Took my first holster draw training

I have the great luxury of a left-handed wife. We went for evening walks around the perimeter of the farm. We could hold hand and not interfere with our strong hands. We practiced a drawing drill, I took a step forward and drew, she turned to the left to face back and drew. We had done this hundreds of times when one night in the twilight a form appeared in front of us about 15 yards. By Instinct I went forward and drew. I felt her pivot left and then BAM! In front of me had been a doe deer that took off at Diane's shot! Behind us was a male skunk, made as anything and when she turned, she saw the white of the tail, was already bringing the sights up and fired. Usually, skunks don't spray when you shoot them before they start. And He didn't this time either, but they still leak all their bodily fluids in a short time. I buried him the next morning at about 0500, so the neighbor kids didn't mess around and stink!

What surprised me was how well the drills we did really worked. I had a compact form of 1911 with tritium sights, and before I thought about it the sights were on the deer, Then I realized it was a deer and didn't fire. The wife's Big Dot was right on the small, close and low target, and she said it was "Just Natural' to go ahead and fire.

Ivan
 
I learned fast draw from Bill Jordan.. Drew and dry fired 10 times everyday before going on duty for 13 years.


I never came close to being as fast as Bill, but I was fast enough twice.
 
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I learned fast draw from Bill Jordan.. Drew and dry fired 10 times everyday before going on duty for 13 years.


I never came close to being as fast as Bill, but I was fast enough twice.

I learned fast draw in the Corps as a member of a F.A.S.T. Company. I was taught how to teach it. I will only teach it to LEO's and the like. Don't want that knowledge on the street.
 
I got pretty quick back 50 years ago. At 80 years old, I'm only halfassed now.
 
I got pretty quick back 50 years ago. At 80 years old, I'm only halfassed now.

That may be, however you are still probably more accurate than most. My speed is down, but I still hit 99% of what I am aiming at with the first shot!
 
My wife and I belong to a membership required outdoor range, it's an hour drive each way but is worth it.

We take a couple classes a year and are able to practice everything we learn at our range. It has a 180° shooting available when others aren't on the ranges, which is 99% of the time we are there.

If you are able to move and shoot that is the best thing to practice.
Start with small SLOW side to side steps, increase speed as you gain confidence. Once you get that down, start forward and rearward small SLOW steps and like the side to side increase speed as you get better.

This is something most people don't think about until it's too late.
 
Shot PPC then USPSA and IDPA for close to 30 years..... Took a "Police Civilian Training Academy " with my wife [long story] where one night we got to experience a computerized shoot/no shoot simulator; with a loaner duty rig, laser gun with compressed air recoil...........

Afterwards Barbara said I should have seen the looks on the "classmates" faces.... :O ........ the chief came over and said "You've done this before right?"

I had no recollection of drawing, aiming.... fired 3 rounds.......... as he got off one round at my "computer partner"
 
If you are able to move and shoot that is the best thing to practice.
Start with small SLOW side to side steps, increase speed as you gain confidence. Once you get that down, start forward and rearward small SLOW steps and like the side to side increase speed as you get better.

This is something most people don't think about until it's too late.

I trained in all sorts of moving scenarios, some where we were moving and some where the targets were moving. One of the hardest was with LASO SEB. We ran up a hill for about 100 yards (in full gear, yes level 1 vests too). When we got to the 25 yard line had to start engaging targets as we moved down to the 7 yard line. Had to be in shape or you were huffing & puffing!! Sid Heal is who got me into this.....besides being LASO he was a Jarhead!
 
I trained in all sorts of moving scenarios, some where we were moving and some where the targets were moving. One of the hardest was with LASO SEB. We ran up a hill for about 100 yards (in full gear, yes level 1 vests too). When we got to the 25 yard line had to start engaging targets as we moved down to the 7 yard line. Had to be in shape or you were huffing & puffing!! Sid Heal is who got me into this.....besides being LASO he was a Jarhead!

That sounds like a great training scenario. I've not had any training with that much movement (100yds in full gear). That sounds like an interesting trainer.

I think the hardest I've done is moving backward out to 100yds in the rain (I need eye glasses to see at distance), while engaging targets the whole time. This was done at the speed of the students choice (not running). Avoiding tripping hazards was difficult due to the rain.
 
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.
I actually had to report for pay one time in basic training
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That's a big name to drop. Always impressive in TV documentaries I've seen.

He was a USMCR WO on a training weekend at the pistol range when I meant him. Then he told me his day job after we talked a bit. Good people. Trained the NS Long Beach SWAT team with them. Set up a station wide exercise for security with Sid and the off duty SEB teams (he was the Gold Team Commander at the time). Everything from running the gates, coming over the fences, hostage drills and divers coming after the ships pier side for 24 hours. Great drill, drove home what I had been trying to teach to the Navy.

https://media.cleveland.com/pdextra/other/Sid Heal bio.pdf

Police tactical expert and educator Cmdr. Sid Heal dies
 
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When I became a city cop, we went out to the city dump, each of us was issued a box of 38s. We fired 12 rounds, and the Sgt. handed us a badge and said "Congratulations, you're a cop."

We never fired another round as training during the 3 years I worked there.

Fortunately, I had been shooting revolvers since grade school, so I could get by.

Joined the highway patrol and got enough firearms training to eventually become the firearms training officer at the recruit academy.
 
When I became a city cop, we went out to the city dump, each of us was issued a box of 38s. We fired 12 rounds, and the Sgt. handed us a badge and said "Congratulations, you're a cop."

We never fired another round as training during the 3 years I worked there.

Fortunately, I had been shooting revolvers since grade school, so I could get by.

Joined the highway patrol and got enough firearms training to eventually become the firearms training officer at the recruit academy.

Believe it or not that **** still goes on. We just hired a kid that had been with a small department. The chief there took him out and had him shoot pop cans. Not even going to mention what he issued for less lethal.
 
You can get reasonably proficient drawing even out of a flap holster if you've ever been in a hostile environment. In fact it takes awhile to stop drawing the gun that you are no longer carrying when you are startled.High Noon situations are BS. I think drawing "deliberately" is a better method
than fastgun. All these practical courses seem to me they turn into impractical range games.
 
I have a rumble channel that I post short training videos to. I just did one on dry fire training, specifically a 1.5 second draw. I train live fire once a month (at least) and this video just goes over how I prepare to run a drill before I run it hot.
Maybe someone will find it useful maybe not. Keep the best and leave the rest.
Let's Talk Dry Fire
 
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