Drawing your gun in a Crisis
- Thread starter gvf
- Start date
Until you have a few hundred repetitions under your belt, drawing and holstering should be done with exaggerated slowness to ensure that you're practicing everything perfectly.
The two common errors are sweeping the support hand with the muzzle and covering your legs & feet while your finger's on the trigger.
During drawing, prevent sweeping your support hand by making sure that as soon as the muzzle's out in front of your body pause very briefly to slide your weak hand across your torso to take the grip rather than just trying to have the gun & weak hand meet in space. While holstering, leave the support hand on the grip until it stops against your body.
During drawing, prevent covering your legs & feet while your finger's on the trigger by keeping your trigger finger flat against the frame/slide of your handgun until the sights cover the target. I put mine flat against the side of the holster where it will naturally end up in the right spot after the gun clears leather. During holstering your finger ALWAYS comes off the trigger and goes flat against the frame when the muzzle comes off the target.
The two common errors are sweeping the support hand with the muzzle and covering your legs & feet while your finger's on the trigger.
During drawing, prevent sweeping your support hand by making sure that as soon as the muzzle's out in front of your body pause very briefly to slide your weak hand across your torso to take the grip rather than just trying to have the gun & weak hand meet in space. While holstering, leave the support hand on the grip until it stops against your body.
During drawing, prevent covering your legs & feet while your finger's on the trigger by keeping your trigger finger flat against the frame/slide of your handgun until the sights cover the target. I put mine flat against the side of the holster where it will naturally end up in the right spot after the gun clears leather. During holstering your finger ALWAYS comes off the trigger and goes flat against the frame when the muzzle comes off the target.
Great Help - Thanks
Great lessons to work with!
I actually did just range-shoot next to a retired correction-officer, I was watching him work with his young son and I thought he was very good. I asked him for some tips and he gave me some and offered to come back to the range when I was there - nice man, a gentleman. I will take him up on that, and pay him for some occasional instruction if he is willing. Retired cops don't live lavish lives and no reason he shouldn't be paid for his help and experience. - -
Great lessons to work with!
I actually did just range-shoot next to a retired correction-officer, I was watching him work with his young son and I thought he was very good. I asked him for some tips and he gave me some and offered to come back to the range when I was there - nice man, a gentleman. I will take him up on that, and pay him for some occasional instruction if he is willing. Retired cops don't live lavish lives and no reason he shouldn't be paid for his help and experience. - -
So you two are advocating putting your finger on the trigger before you are ready to shoot? Obviously a pair of well-trained individuals.
This is bad advice and a generally dumb thing to say. For those that are here for sound advice, and to learn from others, pay attention to this part: remember that this is all opinions, and expert advice is what you really need to listen to. Try to get training. Read books. And try very hard not to take advice from those who will contradict every single piece of training from every single expert you will ever meet.
Do you?
I don't think I am missing the point. I think you two are.
The question here is a yes or no question. Do you keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot? Do you follow that rule?
I say the answer is yes. You obviously disagree.
So I ask again, are you two advocating putting your finger on the trigger before you are ready to shoot?
The question here is a yes or no question. Do you keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot? Do you follow that rule?
I say the answer is yes. You obviously disagree.
So I ask again, are you two advocating putting your finger on the trigger before you are ready to shoot?
As a fairly senior active duty sailor, when it comes to teaching a sentry/security patrol when to draw their sidearm and when to shoot, I try to make to it as simple as possible to understand:
• Unholster your sidearm when there is reasonable belief that you might need to employ the sidearm.
• Disengage the safety of sidearm when you unholster your weapon.
Note: when carrying a sidearm while on watch/duty, it is Navy SOP to carry it in Condition 1 (magazine inserted, chamber loaded, safety engaged). When unholstered, the “brain & finger” now become the safety….which is why all sentries are constantly trained to keep their finger off of the trigger until they are actually ready to fire their weapon. I wont let any of my watch team carry a weapon (or stand the watch) if I am not confident in their ability to follow this rule.
• Fire your weapon at the threat when there is imminent danger to yourself or to others, but do not fire your weapon if you are not sure of what is behind the target. Reposition if possible. Continue to engage the target until it is no longer a threat to you or to others.
Yes, the decision to unholster can be especially tricky and difficult for the lawfully CCW civilian when faced with a developing situation. While unholstering a sidearm on military duty is somewhat different from unholstering a sidearm in the civilian world, the decision making process and principles remain the same. At least for me it does. Hopefully you will instinctively know what it is time to unholster your weapon and especially when it is time to engage the threat.
Obviously in the civilian world, an unholstered sidearm has all kinds of legal implications that need to be carefully considered BEFORE HAND. That responsibility should never be taken lightly, but you should be confident that you can make the right decision and are mentally prepared to make that decision as a situation arises.
As far as the speed of unholstering goes, keep this in mind: "slow is steady, steady is fast". My advice, practice the "when" thoroughly before the "how".
• Unholster your sidearm when there is reasonable belief that you might need to employ the sidearm.
Note: if you have decided to fire your weapon, but must unholster it first in order to do so, it is probably too late.
• Disengage the safety of sidearm when you unholster your weapon.
Note: when carrying a sidearm while on watch/duty, it is Navy SOP to carry it in Condition 1 (magazine inserted, chamber loaded, safety engaged). When unholstered, the “brain & finger” now become the safety….which is why all sentries are constantly trained to keep their finger off of the trigger until they are actually ready to fire their weapon. I wont let any of my watch team carry a weapon (or stand the watch) if I am not confident in their ability to follow this rule.
• Fire your weapon at the threat when there is imminent danger to yourself or to others, but do not fire your weapon if you are not sure of what is behind the target. Reposition if possible. Continue to engage the target until it is no longer a threat to you or to others.
Yes, the decision to unholster can be especially tricky and difficult for the lawfully CCW civilian when faced with a developing situation. While unholstering a sidearm on military duty is somewhat different from unholstering a sidearm in the civilian world, the decision making process and principles remain the same. At least for me it does. Hopefully you will instinctively know what it is time to unholster your weapon and especially when it is time to engage the threat.
Obviously in the civilian world, an unholstered sidearm has all kinds of legal implications that need to be carefully considered BEFORE HAND. That responsibility should never be taken lightly, but you should be confident that you can make the right decision and are mentally prepared to make that decision as a situation arises.
As far as the speed of unholstering goes, keep this in mind: "slow is steady, steady is fast". My advice, practice the "when" thoroughly before the "how".
I like what CREATURE had to say...
"combat" and civilian "CCW". I've been in combat, and I've spent hours on end
with my finger on the trigger of an M-16. Because there are times in a
combat situation that a one-second delay in putting out rounds can get you
killed. Like diddy-bopping along on a routine AOR patrol when the enemy
springs a big fat ambush on you. Fast return fire, and lots of it, is the only
thing that's gonna save your butt.
However, that kind of thing very rarely happens anywhere outside a war-zone.
So unless you're "in the war", or a really big-time "Operator", I also believe
fingers should stay off the trigger until you make the commitment to kill
whatever it is you aim at.
Is that ambivalent enough for you?
Walter
I see both sides of this issue, but I also see a great difference between
"combat" and civilian "CCW". I've been in combat, and I've spent hours on end
with my finger on the trigger of an M-16. Because there are times in a
combat situation that a one-second delay in putting out rounds can get you
killed. Like diddy-bopping along on a routine AOR patrol when the enemy
springs a big fat ambush on you. Fast return fire, and lots of it, is the only
thing that's gonna save your butt.
However, that kind of thing very rarely happens anywhere outside a war-zone.
So unless you're "in the war", or a really big-time "Operator", I also believe
fingers should stay off the trigger until you make the commitment to kill
whatever it is you aim at.
Is that ambivalent enough for you?
Walter
Good post mattro and Dwight 55.
I will say it again, SLOW IS BETTER!
I would like to ad that you can use airsoft guns as a means to train, especially in the beginning. A lot of the time I tell people to get a good gas blowback airsoft gun like the one they carry and keep it empty but charged with gas and practice drawing. That way if you stick your finger where it shouldn’t be, the gun may go off and nothing comes out. Of course, even with an airsoft gun, TRIPLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS UNLOADED!
Once you have the basics down, that is, practicing every day for at least a month, then I would recommend moving to your firearm. As it has already been mentioned, but it can never been said enough, TRIPLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED!!!
As far as where your finger goes, we teach a high index where your trigger finger lays against the slide of the gun. Your finger can be straight or bent with your finger tip touching the slide.
Although I agree with most of what Hornett said, in civilian combat you are probably not going to be shooting two handed. It is great to practice it, but you should practice drawing and dry fire exercises one handed as much if not more than two handed. Since confrontations take place at close distances, you should probably be delivering a distraction with your other hand while going for your gun with your drawing hand. And, at close distances you do not want to fully extend the gun out towards the attacker because you run the risk of the attacker taking the gun away or struggling for the gun.
Truth of the matter is that in combat situations you are probably going to sweep your leg or foot with the muzzle of the gun. That is why you must keep your finger off the trigger until your muzzle is on the threat and you have made the decision to shoot. Practicing not to sweep your body with the muzzle is necessary for gun safety when training, but when the real deal comes, you will probably do it and never realize it unless you shoot yourself.
Two times you are most likely to experience a negligent discharge. A. When drawing your gun. B. When holstering your gun. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNLESS YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET AND YOU HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO SHOOT. This is the ONLY time your finger should be in contact with the trigger or inside the trigger guard!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO SHOOT!!!
I will say it again, SLOW IS BETTER!
I would like to ad that you can use airsoft guns as a means to train, especially in the beginning. A lot of the time I tell people to get a good gas blowback airsoft gun like the one they carry and keep it empty but charged with gas and practice drawing. That way if you stick your finger where it shouldn’t be, the gun may go off and nothing comes out. Of course, even with an airsoft gun, TRIPLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS UNLOADED!
Once you have the basics down, that is, practicing every day for at least a month, then I would recommend moving to your firearm. As it has already been mentioned, but it can never been said enough, TRIPLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED!!!
As far as where your finger goes, we teach a high index where your trigger finger lays against the slide of the gun. Your finger can be straight or bent with your finger tip touching the slide.
Although I agree with most of what Hornett said, in civilian combat you are probably not going to be shooting two handed. It is great to practice it, but you should practice drawing and dry fire exercises one handed as much if not more than two handed. Since confrontations take place at close distances, you should probably be delivering a distraction with your other hand while going for your gun with your drawing hand. And, at close distances you do not want to fully extend the gun out towards the attacker because you run the risk of the attacker taking the gun away or struggling for the gun.
Truth of the matter is that in combat situations you are probably going to sweep your leg or foot with the muzzle of the gun. That is why you must keep your finger off the trigger until your muzzle is on the threat and you have made the decision to shoot. Practicing not to sweep your body with the muzzle is necessary for gun safety when training, but when the real deal comes, you will probably do it and never realize it unless you shoot yourself.
Two times you are most likely to experience a negligent discharge. A. When drawing your gun. B. When holstering your gun. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNLESS YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET AND YOU HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO SHOOT. This is the ONLY time your finger should be in contact with the trigger or inside the trigger guard!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO SHOOT!!!
Big Calhoun
New member
Lots of good advice!! Personally, I like to practice with snap-caps in front of a mirror. Because I usually where my shirts loose, my primary focus is clearing my clothing and presenting the firearm in one smooth step. I also practice to be sure that upon presentation, my sights are aligned and I have target acquisition as fast as possible. During my practice, I keep in mind the four safety rules. If I draw and my finger is on the trigger, I literaly pinch myself.
Not so much a big deal with my HK in a Galco OWB. WHen I started carrying my Kimber in a shoulder rig, I did notice that my finger would sometimes glance the trigger during presentation. So I just practice, practice, practice, and am getting that nipped in the bud.
Not so much a big deal with my HK in a Galco OWB. WHen I started carrying my Kimber in a shoulder rig, I did notice that my finger would sometimes glance the trigger during presentation. So I just practice, practice, practice, and am getting that nipped in the bud.
" in civilian combat you are probably not going to be shooting two handed. It is great to practice it, but you should practice drawing and dry fire exercises one handed as much if not more than two handed. Since confrontations take place at close distances, you should probably be delivering a distraction with your other hand while going for your gun with your drawing hand. And, at close distances you do not want to fully extend the gun out towards the attacker because you run the risk of the attacker taking the gun away or struggling for the gun."
I agree with this completely. I did 2/3 rds of my practicing two handed before having to shoot in actual combat, but both times I had to do it for real circumstances forced me to shoot onr handed. The one handed point shooting practice definitly saved my life.
I agree with this completely. I did 2/3 rds of my practicing two handed before having to shoot in actual combat, but both times I had to do it for real circumstances forced me to shoot onr handed. The one handed point shooting practice definitly saved my life.
Para Bellum
New member
IPSC or IDPA
Go to a club and parctice IPSC or IDPA.
Go to a club and parctice IPSC or IDPA.
My advice is essentially worthless but since I am in the same boat as you and came up with a different solution then mentioned here I will share it.
I could not afford two and four or five day trainings costing thousands of dollars. But I need training in defensive handgun use.. in using a holster, drawing, etc etc.
I researched locally and found someone who teaches it in a one day class. It cost around $225 including the cost of the ammo I need to bring to the class.
That might be hard to come up with but I firmly believe that it is far worse to practice wrong form over and over then it is to borrow the money to pay for the class. In my case, I used my "what if something goes wrong" money.
I also attended an IDPA meet and had a blast. People did give me advice. Some of it is probably very good... but some of it contradicted other advice... so being a newby, I did not take much of that advice to heart. The four steps to draw (similar to the five listed above) is advice I took but other things I am not so sure about.
Once I have this class, I plan to go to IDPA practices so I can practice drawing and firing, etc. But I have not been practicing dry fire (with caps double checking three times) because I don't want a muscle memory of bad form.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
Any other practice makes for bad habits very hard to break later.
I could not afford two and four or five day trainings costing thousands of dollars. But I need training in defensive handgun use.. in using a holster, drawing, etc etc.
I researched locally and found someone who teaches it in a one day class. It cost around $225 including the cost of the ammo I need to bring to the class.
That might be hard to come up with but I firmly believe that it is far worse to practice wrong form over and over then it is to borrow the money to pay for the class. In my case, I used my "what if something goes wrong" money.
I also attended an IDPA meet and had a blast. People did give me advice. Some of it is probably very good... but some of it contradicted other advice... so being a newby, I did not take much of that advice to heart. The four steps to draw (similar to the five listed above) is advice I took but other things I am not so sure about.
Once I have this class, I plan to go to IDPA practices so I can practice drawing and firing, etc. But I have not been practicing dry fire (with caps double checking three times) because I don't want a muscle memory of bad form.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
Any other practice makes for bad habits very hard to break later.