Noticing the Slide Lock Back

The "feel" of the weapon locking back is a range only deal in my opinion... unless you're fighting from long range behind safe cover.

I've shot moderately stressful range drills in class (with yelling commands and moving, etc.) and you can't feel the bolt lock back for sh1t when it's so chaotic.... let alone A REAL FIGHT FOR YOU LIFE situation.

You can see the sight pic difference on a pistol, but under extreme stress, I wouldn't bank on it.
 
Yep. The book On Combat by LTC Grossman illustrates some very interesting examples of what the body does in a lethal confrontation.

There was an example of two State Troopers who fired their guns on a suspect vehicle but failed to pursue. When asked why, they said their guns weren't working. The guns were working fine, but they couldn't hear the loudness of the gun shots in the stress of the situation.

This goes back to "feeling" the slide or bolt lock back. Realistic on the square range, but not necessarily in a real shooting.
 
All my years as a competitive shooter has taught me to count my rounds and do a mag change without thinking about it.

I do regular self defence drills and find i automatically know how many rounds there are in my gun.

I guess if you shoot a lot it will happen. What i also noticed is that sometimes i can see the rounds flying out of a gun toward the target. Especially in indoor ranges where the light reflects off the slug. Very cool
 
I've seen it at matches. Folks pulling the trigger on a locked back gun. Not that unusual.
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How true it is. Have done it myself during matches. DUH-HUH!!!!

I think from reading the posts here this is something that can be debated until the cows come home just like the choice of caliber (which is deadlier), type of bullet design, re-load at slide lock or during the lull in action, semi-auto/revolver and on and on and on
 
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Even if I was blindfolded, I could tell the difference by how it feels on the last round as the slide doesn't move forward into battery again.
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Interesting analogy. I wonder if one could teach themselves this faster by the sensory deprivation? Of course you would have to stand at almost contact distance to the backstop and maybe even have a friend behind you with a hand on your shoulder to stop you from turning too far away etc, for safety. Then he could load mags with unknown number of rounds and you shoot and get the 'feel' of it when it goes to slide lock.
Don't try this at home kids, I'm just thinkin out loud!
 
I don't have much trigger time on Glocks, but on my XD I can feel something different in the trigger when I fire the last shot; that always gets my attention even when I'm not counting. As others have said, it's very common not to notice that you've run dry, but it's still kind of a bad thing. Regardless of whether you're training towards SD or competition, you don't want to waste any time. Make it a goal to get past that habit, either through counting or feel or tactical reloads.

I can't count the number of times I've tried to fire a 7th round from my .357 Blackhawk though...
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You know, they make an 8 shot 357 now... :D
 
The "feel" of the weapon locking back is a range only deal in my opinion... unless you're fighting from long range behind safe cover.
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Why do you think that? I'ts already been proven that most of what we "train" ourselves to do (good and bad) happens in gunfights, also.

I don't recall pulling the trigger on a locked slide for as long as I can remember. And I'm not sure if it's because I visually see the slide, or from the feel of the shot.

Can't prove how I'd react if I really saw the elephant, however.:cool:

Now that you've got me curious, I think I'll experiment and find out if it's visual or physical (or both?). In the process, I think I'll help train my less experienced buddy who ALWAYS pulls the trigger on a locked slide.;)
 
I have to agree in a stress shooting though you are most likely not going to be able to count rounds(even possibly a revolver). I also believe you would not know the gun was empty until you pull the trigger on a locked slide. {I hardly ever do this and can remember the last time I did.} However, that said I think its very possible I would not notice my slide lock in a high stress situation.
 
Sounds like most of us have expierienced that problem. I agree, counting your round seems like that best way to avoid this problem.
 
Kinesthetic-Visual or Auditory

My ole Kenpo instructor who has a P.H.D. in Sports Psychology, says that all have a predominint method of learning. I am a strong kinesthetic which means that I am especially sensitive to feel. I can always feel a pistol at slide lock. Under the extreme stress of a gun fight, which I haven't been in, I can't say. That is the reason why some notice slide lock, abd others don't. Best, Lyle

MIne is not to reason why; only but to do or die. J. Ceaser
 
If I won't be able to see the slide lock back...

If I won't be able to feel the slide not going into battery...

I guess my technique of noticing that the gun is much lighter after the ammo is gone is guaranteed to fail. ;)
 
I have been counting my shots at the range for years. I could also feel the difference in recoil in the last round.

All that suddenly ceased to apply at my first IDPA match. After competing in a half-dozen this summer, I am absoluetly unable to count rounds or tell the difference.

I imagine that given enough matches, I might be able to do so (some of the top level guys "seem to" do so, or maybe they just realize and react so quickly I cannot tell.

But most of the posts I have read go something like this:
"Don't bother counting rounds--in a real life scenario, the adrenaline will erase this ability."

I do believe that the difference between range shooting and IDPA shooting is far less than the difference between IDPA and real life.

I would like to hear from experienced IDPA shooters and people who have been in a situation where they are shooting for their life.

I guess my technique of noticing that the gun is much lighter after the ammo is gone is guaranteed to fail.
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If you can tell the difference in weight, then you are far more perceptive than most of us. If you can do so when someone is returning fire and adrenaline is a-pumpin', you are super-human.
 
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Counting your rounds is a good ideal............but it ain't gonna happen.

I've counted rounds, I've taught counting rounds, but it don't always happen.

I shoot a lot of Bullseye where I know I have to shoot 5 rounds. I do in bullseyes. So since I carry a 642 I should be able to count to 5 ......right?

It don't happen. I have taken to entering a second gun in ICORE matches, meaning for kicks, I shoot the stages a second time with my 642. I try to count rounds but I don't always. I end up trying to fire a 6th or 7th round.

OK we could say, since its a second gun, I'm use to shooting 6 rounds so it carries over on my pocket revolver. Guess what, sometimes I end up trying to shoot 7 or 8 rounds with my main ICORE gun, a Model 64.

I figure that if I forget to count rounds during playing games like ICORE, I have to accept the fact that if the poop hits the fan, I'll probably fail to count.

I'm not saying not to count your rounds, nor am I trying to say not to practice it. What I'm talking is reality.

I guess I'll just keep shooting ICORE, try to count my rounds every time and hope for the best.
 
Oddly enough, I did once notice that my pistol did not weigh enough...turns out I forgot to load before beginning the 3-gun course! :o
Now that was a speed reload! :eek:
 
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