Blammer - Gun Blog

Was just thinking today that’s there’s been a progression in how I visualize my two-handed stance.

(more…)

There are three homilies that I hear repeated in “how to shoot” instructional guides:

• Lock the Wrist
• Squeeze the Trigger
• Focus on the Front Sight

Well, I think I am finally starting to understand them.

Locking the wrist I thought I was doing that, but actually I wasn’t. I believe now that locking the wrist means you try to make your entire hand assembly one gripping, unmoving vise. I’ve heard it described that way elsewhere, but the natural tendency is to adjust your wrist to help aim the gun so you don’t move your head as much. No no no…I think this is probably wrong. You develop the vise grip first, so the gun’s barrel is in line with your arm, and then you get your head and eyes behind the sights. With practice, I think you end up with a natural pointing motion in a more aggressive stance. And as you’re firing, focus on maintaining that vise grip and arrow-straight orientation of barrel to arm. I think it took about a year for me to realize this also, because I had the tendency not to use the tip of my finger. As it is, my fingers are kind of short for fuller-sized autos (the SIG P226’s long DA first trigger pull requires me to use tip of my finger). But the grip is good and the recoil is more manageable.

Squeezing the trigger is trickier than it sounds. I think it’s taken about a year for me to develop the finger strength and dexterity to pull off a smooth squeeze. Secondly, I had to develop the coordination between grip and pull. By focusing on the back of my hand, where the backstrap of the grip meets, I can actually better “index” the pull straight back. If I think about keeping steady pressure on the backstrap, I find that this results in more of a squeeze than if I am thinking about my index finger. Weird, I know.

Keeping your focus on the Front Sight…easy to do as you’re lining up. But are you really focusing on the sight, or just lining it up and looking at the target? I found that I was doing this. Plus, when you start to squeeze the trigger and are thinking about locking your wrist and the backstrap and not flinching…it’s easy for your attention to wander. I’ve tried using the front sight as a kind of mental anchor for the entire process…can’t tell if it’s working or not. Also, focusing on the front sight during recoil and recovery helps line things back up faster, I think. I haven’t timed or video taped myself, so I’m not really sure.

I am still have trouble keeping all these thing simultaneously…more practice I guess. Maybe I need to develop a mantra like “lock — front sight - squeeze - vise grip - front sight front sight - BOOM - lock front sight - squeeze”. Or put it to music or something. If I do it 100 times, maybe it will stick.

Then, maybe I can develop better speed. I suspect I need to practice acquiring a sight picture faster. Front sight focus might help, in addition to practicing a consistent draw and fire.

I’ve been having a few terrible weeks of shooting, which means I think I’m about to hit the next level. Here’s what I think is going on:

1. I finally learn how to hold a pistol stable and pull the trigger, by putting my concentration on the backstrap instead of the trigger as I pull. Don’t know if this works for everyone, but it seems to work for me.

2. During monday night shoots, a marked increase in accuracy on the stages. Am encouraged to try to push a little faster.

3. Result, three weeks of marked decrease in accuracy. This week, I slowed it down in the middle of the session to re-focus on the basics of 1.

Also, I am now starting to move on load and draw. I realized today, watching some of the more experienced shooters, that I lacked a certain fluidity in both motion and awareness. I was not “in the game”.

So, rather than focus on speed, I’m going to focus on the basics and fluidity in motion, awareness, and sequence of action. There’s a certain rhythm that you need to have. Speed should come after that. I feel better now for having completely missed one plate at 7 yards.

The one high point of the evening was a shoot-from-cover exercise in which I went empty (duh), and then executed a very fast (for me) reload without having to think about it. I just did it. Didn’t stare at the gun. Saw it, dropped the mag while feeding the new one, racked and finished off the stage. The RO even said it looked great, even as I washed out.

I’ve been practicing drawing and shooting quite a bit for the past couple of days, and I have my first blister! Awesome!

I went to the police department today to apply for my LTC. I’d never actually been to the police department before, so I was curious how it would go, particularly since I’d read on packing.org that someone had to go through some hoops.

The entrance to the PD had an information / permits window. I told them I wanted to apply for an LTC, and I was able to fill it out right there. If I hadn’t had to get some references from home, I could just have dropped it off. I didn’t even get to talk to a uniformed police officer. Maybe there will be followup later.

In any case, I’m going to drop it off tomorrow, and in two weeks if there are no problems, I should be able to pick it up. Time to go shopping for holsters!

As it turns out, there’s something called the Tactical Arts Group based right here in Nashua, NH which runs a number of activities. Here’s the mission statement from their website:

TAG is a collection of shootists who share the desire to improve their skills in the tactical martial arts and make up the Practical disciplines (Practical Pistol, Practical Rifle, IDPA) at Nashua Fish & Game Association in Merrimack. Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Less Lethal, and other defensive tactics are all practiced here.

They seem to be serious about keeping this material out of the hands of the criminal element, so you need to pass a background check or have some other proof of character.

The NRA Personal Protection instructor (the course was excellent, btw) invited his class to check them out someday. And while corresponding with the contact for the PSI Concealed Carry class, he mentioned that after Oct 29 they’ll be meeting at the Manchester Firing Line. So I’m planning on checking it out sometime.

I was pretty interested in taking a PSI Concealed Carry Self Defense Seminar at the end of October, but it turns out the class was cancelled due to some location issues at the Nashua Fish and Game Association. Darn. Look at what I’ll miss:

Covers much more material than most all “basic” courses and even gets into shooting on the move, use of cover, low light, etc.) This is credible, validated, safe training that goes beyond what most other schools do in the same time. You will shoot on steel and in varying conditions, with plenty of coaching and assistance. All students complete a defensive evaluation and receive feedback on their performance in the course. The entire focus of the course material is individual self defense for private citizens. The instructors are experienced, organized, and will deliver a positive experience with potentially life saving skills. Expect lots of training in a short time.

I think PSI is “Personal Security Institute” based in Stratham, NH, but I can’t find a working URL. Sounds interesting though.

I don’t think I am interested in carrying a loaded weapon as a daily thing, but I think it is a good idea to know how it’s done. You know, “be prepared”.