Handgunning 101

[45FMJoe]

I need to add a point about holstering your weapon after the incident. Many years ago when I started, we would do our standard qualification at the 50 yard line and work our way towards the 3 yard line. The common (bad training) factor was to draw the weapon and fire X amount of rounds for that distance, do a quick 'cover' and reholster. It was bad training because the reholstering was part of the timed course. So the covering was a quick shake of the gun and then a race back to the holster.

Nowadays we shoot a different amount of rounds at various distances to the target...or targets. And the covering is not part of the timed course. Thus we stress that you never holster the weapon until you feel the situation has been completely resolved and the threat is no longer present. In our simunitions training the cover portion might be a few seconds to 15 minutes (awaiting back up from a place of cover). We never rush to get the gun back to the holster. We scan the area for additional threats and only holster when the situation is safe.

This keeps in mind that we will likely be under duress and reverting to our training. Thus it prompts us to continually be aware of our surroundings before, during and after an incident.

Again, just points to ponder.

I just finished 80 hours of firearms training in the local academy yesterday. I qualified as top shooter in the class, and I'm by no means a distinguished shooter. I never took the time to think about why the strings of fire were sometimes so different. Three rounds on one target, three on another, one on each target, two on one target, etc. I guess it makes sense, mix up the number of rounds so we don't build a memory on one particular number of rounds.

We were, however, instructed to raise our hands if we had a malfunction. I experienced one, and cleared it and tried to fire my last shot before the targets turned away. When I couldn't get the shot off in time I raised my hand. Also, our timing did not include reholstering. The targets turned and we drew from the holster or punched out from low ready, and fired. After the set amount of time the targets turned away. When you finish firing, you cover scan and reholster.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Great post! I'm sure you're not telling us everything you know, but no argument with what you ARE telling us.

One point:

In the Israeli Instructors Course, I had to pick up my partner in a fireman's carry, run backwards while drawing and chambering my Glock 17 off my belt and engaging multiple targets with live fire.

Sounds very Israeli. Maybe you should have been teaching that course instead of taking it; I'm sure that they could have learned a few things from you, for sure at least one.

 

[Martial Warrior]

I just finished 80 hours of firearms training in the local academy yesterday. I qualified as top shooter in the class....

We were, however, instructed to raise our hands if we had a malfunction.

Congrats on the 'top gun' for your academy class! Was that the Hillsborough county academy? I use to teach at the Allstate building (St. Petersburg College) in St. Pete down on 34th St. I'm surprised they had you raising your hand, we stopped that well over a decade ago. Still, it's good basic training. Take any advanced course they offer once you get to your agency (which one are you going for?). And once your with your agency they will be running you through more advanced training anyway.

Did you get the opportunity to use the live fire F.A.T.S. machine?

If you or anyone gets the opportunity to take the ISI Israeli course, DO IT!!! Most hard core, realistic course I've ever taken. And the most painful as well. Imagine fighting off someone trying to choke you out from behind WHILE your engaging mutiple targets live fire! They believe in safety to a point but also taking the training to the extreme. Every drill has had realworld input. You don't use the sights at all out to 15 yards and 25 yard head shots become pretty common.

Worth the effort if you get the chance.

 

[jtpur]

good post but please dont assume everyone knows or understands your abbreviations...."COM" I think it took me ten minutes to come up with center of mass??????or is it center of man, or casualities or mortality....

 

[Martial Warrior]

good post but please dont assume everyone knows or understands your abbreviations...."COM" I think it took me ten minutes to come up with center of mass??????or is it center of man, or casualities or mortality....

Hmmm, I thought COM was a pretty standard abbreviation. However, point taken that not everyone may be familar with these terms. So here are some of the more common ones;

COM = center of mass
CNS = central nervous system
FTF = failure to feed (or failure to fire)
FTE = failure to eject
ND = negligent discharge
AD = accidental discharge
NS = night sights
SS = stainless steel
FMJ = full metal jacket
JHP = jacketed hollow point
HP = hollow point
RNL = round nose lead
WC = wad cutter
TMJ = total metal jacket
SJHP = scalloped jacketed hollow point
LSWCHP = lead semi wad cutter hollow point
+P = plus pressure

There are more but I'm tired and that's all I can think of at the moment

 

[45FMJoe]

Congrats on the 'top gun' for your academy class! Was that the Hillsborough county academy? I use to teach at the Allstate building (St. Petersburg College) in St. Pete down on 34th St. I'm surprised they had you raising your hand, we stopped that well over a decade ago. Still, it's good basic training. Take any advanced course they offer once you get to your agency (which one are you going for?). And once your with your agency they will be running you through more advanced training anyway.

Did you get the opportunity to use the live fire F.A.T.S. machine?

Thanks, I'm ecstatic I won the top gun award. And yes I'm in the HCC academy, and yes we shot at the SEPSI range in the Allstate building. I'm going for Tampa PD, hopefully. I'm not sure what the F.A.T.S. machine is, but we didn't do anything but live fire on the line. It was a lot of fun, and I'm sad that it's over but we move on to DT on Saturday. Tomorrow is our written exam, so I should probably quit surfing the web and get back to studying.

 

[El_Jefe]

Thanks for the post. I liked the lack of b.s.

 

[Martial Warrior]

Thanks, I'm ecstatic I won the top gun award. And yes I'm in the HCC academy, and yes we shot at the SEPSI range in the Allstate building. I'm going for Tampa PD, hopefully. I'm not sure what the F.A.T.S. machine is, but we didn't do anything but live fire on the line. It was a lot of fun, and I'm sad that it's over but we move on to DT on Saturday. Tomorrow is our written exam, so I should probably quit surfing the web and get back to studying.

Tampa is a very good agency.

The F.A.T.S. machine is a very large neoprene type screen which plays video hooked to a computer. The video is real actors, playing a part from a real-world scenario. Some are shoot, some are no-shoot to test the trainee. You fire your duty weapon, with real ammo at the screen which is basically ceiling to floor and very wide. The computer registers where the rounds hit, reaction time etc. The computer is 'branched' so if you miss, or score what the computer feels is a bad hit the 'actor bad guy' will continue to do whatever he/she was doing i.e. shooting at you or stabbing at you etc. If you register multiple 'good' hits the 'actor badguy' will fall down...but may not remain down.

Each scenario (thousands) are based upon a real-life event somewhere in the country. May be a traffic stop, a sniper on a roof, a B&E in a store etc.

It is about as real as it gets while you remain safe. I've seen cadets walk out of the testing visibly shaken and sweating profusely because they have to react as they would in real life i.e. seek cover, use verbal orders (if applicable), fire a real weapon with real rounds (real noise and recoil) and the badguy is shooting back (even though it is on the screen you still hear the noise, see the smoke etc).

Good training system.