Your thoughts on training

[snub56]

I just thought I would put this out for consideration. What would be the best training for civilian concealed carry ? Not just the amount of time but also the kind of training. My idea is to get thoughts on what people believe is the most effective way to use a handgun to survive a lethal encounter. -

 

[SF180A]

snub56,

What I would consider is comparing local course curriculum and and kind of do a cost benefit analysis of how far and deep do I wish to get into the concealed carry condition. Look at the background and teaching ability of the instructor(s). Are they a certified professional with a good track record/history or some blend of Rambo/Jedi, then you may wish to avoid?

Just my opinion
Some points to consider on training, but not limited to;
Local laws and how they pertain to CCW
Choosing the right CCW, ammo, and holster if used
Developing the right mindset, (pri, alt, cont. planning)
Shoot don't shoot scenarios (home, auto, public places ect...)
Day night range fire (point blank to 25 meters +-)
Educating family members (if applicable)
Develop a safe home environment (is bedroom your safe room? cell phone, light, extra ammo, first aid kit, ect...)

The list could be endless or limited to your imagination. Bottom line concealed carry training should offer more then just shooting rounds down range.

Regards,
SF180A

 

[pawncop]

A couple of random thoughts.

1. Marksmanship first.
Pawncop rules of combat:
A big hole is better than a little hole.
More holes are better than one hole.

From my dear friend Erich -
Shot placement is King.
Adequate penetration is Queen
All other issues are Angels dancing on the head of a pin

2. Practice drawing (unloaded, unloaded, unloaded) in the various situations you will carry. One example, in the car - where do you keep your sidearm? How is it stored? Practice getting to it smoothly, then rapidly. Best done in the garage with an UNLOADED sidearm, away from prying eyes.

3. Practice drawing (Need I say unloaded?) with the type clothing worn with the sidearm in the concealed position. Again, first do it smoothly, then rapidly.

4. Learn to bring the sights to bear smoothly and quickly from the various positions you may be called upon to draw your sidearm. Imagine you are at a restaurant, and must draw to defend your life or that of your family. Best to warn the spouse what you are doing - - just trust me on this one. Think of how you carry your sidearm at the mall, at the grocery store, at church YES at church! You think evil will stand at the door of a church and not enter. Many have learned the hard way that evil will enter a church and try to wreck havoc.

Finally, have a mindset, that evil will not win. This is the most important training /development required. Evil must not win, you will fight evil and defeat it. You need not fight fair, you must win.

I hope I have not rambled too much and hope you find this helpful.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Training is good. Almost any training is preferable to no training.

On the other hand, REQUIRED training as a prerequisite to exercising one's right to keep and bear arms in defense of self, home, property, family, community, state and nation is universally BAD.

The annals of history are filled with incidents of victims, many with restraining orders in place and properly served, being snuffed out by their victimizers while they waited for government approval of a firearm purchase, or for a carry permit.

Rights are fundamental guarantees, not subject to bureaucratic interpretation, permission, or application. Every citizen has the basic right of self-defense as a matter of natural law, and that is codified and guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution.

If I had no experience whatsoever with a firearm, and I was in fear for my life for any reason, I would choose to have and keep a firearm close at hand for the purpose of protecting myself against unlawful interference or assault. Laws that prohibit, or limit me, from doing so are not just laws. Unjust laws make for contempt of laws in general. Laws that favor the oppressor over the oppressed create the environment of revolution.

Rant over. Get the best training you can get, but don't try to require it for others choosing to exercise their enumerated rights under our Constitution.

Best regards.

 

[OKFC05]

You could do a lot worse than the two NRA personal protection courses for the basics of law, gun handling, and defensive shooting technique.
After that, you would have the basic skill set to take the advanced defensive training courses ($$$) and be ready to learn advanced techniques.
NRAInstructors.org - Portal for NRA certified Instructors, NRA Education and Training

IMHO, it is a waste of money to take the $$$$ advanced courses before learning the fundamentals. I've seen people come back from them very impressed with what they saw, but not able to do much, because they were still struggling with the basics.

 

[BikerRN]

That can be a very open-ended question, and one with a variety of answers. I'll give you my opinion, which may or may not, agree with others here.

1) Gun Safety/Handling
2) Marksmanship
3) CCW Permit Class
4) Intermediate Level Training (including low light)
5) Weapon Retention and Less Than Lethal Techniques
6) Longarm/Handgun Training

Training should be an ongoing process where one works on weaknesses and strives to improve. One should never stop learning.

Biker

 

[ACP230]

I think awareness ought to be the first thing on any course scedule.
If you can see a problem developing maybe you can be somewhere else when it occurs. Jeff Cooper had a lot of things to say about this in "Principles Of Personal Defense" and his other books.

The Nike defense is a good idea too, although I don't run too well any more.

I have taken shooting courses from a couple of trainers and learned things at each one. A course called Realistic Advanced Combatives Seminar (RACS) involves no shooting but does give a lot of info on mindset.

 

[pberry]

I watch a lot of this stuff on tv. I know of 5 or 6 shows about self defence. They are shooting bad guy targets from 5 to 25 yards. Thats good practice. That is not likely what will happen if you get attacked. If you need to shoot, it is likely the bad guy will have one hand on you and one hand with a gun or knife in it. You may be exiting a car or walking in a parking lot. He won't yell at you from 3 rows over telling you to throw your wallet over to him. It will be close and a surprise if you are not watching your back. I have my own gun range. I practice trigger control at 10 to 25 yards. I also set up 3 or 4 targets close together, walk up and bump one of them, draw and take it and the others out as fast as possible while making good hits. This is dangerous. You have to keep your self away from the muzzle while shooting a target that is touching you. I try to make it real. I walk through it several times for safety before doing any shooting. I change it up everytime. I shoot thousands of rounds per year. You can't buy a gun, one box of ammo and carry and expect to win a confrontation. You have to be ready. I figure I'm still not ready, but I suspect most bad guys dont practice at all. Distance is your friend, close is his friend.
Phil

 

[J.P.60]

Pawncop's rules are a great start, combined with the NRA courses... starting at the beginning. I don't care how much you've shot - defensive training begins at the beginning.

Mindset is everything. Without it, your gun does not have an adequate "driver."

 

[Big Cholla]

One can not 'train' or 'be trained' too much. Carrying a handgun with no training is foolishness to the extreme. Go to several different training courses and make the 'best' yours and discount the 'worst'. Shooting a self-defense handgun quickly and accurately is an eye/hand coordination/mindset drill that requires frequent range time to keep those skills honed.

After you are 'trained' stay 'trained'. Do not let your skills or mindset deteriorate. ...... Big Cholla

 

[11B Lifer]

Priorities

Safety, Safety, Safety

Then marksmanship.
The majority of negigent discharges occur when the pistol is being taken out of a closet, during cleaning, being shown. I know a couple experienced instructors who have blown holes in mirrors, doors etc.

The local Sheriff dept. and State certified instructors in another county conducted the most unsafe courses I have seen-
I recommend becoming safety savy before attending a course-
You can develop shooting skills by reading and practice. Safety must be practiced.
I had an instructor tell me that I was too picky about safety... civility prevents description of my reply.

 

[edprof]

CCW training curriculum

snub56,

What I would consider is comparing local course curriculum and and kind of do a cost benefit analysis of how far and deep do I wish to get into the concealed carry condition. Look at the background and teaching ability of the instructor(s). Are they a certified professional with a good track record/history or some blend of Rambo/Jedi, then you may wish to avoid?

Just my opinion
Some points to consider on training, but not limited to;
Local laws and how they pertain to CCW
Choosing the right CCW, ammo, and holster if used
Developing the right mindset, (pri, alt, cont. planning)
Shoot don't shoot scenarios (home, auto, public places ect...)
Day night range fire (point blank to 25 meters +-)
Educating family members (if applicable)
Develop a safe home environment (is bedroom your safe room? cell phone, light, extra ammo, first aid kit, ect...)

The list could be endless or limited to your imagination. Bottom line concealed carry training should offer more then just shooting rounds down range.

Regards,
SF180A

The CCW training I had in Arkansas was pretty close to this. Maybe a little heavier on the overall mindset of safety and awareness at all times. Some on tear gas/pepper spray also. Our range time was almost at nightfall. The unrestricted license I got is good in 37 states.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

Practice "Situational Awareness"

All of the above. There's nothing better than training and practice. Along with that, I can't count how many victims of crimes have stated to me "I never saw him coming", or "he came out of nowhere". Actually the perp didn't come out of no-where, he was there all along, you just were not paying attention. With that in mind I would also make one other recommendation, that you practice "situational awareness". If you are or have been a LEO you know what I mean. For those who haven't it's simply being aware of what's going on around you AT ALL TIMES. Start with a few minutes, perhaps the next time your shopping or at the mall. Casually look around, observe who's there, what are they doing? You will soon find yourself doing this automatically. You'll be surprised at what you see and, best of all, you won't be surprised if someone approaches you with bad intentions. Remember the Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared!!

 

[crease-guard]

....For those who haven't it's simply being aware of what's going on around you AT ALL TIMES. Start with a few minutes, perhaps the next time your shopping or at the mall. Casually look around, observe who's there, what are they doing? You will soon find yourself doing this automatically. You'll be surprised at what you see and, best of all, you won't be surprised if someone approaches you with bad intentions. Remember the Boy Scout Motto: Be Prepared!!

I can personally attest to this being the best defense of all. Late one night I was coming out of the rink after playing in my hockey league. As I was walking to the side of the building (which was not lit at the time) I passed a guy standing on the sidewalk with a backpack. Not a gear pack but a reg backpack, no hockey sticks, by himself just standing there. He stuck out like a sore thumb. As I got to my truck, I had just uneasy feeling so I laid my gear bag (I play goalie so the bag is huge) and my sticks in the walking path between my truck and the car next to me (thankfuly there was a car there). I opened the rear door of the crewcab and then the front door and I got my carry out from the console. I just stood there with the rear door as cover as he approached me. He had his hand in the backpack, I had my carry in mine covered by the door. He came up to the bag, asked me what time it was and I firmly said I don't know maintaining firm eye contact with him. He walked away and I watched for a minute until he was out of sight and then packed my crap up in record time and got the hell out of there.

Moral is, my awareness saved me from a bad confontation that night. No shots fired.

Jay

 

[bubbiesdad]

Our local instructor says the three most important factors in using a handgun to defend yourself are:
1. Bullet placement
2. Bullet placement
3. Bullet placement

I have taken several post HCP classes. Classes involve both inside and outside the home defense. I am hoping to later this year to be able to attend a class with the I.C.E. training center.

 

[Mediumbore]

Make sure any training you get is relevent to your situation. No matter how good the instructor, don't take the "ultimate sniper ninja death" course and expect much relevance to civilian CCW or Home Defense. If you have had a basic marksmanship course, then find a course where the focus is on holster work, accelerated shots, compressed time frames, etc. Think of it as a two-fold opportunity, gain new techniques and work your equipment to make sure it works for your needs.

 

[Murdock]

Start here. You won't be sorry.

nononsenseselfdefense.com

 

[The Big D]

An individual's '"mindset" is as important as actual range and classroom time.

Many people do not respond appropriately to violence...real or perceived.

Be safe.

 

[photoman]

My thoughts on training? Get as much as you can.

Best training for "civilian" concealed carry? Probably Suarez Intl but there are other good ones too and local training reduces the expense big time.

 

[computeruser]

Suarez, Farnam, Yeager and their approved instructors are among those I would look to first. Realistic training, not wedded to dogma and not trying to sell you a membership or some land in Nevada.