Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
Some bits and pieces: I've always figured that my thinking should be about what action to take, not how to do it. The "how to" should be reflex. That simplifies the whole deal.
Ronin Colman first exposed me to, "As you train, so will you perform," back in 1980 in a combat pistol course. Watching folks in IPSC competition proved him to be absolutely correct. Whether you call it "muscle memory" or "reflex", it's creating a pattern of behavior via repetition. (Hey, I was able to learn stuff even after over thirty years of messing with the 1911!)
For me, then, carrying cocked and locked removes any thinking about, "I gotta remember to rack the slide!" or, "I'm in trouble; what do I do first?" from the equation. I can stay focussed on the threat and on tactics. Simplifies the equation.
'As you train, so will you perform.": Don't change your pattern. If you normally carry with an empty chamber and change to carrying cocked and locked, your own training may have you draw, rack the slide--and watch a round fall to the ground, distracting you from what you really oughta be watching. And it just cost you 14% of your capability. The opposite scenario can be a real loser. Helluva note to go flatline because you thought it WAS loaded.
For those concerned abut clothing rubbing the safety to the off position, I note that while the extended thumb safety may be Tacticool, the standard old GI safety has far less lug protruding to do that rubbing. FWIW.
Just some notions...
Art
Ronin Colman first exposed me to, "As you train, so will you perform," back in 1980 in a combat pistol course. Watching folks in IPSC competition proved him to be absolutely correct. Whether you call it "muscle memory" or "reflex", it's creating a pattern of behavior via repetition. (Hey, I was able to learn stuff even after over thirty years of messing with the 1911!)
For me, then, carrying cocked and locked removes any thinking about, "I gotta remember to rack the slide!" or, "I'm in trouble; what do I do first?" from the equation. I can stay focussed on the threat and on tactics. Simplifies the equation.
'As you train, so will you perform.": Don't change your pattern. If you normally carry with an empty chamber and change to carrying cocked and locked, your own training may have you draw, rack the slide--and watch a round fall to the ground, distracting you from what you really oughta be watching. And it just cost you 14% of your capability. The opposite scenario can be a real loser. Helluva note to go flatline because you thought it WAS loaded.
For those concerned abut clothing rubbing the safety to the off position, I note that while the extended thumb safety may be Tacticool, the standard old GI safety has far less lug protruding to do that rubbing. FWIW.
Just some notions...
Art