Took my first holster draw training

[bushmaster1313]

Been shooting for over 40 years but never did a holster draw and shoot with a loaded gun.

Local indoor range gives classes and individualized instruction. Yesterday evening I took 3 hours of individual instruction. It was excellent but tiring. I qualified to draw and shoot at the range, but I have a lot of unloaded practice at home and hot practice at the range ahead of me.

 

[cracker57]

Dry fire is your friend..and something everyone can afford

 

[chief38]

One reason I've always belonged to a private outdoor Club as well as an indoor Club is that many indoor Clubs do not let you draw loaded guns from holsters. I did my holster draw training outside and still do my practice there as well.

 

[AJ]

Learn to draw and fire at targets when I attended Marine Corps Security Force Battalion Schools (basically the same course as at Gun Site at the time). That was 1988. Then got into IPSC. To do it right takes a lot of trigger time. At Battalion Schools we fired 1000 rounds in a week minimum. The instructors were giving folks extra rounds and telling them to do the drill again. Wore the skin off our hands.

 

[Tanners Owner]

I’ve taken training as well as shoot IDPA and ASI regularly. IDPA shooting helps keep my draw training exercised. One aspect of IDPA is it normally requires you draw while wearing a cover garment.

Might be something you may want to consider

 

[WR Moore]

Get the draw form down first. THEN worry about working with a cover garment. DO NOT use a mirror, there isn't gonna be one in front of you on the street.

Did a lot of training and instructor schools. Can't recall any that taught the draw. You were pretty much left to figure that out yourself.

Couple of tips on motions to avoid:
1. Bowling for dollars-after the gun clears the holster, extend the arm fully and rotate it up to firing position.

2. The discus throw-after the gun clears the holster, it moves outward and sweeps up and around to firing position.

 

[BE Mike]

I like Bill Jordan's advice in his book, "No Second Place Winner". Like anything with handguns, I advise people to learn to crawl before you walk and then run. Fast draws are great to watch in Westerns and shooting games, but are overemphasized. As has already been suggested, one can learn to draw by using an empty handgun. Always visually check that it is empty and use a solid backstop (basements are good) without anyone else being present.

 

[Smoke]

I used to work nights here. It's a propane storage facility that used to be out past the edge of town. The fence was a mile around and 90% of the property was undeveloped. When I worked nights out there I would walk around that fence line and practice a four-point draw all night long.

I never did it fast. I never tried to do a quick draw. I just went through the motions 1,2,3,4,3,2,1. I would be willing to bet that I did it a hundred times a night.

One night I was walking that fence line and I Disturbed something in the fields and it got up and ran past me and cleared the fence and took off. I always thought it was an antelope or deer. It could not possibly have been a human being because that fence was 8 ft tall and it cleared it in one shot. Anyway it wasn't till whatever it was cleared the fence that I realized that I had drawn my gun.

 

[Imissedagain]

In '67 my older USAF buddies taught me to fast draw and fire.
Wax bullets, chaps, aluminum boot cover and Ruger Blackhawks were used.
Never had to draw when working in shaky boat yards at night, as the gun was in my hand, if I had to leave the boat and get stuff from the truck.

 

[stansdds]

I never did it fast. I never tried to a quick draw. I just went through the motions 1,2,3,4,3,2,1. I would be willing to bet that I did it a hundred times a night.

.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. During my competition days, I saw plenty of shooters who did things fast, but looked a bit herky-jerky doing it. The shooter who was slower, but smooth, had the winning score.

 

[AJ]

Learn to draw and fire at targets when I attended Marine Corps Security Force Battalion Schools (basically the same course as at Gun Site at the time). That was 1988. Then got into IPSC. To do it right takes a lot of trigger time. At Battalion Schools we fired 1000 rounds in a week minimum. The instructors were giving folks extra rounds and telling them to do the drill again. Wore the skin off our hands.

We learned to draw and fire coming out of an M1916 holster. The flap had to be snapped down. We had 1.5 seconds to draw and fire two rounds from an M1911. This was done on command, so add reaction time in there. When I was teaching in the field, I drew and fired in about 9/10's of a second. Not bad for a 40 year old at the time. Faster that most of the 18-25 year old could do. Still have the rig, belt needs to be readjusted a bit.......

 

[BE Mike]

We learned to draw and fire coming out of an M1916 holster. The flap had to be snapped down. We had 1.5 seconds to draw and fire two rounds from an M1911. This was done on command, so add reaction time in there. When I was teaching in the field, I drew and fired in about 9/10's of a second. Not bad for a 40 year old at the time. Faster that most of the 18-25 year old could do. Still have the rig, belt needs to be readjusted a bit.......

Didn't military regulations state that a 1911 had to be in condition 4?

 

[AJ]

Didn't military regulations state that a 1911 had to be in condition 4?

Not for USMC Security Force Battalion Fleet Anti-Terrorist Security Teams (F.A.S.T. ) at the time. We carried Condition 1 all the time.

 

[Smoke]

Didn't military regulations state that a 1911 had to be in condition 4?

1. I think you mean condition 3

2. I'm not familiar with any specific Army regulation requiring that a weapon be carried in condition 3. That would be up to the unit Commander's discretion

 

[AJ]

1. I think you mean condition 3

2. I'm not familiar with any specific Army regulation requiring that a weapon be carried in condition 3. That would be up to the unit Commander's discretion

At one time all Marine Sentries were required to carry their weapons' in Condition 4 (no round in the weapon). About mid 1987 the Commandant ordered all sentries to carry Condition 3 (a full mag in the weapon, but nothing in the chamber). The F.A.S.T. Companies were different, in that we were authorized to carry Condition 1 (cocked and locked). More intense and different training that the majority of the Corps.

 

[mikerjf]

Does that get in the way of snapping the flap?

 

[BE Mike]

1. I think you mean condition 3

2. I'm not familiar with any specific Army regulation requiring that a weapon be carried in condition 3. That would be up to the unit Commander's discretion

It may have been condition 3. I qualified with the 1911a1 at Infantry OCS. I know when I was issued a 1911a1 for a specific duty (pay officer comes to mind), the weapon was carried with an empty chamber and hammer down. Of course that is probably long before most of you served and way before the war on terror.

 

[Darkenfast]

I carried a 1911A1 briefly during the 90's while stationed in Scotland (Navy). We got the training from Marine cadre who were probably trained the same way that AJ mentions above. Had lots of fun! Anyway, the 1916 holsters had no trouble closing over a Condition 1 1911. Our courses of fire started empty chamber, but continued in Condition 1. When on duty, we had three magazines with seven rounds apiece. In the 80's, shipboard watches I saw only had two mags of five apiece, and none in the gun, so things had improved a lot. The 1916 holster has got to be one of the fastest flap holsters around, but ours were very worn and constantly coming undone. I would not trust one by choice. Perhaps someone with experience of a new, quality repro of that holster come chime in here: are they more secure when new?

 

[AJ]

I carried a 1911A1 briefly during the 90's while stationed in Scotland (Navy). We got the training from Marine cadre who were probably trained the same way that AJ mentions above. Had lots of fun! Anyway, the 1916 holsters had no trouble closing over a Condition 1 1911. Our courses of fire started empty chamber, but continued in Condition 1. When on duty, we had three magazines with seven rounds apiece. In the 80's, shipboard watches I saw only had two mags of five apiece, and none in the gun, so things had improved a lot. The 1916 holster has got to be one of the fastest flap holsters around, but ours were very worn and constantly coming undone. I would not trust one by choice. Perhaps someone with experience of a new, quality repro of that holster come chime in here: are they more secure when new?

Yes, I was a Cadre and was assigned to Naval Station Long Beach as the senior Marine Cadre. I had been the Guard Chief at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach just down the road.

Once you learn the proper way to draw from the 1916 holster it is a great holster. The hole that the flap stud goes into gets worn after a while and it comes open easier than when new. Still have mine that I wore in the Corps. Went to an FBI "Rangemasters" Course at Long Beach Police Department in 1988. All the cops were snickering at our "funny old gear" as they stood there in their high speed black gear. That was until our first string of fire. I had drawn, fired two shots and was back in the holster before any of them. The FBI agent Instructor came over and asked where had we learned to do that. He had been a Major in the Corps and never had seen that or been taught that.

 

[Hawg Rider]

One reason I've always belonged to a private outdoor Club as well as an indoor Club is that many indoor Clubs do not let you draw loaded guns from holsters. I did my holster draw training outside and still do my practice there as well.

+1. Outdoors I shoot Action Steel and some USPSA, and can also use the Action Areas to practice drawing and live fire. Indoors (at home) I practice CCW draw and dry fire with snap caps (dummy rounds).