Defensive practice

K

ken grant

New member
Due to my old eyes (79) , shakey hands and not so good balance , I have changed my way of defensive practice and no longer use paper targets.

I scatter fired shot shells on the berm and shoot at them at different points from the hip up to chin level at 3-10 yds. after drawing and one hand only.
I hit a few , move a few , miss a lot but always close enough to defend myself from them.

YES , I do pick them up afterward and save them for the next time.
I mostly use my G19 and a lot of times with a AA .22 kit on it. The last two times I used it with the .22 kit.

I also use a Laser Cartridge around the house and draw to different things using the same draw and point shooting.
I have Glock type Gas Air Softs that I do the same in my yard and shop.
 
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If you're happy with your results I won't be critical.

I believe a repeatable two-handed grip from a comfortable and solid stance will give better results, old eyes, shakey hands and poor balance notwithstanding.

You might also consider some steel targets in place of paper or fired shot shells. You can then shoot at a more realistic sized target with immediate confirmation of a hit.

I admire that you are still working on maintaining your skills, even though things don't work as well as they used to. I'm a bit younger, but I can relate. Keep up the good work.
 
Ken,
Kudos to you for continuing with practice.
What ever we old guys do helps for sure.
Shooting, exercise, all of it keeps us going.
Your shooting routine seems quite good to me.
Pretty much what I try to do, but with some longer distances.
 
I'm catching up to you in age. Fortunately I've a new set of eyes. Now if we can just get the Palsy to settle...

Admire your enthusiasm and fortitude. Plus a lot can be said for the 22 cal.
 
To me there is a baseline - this is how good you would be if you never practiced.

There is also an upper limit - this is how good you would be if you practiced every waking moment.

None of us are getting to the upper limit. No matter how good we may think we are we are not there.

Anything over the baseline is better than the baseline. If you are comfortable with it then you are the one that matters.
 
Defensive practice should follow what was learned in defensive training.

There's a lot to it, but in simplest terms:
  • Draw, preferably after turning to face the attacker and while moving laterally
  • Fire several times as quckly as you can while keeping all shots in the upper chest area of an attacker

Try distances ranging from about seven feet to fifteen feet.
 
Most civilian gunfights are at very close distances, so being able to hit tin cans at 25 meters isn't really very important. If I were you, I'd just keep doing what you're doing. Shoot safe, shoot accurately and shoot short distances.
 
Kudos to you for practicing what works for you. I should do more hip firing and one handed firing practice.

Good reminder, thanks for posting.
 
There's a lot to it, but in simplest terms:
Draw, preferably after turning to face the attacker and while moving laterally
Fire several times as quckly as you can while keeping all shots in the upper chest area of an attacker
Click to expand...

I was a big proponent of this plan until I read about a shootout in Tyler TX. The good guy shot his 1911 dry in the perp's chest, not realizing that the perp wore body armor. The perp murdered the good guy as a result. Now, I practice a different tact.....if the first 2-3 shots don't show any effect, aim for something else. The ability to shift to different targets is an important skill. And Cooper's Mozambique and El Presidente drills are good for that.
 
Take heart, Ken, remember the "Rule of Three":

MOST defensive encounters happen

1. Under three feet

2. Three shots or less are fired

3. It's over in 3 seconds

Bearing this in mind, speed is more of the essence,
as you are at basic "belly gun" range, anyway.
 
Danoobie with no disrespect, your belief that it comes from the FBI doesn't make it so. If you have an FBI source, cite it.
 
Danoobie the pay here is generally commensurate with experience and veracity. Making unsupported statements and passing them as fact does not look good on a resume.
 
Well if it wasn't a proper statement, half a dozen posters,
JUST LIKE YOU, would have gone out of their way to prove
me wrong already, wouldn't they?
 
I have not shot a IDPA match since Dec 2015. A vehicle accident wrecked my Jeep. Now have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee.
My Glock 19 4th Gen, still feels like it is an extension of my arm!

Next time I go to my range, next week, a buddy and his Wife are spending a few days with me. So I will do some draw and fire exercises, and see how the 81 year old eyes work. My new left eye (cataract op) is 20/20, the right eye, 20/25 is the one I sight with. Both eyes open shooter.

Plus see if the new factory firing pin cures my light primer hits on my Steyr AUG.

I will return and pass on the results.
 
I'll back Danoobie up, sort of.
I was told this same thing in class, although honestly I can't remember if it was feet or yards, I thought yards.. but what ever.. the point dirvin home at the time was that the avg SD shooting is very close.. well within the much cited 21 feet (7 yard) rule which I believe is the longer end of the spectrum for SD shootings and probably applies more to police shootings then civilian.

FBI DOES track shootings and I am pretty sure this is where the stat comes from.

Either way think about it, How do you in-vision your avg SD scenario?
Either someone comes up to you asking you for money or questions or what ever they're not gonna try to mug you from 20 feet.

Then you have the assault type situation where perhaps you're talking or arguing with someone and they decide to take it to the next level.. pulls a knife, gun, club, or just goes at you.. this is speaking distance just outside of touching distance usually.

How about a store robbery? How much distance is there across a counter top?
can't be much more then 4 or 5 feet.

A lot of times a predator is not gonna telegraph your their prey by pulling a weapon on you at range, IF you see them coming they're probably not gonna be aggressive till they're close that's why it's important to keep track of those around you.


I was witness to a shooting once, well actually not sure if that's right I heard the shots just didn't see it.
2 shots fired, *bang* *approx 1 second pause* *bang*
The 3 shot stat is often used to justify carrying a 5-6 shot revolver over a larger semi.

But of course in my above example only 2 shots but also it was 1on1
You'd need more for a group of BG's but you don't wanna be facing 3on1 at close range whether the BG's are armed or not.
 
The two young Gang Banger's who traveled in the same isles as my Wife, in our local Publix. And followed her outside! Did not have a basket, or cart.

I was alerted to this, reading my book in the parking lot (hate shopping, love Cell phones) gave me the time to be a greeter, 7m from the electronic door.

My Wife came out, followed by these two young men. My Wife, as instructed, was traveling past our Jeep, down by the wall, and stored carts.

They spotted me, her two new friends, and ran to the street. (Did I mention I drive a marked Security Jeep?)

I strode the distance after we had loaded the food. Just about 7m!

It would have been loud! But no hands in pockets, no weapons seen. No shots fired. But just about 7m or 25 feet? Just perfect for a Glock 19.
 
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