, then it doesn’t matter that much if you miss the slide stop and fail to chamber a round. The worst that happens is you lose the stage, in a fight the worst that could happen is you lose your life.
Here are some of the things I go to the range to work on and how I do it:
- Draw to first round; Start with the target up close and work by taking a step back every couple draws from the target and then going closer to the target. Just simply draw and fire 1 round to make a hit. Smooth is fast/fast is smooth. Speed will come with smoothness
- Multiple Shots; I’ll do pairs or threes trying to find my pace that I can hit the target at a given distance. I like to shoot at steel because it’s easy to know if I made a hit or miss
- Malfunction Drills; I create a bunch of different malfunctions by putting spent brass in the gun as I chamber a round, put both hands on the gun and bring it up like I was shooting and then pull the trigger. When it fails to fire, I make it work to fire 1 round. I also mix in dummy rounds with live rounds to practice without knowing when a malfunction is coming.
- Reloads; put 1 round in every magazine then draw, shoot one reload, shoot one, reload. You can also mix a dummy round in the last round in the magazine just to mess with yourself
- Position Shooting; pick a couple positions to shoot from and work on it. Kneeling is my worst and I should work from that more, but generally will pick a couple and then work on them and just do everything from that position. Have you ever drawn your weapon from the ground or reloaded from the ground? Try it dry first.
- Transitions; from rifle to handgun or primary handgun to back up. Just put 1 round in the primary weapon and then shoot it dry and go for your back up. You’ll figure out weird things you’ll do that you never thought you would. I used to carry 2 1911s as an armored car guard. I always thought I’d shoot the one dry and go for the second while holding onto the first. Nope, during training I would always (without thinking) drop my primary on the floor and go for my backup. It gives you something to think about (like do you have a reload for your back up).
Those are just some of the things I work on when I head to the range and how I think about setting up my own training.
Stay Safe,
Ben