I have owned handguns and been shooting for 40 years. 99% of what I do is slow fire at the range because I enjoy the concentration and skill required to shoot a tight group at 25 yards. I have described it to friends as high speed bowling. Based upon self introspection, conversations and basic reading, I know I am spectacularly unprepared technically and emotionally to respond to a self defense situation. I wonder how many others are? Arguably, we all know the basic elements that must be present to come out on the other side healthy and whole. One must be the first get a round on target, have accurate shot placement in a critical area, have a weapon and caliber up to the task and more than a small measure of luck. In short, one must have a proper weapon, and training, training and more training. However, I suspect that the above may get you 50% there, give or take 40%!
An analogy that works well for me is when I rode motorcycles. Like my training with handguns, I learned from well accomplished friends and direct experience; two reasonably good sources under normal conditions. Over the years, I totaled about 200k miles of riding; not a huge amount, but respectable. During that time, I had two accidents that resulted in significant injury. Both times, I had maybe .5 to 1 second to react and both times I simultaneously locked the brakes, said "oh ****" and slid sideways into the car. I very likely would died if I had not done that much, but it wasn't really enough since I was pretty badly hurt both times. Similar to firearms, more training would have helped when I had to respond in a fraction of a second with little more than muscle memory going for me. However, the missing element, regardless of level of training, is the sudden surprise and violence that is an inseparable part of an actual confrontation. How do you experience and train for that? Racing can get you there with motorcycles. Whether it is motocross or road racing, one uses all of one's skills and is occasionally presented with situations that bring that missing element into play. Do it enough times and you may actually ingrain the proper response when reality strikes and you only have a fraction of a second to act. Short of being in combat or an LEO who has been in the unfortunate position of fighting for their life, I see no way of getting to that last level of training with a weapon. By the way, the racing analogy breaks down at some point because one is already at a high level of attention and readiness that is frequently not present when one enters a self defense situation. It is the difference between what it takes in a drag race to go from 30-60 as opposed to 0-60.
Since I am not going to be enlisting in a combat branch or joining the police department at the age of 61, I have to work with what I have. Here is what I think I know and what I think I can do:
1. Keep it simple and fast with a weapon requiring the minimum of thought, training and muscle memory to get it into action. In other words, use a double action revolver.
2. Select one most appropriate for the task. I own a Ruger, a Colt and a couple of Smiths in a variety of calibers, but a .44 special Charter Arms Bulldog is my go-to gun. It is a good choice for a combination of reasons. It is an early '70's model that was built well and whose action was reworked to an S&W level of smoothness about 30 years ago. It is certainly not a large frame, "heavy duty" gun, but it is capable of taking thousands of moderate loads and is strong enough to digest occasional heavy defense loads. I have fired everything from mild target loads to hand loads approaching magnum level, and it only needed having screws tightened a couple of times to stay in perfect operating order. While it only holds five rounds, the experiences of others suggest that I would probably be lucky to get more than a couple rounds off in the vast majority of situations, making the advantage of a double stack magazine a moot point.
3. .44 special with a "defense" load leaves a big hole and has good penetration, especially at close range.
4. I am satisfied with my ability with it at the range. I have rapid fired this handgun many, many times. It points well and I am not afraid of the recoil. I also know that I can keep all five rounds in an area no larger than pie plate at 10 yards and 6 inches at 10 feet under practice conditions. This puts my basic skills somewhat in the ballpark. Continual practice may improve that, but it is what I know to be the best I can bring to the party.
So, I have a reliable weapon that makes a big hole through thick stuff at close range. It has adequate accuracy at close range and so do I, assuming that I am not overwhelmed with fear and adrenaline during the moment of crisis. Who knows how I will respond? My experience with motorcycles suggest that it comes down to a matter of how successful I will be when I "lock the brakes, say oh **** and slide sideways" into the target.
An analogy that works well for me is when I rode motorcycles. Like my training with handguns, I learned from well accomplished friends and direct experience; two reasonably good sources under normal conditions. Over the years, I totaled about 200k miles of riding; not a huge amount, but respectable. During that time, I had two accidents that resulted in significant injury. Both times, I had maybe .5 to 1 second to react and both times I simultaneously locked the brakes, said "oh ****" and slid sideways into the car. I very likely would died if I had not done that much, but it wasn't really enough since I was pretty badly hurt both times. Similar to firearms, more training would have helped when I had to respond in a fraction of a second with little more than muscle memory going for me. However, the missing element, regardless of level of training, is the sudden surprise and violence that is an inseparable part of an actual confrontation. How do you experience and train for that? Racing can get you there with motorcycles. Whether it is motocross or road racing, one uses all of one's skills and is occasionally presented with situations that bring that missing element into play. Do it enough times and you may actually ingrain the proper response when reality strikes and you only have a fraction of a second to act. Short of being in combat or an LEO who has been in the unfortunate position of fighting for their life, I see no way of getting to that last level of training with a weapon. By the way, the racing analogy breaks down at some point because one is already at a high level of attention and readiness that is frequently not present when one enters a self defense situation. It is the difference between what it takes in a drag race to go from 30-60 as opposed to 0-60.
Since I am not going to be enlisting in a combat branch or joining the police department at the age of 61, I have to work with what I have. Here is what I think I know and what I think I can do:
1. Keep it simple and fast with a weapon requiring the minimum of thought, training and muscle memory to get it into action. In other words, use a double action revolver.
2. Select one most appropriate for the task. I own a Ruger, a Colt and a couple of Smiths in a variety of calibers, but a .44 special Charter Arms Bulldog is my go-to gun. It is a good choice for a combination of reasons. It is an early '70's model that was built well and whose action was reworked to an S&W level of smoothness about 30 years ago. It is certainly not a large frame, "heavy duty" gun, but it is capable of taking thousands of moderate loads and is strong enough to digest occasional heavy defense loads. I have fired everything from mild target loads to hand loads approaching magnum level, and it only needed having screws tightened a couple of times to stay in perfect operating order. While it only holds five rounds, the experiences of others suggest that I would probably be lucky to get more than a couple rounds off in the vast majority of situations, making the advantage of a double stack magazine a moot point.
3. .44 special with a "defense" load leaves a big hole and has good penetration, especially at close range.
4. I am satisfied with my ability with it at the range. I have rapid fired this handgun many, many times. It points well and I am not afraid of the recoil. I also know that I can keep all five rounds in an area no larger than pie plate at 10 yards and 6 inches at 10 feet under practice conditions. This puts my basic skills somewhat in the ballpark. Continual practice may improve that, but it is what I know to be the best I can bring to the party.
So, I have a reliable weapon that makes a big hole through thick stuff at close range. It has adequate accuracy at close range and so do I, assuming that I am not overwhelmed with fear and adrenaline during the moment of crisis. Who knows how I will respond? My experience with motorcycles suggest that it comes down to a matter of how successful I will be when I "lock the brakes, say oh **** and slide sideways" into the target.
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Just joking.
