I was thinking about what Id do if I had to shoot. In the living room, the bedroom or at a store. What I feel is that I could shoot well enough to hit someone in the chest or head with little difficulty out to a good distance. I feel confident enough to not worry if I carry a 5 shot or more. I'm trying to get at one point, that I could make any kind of shot I need to. Now this is with all modesty. I don't think I'm a know it all nor am I conceited. I just know what I can do. I didn't include the myriad of situations number of perps day night what ever that's not the point. The question is How confident do you really feel?

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US ARMY
Viet Nam 70-71

My shooting ability is only one factor.............my ability to get to cover, shoot while moving, and shoot while being shot at are the things that will matter. If I'm shooting from cover and don't have the need to move, I'm likely going to shoot a lot better.

Standing and delivering accurate fire is one thing. But in a gunfight, nothing is stationary!

That is why we practice. I am sure there are not too many here who haven't had that thought cross their mind from time to time, but the more practice you have, the more likely you will be successful. Usually when the S.H.T.F you instinctively do what you have learned and practiced.

I always carry the same gun (M60-7) day in and day out so that I am totally comfortable and familiar with it. On the rare occasion I feel the need to step up to a .357 Magnum, I will carry a M65 which except for being a larger frame is basically the identical gun. I also practice with it at least once a month, more would be nice but I am being truthful. I can operate, load, unload or do anything necessary in the dark if need be, and it has become a part of my daily dress. If for any reason the gun needs to be worked on, cleaned or repaired, I have a few other copies that are identical (M36) - maybe a different finish, but the same gun.

I for one frown upon guys that carry completely different guns every day just to be cool. They get up in the morning and try and decide which gun to carry like my wife decides on what to wear. I am not kidding here either; I think that practice is dangerous. Decide on what your dedicated carry gun is going to be. If it does not work out for you then switch carry guns, but don't keep switching back and forth.

If your mind set is right and you are comfortable, familiar and in practice with your carry gun, you will do fine should the need (hopefully not) ever arise.

Chief38

When my body is funtioning normally, steady breathing, heart not beating a mile a minute I'm real confident.

Knowing that the body does certain things differently, all on it's own, it would be hard to say, never having experienced such a thing when I could fight back.

I was robbed at gunpoint when I was 14 so I do know what it's like to look down the barrel of a gun that's being pointed at you by a bad guy. In my case there were three bad guys, two with guns.
The pucker factor does rate pretty high on the charts, at least it did for me.
Strange as it may sound, I feel lucky that one of them sucker punched me, which put me down like a sack of potatoes, then they put the boots to me for a few seconds before running off.
They had other options that would have been far worse for me.

If I do get into a high stress situation where I have to perform I'm going to do my best to do whatever it takes to fight on as long as I can and prevail in the end. If not, I'm going down trying.

To me, attitude, based on sound training, is everything.

It does not matter what you can hit when shooting at paper targets. They are not shooting back.

There is a stress factor that makes all the target practice go out the window when faced with real danger.

Most police shootings are at less than 20 feet. The majority of those end with nobody being hit. These officers are trained to hit targets and undergo annual qualifying. They still miss.

As to distance shooting, the longer the distance, the greater chance of a shooting coming back to haunt you. Store shootings increases the chance if innocent victims.

Then there are lawsuits, lawyer fees, possible criminal charges and other things to be considered.

I can hit what I want, most of the time, and have hit what I had to on a few occasions. Yet I do not want to become quick on the trigger. It is much better for one, as a citizen, to be a good witness than an accused criminal. Even police officers are not immune to being involved in questionable shootings, criminal charges, civil suits and more.

Shooting someone across a parking lot at Walmart is not self defense. Shooting someone in the cookie aisle at the grocery store is not going to be looked at well by the police. Inside your home when it is being broken into is fine. Shooting someone trying to take your car at gun point is fine.

I am not going to judge anyone for what they may encounter but will encouage everyone to not be so fast to draw their weapon and then shoot. They may not like what happens next.

What I will say is I hope one never has to use their gun in self defense.

papajohn brings up a very important factor, dynamics!

We have a small pistol range in our backyard where I did a lot of night shooting, getting so confident, even on the move, that I decided to use one of my handguns to deal with critters (Raccoons, 'Possums etc.)

My first attempt came less than a week after my switch-over from a shotgun and I realized right away that most of my training, while not wasted, really only helped me shoot at stationary targets, out in the open no less.

When I was moving, my target was moving & the shadows from my flashlight were moving all over the place, things got real busy right away. When I did get a shot, my window of opportunity may have only been open for one second, two if I was lucky.

Because of this eye opening experience I added Crimson Trace Grips to my yard gun and the next time the results were vastly different.

Because of the difference in my results all of our self-defense guns now wear CT Grips and my confidence has been restored. Meaning my confidence level is back to the same as it was before I started running around in the dark after critters where I found out that the confidence I had in my ability was solely based on engageing targets that stood still out in the open. This doesn't even take into account a target that could be shooting back when the dynamic factor is off the charts and it's smack dab in the middle of the night.

If you've never trained under those types of conditions, then I wish you the best of luck.

Based on my body's reactions while serving in combat...

I know that the following occur for me, when under stress: tunnel vision, "weird" hearing, increased heart rate, shaking hands and some loss of fine motor funtions.

What that means for me, as a civilian in a self-defense scenario: I have reverted to all revolver for self-defense, due to the knowledge that I do not want to attempt to clear a malfunction on a semi, due to poor grip or body contact with an adversary.

I practice, practice, practice for scenarios that are from 10 yards down to body contact. Knowing what I do about how I react under extreme stress....I would never attempt a shooting in a public place, unless it were nearly arm's length away! (another reason that I feel confident with snubbies for carry...because I am not punching paper at 20 yards in single action mode)

Almost all my practice consists of drawing from under concealment garment, moving offline, and engaging the target. Over and over, from the ground...weak hand...poor grip...while making body contact with the target...etc...
Not only is this type of practice more fun for me, but it is true that you "fight like you have trained".

I sincerely hope that this post does not come across as me "knowing it all" or that I am an armchair commando ...
I am simply trying to share my own philosophy regarding my self-defense mindset....
Thanks!

Performance wise I am not 100% confident. Like Wheelyfun says, the heat of the moment makes a person do some strange things. I find myself pushing the weapon forward like if I could only stretch and get a few inches closer the bullets will have more effect. I was initially shocked to find targets do NOT fall down like at the range and in movies. And they move around. And shoot back. The first time you hear the buzz of a round going by your head you are really taken aback.

I practice and can hit what I shoot at, but every situation is different, so no I am not confident because I don't know what the set up will be.

I am ready though, and I know many are not. Some will present an arm and not be willing to use it, some may try to scare off an attack, some cannot draw, and some cannot fire at all. But I am ready if it comes to that. For sure it is a last resort though.

I just saw a 'Dumbest criminal' show where a LEO ran a car off the road during a high speed chase. The perp ran out of the car and started shooting at the cop, the cop did exactly what I would do (I think), pointed, started shooting and backing up. The guy was hit 4 or 5 times before he went down and he continued shooting from the ground. I say he was 'hit' 4 or 5 times, the cop fired many more times than that.

Makes you wonder how well you will do if you carry a 5 shot revolver....

A very well-trained officer in Tulsa was ambushed by three armed men that knew what they were doing, got the drop on him, and relieved him of wallet, guns, cell phone, and vehicle without a shot being fired.

A good IPSC shooter LEO surprised three armed robbers, double tapped all three, but died because the third had managed a lucky shot that severed his carotid artery.

I compete and practice, and feel bad if I don't get on a range weekly. I try to avoid bad situations, but carry wherever legal.

I shake my head at the people who fire a gun standing flatfooted at a stationary target ever few months and only carry a gun "when they think they might need it." Some feel very confident.

But no matter how much you train and practice, there are no guarantees. I just don't want to be a helpless victim from lack of shooting back.

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Science plus Art

Well, I am confident in my ability to hit a paper target, but that only instills the enough confidence in my SD ability to only shoot if I absolutely have to and if I cannot retreat to safety.

I believe practicing one-handed is very important, as well as weak-handed. When it happens it will probably happen really fast, and we need to practice for that possibility. I thought you were asking about confidence in the SD, I have KelTecs, Rugers, Taurus- and the most trusted gun I have is the SD. It simply never fails me.

I think it's important to keep in mind that shooting a gun is only a part of the self-defense equation. I practice as realistically as I can within the limits of the shooting range, and I rely on dry-fire practice drills for those skills I can't practice at the range.

But what if the attacker(s) is(are) too close for me to draw and fire? Do I know basic empty-hand techniques I can use to create enough time and distance for me to draw and fire, or run if possible?

What if I'm attacked but not to the point of requiring deadly force to resolve?

Do I have alternate plans if my primary response isn't possible or doesn't work?

Do I practice from awkward positions?

Do I know what I can or can't do, legally, ethically, and morally?

Do I know what effects an attack may have on me, physiologically and/or psychologically, and how best to compensate for them?

Do I know what behavioral cues may indicate an imminent attack so that I can avoid the situation in the first place?

These are some of the questions I pose to myself when I consider my own confidence level. I often find myself lacking in one or more areas, so I devote time and effort to improve. My goal is not to be a crack shot, or a martial arts master, but to have a well-rounded skill set that I can use to avoid a violent confrontation if possible, or deal with it if avoidance isn't possible.

However, If I am completely honest with myself, I don't know if I'll ever be 100% confident in my self-defense abilities, even if I could attend all the best training in the world. What I do feel confident in saying is that I will do the best I can with whatever tools I have on hand.

Twice during my 30 yrs. as a LEO I had to defend myself with deadly force, both times successfully. While the circumstances were different, the gun was my service .38 (Colt once and S&W once). Practice often, carry legally and hope you never have to find out.

One of the hardest things to know is, "Can I Pull The Trigger On Another Human Being?"

Things happen so fast, its not something you have time to sit and consider. You have to have made up your mind ahead of time.

After two years of ground combat in Vietnam, pulling the trigger was not a consideration if I was threatened with deadly force and the only time it happened to me as a citizen, the only thing I saw was a gun pointed at me and I don't even remember drawing and firing. The Perp was dead before he hit the floor as in those days I carried a four inch Model 29 on duty and it blew out the bottome his heart and a two inch section of his spine. What scared me was the thought that the round had gone through the perp and hit the clerk. The clerk dropped as soon as I entered the store and the perp started turning with the gun in his hand.

As others have said, Pratice is really, really important. Good Pratice and Constant Pratice.

Rule 303

Two more rules to remember: Even a bad plan is better than no plan, and no plan survives first contact with the enemy.

While I have no problem with using a firearm in defense of myself or my loved ones I 'll never know if I can actually hit whatever I'm shooting at until put into that situation. I'd like to think I can do so in a SHTF but until it happens, and I hope it never does, I'll never know. You've seen the videos of trained officers in shootouts firing point blank and hitting nothing so you just never know.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

Hell,
I jest barely shoot well enough to have stayed alive this long...Who know what tomorrow will bring.

They say, "That ya never see what's coming, till it's right on ya."

Best of luck to y'all.

Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

Many folks (LEOs included) have a tendency to simply 'throw' lead down range when the doo-doo hits the fan. Plenty of good comments here. I'd reiterate that virtually all shootings are up close & personal. Be ready to find cover and summon help if necessary. What-ifs can go right out the window when someone is shooting back. There are no John Waynes in the real world.

Well I have read some good responses and some of the suggestions I left out on purpose to shorten the original question(I tend to get long winded). I originally assumed a prone or barricade shot hiding behind racks or counters. If not discovered then a single action shot. If in the open getting to cover if you can and always escaping if possible. But I left all that out. Your confidence is before the event. That's what I was getting at. Some of the suggestions were about practice. That's were I would get the confidence from I think. Carry the same gun good idea I agree with that. Auto or revolver you take your chances too. More rounds in most autos no stoppages so much with the revolver. Accuracy yeah that's more before the event, after it starts training takes over. Thanks for the input..S2

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US ARMY
Viet Nam 70-71

Thankfully I've never been in a gun fight and hopefully never will but something I've noticed in other stressfull situations I've encountered from losing my footing on a four inch beam 60 feet in the air to being attacked from behind with a pool stick to being sideswiped and spun out at 70 mph is that in those situations I didn't think. I reacted and after it was over and I was safe then my heart started racing as I thought about what just could've been. I can't say the same would happen under fire and I hope to never know but I practice enough to feel fairly confident though the skill of the opponent is another major factor.

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sticks-n-stones&hollowpoints

That answers it for me. I think I'd do OK, especially on the second shot, but you never know until it happens.

I'm a longtime reader of Mas Ayoob's writings, have read most of his gunfight reconstructions (in American Handgunner, and The Ayoob Files Book) enough times to memorize some of them, and remember one wherein the cop involved was a well-trained shooter with good discipline. He had fired a few shots at a guy in a car with no apparent effect, and had the presence of mind to pause, think to himself, "Front Sight..........Press." His shots went where they needed to, and he eventually won the day.

I've never forgotten that lesson. These days, when I'm shooting as fast as I can and not hitting what I'm "aiming" at, I think, "Front sight.....press! and I'm usually rewarded with a hit.

Thanks Mas! I bet you know exactly which story I'm citing. I think his name was Steve.