methods of training when real firearms are not available?

K

Kimio

New member
I'm going to be out of the country for the next couple years in a country that prohibits the ownership of personal firearms.

That said, I'd like to know if there is any real way that I can keep my skills as sharp as I can despite this. I think air soft is still legal where I'm going as well as paint ball, so I was considering doing that. Nothing comes close to actual trigger time at the range though I imagine.

EDIT: To specify what country I'll be going to, I'll be going to Japan

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
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Practice point shooting:

Draw you hand from how ever you carry, pointing your index finger.

We all know that we're suppose to keep the finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. This safety tidbit helps in point shooting. When drawing a pistol the trigger finger lays along the slide, POINTING, when drawing a revolver the finger lays under the cylinder, POINTING.

In my CCW classes I spend a great deal of time having he students draw and point without a firearm. You'd be surprised how that helps your point shooting.

Practice you presentation speed:

You defiantly don't want to use a gun for this. it does require a partner.

Have your partner stand close with his arms bent at the elbow, shoulder width apart. Hands extended. When he sees you start to draw, he is suppose to slap his hands together before you get your pointed finger up to his hands. If in slapping any part of your hand, you won.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to draw and beat the guy slapping his hand. If you cant do it, then you should re-evaluate your method of carry.

Shoot - Don't Shoot:

This exercise is good for active shooter situations where you are hunkered down waiting for either the bandit or responding officers to pop around the corner. Again you need a partner.

You hunker down in a corner ready to draw. Your partner pops around the corner, but you don't know if he has his gun (pointed hand) or empty closed hand. If he has a would be gun (representing the bandit) you need to draw and point, if he doesn't have his would be gun (representing a first responder), you produce empty hands.

These are good drill whether or not you are visiting a gun free area or not.
 
Recall there was a Japanese Olympic winner who never fired a real gun until he participated in the Olympics. He practiced with an airgun.
 
Fair play for keeping up the training up, some good suggestion posted. Personally if I was going abroad firearms training would be the last thing on my mind. PS Be careful drawing a pretend handgun and pointing no one sees you, they might think you have lost the plot.
 
Paintball is fine for "playing war" but it is a bit limited for practicing SD and other handgun skills, plus the residue makes it less than ideal for indoor practice. My recommendation would be to buy an air/CO2 gun that is as close as possible to the real gun you use at home. There are air/CO2 guns that mimic revolvers and auto pistols. They may not be perfect, but will help keep your hand in and usually are quiet enough to be used in detached homes or basements without disturbing others. A light bullet trap or even a wood backstop will stop the pellet.

Some countries that ban or heavily restrict ownership of firearms still allow ranges and rental guns and gun clubs; a few ban even tools that resemble guns. So you may have to actually be there before you can decide what you can do, if anything, to keep up your skills.

Jim
 
You dont say what country you will be in, so it's hard to give solid advice.

Generally, airsoft guns have come a LONG WAY, becoming identical in fit and function to the firearms they mimic

If they are allowed where you are going that would be my pick.
 
I'll be going to Japan to be specific, pretty sure that even Airsoft pistols are heavily regulated there.
 
I'll be going to Japan to be specific, pretty sure that even Airsoft pistols are heavily regulated there.
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Airsoft is very big in Japan. Chris Costa just went there recently and actually participated in an Airsoft event.
 
Looking at where I'm going, it looks like I will not be allowed to own an airsoft gun, though I may need to verify that.

EDIT: Yep, I'm most definitely NOT allowed to own let alone really handle one. Sadly.
 
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What about one of those plastic laser target systems? Aside from that spend time thinking. Run scenarios through your head. This is how you can cut down your real world reaction time and be better prepared for reacting to real life SD scenarios. I believe you can build a muscle memory though imagination.
 
Man!!!. If i was going to be in Japan for 2+ years, id find me a good Aikido dojo and put all my training efforts into that.

What a great Opportunity
 
Airsoft pistols(a lot of which are made in Japan. Big time players in Japan too.) and paint ball guns are toys and have nothing to do with real firearms. A good quality air pistol is not. No Olympic Airsoft shooters, but there are air pistols at the Olympics.
Wouldn't get caught shooting even an air gun without looking into Japanese law first. May not be legal for a foreigner to possess.
 
Airsoft pistols(a lot of which are made in Japan. Big time players in Japan too.) and paint ball guns are toys and have nothing to do with real firearms.
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A higher end airsoft is far from a toy, and you can do things with them, that you cant with a "real" firearm, or other type air pistol.

I can use the airsoft that duplicates my carry gun and its accessories in my normal holster and gear, practice everything I practice with a live gun, and a good bit more, like working on drills in the house, or force on force against an live opponent, etc. The gas airsoft function very much like your real gun, and while they dont have blast, and true recoil, they do have a recoil impulse and you need to track the sights (if youre using them), just like the real thing.

There may not be Olympic airsoft shooters, but Im not practicing for the Olympics either. I wouldnt use one of those Olympic air pistols for real world practice either. Use the right tool for the job.
 
If you are a member of the US military, each base of decent size has a gun range.
You simply check with the armorer for times/events to shoot at.

Video games are not to be dismissed.
Some are pretty helpful in speed, presentation, shoot/no shoot, and other drills.
The old "Police Trainer" arcade game helped me get fast as heck...
spent HOURS working every possible angle...
which paid off in huge benefits in SASS, GSSF, IDPA, and IPSC competitions.
Beware the old geezer that ain't as geezerly as he looks ;)

Um...lemme think...on Okinawa...
Camp Hansen Rifle Range
Camp Schwab Pistol Range
Skeet at Kadena AFB, check with MWR
been many moons, so anything may have closed/opened since...

If you are a Marine, please do NOT get involved with local gals...
if Papa-san/Mama-san don't like you, they can and will enter a rape charge on yer butt...
by the time its all figured out that you never even got to second base,
the locals are rioting, you're up in front of the Old Man, and they gotta ship you home in shame...
or worse, to Area 52 in the Antarctic...or Adak, or some other hole inna ground
where nobody ever really wants to be, and only gets there if they screw up.
Be Warned. :)

On the upside, get as far away from Okinawa as possible when taking leave.
Kyoto, Tokyo, and other cities are a BLAST!!
Some places are non-friendly to US Mil, so stay in at least a group of 3 or 4.
Move on if someone gets loud and confrontational...be polite.
Don't mess with the tattooed guys...especially the full-body ones.
Yes, the haircut is a dead give-away, so is walking in step with the other group members...
learn as much Nihongo as you can before getting there...
Becoming a "Conversational English Instructor" is VERY lucrative...
and can get you friends & more ;)
 
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